Since Valentine's Weekend allowed the entire travel industry to increase flights and accommodations a few hundred pounds, we decided to stay somewhat local for our February trip. Since Brighton is just a short train ride from London, we headed down for some arcade fun and seaside walks. One of my dear friends from Michigan, Natalie (aka Natzaz) came to visit Bristol today. Natzaz recently graduated from University of Pittsburg and completed her degree through studying abroad in London last summer. Her #hashtag and blog throughout that adventure was #NatzazTakesLondon so naturally, our #hashtag for today was #NatzazTakesBristol!
Natzaz is in England for the week because she just had to come back! She's visiting some of her friends from Uni in Exeter, and was able to swing a day trip to come and see me while she was near. It was a wonderful opportunity to test my knowledge of Bristol and be the tour guide instead of the visitor, for a change! It was a beautiful day, and we walked throughout most of the city, by the Harbor, Cathedral, and the bridge! We even had a 3 hour long afternoon tea, just sitting and chatting. It was so fun! #Natzaz is a totally awesome lady, and is now taking part in the Disney College Program (!!!! I know, right?! !!!!) and is rocking it out in the hospitality sector. You can follow her adventures on the Instagram. I'll let you search for her yourself as I'm pretty sure you'll know her username already. Thanks for coming to visit, Natzaz! & for being such a fab photographer! (These photos were all taken by Natzaz, I snagged them for my blogging purposes because they're dozens of times better than the ones I took!) It's 2016!!! A fresh, new beginning... I love the feeling, don't you? It's like the start of another school year, except we start up where we left off just a few weeks ago... encouraged by a new mindset and plenty of energy & enthusiasm for what lies ahead.
We ended 2015 and said hello to 2016 out at a local club with members of Dayne's family, all out to see his cousin Jack's band, The Harrington's, play to ring in the New Year. I may have only known a handful of songs, but the energy was electric and the trio was totally entertaining! I was well impressed by them, as they were three 17 year olds performing like rockstars! It was a wonderful evening. Here's a midnight tradition that's a little different to what we do in America... At the end of the countdown, we usually go in for the hugs and kisses with those we love. Here in England, everyone got into a circle with those around them, crossed their arms over one another, swayed side to side and sang Auld Lang Syne together. THEN you break and give out hugs and kisses and yell "Yeehaw!" if you're from America... or if you're Paul... and you get on with the celebrations. I am looking forward to double the fun and adventure in 2016! Happy New Year! Love, Jacqui Incase any of you are planning to head across the pond in the next year... here is a list of some of the "must-do's" in Bristol for the year of 2016, compiled by the Bristol Post.
Christmas!!! Happy December!!!
Being in England for the holidays is so busy and exciting. Every town has a Christmas Market... parks and squares have ice skating rinks, and almost all of the streets in the city centre have bright lights and decorations. I love it! There is so much I want to experience during this time, I don't even know where to begin! Very generic items at the top of my list include going ice skating, making Christmas cookies, attending a caroling service, and going to as many pantomimes as possible. Thankfully, there is all of this to do and so much more in London. Check out this list of 101 Things to do in London for Christmas. It's a great guide to fun holiday activities, and also gives options of new places to go and visit to do them at, which is a really great bonus for me. Let me know what number you'd have on the top of your list if you were here in December. I came to London a few days earlier than planned so that I could see my friend Roger and his granddaughter, Anabelle. We had a great two days together spent catching up and visiting some nice neighborhoods and parks to play in. They even accompanied me on my first trip to Hackney City Farm. Anabelle loved showing me her favorite animals and the weather was phenomenal for late October. We had a lot of fun. Thanks for a great visit!
A couple days ago I posted THIS article about Playground Coffee House on my Facebook page. I may not have said it, but I felt a strong urge to head there and swing on one of their swings, and thought Dayne would like to join me on that adventure.
Surprisingly, I got a few emails from my friends and family who also felt that I needed to go and swing on the swings at Playground Coffee House, and to be sure to let them know when I did. So, on the one Saturday in October I did not have class for seven hours, Dayne and I decided to head there for a morning cup of coffee. OH MY GOSH, was it a blast! Unfortunately I can't upload the video I have of us swinging to the blog, but to my surprise we did not have to wait to sit on them, they were available as soon as we arrived. We must have sat there talking and swinging for over an hour. We loved it! Well, I may have loved it a little bit more, but it was a great start to the day and my latte was immaculate. We even came back to play board games on Sunday before Dayne caught his ride back to London. Playground Coffee House has two floors with board games and other activities (including the swings) scattered throughout the area. I loved all of the bright colors, but both times we visited I thought the temperature of the building was too cold for me to be 100% comfortable. If anyone comes to visit, we will likely make a stop here. Their drinks were great and if you have nothing to talk about, there's plenty of games available to you. You'll never be bored. |
Hiya!Jacq is a "Made in the Mitten" gal experiencing life & love across the pond. She enjoys the theatre, both onstage and off, traveling, & taking pictures. You might spot her on her way to class or enjoying a hazelnut latte. She hopes to soon find a good spot to do yoga in the city. Follow her adventures as she discovers her favorite places & spaces in Bristol, Bath & beyond! Topics
All
Archives
February 2016
|