Bimbling in Bath

My boyfriend was treated to a weekend in beautiful Bath by his parents for completing his Masters degree and luckily for me he couldn't really go alone.

We stayed at The County Hotel and I can't begin to explain how lovely it was. From the location to the view from our window, everything was perfect.

It was only a 5 minute stroll to the main part of town and there we were spoilt for choice on places to eat. Having said that we ate at Bill's which although now a trendy place to dine, neither of us had been before so we decided to give it a go! The burger (surprise, surprise) didn't disappoint and neither did the sneaky little glass of wine.

It was a beautiful evening and we saw Bath in all it's pretty glory. The next day it poured down so it's a good job we took photographs when we did.

The following morning we went to the famous baths. They were right in the centre of the town which isn't at all how I imagined them. They didn't disappoint though and we spent hours wondering around listening to the audio describing each section of the historical setting. It's crazy to think that they haven't yet discovered all of the baths and they could still be lying beneath the streets of the city. I'd like to go back in years to come and see what else has been excavated.

We couldn't go to Bath and not walk to see the Royal Crescent. I didn't realise it would be such a climb but it was worth it as the Red Arrows flew over in formation just as we collapsed on the green in the photo above. I didn't manage to get a photo of them but they seemed to arrive just in time as the sky took a turn for the worse.

That night we went for a dinner at a place called The Stable which had been recommended to us. They have a few restaurants that are mainly located on the South Coast. Heading downstairs into what felt like a cosy basement we were lucky enough to get the last table. Jonny was over the moon at the idea of getting 5 randomly selected ciders to taste while I was more interested in the crazy pizza toppings on offer. In the end I went with roast lamb with sweet potato and caramelised onions. Pretty much a roast dinner on a pizza, it doesn't get much better than that.

I would definitely recommend The Stable if you're visiting Bath, great location and even better grub.

All in all a beautiful city which I would recommend to everyone and I'm hoping for another visit next summer.

Vietnam #1

South East Asia was on my bucket list, as I think it is for a lot of people but I never imagined I would have the chance to visit quite so soon. My best friend is off travelling around the world for 15 months beginning in Asia so I couldn't ignore the idea of visiting her along the way. Vietnam was thrown into a conversation one evening and it was set, I would be flying out to see her for 2 weeks to explore the country from Hanoi all the way down to Ho Chi Minh City in the South.

On previous trips we have organised everything down to a T from transport to hotels to day trips. This time we decided to be more relaxed and we planned as we went, booking sleeper buses and hostels from recommendations we heard along the way. This meant that if we wanted to stay somewhere for longer because we loved the city or wanted to put off a long journey for lazy purposes then we could.

It was the most fun (and most humid) two weeks so I wanted to jot down a few pointers for people thinking of traveling to this side of the world. Things that I found helpful and things that I wish I had taken!

1. Injections
Arrgghh. Not what you want to be thinking of when you're planning an exciting holiday. Going to Vietnam I needed a Hepatitis A and Typhoid inoculation. These were done on the NHS free of charge and I was lucky enough not to need to splash out on Malaria tablets as we were sticking to the East coast. Make sure you read up on what you do and don't need, different nurses may give you different options.

2. Rucksack with a front opening
Ok, so this is more of a luxury than a necessity. Rummaging around in a 6 person dorm at 2 in the morning trying desperately trying to find your toothbrush and toothpaste is not the one. I invested in a rucksack which I could open from the front so I could see everything in the bag. I like to think I'm a patient person but not being able to locate something in my bag easily and quickly is something I like to avoid. I bought this lovely Lowe Alpine number. God bless you little huge bag.

3. A good camera
My biggest regret is not taking my Canon 500D D SLR. I decided to pack light and was worried that my camera would get damaged or stolen as we were staying in hostels and had numerous sleeper bus journeys. If I could go back I would definitely pack this camera - The quality absolutely outweighs the pain it would have been to carry around everywhere. If like me you love taking photographs and documenting your journeys then don't even hesitate to take the best camera you own!

4. Write down & listen to recommendations
Going without a plan is exciting and spontaneous. That is until you have to decide the next stop and have no idea where to go or stay. We chatted to a lot of people we met in our hostels who had already done the journey we were planning to do and this was a great opportunity to get recommendations of great places to stay and where to avoid! This is not only a sociable way of meeting people but it also saves time and attempting to find WiFi for researching purposes.

5. Money App
Getting money out for the first time in Vietnam there was slight confusion to say the least. The currency is so huge with 35,000 dong equating to £1 so paying 100,000 dong to get a bus to our hotel I felt like I was being robbed. To save time and embarrassment in restaurants and shops I used the XE currency app which meant I could work out how much I was spending with the click of a button.

A few handy hints and tips here to make your trip that little bit smoother!

L'Amour

Sweatshirt - H&M (similar)

Blouse - Pull & Bear

Jeans - Topshop

Vans - Schuh

Bag - Zara (old)

British Summer Time, you devious little thing. One minute there's blue sky and no breeze the next there's gale force winds and a weather warning. Ok, I joke - slightly - but the British weather is definitely something you have to get used to. 

Take this particular morning for example, I initially went for a skirt and blouse combo but stepping out of my front door I realised that bare legs just wouldn't cut it. It did however, give me a chance to debut this sweatshirt from H&M. Whistles have a number of these slogan sweatshirts on the go at the moment but the price tag of this H&M one was far more suited to me. I rarely wear white due to my 'Casper-like' complexion but paired with dark jeans and a collared blouse it works well. Perfect for a Summer evening layering piece too.

The chilly weather didn't stop us from eating al-fresco and devouring this amazing Meatball Focaccia from Strada. Not the best choice of meal given the colour of my jumper. Live and learn!