I was supposed to run the Amsterdam Half Marathon in October 2017; this was a decision I had made back in January 2017. However I had a couple of hiccups:
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Summer in Sintra - Town Centre & Monserrate Palace
I had tackled the 2 of the top sites of Sintra in one afternoon (straight from the airport mind), which you can read about here. I was looking for a more chilled exploration of Sintra and decided to explore the historic town centre.
Summer in Sintra – Castle of the Moors & Pena Palace
The days are short and cold; the nights are long and cold…… and I’m reminiscing about the few days I spent in Sintra, Portugal over the August Bank Holiday Weekend.
Sintra is part of the region known as the Portuguese Riviera, about 35 minutes away from Lisbon City. Sintra is known for its historical romantic palaces and its picturesque town centre.
That Time I Went to Lisbon, Portugal
I have been trawling the many, many photos of my recent visit to Sintra and Lisbon and I’ve realised that I’ve not even sorted out my photos from when I first visited Lisbon in 2016! Better to show a few of those off first…..
That Time I Went to Copenhagen, Denmark
In September 2016 I went to Copenhagen with a few of my friends to take part in the Copenhagen Half Marathon. Copenhagen is about a 90 minute flight from London.
Roma with my Momma
It has been donkey’s years since I travelled abroad with my Mum; she usually travels once a year to Nigeria on what I like to call an “extended family visit” to see her mum and family. For the last 10 years I have travelled with friends, for both long haul holiday and city breaks. I thought it was about time she indulged in a City Break, so one of my goals for 2017 was to take her on a short break.
I decided to take her to Rome as I felt it was quite “Mummy friendly” and we would both appreciate the sights. It would be our first time visiting and experiencing the city and country.
So About 2016.......
I think it is safe to say that 2016 has been an experience!
We lost more than a few well loved actors and musicians who were a part of our lives growing up; the passing of a person is never a pleasant affair, but I was particularly shocked at the deaths of Alan Rickman, Prince, Anton Yelchin, George Michael and mostly recently, mother & daughter, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.
Politics went crazy; the shock results of Brexit and the US Presidential Election are still being felt. I can only pray and hope for a positive outcome in the long term
On a larger scale 2016 has been a humbling year to say the least. We have learnt and seen that the world is angry and in pain; the desire for change is strong.
On a smaller scale, 2016 for me has been a busy year. I still can't believe that we are mere days away from 2017. As mentioned in my previous post, returning to full time work has been very time consuming (duh!), which was partly why I had neglected this blog. However I did manage to fit in a few adventures........
I ran with Hart (Jan):
Dublin Dash: Food, Food, Food
While I spent a lot of time on my feet during my few days in Dublin, when I did settle down it was to sleep or eat. One of the beauties of travelling for me is eating (in fact it’s one of the beauties of life for me). Between where I stayed in Rathmines and the City Centre there were loads of restaurants that I wanted to explore, but alas there wasn’t enough time. Or money……
But here are 3 places where I indulged my stomach:
BoBo’s Gourmet Irish Burgers
BoBo’s was the first place my friends and I ate after spending about 35 minutes walking up and down Rathmines trying to meet up with another friend!
We wanted something simple to eat and I suppose it doesn’t get much simpler than burgers.
Rock’n’Roll Dublin Half Marathon 2015
When I wrote about running my first half marathon, I ended the post stating that I was considering running another one…… and I did. I took part in the Rock’n’Roll Dublin Half Marathon at the beginning of August.
Dublin Dash
Last weekend I visited Dublin. I went to take part in the Rock n Roll Dublin Half Marathon (more on that later) and to for birthday celebrations of a friend, but also to have a bit of a break – affordable mind. I was with great company; friends and fellow runners from Nike+ Run Club Stratford (aka #e20Tigers).
Mexico 2013 - Beaches, Blue Sea & Wildlife
My
posts on Mexico conclude with a few photos from Cancun, Isla Mujeres (Woman
Island) and a few "residents" of the hotel I was staying at.
Cancun
is known for its white sands and blue Caribbean Sea; as well as being the go to
destination for Spring Break. While Cancun Centro (Downtown Cancun) even on a
cloudy, the sea looked amazing:
Mexico 2013: Chichen Itza, Tulum & Coba
One
of the highlights of my holiday was seeing the ancient Mayan Ruins. It was
amazing to see these structures, some in very good condition still standing
today. To see what people achieved nearly 1,000 years ago was quite frankly breath-taking.
I was so trigger happy….I was taking about 5 snaps of the same
building/monuments!
My first excursion was to Chichen Itza, which is one of the Seven New Wonders of the World and the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico:
Mexico 2013: Playa Del Carmen & Cozumel
While it was incredibly
tempting to spend the entire 2 weeks staying on the beach at the hotel, there was
a lot to do and see!
Our hotel was about 10 minutes drive from Playa Del Carmen, which a beach resort. Along with a beautiful public beach, Playa Del Carmen also has boutique hotels, restaurants, shops, bars and clubs; it is a must visit for tourists. I can only imagine how busy it must get during high season; it was quite busy whenever I and my friends ventured to Playa Del Carmen (even when it rained ally day).
Our hotel was about 10 minutes drive from Playa Del Carmen, which a beach resort. Along with a beautiful public beach, Playa Del Carmen also has boutique hotels, restaurants, shops, bars and clubs; it is a must visit for tourists. I can only imagine how busy it must get during high season; it was quite busy whenever I and my friends ventured to Playa Del Carmen (even when it rained ally day).
Holiday Reads
Merry
Christmas! Hope you and your loved ones had a great Christmas Day!
I was asked by Brenda of Never Can be a Skinny Bitch whether I could recommend any books for holiday reading; it actually occurred to me that while I had read quite a few books over the last few months, I had intended, but failed to review them. And I continue to buy more books…..
I was asked by Brenda of Never Can be a Skinny Bitch whether I could recommend any books for holiday reading; it actually occurred to me that while I had read quite a few books over the last few months, I had intended, but failed to review them. And I continue to buy more books…..
Holiday
reads….hmmmmm. If you’re looking for a new book to read/check out, I can
recommend a few:
A
very quick overview of the books from left to right:
My Best Friend’s Girl – it’s about a woman named Kamryn who
has taken on the role of being guardian to a 5 year old girl, Tegan. Her mum
Adele is dying and has contacted Kamryn as her first and only choice to look
after Tegan. But can Kamryn cope, especially after Adele betrayed her? An engaging
read, you can’t help but love little Tegan!
The Chocolate Run – this book is about a woman obsessed
with chocolate who fully explores the ‘benefits’ of having a male best friend. Don’t
be deceived by the title of the book as the story involves the evolution and
devolution of friendships, secrets, lust, love and comedy.
The Woman He Loved Before – a new wife interested about the
former deceased wife of her husband. Libby becomes involved in an accident
which soon makes her question the circumstances surrounding the death of her
husband’s last wife and whether her own life is engaging. An unexpected mystery…..
As you will have
noted, the above books are by Dorothy Koomson. She is a British Author; Amazon
recommended her books to me before, but it wasn’t until my holiday in September
2011 that I actually read one of her books. And now I’m hooked. I’m planning on
buying her latest book, The Rose Petal Beach and I hope to provide a more
comprehensive review on my blog for My Best Friend’s Girl and the Chocolate Run
at a later date.
My
most recent completed read is K: The Art
of Love by Hong Ying which I bought for £2 at a book shop on Euston Road,
London. This book is apparently based on a true story – an affair between an
Englishman and a Chinese woman schooled in the ancient Taoist arts of love. It’s
not so much a romance novel; it’s an erotic affair, but well written. I
actually plan to buy her next book, the Concubine of Shanghai within the next
few days
And my current reads?
Bought
from my local Oxfam for a mere £1…and in excellent condition!
A
Christmas gift from my sister, Nkechi of The Simple View!
I
hope my recommendations have been helpful; even if you do not get to read much
during the Christmas period, these are books to possibly add to your “to read”
list x
Throwback Thursday - Dominican Republic, Sept 2011
Yep, it had to be done. At least once….. it's a Throwback Thursday post!
This time last year I believe that the UK was in the
midst of a mini heatwave. But I didn’t care…..cos I was in the Dominican
Republic on holiday *sigh*.
To say it was amazing is an understatement. Here are a
few of the 400 odd pics I took on my holiday:
 |
| Ahhhh, the sweet life! Lounging on the BlueBay private beach, Playa Dorada..... Wish I was there again! |
 |
| Playa Dorada - Puerto Plata, Dom Rep |
 |
| Great hotel; the staff were really, really friendly ;¬) |
 |
| hill view of Puerto Plata, Dom Rep |
 |
| Getting my dance on in one of the local bars! |
 |
| a couple getting their salsa on |
I swear the pics do not even do the country justice – you
have to go there!
It was my first proper holiday for 5 years........joys of the recession eh?! I can
actually say that this holiday was planned from November 2010….determination, saving
and holiday hunting meant that me and friends paid a bargain price for a 2 week
4* All Inclusive stay!
Since last September, I have been holding on to the
memories especially since it is unlikely that I will be hitting exotic climes
this year. And I could use a sunny, exotic break from the norm - we all do! However, my friends and I loved the place so much, we’re hoping to
visit the Dom Rep again x
