Monday 30 November 2015

Chester

The unwanted misfortunes of life

I’ll admit that the title for this blog post isn’t particularly positive. It is however a pretty decent reflection of my mood and situation at the moment. Pinpointing down exactly what is causing me such misery would be difficult, mainly because there are so many things. In brief though, it’s not at all pleasant, and as much as I wish I could push it away, the problems are here to stay (until luck comes knocking at my door again).

 
By now you’re probably wondering what my rant has anything to do with my visit to Chester. The link’s indirect, but understandable. Travelling, as you know, is something I use as an instant mood booster. The idea of going somewhere new and fascinating is truly therapeutic to me. But when travelling just isn’t an option (like the current situation), the best thing to do is to simply recount about the adventures that had turned out well from the past.
 
 
So, in order to “turn my frown upside down”, today’s travel tale is about my trip to Chester, which occurred several months ago.


Entering the walled city

Known for its well-preserved medieval covered walkways that date back to the 13th century, it’s no wonder that an architecture fanatic like myself was more than eager to explore the distinctive two-tiered medieval galleries in Chester’s town centre. Of course, there were other more popular attractions outside of Chester to see; a lot of people recommended that I pay a visit to its zoo but, having studied and lived in Australia for 3 years, I think I can safely say that I’ve seen enough exotic animals to las myself for a while (at least for this trip anyway). It’s no surprise that I ended up spending most of my trip simply photographing every store, window, door and sign I could find.
 

Note to future Chester wanderers, bring a camera (my iPhone was definitely NOT enough)

Chester Rows are filled with amazing shops of all kinds. Whether you want confectionery, clothes, cards or anything else, the items on offer can practically meet anyone’s shopping list. You could literally spend the entire day shopping, or window shopping if you’re on a student budget like I am! Would I be able to pick a favorite shop? Absolutely not with such a huge range available. I couldn’t have been happier just simply walking up and down the streets of Chester (especially since it was super sunny on the day that I went).
 
 
 

With an hour and a bit left before my train was due, I decided to pop in to Chester Cathedral for a quick peek. Being a bit of a history geek, I was sure that the Grade 1 listed building would definitely fit my criteria. I didn’t get time to take the Tower Tour (and for those that do have time, I strongly recommend that you do go; you get discover 900 years of history in just 30 minutes or 1 hour depending on which tour you book!), but I did have an enjoyable time simply wandering through each part of the cathedral. There was also an interesting Alice in Wonderland display on, which was rather cute in my opinion.
 
Inside Chester Cathedral
 

There were a couple of other things I didn’t have time to visit, like Chester Castle and the Grosvenor Musuem. And unfortunately, the famed Eastgate Clock was under renovation when I arrived, so I wasn’t able to take a photo of it. All this means that I’ll have to go back to Chester again sometime in the future (for sure)!


Feeling revitalized and ready for action  

Obviously the above wasn’t exactly how I felt after my trip to Chester had ended (I made sure I had a good night’s sleep to make up for all that walking!). However, the title does appropriate reflect my current mood. In just 600+ words, I have gone back to being my cheery old self, and am more than prepared to take on whatever life has install for me, be it good or bad.
 
The little things that blogging can do to one’s life à positivity regained through pursuing one’s passion.
A beautiful day out


Monday 16 November 2015

Travel bucket list (guest post by Random Musings)

 

Something new and different

I'm sure you're probably all bored of listening to me ramble on about my own life and adventures (seriously, I get fed up with myself at times as well). So, just for a change (or for this blog post to be more precise), here's a guest post by the lovely Debbie from Random Musings (check out her blog and other social media accounts in the links list below her "Travel Bucket List")

Enjoy! :)

Travel Bucket List

I love travelling, although I would have to admit that I am more of a tourist. I
don’t want to miss out on some wonderful sights and things to do by spending
the time trying to pretend I’m above all of that, and only going to the obscure
places. There is a reason those places are popular! That being said, I would like
to think I am a respectful person. Whilst in someone else’s country, I think it’s
just common courtesy to follow local custom and laws.

There are some places I have been that I could happily go back to year after
year, one or two I could even see myself enjoying living in, but there are still so
many places I haven’t been to yet, so much I still want to see.

Here are my top five places I would love to visit:

1. New York, USA. I love all things American. What says America better than
New York? I would love to be in Times Square for New Year’s Eve, to
wander the Upper East Side and to visit Brooklyn Bridge.
2. Marrakech, Morocco. I imagine Marrakech to be somewhere in the middle
of a tourist place and a place where local people go about their everyday
lives. I think it would be a good insight into the lives of Moroccan people.
It seems such a lively, vibrant place in the bust squares, yet so tranquil
and laid back in the little winding streets.
3. Croatia. Croatia is such a beautiful country but I think it massively
overlooked as a potential holiday destination. I imagine miles of unspoiled
beaches, and beautiful architecture.
4. Crete, Greece. I love the laid back pace of life in Greece, and it looks like
such a pretty place. Also, if I’m being totally honest, I quite fancy a
5. Paris, France. Specifically The Louvre. While I’m not a massive fan of art
galleries, something about this one really caught my attention and really
makes me want to go visit.

So there you have it, five places I would love to visit. I realise they are not the
most cultural places, but they are places I have wanted to go to for a while not,
places I think would be a lot of fun.

Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?

A bit more about the author

Born in 1982 in North East England, I knew from an early age I wanted to be a
writer. Life got in the way, and the dream was put on the back burner, although
never forgotten. I now write my own blog, My Random Musings, write guest
posts for other blogs and am planning on completing my first novel by the end of this year!

Visit Random Musings at...

Blog link: www.myrandommusings.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/randommusings29
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/randommusings29
Bloglovin: www.bloglovin.com/blogs/my-random-musings-6951697
Instagram: www.instagram.com/debrandommusingsblog29/

Monday 9 November 2015

Funfetti cupcakes

Playing with your food

I know they say that the above should be avoided, but I think we can make it an exception when sprinkles (hundreds and thousands) are involved. In my opinion, funfetti cupcakes are perfect whenever you need a little bit of colour to brighten up a grey and miserable day (these come quite often when you've got a busy and stressful work schedule). Baking them is the best way to de-stress and forget about one's hectic life for a bit (around 1 hour to be precise).



 
You can buy a pack of pre-made funfetti cake mix if you wish. However, I like to challenge myself to learn something new, so I selected an easy white cake recipe and simply added the sprinkles to it. Both ways are equally as good.

Into the oven they go
Sprinkles!
Pre-decorating mode
Of course good food deserves to be shared, so make sure you bake a decent amount (a dozen worked perfectly for me and my family)






And in case you're looking for a good birthday cake option, these delicious and light funfetti cupcakes are definitely worth going for.