When In Rome...

Hello (or Ciao!) Today I will be blogging about my trip to Rome, Italy.  I went in April this year, and I've never been to Italy before so I was quite naive about the beauty of Rome.  Even from the minute I stepped off the plane I was looking around at the brightly coloured buildings with the intricate ancient architecture.  I never knew Rome had so much history either so my trip was a lovely surprise.

Colosseum - Obviously!

On the first day we decided to go to the Trevi Fountain which was absolutely packed when we got there with both tourists and people attempting to sell you things.  A word of advice here is to just be careful with your belongings as often we put things down for photographs for example, but pick-pocketing is very high in Rome, especially in crowded areas where they can make themselves discreet.  Other than that we loved Trevi Fountain and we revisited it before our flight home on the final day.  The fountain stands so grand and detail in the cement is outstanding.  Make sure you get some good photos of this landmark.  

The famous Trevi Fountain

The next day we took a trip to the Colosseum, a very very famous Rome landmark, I really enjoyed wandering around here and we got there at such a good time - just as the sun was setting! We didn't do a tour we just walked around ourselves, although we didn't have all the information and history that the tours could provide for you, there were plenty of signs and boards telling you history.  The Colosseum was a lot quieter than I expected but in summer I guess it does get busier.  You can get some nice photos both outside and inside the Colosseum and there are always people willing to take a photo with you - but be careful sometimes they charge.  

A nice view of my hair and oh! The Colosseum

Inside The Colosseum

I can't talk about Rome and not talk about the food - it was amazing.  I'm pretty sure every night I had a carbonara apart from one night because it's my favourite.  On the final day we ate lunch in this quaint family run restaurant in a picturesque side road and it was honestly the best meal I'd ever eaten.  Another tip would be to go to restaurants off from the main roads as they are often nicer and cheaper than the ones on the main road.  

Spaghetti Carbonara (yum)

We also did do a little bit of historical Rome by going to the Spanish Steps and St. Paul's Cathedral, this time we decided to do a guided tour and it was very interesting (apart from it was a little bit long - 3 hours is a long time) which gave us a lot of history behind arguably the most famous building in Rome.  The Spanish Steps were also surrounded by high brand shops such as Gucci, although the high street shops were only around the corner - we found that this was the best shopping area for well known shops, if you wanted more family run and individual shops there are stalls and shops dotted along the main road.  

Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City

Spanish Steps

Even if we only went for 5 days, we still managed to fit in everything we wanted to see (somehow) but I'm sure that there is so much more which needs to be explored.  Rome was so beautiful, more beautiful than I had ever imagined and I would love to return to Rome as well as travelling to other parts of Italy.

Water With A Twist

This is a bit of an experimental blog post for me as I decided to try the Pinterest trend of infused waters, which now seems to be a summer staple.  We are supposed to drink two litres of water a day (FACT) but do we? Personally, I don't mind water but many people have to add a squirt of squash or cordial in their water before drinking it.  

Putting added fruits into your water doesn't only give water a fun flavour, it also gets rid of toxins in your body and it's healthy due to the natural fruit you're putting in it (win win situation.) I tried to make my waters look as aesthetically pleasing as possible so I added some ice and some pretty straws.  

I tried five simple DIY infused waters: 

1. Strawberry, Cucumber and Grapefruit - Quite bland but at the same time very tasty.  This drink would be good for people who are not a fan of strong flavours.  

2. Raspberry and Blueberry - Looks aesthetically pleasing but had barely any flavour at all.  

3. Lemon, Lime and Orange - Very sour and has a very strong citrus taste, I feel like this one would be a good summer drink.  

4. Strawberry and Basil - I was pleasantly surprised with this flavour as I didn't think that basil would taste nice in water, but I am pleased to say it does!  The strawberries go perfectly with the basil.  

5. Lime and blueberry - I liked this drink very much (this is possibly my favourite) - the lime and blueberries work very well together in order to form a refreshing and zingy taste, but the lime definitely overpowers the blueberries. 

Summer Essentials

Summer is my favourite time of year.  I find summer fashion so exciting, so when the shops begin to turn their displays from winter to summer, it is harder to resist temptation, so my bank balance takes a hit.  These are five of my favourite summer outfits and thank you to my friend for volunteering to model them for me. 

1. The Festival

White top: Bershka
Printed top: Boohoo
Shorts: Glamorous at Topshop
Sunglasses: Stradivarius
Bag: Newlook
Shoes: Bershka

2. The Beach Day

Top: Newlook
Skirt: Newlook

3. The Park

Jacket: Primark
Top: Brandy Melville
Jeans: Topshop Joni Jeans
Shoes: Converse (Well loved)

4. The Party

Dress: Topshop
Shoes: Primark

5. The Date

Top: Pretty Little Thing
Trousers: Newlook
Shoes: (Dirty but Newlook)

My Summer Picks 

                

My Summer Addiction

It seems as if the majority of the UK has been infected by the Love Island bug, and I am certainly among those affected.  I was hooked on season two, so when they announced season three I was over the moon.  Little did I know that I would become so addicted, so much so that the time between 9-10pm has become my favourite part of the day.  Every night, no doubt about it (sad I know) I am sat in front of my TV, on ITV2 so excited for the next episode of Love Island - Will Kem and Amber argue? Is anyone leaving from the villa? What is today's challenge? So many unanswered questions... By the time 10pm comes round I can't help but feel a little disappointed that I have to wait another twenty three whole hours for another episode!! 

I think everyone has their favourites but this year, mine has to be Montana (maybe because she bears some similarities to myself) because she is so strongly motivated and is such a good support to everyone else in the villa - I think us girls can agree that we all wish that Montana was our friend too.  Programmes like Love Island always becomes much more exciting when there is a independent woman involved, but I am glad Montana has now found a lovely guy, Alex, to couple up with.  
Continuing the theme - Camilla has completely stolen the nations hearts with her sweet attitude, she seems lovely inside and out but sometimes I think Camilla takes things a little too personally and she blames herself, I always end up empathising with her as I think we can all be a little bit like Camilla, especially when we are experiencing a break-up.

Now - the boys.  I absolutely love Kem, I find him hilarious and his Bromances inside the villa are incredible TV.  Kem's highlight has to be the synchronised swimming routine he did with Dom, it got the nation talking and it was so funny to watch two grown men dance in women's bikinis whilst being directed by Montana - it shows how much time they must have on their hands.  I also love Olivia and Chris, I didn't to begin with but they have an unusual relationship dynamic where their arguments just turn into laughing and joking around, which makes good TV.  

I've noticed that fashion in the villa is much better than it was last year.  I am so jealous of all of the girls swimwear - especially Olivia's never ending stash of luminous bikinis. Bright swimwear is certainly in fashion this summer so all of the girls are keeping on trend. I have also found an excellent Instagram page where you can find where all of the Love Island girl's clothes are from (most are from PrettyLittleThing.)  Creating an Instagram page is such a clever idea and it saves me from wasting hours searching online websites to find one piece of clothing (and after all that it probably isn't in stock in my size anyway.) 
The link to this Instagram is: 
https://www.instagram.com/loveislandoutfits/

Speaking of social media, my favourite app at the moment has to be the Love Island app.  It is free and allows you to look at a sneak preview of tonights episode and it is where you vote for your favourite person/couple when the vote is open. Also, I love to vote in the mini polls about whether Mike is 'magic' or 'muggy' in order to see what everyone else is thinking.  Another feature of this app which I think is really cool is the 'Shop' section. I am even tempted to buy one of the Love Island water bottles with your personalised name on it - but for £15 I always ask myself: Is it worth it? One day, when I am procrastinating, I will take the leap and buy one, but at this minute, when I need to focus on saving for summer, this water bottle is just not a necessary item. But, feel free to purchase one, I would love to see what they are like!

After all, it is fair to say that Love Island has well and truly taken over my summer.  

God Save Our Gracious Queen

The city of London.  Home to the red telephone boxes and uber famous Adele, London is quite the attraction.  London is one hundred times better on a sunny day, rather than a rainy day, but this can never be planned (thanks to English weather) otherwise you end up concentrating on not hitting any commuters with your umbrella than looking at the sights.  When London is sunny, it is superb, you can have a picnic in Hyde Park or visit traditional pubs with their quirky roof top pub gardens. 

Big Ben is perhaps the most well-known symbol of London - it is what you see on every single keyring which is sold in almost every market stall in London.  You will see A LOT of tourists around this attraction when you visit so it might be a better idea to get a London bus trip in order to make sure you visit all of the most important sites and you can get a better view than anyone else by sitting up at the top decks on the bus.  If you don't want to get the bus, the London Underground is a very popular option with day travel cards from around £5-£6, it means that you can travel wherever you want, as many times as you want, plus, the London Underground is a must do when experiencing the London atmosphere.  However, I would recommend that you avoid peak times when going on the London Underground as it becomes extremely busy.  

The London Eye is yet another popular tourist attraction, although, this picture is kind of misleading as it looks quiet (yeah we wish.) The London Eye allows you to get some Instagram worthy pictures of London - it looks especially cool at night.  You can even rent out 'pods' for special celebrations, e.g, birthdays in order to make their day extra special.  The 'pods' are very spacious and allow for a maximum of twelve people along with some helpful iPads to allow you to spot famous sights.  The whole way round the eye lasts around half an hour, so it is a bit slower than any fair ride.  

Most importantly - the shopping.  Oxford Street is quite obviously the main shopping area for tourists visiting London, but Oxford Street has high-street brands such as Topshop and NewLook.  If you wanted something a little different, quirky or maybe vintage, then you are better off visiting Camden.  Camden is famous for unique and cheap(er) shops and there are some really lovely restaurants in the surrounding area.  Camden is the next up-and-coming hip neighbourhood, so if you want somewhere trendy and quirky, Camden would be a better place for you.

Trafalgar Square is like the centre of London.  This is completely free so you can spend sometime watching the street artists and admiring the view of the fountains whilst narrowly avoiding the (far too annoying) pigeons.  Trafalgar Square is always packed with people day and night, so of you're a people watcher like me, then this is the perfect venue to grab a drink and sit and watch the world go by.  

There is so much more to do in London but the list is just simply never ending; Covent Garden, St Paul's Cathedral, The Shard and Madame Tussauds.  Whatever you do, London will never fail to disappoint you.  My best advice is to go into places which you normally wouldn't - go into a rooftop café or a quirky bar, take silly selfies with the sights, run round the London Underground not knowing whether to get the Piccadilly Line or the Victoria Line - just make sure you embrace every moment you spend there.