Paris Vacation Photo Diary

After spending a few days in Basel, Switzerland , the boyfriend and I decided to drive down to Paris for two days before we went back to London. If you fancy reading about my stay in Basel, Switzerland, you can pop over to these posts here for Day 1 and 2 and here for Day 3 and 4. We opted to drive down because we wanted to explore and appreciate the little towns and country side that share borders with Basel. I mentioned in my previous post that Basel shares a border with France and Germany so it is a good city to visit if you want to pop into other neighbouring towns/cities. We rented a car from Enterprise and started off around noon. It took us about 5-6 hours to drive from Basel to Paris. It should have been a little shorter but we encountered serious traffic when we arrived Paris which lasted for almost an hour. It was exhausting but I would still go by road in a heartbeat any day any time.




The next day, we got on the train from Le Bourget to Paris which was just about 3-4 stops and then we got on the Metro to Champs Elysée, our first stop because I wanted to go to Sephora. Although I and the BF had been to Paris before, we had never gone together so it was a special one for us. The good thing about this trip was that he knew his way around easily so we did not get lost or ask any questions for directions and I could speak a little French so it was useful for smaller conversations. I was told by the lady in the hotel that it does not matter if your French is bad or your accent is off, the fact that you attempted speaking French means a lot to them so I was felt encouraged to try despite my crappy accent.





Anyways, I finally went to Sephora (first time) and it was a little rowdy as expected from one in the middle of Champs Elysée but I was prepared with a list so I did not go crazy. I only picked up items I knew I could not find in the UK and I would be showing you all what I bought in a separate blog post and possibly a video. We took a few pictures afterwards like typical Touristy people. I noticed a couple of tourists gathered and looking down somewhere and I had to know what was happening. Apparently, a van got stuck midway under a small headway/bridge (don't know what they are called...lol) and it was a little hilarious as everyone was busy snapping away and I was not left out.




We headed over to the other side of road to get some crepes because we were a little perkish and knew we needed some strength for all the walking we would be doing. The crepes were absolutely delicious and we both had ours with Nutella...nom nom!! I took a whole load of pictures which I would be sharing in another post tomorrow because I don't want this post to be too long or filled with too many pictures.









Tomorrow's post will be about the sights and sounds of Paris-Day and Night. We went to a few Tourist attractions like Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvres. We walked by River Seine and went to other less known places in Paris like Oberkampf, St Denis, Chateau Rouge and to say we were exhausted at the end was an understatement but you need to check in tomorrow for those pictures.. Thanks for reading as always and I would see you in my next post...x

Weekend Post #10- Photo Diary(Nigerian Vacation/Trip)

This is the final-ish sequel to my recent trip to Nigeria posts. I had an amazing time with my family and friends and although it was super short, I was really happy. Living away from your family is never an easy feat even though I am constantly communicating with them via bbm, skype, whatsapp, rebtel, phone calls, etc..thank God for technology. But nothing replaces seeing your loved ones face to face..it's a beautiful thing and it should never be taken for granted. Armed with my DSLR camera, I thought I would take loads of pictures but guess what? I just wanted to relax and enjoy my holidays without lugging around a fairly heavy DSLR camera and changing lenses. I had a compact camera but I just could not be bothered...lol. However, I still managed to take some nice pictures of my holiday and lovely memories of the highlights of my holiday...





  

One of my Best Friend’s Wedding

We call each other Yoyo because we are so silly like that and she just makes me so happy which is why I was delighted when she asked me to be her Chief Bridesmaid; I was beyond honoured. I took some pictures of her traditional wedding and she looked so stunning as you can tell. She was one of the happiest brides that I had ever encountered and she was as relaxed, calm and playful as ever; it was such a delightful day. The traditional and white weddings were done on the same day but I did not take any proper pictures on the white wedding because I was carrying out my Chief Bridesmaid duties rather seriously.

Aswani Market

Quite Close to my house is this market called Aswani which opens only on Tuesdays and it has been on for as long as I can remember. I used to go there with my sister when we were teenagers because you could find really nice gems especially fabrics there if you look carefully. They had nice materials ranging from Ankara Prints, Laces, Damask, etc. Going to this market with my sister took me back in time just like old times. Despite all the terrible kidnapping and abduction of school girls which has placed us yet again in a negative spotlight, people in Nigeria are still very happy people. When I whipped out my camera to snap, I had so many willing candidates models who were calling me “camera girl snap me na”. It totally warmed my heart and I honoured their biddings. I also bought some materials which I gave to my tailor to sew some outfits which I will be showing you soon.

Food

One of the favourite things I like to indulge in whenever I am in Nigeria is to eat some sweet Nigerian delicacies for a fraction of  the price of what they would have cost here in the UK. Just seeing these pictures makes my mouth water a lot. I went to my cousin’s house and this was prepared for us.  I swear I gained a few pounds after this meal. The first dish is Peppered Fried Chicken Gizzards and it was oh so delicious. The second dish is Sauteed Stockfish, Snail and Smoked Fish...oh my days!! This was amazing and I wish I could have brought some back with me.

My Sister’s Pup

His name is Jay. His full name is Jay Z..hahaha, I can’t!!! He is a Lhasa Apso breed and he is the cutest and naughtiest dog ever. I love him so much and I wish I could bring him to live with me here in England. He is just a year old and my sister got him when he was little. He is so playful and everyone in my family completely adores him which is why he is super spoiled especially by my Mum. He weighs just about 5kg or so and he is very lovable; always willing to give you a warm welcome when you come to the house. I miss him so much and I will have a little post on him later..

Nigerian Makeup/Beauty Haul

I could not go to Nigeria without buying some products which are difficult to find here in the UK especially London. More importantly, I was keen on trying out some Nigerian Makeup brands and I was so glad I got the chance to try a few. First stop was stocking up on some Mary Kay Foundation and Oil Mattifier which was much cheaper in Nigeria than here in London. I always used Mary Kay products when I lived in Nigeria and it was fantastic and it still is!! I bought some Nigerian indigenous makeup from Kuddy Cosmetics and the owner kindly gifted me some products when my sister told her I was a blogger-so watch out for some reviews on here soon. Kuddy Cosmetics is a renowned beauty, skincare and makeup store with various branches in Lagos and they recently branched out into making their own line/range of cosmetics and skincare which I will be reviewing in a separate post. My Mum, sister and myself of course have been patronising her stores for years because you can be sure to get authentic products at very affordable prices. I also purchased Cetaphil Cleanser and Neutrogena Acne Stress control Toner from her store. I also bought some eye shadow trios from Tara Orekelewa-another indigenous Nigerian brand and the shades I got were Uyayi and Omoge.  Lastly, I got some Dudu Osun (Nigerian Black Soap) which remains one of the all-rounder soaps I know because it serves as an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-septic while keeping your skin healthy with an added glow. I will have a separate post on all these beauty goodies complete with reviews so keep your eyes peeled.






Soon enough, it was time to leave again which was sad times but I really enjoyed myself. I miss my family and friends every time but I know I would see them soon enough when I plan another trip so it's not too bad. I hope you enjoyed this little peek into the highlights of my holiday and see you in my next post..

My Sunny Brighton Week

Hi Lovelies,

Don't be deceived by the title; the sunny weekend was not this past weekend at all. You all know how bipolar the weather in the UK is. The sunny weekend was the first week in June which incidentally was my better half's birthday week. 

We both took the week off from work to rest and spend time with each other and do some driving around to celebrate his birthday. I think it was the most relaxed week off I have ever had because I spent quality time with him, visited some members of my family, cooked different meals, drove to Brighton(and its lovely pier and beach), watched movies and had many lazy mornings. The sad thing about one week holidays is you enjoy it so much and just when you are settling in to enjoy it more, you are launched back into work rather grudgingly which was the case for me*le sigh*

*Note to self: Take two weeks holiday next time.
*Note to readers: This is a picture heavy post, so bear with me but I know some of you like plenty pictures :-)..I also have a few coupley pix of me and the BF.....but no PDAs, I promise...back to this post...

After enjoying a few lazy mornings of waking up late, we decided to dedicate a full day to driving to Brighton. The best thing about this week was the weather was absolutely fantastic In fact, without doubt, we can safely say that week was one of the best weeks of sunny British weather, honestly, we could not have chosen a better week. Unfortunately, our joy of welcoming summer with open arms were short lived as the weather has been back to its old tricks.

Anyways, we set off on our trip from Wimbledon to Brighton which took approximately one and half hours. The BF drove while i chatted and tried to get my camera ready for pictures. It was wonderful to just experience the beautiful country side especially small villages and towns which I had never even heard about. I felt they were all small closely knit communities because it seemed so peaceful and calm unlike some chaotic areas in London. As we approached Brighton, I could feel the soft sea breeze which was a sweet comfort because the weather, believe it or not, had begun to be unbearable hot (honestly, I could not believe i'd ever feel hot like this in the UK). 

Brighton is an amazing coastal town which is part of the Brighton and Hove City, to be honest, I think it may slowly be turning into a city in its own right. Its popularity lies in the fact that it has a nice pebble beach and the popular Brighton Pier which is a major Tourist attraction. We quickly found a parking lot and I could not wait to whip out my camera. Just as I mentioned in one of my blog posts, photographers usually end up taking many pictures of other people and places and have very few of themselves, that is the case with me. 





Of course, with growing technology and the help of tripods, you can still get many pictures of yourself but who wants to start hauling/mounting a tripod on the beach? Certainly not me. Plus, I am one of those photographzillas ( photography versions of bridezillas) who don't believe other people can handle their cameras or devices as well as themselves( hahaha) which is why I have very little pictures of myself but I got a good number of pix of the BF, the beautiful scenery and managed a few selfies. I was also conscious of enjoying the experience instead of concentrating on taking pictures because that can be very time consuming and distracting although I absolutely enjoy taking pictures.

We started off with the beautiful Brighton Pebble beach which was a wonderful beautiful calm water. There were not as many people as I expected given the sunny weather but I guess that's because we went on a weekday which is the best time to go in my opinion. We went right down into the beach because we wanted to feel the water up close and personal. 

Of course, the pebbles tried to prevent us from getting too close but we prevailed. Standing so close to the sea and enjoying the calm ripple of waves made me appreciate how wonderful the works of God is. It was really serene and calming. Of course, the seagulls were there rattling away..stay tuned for how cheeky one of these seagulls were...

We decided to get some food because I was beginning to starve and get dehydrated. So, we went to the popular fish and chips bar near the beach to get some. I got scampi and chips while the BF got the traditional fish and chips which I helped him polish off. To be honest, it was not that great plus it was flipping expensive(£12 pounds) for both our meals with a can of drink. Ridiculous!!. Anyways, we were hungry and had to eat it. 



Now, to the story of the cheeky sea gulls; we had seen signs warning us not to feed them( like I was flipping going to). What they forgot to add was how bold the seagulls were especially when it came to grabbing your very own food. Now, this cheeky Seagull found its way to a piece of log/stone stand opposite our table. Of course, my guards were up but I did not expect anything fishy or birdy in this case. Next thing, this smart bird took two furtive glances; left and right and SWIFTLY grabbed some chips off our table. 

I was in absolute disbelief at what just happened and guess what?its partner-in-crime decided to cash in on the jamboree and grabbed the fish off the plate..and away they both flew. It was funny and scary at the same time. Damn birds!! Everyone around was laughing including ourselves . The BF always logical, did the smart thing,  while I was still busy recovering from the whole incident, he quickly cleared up the plates of food straight into the bin before the whole seagull extended family returned for a family reunion at our expense. The good thing was we were already filled up so it was not too bad but a lil courtesy from those birds wasn't too much to ask, was it?...lol








After that indelibel experience(in my opinion),  we headed for the Brighton Pier which was really beautiful . There was a really nice view from there and loads of fun and amusement areas such as rides, games, more restaurant, shops, etc. A proper tourist attraction.

Yours truly even decided to get a fake tattoo made from either henna or jagua (another kind of natural pigments but appears darker instead of brown like henna). Obviously, since I am already brown skinned,there was no point getting the henna which may be less visible. So, I opted for a cute little daisy flower with the jagua pigment.

 It was very painless and cost about £8 total and was meant to last for about 1-4 weeks. It has sadly disappeared after almost two weeks :-(((. I have always had these thoughts of getting a tattoo since I was young but I am not brave enough for the pain...am a total cornball. I loved the daisy tattoo while it lasted and it was like a lil' reminder of Brighton for me.

After Brighton Pier, we drove down to the other side and visited New Haven which was a beautiful place with a cliff and lovely houses and country side. We were exhausted and decided it was time to go home. The BF drove back while I took a nap; I was exhausted even though I wasn't the one  driving for any of the journeys. We finally got in around 6pm and had an early night.



The BFs birthday came and we had a lovely time; I am not going to bore you with all the details but one of the things we did was watch the final series of Hang Over which I loved although the movie received many mixed reviews but I think it was a good way to end the whole Hangover Series.



Then, I whipped up some food. I have been seeing some lovely food inspirations on blogs and instagram. I can't claim cooking is my favourite past time but when I decide to cook, I go all the way and try to make something different and creative.

 I made some Meat Kebabs, Mini Prawn Skewers, Grilled Salmon, Fried Rice and Jollof Rice. I also made some traditional Nigerian Soups; Ogbono and Egusi Soup which I am gradually becoming a an expert in preparing. Let's say this weekend was full of good food which I absolutely enjoyed; diet, fitness and exercise all thrown out the window :-)

Soon, it was time to go back to my flat after a long but enjoyable week and weekend. You can understand how lazy I felt actually returning to work. The consolation is I have sweet memories to draw upon when the going gets tough until I plan my next holiday. I had tons of fun writing this post up and I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know how you spend any time you have off work...xxx

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Have an amazing week ahead...xx

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