Singapore - Part 1, Temples, Skyscrapers and Safari

I had been looking forward to a holiday since last summer! Particularly as this holiday not only meant seeing my family and my brother, but spending some time with AN. HT has been pretending to be a cowboy in Australia for the last two years so it was especially good to pin him down and have a good old catch-up. 

We hopped on a very early flight, via Qatar, and luckily made our connection by about 2 minutes! We were very relieved to land safe and sound in the sunny land of Singapore! After a quick nap and swim we headed out to explore the city. 

As both AN and I had been to Singapore before, we didn't feel the need to do the most touristy activities and mainly just enjoyed walking around and soaking it all in. 

We started our day with a visit to both the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Hindu temple hidden away in Chinatown. Both temples are so very different and yet both display colourful, artistic and intricate decor. In the Hindu temple cameras were not permitted and we had to rely on committing the sights, sounds and even smells to memory. 

The Buddhist temple has a wonderfully serene and calm orchid garden on the roof, far away from the hubbub of chinatown and the business of the wandering tourists and jabbering shopkeepers. 

In complete contrast, the afternoon was spent at the River Safari, one of Singapore's zoos that focusses on river creatures from around the world and few others thrown in for good measure. I can also really recommend the Night Safari and the Zoo. I love that Singapore's zoos have largely open enclosures and have several walk-through experiences that allow you to get up close an personal with lots of animals, without compromising their natural freedoms. 

We both made lots of new friends! 

I was completely smitten with what looked like the cuddliest of pandas. Such a rare treat. 

A quick pit-stop later and we had slipped into something a little fancier in preparation for a dinner at le Comptoir and a few roof-top cocktails at Altitude bar. Altitude is a bar based on the 63rd floor at 1 Raffles Place and offers unrivalled views across the Singapore skyline. The bar is open air, which, at 63 floors up, is only mildly terrifying! 

Day 3 was unique in a completely different way! Sentosa is a little island just across a boardwalk from the coast of the city and has become Singapore's dedicated State of Fun. A slightly bizarre cross between sugar-sweet theme-parks and beautiful beaches, home to some buzzing beach-side bars and cafes. 

The island also houses the original fort used by the armed forces to defend Singapore against the Japanese invasion and just happened to be our first stop for the day. AN was not so impressed by the cannons on display and we found the heat of the day a little overwhelming to really enjoy our visit. 

Next stop was a walk along the beach, a quick paddle in the sea and a milkshake in a near-by surfing cafe. 

Needless to say we managed to experience the amazing variety of life and experiences that Singapore has to offer. For such a young country (50 this year!) Singapore has such an established culture that thrives and bubbles through the busy city, making it a truly exciting and interesting place to visit. 

Mood - hungry for more!

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Bank Holiday Weekend!

The only thing better than a weekend, is a bank holiday weekend! Three whole days of fun, sunshine, friends, lazy lie-ins and pure relaxation. Sadly the sunshine was rather shy this past bank holiday but it did nothing to dampen the holiday spirits. 

AN and I started our weekend in style in Mayfair with a delicious dinner in a beautiful ballroom, complete with not one dessert, but a whole trolley of desserts! The evening was made even better when we could just walk up the stairs with our full tummies and collapse of a soft and squishy bed with the cosiest duvet and good book. 

Saturday morning started in the way that all Saturdays should, with a never ending breakfast spread, a full pot of tea and table covered in newspapers. We made sure to eat plenty and stock up, preparing for the day ahead and AN's annual shopping trip. Once a year AN braves the shops and re-stocks his wardrobe from top to bottom. A day not for the faint-hearted and not to undertaken on an empty stomach!

A quick walk through the pretty streets of Mayfair and we came face to face with Bond street and Oxford street. A quick pitstop to Selfridge's food hall was required where we re-fuelled with a cupcake and a milkshake. The sweetie hall was almost too exciting for my little heart to handle!

On Saturday evening we braved a comedy club for the first time and were happy to find that our expectations were far exceeded! Too funny for photos....oops. 

Sundays are for strolling Spitelfield's market with family and friends, shopping for bowlers hats, vegan chocolate cake and handmade jewellery. Not only did I sample my first taste of greek food (delicious!) but I also stepped foot into a hipster East London coffee shop for the first time. Truly a day of firsts! 

We rounded off a busy weekend with a Monday brunch with the beautiful MW and slightly hungover TR and ON, followed by a walk along the river. AN was in his element sitting in the sun watching the boats take to the water. 

Sadly, even with a three day weekend, the weekend was over too soon. Bring on the next one! 

Mood - contented. 

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Copenhagen

Firstly, long weekends are the best! I can't wait for A to finish training and have been counting down the days for nearly a year now, but at the same time, I will miss our lovely long leave weekends together. 

Recently we decided to make the most of this time together and take a little whirlwind trip to the quirky and beautiful city of Copenhagen. We stayed with some of AN's good friends, GT and JT who were not only the most wonderful hosts, but also proved to be fantastic tour guides. I cannot recommend enough seeing a city with a local, they know all the secret cut-throughs, the best cafes and which tourist traps to avoid. 

AN and JT, our lovely host

We only had 2 and a half days in the city so were keen to pack in as much as possible. I was desperate to see the little mermaid, and despite my disappointment as to just how little she turned out to be, she was quite a sight to be seen! 

We also visited the round tower, the royal palaces, the king's square, the green church (not an official name) and the famously colourful canal. 

By far the craziest place that we visited was the free state of Christiania. Yes, a free state created by a group of hippies in the 70's, which now has legal authority to remain. Visiting this collection of about 40 knocked together houses, clustered around a beautiful lake, was one of the most bizarre moments of my life. It was hard to believe that only a couple of streets away from royal palaces and bustling squares this little community could exist. 

Needless to say AN and I did not exactly blend in with the surroundings of Pusher Street, where soft drugs are legal and free love is fully encouraged. It was quite an experience, if nothing else, the artwork and creativity really was very impressive! I mean, one house had been built entirely of picture frames! 

Of course we managed to find the army barracks, placed in the middle of a star shaped island....pretty cool! AN was in his element. 

One thing I will say, I have never been so cold in my life! Copenhagen was freezing and despite reassurance that it is beautifully sunny in the summer, I couldn't quite imagine not wearing 1,000 layers to wander the city. 

I am not sure how but we also found time to squeeze in a hot choc in the Black Diamond, a visit to the old city library, a secret jazz concert, a visit to an art gallery and the biggest Mexican feast. 

(Disclaimer, although I loved Copenhagen, I was not such a fan of Danish food.....pickled herring, no thanks! AN and I decided Mexican was the best way to go) 

Thanks GT and JT for a magical weekend, we had the best time! 

Mood - 

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