It's the start of the new year albeit it being the end of January but I've decided to dust off the keyboard and do a blog post on the first month of 2018. I haven't blogged since July...eek but it is something I've been thinking about getting back into regardless if people read it or not!
A family event that brought me and my extended family together recently made me think about starting blogging again. My aunty who I didn't realise even knew how to use Facebook(!) let me know that she missed reading my blog posts and asked me when I was going to start blogging again - all it takes is one person to read and show their appreciation to give me the lust for writing back again.
So to kick it off I've decided to do a blog post looking back on this month; it's certainly been a long one alright! It's been eventful though and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity for everything I got to do this January.
Exploring...
Galway! After a missing passport escapade putting our thoughts of going to Edinburgh to bed we decided to not let the days booked off pass us by and decided on a midweek getaway to one of my favourite cities. We hopped on a train at Heuston and took the trip to the West.
We stayed in the Residence hotel, a small boutique hotel on Quay Street, smack bang in the middle of the action. I booked this on booking.com and even though it was so last minute we got a great deal. It was such a quirky little hotel, and big pluses were Netflix and Youtube on the TV and a Nespresso machine! Also neon signs like the one below on every floor.
I'll leave a link below at the very end of the blog post which will give you a 10% refund on the cost of your stay at checkout when you book through the link.
Eating...
I'm so delighted that we got to pack in so many good food places when we went to Galway. My boyfriend brought me to the place he has proclaimed 'serves the best pizza he has eaten in his entire life', Dough Bros. It was delicious but I feel like I have a lot of pizza eating ahead of me before I go making those kind of calls.
Another must visit in Galway would be Dela, for brunch. Its a quirky Scandinavian themed restaurant but its brunch is far from herrings and reindeer. I had Eggs Benedict with bacon and house fries and James had their Dela Breakfast which was absolutely HUGE. I spoke to the owner while we were there and she was so lovely, Dela is open for brunch everyday which is perfect if you are planning a midweek trip away or work weekends and still want to experience it.
Enough about Galway eats or it will turn into a blog post about where to eat and drink in Galway, I'll save that for another time.
Roberta's in Dublin city centre is a restaurant I have been wanting to try for some time. So on our most recent date night we were lucky enough to get a booking (I'm fairly sure it must have been a cancellation) as the place was hopping on a Saturday night when we arrived.
I love the style of the place- think exposed brick, leather booths and low lighting and you get the gist. The food has a bit of an Italian hint i..e sausage tagliatelle, prawn penne, pizza etc so it was right up our street but it also had seabass, steak and chicken for some variation.
The main reason why I wanted to come here was because I heard they also did amazing cocktails - it was like a one stop shop!
Try the Purple Lady or Clueless in Caracas.
Laughing at...
Jim Jefferies at the 3Arena & Derry Girls.
Jim Jefferies is definitely more of a Marmite comedian I would say with some of his jokes been extremely offensive so every different race, ability etc although I found him to be quite funny.
Derry Girls is an absolutely brilliant TV series that I've been catching up/ binge watching on 4player. I highly recommend it!
Watching...
Speaking about female led TV shows, I also binge watched another Irish female drama Can't Cope, Won't Cope that's on Netflix now. It starts off like a female Broad City (another amazingly hilarious show that I recommend) but there is far more meaning and sadness to this dark comedy that will really speak to most of the 20 something and up generation.
Marcella was also another Netflix series I loved and would recommend if you like crime dramas/thrillers. Delighted that all of the above are being renewed for second seasons.
Three Billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri is the standout film I've seen this month. Woody Harrelson now has a soft spot in my heart and he definitely deserves the Oscar nod he has received for this piece. It's intense, and there is a lot happening - this is a definitely a case of more than meets the eye with this film and go see if it you haven't already.
Loving & Learning...
Family. A lot has happened in such a short space of time, my Granny's 90th birthday, a death and a birth. I have a very big family so appreciate every family event we have as we are hardly ever all in the one place. Unfortunately sometime's its only funerals that may bring us together, births or weddings. It's important to remember that while you are family by blood you could be strangers on the street and I cherish these times to get to catch up with family and see how important it is to support each other in times of need.
Life is so cyclical and it's important to go with the flow; reflect and adapt in every situation and make the best of everything. I always think the start of a new year is a time for reflection and I've been reflecting a lot on my mental health as opposed but not excluding my physical health this time around. I've found the Headspace app to be great, and not that I have used it more than a handful of times but I've found guided meditation to really help in times of stress.
Looking forward to...
I'm going to take each month (even week if I can manage it) day by day so I haven't anything really planned for February although of course we had Pancake Tuesday and Valentines Day ahead of us, depending on your love for Nutella you can decide which one is more important to you. I'd love to go to the Stella Theatre in Rathmines this month and I feel like it would be a lovely Valentines treat.
I'm definitely looking forward to the end of January that's for sure - I didn't do dry January by any means but it still feels like the longest month ever! November and January are such meh months of me but as you can see I've managed to make the best of it and enjoyed every moment.
Link below is for 10% off your next trip on Booking.com *Will be applied as a refund at checkout who you book using this link*
https://www.booking.com/s/27_8/kj0whe62
A family event that brought me and my extended family together recently made me think about starting blogging again. My aunty who I didn't realise even knew how to use Facebook(!) let me know that she missed reading my blog posts and asked me when I was going to start blogging again - all it takes is one person to read and show their appreciation to give me the lust for writing back again.
So to kick it off I've decided to do a blog post looking back on this month; it's certainly been a long one alright! It's been eventful though and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity for everything I got to do this January.
Exploring...
Galway! After a missing passport escapade putting our thoughts of going to Edinburgh to bed we decided to not let the days booked off pass us by and decided on a midweek getaway to one of my favourite cities. We hopped on a train at Heuston and took the trip to the West.
We stayed in the Residence hotel, a small boutique hotel on Quay Street, smack bang in the middle of the action. I booked this on booking.com and even though it was so last minute we got a great deal. It was such a quirky little hotel, and big pluses were Netflix and Youtube on the TV and a Nespresso machine! Also neon signs like the one below on every floor.
This is a link to the room we stayed in at the Residence hotel
I'll leave a link below at the very end of the blog post which will give you a 10% refund on the cost of your stay at checkout when you book through the link.
Eating...
I'm so delighted that we got to pack in so many good food places when we went to Galway. My boyfriend brought me to the place he has proclaimed 'serves the best pizza he has eaten in his entire life', Dough Bros. It was delicious but I feel like I have a lot of pizza eating ahead of me before I go making those kind of calls.
Another must visit in Galway would be Dela, for brunch. Its a quirky Scandinavian themed restaurant but its brunch is far from herrings and reindeer. I had Eggs Benedict with bacon and house fries and James had their Dela Breakfast which was absolutely HUGE. I spoke to the owner while we were there and she was so lovely, Dela is open for brunch everyday which is perfect if you are planning a midweek trip away or work weekends and still want to experience it.
Enough about Galway eats or it will turn into a blog post about where to eat and drink in Galway, I'll save that for another time.
Roberta's in Dublin city centre is a restaurant I have been wanting to try for some time. So on our most recent date night we were lucky enough to get a booking (I'm fairly sure it must have been a cancellation) as the place was hopping on a Saturday night when we arrived.
I love the style of the place- think exposed brick, leather booths and low lighting and you get the gist. The food has a bit of an Italian hint i..e sausage tagliatelle, prawn penne, pizza etc so it was right up our street but it also had seabass, steak and chicken for some variation.
The main reason why I wanted to come here was because I heard they also did amazing cocktails - it was like a one stop shop!
Try the Purple Lady or Clueless in Caracas.
Laughing at...
Jim Jefferies at the 3Arena & Derry Girls.
Jim Jefferies is definitely more of a Marmite comedian I would say with some of his jokes been extremely offensive so every different race, ability etc although I found him to be quite funny.
Derry Girls is an absolutely brilliant TV series that I've been catching up/ binge watching on 4player. I highly recommend it!
Watching...
Speaking about female led TV shows, I also binge watched another Irish female drama Can't Cope, Won't Cope that's on Netflix now. It starts off like a female Broad City (another amazingly hilarious show that I recommend) but there is far more meaning and sadness to this dark comedy that will really speak to most of the 20 something and up generation.
Marcella was also another Netflix series I loved and would recommend if you like crime dramas/thrillers. Delighted that all of the above are being renewed for second seasons.
Three Billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri is the standout film I've seen this month. Woody Harrelson now has a soft spot in my heart and he definitely deserves the Oscar nod he has received for this piece. It's intense, and there is a lot happening - this is a definitely a case of more than meets the eye with this film and go see if it you haven't already.
Loving & Learning...
Family. A lot has happened in such a short space of time, my Granny's 90th birthday, a death and a birth. I have a very big family so appreciate every family event we have as we are hardly ever all in the one place. Unfortunately sometime's its only funerals that may bring us together, births or weddings. It's important to remember that while you are family by blood you could be strangers on the street and I cherish these times to get to catch up with family and see how important it is to support each other in times of need.
Life is so cyclical and it's important to go with the flow; reflect and adapt in every situation and make the best of everything. I always think the start of a new year is a time for reflection and I've been reflecting a lot on my mental health as opposed but not excluding my physical health this time around. I've found the Headspace app to be great, and not that I have used it more than a handful of times but I've found guided meditation to really help in times of stress.
Looking forward to...
I'm going to take each month (even week if I can manage it) day by day so I haven't anything really planned for February although of course we had Pancake Tuesday and Valentines Day ahead of us, depending on your love for Nutella you can decide which one is more important to you. I'd love to go to the Stella Theatre in Rathmines this month and I feel like it would be a lovely Valentines treat.
I'm definitely looking forward to the end of January that's for sure - I didn't do dry January by any means but it still feels like the longest month ever! November and January are such meh months of me but as you can see I've managed to make the best of it and enjoyed every moment.
Link below is for 10% off your next trip on Booking.com *Will be applied as a refund at checkout who you book using this link*
https://www.booking.com/s/27_8/kj0whe62
