Glasgow opens its doors for you and me

I love Glasgow. It's a great city for many things: shopping, dining, and entertainment - all of which have been brought to life through its many festivals. Five festivals already taken place in the city this year including the new Glasgow Style Mile festival which celebrated the cities love for shopping in the summer.    It has just held its 27th Doors Open Day festival where the city freely opens the doors of its buildings to the public. 

Me and my sister, paid a visit to the Glasgow Police Museum in the Merchant City area of Glasgow. We had intended on going for a while and with it being part of the Doors Open Day festival it meant we got in for free.

The Glasgow Police Museum is housed on the first floor of 30 Bell Street a small, but interestingly packed display of information, memoribila and uniforms related to Glasgows police past. The City of Glasgow Police was fasticintainly the first Police force formed in the UK founded in 1800. More information can be read here on Sir Robert Peel and Glasgow's police history: http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Sir-Robert-Peel/

The first ever Doors Open Day event was held in France in 1984.

It since has become popular worldwide with Europe, Scotland, Canada and Australia getting in on the act with heritage and walking tours included. 

The other buildings which doors were held open were The Glasgow Catherdral, The Lighthouse, Glasgow City Chambers and The School Street Museum.

Sea and a Sunset in Scotland

When the weather actually behaves in Scotland there's one place I love to visit - Largs. It's only an hour away from Glasgow by car and 45 minutes on the train with a train station in the centre of Largs. The West Coastal town is a tourist's treat and ideal for Scottish residents looking for a perfect day at the seaside. It has a lengthy seafront popular with families, couples, dog walkers and pensioners. 

And on the 15 August me and my friends were amongst those soaking up the sun and enjoying the sea view. There is restaurants, cafes, convenience and gift shops located across from the seafront. To make a full day of it there is the option to visit Millport in the island of cumbrae by a ferry. The Cal Mac ferries depart frequently from the ferry terminal which is right on the sea front with a journey to Millport of ten minutes.

If you're after a bit of history then it can be found at the Vikingar centre a factual experience of Scotland's Viking past. It's the perfect educational trip for kids. Whilst I was on the seafront I seen preparations for a Vikingar festival being made along the seafront for more information visit their website: http://www.largsvikingfestival.com/

Before we headed home we went for dinner and ice cream from the world famous Nardinis restaraunt and ice cream parlour - a Largs ritual. When we were fed and watered we took photgraphs of the sunset a perfect end to our day out. 

Style your way to Spain

One of the things I look forward to going on holiday the most is buying in my new holiday wardrobe.
If only I can skip the packing part, but how else could I transport my summer style to my spanish holiday. I love wearing mediterranean style prints and pairing them with a pair wedges or a bold coloured top and shorts with trendy trainers. Accessorises always seem that bit more fun and creative whilst on holiday too. Whether it's a floppy beach hat, funky pool bag or designer sun shades these essentials can really complete a holiday outfit.

My ultimate holiday outfit is a cream bardot style top, demim high waisted skirt with buttons down the front and trendy trainers (Nike or New Balance) to finish it off.
I would accesorise this outfit with black raybans, tribal bracelets, a matching necklace and tan canvas bag.

The final finishing touch to my dream holiday outfit would be a Clickstay Villa  

I have my eye on the Orihuela - Torrevieja villa to rent in Alicante (See photo below).

 

This beautiful Villa would be perfect for some poolside glamour in the Spanish sun of Alicante.

Do follow:https://www.clickstay.com/blog/style-your-way-to-spain for your chance to win #StyleYourWayToSpain

Down in Ole Miami

Whilst I was in Florida for my holiday I took a trip down to the city of Miami in the southeastern tip of the east coast of the USA. Me and my sister booked a seat on the Alltour America bus from our hotel in International Drive to Miami for a full day round trip. After four hours on the road I was glad when I seen the Skyscrapers of the city's skyline and towering palm trees. The bus dropped us off at Port Miami for some free time, so me and my sister then jumped on another bus- The Big City Miami Tour Bus. As we have learned from previous travel experiences in Paris, London and Malaga that doing the hop on and hop off tour bus is the best way to take in any new city as the routes are designed to show the highlights and attractions of cities to tourists.

Miami Skyscrapers and Palm Trees

I seen Route 1 of the City as the bus covers three routes within Miami: The City Loop, The Beach Loop and The Uptown Loop. The first point of interest on the tour was the Giralda Tower, a bell tower of the Seville Cathedral with a renaissance style top, adapted by the Spaniards, it's a distinctive feature in the City among modern, towering office buildings and apartments. The tour continues on to the Scottish Rite Temple, a freemasonry building which was first established in Miami on December 4 1916 and is found in close proximity to the Miami Dade College. The metro mover operates in this area of downtown Miami and has three loops, twenty-one stations and provides a service to Miami airport. It's the third downtown people mover in the US along with the Jacksonville Skyway and the Detroit people mover. Also within this area of Miami you can find a piece of the Berlin Wall which was gifted to the U.S by the German Consulate General in Miami and was unveiled at Miami Dade College's Wolfson campus on November 9 2014.

Giralda Tower

The bus then moved onto west of Downtown Miami to the Little Havana district a Cuban neighborhood in the city with plenty of Latin flare. Calle Ocho is the main street and where you will find Cuban inspired restaurants and the best examples of Cuban memorabilia on the walls.

After we finished our bus route we didn't have time to do another loop as our coach was waiting to take us to the beach. So we headed back to our seats and the driver took us to the famous Ocean Drive, where Miami Beach is found. The beach is lively with locals and tourists alike, sunbathing, frolicking in the sea or hanging down by the beach front. Miami has one of the most glamorous beach front's in the world, made possible with the pretty, pastel coloured Art Deco buildings that line the drive. There is an Art Deco welcome centre on the Ocean Drive where you can find any tourism information  you need and Art Deco vintage gifts and memorabilia.

Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

A Clickstay away from my dream holiday

SPAIN is one of my favourite holiday destinations where sun, sea and sangria are guranteed.

I have done hotel stays in the Costa Del Sol taking in Malaga and Seville and an apartment stay in Tenerife. However, I've never stayed in a villa until now hopefully. I've came across Clickstay https://www.clickstay.com/ a rentable villa website that offers popular destinations from Spain, Greece, Cyprus and even USA. I have had a look already and have found my dream villa stay for me and some friends to stay at in Ibiza Town, do follow: https://www.clickstay.com/spain/ibiza-town/fluxa-75080

Photograph by Clickstay 

well located near the beach for sunbathing during the day and bars for some cocktails at night. The interior of the villa is stunning and modern and the pool and outdoor area looks ideal and relaxing.

Photograph by Clickstay

I've never been to the Balearic Islands and Ibiza is a place I am interested in visiting because of its hot weather, lovely beaches and legendary nightlife.

Do follow: https://www.clickstay.com/spain/villa-holiday-competition. 

Fun-filled Florida

FLORIDA - What better place to start for my first visit to the states than the Sunshine State. With its hot and sunny weather, palm trees and of course the theme parks. Me and my twin sister stayed at International Drive, Orlando after booking with my local travel agent who suggested there for its central location. We stayed at the Avanti Resort which was close to all the amenities we required, with chain restaurants like TGI Fridays and the Visit Orlando tourism office, which was handy as first timers in Florida. We got our bus tickets for the I - trolley transportation from the tourism office the bus runs daily, from north to south International Drive. There are malls on either side, with more of the same brands including Gap, Nike, Guess and Victoria Secret, which is found in the south side malls. 

International Drive is a hub of nice family catered hotels, restaurants, shops, bars and is home to WonderWorks, a science based attraction that looks like an upside down house from the outside. Check with your hotel to see if they run daily shuttle buses to the parks so you don't have to organise transport to the parks when you get there unless you've sorted car rental.

The Parks

Without a doubt the main attraction point of a holiday to Orlando is the Parks and as I found you will be spoiled for choice and entertained day and night. It's no wonder The Walt Disney World Resort is the most visited vacation resort in the World. Walt Disney World comprises four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom and the two water parks: Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Magic Kingdom was the first park created by Walt Disney which was built by WED Enterprises and opened it's doors to the public in 1971.

Feeling like a Princess with The Cinderella Castle behind me

I will never forget the first time I seen the Cinderella Castle with my own eyes, gushing at its far away presence as me and my sister journeyed on the Liberty Square Riverboat from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom, which runs daily and in my opinion the best way to travel to Magic Kingdom. 

Liberty Square Riverboat

Once I arrived at Magic Kingdom, and got through the gates Main Street USA led the way to the Cinderella Castle like a magical arrow. I noticed when we first walked in to Liberty Square, the starting point of Magic Kingdom, that people were sitting on the kerb. My Aunty told me back home that if I see this then it means a parade is due, so me and my sister plonked ourselves down on the pavement and waited. Then a few minutes later we were in for a treat as whimsical music played and Disney Characters dancing on big moving floats appeared. Among the characters were Belle and the Beast, the Little Mermaid, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, her three godmothers and Maleficent as a dragon and Mickey and Minnie in a hot air balloon which put a fantastic finishing touch to the Festival of Fantasy Parade.

Mickey and Minnie's own hot-air balloon, Festival of Fantasy Parade

The best thing I found about Disney World is that every film fantasy is brought to life by Walt Disney, who started it all with a mouse - Mickey Mouse. The 3D and 4D simulator rides at Disney World and Universal tease the imagination as your seats move with certain film sequences and effects like water being skooshed and bubbles come towards you in The voyage of the Little Mermaid ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios. 

The Hollywood Studio's is home to the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride infamous for it's scream induced, plummeting elevator. Disney's Animal Kingdom is perfect for animal lovers as its a nature themed park home to hundreds of different types of animal. I loved The Kilmanjaro Safari ride at the Africa area of the park called Harambe as it took us through a tour of African wildlife in an open sided jeep style vehicle. The ride moves slowly so you can get the chance to photograph four of the big 5: Elephants, Giraffes, Cheetahs and Rhino's. 

Elephant at Animal Kingdom, Kilmanjaro Safari

Universal 

The Universal theme park is the first park I visited on my first full day in Orlando as I was keen to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I didn't know that it is split over two parts of the park, Islands of Adventure where Hogsmeade is and Diagon Alley and Kings Cross, London at Universal Studios. The Hogwarts express journeys between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. In the film Hogsmeade is the tradtional village that the students arrive at before getting their boats to Hogwarts school. So would be good to get the train from the make shift Kings Cross station after wandering down Diagon Alley where you can get an ice cream from Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and take a ride inside Gringotts bank. I did it the opposite way and started at Hogsmeade where I bought sweets from Honeydukes sweet shop and went inside the Hogwarts Castle ride and the Flight of the Hippograff - small rollercoaster of buckbeak. 

Be Park Prepared

Tips for the parks especially if its your first time.

1. Plan where you want to go and when and make a list of what you really want to do. Fast pass the rides and shows you really want to do using the My Disney World experience app or go on there website: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/ If accessing the app on an iPhone just scan the barcode on your ticket pass using your camera and that will be you registered for the parks. 

2. Wear comfy shoes, these are a must you will be on your feet morning to night and the parks are huge so your feet will get sore from all the walking. Sketchers can be bought cheap at the malls or get a pair on their website before you go.

3. Take plenty of water, you will get thirsty after a while as it's warm in the parks and you will be queuing throughout the day. Either buy bottles of water from the vendors or buy the big cups from the park gift shops and fill them up in the morning at your hotel or villa. You can buy ones from the park which have fans attached to them which will come in handy when it gets really warm. 

Two Scots, One Big Movie Premiere

Lights, Camera, Action at Spectre Premiere in London

So what do two London fan's do when they've seen all of what the Big Smoke has to offer, but still want more? Hit a World Film premiere that's what! And that's exactly what me and my twin sister did on Monday 26 October, better known to Bond fans as the day of the Spectre Premiere.

Being Bond Fans since seeing Roger Moore's, A View to a Kill as kid's we always imagined what it would be like to go to an actual movie premiere. And they don't come more glamorous than a Bond premiere.

Having known about the date since it got released, we booked our Ryanair flights from Glasgow International to London Stanstead, arrival for the day before. Both me and my sister have been too London twice before and done all the big sights, shopping, and checked out the theater's. 

But we didn't want to miss one of the best and biggest nights in London this year.

The location for the Spectre premiere was revealed as The Royal Albert Hall, so as neither of us had been there before it gave us an excuse to check the place out.

As our hotel was based in Paddington, opposite end of Kensington Gardens, which Royal Albert Hall is situated at the left of the park near the Albert Memorial. After getting some breakfast we made our way to the Hall, around 10 am to make sure we got a good spot. On arrival, to where the public pens were getting set up a steward handed us a wristband with the Spectre writing on it and a number.

We waited patiently in line since then, and got chatting to other Bond fans who like us wanted to ensure a good spot. The option to leave the site and come back is given as long as you have your wristband which are numbered for your place in the pens as close to numerical order as they can arrange. 

Having never been to a premiere before we didn't leave, there was some hustle and jostle to get the fans into the pens. But when 5pm came around, the stars started to arrive in style and all the hours that past became worth it. Daniel Craig was the first of the film's cast to make an appearance and the reception he got from the crowd was electric.

Selfie with my fav actor, Daniel Craig

Shaking hands, signing autographs for fans and even taking the odd selfie with eager fans he soaked up the atmosphere. Even describing the event in an interview as being 'like a wedding day' and it summed it up well as you knew you were at something special. The other cast followed suit, with a mix of legend celebrities including Joan Collins and previous bond singer Shirley Basset. I am sure other bond fans would agree that the event felt like it was for their eyes only.