WITHIN THE CITY

Hello again everyone!!! I'm yet to die of heatstroke so I guess this is be perfect time to talk to you about my second day in Turkey.

I woke up at around 9 and the first thing that hit me was the heat, I see heat becoming a recurring theme through this blog series (what did I expect?). I skipped breakfast this morning A) because by the time I'd gotten dressed the breakfast buffet had been cleared downstairs and B) because I wasn't feeling too good- which normally happens when I go on holiday so I'm used to it, *sigh*. We came downstairs which is where the wifi is so naturally I chilled for about an hour or so, posting and catching up with friends.

After a quick lunch, we set off the the beach which has to be my favourite part of Turkey so far. I love that it's so close to where we're staying so I can walk there and relax as frequently as I like! We all had a little splash, and got very sandy- which is alright when you're still at the beach but try walking in your converse afterward- but honestly the heat was almost unbearable so we made the little trek back home to cool off and get ready to go into the centre of our little town. We went by taxi this time, and the journey was really short so we were there in no time looking at the array of market stalls and shops. The workers were very friendly as it seems everyone here is and we felt really welcome as we window shopped and took in our new surroundings. A stop off at the local McDonald's was much appreciated and what better company than Ronald McDonald himself and a few cats?

The taxi ride back home was nice as we drove alongside the beach and one back at the Hotel we had dinner and back in side to relax before sleep becuase it's the safari tomorrow!! I'm very excited to explore more of Turkey, see you tomorrow :)

Also I'm sorry to say that my wifi connection isn't strong enough to upload to VSCO so I can't :( if anything changes/ I will update!

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I can barely call this day 1 becuase I've spent the whole day travelling but I promised I'd update you and an update you shall get! No matter how small and uneventful it may be.

So I set my alarm last night for 4:20am in order to have an unrushed morning today, however we all know that after being off school for about 8 weeks sleeping at half midnight and waking up anytime before 9 would be asking for a little (a lot actually) too much. I groggily woke up at 4:20 as my phone chimed, switched off my alarm and went back to sleep until my mum woke me up at 5:15.. Whoops?

*skips the getting ready bit and journey becuase there's noting special about my morning routine or the route to the airport*

...Upon arrival we did all that airport-y security stuff and then once in duty free I headed straight to Zara in which I bought a desperately needed White halterneck and a pretty patterned button down skirt. There was a little wait and then we boarded the plane. We ended up playing musical chairs as my siblings couldn't decide exactly where they wanted to sit- typical. The plane journey was 4 hours and I'm the time I napped and watched one of my favourite movies Avengers: Age of Ultron again becuase who can get fed up of the Avengers? (The answer being no one).

After plane journey number one to Istanbul, we changed to plane number two which was only 45 minutes so it wasn't interesting.

*sorry I got in really late last night so I'm posting this on day two even though it's day one*

FINALLY we reached the area we were staying in and it was hOT- like very hot. Bags were picked and we entered our little shuttle bus to the hotel, a journey I thought would only be about an hour? I was terribly terribly terribly (and add about 3 more terribly's) wrong. It was around three solid hours travelling becuase Turkey is an apparently huge country I've now learnt! But it was interesting, the buildings were beautiful and very large which made the tiresome journey a little less tiresome. After three long hours, we arrived at the hotel and by then I was so tired I crashed out after a cold shower and a little bit of reading :)

So although day 1 wasn't really in Turkey, it was still quite interesting!! Stay tuned for day 2 later today which will be a lot more interesting...

VSCO: withinthecity.vsco.co

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As a lot of you probably don't know, I'm going to Turkey tomorrow and I thought it would be a good idea to update you guys daily with a journal post on VSCO. I've recently gotten quite into the app and I thought it very clever that you could use it as a photo journal, a way to document your life quite nicely. They layout is clean and simple which I love. Sadly , my WiFi will be limited but I will try as hard as I can to keep you guys posted on my daily travels in Turkey! Keep an eye out here on my blog and also my Twitter for other little things I may upload also :) I'll attempt to stick to a certain time range as well but I guess we'll just have to see how it goes...

Find my VSCO at: withinthecity.vsco.co!

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I love food. I mean, honestly I'm up to try anything; cuisines of all sorts intrigue me to no end and I'm always excited to get the opportunity to try something new. Luckily for me the chance arose recently when my friend decided she was taking us out to a Korean restaurant for her birthday. My knowledge of the Korean cuisine went as far a kimchi, a pickled cabbage spicy side dish that I'd heard plenty about but had yet to try. I was excited to finally see what the hype was all about and also to get the opportunity to delve into other Korean meals. Fast forward, and I was face to face with Gogi- a pretty little Korean restaurant. Our party of nine took our seats and we began to order what I can honesty say was some of the best food that had ever graced my taste buds. The first thing we ordered (to my excitement) was the famous kimchi, I'd revised how to use my chopsticks correctly- although I was a little bit shaky- and the taste test began. Kimchi. is. AMAZING. It's got the perfect amount of spice, it's refreshing and it's just plain delicious! After that Korea had my complete faith and I was ready to eat some more, we finished off our starters and moved on to a selection of mains. This, consisted of various barbecued meats, plenty of colourful salad and little rice pots and sauce dishes. I tried everything, and enjoyed everything; the food was so flavourful and fragrant yet remained light and healthy. I personally accompanied my meal with some hot green tea, however my friend chose an iced plum tea which she wouldn't stop banging on about. We all decided then to order our own round of this 'amazing' drink and once again I was not disappointed. We sat around our table wondering how any beverage could taste so good, vowing to return purely for the plum tea (we weren't joking either). Finally the bill was paid and we decided that our outing should not end there, we made a little trek to the park and relaxed, playing a hilarious game of charades as well.

As the late afternoon approached we decided it was time to go home, still slightly full from our 'banquet' but satisfied all the same.

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Well it's practically been an eternity since I last posted but I'd like to think exam season is a valid excuse to stay hidden away for a little bit. My exams are over now and to conclude my time at school we celebrated with prom. Anyone who knows a girl knows that prep for these large events can start months in advance; and I'm no different sadly. I got my dress back in April and after that everything just fell into place. Fast forward to Friday 12th June and I started my day at the hairdressers, I was pinned prepped and partially prom ready! Next I went up to my local Bobbi Brown store to have my makeup done by Lauren who was so lovely and did my makeup amazingly. Before I knew it I was stepping into my dress, doing a few final touches and getting into the car on my way to the venue. When I got there I was full of nervous excitement I met up with my friends and thus began what I like to call 'The Papparazi Parents'. Picture after picture after picture which I really can't complain about because they were really good. We went inside and the party began. A brief speech and prayer on the teachers' part, compliments were thrown back and forth, a meal was eaten and then we made our way to the dance floor. I honestly cannot say I've ever danced more in my life, I just let go and had the night of my life! However a good night is never truly good without the feeling of your feet losing circulation with every. step. you. take. After every song I'd find someone to rip my heels off my feet and hobble to the toilet where I'd rest a little before slipping the 'feet coffins' back on and dancing another round. All in all the night was amazing, it was brilliant to see all my favourite teachers having a drink and enjoying themselves and also my peers having an amazing night celebrating the end of exams and the end of an era together. As the night drew to a close, we said our final goodbyes knowing a lot of us wouldn't see each other again and me and a few friends made our way back to my house for a sleepover. Upon getting home we were knackered, pjs on and makeup off we played cards against humanity for a little while before retiring in my living room which had been turned into one massive floor bed. Morning came, a full English breakfast was had and we set about chilling for the day, we watched Case 39 and relaxed; reminiscing over the night before. As the day drew to a close everyone went home and I was left to think over the last five years I'd had with some of the nicest people I've met and the best memories I could possibly take with me. Amidst my complaints about my school I've really grown to love it and wouldn't have had the last five years any other way :)

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New year and you decide maybe it's time to finally go on that diet you've been putting on hold for five maybe six years? Let's face it, you look at all that salad and your tummy groans in despair, how are you going to survive on a carrot? We've all been there, backed out on a diet after trying for half a day to stay away from the cookies, the cakes and the chocolate. Honestly even now as I write this I should be trying to 'diet' but I prefer the term "loosely perfecting my eating habits" because to be quite frank, diets are hard and unless you are totally motivated and maybe also out of school sometimes you might get stuck for ideas on how to improve the way you eat. In this post I've decided to leave a 3 recipes/ snacks that are really healthy and that you can incorporate into your diet in order to slightly improve what you're taking in without the full commitment of a diet.

1) Health drink smoothie-type thing

I have no idea what it's exact name is but all I know is that it tastes delicious and is super quick, easy and cheap. All you need is fruits like apples, pears, grapes, berries of any kind and then carrots, cucumber and some kale and you're ready to go! Just chop them up and stick it into a juicer/ blender with a table spoon of honey and half a lemon or so until smooth. You can mix and match as well, sometimes leaving out the kale or the berries for a different flavour or maybe even trying some more exotic fruits! It takes no effort at all and is a really nice detox-y type drink that you can have at any point in the day and counts for a large portion of your five a day!

2) Cous-cous

This is a great meal as it can be enjoyed hot or cold with plenty of salad or pesto and lovely spices. Whether you have a pre-made pack or you want to start from scratch, cous cous can easily be made to your preference! Instructions are simple and are on the back of the packaging so you're ready to go!

*tip: use baby leaf spinach and peppers in your salad with the cous cous! They taste great together*

3) Honey roasted nuts, raisins and banana chips

The only recipe here is for the nuts: all you need is assorted nuts and some honey. Place the nuts on grease proof paper and cover evenly with the honey and put them in the oven on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes! (Toss them around a bit after 5 minutes so they're evenly golden brown and add anymore honey if need be). Take them out when they look ready and leave them to cool. After just put them in a jar with the raisins and banana chips and enjoy! These are a great replacement for chocolate and crisps at snack time!

*tip: you can skip out on the rasins and banana chips if you like or even replace them with other things!*

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Valentines Day has just gone and I hope you all had a lovely day whether it be with family, friends or a loved one. I for one spent the day shopping with friends, typical girls day out? Not this time... Me and a group of friends had been planning to fix up my other friend's wardrobe, make it more current, 'pimp it out' if you would like. We picked a day and stuck to it, determined to play out our own version of 'Clueless' and give my friend the makeover he desperately needed.

Shopping with girls is never ever ever never easy (try saying that five times fast) and with the boy girl ratio at 2:5, it was needless to say we spent hours trying to design a stylish guy friend. We stuck to the typical skinny jeans, checked shirt and zip hoodie however we did venture out a little and chose a fashionable jumper with some classy desert boots. I was glowing with pride as I looked upon the successful experiment we had conducted, he looked great and we were fulfilled.

Of course I couldn't leave empty handed, I bought a pair of New Balance trainers and an outfit from Zara. But as contempt as I was, starvation lingered. I hadn't eaten lunch in my hurry to get dressed, do my hair and make-up and meet my friends in time to get the train so at four o'clock I don't think it was out of line to be desperate for a little bite to eat. We all bought our separate lunches at Waitrose and the quest to find a space to eat began.

We walked... And walked... And walked for ages on end- or at least it felt like it- looking for empty benches or even a large floor area to sit on (we were that desperate). After an eternity of walking- ten minutes to be exact- we found an empty table at the food court and ate like we'd never eaten before; honestly sushi had never tasted so good!

By this time the day was coming to a close, we hopped on a train homeward bound, satisfied with how the day went.

So Valentine's Day without a valentine can in fact be just as good as Valentine's Day with one!