Fresh Start

Fresh start to my blog and actually keeping it up to date.

I feel like at the moment my life revolves around work and home and chilling.

I loved blogging when I first made this blog but then life got in the way and I guess I forgot about my little space on the big web.

So here's to my fresh start.

Hope you enjoy!


Thanks for leaving a comment :)

Rome

Last month my friends and I made a trip to Rome for five days.

In all honesty I had never really intended on visiting Rome but whilst researching into a variety of destinations, Rome seemed to attract our attention with the many sites and places to visit as well as the extensive history.

So on Monday 21st March my alarm woke me up at around 3am as our flight was due to depart within the early hours of the morning. On arrival to Rome, we commenced our trip by checking into our hotel which was located a short walk away from the Vatican. We then had a wonder around the surrounding streets and had our first Italian lunch. This of course was naturally a pizza. We were all quite tired from the early morning flight so had a quick nap which actually turned into three hours (woops) and then headed out to the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi fountain or Fontana di Trevi is possibly one of the most beautifull pieces of history which I have ever seen. The fountain appears ellumianted at night which enhances the features.  

The following day we decided to go to the Vatican City (Holy See). I can not express enough how much there is to do here. We spent the whole day exploring the Vatican Museums, the Sistine chapel, St Peters Square and the St. Peters Basilica. The amount of history within the Vatican City is immense and it highlights the beauty of Rome even more. I do not consider myself to be a religious person but being within the surroundings of the Vatican City, it made me feel a sense of religion and admiration for the history and meaning behind many aspects of the Catholic church. I didn't take that many photos as I felt a need to respect the surroundings especially in the Sistine Chapel.

As we were visiting the week leading up to Easter, we managed to get tickets to a ceremony and see the Pope.

Pope Francis

Below shows photos of the Collosseum. The inside was immense and ever so grand. Along with the tour we also booked onto of Palatine Hill. This is where Rome began and it had so much history to present. The Collosseum was definitely one of my favourite parts of the trip just because it is so well known and it holds so much history.

The Collosseum

The Collosseum

Palatine Hill

Palatine Hill

Castel Sant'Angelo

We also visited so many other places such as The Catacombs, Castel Sant'Angelo and The Pantheon. Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside the Castel Sant'Angelo and The Pantheon due to running out of time.

There are so many things to do and see in Rome as well as eating lots of fresh Italian food! I would suggest the following top tips if you're thinking of going to Rome:

1. Pre-book tickets for sightseeing such as the Vatican City, Colloseum, etc. This helps to avoid the ques which were very long for these two sights in particular. We pre-booked for the Vatican before we went on our trip. There are also private companies which offer que jumps and guided tours which are located all around Rome and outside major sights.

2. Try and plan out your trip. We made a daily plan of what we wanted to see each day. This enabled us to cover most of the major sights and cover sections of Rome each day.

3. We booked our hotel which included breakfast. This was useful as it saved money and time on buying and finding breakfast each morning.

4. Location of hotel. Our hotel was located a short walk from the Vatican City and the major sights.

5. Tour bus. We booked onto a tour bus for two days which was handy for getting us around Rome whilst also seeing the sights of Rome.

6. Comfy shoes! I made the mistake of only bring boots and flats. There is so much walking in Rome so I would definitely recommend a pair of comfy shoes.

7. Tour guides. We found it really interesting to have a guided tour of the Colloseum and Palatine Hill. We didn't book a guided tour for the Vatican museum which was ashame because it would've enabled us to learn and hear so much about it.

8. Length of stay. We stayed for four nights. I felt that we were able to see and do everything in this time from careful planning. We also ensured that we were up early everyday and left the hotel for around 10am.

9. Photos! Make sure you take lots of photos to show family and friends of the amazing sights!

10. Magnum shop! The Magnum shops enables you to pick and design your own Magnum ice cream which is made in front of you.

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Lizzie xxx

*All photos were taken by myself and are therefore property of www.lizziebeau.blogspot.co.uk.*

*All opinions are my own and I have not been sponsored for this blogpost.*

Thanks for leaving a comment :)

Getting into the Christmas spirit..........

Hello lovely readers,

I honestly can not believe that it is December already. Where has this year gone?

My aim was to blog at least every few months but I've failed ridiculously at keeping my blog up to date. So here's my attempt to really fulfil my passion and get back into blogging.

In light of the fact that its now officially the season to be jolly and Christmas is literally around the corner, I have decided to dedicate a blog post to all things Christmassy. In other words, items that I can only get away with around the Christmas season.

My first item is my personal favourite. A few weeks ago I was in Next with my mum and I absolutely fell in love with a set of duvet covers which were on display. I'm not usually into purchasing items for the house unless need be but these were an exception. They are the most Christmassy and beautiful duvet cover set that I have ever seen and I love them! In the double bed set it comes with the duvet cover and two pillow cases. There are a selection of sizes on the Next website to suit the size of bed.

Click Me

Next up is my beloved advent calendars. After following various beauty vloggers over the years, I have always loved the alternative advent calendars which they have shown in hauls. Therefore this year I decided to compromise for a slightly different take on advent calendars and purchased the Yankee Candle Christmas advent calendar. Within the calendar there are twenty three candle tea lights and an extra treat on day twenty four. I purchased my calendar from Boots where it was £20 which I thought was very reasonable. There are a variety of scents and the box smells amazing. I was so tempted to open one of the doors to have a sneak peak but made myself wait until today.

Click Me

Day One...It's so cute!

So whilst talking about advent calendar's I may as well slot a snap of the typical chocolate advent calendar. I usually always have a Cadbury's chocolate calendar just because it's my general chocolate of choice.

Roll on the next item.......Last year I received a hat off one of my family members. This wasn't just any hat, it was a Christmas pudding hat haha! So now its December I feel that I can get away with wearing it outside my house. I believe this particular hat was form Primark and similar hats are available in plenty of stores.

Christmas Pudding on my head!

Last but not least is obviously the Christmas tree. My family have so many decorations for the tree but a few of a favourites are from Monsoon. They sell beautiful decorations and the hand knitted ones are so cute. Many of the decorations have been purchased over the years so I'm unsure if they are available in stores this year but definitely worth a look! My personal favourite is the little sausage dog which I named Francesca.

Monsoon

So there you have it! I have really enjoyed creating this post. Let me know your thoughts and what your Christmas essential items are!

Hope you're having an amazing December!

Lots of Love,

Lizzie xxx

*All photos were taken by myself and are therefore property of www.lizziebeau.blogspot.co.uk.*

*All opinions are my own and I have not been sponsored for this blogpost.*

Thanks for leaving a comment :)

The beginning of 2015.

The beginning of 2015.

There always seems to be a need to begin a new year with a fresh start and therefore resolutions. I have never stuck to any resolutions for a whole year as by the time January turns into February, the resolutions have disappeared. It’s difficult to say that this year will be better than last year, because how can we predict what will happen and who we will meet. I picture my life as a journey where I am constantly learning and finding who I really am in order to be the best version of me. I try to live my life with no regrets and take opportunities so that I can continue to grow as a person. 

All I know now is that everything happens for a reason and timings are key. I look back on the amazing moments in 2014 and relish how grateful I am for them. But I also look back on the low points and realise that if they had not happened, there is no way that I would be where I am today.

For myself, I see each year as an opportunity to have new experiences and realise what is important in life and therefore what I really want. There is a saying that ‘everything happens for a reason’. I have always been a strong believer in this but as human beings; we ensure that certain things do happen. But then there always seems to be a little luck or coincidence which appears with life events. 

So in 2015 I have visions of how I want my life to turn out and where I want to be. Though I have to remember that I am only 22 years old and that there is still so much more to experience in this wonderful world. 2014 has taught me not to settle with convenience but to make sure whatever I do and whoever is in my life, makes me extremely happy. 

I believe that the key to happiness is to first of all be happy with myself as a person. I know that if I cannot be happy with my life, how can I possibly welcome people into it and make them happy too.

This year, I can only hope and work towards my dreams and life goals. Therefore I am going to follow my instincts and go with what feels right and leave behind what makes me feel unhappy. 

I see my life as having the opportunity to make it however I want it to be. 

So here’s to 2015, another year to learn, love and grow and realise my purpose in this world and what amazing things lie ahead. 

Happy New year

xxx

Sharm el Sheikh

Hello lovely readers,

So I’ve had a busy couple of weeks. Since my last post on my visit to Aberystwyth, I have spent a lot of time with friends and family and somehow always seem to have plans or something to keep myself busy. My friend and I always said that we would go on holiday once we had finished university and secured jobs. In November I went to Egypt for a week break from work. We flew to Sharm el Sheikh, which is renowned for being a popular tourist destination. It made me laugh that the locals and tour guides said that it is not the ‘real Egypt’ compared to Cairo which is the capital of Egypt where over 22 million people reside. So following a five hour flight, I found myself in beautiful Africa where the sun shone and the heat was incredible. The resort was extraordinary and boasted amazing views of the Red Sea. I was able to make the most of my time in Sharm el Sheikh by visiting Soho Square, the Old Market and also a snorkelling trip. 

Soho Square thrived of shops, bars and even an ice rink. It appears very modern and I was fortunate enough to experience half an hour in the only Ice Bar in Africa. The Old Market comprised of many stalls and shops which sold bags, shoes, jewellery and so much more. 
 

My favourite day by far was the snorkelling trip. We stopped off at a snorkelling hire shop before boarding a yacht where we spent an hour sailing over the Red Sea. I have never snorkelled properly so having the opportunity to snorkel in the Red Sea was amazing. The day trip allowed us to make three stops where I snorkelled on two of them. Swimming among beautiful coral and fish was an incredible experience. We were guided by professional snorkelers on the excursion who ensured that we were able make the most of the one day trip. I had only ever seen fish in aquarian’s or on television, so to see them swimming within feet of me was amazing especially when I spotted a stingray.  

On the resort we spent a lot of time on the beach and eating way too much food. Every day we were on the beach by around 9am because the temperatures were raised during the day and dipped by 4pm when the sun set. The beach was beautiful and so many fish would somehow just appear and swim alongside me. 

I would definite recommend a trip to Sharm el Sheikh if you’re looking for a relaxing holiday. I returned home feeling so chilled and with a lovely sun tan. Here are some photos of my time in Sharm el Sheikh.

Because no trip to Egypt is complete without Camels

A spot of soul searching

Soho Square

A swan ice sculpture in the Ice Bar

Fountain show in Soho Square

Thankyou so much for taking the time to read my blog posts.

Hope you have a lovely day and a Merry Christmas.

Love

Lizzie xxx

  

All photographs were taken by myself and are therefore owned by www.lizziebeau.blogspot.com.

A weekend away .....

I recently made a trip to Aberystwyth to visit one of my friends who is currently studying at the University there. I have never taken a train that far away on my own before because I usually travel with someone or drive. Though I booked my tickets and hopped on my train with laptop at the ready so the time would pass a little bit faster. 

But before I knew it, I had spent a weekend away exploring Aberystwyth and was back on the long train home equipped with a small hangover and multiple bargains that I’d purchased. The weekend in Aberystwyth was well needed. Do any of you ever feel like you need a break from your ‘real life’? Perhaps just a day or two so that you can get away and let go and then briskly return back to reality. That’s what I needed. The town itself gave me flashbacks of childhood memories of going on holiday to the Isle of Wight. It had that holiday feeling where the fresh sea air filled my lungs and took away all the little worries swimming around in my mind.

The view from Constitution Hill

Thanks for reading lovely people. I have been so greatfull for all of the wonderfull comments on my previous posts. Apologies for taking so long to create another post which just so happens to be quite short and sweet.

Lots of Love,

Lizzie x

P.S. I didn't take many photos of my trip so I decided to just insert one photo as seen above. Therefore onces again:

All photographs were taken by myself and are therefore owned by www.lizziebeau.blogspot.com.

Venice

I recently visited the beautiful city of Venice and decided it would be lovely to share a few my experience and a few photographs. I usually tend to stick to typical beach holidays and relax to the maximum. Though on this particular holiday, we purposely booked a trip to Italy in order to fulfil the role of a ‘tourist’ and therefore do a spot of sightseeing. 
 

Venice is situated in north east of Italy and is known as Venezia in Italian. On my visit I was able to walk around and visit many popular sites such as Piazza San Marco (St Marks Square), the Clock Tower, the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge. Palazzo Ducale, Torre dell’Orologio, St Mark’s Basilica, etc. 

One thing that I loved about Venice was the twisty, turny passages and endless canals intertwining throughout the City. In a way, Venice feels like a fairytale land just because it was so different to anywhere else I had ever visited. The visit was of course complete with a necessary ride on a Gondola. The Gondola experience enabled a small trip down the Grand Canal and also meandered throughout the canals of the city. One particular benefit of Venice is that no matter how lost you may become within the passages and side streets, there is always a sign which directs you back to St Marks Square. Within the square we were surrounded by two things, tourists and pigeon’s haha! The square comprised of the clock tower which is apparently one of the newest buildings in Venice. The Cathedral which is known as St Mark's Basilica is also situated within St Marks Square. An interesting fact about St Mark's Basilica is that it took approximately three years to build and over 300 years to decorate as stated by a tour guide. The Cathedral contained hundreds of paintings on the walls but unfortunately I was not permitted to take any photographs inside the Cathedral.

I would definitely recommend a trip to Venice either with your friends, family or even a surprise trip for your girlfriend or boyfriend. Though make sure you save some pennies because in one cafe a glass of coke was five Euros alone. Also be mindful that Venice is a bumpy city due to it slowly sinking! Anyway here are a few photographs taken by myself. 

 

Outside St Mark's Basilica

My favourite Gondoling photo!

The Rialto Bridge.

The Clock Tower in St Marks Square

St Marks Square

St Marks Square again

One of the many mask shops

Hope you enjoyed!

Love
Lizzie x 

All photographs were taken by myself and are therefore owned by www.lizziebeau.blogspot.com.