Weekend in Norfolk

Last weekend I came away from the city, after spending two weeks interning at British Airways' High Life magazine. It was ultra exciting to see what went on behind the scenes of the magazine I read when I flew from home to Glasgow for university, and excited I managed to spend some time there. What also was a dream, was where the office was situated. It was right by Covent Garden, and only minutes from the Thames, making every lunch break different each day.

After leaving London on Saturday to catch the train, I met my uncle at North Walsham and we went into Cromer for the afternoon. I tried my hand at crab fishing (failing miserably), walked up the pier, and then settled with a cornflake cake and strawberry milkshake as we spoke about what we had been up to.

Leading on from that, we went back to his beautiful cottage situated by the North Sea and took his dear Cavalier King Charles named Poppy along the coastal walk.

The longest beach in forever, where we went for a walk in Bacton.

It was a really lovely day and the sun was shining on us, as we went to go and my aunt and sister in Norwich for dinner. We settled in a restaurant called Coast to Coast, where I had a full rack of ribs! It had an american diner feel to it.

Me, my uncle and sister.

The next day we were taken into Norwich, where we had a wonder round the city. It was a vibrant and buzzing place, somewhere I would definitely return to, and the Old Town was so picturesque!

Cobbled streets

It was a lovely weekend and I'm looking forward to returning soon! 

Have you been up to anything recently?

Kirsty 

xx

Welcome to the family, Chester!

I have finally returned from another week in Malta. The heat there was unbearable as the island is experiencing a heatwave and so I spent the most of my days with my kindle, reading by the water so that I can dip in and out easily, when I got hot.

However, whilst away on holiday, I saw a post on Facebook, advertising a puppy named Chester who needed rehoming. He's had a bad start in life and has been pushed from pillar to post. He just needed a family who could love him! I asked about him and made the rescue centre aware we were interested and when we returned home, a lady came to ensure the house was suitable for him so he could grow and nurture here.

And yesterday, we took Chester home! He's one years old and is an adorable little thing. Here are some photos we have already taken of him here:

Cleaning his eyes, they get very dirty because of this champagne furry colour!

The day we brought Chester home

He loves chewing a bone

Isn't he adorable, Chester is a Poodle cross Lhasa Apso! He's so bouncy, he's forever wanting to do something! What do you do to keep your pets entertained?

Kirsty

xx

The Silent City, Mdina

It's a lovely Saturday morning in Malta, and I've been here now a week with my mum. We had a friend come to visit and so we paraded around the island, showing her the sights and scenery of the best places in Malta. She was only here for three days and so my mum and I had to choose the most interesting places we think she would like.

We visited the Silent City, located in Mdina on the first day.

The gate to the front of the Silent City.

Historically, Mdina was established by the Romans. Melita (meaning Honey) was divided into two. The citadel was known as Mdina (the city) and the rest of the area was the village of Rabat (the suburbs). These two names are still used today. Mdina at one point in history was the most desirable place to live in Malta, not only because it was the capital, but because it was one of the highest places on the island. It's fertile land at its base provided food, and it was easy to defend for those who would try to attack.

The city wall, at the entrance of Mdina.

When the Order of the Knights arrived in Malta in 1530, they settled in Marsa, diminishing the importance of Mdina, as they were left undisturbed. When Valletta was built and became the new capital of Malta in 1571, Mdina became known as the 'Old City'. The term 'the Silent City' became prominent and the name is still kept today because no vehicles are allowed beyond the city walls, barring the residents, who are given chosen areas to park their cars. The narrow streets and alleyways make the city so picturesque and personally, I love to wander around the city for hours. It is so small and there is little here, consisting of only restaurants, churches, monasteries, tourist shops, and houses. All of this is protected by a dry moat and city wall that surrounds the area.

The beautiful alleyways, full of history.

The vicinity of this area is packed full of so much history, and the panoramic views are something to envy. All three of us loved it, and I took lots of photos!

A lot of these alleyways are only big enough for horse and carriage.

One of the beautiful churches inside Mdina.

St Agatha's Chapel dates back to 1410. This chapel was damaged in the earthquake of 1693.
Restoration of this chapel is ongoing as it is so old.

The panoramic view from the city walls.

We stopped by here for a drink, it was getting very hot!

The Cathedral is one of Mdina's Baroque cathedral, dedicated to St Paul and shares the title
of Co-Catherdral with St John's in Valletta. It was erected between 1697 and 1702 after the
earthquake destroyed the original.

I had the most lovely morning here. It is definitely a place to admire and muse upon. I will be returning there soon.

What cities have you visited that are very old and boast a lot of history?

Kirsty 

xxx