a little visit to pigalle | paris.

Maybe it's an overhang of spending so much time in Amsterdam's Red Light District, that I now have to explore other cities Red Light Districts. My overriding memory of the last time I was in Paris was my Dad telling me that, no, I couldn't get the metro back to the hotel on my own from Pigalle (rightly so, I was eleven) and me completely missing the point as to why. That, and my eight year old brother getting stuck in the toilet of a cafe and the waiters having to break him out. Does it compare to De Wallen? No, but equally, would a visit to Paris be complete without seeing the Moulin Rouge lit up at night? Probably not. 

lifestyle | a little trip to brighton | england.

My visit to Brighton was brief but very much needed. It was one of those days where the weather changed at every moment - at one point it was sunbathing weather, the next it was so windy a quiet pub away from the sea front was sought. I didn't quite understand the hype around Brighton and honestly I still don't. It doesn't go down in my books as one of my favourite seaside destinations but it's still perfectly nice and being so close to London makes it completely worth a visit. 

Recommendations:

See: Brighton Beach, The Lanes and Palace Pier - even impressed at their choice of football team rock. Srsly. Also worth a look is the burned down wreck of the other pier. 

Drink: The Seven Stars (27 Ship Street, BN1 1AD). A seriously impressive gin selection. 

Eat: Hells Kitchen (4 Gardner Street, BN1 1UP). I'm a fan of mostly anything that calls itself a deli - especially their Deadly Deb and Chairman Mao offering.

Should I give Brighton another chance?

a little visit to oxford | england.

I don't go to Oxford often, but when I do go back, I always forget how pretty it is, and how every building seems steeped in history and just generally so interesting. The last time I was in Oxford was the day after the fire at the Randolph hotel, I remember standing on top of the Ashmolean overlooking the hotel and seeing how the fire had completely ripped through. It was good to see it looking in a little better shape these days! It was of course another completely rainy day (I haven't had much luck with the weather on visits lately!) and a good portion of the day was spent under a tree with a thousand other tourists by the Radcliffe Camera before running into a standard Jamie's Italian. 

Recommendations:

Drink: The Eagle and Child (49 St Giles, OX1 3LU). Purely because it's where various authors including C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien would meet to discuss their material and was the pub where C.S.Lewis handed out proofs for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

The Lamb and Flag (12 St Giles, OX1 3JS). The pub is run by St John's College and they use the profits to fund scholarships for graduate students. Pretty genius. 

Sit: Ashmolean Museum (Beaumont Street, OX1 2PH). Obviously after a wander around the museum, their roof terrace is worth a visit for really nice views and even better mochas. 

Eat: Olive's Delicatessen (42 High Street, OX1 4AP). By far the best sandwich place in Oxford and I have a real soft spot for their duck pate. 

See: Worcester College (Walton St, OX1 2HB). The only college with a lake, and one of the most beautiful with it's 15th century architecture - with the added plus that admission is free.  

St Catherine's College (Manor Rd, OX1 3UJ). I wouldn't have known about this college had a family member not studied there, as it's a bit of a walk out of town. But the minimalist architecture is something entirely different to the rest of Oxford. The architect even went as far as designing the cutlery for the college.

Hertford Bridge (New College Lane, OX1 3BL). Otherwise known as the Bridge of Sighs of Oxford. Always a bit jarring to see a road underneath rather than water. 

Radcliffe Camera (Radcliffe Square, OX1 4AJ). Although you can't go in, the exterior is worth seeing. 

12 things you should never do in a hotel room.

*As told by a former chamber maid...

001: Lie in bed and throw biscuits at the wall

002: Lie in bed, throw biscuits at the wall and then stomp them into the carpet with your feet.

003: Leave Babestation as the last TV Channel you were watching. 

004: Put a condom wrapper in the bin without the used condom resulting in a major room search for said condom. 

005: Stick a used condom to the glass shower curtain. 

006: Sit on the floor of your living room suite, eat Cadburys Roses, surround yourself with wrappers and then cum in a glass by the wrappers.

007: Cum in a glass that doesn't belong to you.

008: Leave a used tampon on top of the bin lid. 

009: Hang a used condom from the light fitting.

010: Leave a bugger load of cocaine in a drawer. 

011: Poo on the toilet seat and leave it.

012: Leave dirty nappies on the carpet. 

a little visit to broadway | england.

I didn't stay in long in Broadway, it really was the definition of a "little" visit, more an extended stop on the way back to London from another little visit elsewhere. It was definitely somewhere I'd stop again though, probably for a bit longer though. Plus it was absolutely tipping it down when we got there, which meant we had to take refuge in a pub where I probably had the best parfait I've ever eaten in my life (and weirdly, I eat a lot of parfait). It was so chocolate box, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to live there - or imagine what it would be like to have the money to live there. I'll be back, hopefully, to see Broadway's tower and the William Morris exhibition.  

Recommendations:

Eat: The Swan (2 The Green, WR12 7AA). For the aforementioned best parfait ever. 

See: Ashmolean Museum Broadway (65 High Street, WR12 7DP). Especially if you're a fan of the Ashmolean in Oxford.