Copenhagen

During my stay at Copenhagen.  I stayed near Arena,  at Avenue Hotel. The minute I walked in I was taken aback that it was 3* , considering it was a quite a cute boutique hotel. Very clean indeed. Maybe my standards are just low, as I'm used to hostels!

  The lift was tiny and the room wasn't  the biggest.  However, the quality was very good. The free breakfast  was nice too! A lot of cold meats and breads.

We didn't  meet Denmark on the warmest of days. Unfortunately, we had a bit of rain. Nyugen had a lot of work taking place, so unfortunately we weren't  able to sit by the harbour and overlook the gorgeous view. But we still managed to find a lovely  food court and eat some Denmark sandwiches!

A walk through Christiania was very surreal. The hippies apparently  took over in the seventies. It's filled with art and alternative living.  There are a variety of places to eat from. However , it didn't  appear to be the most hygienic  of places to eat. 

Very different realm in comparison  to the rest of Denmark, which is very clean and orderly. I really like it! 

Denmark  is suppose to have the best standard of living. Although it doesn't  grab me as an ideal place to live. It would be a nice place to raise a family. You instantly feel safe, everyone minds their own business and what was lovely to see was so many families together;  keeping fit by riding their bikes. Love it!

On the way back to the hotel, we found ourselves at a free  festival

 Yaaay! It was a lovely event. There was a Cuban band performing salsa. Very sentimental  to my friend Jess  and I,  as we met in the University  of Havana 8 years ago. 

My obsession  do latin culture has withered but still present. Live bands were playing also.

Despite the weather, everyone was having  a good time!   

As you can see, If you're  going to do a journey to Scandanavia and it rains. It's  only right you pop to H&M! 

Oh yes, and if you head to Denmark be sure to try a Barking Dog!

Kopparberg Festival

One of the things I love about London is something is always going on! I had an AMAZING weekend. Well now it seems I've  lost my voice.

BUT, after an hour of queueing for the SupaDupaFly event at Hackney Wick, I have to say it was worth it. 

There was a very Scandanavian feel, which bought  me back to Christiania in Denmark. Very cosy feel. The old skool  jams could be heard from outside too. This was a free event. BANGING!

The only downside  was there water in the toilets! Bring your antibacterial, if you're  hoping to go!

This event is on for the next two weeks. Check it out before it ends. . Trevor Nelson and Miss Dynamite will also be featuring!

Yaaay! 

Llandudno and Conwy Wales

One of my favourite things to do when I arrive somewhere I've never been is to get on an open top bus. It was my birthday this weekend and I wanted to do something different. It's quite typical for Londonders to venture off into neighbouring cities such as Birmingham and Liverpool  for the weekend for a bit of a boogie. However, I wanted to go somewhere that I've not heard anyone talk about. After much research, I came across a place called Llandudno in Wales which looked like a nice place to head off too.
We got the Virgin Train from Euston which took almost 3 hours on a Saturday morning. After checking in at a local hotel, we got a tram up the Great Orme when we arrived.

Great Orme is the name given to the headlands found here on the North Coast of Wales. I it is a lovely little journey up and you're given the option of going up halfway or getting another tram all the way up the summit. Getting a cable car is also another option.
Once we did that and arrived all the way up, the only thing I could remark on besides the beautiful view overlooking the Irish sea; was the strong breeze which kept hitting my face and blowing me away. It was crazy.Unfortunately, it wasn't the sunniest of days, but it was a lovely experience.

We walked back halfway to the summit and visited the Great Orme Copper Mines which were really interesting. Not for the claustrophobic, but an insightful journey on how copper was extracted.

A nice end to the afternoon was a stroll on the pier, after getting the tram back down. Absolutely lovely. With a bit of a play around in the arcade and some ice cream. Very relaxing weekend indeed.

I'm not usually a fish 'n' chips person, however, one of the things I particularly enjoyed was the fish!
I didn't get to try rarebit...but I definitely will next time.
Sunday involved a day in Conwy, which is about 30 on the sightseeing bus or a 10 min drive probably.
The castle was lovely. Years ago the Welsh were forbidden from the castle.


One the places I was least impressed with for a pound entry was the 'Smallest house in Great Britain'. But unbelievable to think someone once lived in such conditions!

Copenhagen

My friend Jess and I found ourselves in a kebab shop by the meat packing  district  run by a Kurdish guy on a Saturday night in Copenhagen.
It seemed as though we had missed out on all the good recent events judging by the flyers  we came across. We lost even more hope when we were told that the kebab shop turns into  a club every two weeks!
Then he told us about a club nearby which we should  head to called 'Below'. We arrived around 1am to a club blaring music with barely anybody inside. 

Luckily. It filled up pretty quickly and the dancefloor was filled with afrobeat goers! It was a very mixed crowd and it is indeed a small world as I bumped into someone an old friend of mine from Tanzania who I hadn't seen in 6 years!  We had an amazing night! A must go for sure if you hit Copenhagen  and don't  mind getting in at 5am!

The Alhambra

I'm currently staying in Hotel Bali in Malaga and decided to do a day trip to Granada which was a 2 hour coach ride. Being dropped off in the city centre for an hour meant there wasn't really much to do. Apart from buying great ice cream of course and a large variety of tea!



The main purpose of the visit was the Alhambra. This was my second visit here. Last time I came here was in 2011.
The Alhambra ( as we were told by my guide) was also known as a city in itself. It features some of the last standing monuments left by the Moors who came from North Africa in 711.



Despite the Moorish authority of Southern Spain for around 700 years, that all changed when the Catholic monarchs conquered the city of Granada in 1492. Despite this, the Arabic influence is very much still evident in the structures of the building ( arched windows as well as Arabic writing) whereas the Catholics has square windows.



The Alhambra is truly remarkable. The Moorish influence remains within the architecture as well as the Spanish Language, which truly fascinates me.
OJALA - which means 'I wish' also translates to ' to God/Allah'. This shows just how prominent the Moors were when they arrived in the 8th century up until this day.

Semana Santa en España

Due to Spain's strong Catholic roots, a great or maybe not so great time to visit ( due to the crowds) would be during the Easter. It is very packed! Luckily as we arrived in Sevilla in the afternoon, the procession was just about to begin.

Having studied Hispanic studies, I was very much aware of what to expect in terms of the attire. As I am on a school trip, I had to explain to some of my students about something they'd see they may shock or scare them.



These people dressed in capirotes are known as nazarenos. Despite their attire alluding to that of the Ku Klux Klan, there is nothing sinister about it as many foreigners would think. These robes to show penitence to God and the conical part; to bring them closer to heaven.

Sevilla was definitely a favourite. I even had the chance to visit the Real Alcazar which I have to say was well worth it and nature at its best. It is one of the oldest palaces in Spain and originally built by the Moors. Again, 'alcazar' is taken from Arabic ' royal house'. The Moors I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!



Many monarchs made this their residency, including His Majesty King Juan Carlos who also stays here.

Marrakesh

When one of my friends suggested visiting Marrakesh for the weekend. I had second thoughts. 48 hours to spent in Africa for a 30th birthday?
Would it really be worth it? Not sure! However, I ended up having one of the best weekends ever.
I got my flight at 8pm on a Friday evening to arrive in Morocco at 11pm. All alone!!!


My friend had arranged a riadh for us to stay in and it was really lovely. I felt as though I was truly in Morocco. The only thing I could complain about was the fact it was a little chilly. In January, Morocco has chilly nights and warm days.

We sat on the roof terrace and drank mint tea. Very refreshing.

Saturday Morning- We had the opportunity to explore the souks of Marrakesh. One of the things to watch out for is people in the centre trying to make you take pics with monkeys. As bizarre as it sounds, you'd be surprised. They walk around with the monkeys and try to force them onto you!

We roamed around until we found ourself in a local shop selling all good things Morocco from mint teas, skin creams, argan oil and a variety of scents. Saïd was the owner of the shop who was very plesant and informative.

We even got to see argan oil being made by the locals. The real argan oil still has the nutty scent. One thing to be mindful about are the fact that shop prices are extortionate. However, I think judging by the quality, there is a difference. At a local shop we learnt about the benefits of orange blossom helping with headaches and grain de nigel. Grain de nigel is put in a piece of cloth for you to smell like smelling salts and relieves headaches. It works very well and I'd recommend it. Although we learnt a lot...The prices were pretty high in comparison to the shops. I spent 100dh (£8) on argan oil, however in the souks you can get it for 20dh(£1.50). Having said that,I think the shop version was genuine as the latter gave me a mini breakout!
.To be honest, I'm glad I spent a weekend instead of a week in Marrakesh as I did find it quite hectic. However the locals were very warm. We found a the best Senegalese restaurant in one of the back streets and spent the afternoon in an amazing hamm an.
We forked out a bit more on a good hammam and had a
an amazing massage and scrub. There were four of us In a room and we each had a woman tending to us. Some may find the experience slightly embarrassing, so if you do decide to go for the experience, go with friends you'll not be very shy in front of!

That night we headed to some clubs to experience the nightlife. I was surprised but I guess not so surprised at how much afrobeats was being played.
We had a good time as we found ourselves at a cheesy club playing live music called African Chic before moving on to Diamant Noir. Although Morocco is fairly cheap, I must say that the nightlife makes up for it. I found drink prices a bit more like the prices you'll see in Europe. Nonetheless, the nights are quite entertaining!

We spent the last day soaking up some rays at Palais de la Bahia which was right by our riadh. It was truly beautiful!
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