The time i went to Disneyland Paris... Part 2

Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris was pretty much what i was expecting but that did not change my excitement for it. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the incredibly beautiful Sleeping Beauty's castle as is iconic for Walt Disney. No matter how many photos you have seen of this, nothing can beat how beautiful it is in the flesh. Absolutely stunning and the lawns around the castle were decked in snow for Christmas. The whole resort is structured with the castle in its very centre so we used that as a point of navigation when getting around the park. 

Pirates of the Caribbean shipwreck

One thing you have give Walt Disney credit for is their commitment to bringing those Disney films to life, the ones we love and adore. In particular, i loved walking around the Pirates of the Caribbean caves and discovering the shipwreck, it is a maze of tunnels but so much fun just to navigate the tunnels. 

Christmas at Walt Disney

Though the park was decorated for Christmas and that was the point of all the decorations, it was a little disheartening to see how much of the park is dedicated to shops and getting visitors to buy ornaments and merchandise. The shops were housed in Walt Disney style shops for example, there was Chipettos house which was a toy shop inside, but it would have been good to have more spaces to explore instead of having Disney sell us stuff. 

However, the park has to be given credit for its commitment to the decorations it puts up for Christmas. There was not one surface which had not been decked in holly or had lights added to it. The tree is simply spectacular and they also did a light show around it on the Disney Parade. 

Inside Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Disney Christmas Parade

Light and Sound Christmas Show on the Sleeping Beauty Castle

It is impossible not to get swept away with the Disney fun and grown adults were celebrating and revelling in the magic. It was astounding to see the Christmas show at the end of the day and it was beautiful. The whole show was heavily influenced by film of the moment Frozen but it would have been good to see the classic Disney films being equally celebrated too. It is a great day out though so i would highly recommend it, purely for the magic and fun Disney brings to it. 

The day i went to Disneyland Paris... Part 1

I have to admit i am a die hard Disney fan so any fangirling i do throughout this post is a result of this. I was incredibly excited to go on this visit to Disneyland Paris and as it was during Christmas, my favourite month of the year, i was even more psyched. Since i was a little girl, i have always wanted to to Disneyland in Florida so when i saw the deal come up on Groupon, i felt like i had to pay a visit to Disneyland Paris which is closer to home and more affordable too than the real place too.

Disneyland Paris is incredibly exciting and when you enter, they ensure you feel like you are in the land of all things happy and magical. All the car parks, for example, are named after Disney characters. We were parked in the Tigger car park. After quite a walk on travelators, we reached the entrance. Disneyland is split into two parts, one is Walt Disney Studios and the other is Disneyland Paris. Walt Disney studios closes first so it is always wise to tackle that first.

Walt Disney Studios

Disney own a lot of film franchises and it was actually astonishing to see how many they actually did have. We entered the studios through this heated indoor 'street' which was lined with gift shops and restaurants. We were not hungry when we arrived so headed straight through to discover the park. First up, we did the special effects tour by train through the sets of various famous Disney franchised movies. It was amazing to see the film sets come to life. To show just how much goes into a special effects scene, we were put into one complete with an earthquake, raging fire and a flood of water.

After this we headed into Toyland which is a real life adaptation of Toy Story. Greeted by Buzz Lightyear, us mere humans are made to feel smaller than the larger than life toys. This was catering for a younger audience but i loved the spinning springy dog as one of the rides.

We also took part in the experience to be on the sets of an action film which was a space station set being attacked by asteroids. That was brilliant, complete with special effects and fire flares in the background.

One thing to be aware of is that Walt Disney studios closes earlier than Disneyland Paris so it is worth doing this one first. It has meet and greets with the Disney characters dotted around the studios and we stumbled on them purely by accident. We had the chance to see some of them, the odd thing was that Jasmine and Aladdin were tanned to look Asian, ironic considering there are is an Asian population in Paris.

Part 2 about Disneyland Paris coming soon....

Visiting the Clothes Show Live at the NEC Birmingham

I haven't been to a Clothes Show Live since i was 16 and studying fashion at A Level. All i remember it to be is shopping heaven with lots of opportunities to shop and see the upcoming trends for the coming year. So going back after 10 years, i was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the show has not changed one bit. It has just got bigger and better.

It was a little daunting at the start to arrive and see hordes of teenage girls heading into NEC Birmingham but once you got inside, it wasn't so bad. The deals on clothes and beauty were second to none. I managed to get some amazing dresses for as little as £10 and they were beautiful. I think i might do a lookbook soon with those on. They also had a vast beauty section at the show where you could get deals on make up and beauty products. Rimmel were doing a bag full of products for only £10 as were Barry M, so some great deals to find.

The ticket to the Clothes Show Live also gives you access to the Fashion theatre where they put on a choreographed dance/fashion show, showing off designer fashions and upcoming trends. These were very well done with an awkward introduction from Peter Andre starting off proceedings. The segments were split by trend and accompanied by dance performance. I particularly loved one where a model came out in this beautiful white gown as a snow queen and also another where these models in suits were acting against a project of themselves depicting Wall Street.

The Clothes Show Live is a great day out with your girlfriends and really good for some bargain deals. It is like an affordable version of London Fashion Week and if you don't mind buying your summer fashion early, it is perfect!

Visit Leeds Castle at Christmas time

Leeds Castle through the trees in the woodland

Leeds Castle is one of those places which are not talked about enough when it comes to must see castles. It isn't discussed in any of our tourism brochures but it is one of those castles which are truly English. The pure heritage value of the castle can be worth a lot and it is such a majestic and beautiful place. It is set in miles of woodland and grounds which alone are worth exploring on a nice sunny day and one thing is for sure, you will not be faced with lots of tourists and their selfie sticks. At Christmas time, they go all out and decorate the castle and the grounds in tinsel and lights. This year in particular, they have been working with the Biscuiteers to create all their Christmas decorates and even more amazing is a biscuit creation of the entire castle. 

It is based in Kent by the way, not in Leeds if the distance is a deterrent for Londoners and it feels like you are in another world out there. For families, you could easily spend the day there, have a picnic in the grounds and work off the food in the extensive maze which sits behind the castle.

For more information see here: http://www.leeds-castle.com/home

Enjoy the pictures!

Biscuit model of the interior of the castle

Peacocks roam the grounds and they are stunning

Biscuit model of the whole castle

Victoria's Secret Show: London 2014 - My Favourite Moments

The Angels line up

When i heard that the Victoria's Secret Show was coming to London, i was so excited. I have been watching out for the shows for year, not because i like to oogle girls in their lingerie but because they always look like so much fun, The girls look like they are having a great time on and off stage around the show and they always look healthy. They work out to get their bodies for the show and it all pays off on the catwalk. However, much to my disappointment, the tickets were not on sale. In fact you had to be either dirt rich to make huge donations to their chosen charity to get one or be considered to be famous enough to attend. It is a real shame because having seen some videos from the show, the crowd looks dead silent and rather bored when real fans would have been enthusiastic and wanting to a part of the experience.

Anyway, i digress. These are some of my favourite moments:

This show was all about Taylor Swift. She looked amazing on stage and her interaction with the girls was so cute. She literally has the world at her feet at the moment and despite being surround some incredibly stunning women, she stood out and gave some of them a run for their money. 

Taylor Swift on stage with Karlie Kloss

Is there anything more cute than this picture? Taylor and her bestie Karlie Kloss were on stage at the show and i loved their sweet moments interacting and cheering each other on.

Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima lead the way at the Victoria's Secret Show as they dazzle in $2m Dream Angels Fantasy Bras

Of course the million dollar bras which are always so epic as part of the shows. I never seem to think they are as pretty as the rest of the collection but they are always centre stage.

Speaking of centre stage, Ed Sheeran did look like the cat who had got the cream surrounded by all the beautiful women at the show!

Eating Out Review : Cosmo Restaurants (Romford branch)

I don't really write about many restaurants i go to, partly because i am very unadventurous when it comes to food. I like the comfort of having food that is reliable and won't be too radically different to what i am used to. That does make me sound boring doesn't it? I think i just have a very mild paranoia around food and the way it should taste and feel in my mouth. Okay, i definitely am weird!

Anyway, so after a few recommendations from friends i headed to to Cosmo Restaurants in Romford. It had been given great reviews in terms of its food and the fact that it was a buffet meant that even if i didn't like the food, no one would judge me for having chips. The food is laid out according to countries so you have India, Italy, Japan and many more. You are left to eat whatever you want from the buffet and as much as you want too. 

The first thing that struck me the most about Cosmo is the lack of atmosphere and that is partly due to its location. It is based inside a shopping centre so you get tired shoppers there at the end of the day to put their feet up. The food is not delicious, it is average and you get a good variety for your money. I was a little annoyed by the fact that no one was actually looking after the food as many kids were walking around putting their hands in the ice cream and in the dessert bowls and that really put me off the dessert. It is a good place to go to after a hard day's shopping but not one i would frequent for myself as a place to go eat. 

Visiting World Travel Market 2014

Africa stand at WTM

I do love visiting exhibitions at the London Excel centre, it is one of those spaces which completely transforms itself for events. One event which i feel i can never not attend is World Travel Market. It is magnificent. Every single country in the world's tourism boards all term up once year to show off what is great about them and why they should be mentioned. I was lucky enough to attend on their Festival night, which is normally when most stands put on live performances and give out samples of their food. I do love the atmosphere at World Travel Market as there is a buzz in the air and as i am almost obsessed with discovering new places, i enjoy being drawn in to stands and being told about their new tourism ventures,

The UAE and Dubai never fail to make an effort for World Travel Market and this year they had an edible skyline of Dubai. They also had a very patient live Falcon on display which reminded me of my travels to the country and how much i enjoyed it. 

An edible Atlantis at the Dubai stand

Legoland coming soon to Dubai

Dubai also announced their new venture in the form of their own Pixar studios and their own Legoland and Bollywood Parks. I can't wait to see these in action in the future. They sound amazing and they were giving our free popcorn on the night to entice customers. 

Etihad Airways  debuted their new suites

Brazil had beautifully dressed dancers entertaining visitors