Tag Archives: Vacation

Style and Fashion, Travel

Casual with a hint of class for Spring/summer

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As you all know, summer is around the corner and for what it’s worth, the layers are falling off as fast as autumn leaves. As the temperature rises, naturally we wear less and gravitate more towards comfort. Even though the weather in Europe has taken a dive in the last couple of days, I thought it would be handy to do a quick post on spring/summer casual wear

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For many people, the minute the word casual is mentioned, denim or tracksuit bottoms and trainers come to mind. Don’t get me wrong there is a place for the above but casual need not be that casual. The kind of casual I am talking about is one where you can walk into a classy bar and not feel out of place. IMG_7594I was away for a long weekend in Venice recently and I fully utilised the casual but classy look. I was able to pull off two different looks with changes to the top half of my outfits only Continue reading Casual with a hint of class for Spring/summer →

Travel

Overnight bag: everything you need for a short trip

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Travelling is one thing i love doing whenever i can. The fact that i live in London, which is relatively close to major cities in Europe is a blessing in itself. I did quite a bit of travelling in the last two years and this year will be no exception. This year, my first destination is Barcelona. In fact, i am sitting in my hotel room as i type this article this very minute. Literally walked in and thought i should drop a few lines. I absolutely love Barcelona for two main reasons which are food and architecture. Anyway don’t get me started on Barcelona yet, as this article is about what i carry with me when i travel for short trips. 

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If you travel as much as I do then you would have, at some point during your travels, arrived at your destination only to realize that you have forgotten an important item of use, and probably taken stuff you do not need at all. There is nothing more frustrating than packing your 200ml Terre d’Hermes or your 250ml Tom Ford tuscan leather (which may well be more expensive than your  flight), only to be told by airport security that you can’t take it with you as it exceeds the fluid limit allowed in your hand luggage. Ouch. This is generally caused by packing at the last minute or simply not planning your trip properly. Not only is it a massive inconvenience to not have the things you need with you, it has the potential to send your travel bill sky rocketing as you purchase these items. Continue reading Overnight bag: everything you need for a short trip →

Travel

Beautiful Architecture – C F HIM in Istanbul

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I promised two weeks ago I would share my experiences in Istanbul with you but have not been able to do so until now. I apologise for the delay and hope its worth the wait.

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) in all its beauty with a blue sky backdrop. This architectural beauty also holds great historical significance as it connects Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. It was once a church, then converted to a mosque, and now a museum. one of my fav monuments in the city

I will be sharing my experiences of Istanbul in two parts. The first article (this one) will look at this city’s architecture, where the second article will explore food, hospitality and the people.

First of all, whenever I talk about architecture in Europe, there are two main cities I benchmark my idea of beautiful architecture from which are Barcelona and Prague. I know other European cities have beautiful architecture as well, but the above two left a lasting impression on my mind for so many reasons. You can check out articles of my Prague experience here and here. But anyway, this article is about Istanbul so let me reel it in a bit before I get carried away with talking about other cities. Oh and the fact that Istanbul is not even in the European union is probably a good enough reason for me not to compare but anyway, moving on.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue mosque) was built from 1609 to 1616 during the rule of Ahmed 1. This mosque caused an uproar within the muslim world when it was built with six minarets matching the great mosque in Mecca. The uproar prompted the Sultan to order a seventh minaret to be built in the Mecca as a gift. The blue most is opposite Hagia Sophia with less than four minutes walk between them

Ok, basically I have heard so many things about Istanbul from different people who gave good reviews about this city. At this point, you would think it’s a no brainer for me to just pick up my suitcase and head out there right? Well guess what, that’s exactly what I did. Apart from the little scare I got after seeing on telly the tragic occurrence of the Ankara bombing on the 10th of October, there was no stopping me from travelling to Istanbul. As with many of the places I travel to for the first time, I did not know much about Istanbul. In fact, I know so little that I couldn’t have told you more than 10 facts about this city. Shocking right? Well wait until you hear my big confession. Continue reading Beautiful Architecture – C F HIM in Istanbul →

Travel

The Freetown Peninsular – beautiful beaches and more

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Freetown! What can I say about this beautiful city that has not already been said? Apparently there is a lot more but I’ll save that for future posts as I have so much more to share with you all.

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For now, I am just going to share a few photos I took during one of many family vacations to this wonderful city. Before I leave you to enjoy the pictures, here are a few facts about this historically rich and important city.

– Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone.
– European explores first reached Freetown in the 15th century
– Freetown was had the first colony of freed slaves in Africa, dubbed the “Province of freedom”.
– Has the largest natural harbour in Africa
– Has West Africa’s oldest university, Fourah Bay College, established in 1827
– Population of a little over 1.2 million
– In a recent research, Sierra Leone is listed second on the list of countries with the best diets in the world.

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This is what lonely planet has to say about Freetown. “And it might just be the only capital in the world where when you emerge from the airport, blinking after an overnight flight, you find yourself standing on the wooden deck of a port flanked by a backdrop of mountains, beaches and palm trees so idyllic you wonder if it’s real. Well it’s all real, all of it – the chatter and the chaos and the colour and the dirt and the lush lobster dinners and the devastating war history – and those lovely white sands too”. Need I say any more?

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So when planning your next holiday, think outside the box and consider Freetown. The fact that it might not be the obvious choices for first time visitors makes it even more thrilling and satisfying to anyone that makes the leap of faith.

Just a quick note to say that the photos below do not cover the entire city and were taken at only two out of many beautiful beaches that dots the Freetown peninsular. Come back soon as I will be sharing my experiences with a bit of rich history of Freetown and its surroundings backed with beautiful pictures.