Whirlwind Trip: Italy - Reggio Emilia

Good morning!

It's been a little while since I've posted last - things are always busy but they have been particularly crazy recently. I've been thrown back into the deep end at work after the Christmas holidays and I've been trying to exercise, eat well and keep up with a social life as well as travelling as part of my job. It's been mental!

My latest trip was a pretty last minute one to Italy - it was a whole new experience where I had to give a training course to people who didn't speak much English and I had to drive a left hand drive car on Italian roads, I was terrified!

The work part was pretty boring so I'll leave that out - but as ever with trips abroad my first stop off was breakfast and duty free at the airport!

I stopped off for some poached eggs and a pot of tea - knowing I was likely to be eating some pretty unhealthy dishes over the next few days I tried to keep away from the pancakes....

I had a very short browse around duty free and picked up my favourite Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and a new lipstick from Urban Decay - post coming very soon!

Then it was time to get on board, the weather was absolutely beautiful and I had clear skies all the way from Heathrow to Bologna. This has never happened before and as I haven't been on many flights I still absolutely love planes - my face is practically glued to the window the entire times and being able to see the coast on the South of England followed by the Alps in the image below was something I won't forget for a while.

This picture doesn't do them justice at all - the amount of snow was stunning and I wish I'd taken more photos as this was just at the beginning!

I was quite proud of my plane snaps until I saw that Tim Peake had taken a photo on the exact same day of the exact same place, his is without question so much more amazing than mine! I would 100% recommend following him on Facebook even if you're not bothered about space, his photos are beautiful and awe inspiring. Just look at his image below!

But let's get back to my trip - I'm in Italy, what's the first thing I want to eat?

OF COURSE IT'S PIZZA!!!

Pizza is my favourite food, but as I'm intolerant to bread and dairy it's one of those things that I have to limit and save for a treat. However in Italy the base is so thin and the cheese is proper mozzarella and it doesn't affect me at all - HOORAY!!!!!

In celebration I ate the entire 12 inch pizza for lunch and then ordered the same again the next day. The work was a challenge but this pizza single handedly sent me to my happy place and I didn't leave that cloud nine for at least 12 hours.

Another evening I had a beautiful hazelnut dessert, I couldn't tell you what it was to be honest (my Italian is limited to hello, goodbye and thank you) so I saw the 'cioccolato' and knew it would be good. I wasn't disappointed and the warm melted centre was amazing.

I also wanted to eat pasta whilst I was in Italy. I mean let's be honest my priorities were pizza, pasta and gelato. I went with my aim and I ticked them off one by one!

The pasta below doesn't look like much. It arrived and I wondered what on earth I'd ordered, it looked boring, bland and dry.I could not have been more wrong and the parcels were stuffed with pumpkin and so absolutely wonderful I find them hard to describe.



I didn't talk for the full 20 minutes that I was eating them and I was torn between stuffing my face and savouring every mouthful - I need to find somewhere in the UK that makes this and I will spend allllllllllllllllllllllll of the money to eat this again.....and again....

The pasta was followed up with a dish that is particular to the region that I was visiting; Beef in Balsamic Vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is from the region that I was visiting, there are two different styles; one from Modena and the second from Reggio Emilia where I was staying.



It doesn't look anything special but the beef was perfectly cooked and on the rare side, and marinated in the balsamic sauce. I'm not sure I would have chosen it but it was advised to me by my Italian colleague and it was very good.

One evening after the pizza I was so full I couldn't have dealt with eating a meal - instead I went for a walk at a shopping centre and conveniently found a gelato store...

It would have been rude not to have a bowl with three scoops right? So I chose chocolate (obviously!), pistachio and the stracciatella which is a milk based ice cream sometimes flavoured with vanilla that contains shavings of chocolate. It didn't disappoint and I was super happy I'd managed to eat everything from my list.

With all of the food I needed to sample, I thought it was about time I went for a walk! So I drove into the centre of Reggio Nell Emilia and had a wander around, not really knowing where I was going.

A favourite thing of mine about Italy is that there are so many beautiful buildings everywhere, the images above and below show a random church that I walked past and it was beautiful. So good to see parts of it being restored too.

I finally made my way over to the main star of the show, the Reggio Emilia Cathedral. This was also beautiful and had all the details lit up, the Piazza itself was busy with so many people wandering through - and of course a few statues to balance it out!

Considering the work part was pretty busy, the food and the sight seeing was really good. And I picked up a few bottles of genuine balsamic vinegar straight from the region itself! With the red label it means it has been matured for a minimum of 12 years before selling - at 8 euros per bottle my family had better be grateful too!

Where have you been lately? Have you been to Italy, or anywhere near Reggio Emilia recently?

I have never been to Italy and not enjoyed myself, the food alone would put it top of my list!


L xxx

Meet Harry Hopper and Dumbledore - Tips For Getting Rabbits

Hey All

I think I've mentioned before that I moved in with C last October, since moving in I've really wanted a pet, C was as convinced but I finally persuaded him to allow me to get a rabbit on one condition. I read a book he bought me on looking after rabbits and we didn't rush into it. To be honest I'm glad he was like that as it meant we really thought things through before jumping into it. I thought I'd share a few of the tips for first getting a rabbit on here in case anyone is considering it!

I'd had rabbits as a child but don't remember a lot about caring for them (pretty sure mum did that) and what they ate etc. C bought me Rabbit and Me by Emi Lau from amazon (link here) and made me read it before we got one. It was actually a really good book and if you're considering getting a rabbit I'd fully recommend it. It includes information on indoor and outdoor, how to get rabbits, adoption, feeding, bonding and more and has definitely helped us with them. 

After reading the book we decided if we were getting one we may as well get two as our landlady said they needed to be outdoor rabbits but could be in with us in an evening. We've heard a lot rabbits can be lonely so we wanted to get them a buddy and we opted for two bonded boys so we wouldn't have to go through bonding them and not have baby rabbits. We are going to get our boys neutered. We decided that if they'll be happier for it we should and with boys it can help prevent them fighting. 

So here are Dumbledore and Harry Hopper, Dumbledore is a lionhead rabbit and Harry is a crossbread.

So here are our boys in there new home on the first day. After a few hours in there we covered the whole bottom with hay for them now too. We got them the feelgoodUK bunny ark hutch as it has an extension you can add on to it which we loved the idea of for when they get bigger. We also liked that the upstairs is totally sheltered and a hideaway for them in the winter. We've raised them on palettes now as well so they are totally off the ground.

One thing we were glad we had the book for was bonding with the rabbits and there first few days. We decided to leave our rabbits for 3 days in there hutch so they could get used to there new surroundings and chill out. We plan to train ours to use a litter train so they can freely have the run of the downstairs but it's all about baby steps. As our hutch is quite large it came in a big box which we kept and used for their first indoor introduction. We put there toys in it and some food and let them enjoy the space. We then left them for another two days in the hutch and put them back in the box to play as before. The third time we decided to let one side down. We both thought they'd hop right out but them didn't. We could tempt them out with food but not very fair. We since think they don't like our floor tiles. The fourth time we built a fort of boxes in our lounge and covered the floor with towels but still used the big box they were used to as it feels like a safe place to them. After a while they were hopping all over the place and have come to explore us now. One thing we took from the book was not to push rabbits. They will come to you when interested. We pick ours up to let them in the house but then let them come to us.

We feed our boys timothy hay, pellets and fresh veg. They get 25g per kg of weight of pellets in the morning and a selection of fresh veg in the evening and fresh hay added morning and night. The book mentioned above has a great list of foods they can and can't have. Ours love broccoli!

Here's dumbldore debating if that piece of broccoli is worth leaving the box for. Something we didn't reaslise they'd go through so quickly is toys. We buy them lots of wooden and willow toys (I refuse to buy them animal treat stick sweet things as they aren't good for them, we opt for carrot as a treat) as they are great for them to chew on and help keep there teeth in shape and prevent boredom.

The last thing we got for them was an animal heatpad. You pop it in the microwave and it can stay warm upto 10 hours. As it's awful weather at the moment we wanted to give them something extra. They're also only £14.99 on amazon.

They run around like crazy, binky all over the place (this is scary to see for the first time as they run around like a lunatic then bounce up and down but apparently it means they're happy!!) then collapse down to chill.

We are loving having them and they have been health checked, vaccinated and insured. (all part of the deal in me getting them, C hasn't had a pet before and wants all things covered which I agree with!). We have had some issues with humping (dumbledore once humped harry's face!! poor boy!) but we've been assured it's normal and they are establishing dominance. They don't fight so it should also all calm down a bit once neutered too!

So there's a quick introduction to my little guys! Do you have any pets?

Love M

xxx

Period Talk: My experience with the Implant(implanon/nexplanon) and Injection (depo-provera)

Hey All

So this post has been sat in our drafts for over 3 years. After seeing Lucy Writes post on the implant (you can read these here) I decided I'd share my experiences as lets face it we've all heard of that friend of a friend horror story and when I was making the decision I couldn't find information on real people talking about experiences.

So here are my pros, cons and experiences with long term contraception, Implanon and Nexplanon are implants and the Depo-Provera Injection. For me I'd been on the pill (microgynon) since I was about 19. I'd had no issues with my periods being unbearable but I was in a long term relationship and didn't want to entirely rely on condoms. I stayed on microgynon for around 5 Years. I had no issues with it and the way it worked but I'm really bad at remembering to take it so I decided to have a chat with my Dr to see what other options I had. I heard lots about the implant but wanted more information. 

The implant works by having a small rod (it's around 40mm and flexible) inserted under the skin in the arm. The implant then slowly releases the hormone (progestogen)to control the menstrual cycle. This is shown to be over 99% effective. For every 1,000 people with an implant fewer than one will get pregnant in the three years it can be in. Implanon has been replaced with Nexplanon after some pregnancies with users of implanon. It was shown these were due to insertion error rather than failure of the implant. Nexplanon has been designed to reduce the risk of insertion errors and also contains barium so it can be easily located on x-rays and CT scans. 

image from NHS.UK

Pros

• It provides contraception for up to 3 years.
• You don't have to remember to take a pill everyday or book in every 12 weeks for injections.
• It can be used up until the menopause.
• It's safe for breastfeeding.
• It's good for people who can't use other options of contraception such as combined contraceptive pill.
• Fertility should return to normal as soon as the implant is removed.
• It can help reduce heavy or painful periods after the first year.

Cons

• It can stop periods all together (some people this may be a problem for, some people see it as a pro).
• It can give you irregular periods.
• You have to had a rod in your arm.
• It's hard to track when you're hormal
• It has other side effects but these can also commonly be seen on other contraception such as headaches, breast tenderness and mood changes.

The injection works by injecting a dose of progestogen into the body either in the buttock or the arm. It lasts for 12 to 13 weeks depending on the injection you have. It is shown to be more than 99% effective with less than one wmone in 100 who use it becoming pregnant in a year. 

Pros

• Can last up to 13 weeks depending on injection type.
• Is an option for people who can't use other contraception such as combined contraceptive pill.
• You don't have to remember to take the pill everyday.
• It's safe for breastfeeding.
• It can help reduce heavy or painful periods.

Cons

• It can stop periods all together.
• It can take a while for periods and natural fertility to return to normal after stopping the injection.
• It has side effects of other contraception such as weight gain, headaches and changes in mood.
• It effects your natural oestrogen levels which can cause thinning of bones. This isn't a problem for most women as it returns to normal after use of the injection but is therefore not suitable for people with a history of osteoporosis and under 18s without thought from a Dr. It's also not recommended as a long term contraception. My Dr told me it was good to stay on for around 2-3 years then assess it.

My Story

When I saw the nurse first to discuss it she recommended having two doses of the injection 10 weeks apart to get my body use to progestogen and hopefully stop my periods (this wasn't a con for me) then have the implant fitted around 10 weeks after the second injection. I followed her advice and did this. After the second injection it was time to have the implant fitted. I was kind of nervous but they apply a local anaesthetic so you really don't feel any pain. A small incision is made and it's almost injected into the arm. Some butterfly stitches and a bandage are applied and it's good to go. The combination of the injection and the implant stopped my periods totally for over 2 years. Just over two years into my implant I started to get periods back. They were extremely light but lasted a good few weeks. My doctor decided to change my implant to see if it would improve it. This part I was concerned about but again the arm is numb so you can feel a thing. For me my implant had slightly embedded into the muscle so it wasn't as easy as just pulling it out it had to be cut a bit and was trickier to remove but this was all done in my GP surgery and caused me no pain. After it was removed the new one was immediately placed in. I've had my new on for around 1 and a half year now and still get regular light periods but it's not too bad. I've decided for the time being I'll stick with it as I'd rather have light periods and the highest safety against pregnancy than change contraception again. 

This was after my implant was removed and replaced!

I'd definitely recommend trying the implant if you're considering it. The rod doesn't bother me and I don't notice it's there at all. I was concerned about knocking it and stuff from horror stories I've heard but I regularly exercise and I do kickboxing and it's never caused me any problems in these activities. I did have photos from my first implant but I can't find them and as I said at the beginning of this post that was over 4 years ago now so I have no idea where they've disappeared too! The arm does tend to look bruised at first but it does go down pretty quickly!

Hope this helps if you're deciding about getting a new form of contraception!

Love M

xxx

Travel: Top things to do in Iceland / Reykjavik

Hey All

So this is a post I've been meaning to write for almost a year. A year ago I was in Iceland with C having an amazing time, it will definitely be somewhere with a special place in my heart! Last week I shared what I got up to in Copenhagen so this week I thought I'd share Iceland. I love researching places before I go away and Iceland was definitely a well planned holiday (I had a colour coded spreadsheet!) So I thought I'd share our top Iceland excursions/tips and what we loved doing in Reykjavik. We went for a week as we flew from Bristol and they only flew once a week. We are really glad we did the week as we had so much we wanted to do! I wrote a post on eating and drinking and how to save money as everyone says Iceland is expensive. You can find that post here.

A few recommendations if you go in winter like we did. Take thermals and layers it will be cold. UK hats don't keep you warm enough especially for watching the northern lights, if you've got a wooley hat you'll want one that's also got a thinsulate type lining. We found our hands got the coldest so really good quality gloves are great! I also swore by my waterproof trousers. They were great for the days spent walking around outside and kept me warm and dry. I'd also recommend walking boots as it makes negotiating the snow easier and your feet are kept warm and dry.

Iceland Tours

In iceland there are two main operators, Grayline and Reykjavik Excursions. We booked almost all of ours through Reykjavik Excursions. Both were similar prices. With the tours you get picked up from your hotel on a mini bus and taken to the main bus station where you then join the coaches. The streets are small so the big buses can't easily navigate them. We didn't have any issues with any we booked.

Golden Circle (link to tours)

There are quite a few different options with this tour and lots of adds ons you can do which is great if you are pushed for time whilst you are there or you can do the shorter version of it which we did where you either go in a morning or afternoon. As we had a lot on we opted for the shorter one. The longer one also takes you to a green house for tomatoes where I believe you get tomato soup.

Thingvellir

Is an unusual place due to it's tectonic plate action. Here the plates are pulling apart on the surface so you can be in a no mans land area. It's also where the parliament used to be which you can see in the photo below.

Geysirs

These are amazing to see. The power of them is amazing. And look how blue the water is in the one's that are still. There are quite a few inactive geysirs and one that went up regularly as we were there. Seeing the water bubble as it was preparing was crazy. It's so strange how hot the water is when it's freezing surrounding it!

Gullfoss

Lastly on the Golden Circle tour is the Gulfoss waterfall. This is amazing. This water fall is absolutely massive and drops in two stages. As you can see it was totally snow covered when we were there but from photos it looks amazing in Summer too!

ATV

We did these in combination with the Blue Lagoon trip. With the blue lagoon trip you can add other tours on to it or do it on your way to and from the airport if your short of time ( we did this tour). We absolutely loved these. You get driven out to the centre get kitted out in overalls, gloves, helmets and some waterproofs and jump on a vehicle. We decided to share one but you can pay extra to have your own. You do need a driving licence to drive these as you do go on roads sometimes. You go out with a guide and follow him along lava fields mostly but sometimes you have to cross roads. Theses can really pick up speeds. I terrified C by getting it up to 60km/h and not slowing down particularly well to go around corners!

Blue Lagoon

Now this is a must in my opinion. I was really sceptical to go. I thought it was such a cliche and maybe we should go to a less well know one but C convinced me we should go and I'm so glad he did. We paid extra to upgrade so we got a drink each, towel hire, face masks and some products and I'm really glad we did. The blue lagoon has a great system where you're given a band and on there you can purchase drinks from the swim up bars and then pay on the way out! The milky blue water is amazing. It's so toasty in there. It's totally relaxing and as we went at dusk we got to be in there as it went dark which was great. Top tip for ladies slather your hair in conditioner and try to keep it dry as the water can dry out your hair otherwise!

Lava Tubing

This was the trip we didn't do with Reykjavik excursions as they didn't offer what we wanted. We paired the Lava Tubing with the Snorkelling and did this tour. We knew we wanted a holiday packed with adventure so Lava Tubing sounded great. As iceland is so volcanic there are loads of empty lava tubes to explore (C would probably tell me I'm wrong with that, he's a geologist but meh!), where we went you did a circle under ground. This was so good. You slid down in to the tubes. They were varying heights, in sections you could stand and other places you were on your stomach going through. We were glad we booked through viator for this as other groups we met in the cave didn't seem to be as well equipped. We were given head torches so our hands were free where other groups were having to carry them. Small things like that I think make a difference!

Snorkelling

Now this may seem like a strange one! Snorkelling in Iceland. You get to snorkel over the Mid Atlantic Ridge. It's an amazing experience as you snorkel through glacial water which is crystal clear with perfect vision I believe about 40m deep. Obviously it's not warm as you can see from my suit being frozen but you are put in a basically duvet onsie (over your clothes!) then in a dry suit. Your hands, feet and face get cold as they are in wetsuit type material but it's not too bad! It's worth it for the views. We have a underwater camera but we were worried about dropping it so we left it behind.

Glacier Hike

Our third and final adventure tour was the Glacier Hike. This is the one I really appreciated my waterproof trousers on and the one that scared me the most! We did the Glacier Hike as part of this tour but if you're short of time it's another one which can be combined. This one involves a bit of a drive and we were glad we packed lunch as there wasn't many options. You do stop at a garage/ restaurant type place where you can buy stuff before but we were glad we took stuff.

This was the trip that gave me an adrenaline rush and kinda scared me. I'm clumsy it's really slippery and parts of it are up and down hill to climb (not to steep but when it's on ice!). Before you head on the glacier you're given crampons, ice picks and harnesses. It takes some getting used to using the crampons efficiently to stamp your feet to get a good grip but it was really good up there and our tour guide was great!

This is a natural path that has been eroded in the glacier. It was interesting to see the different formations. The grey you see is ash from volcano explosions!

Skogafoss

We saw these waterfalls on the way back from the glacier hike but they can be found in other excursions. I had really wanted to see these when we were planning. Skogafoss is amazing. We were lucky and were treated to a rainbow across it as well!

I tried to climb to get an icicle and fell ha!

Seljalandsfoss

This was the waterfall I wanted to see the most. Some times through the year you can walk behind it but it was too icy whilst we were there! It's still pretty impressive to see!

Northern Lights

Our final tour was to see the Northern Lights.We chose to do the normal Nothern lights tour (this one), we did this because if you pair it with other options you don't get another chance to see them. If you book on this tour if you don't see them you can rebook on it for free as many times as you like until you see them. Our first night we didn't get to see them so messed around with the cameras and long exposures. This trip you'll get cold on. You basically spend 2-3 hours outside waiting to see if they appear. It's bloody cold! The guys keep checking forecasts and find the best location for the best chance to see them and keep in contact with other buses out searching so they can move to another location if needed.

The second time we went out we went to Thingvellir to try to see them. We waited around 3 hours here as a guide could see what looked to us like a cloud in the sky but he was sure it was them. As our time on the tour was up we still hadn't see anything. As we drove back to Reykjavik the tour guide regularly stopped the bus to see if it was developing.

As we got about 5 miles from Reykjavik we took a short stop and we got to see them. They developed into what you can see below. It's honestly such an amazing experience. I can't put into words how special it is too see them. This is the tour I'd most recommend as I'm sure you could see them yourself but the knowledge of the tour guides definitely increases your chances of seeing them!

Things to See in Reykjavik

Reykajavik is pretty small but great to walk around. It has a main shopping street and a few streets off that. It's really easy to get around and great to explore. We loved the vibe of the city. It felt clean, safe and fun. 

Hallgrímskirkja Church

The Hallgrimskirkja Church is somewhere you have to see. It's such an amazing structure from the outside and gorgeous inside. The design is relatively modern and is apparently based on the basalt lava flows.

You can go up to the top of the church and it opens up so you can get views all over Reykjavik. It really is amazing up there. I love how colourful and non uniform all the buildings are there.

How amazing is the Organ!!

Harpa Iceland Opera House

The opera house/ concert hall is not far from the main shopping street. It's got amazing architecture and is built out of glass hexagonal columns. It gives off amazing light patterns inside if the sun is shining through.

iceland opera house

Iceland opera house

The Sun Voyager Sculpture

This is alongside the harbour and cool to see. Around this area there are also a few museums we went into but I've forgotten the names now!

The sun voyager sculpture

Shot of Brenivin

This is the national drink of Iceland. Although C's face doesn't show it he actually enjoyed it. So much so we bought it in the airport! It's made from potatoes and cumin I believe! One to warm you up after a cold day!

brennivin shots

Shot of brennivin

Shop with slide

Now this is a random one but there is an outdoor clothing shop on the main street that has a slide in! We are probably easily pleased but loved this. More shops should have it. There are also stairs if you aren't big kids like us. The shop also had a moat like fish pond downstairs, how cool!!

Shop with a slide!!

So there is my whistle-stop tour of Iceland! Have you been? Is it on your list? Any questions just ask?

Love M

xxx