Why I Travelled 8 Months On My Own

So I did it.

I quit my job, I bought a one way ticket, and I flew to the other side of the world.

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Chiang Mai

Alongside beautiful beaches, hedonistic parties and delicious cuisine, one of Thailand's biggest draws is undoubtedly the elephants. Powerful, playful and incredibly wise, elephants are some of the world's most fascinating creatures, and visiting them is a regular appearance on many travel bucket lists.

Hiking in sandals

Let's just take a moment to appreciate the unbelievable cuteness of the above photo.

*Squeal*

Skaros Rock, Imerovigli

If you go to Santorini you will no doubt do a lot of walking. Unless you plan on spending your time relaxing in the pool, and hey, if you're lucky enough to have these views then I don't blame you!

San Marco

Gondolas aside, Saint Mark's Square is probably the most iconic image of Venice.

From the Canals

 

Just like you can't go to Paris without visiting the Eiffel Tower, you can't go to Venice without riding in a gondola. It's expensive, it's a cliche, but it's one to tick off the bucket list! After all, you can't fight those touristy temptations forever...

Looking Over Venice

Look at that crazy mane of hair. Once again, unrealistic expectations resulting from *that scene* in Pocahontus have not been met. Sad times.

Exploring Venice

You haven't truly explored Venice until you get lost there.

Ciao, Venezia!

A while back, I ended a post about Venice with a quote by Truman Capote: "Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go". I couldn't agree more. Venice may be all about the simple life, but it's beauty is pure indulgence. It hits you all at once. Everywhere you turn, your breath is taken away. There's really no surprise I ended up with over 200 photos in just 4 days. It truly is something special.

River Walk

As Spring starts to arrive in St. Anton, the days grow warmer, the snow starts to melt and the recovering grass is revealed underneath. But of course, melting snow means less skiing. So, what do you do in a ski resort with no skiing? You go exploring!

Blue Skies

The best days in St. Anton have to be, without doubt, the days just after a massive snowfall. The snow has been falling incessantly, the mountains have been in a complete white out, but suddenly, one morning, you wake up, and what's that? Sun? Blue skies?? In January?? It's time to get up those mountains and enjoy that fresh powder!

Rainy Day Date

After a delicious and filling brunch at Joe's Kitchen (read the post here), Reiss and I headed out into the rain for our adventure-filled day at ZSL London Zoo! We didn't let the rain dampen our spirits though, as a rainy Monday meant an empty zoo, leaving us free to roam around without the queues. Although a lot of enclosures in the zoo are currently under reconstruction for 2016, including the lion exhibit, there's still plenty to see, from slow lorises and aye-ayes to adorable baby gorillas!

Trebah Garden, Cornwall

Summer is a season full of beautiful things: BBQs, sunshine (admittedly a little sporadic in England), and flowers. One of my favourite things to do on a sunny summer day is go for a long walk, particularly around a gorgeous garden in full bloom - so quintessentially English! Trebah Garden has been on my "to visit" list for a while, so on a warm sunny day, my sister and I decided to explore the sub-tropic garden. From a private beach to an ampitheatre, Trebah Garden is truly special. So if you love winding pathways, hidden gems, and flowers galore, you've come to the right place!

Graduation

After three years in Cornwall at University of Exeter, last week marked the end of my time at university with my graduation! It was a rollercoaster of emotions kind of day, from stress and nerves to overwhelming relief and inspiration, all of which ended in a slightly teary Beth (forget about falling over on stage, how about crying on stage?!), but it was a day to remember and a perfect way to commemorate the end of my degree with friends and family.

Porthchapel Beach, Cornwall

I've always believed that some of the most special beaches are the hidden ones. You know, the tucked away beaches where you have to get your rock-climbing, adventurous mind in set and clamber down a cliff to get to. So when we wondered upon this beachy oasis of Porthchapel Beach on a coastal walk from Porthcurno (see the post here), of course we couldn't resist having a closer look!

Summer Baking Pinspiration

Now I have all this time on my hands (there are only so many job applications you can fill out before you begin to lose the will), I'm getting the baking cravings! For me, summer baking is all about light flavours with fresh fruit and berries, even better if they're hand picked! Time to turn to Pinterest for some delicious inspiration...

Graduation Ball

Following the end of my degree, my university held the annual extravagant graduation ball. Castles, sea views, fireworks, it was a party to remember!

10 things I'm looking forward to about summer

Woopsy I'm meant to be doing work, how did I end up on here? Procrastination yay!

After days of lovely sunny weather, all of which I couldn't really fully enjoy because of being stuck inside with my dissertation woes, my mind's been wandering forward to summer. And now the sunny weather is getting a bit more cloudy, I'm even more desperate for the summer heat and sun to arrive (fingers and toes crossed that pesky rain stays away)! Here are 10 things I'm looking forward to about summer....

The Eden Project, Cornwall

Aside from the amazing coastal scenery of breath-taking beaches and cliffs, the Eden Project is one of Cornwall's most famous and recognizable landmarks. It's been on my Cornish "to visit" list for years since I started university, so on a sunny Spring day, we finally paid it a visit!

Winter Pinspiration

Yep, I admit it, I'm a Pinterest addict. So what better way to put this addiction to good use than by sharing some pretty pictures with you lovely readers! Introducing my new 'Pinspiration' series! Every week (or so I'll try) I'll post a series of my favourite pins following a certain theme, or just what I'm liking that week. This week's theme: winter! Because it's so horrible and rainy and cold outside we might as well appreciate some of the good things about winter!