Birthday Trip to York

Hi everyone! This week I celebrated my 20th birthday, I feel like i'm getting old now that i'm no longer a teenager....i'm also not entirely sure how I feel about that. To celebrate, myself and my boyfriend Troy took a trip to one of my favourite cities....York. I haven't been here since I was younger but its always been somewhere I've wanted to revisit and what a better time to visit than on my birthday. We stayed at the Fort Boutique Hostel right in the centre of the city and this made it so easy to get around as everything was on our doorstep. This also meant we could come back at any time and even relax for a bit after a day of walking before heading out for an evening meal.

For me York is one of those cities that no matter how many times I walk down the same streets i'm still amazed by how beautiful it is and how evident the city's medieval heritage is. The streets are old and winding and have many tiny alleyways and cut throughs which are a reminder of the city's medieval past and how the streets used to be used. 

Although we got lost many times it was easy to find our way back as all the streets seemed to link together and nothing is too far away to visit in a day. Another reason its the perfect city for a short break!

One of the main attractions we visited was York Minster but we mainly just wandered around the city and explored places on foot without planning where to go next which was fun and spontaneous! Of course as a book lover (and hoarder) I had to go in every second hand book shop we stumbled upon and out of every shop we visited my two favourites were the Minster Gate Book Shop and Grimoire Bookshop.

On another note, for the past year or so I have been collecting vintage clothing which I am going to be photographing soon and selling on my depop which i'm so excited about. I cant wait to share with you all the quirky items i've found on my travels. I will also be posting about the clothing on my blog here so you can view the items in more detail. If you're interested in vintage clothing check out my depop shop, my username is @charolivia.

Charlotte x

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Spring has arrived

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I last wrote a blog post (over a year in fact). I didn't plan on taking such a long break, I guess university work just got in the way and I lost the motivation to write about the places I've been and what I've found on my travels. Being a photography student i'm always taking photos for assignments or being bombarded with images by other photographers and it made me loose sight of taking my own personal images of the places i've been. This was how I began to fall in love with photography, before I knew about theories, conceptual meanings and the wider photography world. So here I am again, posting about the places i've been and sharing my experiences with you all.

A few days ago during the bank holiday weekend I visited the beautiful and historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon with my family before coming home for the Easter Holidays. It's hard not to think of all things Shakespeare when you think of Stratford but moving away from the tourist spots you begin to see some of less known and hidden gems of the town.

We happened to visit on the warmest and brightest day I've seen in a while (since then the British weather has got very stormy and dull). It truly felt like spring had arrived and everyone had come out to see it. The parks were full of children playing and one of the highlights of my day was seeing all the cute dogs walk past and soaking up the sun. Having visited a few times before I had a rough idea of what sights I wanted to see but there was many places I hadn't visited before and while its nice to have a plan sometimes to fit everything in, on this occasion we just walked around with no specific places in mind. This is my favourite type of exploring, you begin to stumble upon shops and parks you never knew existed and fall in love with them. 

If you've been following my blog for a while now you'll know that i'm a sucker for books and  old and secondhand bookshops and this place has become one of my favourites. If you're visiting Stratford-upon-Avon be sure to pay a visit to the Chaucer Head Bookshop!

We walked around the grounds surrounding the Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare is buried and where visitors can go visit his grave. Due to an Easter service taking place in the church we were unable to see it but it's definitely on my list of places to visit next time. After walking around we then headed onto the Old Town road and back into the town centre, there was no shortage of beautiful tudor buildings. 

If you haven't been to Stratford-upon-Avon before i'd definitely recommend a day trip to there and now is a perfect time to visit as the days are getting longer and the flowers are blooming. There's plenty to do and if you're a big fan of Shakespeare like me you will love it. Next on my list of things to do there is see a play at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

I hope you're all having a good Easter holiday, i'd love to hear about what you've been up to so leave a comment below.

Charlotte x

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Trip to Dublin and Belfast

At the beginning of this month I went on a short trip to Dublin and Belfast. After the surprisingly fast 40 minuet flight we arrived at Dublin airport and set off to the Generator Hostel, which I have to say was one of the best hostels I've stayed in. Located in Smithfield, it is only a 15 minuet walk into the heart of Dublin which made it a perfect location for walking to bars, pubs, restaurants, shops and many of the galleries.

Being a photography student I got excited by the amount of urban art there was dotted around the city and how at almost every street corner there was something exciting to see. You never knew what you'd see next which was very refreshing and it made it enjoyable to walk around the city in the evening. (Even if it was -1 degrees)

We visited the Gallery of Photography and had an exclusive talk by Trish Lambe about the archive project they have previously undertaken and how they are now exhibiting it around different galleries. The project focuses on the role photography plays in constructing our histories. The use of informal snapshots, studio portraits, official photographs and family albums allows you to explore the wealth of ordinary and extraordinary people from all decades.

One of my favourite things to do in Dublin was just walk around and explore the city on foot. There are so many interesting buildings and side streets to explore. We also visited the Irish Museum of Modern Art but we forgot to check the opening times so arrived an hour before it opened so we popped into the cafe for a brownie and hot chocolate. I think it's one of the best brownies I've ever had. 

While in Dublin we also had time to visit the National Gallery and I got to see another Monet painting in person which I was super excited about and it is one thing I can tick off my mental bucket list. If you're interested in art or photography like me i'd definitely recommend giving it a visit.

Charlotte x

Birmingham Vintage Fair

I'm back! After what seems like forever I'm finally back with a new post! My impromptu break from blogging was not planned, I guess life just got in the way. After moving to uni and starting my course blogging got pushed to the side in my priorities and in a way I kind of fell out of love with blogging. I ran out of ideas and motivation to actually write the posts. However being in new area has given me the opportunity to explore new places and I feel like now is the perfect time to get back into it. 

Being a lover of all things vintage and quirky, as soon as I heard about the vintage fair happening in Birmingham I marked it in my diary. I've only visited Birmingham twice, once for the Frankfurt christmas market and the second to go shopping at the Bullring. I've never had a chance to actually check out the independent vintage shops or the Custard Factory where the fair was held. 

There was something for everyone whether you love flannel shirts, faded Levi jeans and jackets, brightly coloured knitted jumpers (some even had jewels stitched into them ...bonus)  or even 1940's style tea dresses ..you'd find it here!

Some of my favourite stalls were the jewellery ones....

I could spend hours rummaging through rails of clothes, digging through boxes full of scarfs and belts which have been well worn. However after spending a an hour or so here we had a look around the rest of the Custard Factory. It has some incredible urban art, who knew graffiti could be so pretty?

If you want to see more of the places I've been or what I've been up to you can follow me on Instagram (@charoliviap) 

Charlotte x

Birthday Trip to London

Hi everyone! This Tuesday (July 1st) I turned 18 and to celebrate my birthday I visited London with my bestfriend. I've never actually visited the city itself so I was so excited to explore it and visit all of the tourist attractions. For once I didn't feel out of place photographing everything! We only visited the city for a day so we tried to pack everything in and visit as many of London's most popular attractions. After hopping on the underground, we made our way to Trafalgar Square and looked around the National Gallery. For as long as I can remember, it has been one of the places on my bucket list. I really want to go back and spend a whole day there and look around all of it. It reminded me of when I visited the Louvre in Paris, but this time I could read and understand the descriptions of the paintings because they were in English. Next time I visit the Louvre I will definitely invest in an audio guide.

(The signs said no pictures but ..I couldn't resist because the architecture was so beautiful)

Buckingham Palace 

Another highlight of my day had to be going on the London Eye. After watching the new years eve fireworks in London on tv every year and seeing the iconic wheel in the background, I've always wanted to go on it and experience a birds eye view of London.

After going on the London Eye we made our way back through the city and we stumbled upon this book market and buses which had been turned into food stations selling frozen yoghurt, coffee and cakes.

I had such an amazing day, I wish we could have stayed longer. After living in a relatively small town all of my life I've never fully experienced the buzz of a busy city such as London but now I understand why so many people love living in the city, it really does make you feel alive. There's always something to do and new people to meet, there really is never a dull moment. I'd love to hear about your experience if you've ever visited London in the comments below!

Charlotte x

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