AMSTERDAM - PART 1

So in November I turned 21 (*gasp*) and I now feel suitably old.  I actually found my first grey hair last week, ran downstairs hoping it was blonde, only for it to be confirmed as grey by a housemate and then not knowing how to handle the situation, burst in to tears.

Anyway... so I turned 21 and my lovely boyfriend took me to Amsterdam in December as my birthday present!

I had never been to Amsterdam before so it was pretty exciting and to be honest I didn't know that much about the city before going except that it is mostly famous for it's red light district, weed and canals.

I can tell you there is a lot more to Amsterdam that just that so i'm going to post a few of my highlights and really interesting things that we did and that I would recommend.

Anne Franks House

I didn't know a great deal about Anne Frank's story before and it was incredible so see the actual attic that she spent all those years hiding in! I didn't realise that her father survived the concentration camps either and the whole museum is so tastefully and informatively done. I think I am going to have to read her diary one day because she seemed like such an insightful and intelligent person for such a young girl and it's just awful to think what she had to miss out on whilst in hiding and then endure once captured.

As you can probably tell from these photos we didn't have great weather. In fact it was horrible, cold and raining but it allows you to appreciate the beauty of the architecture, and almost my down jacket and fur trimmed hood! 

I love how some of the buildings are just leaning slightly like "hey i'm just gonna take a break and lean on you, i'm tired of standing upright". I also love the huge window panes and quirky little roofs. I would love to live in Amsterdam with a bedroom overlooking a canal through those huge windows. 

Sisters in Nice

Spent the afternoon in Nice, one of my favourite places on the Cote d'Azur. It has so much charm from it's luxury fashion boutiques to the old town antiques market and shopping lanes. I'm going to stay there for a few days with my friends post-party so will be able to do some exploring of Nice's nightlife and what there is to discover on more of a student's budget. 

Here is today's ootd featuring my sister (right) who is shockingly 4 years younger than me but taller, chilling in the cooling mists of Nice's Place Massena... 

I am wearing...

Top - Topshop

Shorts - H&M 

Sandals - Zara 

Bag - & Other Stories 

Sunglasses - Stella McCartney

My sister is wearing... 

Top - Urban Outfitters

Skirt - Hollister

Sandals - Missguided

Sunglasses - Vintage (found in Brighton, UK) 

A day in Italy

So we went to San Remo for the day because Italy is absolutely beautiful and because we wanted to buy a whole parma ham and prosecco for out upcoming party/festival.

Here was my outfit of the day: I had planned to wear a bright blue skirt but then my sister was wearing a blue skirt so I changed et voila...

 

Top -  New Look 

Shorts - Topshop

Sandals - Zara (kids - love having size 5 feet!) 

Bag- & other stories 

Bracelets - various, inc. my Glastonbury wristband (woop!) 

Sunglasses- Stella McCartney, from Century 21 in NYC

Post with pictures of the food market and gorgeous San Remo to follow. 

Beautiful Birmingham

At the weekend I visited Birmingham, less than half an hour by train from Coventry and less than £3 return ticket. Birmingham is the second biggest city in the UK and whilst this wasn't the first time I had been, the last time was for the National Student Apprentice and I didn't have that much time to explore. 

The city, on a sunny blue sky day, is actually quite beautiful (even if the locals of Birmingham are not so beautiful). 

Here are the gorgeous regal buildings that I was in for the Apprentice Challenge, they look even better with the blue sky back drop: 

I believe they are the Town hall (first photo) and the Council House (second photo). When we were looking up things we could do in Birmingham one of the options google found us was a 'Council House Tour'. I was confused as to why anyone would want a tour of council housing, but now I realise it meant this beautiful building and it makes a lot more sense! 

Contrast these old buildings with those more new and architecturally interesting like this one below and Birmingham makes for a visually really exciting city. 

Here's my OOTD for this hot and sunny day, something of a rarity here in England, as you can tell by my lack of tan...

Top: Hollister 

Shorts: Forever 21

Shoes: Converse

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Sunglasses: Stella McCartney