Ellen's Blog: 2018

4 days Copenhangin’ Out!

Hey Guys,

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll be aware that I was recently in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital. It was bound to happen sooner or later considering how close it is to Ireland. I was dying to go since my second year of university and it was one of our options as a class trip at the time. Unfortunately, it didn't make the cut.

Honestly, Copenhagen didn’t impress me as much as I thought it would. Yes it is pretty and yes there are some nice places like Christianshavn and Nyhavn, but to me, it lacked something which the likes of Amsterdam and Prague had. Maybe it was something to do with having a different travel companion or something, but I honestly enjoyed a lot of other places more.

Bearing that in mind, I thought I'd provide a little review to give you some important pointers in case you are considering Copenhagen for your next trip!

The Positives

Small City and Easy to Walk around - Honestly, Copenhagen is one of the smaller places I've visited and it doesn't take you that long to walk around. Not only does it mean you get to see more sights rather than the miserable underground, but you'll save a bit of cash from not having to take much transport.

Airport is super accessible - Another great thing about Copenhagen is that the main airport is about 15-20 minutes by metro or train. It makes the whole journey a lot less stressful!

Coloured Houses - One of my favourite places we went to was Christianshavn. This is a little neighbourhood in Copenhagen with the cutest little houses which just so happened to match my outfit. There was also the Church of our Savior which offered supreme views of the city from the top in this area. The colourful grafitti filled Freetown of Christiania was also near this area. If you're a fan of colours and street art you'll love these areas as well as the famous canal of Nyhavn.

Beautiful and interesting sights - Copenhagen definitely has a lot on offer in terms of sights. There are two beautiful castles - Rosenborg and Amalienborg among other sights and I genuinely enjoyed seeing the city. (Refer to my list at the bottom of this blog post for a list of things we did on our trip).

The Negatives

Not tons to do - If you're only going for a weekend, I think Copenhagen is the perfect trip for you. However, I was there for four days and it felt a bit too long. Typically 3 days is enough for me in any European city.

Super Expensive - Copenhagen is hands down one of the most expensive places I have visited in a while. I recall going to the Dubliner for fish and chips and a pint. My friend had fish and chips also as well as two vodka and cokes. This ended up costing us around 60 euro which is super steep in my opinion.

What we didn’t do

A day trip to Aarhus - Aarhus is a popular choice for a day trip from Copenhagen and as an avid day trip enthusiast, I regret not heading to Aarhus when we definitely could have if we'd arranged our time better.

Carlsberg Museum - The Carlsberg Museum is the place where J.C Jacobsen established his brewery back in 1847. There is lots to experience here including beer tasting and a historical tour. Entry costs approximately 100 DKK for an adult and 70 DKK for a student.

The World Record Museum – Somewhere we happened to come across in Copenhagen was the world record museum. It definitely seemed like it'd be a fun museum to go to.

A list of things we did do

Saw the little mermaid

Went to Amalienborg Castle

Got hot chocolate and took generic tourist photos at Nyhavn

Visited Rosenborg Castle

Spent an evening in Tivoli

Went on a pub crawl

Climbed the Church of our Saviour and saw Epic views of Copenhagen

Visited the area of Christianshavn and took pictures with cute coloured houses

Explored the Freetown of Christiania

Had a lazy day

Ate Bubble Waffles

Saw the Magestraede

Visited City Hall

Had a general wander around the place

Have you been to Copenhagen?

What were your opinions on it?

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, by Ellen Smith

Where to Eat in Glasgow

Hello lovelies,

If you’ve read my previous blog post about underrated places to visit in Europe, you’ll know that Glasgow is one of my favourite cities. Not only is the architecture beautiful and it is pretty cheap compared to Dublin, but it also has a lot of great places to eat. I thought I would share some of these places with you guys in case I have already persuaded you to take a trip to this glorious Scottish destination.

1. Singl-end

Although this wasn’t a pit stop this time around, it was when I was previously in Glasgow (I’ve been four times now by the way). At the time, this place topped all restaurants in Glasgow, although now it has been defeated and has dropped to second place. Singl-end is in the western part of Glasgow, but is definitely worth the trip for brunch, especially if you like Instagram-able restaurants. I don’t remember exactly what we got but the food was delicious and presented beautifully.

2. The Brunch Club

During my most recent trip, we decided to venture to The Brunch Club for a change of scenery and let me tell you, I was absolutely thrilled we did. Not only was the place very pretty and the kind of place I wanted to take lots and lots of pictures of, but it had a great choice for food. I ended up trying to decide between chicken on waffles, a fried breakfast and an Acai bowl. They also offered many different cocktails, but I opted for a hot chocolate this time around.

3. JoDandy’s

Although this cute little café isn’t close to Glasgow centre, I felt I had to give it a mention. Besides, I did actually eat here during my trip. Jodandy’s is a café located in Shawlands and we called in after our visit to Polok Country Park where we saw highland cows. What I instantly liked about this place was how cosy it felt. There were lots of cushions around as well as strings of fairy lights all over the place which made it all the more inviting. They had a sandwich specials list on a blackboard (which I assume is changed fairly regularly) which had some delicious options. Although I was tempted by the avocado, bacon and chicken sandwich which my boyfriend ended up ordering, I opted for pancakes as a late lunch instead. Some of you might think I’m crazy! What intrigued me more than the pancakes was the Jodandy’s special hot chocolate which was a mystery to me! I didn’t expect my hot chocolate to be served in a conical flask along with candy floss, brownie bits and chocolate chips though! I felt a bit like a scientist with the most delicious concoction on the planet.

4. Martha’s

For a bit of a healthier option, Martha’s is a good shout. Martha’s is an Asian styled restaurant which is situated not too far from Buchanan Street. It is absolutely delicious, the only problem is that the portions aren’t big enough in my opinion. I ended up having their jerk chicken which is essentially a chicken thigh which is marinated in Jamaican marinade with a mango salsa and yoghurt dressing. Delicious.

5. Buck’s Bar

It’s kind of become a little tradition that Adrian and I will go to Buck’s bar before my flight home from Glasgow because it is conveniently located fairly close to the bus stop. If I were to describe Buck’s Bar it would definitely be a fried chicken lover’s dream with a great community feel. I have been to this place twice, and both times there were pub quizzes which provide a great atmosphere. Then when you get their chicken it’s like heaven in your mouth. If you love chicken you’ll love this place and it’s a scale up from KFC or any generic fast food places.

Have you been to Glasgow? I’d love to hear about some of your dining recommendations in the comments below!

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, by Ellen Smith

In Lifestyle, Travel

5 Tips which will Help You Maintain a Long-Distance Relationship

If you were to tell me that I was going to be in a long-distance relationship three years ago, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. It was always something I deemed couldn’t work or would be pretty much impossible to maintain. To date, I’ve been in two situations where I’ve had a relationship with someone across the seas, one which I’m currently in right now and another which shortly ended as soon as distance was introduced. I thought that for today’s post that I’d give some tips for how I’ve managed to maintain a strong relationship with my boyfriend Adrian whether he was in Malta or Glasgow!

Tips for maintaining a long-distance relationship

Regular Communication - There’s no doubt that Ad and I wouldn’t be together now if there was no regular communication. We talk on a regular basis and I pretty much always know if he’s in college, hanging out with friends or at home with family. It’s always a good thing to be open about what you’re doing and develop trust between you!

Video Call Often - A text and a video call are not the same thing. It’s always so much fun to chat on Skype or Facebook video from a far and it really feels like you’ve had a quality catch up when video is involved. We video call each other almost every day unless one of us is too busy to talk!

Plan Visits - I’d recommend planning trips regularly to see each other. Luckily, Ad is currently across the pond in Glasgow and it is easy enough to pop over on a flight! If the distance is larger, it can be a lot more difficult to manage. By planning time to see each other, it adds a little bit of excitement and you know that the time where you’ll be wrapped around each other’s arms will come soon.

Have a vague future plan - If a long-distance relationship is going to stay long distance forever, it is most likely not going to work out. It’s always good to at least have a vague plan of when you’ll both be in the same location or perhaps move in together. Maybe it’ll be a year or maybe 3 years but if you both have the idea that you’d like to be in the same location at some stage, I have every ounce of confidence that all will work out for you! Personally, Ad and I have never sat down and had the conversation of “when are we moving in together”, but we have mentioned living together casually in conversations which is good enough for me, for now. We are both still at the stage of life where we are figuring out what we want to do with ourselves and have goals we both want to work on before planning our lives together.

Chillax and Enjoy the Independence - Something great which comes from a long-distance relationship is that you get a lot of independence. I love being able to do things for myself and not always being referred to as “Ellen and Adrian”. I’ve always hated it when people group you and your significant other and talk about you as though you both are not separate people. It’s a bit of a perk because people in my life get to know me as me. Try to enjoy the independence as much as possible and work on your personal goals!

Have you any long-distance friends, or maybe you’re like me and in a long-distance relationship! What tips would you give to those who are struggling?

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, by Ellen Smith

In Travel,

Continually Malta-ing - A Travel Review

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, by Ellen Smith

In Food, Travel

Brunch in Delft, Holland

Hey Guys!

I hope you're all well!

If you read my post all about Amsterdam, then you'll know that I took a day trip to the Hague, followed by a second day trip to Delft. Now, I am a sucker for day trips. I love to escape the crowds of capital cities and get a bit more of an authentic taste of a culture without a place being too overcrowded with tourists.

Delft was absolutely gorgeous. It had the same style of buildings as Amsterdam, but it was a lot calmer and didn't have nearly the same amount of tourists. It also didn't disappoint with food.

Adrian and I decided that we would get brunch in Delft while we were there. I absolutely love going for brunch, but I can't quite put my finger on why I enjoy it more than going out for lunch or dinner. I suppose I must prefer starting the day on a high than ending it on a high!

We went to this cute little place called Kek, which has rightfully held first place in the Brunch restaurant department on Trip Advisor. Kek is located close to the central square in Delft which makes it very convenient for its visitors. You will not miss this place because the outside is superbly decorated. I actually can't believe I never took a picture because the outside is very Instagram-able! I remember this breakfast so vividly, even a year later.

I really liked how the place was decorated on the inside too. There were lots of botanical vibes. There were also lots of trinkets like jewellery available for purchase there. These types of places always tempt me so much!! Haha!

While I'm praising this place, I might as well mention the food too! I order a smoothie as well as pancakes with bacon and fruit. I think Adrian had a fry up of some sort which was served in this mini little pan. It was so cute. He also had some tea.

Kek serve superb food and offer great service. I'd love to come again and would recommend that you do if you're ever around the area.