Our One Year Anniversary in Prague

To all those who read,

So.. I've now officially been married for a year! Which means, me and the husband just came across what a wedding anniversary is actually like for the first time ever. We decided we wanted to make it a bit special, especially since it was our first anniversary, so we decided to get out of the country. 

We looked at places like Amsterdam, Berlin, Istanbul (we were going to go here until we realised it probably wasn't incredibly safe at the moment) but Prague just seemed to jump out at me and we decided to go explore it!

If you've ever seen pictures of Prague, you should know it's absolutely stunning. It is. My husband wasn't as fascinated by it as I was (then again he wasn't all that fascinated by Venice, and my God is Venice breathtaking) but he still could appreciate the beauty of it. 

I will say one thing though. I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY regret not going up the Petrin Tower. WHY?? This is where I firmly believe you should spend a lot longer than 3 days when you go to explore a city, because it just isn't enough time. It never is. When will my husband ever learn?!? Men.. It was the one place I honestly wanted to go and I just didn't get the chance. 

I really enjoyed Prague, although I'm not entirely sure if it was the city or the company.. It met most of my expectations. The views were breathtaking at times, and less so at others. Take a look at this beautiful view:

We stayed in the Park Inn hotel, and I have to say I really enjoyed my stay there. The receptionist's were all very helpful (especially the one we met upon arrival), the rooms were a nice size and very clean. I loved our bathroom, and I'm sure had we booked the executive suites we would have loved our room even more but even on a budget I really think the hotel met all expectations. You can go up to the roof of the hotel (through the gym) and you get a glimpse of the rooftops of Prague, which I think is slightly magical. The hotel does have a restaurant in the hotel, downstairs, and it looked pretty decent although since we don't eat meats that aren't halal we didn't really sit down for a meal there. We did, on the other hand, order in room service when we felt peckish one evening and received a pretty decent pizza and pasta. The hotel also knew it was our anniversary, and sent up some champagne and this beauty:

which I thought was the sweetest thing, although we pleasantly declined the alcohol. The location of the hotel was also extremely good. It was right next to the tram stop, although we always seem to prefer to walk everywhere because we're obviously insane, this could be extremely helpful to those who don't like killing themselves on vacation. Saying that, it took us around 40 minutes each day to reach the city centre where you can find all sorts of entertainment and restaurants. The walk was mostly alongside this view:

so I didn't really find it too bad, although the heat didn't exactly help.. 

We found a fair amount of really cute cafe's to have breakfast in each morning, as we only opted for the hotel's breakfast on our last day there (just because we decided to have a more relaxed day before jetting home.) 

One of my favourite cafes was this little french cafe (although I never found one as nice in Paris) called "Le Carrousel".

It's pretty chic, huh? We had lovely pastries and lattes. I couldn't ask for more!

We also had lots and lots of 'homemade lemonade' as they sold these in nearly every cafe/icecream shop we went into, and they were a dreaaaam. If you know me, you know I love lemons and lemonade in ice is exactly what you need on really hot days where you need to feel refreshed and cooled down. Make sure you try some if you're ever in Prague, trust me!

Oh, and definitely go on a boat ride!

Last but not least, we had some yummy food when we were there. If you're looking for halal food in Prague, definitely check this place out! (or if you're not, it's still yummy.. and Lebanese.)

In conclusion, I honestly loved Prague. It's a city I will never forget, and for all the right reasons. I would love to go back one day and do all the things I didn't get to do my first time round. It was inexpensive, but very beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and take some inspiration from it!

Love from, 

Sali   x

Dear Mama and Baba

To My Wonderful Parents,

I wanted to take a moment to write this to thank you and celebrate you for being the most amazing parents I could have ever asked for.

I know we all remember a time where I hurt you, and wanted to be as far away from you as possible. I was a teenager, and we just could never see eye-to-eye on anything. I remember those days as though they were yesterday, although I try my very best to shun them out of my memories. The reason I remember them so vividly is because they were the hardest times of my life.

The day I moved out of the house is the day I started remembering all the good memories we had, and let me tell you something.. There were many more of them than there were of us arguing and disagreeing. There were many more years filled with laughter and happiness than there were the few years of rebellion and tears. The day I moved out, I missed you. My parents. My loves. My laughter.
But I stuck with it.
You may not have ever understood why I stuck with it, but I did and still do.
We worked better that way.
I don't know how, or why.. but we just worked better that way. With the distance between us, with our emotions under control, we worked.
We spoke.
We opened up.
We loved.

What a bizarre conclusion to come to, that my relationship with my parents was always on better terms when we were away from one another and only saw each other now and again. It was mostly my relationship with you, Mama. It blossomed, didn't it? It isn't just me who thinks that, is it? We never had a real relationship.. Not really. I don't think I ever was the princess of a daughter you thought you'd received when you gave birth to me. I never let you do my hair, I didn't like pretty dresses.. and then I grew up to be a horrible brat. You wanted me to be one thing, and I wanted to be a whole different thing. It didn't work, our relationship.. although I now believe we both did try our very best in our own ways. Our ways just never clicked, not until we were apart.

You spoke to me when I left. You asked me all those scary questions you were scared of me answering.. scared the answer you didn't want to come out of my mouth would come out and it would all be too real for you. And then they didn't.. those answers never came. In fact, I probably was quite different to who you thought I'd become. It's funny, isn't it? We lived in the same house, and we didn't have a clue who the other person was. Then, when we were in different countries to one another, we let our minds open and explore who the other person really was. I got to know you then, Mama. When I left, I got to know you.

I'm married now. It's crazy, absolutely insane.. but I am. And I wanted you both to know you are, and always will be, what is missing in my life. My void. Because I missed out on years of living with you, and now it'll never happen again. In my contentment, and joy with being in love and married to my best friend.. I will always miss you. I don't regret moving out, because it somehow fixed us. But I regret that we were ever broken, and that I missed out on those precious years with you.
Whenever I am sad, I just want to cuddle my Pops. It's bringing tears to my eyes to even think of it. The way you look at me Baba, filled with love and pride.. no-one will ever hold so much love for me. No-one will care for me the way you do, with such adoration. No-one will be able to fix my illness with just a touch of their hand on my cheeks like you can Mama. Nobody. And it's what I yearn for, and always will.

You are the greatest parts of my puzzle. You never failed me even when my foolish, young brain thought you had. You only made me better, greater and stronger. I will love you and miss you for the rest of my life.

Please know how much love and pride I have in both of you. The greatest parents alive.
The things you have both achieved gives me inspiration to want more from life and to work as hard as I can to achieve all that I want. But, above all, I want you both to be happy.
Please know, I am here whenever you need me or just want me.

I am married now, but this isn't just a whole new world for me and my husband, this is a whole new world for us and you will constantly be a part of my journey.

Love from,

Sali 

Paris - Birthday Holiday

To all those who read,

I just wanted to make a post about my last holiday. My wonderful husband booked us tickets to Paris for my birthday and it was exceptionally magical, regardless of the fact that I was so incredibly tired. 

Paris is the city you remember. It's a city filled with so much magic and awe that you'll find yourself daydreaming about sitting at a sweet, little cafe on the cobbled pavements underneath the grand Eiffel Tower scribbling poetry or love hearts. 

Paris sparkles. If you've ever been lucky enough to walk the streets of Paris at midnight, you would have seen the Eiffel Tower start to glimmer in magical lights, perfecting the city you already thought was perfect. "The City of Lights" they call it, and rightfully so. 

If you do ever think of jetting off to Paris, I would recommend staying in a hotel near the Eiffel Tower as it is the centre of Paris, and means you're fairly close to the majority of sites you'd most likely want to see when visiting Paris. I would also recommend jumping onto a tour bus, as it lets you hop on and off at all the famous and historical sites in Paris and explore all the sites without having to fuss about which train or bus to take to which part of the city. 

I don't think you can only visit Paris with your partner, I think it would also be an exceptional holiday with friends and I would like to go back for a girly holiday instead of a romantic one. 

I would like to say, I'm a lover of nature and I don't think too highly of the loudness and rush of full-on cities; Probably why I fell in-love with Venice and not so much with Milan, but Paris was the awe in which we all fall into after visiting. It remains imprinted in our minds forever, and there is something so special about it that you'll always feel a nagging to go back, even for just a day. One thing I will say is, go with someone you enjoy spending a lot of time with. Do not ruin the city just because of the company you choose to go with. Keep it for someone special. 

Let me leave you with some stunning pictures of my time in Paris.

Love From,

Sali      x

Misunderstood

To all those who read,

To think.. 

To think I believed that to be misunderstood was a phase. Possibly a teenage, rebellious phase where adults forgot what it was to be a teenager and decided against trying to remember, so as to never understand the teenagers around them. 

To think..

To think I honestly believed there would come a day where I would become an adult, like the other adults, and with this new recognition; with this new label.. I would also obtain the status of being understood. 

To think..

To think I was so naive, so naive. How could I believe that one day I would make sense to all these people around me? What possessed me to believe such nonsense? 

I'm not complaining, I'm not moaning I swear. I'm quite proud of this newly found entity in my life. Misunderstood. A forever emotion, just the same as love. Except, love has positive connotations attached to it, doesn't it? Misunderstood, on the other hand, it's connected to the negative portion of our lives. I don't see why anymore. I mean I love being in-love, I do. Love can get difficult though, can't it? Plus it makes life hurt more, but it also makes it so much better. So who's to say being misunderstood shouldn't be a positive attribute of life, also? 

I've come to enjoy being misunderstood. There's an elegance to people getting confused by your being, a sense of mystery is always a good thing, right? I quite enjoy it. People not knowing what I'll come out with next. Whether they'll understand the next part of my life, or not. I enjoy it. 

So misunderstand me all you like. 

I'm just growing up like the rest of humanity. 

Love From,

Sali      x

A Blogpost All About The Author (Questions)

To all those who read,

This is just a post for those of whom may like to know who it is they are listening to when they are reading my blogs. There aren't any personal questions, just the basic facts. Enjoy..

What is your name?: Sali

How old are you?: 24

What was your favourite subject at school?: Art & English

What is your favourite drink?: Vanilla Latte / Plain ol' milk

What is your favourite food?: Chocolate Brownies.

Favourite book of all time?: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince / The Fault in our Stars

Favourite colour?: Blue

Do you have any pets?: No (although, I'd love a kitten.)

Favourite perfume?: Estee Lauder - Modern Muse

Favourite holiday?: Venice.

Are you married?: Yes

Do you speak any other languages?: Yes - Arabic

How many siblings do you have?: 3 (one sister, two brothers)

Favourite restaurant?: Anything Lebanese

Favourite shop?: Miss Selfridge (although, it varies)

Favourite Movie?: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince / The Fault in our Stars...

Favourite TV show?: One Tree Hill - but since that's long been over, currently it's probably Suits. 

Can you cook?: I sure hope so.

Love from,

Sali     x

All Things "Life"

To all those who read,

I have been thinking of starting up a blog again for a while now (possibly a few years), but haven't ever got around to actually starting it. Whether it was due to lack of energy - aka lack of ideas, or life just taking over. 

I've decided to integrate blogging into my life, as it's something I can do that's just for me. I enjoy writing, and sharing experiences and what better way to do that than blogging?

Recently, I've realised how much I love to travel and then speak of my travels, or I love to bake/cook and then share those recipes with those around, or just how much I lovelovelove interior design. 

Due to these 'immense' realisations, I have come out with the best idea I've ever had for a blog, and yet it is so straightforward it just goes to show how slow my mind can function! A single blog about all there is in life. 

I hope to have this blog consist of my travels, my food, other people's food, restaurant reviews (yes i love food), interior design, and just reviews on day to day things that individuals or families use/buy.  

Whether people will read this, this is my new outlet and I intend to take it as seriously as fun can be taken. 

Now that I've said all that.. Let's start blogging!

Love from,

  Sali     x