Category Archives: travel

Top 5 MUST Read books!

Hey y’all! Welcome back to another one of my posts! Today I’m going to be counting down my top 5 favourite books! I’m a huge bookworm and have spent most of my holidays reading.(Not like I can do much else!) So I thought I’d share with you my favourites! Please note that all of these decisions are my own and genuine opinion.

Kenzies Rules For Life

Coming in at number 5 is Kenzies Rules For Life by Mackenzie Ziegler. Dancer, singer, actress and model Mackenzie Ziegler has added Author to her list of titles, and I’ve gotta say I’m glad she did! This book has everything from DIY’s to talking about her own insecurities. It’s massively inspirational!You won’t be bored! Her sunny attitude literally is transmitted through the page ( Is that possible?) it doesn’t matter. This book will keep you engaged from cover to cover as well as giving you fun ideas to do afterwards! It left me jumping up and down ready to take on the world! This biography even had a workout in it! It has everything you need (inspiration, workouts,recommendations) to make you feel like a #Girlboss 😂!

Harry Potter

Placing at number 4 is JK Rowling’s classic. The Harry Potter series. Ranging from The Philosphers Stone – The Deathly Hallows these books enchant both adults and children alike. It’s a whole multi generational fandom! The wizarding world of the boy who lived is guaranteed to add a little magic to your muggle life. Each page is filled with spells, charms, friendship and action. In my opinion these books definitely live up to their name. I found as the books progressed I just needed the next ones more and more! I also caught myself daydreaming about being whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witch craft and Wizardry when my muggle life seemed a bit glum. You can count on these books to take you on a magical journey far far away! I’ll think that you’ll find that wizards and muggles alike will enjoy the Harry Potter Series.

Matched

The Matched trilogy (Matched,Crossed,Reached) By Ally Condie is a dystopian love story. Like Hunger Games it’s about a world divided into ranks, forced to give up freedom and not getting to choose who they love. Thats until Cassia falls in love with someone whom she hasn’t been paired with. That’s not the only problem this boy (Ky) is an aberration and is sent to die in a world outside the society. The three books document Cassia and Ky’s hard journey. It is a story not only about love but about fighting for a better world. In the story Cassia has to leave her family to join the rising and take down the society. She becomes what’s known as a rebel and secretly works against the society. This page turner is beautifully written and touches your heart. The series is an amazing story for fighting for what you want and standing up for what’s right even if it comes with sacrifice.

Percy Jackson and The Olympians

Based of Greek mythology this 5 book series ranging from The Lightning Thief – The Last Olympian is vastly entertaining! I have to admit when I first got the books I was a bit sceptical, kind of like Percy until he reached Camp Half – Blood. So just hang in there. English teacher Rick Riordan has really excelled with this series. From the moment we walked into Camp Half – Blood to the Next Great Prophecy I was hooked! On all the myths, magic, cute Percy and Annabeth moments, the Di angelos sibling love or Grovers nature patrolling I just couldn’t put the books down! Each book was just as exciting as the last. I still remember when Percy met Luke and I was like awww he made a friend and by the end of the book I was screaming die Luke die 😂😂! The books are a recount of Percy’ adventures from fighting a Minotaur, visiting the underworld, descending into the labyrinth, fighting Kronos and trying to figure out girls 😂 Percy has many adventures none of them you want to miss!

The Heroes of Olympus

Coming in at No.1 is my favourite book series The Heroes of Olympus. The series is five books long ranging from The Lost Hero – The Blood Of Olympus the series is an add on to hit series Percy Jackson and The Olympians. Join friends new and old on a series of quests and a final voyage to carry out the Prophecy of The Seven and defeat the earth goddess herself Gaea and the awakening giants and there forces. Old enemies combine forces in this action packed thriller! The best part? Is that Percy and Annabeth are back and better than ever! New faces Piper, Jason, Leo, Hazel and Frank are all loveable characters with there own backstories that intertwine with the rising war. Whether your a returning Percy Jackson Fan or a new reader your going to love this series. The Heroes of Olympus is an amazing series by author Rick Riordan. This series tops my list for the amazing storytelling and the characters who save our world once again.

Thanks for sticking around til the end. I hope I was able to inspire some new reading ideas whilst we’re all locked away😂! Hope you enjoyed your read. If you have book suggestions I’m always open for new ones! Thanks for reading have a great day!

Ireland

Hey there! This travel post is all about the Republic of Ireland. On my trip I travelled the South Island loop (Dublin-Cork-Galway-Limerick) with a few stops along the way.

Dublin

The capital of Ireland definitely has lots to do! Including Dublin Castle and the Guinness Storehouse but my favourite was the classic Irish pubs in and around the city. With traditional music singing and dance it’s a great experience. Plus the Irish are so merry and friendly it’s impossible not to smile.

Cork

During my trip I stayed in Cork and although the city itself wasn’t my favourite there are many things to do on day trips out of Cork. For example Blarney Castle and Gardens home of the famous Blarney Stone. The Castle isn’t anything out of the ordinary but the gardens around it are absolutely beautiful and could make excellent photo opportunities.

Galway

Galway was my personal favourite city we visited on our trip tp Ireland literally just because of the super cute markets and atmosphere of the whole town. Besides the town itself one of my favourite it places was the Cliffs Of Moher. They were beautiful and there was even some highland cattle 😂. Apart from that the view was gorgeous it was even worth almost blowing off the edge with how strong the wind was! We also visited Aillwee Cave which was certainly out of my comfort zone but I don’t regret it. It was a great experience for a first time caver.

Killarney

I didn’t do much in Killarney as it was just a stop on our way back to Dublin. But we did go to Killarney national park (which was beautiful) and got into a horse and carriage that went around the base of the mountain. It was quite nice to have a change of scenery from the back of the car. Our horse took us through the scenic route and back to our car. Although I didn’t see much of the town from what I saw of it it looked really nice.

Kilkenny

Same sort of thing here. We only stopped here for a couple hours to poke around the streets. We visited Kilkenny castle which was a reasonable size with a lot of antique paintings and old furniture.

That’s all for today I hope you found this post useful/informative. Have a great day! – Sophie

Thanks to @andrewridley@unsplah

@gabrielramos@unsplash

@rubydoan@unsplash

@luananiemann@unsplash for the photos

Scotland

Welcome back! This post is all about the beautiful Scotland. Home of one of my personal favourite animals the highland cow. But of course there’s so much more to love about Scotland.

Edinburgh

The Scottish capital is home to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and Arthur’s seat. The city itself is in the shadow of Edinburgh castle quite literally. The castle is several hundred metres above the ground and welcomes roughly 1.7 million visitors a year. The castle is well restored and has many exhibits that show case the brutal history of the city. Arthur’s seat is another landmark is Edinburgh it is a small mountain that ascends over the city and gives a great view. It is a relatively easy hike to the top perfect for first timers!

Inverness and The Highlands

Inverness is the ideal place to stay to explore The Great Scottish Highlands, as it is close enough that you can easily go out and explore on day trips and modern enough you can still enjoy small luxuries such as bubble baths and breakfast buffets. Some day trip ideas may include – Fort Augustus, Fort William, Foyer Falls, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle and Culloden battlefield. It is a central point to a lot of great landmarks and exciting adventures.

Keep smiling! – Sophie

Thanks to – https://unsplash.com/@portablepeopleproductions – for supplying the photo!

”One day, you will wake up and there won’t be anymore time to do the things you’ve always wanted. DO IT NOW!

– Paulo Coelho

Paris

Hey, and welcome to this fortnight’s post!! I’m sooo excited for this one. I just recently travelled to Paris and let me tell you it is my favourite place in the world!! Soon you’ll see why! This post is all about the incredible food, architecture and culture that the city has to offer!!

Culture

Paris has it all !! (Including a great taste in fashion!) Even the stores themselves are antique, rich and beautiful. The best and probably most famous places to go shopping in Paris are Galleries Lafayette and Champs Élysées they’re really nice. Apart from the fashion aspect of their culture they live in complete luxury everything is edged with gold and marble it’s so pretty. Paris is also known for its art mainly the Louvre. The Louvre is the home of possibly the most famous painting to ever exist! The Mona Lisa.

Food

The food in France in general is mouth watering. I mean you think the pastries in your town are good I can just about guarantee that the French do it x10 better!! I don’t remember the names of the cafes we stopped at probably because we just wandered. But everywhere we went we never came across anything bad. To be honest they smell so good you could tell you wanted to eat there, as soon as you walked through the door.

Architecture

Paris is an architectural masterpiece. All the major monuments all line up and the whole city was deliberately designed and perfectly planned! Even the roads are organised in an orderly fashion. It’s insane! Especially for a city that’s hundreds of years old. Also the statues and building are all trimmed with gold!! (Because being made out of marble isn’t enough). It is a city of absolute luxury!!

My Favourite Places

  • Eiffel Tower
  • Louvre
  • Arch de Triumphe
  • Arch de Carrousel
  • Champs Élysées
  • Grand Palais
  • Trocadero
  • Seine River

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed the read!! Have a great day! -xoSophiexo-

My Trip to New South Wales

”Don’t worry about the world ending today because it’s already tomorrow in Australia”

~Charles M Schulz

Hey! I’ve Been all over the place in Australia it’s one of my favourite countries! But because it’s so big I can’t fit it all into one post so today I’m just doing New South Wales!! ( Please note there are a million cool places to go these are just my favourites!)

Dubbo

Dubbo is a great place to stay! It’s your classic rural town with a bit more to offer, it’s got the best zoo I’ve ever seen! It’s a massive open inclosure zoo, which means up close interactions, tonnes of happy animals and hard core cardio!!

~Live with no excuses, travel with no regrets~

~Oscar Wilde

Kangaroo Valley

The Kangaroo Valley is your perfect weekend away! Full of rich country side and delicious food there’s no better place! You can go hiking through the Australian bush and maybe even catch a glimpse of a wild kangaroo, koala or wombat!!

Byron Bay

Ok, so this one just makes it in, because it almost on the border between New South Wales and Queensland! But it’s too good to leave out. It could also possibly be the best beach in Australia! Byron Bay is a seriously good photo spot and is absolutely stunning.

Central Coast

The Central Coast is sooooo pretty! It’s an array of cute little towns based on the edge of the water! It has the cutest little beaches all along the coast from Hawkesbury to Lake Macquarie it is not a place to miss!!!

Sydney City

For first time Aussie tourists i still 110% recommend all the major land marks they’re awesome!! But my favourite thing to do is just go to the harbour for the day! Exploring the markets food and music on offer!!

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are such an amazing unique Aussie landmark! There’s nowhere quite like it! So pack you bags and prepare yourself for the full Australian emersion!! If that isn’t for you checkout the Springwood markets! They’re super cute and all small, local businesses!! It’s a must see destination for any tourist!!!

The Northern Beaches

These beaches (and the whole area) are ultimate luxury!! Especially Manly! Manly is my go to place to hang in the summer!! Pro tip if you want less hectic go to Shelly Beach!! It’s a smaller beach to the side but it’s just as good!

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it!! But some of these places listed are really struggling in the post drought and bushfire crisis. If you’re interested in travelling to some of these local towns they could really use the support.

Thanks for reading! I hope it was time well spent!!:)-Sophie

Photo’s by: unsplash-logo
Tom King

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Delphine Ducaruge

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Dan Freeman

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Bee Balogun

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James Donaldson