The West-End, London

 

I recently visited my all-time favorite city again! As you probably know, London has got a special place in my heart, so I was super excited to back for a few days. During my stay, it kind of felt like I returned back to my second hometown. Places I’ve been to multiple times can become less exciting after a while, but this isn’t the case with this city. As the famous saying goes: “when a man is is tired of London, he is tired of life”. Amen to that.

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Of course, a typical British afternoon-tea had to be included. Danisha and I went to the super fancy Wallace Collection. This national museum is home to one of Europe’s finest collections of works of art, paintings and furniture. The restaurant which is part of the building is painted in pastel pink color and is the perfect place to have a nice lunch -or in our case- plenty of sandwiches, pastries and tea!

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One particular area that couldn’t be left out is the West-End. This area is situated in Central and West London and is well-known as the commercial and entertainment centre of the city. Strolling through the famous Oxford street, Regent street and Piccadilly circus always gives me an adrenaline kick. The streets are buzzing & full of life, which makes it a pleasure making your way around town during all times of the day here.

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Lots of love,

Manisha ♥

Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

…I finally made it to the Hortus! This place has been on my list for a long time. The botanical garden was founded in 1683 and used to serve as a herb garden for medical practitioners. Nowadays it’s famous for some of its trees & plants. The garden includes a Palm House, some green houses, beautiful halls, a store and a cafe. It definitely was a pleasure strolling around here on a peaceful sunny morning. The butterfly greenhouse & Palm House were my favorite spots!

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Lots of love,

Manisha ♥

Sparkly Winter nights

One of the ways to get into the ultimate Christmas spirit is undoubtedly visiting a good old  Christmas market. I went to one in Leiden in the late afternoon after a serious shopping session. The market is held for 13 days in December. Besides all the Christmas stalls, plenty of food/drink options & live performances, it’s possible to book a canal tour and even test your ice-staking skills. It’s situated in the city centre at the Nieuwe Rijn, and the most jaw-dropping part: it’s floating!  Yes you heard it right, they actually managed to install both the ice rink and the Christmas market in the canal. Pretty awesome, right? It’s the first floating market in Holland, and no worries, you won’t feel any movements 😉

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“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world

and behold, everything is

softer and more beautiful…”

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When entering the market around 4 pm, I felt like I’d arrived just in time. The sun began to set and all the lights slowly became more vivid and sparkly. Standing on the Koornbrug overlooking the crowds and sea of lights was absolutely a magical experience. As you can probably imagine, my photography-loving heart started to beat a lot faster…

 

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Lots of love,

Manisha ♥