Recently, my husband and I took a day off work to spend the day together and it was something that I think we both truly needed.
I had been gifted with a meerkat experience for my birthday three years ago, and the expiration date was nearing. With that, we ventured to Hunter Valley Wildlife Park to spend some time getting to know the meerkats, while pondering the rest of the wildlife on site.
Apparently, it was an unusual time for the meerkats, as they had just gotten a new alpha. The staff were unsure of how they would behave or the new family dynamic that would take place.
Thankfully, all seemed well and they were happy to climb all over us (as long as they were fed of course!) One kept a watchful eye on the sky, to protect the rest of the gang and even made warning squeal, after spotting an eagle nearby.
The park was quiet, being a weekday, so we got to leisurely stroll the grounds, spotting anything from camels, goats and kangaroo, to zebra, lions and giraffes.
What made these moments ever so wholesome was sharing them with our littlest love who made her presence very known with her bountiful kicks.
Don’t let that extra pair of eyes fool you. There are only two meerkats.My love.Littlest loves.Lovebirds.Husband.Nom nom.The “gang”.What a cutie.Or should I say, “mob”.Hoo-Roo.
In a little happy bubble, and don’t want it to ever pop.
What are some little things that bring you joy? Let me know in the comments below!
If you haven’t heard of the Grounds of Alexandria, then you’re definitely missing out.
With many food options at the cafe, the potting shed and the garden bar and bbq, you won’t be limited for choice. There is also a gorgeous gift shop on site with an array of colours, florals and knick-knacks. BUT the reason as to why it’s one of my all time fave places is that they regularly have a themed installation – an instagrammers dream.
I went during the day, but if you have the option, I’d try and stay the night as well. The neon displays really pop in the laneways. I’d also recommend getting your mitts on a cotton candy clubhouse if you can – yum!
As of today, The Grounds have announced they are extending the magic of Disney at the Grounds for another 5 weeks, so there is still plenty of time to check it out for yourself!
The entrance to the Grounds x Disney.Liv & I in front of the giant Easter egg.Hey everybody!See above for reference.Minnie and her Disney castle.Reflections and pretty florals.Minnie Mouse enjoying her mocktail.A relatable quote.Cotton Candy Clubhouse.It all started with a mouse.Liv, Minnie & Mickey.Some of the neons throughout the laneways.
As the title suggests, I’ve been… bzzz, keeping busy. With my love of volunteering, agricultural shows, catching up with friends, my ability to never say no to new opportunities and my absolute favourite, celebrating Hayden’s and my ten years together + three years married – March has been quite the showstopper.
We even got to party it up with our nearest and dearest to celebrate this milestone. Literally the party of the decade.
I was humbled and honoured to be recognised for the work I do in our community at the Local Woman of the Year Awards hosted by Member for Maitland, Jenny Aitchison AND was awarded the 2023 Rural Achiever at the Newcastle Show for my passion to agricultural shows and my involvement in rural areas. An absolute privilege.
The month isn’t even over and I feel like I haven’t stopped, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s no wonder why March is my favourite time of the year.
Local Woman of the Year Awards. Bestie making me look pretty.Me in my natural habitat.With the one and only TikTok celeb and Newcastle Show ambassador, Jennnnaaayy.Cowgirl x The Demo Derby. Fresh hair dates with my girl.Scouting the location for inspiration.Prepping for the picnic party of the decade.Decade party with our nearest and dearest.Fam Bam.Morpeth brekkie dates with Liv.
Welcome to the last post in this series and thanks for hanging in there. I’ve let this drag out long enough but all good things must come to an end. Plus, I thought todays date would be perfect being 2.3.23. A perfect way to keep with my theme for ‘23!
We’re up to one of my favourite parts of the whole trip – Santorini! This destination has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and it certainly lived up to its hype of whitewashed buildings, blue domes and stunning sunsets! Basically an Instagrammers (and my) dream.
Aside from the picturesque, there isn’t overly a lot you can do and the island is so small you’re best trying to hop to the others if you can. However, this was the perfect end to our trip, as we just got to chill out, walk around and take in all its beauty.
Truly a spectacular finale, and again, the food was divine (except for one restaurant)! Check out some of our fave snaps below. There were so many! It was incredibly hard to cull.
Gyros in Thira.Husband with a Greek alcoholic bev. Santorini Palace.Spa Del Mar E Sol with my love.Quirky Thira finds.Views with my love.Even better views with my love.Blinded by all the white buildings.Just taking in the view.Kisses in Santorini.Church of Panagia, Oia.Pink flowers and heart shaped clouds, Oia.The Museum Spa Wellness Hotel, Santorini.Sights of Santorini.Buildings, Oia. Oia with my love.Couldn’t get enough of the beauty of Santorini.The shot, Oia.Smiles in Oia. The spot for the shot, blue domes.One of my faves. Believe it or not, you’re only allowed 5 mins to get the shot at the famous photo spot in Oia.Blue dome views from Terpsi n Oia restaurant. Food, Terpsi n Oia – Cafe Restaurant.Perfection.Love loving you.Windmill, Oia.Wherever you look, there are cascading views.Classic blue and white, Santorini. Kasteli of Oia.Couldn’t get enough of how picturesque Oia was.Cheers to blue domes and white walls.Fancy a cocktail by a blue dome?Red bicycle restaurant.Pretty.Made it to the sunset spot!We waited an hour in this spot so we could watch the sunset. It was all worth it.Sunsets in Oia, with my love.I’m still looking at the prettiest view though.Everyone had left by the time the colours in the sky showed.Once the sunset, the colours were divine.Clearly couldn’t get enough.And the other side was fairy floss skies.Just trying to take it all in.All while getting ‘the shot’.No Name Grill House, Santorini. The food was mouthwatering. Night views of Thira.Perissa Beach with my love.Happy Nell at Perissa Beach.Relaxing.Cocktail time, cheers!More cocktails after a quick dip.Absolute bliss, until you see the plane heading straight for that rock.Blissful kisses on Perissa Beach, Santorini.Handsome husband at sunset, Thira.Sunsets and shadows, Thira.More sunsets with my love, Thira.The sun was beaming here and so big! Our last sunset in Santorini.Just taking in the view (again).Kokkalo. Worst restaurant in Thira. Expect to wait over an hour to be served to have average food. But happy husband with beer made it all worthwhile.
And there you have it, folks. I’ve managed to wrap up our time in Europe. I’m so grateful for this experience and I’ll never take travelling for granted again. Silly Covid. Thanks for sticking around to check out the snaps. Let us know where you think we should head to next in the comments!
After a bit of a hiatus I’m back with Part V of our trip to Europe! Thanks for hanging in there. I’m really just trying to drag this trip out for as long as I can because I’m not sure when we’ll get another chance to travel.
Part V shows our last day in Rome where, you guessed it, we visited the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain for the third time in a row. We then flew to Greece with its rich history and charm AND absolutely mouthwatering food. Greece was our favourite place for food (yes! Even more than Italy!) Unfortunately it’s not vegetarian-friendly, but the souvlaki, moussaka and even banana juice were so delicious!
We visited Athens and stopped at all the Greek sites, which if I’m being completely honest, are sadly just rubble. None-the-less, it was amazing to feel like a Greek Goddess for the day.
Check out some cute snaps below! I have one more part talking all things Santorini that I hope to get out to you next week, so stay tuned for some magical shots!
Husband, Piazza dell’Ara Coeli.Fountain, Altar of the Fatherland.Close up of Altare della Patria. One side of Altare della Patria.Streets of Rome.Caffè Minerva, Pantheon.Altare della Patria aka Altar of the Fatherland.Colosseum, Rome.A pesky couple in front of the Colosseum, Rome.Sunsets, Sant’Agnese in Agone.Beautiful sunset, Rome.Fontana Del Pantheon, Rome.Pantheon, Rome.Trevi Fountain, Rome. Kisses in front of the Trevi Fountain, Rome. Smiles in front of the Trevi Fountain.1L of house red wine at Ristorante Maccheroni, Rome.First stop. Greek food, Athens.Husband in front of the Arch of Hadrian, Athens.Old Royal Palace, Greece.Kisses at the highest point in Athens.Mount Lycabettus.Theatre of Dionysus.A pesky couple of historians at the Acropolis and slopes site.Athens, Greece.Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus.Odeon of Herodes Atticus.The city of Athens. Parthenon.A pesky couple of historians in front of the Parthenon.See that tiny hill in the distance? We hiked that.A pesky couple of historians in front of the Erechtheion.Erechtheion.Propylaea of Athens. Temple of Athena.Statue, Athens.Ancient Agora of Athens.Standing on front of the Temple of Hephaestus. Statue, Athens.Daphni Monastery.Husband in front of Hadrian’s Library.Roman Agora of Athens.Monastiraki. Beautiful views from the restaurant.Rooftop lunch.We climbed that hill in the distance. Crazy!Delicious food.Pretty restaurant we went to with the rooftop garden. Smiles in front of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.Again, we climbed that steep hill!A pesky couple at Panathenaic Stadium Museum. Wind struck.A couple of pesky champions.Olympic winner. Burgs. Nights spent in Athens.
Curious to know where this starts? Read my first post in this mini series, here.
With a new year, comes a new day that I’ll post so without further ado, 2023 will see posts on the 23rd day of each month.
I didn’t get to share the last of my series of Eu-roped Me In! Don’t fret though, Part IV is here with parts V & VI to follow (hopefully) shortly after.
Admittedly, I’ve had a lot on my plate, so my blogging has been put on hold. Chuck on Christmas break, it’s been a helluva ride. In saying that, thanks to those of you who have stuck around and patiently waited.
We finished our last chapter in Bratislava, Slovakia. Next stop was the beautiful Vienna, Austria. We had the absolute privilege of visiting Schönbrunn Palace and the gardens which were just breathtaking! We then spent the afternoon walking around the sights of Vienna with 20,000+ steps accumulated by the end of the day.
After visiting Vienna, we ventured to Graz, followed by Ljubljana, Slovenia. What gorgeous sights, except for the steep hike up to Restaurant Schlossberg, but the lunch made it worth it (see snaps below).
Now onto one of the most anticipated parts of the trip – Italy! We had the absolute pleasure of visiting Venice, Florence, Rome and the Vatican City and they did not disappoint! I absolutely adored Venice and hope to return again soon. Whoever thought ‘let’s build a city on water’ is a pure genius.
One would call Italy, Litaly*, because let’s be honest, it’s lit. *brought to you by dad jokes. Please resist the hate.
See some of my fave snaps below and let me know which one is your favourite in the comments!
Schönbrunn Palace with my love.Kisses on the Schönbrunn Palace steps.Sneaky interior shots of Schönbrunn Palace.More interiors. Swoon.Kisses. Schönbrunn Gardens, Vienna.Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna.Couple of Royals at Schönbrunn Palace Park.Gloriette, Schlosspark Schönbrunn. Husband in front of the Gloriette in the Schönbrunn Gardens.Belvedere, Vienna.Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna.Karlskirche, Karlsplatz. Town Square of Vienna.The Maria-Theresia Memorial in the Maria-Theresien-Platz. Austrian Parliament Building.Joining the Circus, Rathauspark.Steep hike up to the Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Church of Trinity), Graz.Look at that smile. Clearly worth the trek.Views from Restaurant Schlossberg, Graz.The cute colours of Hotel Daniel, Graz.Delicious dish, Granola Company.Streets of Ljubljana, Slovenia.I could try all the honey I wanted and let’s just say, I was in heaven.River cruise on Ljubljanica, Slovenia.Ljubljanica, Slovenia.City views from Ljubljana Castle.Ljubljana views.Husband next to Ljubljana Castle.Cute shop signs in Ljubljana.Husband with the goods at Vigò.Husband in Congress Square, Ljubljana.Gondola rides in Venice.Honeymooners with our fave gondolier who was rich with Venetian knowledge.Honeymooners in Venice, Italy.Pure joy in “the floating city”.Gondolas all lined up and ready.Honeymooners who adore Venice.Ugh. It’s just so beautiful. Venice, Italy.All’Antico Vinato, legendary Florentine sandwich shop.Fountain of Neptune, Florence.Boboli Gardens, Florence.Strike a pose. Vogue.Parlatore Pond, Boboli Gardens.Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens.Colosseum, Rome.Locks. Colosseum, Rome.Kisses in front of the Trevi Fountain.We visited the Trevi Fountain on three separate occasions and there were still oodles of people EVERYWHERE.Honeymooners in front of the Pantheon.The Flaminio Obelisk and the Sant’Agnese in Agone in the Piazza Navona.Fiumi Fountain, Piazza Navona.Cacio e pepe, VyTA Enoteca Lazio.When in Rome.Mausoleum of Hadrian also known as Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome.Vatican City.St. Peter’s Square.Inside the Vatican Museums.Posing in the Vatican.Exquisite artworks inside the Vatican.Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo.Happy Nell inside the Vatican.
Kisses,
thefairestofthemhall
P.S. as always, if you can’t wait to see the rest, visit our whole trip here, but we’re very close to the finish line!
Can you believe we’re in the 22nd last day of the last month of 2022?!
We are 3 days out from Christmas, how did that happen?
Anyways, you might’ve thought I had forgotten about you, but you are mistaken. It’s been a pretty intense couple of weeks and I just haven’t had the time to sit down and write to you all.
Part III of Eu-roped Me In is here! We left Berlin and headed to the baroque and gothic town of Dresden, Germany. We then ventured to Prague, an old city rich with history. Next stop, Krakow, Poland, where I witnessed some of the most gruesome history of Auschwitz.
We enjoyed “Paris of the East” aka Budapest, Hungary, and wrapped up the week with a visit to the quaint town of Bratislava, Slovakia.
As always, there are plenty of shots to sift through! Let me know what your favourite one is in the comments section.
Lastly, Merry Christmas my loves. May it be filled with lots of memories, spent in good company, all while eating delicious food.
Dresden Castle, Germany.Husband at Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden.Neumarkt, Dresden.Church of our Lady, Dresden.Interiors of St. Vitus Cathedral, Katedrála Svatého Víta, Prague.Happy Nell at Prague Castle.Prague Castle. Honeymooners, Malá Strana, Prague.Malá Strana, Prague.Prague Chocolate Factory Store, sipping hot chocolate. Hot Chocolate.On Charles Bridge, Prague.Statue of Bruncvík, Charles Bridge.Husband on Charles Bridge, Prague.Mad Rabbit, Prague Old Town.Honeymooners on a horse and carriage ride around Prague Old Town.Pretty horses and carriage.Patting the horsies.Salvador Dali, Alfons Mucha Exhibition.Art, Alfons Mucha Exhibition.Marilyn Monroe Paintings, Alfons Mucha Exhibition.Odvaha, statue in Brno.All hail the loaf of bread, Holy Trinity Column, Brno.Getting lost in the streets of Brno.Comfy clothes, Park Špilberk.Chilling scenes, Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.Cute store, Kraków.Main Market Square, Kraków with my love.Art, Main Market Square.Town Hall Tower, Kraków Poland.Humour Me.Kraków, Poland.Before we hopped on a 150m high observation balloon.Beautiful sights of Kraków, Poland.City lights, Kraków.After we hopped off the 150m high observation balloon.Kisses in Kraków.Spiler Restaurant, Budapest.Yum.Budapest x Christmas.Liberty Bridge, Budapest.Views.Worth the steep hike up.Gellért Hill, Budapest.Budapest I. kerület.Fisherman’s Bastion, Budapest.aka Halászbástya.Budapest with my love.Budapest, Hungary.Hungarian Parliament Building.Hungarian Parliament Building with my love.István Tisza Monument, Budapest.St. Stephen’s Basilica.Interiors of St. Stephen’s Basilica.More beautiful interiors.Wine not? Bratislava, Slovakia.‘Man at Work’, Bratislava.Bratislava, Staré Mesto.Gates of Bratislava Castle.Bratislava Castle with my love.
P.S. if you can’t wait to see the rest, here is our whole trip thanks to my hubby who tracked our travels the whole time we were away.
I cannot believe we have been back in Oz for a whole month and that Christmas is less than one month away!
As promised, here is part II of Eu-roped Me In. I shared our time in Barcelona, Arles, Cannes, Monaco, and a night in Paris in my last post. Today, I share Paris in the daylight, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Berlin!
Stay tuned for next month, where I’ll share the remainder of our trip as a Christmas treat. I hope you love the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them! If you can’t wait, here’s our whole trip thanks to my hubby who tracked our travels, making it so easy to share where we were with our friends and family. Thanks, Polarsteps!
You know the drill, here’s some of my fave snaps which were incredibly hard to cull.
Jardin du Luxembourg with my Louvre.Palais Garnier, Opéra. Pavillon de Flore.Cour Napoléon, Louvre Palace.In Louvre.Hôtel de Ville, Paris.Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville with my Louvre.Arc de Triomphe, Paris.Arc de Triomphe with my Louvre.Eiffel Tower, Paris.City of Louvre.Stranger Things: The Official Store.Eiffel Tower not looking like just scaffolding and sparkling on the hour.Tower Bridge, London.Red telephone box, London.Happy Nell ready to see Jersey Boys, Trafalgar Square.Red telephone box and double decker bus, London. Iconic.The British Museum with my love.Colossal red granite statue of Amenhotep III, British Museum.Stolen treasures, British Museum.More stolen treasures, British Museum.Another one, why not?Exterior of Westminster Abbey, London.Interiors of Westminster Abbey.All in the details, Westminster Abbey. City of Westminster, London.Big Ben and London Eye.Sky Garden.Checking out the views (Hayden), Sky Garden.Feeding the squirrels in Green Park, London.Buckingham Palace, London.The Queen making a special appearance outside Buckingham Palace.The Green Park, London.Harrods.Worst and most expensive Creme Brûlée ever.Amsterdam, Netherlands.The Red Light District, Amsterdam.Pretty canals in Amsterdam.Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg.Falkor, Miniatur Wunderland.Miniature Venice.Drone or miniature display?Berlin Wall.Art, Berlin Wall.Souvenirs, Berlin.Hayden and the Berlin Wall.Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe.Häagen-Dazs, Berlin.Punny.Curry at the Wall, Berlin.Public Art Houseball, Berlin.Tiergarten, Berlin at sunset.Korry Asian House.Fernsehturm and TV Tower. Neptunbrunnen, Berlin.Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.Konzerthaus, Berlin.Pretzel, Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt.Berlin currywurst, Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt.1L Beer, Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt.Cheers!
Have you recently travelled? Where did you go? Let me know in the comments!
Okay. I know. It’s been months since I spoke with you all. There’s a perfect reason for that, though. I was travelling around EUROPE!
I was having too much fun that I barely posted anything about it, but don’t you worry, there were plenty of photos (try about 14,000), but who’s counting?
I promise to make up for skipping two months by sharing a post now, next week, and some next month. Each blog post will share a week’s worth of adventures and highlights from one of the best experiences of my life! So, keep your eyes peeled as we wrap up the rest of the year.
If you remember, my husband and I got married at a really wacky time, you guessed it, that darn, ‘vid. This resulted in (luckily) a marriage but no honeymoon. So, we saved those pennies for two years and voila, we got to spend five weeks seeing some of the most beautiful sights.
We visited Spain, France, Monaco, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Vatican City, Greece and Santorini!
We can’t say it was a relaxing holiday. Still, it was filled with so much adventure, love, culture, and cramming (I mean, who wants to travel for 24 hours on a plane to only see a handful of places anyways). It truly opened our eyes, and now my hubby can finally say he’s been overseas and wants to keep travelling!
It was one of those experiences I can’t quite put into words, so let me just try by showing you some cute pics. I can’t wait to show you all of them!
Let me know in the comments where you’ve been or where you’re hoping to see one day!
Arenas de Barcelona.The Four Columns, Barcelona.Palau Nacional, Barcelona.Palau Nacional hill of Montjuïc.Seeing all of Barcelona with my love.Casa Batlló.Basílica de la Sagrada Família.One side of the glass stained windows in the Sagrada Família.Other side, Sagrada Família.El Arco de Triunfo, Barcelona.The World Begins With Every Kiss Mural, Barcelona.Arènes de Nîmes.Handsome hubby in Nîmes.La Maison Carrée, Nîmes.Jardins de la Fontaine, Nîmes.Capturing the art and beauty of Arles.The South of France.Place du Forum, Arles.Cafe Van Gogh, Arles.Polaroids, Arles Arena.Quirky finds in Arles.Hidden gems in Arles.Pretty exteriors in Arles.Lifestyles of the rich and the famous, Cannes.Port Cannes.Sunsets in Cannes with my love. Le Square Brasserie, Le Cannet.Promenade des Anglais, Nice. Parc de la Colline du Château, Nice. Sight seeing around Nice.Merry go round, Nice.Monte Carlo, Monaco. Casino de Monte Carlo.Happy Nell in front of the iconic, Moulin Rouge.The beautiful and talented, Jasmine. A Moulin Rouge dancer who remembered me even after 20 odd years!Moulin Rouge with my love. At the Moulin Rouge (you sang that, don’t lie).
Kisses,
thefairestofthemhall
P.S. if you can’t wait to see the rest, here is our whole trip thanks to my hubby who tracked our travels the whole time we were away.
And just like that, August has slipped away into a moment in time.
Beautiful art, cute catch-ups, good food and wine were plentiful. Similar characteristics to last month, that’s for sure.
This month has seen my weekends pretty booked up, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! So grateful for the amazing people in my life who always bring the good vibes.
And just like that, August sipped away like a bottle of wine (because this was all I indulged in all month).
Check out some of my treasured moments below, including multiple trips to my new fave place, Common Circus in Hamilton.
Chai, Common Circus.Forever Dreaming, Lucy Mim Art with K-dog. Brunch, Common Circus.Alfredo + Wine, Verde Luna. Locked in a Paddock with this lot. Darling. Cheers!GOAT. Aesthetic. Cutie pies at Common Circus Studios. Good vibes only.Paz, querida.
How did you let your August slip away? Let me know in the comments!
THEFAIRESTOFTHEMHALL 