Las Iguanas, Glasgow

Me and my friends went out yesterday to see the last instalment of The Hunger Games. After we left we were in search of food and cocktails. One of our usual haunts, The Raven, was full so whilst we enjoyed a bottle of prosecco we debated over where to go. In the end we settle on Las Iguanas situated close to Glasgow Central Station (on West Nile Street). 

Upon arrival we were warned there would be a long wait for food as the kitchen was "struggling". To be honest we were amazed given how quiet the place was that the kitchen staff were struggling so much to keep up with orders. We were also told that a number of the dishes were sold out as the waitress promptly scored out large sections of the menu. By this point it was getting on and we just wanted food and drink so agreed to stay.

Cocktails were decent and standard city centre prices. A few of the girls wanted cocktails not on the menu and the bar staff were accommodating enough to make them for us. Jug of water supplied as standard which I always like when eating out. 

As we knew there was going to be a long wait we ordered some bread & olives and tortilla chips to see us through till our mains came. However, our chips were brought at the same time as one of our mains. The tortilla chips were standard shop bought and incredibly disappointing. You want good tortilla chips: try Hyde in the West End. They do delicious ones. Anyway, by this point I'm wondering how long it takes to put some bread together and mix balsamic vinegar with oil!

Eventually it did come and I can safely say the bread was probably the best part of the whole meal. I think that probably speaks volumes about how good the restaurant actually is. The food was alright. Nothing to write home about. The gambas and chicken wings (yes we did order them hot) were so spicy though that I ended up losing about a million taste buds and found myself rubbing ice cubes over my tongue for a slight bit of relief.

To top it all off, the fire alarm went off and so we were booted out into the street. Can't be helped. But between that, the lack of things available to order and the slow service I would have expected an amount to be taken off the bill or at least some complimentary drinks. But sadly not. The bill came to £106 which for 5 tapas dishes, a taco sharing plate, 2 sides, 4 cocktails and a bottle of Cave was really quite reasonable. However I really would have preferred to pay more for a better quality of food and service.

Sorry there's no photos to include but my phone had died!

My Little Box November 2015

So this one was a goodie. I already knew the theme because they'd given it away on social media. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I preferred when it was a surprise. At work we've been doing a whole 'No fat November' thing and attempting to be healthy. So to receive 'My Little Sweet Box' was like a sign from above that dieting is not my strong point.

Displayed in a beautifully decorated tin, that will from now on house a collection of sweet treats in my kitchen, I was excited to see what would be inside. The tin itself is valued at £7.50 so I was fairly confident I would get my money's worth this month.

First thing inside was a lovely little apron with the same pattern as on the box. I do enjoy cooking and baking so this was a most welcome treat. And at a retailing price of £11 I now knew for certain that I was happy with this month's box regardless of what else I was to receive. 

Next up was the above envelope with adorable jar decals. I love keeping my pasta, flour, rice, etc in jars so these were another really cute addition to this month's box. For people interested in purchasing them, they come in at £3 a pop. My favourite one was the Coffee, stating: May your coffee be strong and your Monday be short. Here here! 

Now onto the beauty selection in my box. My only negative is that the treats didn't come in a little bag as usual. These bags are one of my favourite part of the boxes so I was a little disappointed at it's exclusion this month.

First product was My Little Beauty's own Sweet Hand Cream. With a subtle marshmallow scent and a thick texture that doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy, this was a welcome addition. My hands tend to suffer over the winter month's so this handbag sized cream is really great. Plus it's the only thing in the box that I feel truly fits the 'sweet' theme. 

Next up was this adorable little bottle of perfume from Yves Rocher. A woody scent that I wouldn't normally go for but it will do for when I'm on the go due to it's cute and dinky size. 

The last piece from this month's box was a neck and décolletage lifting cream from Dr Pierre Ricaud. Not something I can say is in my daily routine but I will certainly try it out. If for no other reason than it normally would cost £18 and is a lovely pinky colour that almost looks good enough to eat!

All in all I was delighted by this month's box! Had it included the little postcard and make up bag that is usually in the box it would have been absolutely perfect. For those who wonder whether or not it's worth it, I would definitely say give it a try. Even with last month's box when I was a little disappointed, it was still worth the price. The sticker included this month sums up my feelings perfectly:

Winter Krakow Trip (Day Three)

For our third and final day we wanted to spend some time in Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter. It was only a short walk from the Aparthotel to the main square. The main square is spacious with many restaurants down one side. We decided to stop for breakfast and a warn drink to heat us up in the wintery weather. Seated opposite the Remuh Synagogue (known best for it's wailing wall made up of Jewish tombstones destroyed by the Nazis) and next to a memorial for those who lost their lives during the second World War, it was nice to just sit and read my guide book soaking up a bit of history about the area.

At the end of the square is the Old Synagogue, that now houses a museum on Jewish holidays and traditions. If you already have a knowledge of Judaism you may not find that you learn too much but for a small price it is worth having a peek inside.

After we finished our time in the museum we spent a lot of time wandering and exploring the many Synagogues and Churches in the area. If you ever visit you will see loads of electrics cars that do tours of the area. For me I can't think of anything worse than whizzing round such a nice area with little to no time to look into the gorgeous buildings.

Unfortunately due to the sheer size of some of the Churches it was difficult to actually photograph them as I just couldn't fit them into the frame. Truly these things need to be seen in real life to be appreciated.

And that was it, we were out of time. I really feel like we could have done with at least another day. There was so much we still really wanted to see. For sure we will definitely be going back at some point.

If there's any questions anyone has about Kraków just ask in the comments.

Winter Krakow Trip (Day Two)

On the Monday we set off early for Auschwitz. An experience that I knew would be incredibly upsetting but I felt it was important to go and see first hand the sort of conditions the victims of the Nazi state were subjected to. Out of respect for those who lost their lives there I opted not to take any pictures. A decision that I hope my readers will understand and respect.

We decided that we would prefer to go early without a guide. I had heard how busy it could get with groups and I didn't want to feel like I couldn't spend the time I wanted to take it all in and absorb what I was seeing. If you do want to go round without a guide then you do need to go before a certain time. I can't quite remember. Check out the website for precise details but I think it's before 10.

We went for half 8. Do remember that if you are going by public transport it does take around an hour and a half on the bus. It's easy enough to do it yourself. The bus was cheap and took you straight from the bus station to Auschwitz. They are also fairly regular. We visited a Tourist Office the day before to make sure we had up to date information and didn't miss our reserved time. On that note, you MUST book your tickets ahead of time.

The whole experience of both Auschwitz I and II was enlightening, disturbing and extremely emotional. The exhibition of the possessions stolen from their victims was almost too much for me and I wasn't the only one walking round with tears streaming down my face.

At Auschwitz II (a short free bus journey) I was taken aback by the sheer size of the camp. It was massive and I found that I just couldn't comprehend how any human being could condone such actrosities on such a huge scale.

It is an experience I will never want to experience again with the exception of taking my kids in the future to ensure it is never forgotten. I hated every moment and felt physically sick, but it is something I am so grateful I got the chance to go and see first hand. It does take up the majority of your day so do make sure you put the proper amount of time away to visit.

On our return to Krakow we went for a wander by The Barbican. It's an incredible piece of military architecture situated next to St Florian's Gate.

We then headed back down for a few beers at Rynek Główny, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying people watching. As I said in my last post the square really is a stunning spot that any tourist will be sure to love, especially at night.

Afterwards we had a short walk to dinner. I'd seen another place recommended on TripAdvisor and was looking forward to trying it out: Pod Wawelem Restaurancja. Famed for its huge portions we were looking forward to a tasty meal. Beer aplenty: good. Breaded camembert with cranberry sauce: good again but definitely a case of quantity over quality. So far so good though.

That final picture is when it all started going wrong. We had pretty much only just started our starters when the waitress came over with our mains. Mine being the above pictured 'Officer's platter': a gigantic portion of all the meats with potatoes and rice. We told the waitress we weren't ready who just shrugged and rearranged the table to squeeze the plates on. Again it was definitely quantity over quality. None of mine tasted good. Needless to save I didn't finish it, went back to the hotel and fell into what can only be described as a 'Meat Coma'.

Read about our final day in Kraków in my next blog!

Winter Krakow Trip (Day One)

So this year instead of exchanging meaningless Christmas presents we opted to treat ourselves to a little mini break away. We wanted to go someone that neither of us had been to before (which ruled out quite a lot of Europe for us). In the end we decided to go to Krakow, Poland. We booked a nice little Aparthotel right next to Wawel castle. Perfect location and great facilities. Getting from the accommodation from the airport was easy enough. Hopped on a bus that took us a ten minute walk or so to our hotel. Only one problem....it was pouring with rain and I thought I'd left my umbrella back home (turns out it was in my suitcase). Once we did get to the hotel and dry off, we went out for dinner at a lovely restaurant at the end of the road, Malecon http://www.malecon.pl/?lang=eng. It was a really lovely meal and even though it was a Saturday night it was still nice and quiet.

The following morning and afternoon we spent up at Wawel Castle and Cathedral. I would recommend going up really early as tickets are limited and it can get busy with tour groups as well. We had a very informative tour of The Royal Apartments which was really interesting. We also went round The Treasury and The Cathedral. The Wawel area is rich in history (of which I won't bore you) but I would suggest reading through a guide book before visiting to get a better understanding. It really was a lovely day. However, the eating facilities up there did leave a little to be desired.

Afterwards we walked up to Rynek Główny (Main Square). It's a huge open area with bars and restaurants round the side. The central area is dominated by The Cloth Hall (imagine an amazing Christmas market set inside) and what's left of the old town hall (now just a tower). At the far end of the square is St Mary's Cathedral. On the hour every hour, a firefighter goes to the top of the tower of the Cathedral and plays a trumpet solo out each window. Be sure to give him a wave of you do visit. The square has been there since the 13th century and it really has a magical feel as you sip a beer, next to a heater, snuggled under a blanket with a loved one. 

For dinner we had something rather special planned, Wiezernyek.  http://en.wierzynek.pl/

I had spotted this wee gem on TripAdvisor and knew I had to go.

The view from our table of Rynek was stunning. While we waited on our starters they brought us a delicious goat's cheese and smoked paprika slice. It was a lovely touch. For starters we both had Goose Pate, which without a shadow of doubt was the best pate I'd ever had.

My main was Ossobucco.  It was ridiculously tender and as you can see everything was beautifully presented. I can't remember what the other half did but he assures me that it was something equally delicious. Following on from that I had a melted chocolate pudding that people had been recommending on TripAdvisor. I was stuffed fit to burst but could resist some chocolaty goodness. If you eat anywhere in Krakow, this is where I would recommend!

My Little Box October products

My little box for November has arrived and it is a goody! Thought before I posted a blog on that I would share some extra thoughts of the products received last month.

Firstly the Loved nail colour by Sarah Lavoine is too die for. A beautiful deep teal that goes on a treat. In light of last month's creative theme, I opted to add a little loveheart using Barry M's Nail Art pen in black.

Once my nails were done, I treated my hands to a bit of scented heaven in the form of Baïja's 'Crème Moana' in Tiare Flower. Now this stuff I can not get enough of. Definitely my favourite item in October's box. This is a product I think I shall be buying in future.

The night cream from My Little Beauty I have yet to use so I will try it tonight and if I like it I'll get back to you.

I did add the Tech Jewellery to my earphones. Not sure how long I will keep them on though. Not really my cuppa tea. I feel like they look a little cheap. The same goes for the bag, which I will probably use every now and then to save me from paying 5p everytime I need a plastic bag at Tesco.

All in all, as I said before this wasn't the best box. I was incredibly disappointed compared to the high level I've come to expect. That said the nail colour and body cream are amazing. Trust me though November's box is right back to what I had hoped for. Can't wait to get a blog out on it! 

My Little Box October 2015

Apologies for how long it has taken me to get this review out. There are 2 reasons. 1) I was on holiday when the box arrived (keep your eyes peeled for a blog further down the line) and 2) I was massively disappointed with October's box.

My Little Creative Box was a collaborative effort with Pintrest. It should have been right up my street. Pintrest is definitely one of my favourite places with many a board and a couple of sneaky hidden ones too. Nothing about the box seemed anything Pintrest related. I was expecting something arts and crafty. Unfortunately not. They had already announced in my email that this was the theme of the box (I preferred when it was a surprise) so I had high expectations.

The box itself wasn't featuring the usual adorable illustrative details we've became used to and neither was the sticker anything of note. In fact the sticker was for an advert for a competition via Pintrest!

Inside the box I was treated to a canvas tote bag. Cute little illustration on it but really your run of the mill 'I don't want to pay for a plastic bag' bag. In September's edition we were given a much better bag from Antik Batik. So a little disappointed to see more repetition.

Next up plastic colourful things to stick on wires like earphones and chargers. Unique: yes. Up my street: no.

In my little bag of treats: a nail varnish  (I already own hundreds), body cream (yes it smells amazing but again I own hundreds) and night cream from their own range (which I've yet to test).

For me the brand is already starting to lose some of its sparkle and I fail to see what any of the items have to do with this week's theme...aside from at the push the plastic things! A creative box could have opened up a whole world of nail art or crafts. I was left more than a little disappointed. Hence the late blog, lack of photos and the fact I haven't even tested the products.