Family Holiday Day 3: Nora and The beach

I just realised that once you have a child, your holiday will never be the same again. You may be able to choose where you want to go but all the activities will be dictated by them. You are dependent on their schedule, their mood, their current well-being. You put their needs first. I think now I understand what sacrificing entails.  I'm not talking about just our holiday, but my life and career in general.

Now that we have Bella, going to the beach is not as simple as bring the towel and water and go. It's now, bring the tent, the change of clothes, nappy bag, toys and provisions. I know it sounds crazy brining a tent to holiday but it makes a world of difference when you have a baby. It means you have somewhere to put everything, you have a private changing area, breast feeding area and comfortable sleeping area. Although the hotel provides towel, their beach doesn't allow for toilets or baby changing facilities. Like I said, the key to taking a child on holiday is being prepared and anticipating all their future needs. 

We had a lovely day at the beach. It's averaging 30 here which is a nice change compared to England. The beach just 5 mins drive from the resort is very clean with very fine sand.. Bella enjoys every minute of it. Although she haven't learnt that sand isn't food yet. How do you stop a child from putting sand in their mouth? The first she put a handful of sand on her mouth, I freaked out. I washed her hand but she did it again.  I guess she just have to find out for herself and learn.

This was her today after eating the sand.

I can't help it. We had to do something other than the beach and buying provisions. Last night, I googled places to visit and it came up with Nora. When we got there, I realised that we drove on the area the day before. When I told Luke, he said he can't remember. Men!!! 

Nora has both the beach and the Roman ruins. This isn't the first ruins that I've been but it's one of the interesting ones. Maybe because I never pay attention nor pay for tours.  I love how this tour tell you how the Roman lives doing their period in Sardinia.

We only had to pay 7.50 euros per adult and our child got in for free.  The ruins is not ideal for people on a wheelchair or kids that are not able to walk on their own. We learnt the hard way when we had to carry our stroller through the steps. You can't pass any stage. It's like going in Ikea when you have to pay by each room to get to the end. Although there are ramps, on most area, you will need someone to carry your wheelchair or pram. 

Our hotel, Chia Laguna caters to kids. We agreed that if Bella is still not tired when the baby disco starts, then we will take her. She thoroughly enjoyed the disco and even started taking steps. PS I'm not pregnant. This angle and dress doesn't do me any justice and for the life of me, I don't know what possessed me to buy it. Anyway, after baby disco, we got tricked into joining the minute to win it competition at the hotel. We were told to stay only to get told that we need to participate. Luke totally  participated. Glad I have him to represent our team. 

Family Holiday Day 2: Chia Laguna, Sardinia

My last blog post was almost two years ago. Since then, I have been to America with my family, had a weeks worth of holiday in the UK and numerous day trips as well. Oh yeah, also I've become a mum and my baby is turning a year old in few weeks. Crazy how my life has been summed up in few sentences. :P

Planning a holiday with the baby vs planning as a couple is very different. As a couple, we usually pick a city we haven't been, check all the tourist spots, pick ones we are interested in and get a direction how to get there. We usually work on a budget we are comfortable spending and pack separately the night before. As parents, we had to create a massive checklist of what we might need and anticipate each and every problem that might arise in the foreign country. I tell you, I have a massive bag just for meds only. I had to buy calpol, anti histimine, make sure we had all the inhalers in case my daughters cough gets worse, nappy ointments, after sun lotion etc. As for her food, although my baby is baby led, we had to buy pre packaged puree in case she gets hungry along with her own sippy cup and bib. That doesn't end there, we had to pack loads of nappies and nappy sack. I know some of them you can just buy anywhere but I am not familiar with Sardinia nor would I risk being unprepared.  Winging it doesn't work anymore when you are thinking about someone other than yourself.

So why did we end up in Sardinia? For one, BA just started flying off here. Introductory flights means cheaper fare and more value for money. Why Chia? Cause our resort caters for kids. Also, we think it's good enough for our Bella and it didn't disappoint. If you have read my Corfu entry, it's more or less the same quality minus the adults only holiday.

It's our second day in Sardinia today. We arrived yesterday and drove through Pula which is the next town near Chia. We got lost looking for a supermarket. As you know, we do like spending money on the best resorts but we like keep a tight budget. :) Had to buy provisions as per usual and have seen some amazing produce.

These are some of the pictures from today. I'm trying to blog from my phone so I won't forget but it's damn hard when you're not techy and you are old, you are set on your ways. Hehehehe.

Warner Brother Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter

I belong to the generation that grew up reading Harry Potter.  I remember when I was first introduced to the book.  It was when my mum was sent on assignment in the UK for the first time and she sent us all the UK HP Edition book.  I remember not knowing how to pronounce Hermione.  I used to call her Hermi-one whilst my cousin called her Hermi-yown.  I was fascinated with the book and wizardry just like all the kids my age.  I had to learn British words which is so different to my American training. Can you imagine learning British English when English is not actually our first language?  It is amazing how I understood the film despite having difficulty understanding British English when I first moved in the UK.

My husband's siblings including himself is a big Harry Potter fan.  I admit, I enjoyed the film and the book but they can remember each and every detail on the film.  I probably have outgrown it but they could watch it over and over again and get excited about it still.  I remember my husband mentioning how excited he is when the little one can understand the film and he can introduce the baby to the world of Harry Potter.

My tips when going to the WB Harry Potter Studio:

1.  Book in advance.  I think you might be able to go for the day without booking but there is no guarantee.  It is always good to plan.

2.  Bring cash and loads of it.  If you are a big Harry Potter fan, there is a a tendency to buy all souvenirs.  You can buy wands, marauders map and broom.  There is no shortage of things that you can buy from the film.  You just have to restrain yourself.

3.  Try the Butter Beer.  I won't ruin it for you but you will be able to tell which drink it is.  You can probably recreate it at home.  You can buy the cup that comes with it which is always a novelty.  I bought 2 and gave one to my sister. 

4.  Bring camera that can take good photo in the darkness.  

5.  Use comfortable footwear.  You will spend majority of your time walking or queueing up.

6.  Enjoy the Diagon Alley.  Going to the HP World is like going to IKEA.  Once you passed the area, you will have a difficulty going back.  It is best to enjoy everything at your pace.  :)

Nigella Lawson's Book Signing

One of the perks of living in the first world country is accessibility of the people you see on telly.  I know, this is a travel blog but it is worth mentioning (I think) that our cooking idols and celebrities that we love are very accessible.  I am only human after all.

If you like movie stars, please check the Leicester Square Premier schedule if you ever visit London.  We saw Marion Cottilard and Johnny Depp on purpose and the cast of World's End unplanned. 

I was excited to see Nigella.  I admit, I watched loads of cooking shows even before I started to cook.  I learnt all the principles that equipped me to be the cook that I am today.  Ang bigat.  Growing up in Manila, you have access to Filipino celebrities but to see chefs, you have to have a connection.  There is only one cook that I want to meet and will queue up for book signing and I am glad that I have met her in person.  

London Day Trip

I can't stress how much I love London.  When I was younger, I wanted to move to the city.  It wasn't as expensive then as it is now.  To give you an idea, a Brixton one bedroom flat is almost the same price as our 3 bedroom detached house in Wokingham.  Wokingham is not cheap by any standards BUT London has been very unachievable lately.  

Currently, there are a lot of free museums in London.  You can go to the British Museum, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum for free.  You will have to pay for some exhibition but you can just go for the day and not spend money and see "treasures" of the past and modern art.  I tend to go to at least one when I visit London.  It just makes me feel cultured.  Hahaha.

For my sister's bday, we planned for 3 things:

1.  Louis Vuitton Series 3 Exhibition 

This is free and we obtain the ticket by downloading online.  I work in the Fashion Industry and is very much interested in Fashion so I like to keep myself updated on the trends.  Although we buy for Health and Beauty, it is still a good exposure to see what is new and to take inspiration from them.

2.  Tree by Ai WeiWei

This was free from the Royal Academy of Arts as well.  This is the second exhibition that I have seen of him.  The first one was the sunflower seeds exhibition in Tate Modern.

3.  Ice Bar

This is something that we have to pay for and book in advance.  It is literally a bar made entirely of ice.  Drinks are served in ice glasses.  You have to go on your allotted time and leave when you needed to.  There is no cheating as you will be asked to leave and you know when your time is up as they stop the music.  :P  I admit, it is a bit gimmicky for my taste but everyone should try anything once and I am not getting any younger.  The place is good for photo opportunities although it can get a bit crowded.  Camera phones might not work all the time as the temperature is freezing but it is still good fun.  :)

Cheddar Gorge, Somerset

I will say this again, I love my husband's sense of adventure.  I admire his ability to overcome boredom by coming up with a plan.  :-P When we are both free and the weather is good, he takes me to places which I/we haven't been.  I don't know where he gets the idea.  But Luke genuinely loves to explore.  Where I like to know exactly where to go, he will push further and see what's out there.  I think this is why our relationship works - he is able to push me slowly out of my boundaries and he is able to introduce me to a lot of experiences.  They don't need to be expensive, as long as we are together and we enjoy the company, we are happy.

Cheddar as you have guessed is the home of legit Cheddar Cheese.  In the old times, according to my husband, all Cheddar Cheeses has to come from Cheddar, Somerset.  They have an actual museum in Cheddar where you can see how they make the cheese old school.  The Gorge is famous for rock climbing and walks.  There would be loads of Pay and Display on the area where you can park your car.  Just make sure that you have change ready.

 This was one of the rare occasions where I was in my sneaker.  Nowadays, casual shoes is all I wear.  I gave most of my high heels to charity as I don't have need for them anymore.  I can always buy when I need some don't I?  

I can't even begin to describe how charming this place is.  I have been to a lot of places in England and this is just truly unique.  It combines the old village feel with tea houses and ice cream parlours with adventure of going to the cave, hiking and climbing.  It is definitely worth going for the day for.

Reading Festival

2015 was the year that I went crazy with gigs.  My taste in music varies depending on who I am with and what year we are talking about.  In Uni, I listen to ska/reggae and alternative, indie/indie pop and some main stream hip hop and soul in High School.  Sometimes I listen to Jazz and Bossa too.  Let's just say that I am very open and enjoy variety of music.

I lived in Reading when I first moved in the UK.  So naturally, this is not my first Reading Festival.  I went in 2009 when Kings of Leon was hot.  I wanted to go again in 2015 because I want to see Bastille.  I am glad that I went now as, fast forward to the future (May 2016), I am currently 8 months pregnant.

There are loads of things to consider when attending Reading Fest:

1.  What to wear.  This is not Coachella.  People genuinely go to this festival because they enjoy music.  Americans vs British Music Festival is very much the opposite.  People dress up but they don't dress up to look cute.  Usually, it is sensibility  that reigns - rain boots (as the British weather is so unpredictable), light jackets, onesie.  It can vary.

2.  Arrive early.  If you are camping out, I can't help you as I only go for the day.  I am not the camping type as you can see on my blog.  I love the luxury of hot water and hotel.  If you are going for the day, I suggest going early especially if you are watching acts.  We had to queue up for an hour to get in.   Don't try anything stupid like bringing illegal stuff as you will be searched.  To be fair, we have seen people with drugs but I don't do drugs so I will not know how to smuggle them.

3.  Bring some cash.  Most concessions are cash only.  You can collect used pints in exchange of money.  I have seen some kids collect them.  

4.  Bring some wipes.  This is a festival and hygiene is always a question.  This is the reason why we sell Dry Shampoo and Dry Soap in Primark.  Yes, I work for the team that buys them.  :P

5.   Don't do anything stupid like queue jump.  We saw a guy, on the first day of the festival try to queue jump and was stopped by the marshals.  He embarrassed himself.

6.  If your favourite act is popular, try to push in front or get a good view before the actual act starts performing.  Bastille was so popular that everyone was stayed to watch it.  I say, more than Mumford and Sons.

7.  Download the app.  I think this is quite helpful so you can plan what you want to watch.  On that day, we saw Palma Violets, Panic! at the disco, Bastille, Alt J, Mumford and Sons, Limp Bizkit, just to name a few.

I learn a few things on this festival.  One, you should be with the company that will enjoy the same music as you are and two, my husband hates going to festival.  I don't want to say that he is old because I have seen older people in the crowd but he genuinely hates being grazed but kids who are drunk and or taking drugs.  At one point, he told the kid to get away from us.  :-P