MsGonzalez Blogs

Category: London

Hey World: Pub lunches and fat arms

Before you read this, I just want to be crystal clear that I am not looking for compliments, validation, confidence boost or attention. I just want to tell you a little about the sucky party of being a blogger. Like when you haven’t done an outfit post in a while because you feel you ain’t got nothing nice to wear cause all your money has gone into moving flats….

… and you have been in bed for the past week with the flu, so all you have done is slept and stuffed your face with food your PT would not approve of…

…so you decided to pull yourself together and slap on a full face of makeup, dig out some basic clothes that are fashionable enough to wear to a Richmond pub…

..and blackmail your bf with beer and cheesy chips to take some pictures for you. Just to realize that you have the fattest arms in the history of arms and the skirt you are wearing makes you look fat, and the choker you decided to rock makes you look fat. So basically, if you haven’t guessed it, one of the really really sucky things about blogging is when you haven’t planned any other posts besides a stupid outfit post that makes you feel fat and in retrospect regret every life choice you have made until this point…

..And yes I know, I don’t have to blog, and I certainly don’t have to post an outfit but gosh darn it, I just really needed to vent.

Thank you and good night.

PS: That felt really good

July 9, 2016
9 Things to do in London this summer

Ladies and Gentleman, it is July and when you look out the window you would think its September? What ever happened to summer? I have sandals I want to wear, Pimms I want to drink and tanning I want to do but alas not. When it comes to summer, I have a tenancy to dream of long strolls along the Saines, drinking prosecco by the eiffel tower and people watching at beautiful french bistro while stuffing my face with all the bread. I dont know why though because every time I go to Paris all I do is complain about the urin smell and also because Bergen is without a doubt my favorite place. Not Paris. There is no place like Bergen during the summer. I try to spend most of my summers there but this year London is the place to be. It’s not so bad though London has a certain je ne sais quoi to it when the sun is shining and is always packed with thing to do come rain come shine. So I wanted to share with you some of my favorite things to do in London During the summer

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July 8, 2016
City Girl in the countryside

Boys and Girls, this might come as a shock to a lot of you but I absolutely love camping. Well ok love is a strong word, but I like really enjoy it. Ok ok, Im not a HUGE fan of the whole sharing a toilet and shower with strangers thing. There is also the no electricity thing, and you know, sleeping on an air mattress, but besides that, it’s great! And not gonna lie, I love an adventure 🙂

The boyfriend and I started going last summer, in a desperate attempt to squeeze a cheap vacation into our budget and get some quality time together that wasn’t based around work, gym and when our housemates were out of town. Last year we ventured down to Devon, twice. It was the first time I had ever been to the south coast England. (Besides a quick day trip Brighton once when the family was visiting and I think the brothers were 7 and 5.) Rather embarrassing considering for how long I have been living in England for. Dont count the years, Im not.

My god though, the english seaside is absolutely fabulous. Seriously, why do people travel abroad when you have such beautiful beaches in this country?! I really regret not bringing my camera last year but you can find a couple of snaps on my Instagram. In an attempt to learn from my mistakes, I made it my mission to bring my camera this time… which was great besides the fact that it was pretty grey and rainy for most of our trip.. sorry guys!

Our first trip this year went to a little village in Suffolk near the coast, called Shottisham. The campsite cost us £15 a night, and was situated within walking distance to a good old fashion country pub. (Great for those of us who just HAD to watch the football…). We went for drives to award-winning bakeries (Check out Pump Street bakery in Otford) long walks in huge wheat fields, fished on pebble beaches (one of them had a dead smelly seal on it, which was so sad) and drowned our tent in heavy rain fall. 98% of the houses were painted pink, and every garden was filled with gorgeous flowers. It was like walking around in movie, or on a pinterest board. Incredible for inspiration, and great when you need some peace of mind. One of the days, we spent the entire day at the beach, mostly in silence just enjoying the little sunshine that was there, while the boyfriend fished. It was such a rare moment where it was just us and we were both in this perfect place. As a bonus I also got heavily sunburned on my back, and now have a tan that will hopefully last the rest of the year. *fingerscrossed* (also kids, skin cancer is no joke. Dont be stupid, wear sunscreen!)

Im still working on getting the boyfriend to take outfit pics of me, so for now all you get is pictures of anything green and colorful. That is me avoiding anything grey that could remotely remind me of London.

June 22, 2016
Back again

Guess whos back, back again? (help me, I’ve got Eminem stuck in my head!)

Im currently lying on the sofa, nursing a hangover and trying to consume my body weight in diet coke while I wait for my home made pita pizza consisting of 75% cheese to be finished. Having said that, I started out really well this morning with a glass of kale juice and a bowl of strawberry quark. Somewhere it went down hill and I just want all the cheese. No surprise I feel far from fresh, with last nights mascara is still trying to desperately cling to my eyelashes, and my hair crusty from too much hair spray. The bf is so lucky, cause I am clearly such a catch! This is why I rarely go out, I despise hangovers, and sadly I always gets some really bad ones. But I am grabbing this opportunity to sit down and update this blog, because I know its been a while. Lets start with these outfit pics, taken back when the sun was so bright it made my skin look ghostly white. I hope you all are having a great weekend. Im off to buy some ice cream, but dont tell the bf because I dont wanna share. haha sorry not sorry! Happy sunday!

Shoes Birkenstock, Skirt ZARA, T-shirt H&M, bag Whistles and sunnies rayban

June 19, 2016
6 Things to do in London this weekend – May Edition
The great thing about London is that there always something to do. Unless you accept the fact that you cant do everything, you’re gonna get a bad case of FOMO. After living in London for almost 5 years, I still find it hard to keep up with the city that is forever changing. Like, as an example, in all my time here I have only been able to find one independent restaurant that I absolutely love. Sadly its gone bust and I was only able to go there 4 times. I have yet to find a Lebanese restaurant quite like it and trust me I have tried a lot of Lebanese restaurants. There is however, some things I do know about London. These below are a great way to spend your weekend!
1. Club de Fromage on Ice!
  
  Who doesn’t love cheesy pop music and ice skating? The ice rink disco is a coming-of-age rite of passage and luckily Club de Fromage are allowing us grown-ups to revisit it. The pop music will be present and correct – everything from Abba to Taylor Swift – and there is bar too. Fancy dress is welcome but not obligatory and there’ll be games and prize giveaways while you’re on the ice. You can bring your own skates, or rent some!
2. Wander Walthemstow Marshes
  
  Walthemstow Marshes is home to a wide array of wildlife and is a site of special scientific interest. Its the home of rare plant creeping marshwort and bird such as reed bunting, sedge warbler and willow warbler.
3. Learn the history of Parliament at the Jewel Tower
  
  The Jewel Tower, in Westminster, was built around 1365 and is one of only a handful of parts of the original medieval Royal Palace of Westminster. Today it’s open to the public, and hosts a permanent exhibition charting the history of the Houses of Parliament from medieval times to present day.
4. Visit the Design Museum
  
  Founded in 1989 in an hold banana warehouse besides the Thames the Design museum claims to be the first museum of modern design. It has around 200.000 visitors each year and is internationally recognised centre offering a brilliant insight into what is happening in the world of design
5. Take the Marx and Engels pub crawl
  
  Given that Marxism had such an impact on global politics, its easy to forget that these two men were quite ordinary. Their pub crawls are legendary, starting for the British Museum, to the Museum Tavern and then dropping by 18 pubs down Tottenham Court Road. Though there are fewer today, its still a trip worth attempting, and the Museum Tavern is a great place to start!
6. Take a tour by black cabs
  
  If you’re feeling like P Diddy, why not treat yourself to a black cab tour? London has more than 20.000 licensed black cabbies. These guys have to prove they have ‘the knowledge’ of London before they can get their license. They are basically the perfect tour guide, and will be able to show you around to the nooks and crannies which most Londoners have never seen. If you ask nicely that is!
May 5, 2016
5 things to do in London this weekend – The April edition

Afternoon peeps! I thought I would start something new on the blog. Tips on what to do in London! What do you think? Is that something you would be interested in? They say if you are tired of London, you’re tired of life. The thing is, in London there is always something to do, if you’re not careful you can get a serious case of FOMO (Fear of missing out). So I thought I would share with you some of my favorite things to do in London. Some of these are even free! If you’re new to London I recommend checking out my previous post on top tips on surviving in London here. Happy reading! Or shall I say, Happy exploring!

Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Ooo la la la and sacré bleu! The Victoria and Albert Museum is hosting this revealing exhibition about the changing roles and practicalities of underwear through the centuries. You can see more than 200 men and women’s garments and accessories, as well as photographs and films. You can even catch items worn by Queen Victoria’s mother and Kate Moss!

Visit Europe’s first Thai Temple

The Buddhapadipa temple, in Wimbledon was the first Thai temple ever built in Europe. How cool is that?! Actually it was setup in Richmond in 1965 but moved in 1976. The grounds and its training center is open to visitors as long as they observe the rules.

Eat at London’s oldest indian restaurant

Veeraswamy is the UK’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant. It was established in Regents Street in 1926 (and its still there!) Customers have included Charlie Chaplin, King Hussein of Jordan and Marlon Brando!

Buy Swedish at Totally Swedish

The Totally Swedish shop, in Crawford Street, combines the flavor of Sweden. A calling for all those swedes that call London home! Swedish food, children’s products and handicrafts. Its like IKEA in central London!

Drink in a Victorian Gin Palace

The Princess Louise, in Holborn built in 1872 is one the finest remaining examples of a Victorian Gin Palace, with a fantastic decor dating back to the 19th century, its also has victorian toilets! (ok a little ew)

April 13, 2016