Budapest will always be the best

Let me start off by saying that I don’t think I’ll ever visit a city as beautiful and as truly breathtaking as Budapest. I booked a little holiday to Budapest as a surprise for my boyfriend as it was cheap and neither of us had ever been before. Everywhere you looked was picturesque, clean and the architecture is just incredible. Like most places I visit I was nervous about the language barrier as neither of us spoke any Hungarian, however most people were able to speak basic English and they were all so friendly! We stayed in our own apartment which was incredibly cheap (about £50-£60 for the whole trip) and it was within a 5 minute walk to the main attractions and tram lines, I highly recommend Dorottya Apartments.

We had so much fun in Budapest as there were tonnes of places to visit and check out. We even booked a Segway tour which was an awesome way to view the city. Our tour guide, George, has a lot of knowledge and history about the city too so it was very educational. We climbed up Citadella, visited the Parliment building, saw the parade taking down the flag, went to see the Shoes of the Danube River (very emotional, I’d take some tissues!), went to The Hospital in the Rock which was a really good eye-opening experience and many more! Of course we walked everywhere so we got to see a lot of the hidden gems of the city including the cute bookshop (I can’t remember the name though!), we walked around 50 miles in 3 days so it was very tiring luckily I took a good pair of shoes!

The City Bridge at night – beautiful!

View from The Hospital in the Rock (you weren’t allowed to take pictures inside)

On the last night we went to visit a Pinball Musuem, it sounds bizarre but it was totally worth it! There was around 130 machines to play with for free (entry was around £4pp) and you could spend as long as you want there! If you spend under a certain amount of time there you get some money back too! It is such an underrated place and I really recommend visiting it 🙂

Flippergram Pinball Museum

I hope one day I get to go back to Budapest and visit the thermal baths – I can’t believe I went without visiting one of the famous spa’s last time!

Happy blogging!

~ Meg

Why you should drink Lemon water

When I was on a quest to tone up and loose my flabby belly I turned to lemon water – and I don’t regret it one bit! I would have a glass of room temperature water with a wedge of lemon (squeeze in the juice, careful not to get any pips in) and wait 15-20 afterwards before eating breakfast everyday. I’d still exercise and keep up my healthy eating but this little change to my morning routine made a world of difference to my body inside and out. Lets get into the many benefits of lemon water…

1. Helps you loose weight – lemons contain Pectin Fiber which assists in fighting off those hunger cravings
2. Aids digestion – it encourages healthy digestion but loosening toxins and helps to relieve symptoms of indigestion such as bloating, heartburn and burping
3. Reduces inflammation – it will decrease the acidity in your body which helps remove uric acid in your joints which is the main cause of inflammation
4. Clearer skin – the antioxidants help reduce the appearance of blemishes, wrinkles, ages spots and even scars! I found it really makes my skin radiant and glowing, which is great as it is such a cheap alternative to face creams.
5. Immune system boost – lemon juice is full of Vitamin C helping you to keep a healthy immune system, warm up your lemon water to help clear a sore throat.
6. Freshens your breath – the acid in the lemon juice can kill any smelly bacteria giving you fresh breath
7. Cleanses your system – it will flush out the toxins helping to stimulate your liver and enhancing your natural enzyme function
8. Energy boost – I definitely noticed a massive boost in my energy levels after drinking this, it can even help reduce depression and anxiety as the smell of lemon has a calming effect on the body

I really really really recommend incorporating this into your morning routine as I noticed a significant change in my body (so did my mum, she’s a good lass) so hopefully you will too! Let me know if you try it out and what changes you noticed 🙂

Happy detoxing and blogging!

~Meg

Dry brush your skin to maintain a healthy glow!

If I’m honest with you, I’d never heard of dry brushing your skin until a few months ago! But as soon as I heard of the benefits  I grabbed myself a dry brush of eBay (about £5) and started religiously doing it every night. Let me start off with saying that it feels incredible! It leaves a slight tingle on your skin and makes you feel 100x more awake and energised, I felt like I had just had a full body massage, it was insane. But anyway lets get straight into all the benefits…

1. Exfoliation – it provides a rough surface to remove dead skin cells without feeling like you’ve just ripped all your skin off (I know I’ve tried a few exfoliators that feel like smashed up glass). By exfoliating your skin it releases any clogged pores and allows your skin to ‘breathe’. I also find that my legs are so much smoother after shaving.
2. Reduces cellulite & stretch marks – if you keep up a routine of dry brushing it may help to break down the fat deposits below the skin helping to reduce the appearance of cellulite, I know I’ve seen a difference after a week or two of dry brushing every night.
3. Increase circulation – it helps increase your blood circulation which in return encourages your body to take away any metabolic waste. Make sure you brush towards your heart (so brushing in and upwards motion on your legs, this will aid with the circulation)
4. Stimulation – by stimulating your lymphatic system it can help eliminate waste and toxins which can build up in your body making you sick. It will help to detox your body and release the toxins making you feel much more awake and invigorated.
5. Stress relief – many people (including myself) find it relaxing and slightly meditative, especially if you do it in a quiet space with no distractions! It may help to reduce muscle tension, relieve stress and calm your mind.
6. Glowing skin – who wouldn’t want tighter and glowing skin with just one little brush?

All in all it’s a great habit to get into, make sure you leave 5-10 minutes in your daily routine to dry brush your skin and give your body some loving! I hope you give this a try and see the improvements like I did!

Happy brushing & blogging!

~ Meg

When life gives you Lemons, make Lemon Drizzle cake…

It’s true, you should make Lemon Drizzle cake with life’s lemons rather than lemonade and this awesome recipe will produce the most insanely soft moist lemony cake with a delicious tangy glaze – yum! So lets get started…

Ingredients:

•  225g of self-raising flour
• 225g of caster sugar
• 225g of unsalted butter – preferably at room temperature (I put mine in the microwave for 30 seconds on high)
• Finely grated zest of one lemon (make sure to check if the lemons are waxed or not, you don’t want the waxed ones)
• 4 eggs

For the glaze:

• Juice of 1 and a half lemons
• 85g of caster sugar

First preheat your oven to 180C (fan assisted ovens 160C/Gas mark 4). Next beat the sugar and softened butter together until smooth and creamy. Then add in your eggs one at a time making sure to beat it after each egg. 

After all the eggs are incorporated you can start sifting in the flour making sure there isn’t any lumps. Once the flour has all been sifted give the mixture a gentle mix until it’s just combined, if you mix it for too long you will activate the gluten in the flour giving you a tough chewy cake – yuk!  Now you can add your grated lemon zest (I used the smallest hole possible – no pun intended) and give it a little mix to distribute the zest. Finally it’s time to put it into your desired greased tin (mine are about 4″ by 8″ so I used two tins, I lined mine with greaseproof paper as they tend to burn around the edges if not). Baking times will vary according to your oven and the tins that you use. The perfect time for my cakes is 32 minutes at 160C, but I’d check after 30 to see how they look! You can stick in a skewer and if it comes out clean (no wet batter) then your cake is ready!

Once your cake is out of the oven prick the top multiple times with a fork – this will allow the glaze to soak through and keep the cake nice and soft! Mix together the sugar and lemon juice and pour over the top, allow to set slightly before you remove the cake from the tin. Cut a nice thick slab and enjoy your home-made slice of heaven using life’s lemons!

What do you do when life gives you lemons?

Happy baking & blogging!

~ Meg