From Half-Marathons to a Holiday

Apologies for the two week absence but I've had a busy few weeks. Let me update you:

So on May 10th, I took part in the Moonwalk, completing a half marathon power walk through the city of London overnight with my mum in aid of breast cancer charities. After getting fit this year and becoming a regular at the gym, I'd decided to challenge myself to some kind of achievable sporting feat. I'm not a sporty person but I walk a lot everyday so I figured that I could complete a walking challenge. The charity was particularly important to me and my mum because my stepdad's mum died of breast cancer in January so we wanted to do something special in her memory. Cancer has affected many people in my life and even I have had the slightest brush with the disease, so I felt it was important to make an important contribution to combatting it. Me and my mum both raised a considerable amount and surpassed out goals thanks to the generosity of friends, family and workmates. If you'd like to donate you can do so here.

As somebody who has never been one for exercise until recently, I felt an enormous sense of achievement as I crossed the finish line on a gruelling 13.9 mile walk. It's been a long time since I felt proud of myself and the feeling was immense and I felt like I could do it all over again. I think my mum may have had other ideas!

Now I'm looking for my next walking challenge, but little did I know that my trip to Barcelona the following weekend would be just as much of a walking feat! Last weekend me and my best friend Zoe ventured over to the Spanish city to enjoy a few days away for my birthday. Within the first full day, we discovered that the city wasn't as big as we thought and that it was quite possible to walk everywhere in the city. This made exploring the city far easier but also meant that I probably walked another half marathon over the few days I was there!

Barcelona is an amazing city and I recommend it greatly for a long weekend. It's the perfect mix of a city and sun holiday thanks to it's med location and beach as well as exciting districts and streets that offer a mecca of shopping and eating delights. Done right, you can grab a bargain at the flea markets and gothic quarter shops as well as delicious spanish cuisine. I loved being among the amazing backdrop of Barcelona and it was a fantastic place to experience.

We also took a trip up Mount Tibidabo which offers a fantastic view of Barcelona is surprising easy and affordable to do thanks to a bus and tram service.

If I do recommend anything, it has to be an amazing cocktail bar called Dry Martini. Like a 1930s speakeasy, jazz plays in the background and the mixologists are experts at what they do. Slightly more expensive than your average cheap cocktail, this is the place to come for well made drinks, a special atmosphere and to meet other excited tourists.

By some feat, I managed to get my purchases back into my small cabin suitcase which I'd overpacked before I went away anyway. Now I've got the travel bug and just want to visit everywhere! Next on the list, Marrakech!