Adventures in Alnwick

A few weeks after I arrived in the UK, my boyfriend took me to see Alnwick castle. For anyone who doesn't know, it is a castle in the town of Alnwick, Northumberland.  You may have seen parts of it in the Harry Potter films (it was used as a stand in for the interior and exterior of Hogwarts).

If anyone is planning to visit Northumberland or lives in the area and hasn't been to Alnwick Castle, I would highly recommend paying it a visit. Luckily for us, we went on a beautiful, sunny summer day.** The castle is surrounded by miles and miles of green. There's trees and grass and shrubs and there's a little river (River Aln) that runs near it. Standing in the castle grounds looking out over the fields feels so magical. 

So pretty!

The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland still live in the castle, although I've heard they don't live there during the summer months so they can avoid the crowds of tourists. The state rooms (the area of the castle that they live in) are...incredible. I honestly can't find the words to describe it. Unfortunately they don't allow you to take photos in there but it took me back about 8 years to when I was exploring all the beautiful churches in Italy. The designs and layout of everything in the state rooms are so intricate yet delicate, they are so lovely. I would definitely recommend taking your time going through there, it's absolutely breathtaking.

It was so interesting to read about the history of the castle as we walked through it. There are some museums mentioned as you walk throughout the castle that contain some old artefacts so I added those museums to my ever-growing list of places to visit in the UK. (If anyone has any suggestions of places to go please let me know!)

Do these lights remind anyone else of Harry Potter?

It would be amazing to see the castle all lit up at night.

Events are always being held at the castle, such as a Historical Grounds Tour, a State Room Tour and Broomstick Training. They offer free admission for these events which is fab! Check out the Alnwick Castle website to keep up to date with what's on.

The price of the tickets is only about £13 for an adult which is well worth it - considering you can get it validated for 12 months & get free admission. I'm fairly sure you have to request this - they don't just offer it to you unless you ask about it (well, we did because we read about it on their website and didn't want to miss out). We will definitely be going back soon.

My monkey man ❤︎

If anyone else has been to Alnwick Castle, what do you like about it and why? I'm DYING to  visit the Gardens there too but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I'll definitely be taking loads of photos when I do though, I've wanted to go there since the last time I was in the UK visiting my boyfriend in 2011. If anyone has been there, what is it like? Let me know!

Much love!

xx

**UPDATE: After doing some research I discovered that the castle is only open to the public during the summer, so I wouldn't recommend going any other time of year because they probably won't let you in ;)

Invincible

There have been times in my life when I have come across people who I honestly thought were invincible. People that seem so strong and so sure of themselves that it almost seems as if nothing can touch them. It may not necessarily be someone I've met in person - it could be someone who has written one of my favourite books or blogs, or perhaps someone who has been in more movies than I can count that I grew up watching.

People like Robin Williams.

I never imagined he wouldn't be around at any point in my lifetime. He was someone who was a secure and constant presence in my life. I thought he'd always be there. And although I never met him, he was always there. He was there when I laughed watching Flubber and Mrs Doubtfire, and he was there when I cried watching Aladdin. 

He always seemed so happy and full of joy. He lived a rather quiet life, I never would have guessed he was battling substance addiction or depression. And for me, that's the scariest thing thing. I'm not going to lie, I don't have a perfect life. I have severe depression too. As much as I try to fight it, it's always there. It's something that I believe I'll always have so I just have to get used to living with it. When someone like Robin Williams can't fight it off, how can I? 

His death has honestly shaken me to the core. He was such a genuinely beautiful soul and he will be sorely missed by millions of people. But the memory of him will live forever in the movies of my childhood, and I'll watch them over and over for years to come. Hopefully they'll give me the strength to get through the darkest times in my life as I get older, and the strength to hold others up in their times of need. If I can help even one person feel like they're not alone in my lifetime, that will be the thing that keeps me going. I want to help other people through the hard times and watch them soar in their best times when they come out the other side.

Just A Quick Update

Hello my lovelies!

So I've been super busy trying to stay on top of uni work and assignments recently, but now (thankfully) I've got no assignments due for a few weeks. I have a few things I'd like to blog about...

♥ I have a backlog of 3 MONTHS worth of Birchbox packages to review

♥ I am absolutely loving The Body Shop at the moment so I'm going to share a few of my favourite products with you

♥ While trying to stay on top of uni, I've been trying to take some time out and do things for myself. I've been reading a lot in my spare time and doing some knitting & crocheting here and there - so I'd love to share some of my creations and favourite things with you

...so watch this space!

Much love

xx