7 Things I Miss About England When I'm Away

It's been a while since I've been back in my home country. Over six weeks, in fact.

Why, I hear you ask?

Well, I'm across the pond. I'm in the USA visiting my American boyfriend, who lives in Green Bay. Come Saturday though, I'll be on that hairy plane back to Manchester.

Have I loved my time in Wisconsin? Oh, for sure. But do I look forward to coming home? You betcha.

Why? Simply put: there's no place like England. Am I right or am I right?

Here are 7 things I miss about England when I'm away.

1. The accents.

Yes, I love the American accent. And I love the amount of people I get asking me how I am, or telling me to have a great day, even when I've only headed to McDonald's for a cheeky Drive Thru McFlurry. 

Americans might be extremely friendly, with an accent that's wonderful on the ears, but I miss my dear Yorkshire folk.

I miss people greeting me with an "alright, mate" or "hey up, love". I miss being stared at in the street and how miserable people look on their morning commute. I even miss being completely left alone when I visit shops on my local high street or ride the train into the city.

But, most of all, I miss the wonderful English accents. We have such variety in our country with an array of interesting accents - and I cannot wait to hear them all again.

2. The food.

Sure, pancakes, doughnuts, burgers and junk food are all good. But, after a while, I start to long for pie and mash and Wetherby Whaler's famous fish and chips.

And don't get me started on Yorkshire roast dinners. They're pretty much a party in your mouth.

It's also really difficult to get a good cup of tea here. When you order tea in a coffee shop, you tend to get an iced, sweetened version that simply isn't right. It's quite a distressing experience.

Give me a good ol' Yorkshire brew any day.

3. The TV shows.

I might have my ol' buddy, ol' pal Netflix to keep me company whilst I'm over here, but what about the rest of the trashy TV shows that I know and love?

Made in Chelsea, Geordie Shore, TOWIE... I can't get them via Google, I've already tried.

Thank goodness I've got the Kardashians to keep me going, or I might just start having a nervous breakdown.

4. The supermarkets.

Every supermarket looks and feels like Costco over here.

Yes, our supermarkets are smaller (oh Tesco, you bae <3), but they have everything that we need. And, on the whole, food is so much cheaper to buy in UK supermarkets.

I mean, $6 for a gluten free loaf of bread? No thanks, pal.

5. British fashion.

I can't believe that it's taken me until point number five to get onto the subject of fashion... I'm a fashion blogger and writer FFS!

But, it's true - us Brits are well-known around the world for our unique sense of style. We also like to dress nicely, even for a casual affair, whereas a lot of other countries just throw on whatevs for a cheeky trip to Nando's.

Also, street fashion is kind of a thing in England.

I miss being inspired by peeps just walking around our local shopping centre, and being able to nip to my favourite high street retailers whenever I want.

Topshop, H&M, New Look and Primark, you ma homegirls! I'll be back soon <3

6. The charm of the communities.

We might be a small country, but my-oh-my, are we mighty!

One massive thing that I've learned since I've been away this time around is: our little villages and towns have so much character.

Even in small communities, there's always things to do, nice walks you can take, and sights to see. You can't walk anywhere in the US. You literally have to drive to get to your local corner shop.

Well, actually. They don't have corner shops. Everything is on a much bigger scale.

The England communities might be more compact, but they're just so bloody cute! Our country has charm in abundance.

And we've got that nice to stuff to look at everywhere. You know, the quintessential English countryside. There's that.

7. My friends and family.

I love being away and getting to know a different place. This time to Wisconsin, in particular, I'll have been here for seven weeks in total. I'm practically living with my boyfriend, as he just moved into a new apartment on his own right before I got here. 

It's been great, but it's been a different experience - living like a local. But the one major thing that's missing?

The rest of my loved ones.

Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my amazing boyfriend, but I sure as hell miss all my other crazies - and my dog.

Friends and fam-a-lam, I'm so excited to see you all!

If only I could mix my two worlds so that I could have everything and everyone I love in one place, then I'd be the luckiest gal in the world. Maybe one day, eh?

In the mean time, I'm looking forward to being back in my home country with my own kind. 

Because England is awesome. There's absolutely no doubt about it <3

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6 Ways to Spend a Weekend Away in Door County

It might have been two months since I got back from Wisconsin after visiting my boyfriend, but I recently realised that I never wrote about our weekend away in Door County. Until now. And that is a CRIME, because Door County is B-E-A-UTIFUL!

I initially mentioned it on the blog after my first visit to Wisconsin back in December, when I talked about the highlights of my time over there, but I’ve decided that it’s so awesome that it deserves its very own special post.

SO, I apologise profusely that I’m a little late to the party with this – but better late than never, right?

If you’re heading to Wisconsin soon, or want to check out a new destination in the US of A, I’d certainly recommend Door County. With a variety of things to see, and cute little places to check out that look like they’ve jumped right out of a postcard, you’re sure to love it just as much as I do.

Here are my top 6 tips for how to spend a weekend away in Door County.

1. Go to Casey’s BBQ for Friday night Fish Fry.

If you don’t participate in Friday Fish Fry then are you even in Wisconsin? It’s a well-known ‘thing’ in this state that you ain’t gonna get away from. Everybody has Friday Fish Fry and everybody likes an alcohol beverage (or five). Casey’s BBQ - in the adorable little town of Egg Harbor - does crackin’ Friday Fish Fry. If you’re heading up to Door County for the weekend, pitstop here on your drive over so you can gorge on some delicious perch, potato salad and coleslaw. It’s unbelievably yummy - and unforgettable.

2. Stay at the Hilltop Inn in Fish Creek.

Fish Creek looks like those typical small American towns that you see in TV shows and movies. The fact that it’s right on Lake Michigan on the west coast, with its own harbour, makes it positively peaceful and serene. The Hilltop Inn provides amazing accommodation to stay at in the form of two-bedroom houses, complete with their own bathrooms, kitchen and living areas. These houses are spacious, well-kept and homely – and also have their own fireplace in the living area and hot tub in the bath! What more could you ask for?

3. Visit some (or all) of the wineries.

The first time we were in Door County, Nathan took me wine tasting. At 10AM. That’s right, whilst most people were waking up on their Saturday off work and having breakfast, I was getting a little too merry on multiple samples of wine. (Welcome to Wisconsin!) This time around, we waited until a reasonable hour before we started hitting up the wineries (ahem, midday). However, as there’s so many located in Door County, it would be rude to only visit one. (Ahem.) My favourites are Door Peninsula, Harbor Ridge (yes, Americans miss out the ‘U’ in harbour but let’s just gloss over that) and Stone’s Throw Winery. Feel free to check them out, but don’t expect to walk out of any of them sober.

4. Have breakfast at Al Johnson’s in Sister Bay.

Sister Bay is super pretty, with little beaches lining the bay, and what better way to admire the scenery than from one of the restaurants on the waterfront? Al Johnson’s is a Swedish restaurant that has great brunch! Traditional American breakfasts are given a European twist, there are a variety of drinks on offer and I hear they also rustle up a nice dinner. Whether you decide to go for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s definitely an eatery that’s not to be missed!

5. Drive through Bailey’s Harbor to see Lake Michigan.

Want to see Lake Michigan in all its glory? Take a drive through Bailey’s Harbor and you’ll be able to park up right on the edge of the lake and photograph it until your heart’s content. With its multi-tonal blue water and golden sands, its beauty is simply breathtaking.

6. Visit Cave Point.

Cave Point County Park is situated in Sturgeon Bay and features underwater caves, hiking trails and limestone cliffs on the edge of Lake Michigan. When we went to see it, it was extremely cold and icy, which made the cliffs look even cooler! (No pun intended.) We had a little walk along the clifftops – which would have been much more pleasant in warmer weather, admittedly – before we hit the road to get back to my boyfriend’s home town of Green Bay. It was just a LOVELY way to spend our last morning.

It goes without saying that the towns in Door County have some pretty decent shopping too. We spent a good amount of time browsing the independent stores and local boutiques during our two days there. I loved our days out, but there was also nothing better than snuggling up in front of our fireplace at the Hilltop Inn, with a bottle of wine that we’d purchased from one of the wineries earlier that day, and a good film. It’s the little things in life...

...But, it’s also the big things. Door County is seriously great. I’d love to go back in summer now that I’ve experienced it twice during off peak times in winter. I bet it would have a whole different feel to it in the warm weather, with a bunch of tourists swarming around! Either way, I can’t wait to go back and do all of these things all over again. God bless America!

K-xo 

 

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3 Must Do's When Visiting Milwaukee

My recent trip to Wisconsin, where I was lucky enough to spend four whole weeks with my lovely American boyfriend, got off to a fantastic start in the state's largest city.

On my previous visit to my boyfriend's hometown of Green Bay, I had to fly to Chicago, take a coach to Milwaukee and then be picked up by my boyfriend and driven two hours back to Green Bay. I couldn't just fly to Green Bay (even though they have their own airport) as the flight connections were ridiculously expensive. (I'm talking hundreds of pounds extra! No thank you!) This time around, I had the exact same issues with the flights. Skyscanner just didn't want me to be able get to Green Bay cheaply. (How dare they!) However, I was able to fly to Milwaukee from Manchester via Atlanta for a reasonable price.

When initially discussing these flights, my boyfriend and I looked at each other (over Skype, of course, we are in a long distance relationship with an entire ocean between us) and we were both like, hey, why don't we spend the weekend in Milwaukee first before heading back to Green Bay?!

And it was decided, there and then.

I didn't see much of Milwaukee the last time around. It was dark when I arrived at the Intermodal coach station (it was nighttime, after all)  and I was dead as a dodo. (That would be the jetlag!) Needless to say, this meant I was really looking forward to seeing what Milwaukee had to offer (in the daylight).

It turns out: a lot.

Here are my top three must do's when visiting Milwaukee:

1) Take a walk along the riverfront downtown and swing by the Public Market.

Milwaukee is seriously pretty. Mainly because it's on the edge of Lake Michigan. This serious prettiness was emphasised further during our weekend there by the fact that it had just snowed the day before. All the buildings, roads and parks were sprinkled with white - like a winter wonderland.

However pretty, the snow meant that we couldn't walk too far or for too long without shivering ourselves silly as the temperature continued to drop significantly below freezing. (Brr!) However, as we were already staying downtown, we managed to make the trip along the river front to the Public Market. (And it was worth the journey, trust me!)

Milwaukee's Public Market is a rather quirky, indoor set of stalls and vans offering food and drink from independent local merchants. The market's official website describes it as 'bursting with unique, high quality selections of artisan and ethnic products' which I can definitely vouch for - everything looked and smelled amazing!

Unfortunately, as I was suffering from an extreme bout of jetlag at the time (which seemed to strike as soon as I'd stepped foot into the market), it meant that I couldn't sample any of the delicious food and drinks on offer. (I was definitely upset by this at the time! And I still am to be honest.) But it's not going to stop me from recommending visitors of the area - they should get themselves to the Public Market pronto and enjoy stuffing their faces! (I'm not jealous at all.)

2) Visit the Art Museum.

Milwaukee's Art Museum is every art lover's dream. It is one of the largest galleries in the USA with over 25,000 works of art.

As someone who loves and appreciates art, I was a little bit in heaven. Furthermore, it's not just the art itself that is very impressive. You cannot help but look on in awe at the architecture of the building. It's such an uniquely shaped building with a beautifully modern, light and airy interior.

I loved it. Plus, it has its own cafe offering food and bar offering drinks which means the total Milwaukee Art Museum experience makes for an exceptionally pleasant weekend afternoon.

3) Have brunch at Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro.

OMG, I still can't get believe how incredible the brunch was that I had at this adorable French bistro. (It's almost a month and a half later and I'm not over it!) Seriously, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Bartolotta's offer what's called a 'classic brunch' which is four courses of yumminess. It starts with fresh croissants, then you can choose an appetiser, entree and dessert and wash it all down with a casual Mimosa, or two, at 10am on a Sunday. (Mimosas are the American version of Bucks Fizz for all you English folk reading!)

Both the presentation and taste of the food were stunning, along with the restaurant views. You see, this place is not only known for the food, but the fact that it's perched right on the end of Lake Michigan.

On the particular day that we went, there was ice covering some of the lake which meant that the water was glistening and gleaming in the morning sun. It was also gorgeous two-tone blue in colour.

The whole experience took my breath away! An absolute must do.

And there you have my top three must do's when visiting Milwaukee.

I really enjoyed our weekend there and I look forward to visiting the city again soon! I'm growing fonder and fonder of it by the minute.

(I hope this post was useful for anybody about to visit Milwaukee or planning to in the future! Please check out my previous post based on Wisconsin here. Also, look out for my upcoming post on Door County coming soon! Thanks for reading. K-xo)

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8 Highlights of Wisconsin

If you read my last blog post, you'll know that I visited Las Vegas AGAIN in November (three times in two years, such a lucky ducky)! I went with my sister and CTB (Chief Travel Buddy) for five days and then we flew onto Chicago as a pitstop.

While she was grabbing her connecting flight back to Manchester, I was hopping on a coach to Wisconsin... to see A BOY *shocked face emoji*!

Said boy is from Green Bay (home of the Packers) and I probably wouldn't even have thought to venture to the state of Wisconsin (home of cheese curds - SO YUM) if it wasn't for him.

I was in Wisconsin for just over two weeks so I had a bit of a whistle stop tour, starting with the coach journey from Chicago O'Hare airport to Milwaukee (where Nathan picked me up).

Here are my 8 highlights from my time in Wisconsin:

1) Eating perch for the first time at a supper club.

Supper clubs are pretty famous in Wisconsin, especially Friday night's all-you-can-eat fish fry. It's a pretty social experience, where diners come to drink alcohol and talk before they eat, and afterwards STUFF THEIR FACES with fish. (Om nom nom!)

I tried perch for the first time in Green Bay at a suppers club called Farrs Grove... and it was LUSH.

2) Wine tasting in Door County from 10am.

Wisconsinites are massive drinkers - this is a well known 'thing' in America. Nathan helped me fit right in by taking me wine tasting one day at 10am to the wineries in and around Door County.

For those of you who don't know, Door County is on a peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan, north of the city, and it's a pretty scenic area with a lot of parks and shorelines where Wisconsinites like to visit. This brings me onto my next highlight nicely...

3) Visiting Fish Creek.

Fish Creek is the cutest little town in Door County, right on the lake. Because we visited in December, out of season, it was really quiet and peaceful.

It looks like something right out of a film set - so charming and understated. It actually reminded me a lot of Wilmington, North Carolina, which Nic and I visited in January 2015.

I fell in love!

4) Going to the cinema to see 'Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them'.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a massive Harry Potter fan, so naturally I had to go to see the latest instalment set in the Harry Potter world. The cinema in Green Bay has a traditional-old-school-cinema-style exterior which made it feel like an even more special experience.

When the film first began, it was quite slow-paced and, in all honesty, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But it soon picked up and, by the time it had finished, I had really enjoyed it!

Of course it doesn't compare to any of the Potters, but I cannot fault anything J.K. Rowling does. That woman is a bloody GENIUS.

5) Spending a snowy weekend away in Madison.

It was really nice to use Green Bay as a base and then venture off to other places in Wisco, like Door County and Madison.

Madison is the capital city of Wisconsin; it's downtown area is situated between two lakes which makes it VERY PRETTY indeed!

The weekend that we chose to go, it had snowed so it looked EVEN MORE GORGEOUS.

It's quite a foodie city, so we spent a lot of time in nice eateries. We also did a wee bit of shopping (one of my favourite past times) and then I had my first experience in a comedy club on the Friday night which was a lot of fun!

On Saturday night, I got a nice little surprise...

6) Going to see The Nutcracker ballet.

We had previously talked about events going on in Madison the weekend that we would be there, and the first thing that came up was Madison Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Overture. However, the tickets were a little on the pricey side, so we had no choice but to skip it.

I was pretty gutted as I wanted to see the ballet ever since I was a little ballerina myself. (Yes, I used to dance! And yes, I used to love it!)

Then Nathan decided to surprise me by getting us tickets as part of my Christmas present which was really, really lovely of him. (That's how you know you've got a keeper, gals!)

The actual show was incredible with unbelievably talented dancers. I remember having this moment where the music was so powerful that it resonated within my soul, and the dancing was so beautiful, that I couldn't help but tear up. YES, I'M A SOFTIE!

Let's just say, it was an amazing experience and worth waiting 26 years for!

7) Watching the Packers play for the first time.

Another first while I was in Wisconsin was going to watch the Green Bay Packers play the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field.

I always wanted to go to an American football game to experience how it compares to Super League rugby here in England.

My Dad took me to countless Wakefield Trinity rugby games growing up, which I never fully got into but enjoyed all the same, so I was keen to see what all the fuss was about with the Packers and if American football lived up to the hype!

Sure enough, it was such a fun experience and the atmosphere at Lambeau was on fire! The only downside was that it was -5 degrees celsius when we were watching the game and, for a gal who has a crappy immune system, that wasn't good!

8) Going to Wisconsin single and leaving in a relationship.

Isn't it weird to think that I met Nathan in January 2015 in Nashville as friends whilst we were both on nights out? Afterwards we didn't speak for almost a year whilst I was busy with my ex and then we randomly started speaking again. And, since then, he took me out in Chicago (read about it here), came over to England in the summer and drove us up to Edinburgh (read about it here) and now I've just been over to visit him in his home town to spend 16 days with him *cheesy grin emoji*!

Life is weird. I find it so strange that something that I never expected to be anything, turned out to be everything.

Sure, I have to deal with the fact that I'm in a super long distance relationship now (that distance being 3,700 miles) but I simply cannot envisage myself with anyone else. He is worth the hassle!

All in all, I had the most amazing time with Nathan in Wisconsin and I'm thoroughly looking forward to returning in the near future!

So, what's next I hear you ask?!

My sister and CTB are starting the new year with a BANG and going to Thailand. For a whole month. PINCH ME!

By the time you read this, I will already be there... sunning myself, exploring the paradise islands and making the most of my final travelling trip in this series with Nic! BRING IT ON.

Until next time, dolls...

Katie-xo

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3 Things I Loved About Vegas Round 3

As you may have read in my previous post, at the end of November I was about to head to America YET AGAIN for Vegas round three (ding ding)!

Firstly I need to apologise because I said I'd blog while I was out there and unfortunately, due to a number of reasons - jetlag, lingering illness (I had a virus just before I left) and shoddy wifi connections to name a few - I was unable to do so! PLEASE FORGIVE ME?!

Then, when I returned from America a couple of weeks ago, I was busy planning my NEXT trip (more on that later), I got ill AGAIN (chest infections are my bezzie mates these days) and before I knew it, it was CHRISTMAS! (Doesn't it just creep up on you every year?!)

I'm still a bit poorly but I'm well enough to get my laptop out and finally start blogging again! I'm sorry for the delay and I do miss you all when I'm gone!

So let's get right down to it... Vegas round three was awesome.

Vegas is always awesome. Whether you go during the summer, during the winter, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, your birthday, your mate's birthday, your second-cousin-twice-removed's Bar Mitzvah... It's always going to deliver! (I'm guessing, as I haven't personally been on all of those occasions!)

IMHO, it always delivers because there's just so much variety. There's a lot of stuff to do. It just keeps on giving! You could go as a couple and have a completely different experience to if you went with friends (but still just as great)!

The first time my sister, and CTB (Chief Travelling Buddy), headed to Vegas was January 2015 (read about it here) in the middle of winter (even though the weather was still pretty mild). Then the last time we went was June of this year during the EDC weekend (read about it here).

Both times we partied, we shopped, we had a laugh... So much so, that we were ready to do it all again a mere matter of months later!

Even though we'd already spent six nights in total in the Vegas previously, there were still things we could do this time around that we'd never done before.

Here's three things I loved about Vegas round three!

1) We stayed at a three star hotel as apposed to a one star. 

Goodbye, Travelodge... HELLO, EXCALIBUR! That's right, kids - we've gone up in the world.

One good thing about going to Vegas during the low season is that all the fancy hotels are literally half the price. 

Not only does Excalibur look pretty badass (it's the mother on the strip that looks like a castle FYI) but it has literally errrrrythang you need in one place. Starbucks, Johnny Rockets, the multitude of bars and eateries... I'M LOOKING AT CHU!

Our room was spacious and clean, the location on the strip is excellent, the atmosphere in the casino was poppin'... What more could us gals want?!

Oh I know, for the pool to still be open in November. Yes that's right, Excalibur... I SAID IT. Just because it's off season doesn't mean we don't still want to go for a wee dip in the pool. SORT IT ARRRT.

But that's literally only the one complaint I have. Well done Excalibur, you babe you.

2) We were there for Thanksgiving.

The fact that we booked this trip over Thanksgiving was a happy accident. For those of you who don't know, Thanksgiving is a massive holiday in the US. It's almost as massive as Christmas (but not quite)!

Being a big fan of America, I've always wanted to spend a Thanksgiving there. Well, at 26 years young, I finally got my wish! 

Nic (my sister) and I found the most incredible buffet Thanksgiving dinner in our hotel which we spent a good few hours at! We gorged our faces and had such a feast and embraced every moment.

The meal is similar to what us Brits have at Christmas - turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing - with a few tweaks! For instance, can you imagine having a sweet potato and marshmallow combination with your turkey?! Well I couldn't either, but trust me - it's YUM! And I'm converted.

It was so nice to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with one of my fave people not only IN AMERICA but IN VEGAS and we absolutely loved every minute of it!

3) We went to some new places...

...Including the Heart Attack Grill on Fremont Street, which you've probably read about! They're known for their multiple-layer burgers - the most shocking being the Octuple Bypass Burger which is eight layers of burger. Yes, you read that right... EIGHT *shocked face emoji*!

Anyway, it's good to go to once as it's a bit of a laugh... They say the burgers are so fatty they will give you a heart attack, hence the name. All of the customers are known as 'patients' and have to wear hospital gowns to enter, and the servers are dressed up as nurses and doctors. Plus, if you don't finish your meal, you will be spanked. Literally spanked. In front of a restaurant full of people. (I wish I was joking...)

As well as the Heart Attack Grill, we also went to a couple of new clubs including Hakkasan. One of the things I love about partying in Vegas is the abundance of hotspots. It means it never gets boring!

Also, because the clubs are so exclusive, you can dress up as much as you like. Glamour is everything in Vegas, baby! 

It's so fun to put on a new dress, do dramatic hair and make-up and basically pretend like you're a celebrity for one night (or four, in this case)!

We had the best time.

All in all, I adored Vegas round three just as much as round one and two. I could just keep going every year and I will never tire of it - I LOVE THE VEGAS!

I probably won't get to go again anytime soon so it was nice to have one last hurrah with my CTB. We always have a blast when we're together. (It's the sisterly bond, yo!)

But after five days together, it was time to fly onto Chicago and then go our separate ways as she flew home to Manchester and I hopped on a coach to Wisconsin.

TO BE CONTINUED...

(Have you been to Vegas before? What did you think? Thanks for reading! Katie-xo)

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