Tag Archives: UK

England, Events, My articles / researches, My Life, Reviews, Steffi Says

Remember, Remember

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…The 5th of November!!

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For those who are not in the know, the 5th of November is the night we celebrate Guy Fawkes.

But… Who was Guy Fawkes?
Imagine England in the 1600s.. Still under shock and divided between Catholics and Protestants; of course this goes way back since the reign of King Henry VIII. Four kings later, religion did not change and the pressure was still undergoing. The story of Guy Fawkes happened two years after James I was crowned as king. In fact, Fawkes was one of the main members of The Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of Catholics have attempted to bomb, or rather blow up the House of Parliament and kill the king. The idea was to protest against the rule of a Protestant King. Guy was the chosen one, the one to light the fuse on D DAY. Because of this reason, he got a lot of attention regarding the conspiracy story; and also a day named after him.

If the story sounds familiar to you… It is probably because you have watched the film V for Vendetta.
Join me tonight and make it a yearly habit; Join me by watching this. Lets remember this night of treason, together.

So, what are we celebrating on this day?
I would dare say, that for the Brits, this day is Thanksgiving Day. The tradition itself started on the same day and year that the Gunpowder Plot had the failed coup. It started as a joyful celebration of Londoners, relieved that their King was saved. This was done by the means of a bonfire.
As time went by, the celebration became more elaborate. Preparations for the Bonfire Night did not include just the bonfire, but also fireworks. Before this day, some would also dare making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, the Pope and some even of politicians. Guy’s dummy is placed on top of the bonfire, and once it is alight, people would throw into the fire the other dummies. Fireworks display fills the sky all over Britain, and some would also light their own fireworks from their home garden.

Bonfire Night is not just celebrated in Britain, as the tradition itself crossed oceans all over and has become popular in a lot of the British colonies along the years. Canada and New Zealand for instance still celebrate it.

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When I lived in England, I was very keen about this Day. I even got my own mask. X
Movies, Reviews, Steffi Says

Pixels The Movie – Review

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After spending weeks debating whether I should watch Pixels the movie, I decided to give it a go. May I just say that it was the best decision I made today? ;P

Joking aside, this movie is not only hilarious, creative and fun to watch, but it made me reminisce my childhood.. The 80’s games… the gaming arcades… I used to spend hours playing pac-man and hating on the ghosts chasing it. What about Donkey Kong? I think it was the first game I played with the character Mario, and like the tradition goes, he is always up to rescuing pixilated women or princesses, in this case Pauline.

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Other video game characters and games which contributed in the movie are Galaga, Frogger, Tetris, Paperboy and Ceintipede among many more. Low and behold, Toru Iwatani; the creator of Pac-Man is also part of the movie. This is how awesome and geeky it is!!

Actors such as Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad makes this movie even more watchable. These actors are well known in the comedy genre, and with that pinch of nostalgia and nerdy vibe, it is just the cherry on the cake.

Have a look at the trailer:

Let me know your thoughts if you actually watched this 🙂

Cardiff, Events, Experiences Abroad, My Life, Reviews, Steffi Says, Wales

Doctor Who Experience

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It has been an awful long time since I wrote something on here… and I am blaming life and lack of inspiration on this. I have been finding it extremely difficult to find time to focus and write something interesting. More so, because in my free time I try to relax a bit, edit a few photos from my holidays in June and July or watch TV Series.

So, I thought, I should review one of the places I have been to while in Cardiff. Let’s start with the Doctor Who Experience… because, why the hell not? 🙂

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We made our way to the Doctor Who Experience on the first day of the holiday. Actually, it was oudw1r first activity after we checked into our hotel. We were staying in Cardiff Bay, so you would think that it was straightforward to locate the BBC venue. Truth be told, we were slightly distracted with the amazing views of the bay and the surrounding, and it took us longer than expected to get there.

But once we did, I had a huge grin on my face. I couldn’t believe I have finally made it… It has been five years since I made up my mind that I should visit this place! We had already purchased our tickets online, so we simply waited for our time-slot and off we went in. The first half of the experience was very interactive and fun. It was the best part of it, in my opinion, however we were not allowed to take photos or videos as not to spoil this for other visitors. Granted, it made sense… but I wish I have captured that moment when I walked in the Weeping Angel’s cemetery or when I flew the Tardis.

Some photos taken outside and around the museum:

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I would definitely return here eventually and would recommend it to all Whovians out there! 🙂

Crazy Outbursts, Lessons Learned, Steffi Says

Of MasterChef & Cooking

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I was having a conversation with one of my closest friends and amongst one of the many topics we tackled, we mentioned taking cooking classes. We thought it would be great to take them together since we both share a passion for the art of cooking, and getting a certification would be a great next step. Apart from this it would also be benefiting for us to get a bit more tips especially in food presentation in my case.

Because of this, we ended up watching a few episodes from MasterChef The Professionals UK. I must say, that I love the concept of this series, were really great chefs from around England (and the world) battle out each other. Furthermore, it is also good inspiration for me, and I can definitely get some ideas to what I will attempt to cook in the next couple of weeks. The most disappointing thing is, that one hour, in reality is a very short time to prepare a good dish especially when you are expected to prepare a quality, well presented, tasty meal. It’s almost sad to see some of these really talented chefs being brought down to tears on TV.

Even if I ever become a renowned chef, I don’t think I would ever pluck up the courage to test myself this way, in front of millions of viewers. I think this experience can either build you up or break you (or your reputation that is!).

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My articles / researches, Steffi Says

Snowy London

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snow london

Most of my friends who live in London, have accepted the fact that they won’t be seeing more than an inch of snow this winter, just like it has happened in the previous years. But not today… This morning, London woke up to a blanket of snow, and according to the weather forecast this is expected to last for a while longer. In fact the Siberian gales are bringing five days of sub-zero weather. The temperature is expected to drop at around -11 degrees celsius.

I think it would be beautiful to see the City of London covered in white… But since I cannot just buy a flight ticket and see it for myself photos will have to do….

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The House of Parliament and the surroundings covered in snow
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Swimmers taking a dip in Serpentine Lido, in London’s Hyde Park
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Home of Cricket is all white
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Snowy Stanmore Station; North West of London

Main source for these beautiful photos… The Daily Mail

Meet My Cats, Steffi Says

Meet My Kitties

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Micki (left) & Mia (right)

A few months after I bought my house back in 2013, I realised that life without pets made no sense for me. I love cuddles, and I thought I needed some. So that was when I started looking for Mia.

After a long and extensive search to find a UK breeder who would send one of their Bengals over to Malta, I met Stella. Over Christmas time, we were arranging for Mia’s trip over to Malta, and it was on the 15th of January, 2014 that she arrived here.

Mia was shy at first, but she was running around the house after 15 minutes; chasing me and all sorts of toys I got before her arrival. Needless to say, she has a good life here.

And it became even better, when in August, Micki… my Savannah boy joined us. Mia’s companion.

We had a rocky start until they grew fond of each other. Nowadays they sleep together, they clean each other, they run after one another. They are fun to be around, and they are quite loud, excruciating at times! But I wouldn’t have them any other way!

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Mia (left) & Micki (right)
Conwy, Experiences Abroad, My articles / researches, My Life, Steffi Says, Wales

The Majestic Conwy Castle

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When it comes to castles, I have seen quite a few in England and Wales, but Conwy castle has made a huge impact on me. Be it, the fact that it is gritty and dark, and has a very medieval feel to it… Or perhaps because it is the entrance to the historic town of Conwy and of course, the background behind it of Snowdonia.

Look at this image.. you will get what I mean:
Conwy (featuring Castle & walled town) Aerial North Towns & Villages
This is the only photo in this article which is not mine. © Crown copyright (2013) Visit Wales

The castle was constructed under the monarchy of Edward I between 1282 and 1289.

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The wall of this magnificent castle is made up of eight large circular towers and fours smaller towers. The insides of the castle are almost in ruins, but this adds to the grim factor of this castle. There is however enough remains to let you imagine what living in this castle must have been like.

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I have spent hours wandering around in this castle. It is large and fully accessible to the public at a very decent price of £6.75 per person.