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@flapiz

Joined 28 August 2022 · 2047 posts

Hello my name is Flo. I am a foodie, a nurse, a nature enthusiast, and lover of anything cute and beautiful.

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@flapiz

My Moroccan Stray Cats Gallery Good day everyone! Today I will write about a topic I am very passionate about and one that is very close to my heart, stray cats! Growing up, I have been known to bring stray cats home. And I remember my brother shaking his head as we already have too many cats and we are all so severely allergic to fluffy things, pollens, and dust. Don't get me wrong, he loves them too, he is quite a softie with animals so as the rest of the family. When I was traveling in Morocco, I noticed a lot of these poor creatures in the desert. It is said that there are roughly as many street cats in Morocco as there are humans. I initially remembered, after the third cat photo I took, I said to myself, "I will have an album full of MoroCATS". Which to me was short for Moroccan street cats. Surprisingly as I am writing this article I learned that I am not the only tourist who thought of this. I found a lot of articles and photography of Moroccan street cats. Wow the world is full of cat lovers I would say! The life of a stray cat is rough, and I could only imagine even more so in the desert where the weather conditions are severe and where water is scarce. But luckily God adores cats and has made them hardy creatures and has given them 9 lives to compensate for their tiny size and dangerous tendencies. Also Moroccans are known to be very kind to their strays, especially cats. Despite the poverty, Moroccans still manage to share food scraps and water to their street wanderers. Apparently in the Muslim culture, one can execute pre-prayer ablutions with a bowl of water from which cats have drunk. In that respect, these gatos have actually been ensured survival in a Muslim country. Although this may seem like a sob story it isn't. It is actually the opposite. It is a story of awe! These creatures have been **surviving** the desert for the most of their lives. And this makes me believe that someone is silently looking after them. As my dad used to say to me, God looks after even the tiniest of creatures. I would like to believe that he is right! If only I can take them on a flight and give them all homes, but I cannot. It is hard to make cats travel as the paperworks can be both tasking and expensive. But I trust they will continue to thrive so long as there are little mercies bestowed to them by nature and human kind. So I hope the next time you see a stray cat, if you cannot feed them, please be kind and do not hurt them. They already have enough struggles to worry about than your flying pans and pots. And please do not feed them poison that is just inhumane. My sister told me our adopted cat Dapnu has been missing for days now. We are worried someone has decided to get rid of him. But we are praying he has found little mercies along the way and hopefully just got re-homed. Anyway that's it for now I hope you enjoy the photos! Cheers!

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@flapiz

My Van Gogh Immersive Experience I am a fan of the arts! Both classical and modern ones. I enjoy beautiful and creative things a lot. It inspires me to create too and be more imaginative and vibrant! Today I will share with you my encounter with Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience in London. I have my fellow art enthusiast and friend here, @Moooniac , to thank for supplying me with the idea for this article as I am on a writer's block at the moment. Anyway let's hop along! I had the pleasure of experiencing Van Gogh in a 360 degree environment for my birthday last year with my friends. The exhibit was held in Shoreditch which is considered as a very arty area in London. We arrived fashionably late as we unfortunately struggled with the transportation in London, it's a nightmare as usual! We remembered being worried of being refused entry and losing the 20£ we paid for the ticket without even getting a glimpse of Van Gogh but the guards were very lovely to have let us in. Before we entered the exhibit proper, the staff gave us free sips of tea whilst in the queue and sent us along to explore the Van Gogh maze at our own pace. In the exhibit we saw a lot of Van Gogh's artworks and also learned a lot about his life and his struggles. Van Gogh was quite infamous for his suicide and its underlying cause, which was, his severe manic depression exacerbated by his vices. He suffered a lot of psychotic episodes and at one point he even cut off his own ear. He was also rumoured to suffer a certain type of colour blindness. With this premise, you would really think, this man was born to fail. In his entire living years his art was snubbed and ignored as people have labelled it as a work of a madman. But when he passed away, people started seeing him from a different perspective. He has become "the misunderstood artist." He started inspiring the world and his popularity started to spread like wild fire. Even famous singer Don Mclean ended up writing a masterful song about him. It makes me wonder a bit of how much humanity tend to celebrate a tragedy more than a simple triumph. It also makes me wonder if Van Gogh would've ended up this famous if he hadn't killed himself? To an extent I think that he would still have ended up famous, even if he ended up living over 37 years old, as his artworks are very distinct and awakens a certain marvel! But this is something that we unfortunately will never know for sure. My favourite part of the exhibit was the end of it where you can step inside Van Gogh's painting and enjoy a *Starry, Starry Night!* It was so beautiful and mesmerising I really could stay there all day if we didn't have other plans. The exhibit was memorable to me because I really do love Van Gogh as an artist and it was great to know more about him as a person. It may be a tragedy how he passed but it is also still quite amazing to see how someone of such obstacles and impairment have managed to eventually win the world with his compelling art. Being inside his painting felt so surreal to me. It was a dream come true and I truly hope my article makes you dream of it too. Tell me about your thoughts down below. Cheers!

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@flapiz

5th Monthsary and Other Relationship Milestones Hello everyone it's great to be writing again. I have not written so much in the past couple of days. To be honest out of laziness and lack of focus. My bad. I have failed to keep my daily article streak so I am going to try to make up for it in the next couple of days. Today I will just be talking about how my weekend has been and why I have been quiet. On the 24th of this month was my boyfriend and my *monthsary*. For my none Asian friends here, it just means 5 months of dating and well an excuse to celebrate the little mundane things of a relationship. Definitely not as grand as an anniversary, but equally as important. My boyfriend and I didn't do our usual dining out this monthsary, as I wanted to save his pockets really. So instead, we got each other gifts and our usual monthsary cards and spent our special day at home playing our favourite game, Mobile Legends and watching and finally finishing, Better Call Saul. For this monthsary, I got my boyfriend a moka pot. He's been raving about it ever since we tried it at my landlady's house so I figured why not get this poor bugger his own moka and enjoy amazing coffee in the process. We got a red one by Bialetti, of course an Italian brand for my Italian lover. 😂 I think it is kind of a gift for myself too really. We count this as our first kitchen apparatus together. Since we got the moka pot for the coffee we also bought an Italian coffee ground, Lavazza! And we paired it with a cinnamon flavoured pastry. In the evening, we went to his colleague's house for a board game party and a hefty delicious African dinner. ❤️ It is a milestone for us as a couple as this was the first time I met his colleagues properly, apart from his housemates and the casual bumps in town. I was really nervous because I am quite a socially awkward person but they turned out to be a really cool bunch of nerds! I enjoyed hanging out with them and even won the Cards Against Humanity game! 😉 We also made 2 type of pizzas from scratch last weekend. My boyfriend done most of the kneading and bread bits as I didn't want anything to do with flour. I helped with putting the toppings. I want to do a recipe article about it but I am hoping that @Andrea1511 will do it instead as he did mostly everything. But we will see in the near or far future. He's been slacking too. Anyhow, thank you for reading along and that's partly my not so boring weekend. See you later!

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@flapiz

3 Museums in One Day Good day my trusty readers today I will show you around 3 museums from Castle Cornet. There are actually 4 museums but I have already discussed of the first one on another post. If you are curious about it follow the hyperlink. https://read.cash/@flapiz/inside-castle-cornet-an-800-year-old-castle-part-i-af52a1ee The 3 Museums I will be talking about today are namely as follows: Royal Guernsey Militia Museum; Royal Guernsey Infantry Light Regimental I Museum; and 201 Squadron RAF Museum. The first 2 museums are in one building so I will talk about them collectively to save us some time and to save my sanity. Don't get me wrong I love writing about them, it's just that sometimes it feels like I am writing a history homework and for sure we can all agree that home works can be a bit of a drag. 😂 **Royal Guernsey Militia Museum and Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Regimental I Museum** Built back in 1746 as a garrison hospital, this building now houses two museums. The Royal Militia Museum which has fascinating displays of restored weapons and uniforms and the Regimental I Museum which tells the story of the regiment during World War I. The Militia was first mentioned back in 1331 but it is believed that even before this date, the islanders have formed an armed body to defend Guernsey. In 1372, during the French invasion, the militia were badly wounded and their only other active service was during the siege of Castle Cornet. For the remaining of its 6 century history, the militia men and their wives quietly guarded the island against all comers. During The Great War plenty of Guernsey men and women joined the British or Allied Forces. However, in 1916, it was decided that Guernsey should send its own regiment to join the war. Whilst the upper floor was dedicated to the Royal Militia the ground floor of the building was dedicated to Royal Guernsey Light Infantry and others from Guernsey who took part of The Great War. **201 Squadron RAF Museum** This Museum is "Guernsey's Own" squadron museum, which tell the story of the 201 Squadron, the oldest in the Royal Airforce and was the last to retain a local affiliation. This squadron carried the sobriquet "Guernsey's Own" until it got disbanded back in 2011. This museum celebrates the 70 years of unique affiliation between No 201 Squadron and the Island of Guernsey. It also commemorates the history and adventures of the 201 Squadron, and pays tribute to its pilots and the plane they flew during their almost 100 years of service. The 201 Squadron was earlier known as No1 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service back in 1914. But it was renumbered in 1918 when the Royal Airforce was created. They served during the First World War by bringing down the first Zeppelin in 1915. From the later part of the 1920s up to modern times, this particular squadron specialised in maritime reconnaissance. They also played a role during WWII by attacking German U-boats with the use of Sunderland flying boats. The 201 also aided during the Cold War by flying Shackletons and Nimrods. Furthermore, they were also valuable in the search and rescue operations in the Gulf and Afghanistan. A special link was forged between the Squadron and the island of Guernsey during the dark days just before WWII. During the squadron's 80th anniversary they were granted The Privilege of Guernsey. The first squadron museum opened on 1978 was actually located in the castle guardhouse but it was moved to its current location by, my favourite monarch, HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2001. Bottomline, museums are a mirror to the past. It is a place to learn, to day dream, and to reflect on things. It is an indispensable building that ensures that cultures and triumphs are celebrated and defeats and sacrifices are not forgotten. It makes me happy to see museums have evolved to be more interactive and fun so it can appeal to younger audiences of today. Anyway that is all for now. Thank you so much for reading and tagging along my tour. I appreciate you. I hope you enjoyed this. x

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@flapiz

We got a new moka to make our coffee with. Trying it for the first time.

@flapiz

Guernsey Honesty Boxes And Shops When I was little, I use to read the quote from the BCBP or Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals. It goes like this, ***" Be honest even if others are not, even if others will not, and even if others cannot".*** This quote is also written on the wall of my elementary school. So growing up, I have always valued honesty and try to exercise it as much as I can, maybe except for some occasional little white lies to spare other people's feelings. Lying has always been quite difficult for me. Because I too wish other people to be honest towards me. Honesty equates to honour, integrity, and sincerity. It is golden. It is not always easy to practice. And these days we find that sometimes people just can't be honest anymore. We then develop a sense of mistrust and we become cautious towards other people, specially people we barely know. We lock our houses, put security codes in our devices, install surveillance cameras, and other measures to ensure that we aren't cheated on or scammed. So it was much to my surprise when I first wandered the tiny roads and streets of Guernsey, to see a plentiful of honesty boxes. I remembered thinking out loud, "Wow the Guerns are too trusting! They believe so much in honesty and humanity. Are they for real?" I was truly baffled and amazed. For those of you who have not heard of honesty boxes, it is simply a way of charging for a product or service using the honour system. Usually it is just a box with the products and the price label on them and a little tin can or piggy bank to put your payment in. These boxes are completely unmanned and unsupervised. So people may or may not pay for the goods. Here in Guernsey most of the products sold are flowers, fruits, veggies, homemade preserves, firewood and kindle, crafts and DIYs, fresh eggs, baked goodies, and second hand stuff. Normally they prefer cash payments, but some accepts barter or trade, one shop even accepts pay pass or card. Generally, I would say people proved to be quite honest and trustworthy in Guernsey. As if they were not, this system would have been long gone. Some people when they cannot pay leaves a note and comes back the next day with the payment. Although this is not always the case, and sometimes, we hear in the social media or news about some disappointing people who does not pay for the goods and even vandalise the honesty box. Most of these culprits were found to be teenagers. This makes me really sad and worried how the new generation does not have the same honour and sense of responsibility as the older generation does. To conclude this article, I don't really know until how long this tradition will last. There are a lot of honest people out there, but society seems to be getting more and more corrupted these days. If we don't teach the new generation well and inculcate the values of honesty in them while they are young, we are at risk of having a troublesome world. Thankfully, it is not yet too late. We can still focus on nurturing the value of honesty in our families and in our homes. Hopefully 50 years from now, honesty boxes will not be just a thing of the past. My dear readers, it is a beautiful thing to trust and be trusted, let us not lose it. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think of my article. Cheers!

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@flapiz

Castle selfie at Castle Cornet. Please excuse me for my vanity. ❤️

@flapiz

Inside Castle Cornet: An 800 Year Old Castle Part III Hello my lovely readers! This is my 3rd and hopefully final castle tour of Castle Cornet. I really apologise for this being so lengthy as my blog is also kind of my scrap book to keep memories. And I want to be as detailed as possible to ensure that the memories remain alive through the years. For those of you who haven't seen the first and second part of this click on the huperlinks. ❤️ Let's proceed to the tour! https://read.cash/@flapiz/inside-castle-cornet-an-800-year-old-castle-part-i-af52a1ee https://read.cash/@flapiz/inside-castle-cornet-an-800-year-old-castle-part-ii-e4bb6916 ***10. Citadel Entrance*** Unfortunately the citadel access prohibits entry. So I will just talk a bit about its entrance. The gateway leads to the citadel which consists of 19th century bombproof casemates and more modern bunkers. The area was originally at the centre of the medieval castle. ***11. Sally Port*** A narrow gateway through the outer wall of the medieval castle c.1220. This served as a secondary entrance of the castle. This allowed easy entry or exit by the castle garrison. ***12. Historic Gravestones*** Just outside Sally Port, inside a magazine or ammunition storage constructed back in 1680, is where some historic gravestones can be found. In 1967 part of the grave yard at St. Sampson's Church collapsed into an adjoining quarry. Because of the risk of further collapse, all the human remains of that graveyard were re-interred in another part of the cemetery. Five of these tombstones were considered to be of historic interest, were place in castle cornet for safe keeping. ***13. Well Battery*** A solid tower built on the outer wall of the castle c.1535. The cannon on this platform protected the beach and potential landing place below the tower. It also protected the castle from any attack from the sea. On the right hand-side of this battery are picnic tables for visitors who are bringing food. ***14. Traversing Carriage*** Traversing carriage enabled the gunners to fire shots over a much wider area as the gun could be swivelled round a central pivot. This gun is a 24 pounder which dates from the 18th century and bears the royal cipher of George III. The carriage is a modern replica. This is actually a part of the South Battery but I think it deserves its own spot. ***15. South or Water Battery*** Built in 1590, this projecting gun battery protected the southern approaches to the castle. Later converted for use by a 19th century traversing gun. Also contained a German gunpoint named, Emma. We found some pretty views from up here. ***16. The Governor's Garden*** This garden is based on details found in the Bastide plan of Castle Cornet dating to 1734. It follows the original layout of beds and paths and illustrates the formality of the period. ***17. Sutler's House*** Built in 1550 and was originally the accommodation for the Sutler or the quartermaster who would've distributed supplies to the soldiers in the castle. The building survived the explosion of 1672. On site too is the Sutler's Garden. ***18. Prisoner's Walk*** Built in 1220. Is a strongly fortified passageway leading to the medieval citadel. The upper section dates to the 13th century. It was later used as an exercise area for prisoners. ***19. General Lamberts Garden*** Whilst imprisoned in the Castle Cornet between 1661 to 1671 General Sir John Lambert cultivated this garden. It has been recreated with plants similar to those Lambert would've grown. ***20. Barbican*** The Barbican formed a defensive tower at the entrance to the medieval castle. It was enlarged during the French occupation of the castle between 1338-45. ***21. Noon-Day Gun*** Made in 1799 it carries the arms of George III. The gunners wear replicas of the tunics that would've been worn by local men in the Guernsey Militia Regiments between 1868-81. They fire this every 12:00 noon. ***22. The Refectory*** To conclude our visit to the castle, we had some pecan pie with some coffee at their refectory or cafe. This building used to be the Upper Barracks and Married Quarters back in 1745-1750.  Bottomline, Castle Cornet is definitely a historical gem in Guernsey. It offers you sights of St. Peter Port that's not been seen by people who have not visited it. For an affordable price, you get to see the castle and 4 different museums within it. So if you ever visit Guernsey please add this on your list!  PS. There are 3 more museums within the castle that I have not discussed yet, the 201 Squadron RAF Museum, the Royal Guernsey Militia Museum, and the RGLI Museum. But I think that would be another story. Cheers!

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Doggies trying to socialise. My heart just melted at them. I love the golden light one, she looks like she had just been groomed ❤️

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Guernsey Seafront Sundays! Hello everyone! Today I am going to talk to you about a popular and exciting summer event in Guernsey. Guernsey may generally be considered as a quiet island in most parts of the year, but when summer comes it definitely transforms into a more vibrant place. Not only because of the increase number of tourists, but also because of what they call Seafront Sundays! Every summer, on certain Sundays, the roads of St. Peter Port Seafront gets blocked off from cars and traffic and gets transformed into an al-fresco vibe, very busy, street market. This allows the local businesses and charities to showcase their products and services and to spread awareness for their causes. It also allows artists and crafters to show their skills and works. Lastly, this provides a venue for the local entertainers to promote their talents and music to the public. Each Seafront Sunday has a varying theme, but all of it do give you the chance to walk along the seafront, and enjoy a casual and friendly ambience. If you have furry friends, you can even bring them along with you, and they can also socialise too. It is also guaranteed that you will find good food, interesting arts and crafts, and entertaining music as you stroll along the stretch of the sea front. I have spent a lot of Seafront Sundays with my friends during my stay in Guernsey. And I have also walked a lot there with my boyfriend, Andre. I really love the social atmosphere it makes me feel like I am on holiday. Initially, it was hard for me resist the impulse shopping on the first couple of Sundays and I ended up with so many new crafted accessories. Let me put emphasis on this, TOO MANY! Some of them I loved and some of them I wonder why I bought. 😂 My friend Joy2x and I are a deadly combination for the wallet. But the more you go, the more self control you learn. It is a good practice of discipline really. 😂 Now I am just content with just window shopping and maybe the occasional pig out. Unfortunately for this year Seafront Sundays are finished. The last one was last Sunday. So the Guerns are back to retreating in their homes as the cold starts to envelope the island again. I do hope you enjoy the photos I shared in this article. Have you got an open air flea market or something similar at your locality? Let me know down below about your experiences and what you think about the Guernsey Seafront Sunday. Below are some more photos of the Seafront Sundays I have attended. Cheers!

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Inside Castle Cornet: An 800 Year Old Castle Part II Hello again lovely readers. As promised here is the second part of my visit to Castle Cornet. If you have not seen the first one just click on the hyperlink. Anyway without further ado, let's pick up where we left off. https://read.cash/@flapiz/inside-castle-cornet-an-800-year-old-castle-part-i-af52a1ee ***3. Saluting Battery*** The 16th Century curtain wall was broadened in the 19th century to build the Saluting Battery. The cast-iron Saker cannons that are here now are just mere replicas, as the Germans had removed the original during the Second World War. There are 7 of them overlooking St. Peter Port harbour and they are used to fire salutes on special Occasions like the Queen's birthday each year and now for her passing. ***4. Tower Bastion*** The Tower Bastion is a projecting gun battery built on 1570 to help protect the castle. It overlooks Guernsey and the approaches to the castle gate. It is on the right hand side of the castle just next to the Saluting Battery. In the Tower Bastion, you can also find a German Gun Position c.1942. It is named after a girl named, Else. If you go inside you would see a picturesque view of St. Peter Port. It makes you feel like it is more of a leisurely place to watch the world go by, rather than a strategic war location. ***5. West Bastion*** Moving forward we walked towards the West Bastion which is another projecting gun battery built on 1570 for defensive purposes. It provided a good vantage point from which the western side of the castle can be protected from attacks. It also somehow has a tiny little green house with tomatoes and flowers on the inside. ***6. Gunner's Tower*** This round tower has projected corbel stones around the top which would have originally supported a parapet. Inside it were remains of two gun ports for cannons. Andrea and I had a look. It was so dark so we needed two phone torches to see what's inside. The photos are down below. ***7. Mewtis Bulwark*** An artillery platform dating from 1535 on the site of a 13th century tower. The cannon here protected the landward or western side of the castle. You can find a German personnel shelter here called by a German girl name, Ursel. ***8. Site of Donjon*** The donjon or keep was a large circular tower at the heart of the castle c.1210. It was totally destroyed in 1672 when a lightning strike triggered an explosion of the gun powder stored there. The force of the blast was so strong it destroyed the buildings of the inner ward of the castle. These included the Medieval Great Hall, the chapel, and the domestic quarters of Lord Hatton, the then governor of Guernsey. 7 people were killed including Lord Hatton's wife and his mother. 9. Chamberlayne's Mount Guess what guys? More cannons! This is a mid-16th century artillery platform overlooking the town. The present guns here date from the early 19th century. There is a late 19th century gun position here, as well as a German gun position from 1942. There are also benches for tourist and visitors to sit in to view the sea. Need I say, the view from here is stunning. You can see the lighthouse from here. Sorry guys, I have to cut this tour short again. I tried to fuse everything in this article but I am afraid the massiveness of the castle warrants a part III. If I missed out some information despite this, apologies. But I must say, I took notes to make this quite a detailed and organised tour for you. Thank you so much for sticking around up to this point as your trusty tour guide takes another break. I understand that if I continue babbling now, I will sure lose your attention so please come back again for more. Cheers! And thank you for reading!

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A little green house with some veggies at the West Bastion of Castle Cornet. I'm loving the pretty tomatoes!

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Inside Castle Cornet: An 800 Year Old Castle Part I Hello everyone! I am so excited, as today, I am going to share with you our visit to Castle Cornet, the castle that guarded St. Peter Port's harbour for 8 centuries! That's 800 years guys! It is very ancient! In this post, you will see loads of beautiful photos of the castle interior, as well as, a view of St. Peter Port rarely been seen, which is from inside the castle! Castle Cornet is located at the southern arm of St. Peter Port Harbour. We have passed it several times during the pandemic but only ever managed to enter it this year as the restrictions were lifted! Entrance fees are as follows: for adults £ 10.50; children 7-18 years old £3.00; children below 7 years old free. Castle Cornet prides itself for its 4 Museums, battlements, refectory, shop, and amazing views of the island and its neighbouring islands. To make this tour more organised, I will show you around in the order that we visited them in. ***1. Ticket Office and Gift Shop*** Of course the first stop was the ticket office also serving as a gift or souvenir shop, as we did have to buy our tickets and also get a map. This actually used to be the Guard Room back in year 1850. It is made of bricks with a veranda on cast iron pillars and was used by castle deputy guards. ***2. Story of Castle Cornet Museum*** From the name itself, this museum is dedicated to telling the castle's 800 year legacy beginning from the 13th century up to the present day. This museum was built back in the mid-eighteenth century and was a lower barracks building. During our visit, there were 2 floors open to public with exhibits varying from creative reconstructions, replicas, models and original artefacts. Working your way up the building, you can follow the castle and its occupants through battles fought during the Hundred Years' War, the English Civil War, the years of conflict with the French, and the Second World War. This museum also talks about the prehistoric finds within and around the castle site. And also about pasts trading routes and what it brought to Guernsey then. Below are some noteworthy wax figures inside the museum. Please read the caption if you are interested to get to know them. Here are some more photos of the inside of the Story of Castle Cornet Museum. I think it would occupy a majority of this article , as bless me, I took too many photos and I find them all share worthy and interesting! So as usual, I find myself in a long winded article as I try not to miss out what I have seen. Our tour of the whole castle lasted 3 hours, more or less, so it is quite hard to fit it in just one article. I'm afraid I must say goodbye for now and ask you to come back another day for part 2. It will be well worth it as we will see more of the surrounding areas of the castle. Bye for now. 😉

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The Governor's Garden at Castle Cornet. It has a lovely view of the sea too.

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Big Condor Ferry landing at St. Peter Port. Quite and interesting thing to watch.

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Outside of Castle Cornet. Yes we did have a walk around. 3 hours inside that big castle ❤️

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Meal at Otto and A Lovely Pink Sunset Hello lovely readers! This post will be just a little personal blog and tribute to my amazing boyfriend, the good food at Otto, and the exuberance of mother nature. Yesterday, my lovely boyfriend, Andre, was insisting we go out for dinner instead of cooking in. I guess he was just sick of my cooking at this point. I was really feeling lazy and demotivated to go out but he insisted and won as we also needed to do some groceries an it was pretty much on the way.  We decided to walk 30 minutes to eat at Otto Italian Kitchen and Social Eating. We were lucky because there was a spot for an impromptu reservation booking at 18:00 which was not very frequent as they are almost always fully booked. My boyfriend is very Italian so I get to enjoy Italian Cuisine a lot. A big "YAY!" for that. Otto Italian Kitchen is an authentic pizzeria and bakery inspired by owners' childhood memories of their home town Naples. Owned and ran by Italians, it is definitely authentic right, my very picky boyfriend would attest to that! They serve the finest artisan Italian cuisine and Italian comfort food in Guernsey! For starters we ordered a "tagliere" for 2 which is the Italian version of a charcuterie board with assortment of cured meats, fruits, nuts, bread, and cheeses. We enjoyed it a lot, as it was just a feast of different flavours. We did try to eat the fruit in between the meats and the cheeses to cleanse our palate and make us appreciate all the different tastes it offers. For our second plate, we ordered another starter because I am so in love with the Italian dish called "arancini" which is an Italian rice ball that originated from Sicily which are stuffed, coated with bread crumbs, and deep fried. For our final dish, we ordered the pizza of the day on the special menu which was slathered with tomato sauce, mozzarella and wild boar ragout! It is quite an unusual pizza flavour as this flavouring is mostly used for pasta so we got quite curious. We didn't regret our decision as it was so "perfetta!" I cannot emphasise it more. We somehow managed to finish everything but we had to forego the dessert as we were already extremely full. We finished eating just in time for the sunset at St. George Esplanade overlooking the sea front, which was just right outside the restaurant. We sat on a wall and watched it for a bit before the cold started kicking in and we had to retreat. In summation, I had a really amazing day yesterday and so I missed out on writing my daily article. It couldn't be any more perfect than that! But I always say that when I spend quality time with someone special. That's all for now! Happy weekend! x

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Hello and baonjour! Happy to announce that today was a fine bright day here in St. Peter Port! ❤️

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Sunset by St. George Esplanade this afternoon. It was pink and beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

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A Visit to The German Underground Hospital in Guernsey Hello readers! Today, I am going to be showing you around Guernsey's German Underground Hospital. I was hesitant to enter it at first as a lot of people had told me that the place give them the creeps. And being a nurse, I don't really want to associate anything supernatural or scary to hospitals. But let's just say, my curiosity got the better of me so I went there for a visit with my friend, Ermy. Now here's a little side bit of history, since this is a place of historical importance after all. During most of World War II, the Channel Islands had been occupied by Nazi Germany up until it's liberation day on the 9th of May 1945. During the occupation, a lot of German structures were erected in Guernsey and the largest of them all is the German Underground Hospital which is almost 7,000 square metres of maze tunnels! This hospital was used by the German troops between 1940 to 1945. Initially, it was built as an ammunition store for machine guns but around 1944 it was decided to turn it into a hospital. The hospital is built under a small hill in the heart of Guernsey countryside in the Parish of St. Andrew which makes it almost invisible from the surface, apart from its entrances. It became possible through efforts of forced workers and builders and some of them even perished during the building process. The current admission fee for the year 2022 are as follows: adult £4.50; child under 15 y.o. £2.50; infant under 2 y.o. free entry. The hospital is open daily from 10 AM to 4PM. According to the lady issuing our tickets, one can even make arrangements to sleep overnight or visit the hospital at night time specially during Halloween time. The hospital can also serve as venues for special events and was known to have been transformed as a fashion shows stage, photography gallery, and also a musical theatre stage. If you're a history fan or mainly looking for some spook, then the German Underground Hospital is definitely a place to visit. I must admit the place did give me the creeps too but it may just be because it is quite chilly inside the tunnels. I enjoyed my visit as it is interesting for me to see how healthcare has evolved from then till now. And I think we are quite lucky to be in this generation and to be enjoying a better healthcare situation. It may not be perfect yet, but it did come a long way and the conditions are a lot better. Anyhow that concludes this tour. I hope you enjoyed this!

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We had pork medallion steak for dinner last night including some roasted potatoes and carrots on the side. It was so yummy.

@flapiz

Elvis somewhere in Brighton. The King of Rock will never go out of style!