miss b loves......Munich in the summer.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Munich, a favourite city of mine. I've often been there in the winter but walking around in warmer temperatures really appealed to me. There are so many impressive buildings around every corner......

The National Theatre, home to the Bavarian State Opera
 and the Bavarian State Ballet

There's an abundance of cafés, beer gardens and restaurants with terraces too. One of the advantages of visiting at this time of year is being able to eat and drink al fresco! 

Paulaner is one of the well-known brands of beer. It has been brewed in the city since 1634 and is now exported to over 70 countries around the world!

A traditional wiener schnitzel
 served with cranberry sauce

miss b loves .....Liverpool and The Three Queens

Liverpool is a city with such an interesting past and has always been a favourite of mine. Last month, the Three Queens (the three iconic Cunard ships) Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria met for the first time in the River Mersey to celebrate 175 years of the Cunard shipping line. 

An amazing event with musical entertainment including the Royal Marines Band outside the Cunard building ..... 

....and a fly past by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows, one of the world's best aerobatic display teams.

The event was even more special as we had been invited for lunch in the spectacular Port of Liverpool building.....

 .....where we had the perfect view of the ships' arrival and we enjoyed a slice of celebration cake too! 

miss b loves .......spectacular art in London!

One of the things I love to do in London is take a leisurely stroll around the art galleries. Trying to view everything is impossible and I prefer to concentrate on one area of a gallery or perhaps particular artists. A few weeks ago I managed to pop into four galleries during my three day stay!

Tate Britain which opened in 1897 on Millbank, is not only home to historic and contemporary British art (from 1500 to the present day) but it's also an imposing and impressive building with a stunning domed ceiling.....

........and a very impressive staircase too!

The gallery suffered bomb damage during the Second World War but most of the collection was in safe storage elsewhwere.

miss b loves....Notting Hill, London

I have always been attracted to colourful buildings so it's therefore no surprise that Notting Hill is one of my favourite areas of London. 

Notting Hill now has a reputation as an affluent, fashionable area with house prices to match! Around every corner there are row upon row of impressive Victorian terraces .....

There's no shortage of high end shops, boutiques, cafés and restaurants especially along Westbourne Grove ...... 

miss b loves .....blue skies in London and a visit to Cake Boy.

We were blessed with amazing weather in London before Christmas. The clear blue skies and sunshine were quite unexpected as back home in the North it had been grey and wet for days (and we returned to grey, wet days too!)  

St Paul's Cathedral

As we were staying near Kensington Gardens, it was an opportunity to have a morning walk (and we needed the exercise, especially after a full English breakfast!)

The Italian Garden,
 Kensington Gardens

It really was more like a spring day .......and the pastel coloured houses in Notting Hill looked even prettier against the blue cloudless sky...

miss b loves ..........welcoming the New Year in Dubai.

Happy New Year to you all! I'm finally getting back into a routine! It was such a treat to be able to escape the cold and wet weather in England to enjoy sunshine and blue skies .....

En route to Dubai
on Boxing Day

We were greeted with so many festive touches especially at The Beach with a giant Christmas tree, huge candy canes and baubles which shimmered next to the palm trees .....

The 'snowmen' on the sand were particularly cute and popular for photos too!

miss b loves .......London, all dressed up for Christmas 2014!

Visiting London in the run up to Christmas seems to have become a tradition of ours.......The capital city has always fascinated me and there's something even more special about it during the festive period.....Last weekend we jumped on the train and just over two hours later we were welcomed by the bright lights of London, all dressed up for Christmas 2014 .......

A tree decorated with Fortnum and Mason
 wicker baskets at Somerset House.

Burlington Arcade

The Giant Observation Wheel
 at Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park

miss b loves ....... getting into the festive spirit in Munich

They certainly know how to do Christmas in Germany and during our recent visit to Munich it was so easy to get into the festive spirit!

Mini Christmas stockings
 at Café Luitpold

I wandered around Viktualienmarkt where wreaths were piled high ready to be decorated.....

There were so many unusual decorations to admire........

miss b loves .........an impromptu long weekend in Munich.

Sometimes the impromptu weekends away are even more enjoyable than those which have been planned for months in advance! A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend three days in Munich, a city we have visited before but not during the winter months. It was such a treat seeing it all dressed up and ready for Christmas! 

The enormous Christmas tree in front of the Rathaus(Town Hall) was just about ready for its lights to be switched on!

......and we had arrived just in time to watch again the famous Glockenspiel Clock. As it chimes, tiny figurines re-enact two folklore stories from the sixteenth century .......  

miss b loves ...new openings in Dubai and a few favourite spots

Dubai is one of those places which is forever changing and developing and this for me is one of its attractions. Following on from our fascinating trip to Abu Dhabi last month, we spent a few days revisiting a few favourite spots and discovering new openings in Dubai....

Imagine my delight to find that Ladurée at The Beach had opened at last. 

With views from the terrace over Jumeirah Beach and the Arabian Gulf, this is a very special location. 

This giant deckchair is apparently the largest in the world but I believe the Guiness Book of World Records is in the process of verifying that!

miss b loves ........a gem of a café in Abu Dhabi and a special cappuccinno at the Palace

Having spent much longer than anticipated at the Grand Mosque, we were more than ready for lunch. We headed back into the city to Café Arabia. I had read great things about this café in a converted villa and it actually exceeded our expectations.

Café Arabia is a real find, an absolute gem of a place. As soon as you enter, there's a feeling of calm.  

One of those charming places where there is so much to admire with photographs of well-known people of Arabia and local art adorning the walls. 

Colourful Arabic lanterns dangle from the ceiling...

miss b loves .........sweet treats in Alice's Wonderland

Quirky, delightful, imaginative, enchanting, nostalgic....a few adjectives which sum up Alices Tea Room in St Annes.

As soon as we were handed the giant playing card menus we knew we were in for a treat ......

...with numerous references to Alice in Wonderland....