GIF Wednesday is here!..To stay?

This Wednesday I have prepared for you a little GIF inspired by my exploration in Barcelona in the spring of 2012. Here I have attempted to simulate the view of walking down one of the narrow alleys found in the winding maze of lanes making up a large part of the city. Barcelona is a wonderful place to take a weekend city break if you want to a short and sweet blast of Spanish culture. Make sure to taste the delicious food as well as see all the sights such as Gaudi's gardens and the Sagrada Familia. I hope to write a full post on Barcelona when I have more time for those of you who are interested!

Please keep the feedback coming, I am eager to know which styles of posts you do and don't like. All suggestions welcome! And let me know if you think "GIF Wednesday" should be a permanent feature for Big World Small Girl!

Much love,

ICELAND: OMAM & Reykjavik

Asides from travelling, one of my other passions is music. I own an eclectic mix of tunes but I particularly love anything with chilled and acoustic vibes. Therefore when I received the Of Monsters and Men (OMAM) album for Christmas I was delighted. The music is uplifting yet soothing and crafted with up most care. They are most famous for their single Little Talks from their debut album My head is an animal. So when I learnt that this band originate from Iceland, I took it upon myself to use this as a perfect excuse to bring music and travel together on my little blog. I actually visited the capital, Reykjavik, in the Summer of 2011 as "R&R" after an expedition in Greenland with a team from my school, and absolutely loved it. Although Iceland is quite an isolated, and at times desolate and barren country, this city is thriving, creative and colourful. The magic of Reykjavik is only further heightened by Iceland's dramatic landscape and lack of any other built up areas for miles. So without further ado, whack on some OMAM as I take you through some of my personal Reykjavik highlights ...

In the city centre; pretty signs and flags.

The colourful, toy-like houses scattered around, even in the main city centre, are certainly a sight to bring a child-like excitement into your stroll round town. At first it was so bizarre to see these houses which I so desperately want to believe are made out of Lego being used in daily life without a single hesitation or giggle.


Welcome!

Probably THE best wall I have ever seen. Especially handy for rushed commuters who may be fixing their tie on the way to the office...

I definitely recommend anyone who visits Iceland to take a boat trip of some form. Although we set of to see minke whales, I was just as satisfied admiring the plethora of dolphins and puffins we sighted on our journey. Other activities I would implore you to investigate would be visiting the local thermal beach, which is a nice way to relax and even better still, is free! For those interested, excursions to check out local geysers, volcanoes and other natural features are also available. However make sure you leave plenty of time to bumble around all the wonderfully quirky shops and cafes.

You can see the sea from almost anywhere!

A perfect way to end the day.



Even industrial ships make for a striking picture in Iceland.

We ended the trip by taking a dip in the blue lagoon - a must-do for any Iceland goer! And if being thermally heated wasn't impressive enough, the lagoon is fully outside in the dramatic rocky landscape. A much appreciated treat after a 3-week trek in Greenland!

Have you even been to Iceland? What's your favourite capital city?



Animated adventures!

Happy Wednesday! It's the middle of the week, which means we are half way to the weekend (hallelujah!) and so this is just a short post today to keep us moving on through this icy January week. This is a GIF I created using a series of photos I took of a sumptuous sunset that graced, and made our evening in Sorrento on a trip to Italy this summer, as we gazed across the calm ocean to the magnificent Vesuvius (yes, I did climb it!)

This is my first time using a GIF maker so I'd love to hear what you think or any tips and hints you have! Sorry the quality of the image is not great. Let me know if you would be interested in seeing more posts like this in the future - all comments and advice are read and received gratefully!

[Snowy] Adventure of the Week!

This weekend our lush green fields, sprawling urban cities and quaint little English towns were all graced with a smattering of snow, a white blanket caressing the landscape and bringing the mundane and the ordinary to a grinding halt. For some, this was a hindrance, for others, and I hope this includes you, a blessing. (I know the Surrey school kids were particularly pleased that the snow had finally come...) Despite the snow being a tad late for a white Christmas, it certainly didn't stop me racing up to the common with my friends - sledges in tow and grins on our faces - for some chilly winter larks. And although this scuppered any plans of travel for this little explorer, the snow was definitely a welcomed opportunity to kick back, relax, and have a bit of fun! Here are a few photos from my weekend antics:

The local ponds choc-a-bloc with shivering swans and seagulls, all posing nicely in this magical scene.

Frozen wetsuits, boots and gloves on our washing line from our latest surf trip...might need to defrost them before the next!

Bunting from the summer got a wintry make-over.

Smile!

Footprints in the snow.

Over the hill and far far away...

Above and below: messing around with the condensation on my window.

How have you been enjoying the weather? Day off or a right nuisance? Let me know what you've been up to!

Happy January!

Hello all you lot in the blogosphere!
It's been a while eh?! I hope you all had a superb festive season and are entering the new year with renewed energy and vigour!...Who am I kidding, January is a tough, long and work-crammed month for the best of us. So to cheer you all up on this soggy Tuesday, I shall be taking a photographic overview of jolly holiday memories past in a series of posts!
Today, a whistle stop tour of my Christmas and Boxing day:

Happy Christmas! Me and my lovely brother!

Cards: A compulsory Chrimbo day activity - a much preferred charades alternative... 

The Cake! 

Here are a few shots of the moon I caught on a little late-night stomp. The last one was done by super-imposing three shots of the moon using the same settings but from different angles. 

On the walk around a very dark and deserted, sleepy, turkey-stuffed Oxford neighbourhood.

Some twinkly lights through a hedge.

Will being pulled along on his spangly-new penny board by Licky-Mickey the crazy dog...

Me having a little mess around with my new camera (woo!!!) and dad's iphone to create a picture of a picture of picture...go figure!

 A quizzical look... 

Musical gifts were enjoyed in the car...though not perhaps by all simultaneously...a wide range from Of Monsters and Men to Wu Lyf to Kylie!

And then all that was left was the rainy journey down to Cornwall for the new year! (Look out for more on that in a post sometime soon...)

So that's it; a little trip down memory lane to shake off the January blues. Feel free to comment below, I'd love to know how you are coping with this cold and dreary month!