More from David Brent

How can you not love Ricky Gervais? Check out his interview with GQ and David Brent's guitar tutorial:

The Place

Last stop of my May traveling was Edinburgh. I had forgotten just how beautiful the city is! Despite a cloudy and grey day, I was enjoying the sites of the city on my way from the airport to the city centre. Even though many of the main roads are still being dug up (and have been for months and months) to prepare for the tram that will eventually be completed in the summer of 2014 (so the plan), the architecture is just stunning!

I stayed at The Place, a very reasonably priced 4* hotel, just a 5 minute walk from Waverley train station. The Georgian townhouse has been refurbished about 18 months ago and while it still retains some of the impressive Georgian features, the design is very contemporary.

Service was quick and very friendly, the bed very comfortable and despite it being so central it was very quiet. I would definitely recommend it!

with flatscreen TV right opposite the bed

view through the roof window

compact bathroom

some of the Georgian features

the breakfast room

bar - I love the lighting!

Banksy art in the corridors

one of my favourite Banksy's

Royal venue in Edinburgh

Here's another venue recommendation: The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
The RCPE is a professional membership organisation providing educational and professional support for doctors, as well as representing the views of doctors in discussions with other bodies, including government, and promoting the public health.

Their home is in the city centre, just a short walk from Waverley train station and close to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and right opposite Queen Street Gardens. The venue offers a range of meeting rooms, a modern lecture theatre holding 300 as well as a number of gorgeous Victorian and Georgian rooms which are very popular for weddings, receptions and dinners. All meeting rooms come with in-built AV and the RCPE has a dedicated in-house AV team - always an important aspect for me, as I have no clue when it comes to IT and don't want to end up having to fiddle with laptops or projectors should anything go wrong. They don't have an in-house catering service but work with a number of recommended caterers, who all know the venue very well. I'm afraid I didn't get a picture of the New Library.

The impressive staircase - from just outside The Great Hall

and from the entrance

The Great Hall - seats 150 for dinner

the Cullen Suite - I love how bright and airy it is

the opposite end of the Cullen Suite

Age appropriate shopping...

On my short trip to Germany, I unfortunately didn't get much time for shopping - due to last Monday being a bank holiday and contrary to over here in the UK, all shops are closed. I did make time for a short trip down the Zeil though and got these at Pimkie:

I have to admit that I always feel as if I shouldn't even enter shops like Pimkie anymore, as I am not really in their age target group anymore... But I always find some nice bargains (at least I think so) in there. I've been looking for a pair of tie-dye jeans for a while now and these came with a 40% discount on the original price of €29.95. The peach coloured top only cost €9.95 and I am now regretting that I didn't get it in black and mint coloured, too...

A snaky surprise

I touched a snake! I'm not keen on snakes but I was curious to find out what they feel like. I expected their skin to be hard and cold, but instead they were quite warm and very soft. I was rather relieved though that they weren't keen to be taken out of their little hut - not sure I would have wanted to have one of them round my neck to be honest...

quite cute how the two of them are squeezed into the wooden hut

Sandcastles in the city

As part of this weekend's Skyscraper festival in Frankfurt, the Frankfurt skyline has been modelled in sand (and apparently in Lego, too, but I didn't see those). I only saw them half-finished, but it already looked stunning and the intricate details were amazing:

Goethe watching from the distance

check out the Deutsche Bank logo and the Japan Tower at the front

Impressions from IMEX

IMEX in Frankfurt is an international exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events which takes place annually. Exhibitors include national and regional tourist offices, hotels, and destination management companies. I attended the IMEX for the first time this year, as a hosted buyer - which means that my travel and accommodation was covered by my host and in return I had to attend at least 8 appointments each day. Very fair deal, I would say!

I really enjoyed the experience, even though I was absolutely knackered at the end of it. It's a great opportunity to meet with new suppliers and existing business partners, to network and to find out about trends in the industry.

Just a small selection of the booths - the Germany stand lacked a little bit of creativity, I thought...

superdry and super soft

I finally bought my first superdry hoodie. I spent quite a lot of time in front of the shelves, not being able to decide which of the many colours I should pick. And I have the sneaky suspicion that I will be back to get some other colours... I especially liked the mint coloured one. I got mine in a size M. I usually wear S, but it felt rather tight. No idea how you can fit into an XS...
It's very comfy and super soft.

the pink is much brighter and neon-y in reality - I love it!

The Germans have arrived

BVB and Bayern Munich fans everywhere.

Bruised and stroked

I finally got round to using my Time Out voucher for a Mother's Day Pampering package at Smooth You,  including a massage, a facial and head massage (and yes, I bought this just before Mother's Day, which is in March in the UK). And it was heavenly as always. Just seconds into the head massage I even fell asleep...

Things are busy and I've been feeling more stressed than usual recently, which is causing my back to itch like crazy. And of course, I can't help but scratch like crazy. Unfortunately, this has already had an effect on my skin and my beautician pointed out that I had bruises on my back and asked whether I'd fallen or something. I don't think it's bruises actually but my scratching seems to leave visible marks. I tried to explain this to her and felt a bit as if I was trying to cover up that I get beaten up regularly...

Back home from home

6 days in Germany.
With Schnitzel and white asparagus and German sausages, of course.
Lovely views over the clouds and terrible descent through the clouds.
But hey, I landed safely!

One more trip this month and then it's back to the office again.

The Wheel of Liverpool

You'll never walk alone

I've just spent two days up in Liverpool for a meeting. And I love the Scouse accent and - for some reason - I like the word Merseyside. Just has a nice sound to me.

Anyways, amongst others, I was invited to a dinner at Anfield - Liverpool's FC football stadium. Interestingly, it was originally the stadium of Everton before they moved to Goodison Park. With a capacity of just 45,525 it is one of the smaller Premier League club stadiums. And I wasn't overly impressed. The dressing rooms seemed quite basic - both for the Home and Away teams. Not as luxurious as the ones at the Emirates.

Before dinner, we had time to admire the numerous trophies Liverpool won over the years - some of them massive! After spending time in the exhibition area, we got a tour of the stadium, including the dressing rooms, before we then made our way to dinner - which was very nice.

The Amex looks bigger (even though I know it's not actually bigger...)

The Away dressing room - the Home one looked very similar...

Hillsborough Memorial Mosaic

Yummy!

Of Monsters and Men

St. Dunstan's Hill

I don't venture into the City of London very often. To be honest, there are a lot of areas in London that I don't know very well. I should probably make an effort to discover more of the city I live in, especially off the touristy places everyone knows.

The other day, I came across St. Dunstan's Hill, near Monument and Tower Hill tube stations. The church was originally built around 1100 and is a Grade I listed building. Severely damaged in the Great Fire in 1666 and again during the Blitz of 1941, the City of London decided in 1967 to turn the remains into a public garden. The ruins are very pretty and while so central, it offers a calming respite from the bustle of the city.

If you like taking a bath

... and are looking for a hotel room in Brighton - the Hotel du Vin is the one for you!

Sea View Suite

Cristal Suite - there is a second bathtub, too - and who doesn't like a pinball machine?!

rustic restaurant

The frustration of coming second

FA cup final at Wembley. In the pouring rain (they should have played out here in the East - it's only starting pissing down after the final whistle!).

Manchester City vs Wigan Athletic

It seemed a foregone conclusion that ManCity - currently second in the Premiere League - would beat Wigan Athletic - currently 18th in the league and battling relegation. But after a late red card for ManCity, Wigan made their dream come true and scored the winning goal in the 90th minute. Getting to the final but not winning just doesn't count for very much.

It remains to be seen whether the victory - the first FA cup final in the history of the club - will be sufficient motivation for Wigan to win the remaining two Premier League games to save them from relegation.

site visit marathon in Brighton

Combining pleasure with work, I made the most of my time down in Brighton and went to see a number of venues. Visit Brighton had been incredibly helpful in setting up appointments for me and also accompanying me. One of the (many) great things about Brighton is that everything (except unfortunately for the Amex stadium) is walking distance.

So, if you are looking to host an event in Brighton - whether that's a conference, meeting or a wedding or party - I would strongly recommend getting in touch with Visit Brighton who will be able to suggest a number of suitable venues that fit your requirements including your budget.

Personally, I love the seaside - so anything on the seafront will automatically win me over. The iconic Brighton Pier offers a three different restaurants/pubs for receptions or dinners. From traditional pub style, over more sit-down restaurant style to quirky.

For the first time, I also got to see the Royal Pavillion from the inside. And it's stunning! If you are ever in Brighton, it's a must see! It is just as extravagant on the inside as it is on the outside. And to think that this was built and decorated about 200 years ago just adds to its special appeal.

The Royal Pavillion

Victoria's bar ceiling decorations - on Brighton Pier

Force Majeure

Eddie Izzard is currently touring the world with his show 'Force Majeure' and last week the Brighton Centre very kindly invited me to his show. And what can I say? He is magnificent!

I have to admit that I had never seen him before - not live nor on telly, so I really had no idea what to expect. I found his rather random monologues quite different from other stand up comedians. Check him out on youtube! I really had a great evening and thoroughly enjoyed his performance.

The show ended with a new take on his famous Darth Vader bit. Here's the 'original':

1 down, 1 (or hopefully 2!) more to go

First leg of the Championship play offs: Brighton against arch rivals Crystal Palace away at Selhurst Park. I was way too nervous to follow the game... (and tickets sold out quickly). Result: a boring 0:0. Second leg at the Amex stadium is on Monday. I've got all fingers crossed!

If we win, we will play either Leicester or Watford at Wembley and I would LOVE for that to happen (and of course to be at Wembley to see it happening!).

L'Eau d'Issey

Not that I don't already have a selection of perfumes (J'adore by Dior and Premier Jour by Nina Ricci being my favourites at the moment), I've recently been sniffing around the perfume shop for a new addition to my collection. Despite numerous visits to the perfume counter, including smelling the same perfume again and again, I just couldn't make up my mind. On my shortlist currently are Burberry Brit (which I've had before - so I would prefer to get something new) and Daisy by Marc Jacobs. Quite frankly, it's unreal how difficult I sometimes find it to make certain decisions...

What a lovely surprise it was, when I got a new Eau de Toilette as a (surprise) present the other day: L'Eau d'Issey by Issey Miyake.

This is what it says it smells like: "A clean, long-lasting scent, this classic scent combines floral, musky and woody tones to evoke a feeling of freshness and beauty with seductive undertones. ... featuring lotus, cyclamen, freesia, carnations, white lilies, amber seed and musk."

I wouldn't know what any of these flowers smell like, so I can't confirm or otherwise whether the description is accurate. It does smell very flowery to me and I love the clean look of the flacon:

You are fired!

This year's The Apprentice started yesterday. And the candidates are proving as annoying, arrogant and obnoxious as ever. While this was sort of entertaining to start with, its starting to lose its appeal. Not least  as it's so predictable.

And yes, I am watching anyway... Which I guess makes me the biggest idiot!

Do you have children?

First time ever that I got asked this question.
Hm, so I (finally) look old enough to be a mother. Even of several children. I think this means I will finally not be ID-ed anymore when buying alcohol.

blue and white and dotty - again

Another Polka dot attempt. This time with smaller dots. Which one do you like better?
I think, next time I'll go with smaller but less dots - basically a mixture of the two.

roses aren't always red

I love the colour and it's always nice to get flowers

nightly landscape

One of the great features of my tiny 1 bed flat, are the floor to ceiling windows (which could do with getting cleaned, actually...). Not only does that let me take part in the lives of people living across the courtyard - and it is rather surprising how few people draw their curtains - it also offers me a fantastic views on the sun setting.

unfortunately my camera doesn't capture the real extent of the amazing colours

Mini mitt

I discovered this super cute face massage mini mitt on the internet a little while ago. But every Boots or Superdrug store I went to, it was out of stock... Until I eventually found it last week in the Boots in Stratford (the one in the slightly shabby shopping centre, right next to Westfield) - which is also where I found the L'Oreal Confetti top coat, which had also been sold out everywhere else. This will become my go-to store for any popular products!

The reviews on the Boots website (admittedly there are only 13) are very positive. I use it with my face wash. You only need very little and with the mitt it foams up nicely. I'm not yet convinced that my skin looks any better, but it feels nice and my face somehow feels 'cleaner'. I think it's a very good alternative to ordinary face scrubs which I often find a bit too harsh for my sensitive skin.

As I have only had it for a week or so, I can't say too much at the moment, but for just £4, I would recommend it.

Not keen on anagrams

I really enjoyed 'The Fault in our Stars' and 'Looking for Alaska' - both by John Green. So I was looking forward to 'An Abundance of Katherines':

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it all that much. It definitely had its funny moments, but overall, I found it too predictable and the constant 'anagramming' (one of the main character's (Colin) pastimes... ) got a little on my nerves. Maybe it was just that I didn't like Colin very much.

Colin has only ever had relationships with Katherines. 19 to be precise. Do bear in mind though that he is only a teenager and quite a few of those 'relationships' were very short lived (some just a few hours...). He is also a child prodigy and is aiming to develop a formula (tried and tested on his 19 relationships) that will predict the future of any relationship.

I think overall, I didn't find the characters believable enough to connect with them. And I am also wondering whether I am not really the target audience for his books... Anyway, if I had to recommend one of his books, it would definitely be 'The Fault in our Stars' (which to be perfectly honest has its unbelievable moments, too, but who cares? :-))

Rewards

Lovely Irish chocolates as a thank you for a project. Yummy!

Wembley - here we come!

You've got to feel a little sorry for Barcelona: After their 4:0 defeat in Munich, they conceded another three goals in the second leg of the Champions League semi final today. Not sure how Borussia Dortmund feel about their chances in the final against Bayern at Wembley. Thanks to Dortmund's convincing victory in the first leg, they went through despite losing the second leg 2:0 against Real Madrid.

Morinho was clearly not very happy and in an interview after the game yesterday said that he wanted to go where people loved him. Well, he's welcome at my place anytime! :-)

For the all-German final on 25 May at Wembley, I would love to see Juergen Klopp's team beat Bayern. But I am assuming that Bayern might be able to add the Champions League Trophy to winning the Bundesliga this season.

seaside nostalgia

One day I want to live near the sea.