Ironman Lanzarote

It's 5:30am, and outside it is as silent as can be, but behind the apartment doors are 2200 participants all getting ready for one of the most challenging days of their lives.

We are all about to meet by the swimming pool.

Casa Roja

We are back at the airport this morning with his and hers sombreros and maracas, and la Isla bonita playing from our small speaker. 

Beach Sprints

Being away means one thing... holiday indulgent of anything that isn't healthy!

I am a sucker for ice cream, frozen yogurt and three-course dinners when I am on holiday, and this trip is no exception (as much as I am trying to stay healthy!)

With track competitions lined up for when I get back to London, I have to train whilst I am away to maintain form. This is something that anyone can do whilst they are away though, and fancy working off last night's dinner.

Beach Sprints.

¡Hola España!

Buenos dias mi amigos! 

Ciao Italia

Say hello to Frank, who is giving us a quick introduction as to what we would be doing for the day.

Altogether now.... Hellloooo Frannnnkkkk!

Après Ski

After a day of skiing down the slopes, going up the chair lift, bracing the cold as it hits your face whilst you speed down, there is only one thing that will warm you back up.

Après-ski.

Which is French for ‘After Ski’ in case you were wondering. 

It's basically a big party that takes place on the last run down the slopes for the day. You ski down and stop halfway, unclip your skis and mark your poles so you know where to find them later on. (trust me, you will need a little assistance!)

It’s easy to spot where the best Après-ski bars are by seeing how many skis are outside!

Time To Ski

I remember going to Austria for my first ski trip, and having to learn the complete basics of skiing.

Starting with snow ploughs, our instructor would have us slowly moving down the nursery slope until we reached the bottom, falling over a couple of times on the way, and then side step back up to the top.

It was tedious to start with, because all you wanted to do was ski down the mountain and not stop.

Then, after a couple of times of trying, it clicks into place and you can start to say ‘I’m doing it!’ As your experience grows, so does your ability and it becomes second nature to ski.

Nothing beats waking up in the morning, throwing on your salopettes and jacket, and heading up the mountain to start skiing!

We hopped on the ski train and made our way up from Zermatt to the slopes.

Welcome To Switzerland

It's Ski Season!

Which means it is time to grab my skis, get out of London, and head to the Alps for the week.

Can you tell I am a little excited?

Goodbye Dubai

Like every city you visit, there is never enough time to see everything you want to, so the final day in Dubai was going to be a busy one, trying to fit in everything we can.
Fortunately for me and Hannah, we didn't have to be at the airport until midnight, so had heaps of time to cram in some last minute sunbathing and touristy things.

Kicking off, of course, with breakfast at the world famous Dubai Golf Course.

The breakfast was amazing, all cooked fresh and you could eat as much as you wanted (perfect!) whilst over-looking some early morning golfers teeing off. 
With full stomachs, we had a few hours spare to top up the tan, so headed over to Barasti Beach Club to grab a bed.
The trick to this is to make sure you get there at about 11am, just as it opens. As the beds are free, it gets busy really quick.

 

When I arrived in Dubai, I expected to be wowed by the size of the buildings. Instead, I was a little bit like 'Meh, they don't look that tall.'
Then I started counting the floors. 
When I got to 10, which is the level I work on, and took a look upwards, I finally had that wow moment.
They literally go upwards and upwards.

The temperature kept rising on the final day, until it was 43 degrees. 
It was simply a case of; Grab a strawberry daiquiri, sunbathe and drink said daiquiri, run into the sea to cool down.
Although the sea was like a bath, it was so warm!

You can't go to the beach on holiday, and not write the city and date in the sand can you!

A late-afternoon dash back to the apartment to shower, pack, and let our swimwear dry, was followed by a trip to the Dubai Mall for dinner.
This is the worlds biggest mall, with probably the biggest aquarium I have ever seen!

T-Shirt is from Taxonomy, Shorts from Topman (similar here). 

For our final meal, we went to More, which overlooks the lake.
I am genuinely going to miss the food in Dubai. Everywhere we ate was so good, and this was no exception again.

Salmon on a bed of mash potato for Stacey

I opted to get back into the British spirit by going to the biggest fish and chips possible.

Whilst Hannah went for the Duck noodles, which were insanely good!

Even more rounder than we were after breakfast, we headed outside to grab a spot in preparation for what we came to the Mall for.
The Dubai Fountains.

This is the largest choreographed dancing fountains in the world, and they play every 30 minutes in the evening, right next to the Burj Khalifa.

 

 

It was so good! The water went so high that the spray was like a miniture shower - which was much needed in the evening humidity and heat!
We watched the show a couple more times, whilst having some drinks in between, before heading off round the mall to explore more and grab some last minute gifts, before we headed back to grab our cases.

Our trip to Dubai was coming to an end, and the final thing to do was to have some drinks on the balcony, overlooking this fantastic city.

Then, before we knew it, we said our goodbyes to Stacey, promised we would be back next year, and headed off to Dubai International to catch our flight back to London.
I was flying with Royal Brunai, who were a great airline to fly with. They flew overnight, which was fine with me as those drinks on the balcony sent me straight to sleep after we had taken off.

Goodbye Dubai, you were awesome!

The Dubai Brunch

Okay, so if you read the title and thought 'Brunch, what's so special about that?' then bear with me on this. Brunch in Dubai is not like any other brunch, and will leave you feeling much more rounded and dizzy than a mid morning brunch in the UK.

To start, it is on a Friday afternoon.
Every hotel in Dubai has their own Brunch going on...
It is an all you can drink, and all you can eat feast.
Finally, it goes on from 12pm to 5pm. Which is just enough time to blur your vision!

Grabbing yet another taxi (you honestly cannot walk anywhere), we drove to down-town Dubai for our Brunch Experience. 
We arrived at Double Decker, which is part of the Rotana Hotel, paid our 250AED (£50) and headed on inside to get started.

The food, as expected, was amazing. From a traditional roast dinner, to curries, steaks and pastas, there was choice for everyone.
You seriously have to experience a Brunch if you are ever in Dubai. It is worth the money and it is a great way to get chatting to the locals and tourists.

After an afternoon of eating and drinking, mixing with other groups, and experiencing a Dubai Brunch, we headed back to the apartment just in time to catch the sunset from Stacey's rooftop.

Cue more photo opportunities for the Dubai 2013 album!

Plus, there is nothing better than taking an evening dip in the pool (sober, of course!).

One thing you notice is how much Dubai is constantly changing. New buildings are always popping up, trying to outdo the next door neighbour in height and style, and workmen stand there in the sweltering heat, trying to get as much work done as possible. 

Even at night, when we headed out for drinks at Barista, the workmen were still going, making this city even greater than it already is!

I don't think I am ready to go home just yet...

The Palm - Dubai.

The Palm has always been on my list of places I have wanted to see when I visited Dubai. A huge, man made palm in the middle of the sea, housing some of the most expensive villas in the world, and the Atlantis hotel at the very tip.

So, for day 2 of our trip we did just that. Up early, slightly hungover from the night before, we packed our beach bags and hailed a taxi to head over to the Palm.

To say it is big is an understatement. At over 4 miles long, the Palm is absolutely huge. Villas and apartments fill the majority of it, with the most private of pools and personal beaches, whilst huge hotels fill the outer Crescent.

The Atlantis is as famous as the Burj or the Mall in Dubai, overlooking the Palm and its residents at the very end, and this is exactly where we were heading. for a day of sunbathing. Nasimi Beach Club is part of the Atlantis complex, with views looking back over the palm and Dubai shoreline. 

The perfect spot to chill out with a few frozen Daiquiri's, and pose for the holiday album!

I obviously haven't mastered that jumping shot just yet... will try again later!

As a quick snack at lunch (it is too hot to eat full on meals) we grabbed some sushi and pizza to share, and a few more bottles of water to stay hydrated.

Hannah was desperate to recreate an image she saw on Instagram, so we headed to the pool to cool down and perform the 'heart pose', with me as the designated photographer and arm-placer...

I think I did a good enough job there, didn't I?

We did it! A proper jump... with a small child in the background!

After a day of topping up the tan, me and Hannah were introduced to #ThirstyThursdays by Stacey and her Emirates team. Everyone gathered round her's for the traditional pre-drinking catch up.

The whole building houses the Emirates team, from all around the world, so Stacey got to introducing us to some of her friends over drinks...

Before I left the SLR at home, and headed to The Yacht Club for a night of drinking and dancing, Dubai style.

Drink prices in Dubai are about the same as you would find in London. The currency is in Dirham though, which you get about 5.50 to every £1, so don't be freaked out when you see drinks for 45AED!

Everything is a little different when you are clubbing in Dubai. You can smoke indoors, the air con actually works, and when you think you better go outside for some fresh air, it is like a sauna... Much like the inside of a busy UK club!

Shirt from River Island (Similar here) and jeans from Asos (found here)

From there onwards, the pictures stopped, the night became a drunken blur thanks to the vodka, and we stumbled back to the apartment in the early hours. 

Did I mention that everywhere delivers too?! From McDonalds, to Wahaca, everywhere delivers direct to your door.

Perfect when you are drunk and hungry...