Nordic adventures - Bergen in winter

“Walking in a Winterwonderland...”

...Bing Crosby's festive winter tune came to mind when imagining Bergen, Norway in December. Hours upon hours of Pinterest stalking and day dreaming were undertaken before this unforgettable nordic adventure, unfortunately (unlike the Pinterest pictures) there was no snow in the city.

Fortunately what Bergen lacked in blankets of snow, it made up for in its quirky and festive personality. Basically, I absolutely fell in love at first sight with this city! Ever wondered what there is to do and see in Bergen, keep reading this post from my Christmas getaway to find out more! 

The main attractions:

• Taking the Fløibanen funicular up to Mount Fløyen for breathtaking views
• A fjord cruise from Bergen to Mostraumen which transports you to another world
• A (quick and smelly) visit to the Bergen Fish Market to feel like a local just casually doing their grocery shop for the week, does anyone else do this?
• An educational trip to the city’s museums to fill that cultural need
• Last but definitely not least...spending hours strolling through the quaint streets of Bryggen.

A pure highlight of the trip was experiencing and fawning over how much effort all the different shops put into their festive displays (a special shoutout to Illums Bolighus – who had a stunning Nordic Christmas fairytale dining scene)... Also, everywhere you’d turn there would be paper stars hanging from the ceiling in a variety of colours and sizes, the attention to detail was so lovely I genuinely felt my insides warm.

Tips & recommendations:

• TAKE PLENTY OF NORWEGIAN “KRONE”! (Only downfall... is that it is preeeetty pricey there. e.g, you’re looking at an average of 85-95 NOK Kr (£8-£9.50) for a PINT of local beer “Hansa” – however it is a good pint, so go for it! You just might think twice about having a "proper session")

• Visit BIT in the Galleriet shopping centre for a deeeeelicious selection of cakes and sweet treats *insert intense drooling in public*

• Dine at the Pingvinen Bar & Restaurant for traditional Norwegian food – the meetballs are everything you’d hope for... and more!

• Visit the 3 floor Christmas shop Julehuset – for all the Christmassy feels!

• Heads up - WRAP UP FOR A FJORD BOAT TOUR - it is Freeeeezing cold!

• Just take your time strolling the streets and absorb all the wonderful Bergen’ness of this city – it truly is LUSH!

(All images taken by us)

Thanks for reading, 

Follow our Instagram account for regular updates!

Turner Turner

 xoxo

No carbs before Marbs?!

Our trip to Barcelona was cancelled due to french air strikes over the easter holidays so we decided to book a relaxing 5 day break to the costa del sol for some much needed sol and chill time - not to be confused with the relentless, tinder fuelled phrase of our generation - Netflix and chill. After a frantic final year at university filled with deadline stresses and panics about the future we were more than ready to pack up our bags with books that claimed to be “perfect for by the pool”, flimsy flip flops and the ever important SPF and head off to Spain.

Despite the excitement, we were admittedly plagued with an arguably irrational yet common fear of the bikini’s that we would also have to buy and wear in front of other human beings in an ever so near two months time. To some of you lovely readers this may be a minor, insignificant detail involved in the holiday, and if so that's great we applaud your positive attitude and self esteem! To us however, the idea of the bikini formed panic and stress almost as equal to that of completing an assignment or a pitch presentation at University.

- Nope, Nah, No, Not one tiny bit.

In the two months that followed up to the highly anticipated holiday, we found ourselves stumbling in and out of this bid to try and become what all the magazines and Instagram #bodyinspo posts dictate as “bikini ready”. We wrestled back and forth with what we really wanted to achieve and therefore became increasingly distracted from our supposedly healthy diets (coco pops, bacon and pizza are always to blame). We ventured in and out of fads, from slim fast shakes which left us practically hallucinating burgers and ice cream at around 4pm, to our least favourite fad “No carbz, before marbz”. Any TOWIE fans from back in the Mark and Lauren days will remember this allegedly motivating phrase created during the female cast’s bid to look “Reem” in Marbella. Now, we are not stupid girls, (throwback to Pink’s 2009 cracker of a tune) we know that bread has a bad rep in the health and fitness world, it’s pretty much been branded as the devil! We know we should just suck it up and learn to love Quinoa, and pearl barley and all things bland but the point is we just don’t want to... at least not all of the time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR4yQFZK9YM

The closer we were getting to our time abroad we began to realise that we were not going to see any more substantial physical changes and decided to admit defeat to the “bikini ready” expectations which were enabling us to feel so god damn shitty. There is no hiding it, we do not fall into the stereotypical washboard abs and tiny bubble butt category however we know that we are not on the opposite end of the spectrum which promotes obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle either. We’re just sitting somewhere in-between, floating along the blurred lines of a healthy body image and unrealistic expectations. 

The trick to coping with all this pressure for perfection is to realise that quite honestly no one else gives two turtle shits about how you look in a bikini except you! If you can accept that extra roll when you sit up on the sun lounger, that extra water spilled when you cannon ball into the pool and that extra suncream needed to protect that fine ass, then who’s to say you’re not bikini ready? 

We really wanted to include a positive, carefree image of us in our swimwear however the focus setting on the camera decided that the stone that it was leaning against was far more photogenic... so who are we to judge?! 

And with that deep and meaningful rhetorical question out in the open, we shall leave you with 3 non - bikini related life lessons we suggest you strongly consider whilst on your holiday/vacation this summer! 

1. Never drink the champagne after a day of tequila sunrise cocktails even if you did beat "Jean's Devils" at the hotel bingo - you will spend the entire next day under an umbrella in foetal position cradling your throbbing headache.

2. Reflective sunglasses are great for disguising a wondering eye whilst people watching at the beach because you never get caught (admit it, we all do it). 

3. Lastly, we beg you readers, please do not be that person who wakes up at the crack of dawn and stumbles down to the pool area half asleep to reserve a row of sun beds before sneaking back to bed until after lunch. We don't reserve tables at restaurants with towels so why should it work as a form of reservation on holiday, None of that thank you! 

Thanks for reading, TurnerTurner xo


Instagram - @turnerturner_

Come fly with us!

So as you may or may not already know from following us on Instagram and twitter we went on a family holiday to Gran Canaria a few weeks ago and it was absolutely blooming lovely! Instead of just posting a load of pictures from our trip, we decided to do something a little different! The video below is a series of clips from our lovely little getaway to the Canary Islands. We wanted to encompass the overall chilled vibe of our holiday and so you'll notice that this video is really relaxed because relaxing really was the main aim of the trip! Enough rambling from us! We should let the video do the talking now, so give it a click and let us take you away for sun, sea and sand! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBJx-VA_URw

If you're going on holiday soon we hope this made you that little bit extra excited for it! If you're not going abroad this year (at least we've had a bit of a heatwave in the UK) but we hope you enjoyed watching this little insight into our trip away! 

TurnerTurner xo

Canary Islands: Look book

As we've previously mentioned, we've never been die hard followers of any particular trends or brands, instead we like to experiment with various styles in order to keep things fun! Our favourite thing about going on holiday is being able to wear items of clothing (like the printed jumpsuits for example) which are really bold pieces that make a statement. We loved being able to just give our hair a spray of sea salt, a quick blow dry and then leaving the rest of it dry natural. As you can probably tell our hair and makeup routines whilst on holiday are really relaxed, because let's face it it's called a holiday for a reason, so we say leave the manual labour of foundation and contouring behind and let the glow of your tan be your base! We hope you enjoy our little look book almost as much as we enjoyed our holiday away in Gran Canaria. 

Pineapple printed playsuit - H&M - £24.99 

Wayfarer sunglasses - Primark - £2.00

Sandals - New Look - £17.99 

Feather printed dress - H&M - £7.99

Polarised Sunglasses - F&F at Tesco - £5.00

Sandals - Primark - £6.00

Necklace - Orelia at Topshop - £10.00 

Striped Dress - Primark - £10.00

Chunky sandals - New Look - £24.99 

Printed jumpsuit - New Look - £19.99

Sandals - Primark - £6.00 

Cami top - New Look - £12.99

Printed trousers - Asos - £20.00 

Sandals - New Look - £17.99 

Top - Primark - £6.00 

Denim shorts - Primark - £10.00

Metallic sliders - H&M - £14.99 

Playsuit - H&M - £12.99 

Chunky sandals - New Look - £24.99 

Playsuit - H&M - £12.99 

Necklace - Primark - £3.00

Metallic sliders - H&M - £14.99 

Top - Forever 21 - £14.99

Denim shorts - New Look - £22.99 

Chunky sandals - New Look - £24.99 

Dress - Primark - £13

Sandals - Primark - £6.00 

Dress - Asos - £17.99                                    Crop top - River Island - £15.00

Sandals - New Look - £17.99                              Floral Culottes - Primark - £13.00 

                                                                   Sandals - Primark - £6.00 

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the second part to our trip to the canary islands. Meanwhile, look to our Instagram and twitter feed for more from us! 

TurnerTurner xo 

A Holiday in Portugal

As promised, this blog post brings you Portugal - part 2. Everyone has different ideas of what they believe is a good holiday, personally I think Albuferia had a lot to offer, whether you're on holiday with the family, your pals or a partner! Below we've featured a series of snippets from the Holiday.. reflecting back has one of us really wanting to go back ASAP but I guess South Wales will do for now.. 

The apartment was situated in-between New town and Old town, Albufeira, and the latter was definitely the go-to-spot day and night with the cool yet refreshing Atlantic Ocean outlining the Old town square beautifully. The area featured a sandy golden beach (where many times were spent collecting Little Mermaid style sea shells. There is also the freedom to wander upon the boulders and rocks along the cliff side to get a closer view of the wild waves. Many hours should be strolled around this idyllic area of Albufeira. 

Definitely the highlight of the holiday, the ZOO-MARINE. Home to a mix of marine animals, exotic birds and water rides (oh and delicious crepes). Highly recommended for all ages, thanks to the range of attractions including the hilaaarious sea lions capturing our hearts *yes they broke/brake danced to LMFAO* It's so easy to spend an entire day here too! If you're in the area go go go! 

It would be rude not to take a few hours to soak up the Portuguese sun poolside at the hotel, wouldn't it? Especially as it made exam revision much more bearable, oh the joys of university! (Apologies for the predictable 'hot dog legs' shot but, when in Albufeira..)

I will definitely be making a return to the area, visiting more attractions (like Lagos Zoo) and on the search for quaint and traditional Portuguese villages to explore! 

Ciao y obrigado! 

TurnerTurner, xo

The Holiday Look Book

"If we took a holiday
Took some time to celebrate
Just one day out of life
It would be, it would be so nice"

- Madonna, Holiday 

Preach it Queen Madonna. We don't know about you but whenever we hear we're going on holiday after the first question of "where is the nearest beach?" Our next one is always "OMG what are we going to pack in our holiday suitcases?". After countless wardrobe rummages and sale stalking the outfit decisions were made and the lucky pieces that made the cut were on their way to Albuferia, South Portugal. Think bold prints and bright colours. Keep scrolling for our fave holiday looks!

BLOOMING LOVELY

There is no denying that this flirty and fun dress is perfect for this season (courtesy of GingerFizz @ASOS). Bright pink floral print looks great against the navy canvas and is really flattering as it creates a panel down the middle of the body. The revealing cut outs at the back add an edge that contrasts with the high neck at the front. The back also gives you the perfect excuse to wear a chic ponytail to show off the detailing. 

Dress - ASOS (sale)
Sandals - New Look

Sunglasses - Primark

FEELING GREEN

This delightful mint green number ticks all the boxes from our easter style guide. As it’s floaty it was peeeerfect for the amount of carbs consumed on the beach that night, and paired with these trusted white New Look sandals and a light denim jacket, it’s a recipe for spring/summer success. As for make-up, an injection of ‘bubblegum pink’ compliments the fresh mint hue for an on point colour combo for this season. What we also love about this colour is that it is flattering on all skin tones, whether you’re an ‘English Rose’, ‘Olive Toned', or even ‘Burnt like a Lobster’, (similar to one-half of TurnerTurner above) a bright pink projects summer vibes. 

Dress - ASOS (sale)
Denim Jacket - New Look
Sandals - New Look
Sunglasses - Primark

Clutch - River Island

WORKING LACE AND PRINT

Mixing textures can sometimes be a daunting task, it all depends on the separates you have in your wardrobe of course. However we have found a reliable partnership between a classic white lace skirt and this mixed leaf print crop top because they contrast effectively, creating a subtle boldness. A skater skirt is really easy to wear on holiday and the lace material of this skirt keeps things lightweight to suit the smoking hot climate. This ensemble looked 'beaut' against the stunning background of Albufeira Old Town beach. 

Crop Top - Topshop
Skirt - River Island

Sunglasses - Primark

MELLOW YELLOW

For a casual evening abroad you cannot go far wrong with a pair of printed trousers, especially in these lush tones of blues (clearly chosen to reflect the beautiful Atlantic Ocean of Portugal). On top of these £9.99 bargain beauties (courtesy of New Look) a sunshine yellow tank top has been added for some holiday cheerfulness, and to hopefully emphasise a sister’s attempt at a tan. Yellow is everywhere on the high street at the moment, we think this scallop trim cami is a great way of injecting it into your wardrobe. Reflecting back, the combo provides an ideal summer vibe.

Top, Trousers, Sandals 
- All New Look 'eeeerythang'. (Student friendly buys).  




Thanks for reading! Part 2 will follow up with a what to do whilst in Albuferia, Portugal!


TurnerTurner xo