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Jessica Barker

WEEKEND IN LEEDS


As a little treat for getting through the first week back at school I spent the weekend in Leeds with my best friend. We're trying to make the most of every opportunity we get to meet up, so when he managed to get the time off work and suggested a festive night away I simply couldn't resist!

My trip to Leeds started as all festive weekends away should, with a gingerbead latte from Starbucks. My train arrived in at the station a whole thirty minutes before Matthew's did, so I had to kill time doing something! I have to say, Leeds train station really is pretty impressive, it's kitted out with its very own food court! Most convenient, I was impressed.

Once reunited, and with my coffee consumed, we headed straight towards Leeds Christmas Market. We had been before back in 2016 so knew our way around quite well, this was good because it meant that we knew exactly where to head for the FOOT LONG German hot dogs!! £5.00 for 12 inches of sausage meat, how could any sane woman refuse? Or man for that matter! Though a bit tricky to eat, they were really tasty and brought back lots of nice memories from our earlier visit a couple of years ago.

Matt isn't quite as neat as I am with the ketchup!

The market is a decent size with lots and lots of food and drink stalls, from meaty meals to sweet treats, it really has got everything you might fancy to nibble on. There were lots of stands with handmade ornaments and a few games stalls, not to mention this fabulous carousel. When I was little I never passed up the opportunity to go on one of these, but on this cold and rainy Saturday - aged 22 - I favoured the warmth of a little pop up tavern, and a mug of hot mulled wine instead!

Here we are, soaked through from the rain but our spirits weren't dampened at all! This was my first mulled wine of the Christmas season, and Matthew's first beer of the day (though definitely not his last!) We managed to get a little wooden booth and stayed here in the warmth while the rain picked up. I also sampled a Baileys hot chocolate with cream, which is another of my festive favourites! This was good catch up time. Although we only saw each other a week ago, our days are so busy that there's always something to talk about and something we can fill each other in on. It was an hour or two well spent! Eventually though the rain eased up and we knew that we had better head off, but not before a round of hook-a-reindeer! We're not brilliant at fairground stalls but this one was your typical 'prize every time' set up (although Matt probably won't want me telling you that) so we knew we were onto a winner with it (pardon the pun!) I have to say as well, despite it being for children, it wasn't as easy as it should have been! I had a go and had to hand over to the professional because I couldn't balance my handbag on my arm AND hook for the ruddy reindeer!

Here you can see the master at work. We opted for one of the little gingerbead men in the yellow bucket as our prize, and named it Georginger - a play on the names George and Georgina, as not to pre-determine it's gender! I've got it on my bed with me now as I type this, it holds a lot of pleasant memories of a super fun day. Sometimes it's the little things!

We then went into Leeds Trinity and did a little bit of shopping, not the highlight of the trip (we hate shopping centres) but we came away with what we needed! Then we wandered further before finally arriving at our Travelodge! I have to admit, we were a little skeptical about staying over in a Travelodge. We love a Premier Inn, but we weren't sure if this wasn't going to be up to a similar standard or not, I can happily confirm that it was! We were in one of their SuperRoom's and had a very comfortable stay. The only downside was the noise coming from the nearby nightclub (and I say noise because I wouldn't call it music) but this actually didn't cause too much of a problem because we'd had such a busy day it didn't keep us up for too long! The location was great, the staff were really friendly and the room was very modern and well equipped, so I would definitely recommend if you're thinking of having a night away in Leeds. We actually took advantage of the 2for1 happy hour they offered down in the bar, and though it was pretty empty in there, we had a nice time sipping away on our cheap drinks and again, just catching up. It was very calm and we knew that this definitely wasn't going to be the case once we headed out to the bars!

Revolution is always good for a 2for1 and it actually wasn't too packed out, not like in The Alchemist, it wasn't even worth attempting to get served in there! We gladly settled for a couple of rumbull's at Rev's and then tried a few new cocktails afterwards. It was more up beat and rowdy than it sometimes is but we were content enough sat together on one of the sofas, contemplating where to go next!

We opted for a quieter looking cocktail bar with yet another 2for1 offer and both enjoyed a Haribo flavoured cocktail by the window! Leeds has all the hustle and bustle of London, just with friendlier people! They're a lot of fun to watch, as we soon discovered from our little viewing spot. You could say that Saturday night is when the city comes to life, but honestly, it was just as busy in the daytime as it was at night - and we love it here no matter what the time! The bars, pubs and clubs are definitely jam packed from mid afternoon onwards really, which actually is a good thing if you're looking for a bit of a quieter night in the restaurants or walking round the shopping centre. After a few cocktails we decided it was time for some tea, so quickly agreed on Pizza Express and went over there for an evening meal.

Matt and I don't eat out at restaurants too often which made this meal time a special one. Not to mention the fact that the restaurant was super quiet with it being prime time for the bars and clubs, there were only about four other parties in there! Normally we eat at Revolution, it's cheap and cheerful, very relaxed and we can wash it all down with a cocktail or two. We both agreed that it was just too loud in there on this evening though to sit and have any sort of a meal, and that led us here! It felt really nice to actually sit opposite each other and be waited on by a lovely member of staff. We had a bottle of wine to share and a pizza each, and really enjoyed all of this! It felt like a proper date and I didn't realise how much I had missed that until I was sat here enjoying it. I got the Pollo Ad Astra, Matt got the Sloppy Giuseppe, and we both would definitely recommend. We stayed in here for a couple of hours, eating our yummy food, having a long chat and enjoying the peace and quiet. It really was one of the highlights of the trip.

After tea we went back to the hotel and caught the end of X Factor. There would have been a time not too long ago that we'd have headed out to Pryzm and then stumbled in at 4am clutching a McDonalds, but this just wasn't one of those occasions. When I went out for Halloween I really enjoyed it, I had so much fun getting ready, going to pre drinks and then dancing the night away! I think that was because I no longer do it three times a week though, and there was reason to go out, it was Halloween! In this sort of situation where I'm with someone that I seriously care about and won't be seeing now for three weeks, an early night is always going to win.

I had a little lie in the following day, getting up at 8am and slowly getting ready to depart from my favourite place and favourite person. It was Remembrance Sunday so we stayed in the room until 11:02am and observed the two minutes silence, watching the coverage on BBC News, before saying goodbye to Travelodge and heading back over to Trinity so Matthew could get some bits prepared for his first day of work experience on the Monday - he's spending some time in a local primary school in preparation for (hopefully) beginning his teacher training next year! We had Nandos for lunch which was such a treat, and then went back to Leeds Central Station where we had met just 24 hours earlier! These little weekend meet up's and nights away go so quick, but they're worth every short minute. Yet again, I was totally spoiled this weekend and had the best time away with my little man. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and everyday is a challenge when you live so far away from somebody you love and care about. I definitely feel that it's so important not to give up though, and to meet somebody half way when they're willing to show you how much they truly care about you. I had a brilliant weekend and now look forward to a week back in the school, teaching more lessons and working on my profession. I actually get two days experience in a Primary School this week too, which will be really interesting and a bit of a well earned break from the strains of Secondary life! It's going to be a good one. For anybody struggling through university right now, or even through a gap year, just know that once you start working towards your dream career, you feel so fulfilled. I know that I am so lucky to be so busy through the week and then to be enjoying myself all weekend, it's a perfect combination. Yes, it's stressful and this new pace of life is actually getting harder rather than easier, but it's been a fantastic couple of months so far and I feel very fortunate. At Uni I never felt quite in control of my life or my emotions, but now i know exactly what I want and what to do to get it! Everyone in my life right now is there because I have chosen for them to be and I am finally putting myself first and living my own life, and you will be too one day.

I'll hopefully be back next week to tell you all about my meet up's with Chloe and Lydia, so come back again then. Thank you for reading, please subscribe if you haven't done already and would like to keep up to date with all of my posts. Also, stay tuned for a special post on Remembrance Weekend and my dad's exhibition that will be coming on Wednesday! Until then x


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