Maritime Magic & Moomins: A day by the water

I was absolutely buzzing when I found out the Moomin exhibition was coming to Ferens Art Gallery in Hull! But let's pause on that before we get into it. I just wanted to talk about Ferens Art Gallery itself quickly. The gallery has a wide array of pieces from late medieval painting to modern art and boasts having one of the UK’s finest art collections here in the heart of Hull city centre. They are currently collecting entries for the Young Artists Exhibition, for budding young creatives within the city to have their art featured! If you know someone aged 15 and under who is a budding artist, why not encourage them to enter their Young Artist Open Exhibition? It's been a while since we last visited Ferens, so we took our time to go around the other exhibits and see the new pieces. I've always been an artist, but I'm a very stylised flat work illustrator. It wasn't until I picked up my camera that I really got into the nitty-gritty of composition, lighting and other elements that really give pieces depth and story. That being said, I had such a good time looking at the details of all the stunning paintings and sculptures throughout, as well as just having a new appreciation for how stunning the building is in itself! Anyway, back to those moomins! The Exhibition runs from the 23rd of May till the 6th of September if you or any family member or friend fancy checking it out. If you are a fan of the Moomins, I'd definitely recommend it! It is a family-friendly exhibition with interactive areas for people of all ages to enjoy. It's all very colourful and eye-catching; it really captures the essence of what the Moonvalley tales are, and you do feel like you get transported into that universe. I'm a big kid at heart, so you just know I went through the little tunnels and over the bridges and even found out who my Moomin character is at the start of the exhibition! Further into the exhibition, you get the full history of how the Moomins started, beautifully handcrafted Moomins and other characters, and find out the wonderful Tale of Tove Jansson’s life, the incredible woman behind the magic of the white blobby creatures. At the end of the exhibition, you'll find a Moomin exclusive store, with many cute gifts and keepsakes which I'd definitely recommend taking a look at.

Well, that's the end of the exhibit, but if you want to hear about the rest of the day and find somewhere delicious to eat, then please, read on! We did a little bit of shopping after Ferens, and then we were ready for a nice cold beverage in the sun! We did originally head to House of Finnigans, but it was so busy we did a Loop and walked right back out. Elliot and I can handle being packed like sardines at a Gig, but not in a pub.

I get extremely overwhelmed in that setting, so instead, we headed towards Humber Street in the hopes it would be quieter over that way. But of course, we are in the UK, the minute there is a sliver of sun, every beer garden will be at capacity. We did, however, manage to find a table outside of the Waterfront bar on Dagger Lane, under a canopy no less! So, we really lucked out there! I don't know if it was just the heat on that day, but the beer was a wee bit warm. It was okay, though! We started getting a little peckish at this point, and we started searching for places we'd like to eat. Trinity Market was closed due to the time of day, and our thought process was maybe somewhere down Humber Street. Elliot has been wanting to try the Smokeroom since it opened, but we tried to book a table and were saddened to find out they were fully booked. We decided to have a wander and see if anywhere down Humber Street was free for a walk-in, and headed over to the marina. I love the Marina, it's almost like, as soon as you are over the bridge, you are in a different place, there is just a different buzz around it, the Marina and Humber Street are my favourite places to be in Hull.

How beautiful and blue is it?! Just absolutely stunning. We stayed around the Marina for a little while so I could snap some shots of the boats. It was so peaceful and serene. Of course, when you get closer to Humber Street and the bars, it starts to get busier again!

We did have a wander up and down, we peeked into the Brazilian, Berts, Cuban Petes, Chinese Whispers and everywhere else they serve food down there, but Elliot was still set on the Smokeroom. He wanted to go in just to double-check there weren't any tables, "Just in case." We went in, he asked the staff, the response was as expected, "No, I'm so sorry, all our tables are full" He was about to lose all hope, but she

paused and said, "Is it just for the two of you? If you don't mind sitting on the stools, there is the window bar you could sit at?" In the 9 years Elliot and I have been together, I have never once seen him move as quickly as that! Of course, we'd take the window bar, granted stools are always tricky to climb onto when you're small like me, but we had our backs to the restaurant, out of the hustle and bustle of the main tables, and we got a beautiful view looking out at Humber Street! Despite it being busy, we were served at our seats and had our drinks a few minutes later while we mulled over the menu. The Menu had me DROOLING, it all looked absolutely delicious, but we were drawn to the sharing platter, it was the perfect way between the two of us to try as many things as possible and not too much of an expense. The description: A Generous platter of Brisket, St.Lous BBQ Ribs, chicken thighs, Sausages, Smoked Mushrooms, cowboy corn, cajun slaw, fries and pickles with a selection of dips and red eye gravy. OH MY GOODNESS, Just look at it!

It was SO much food! And quite frankly, it was all absolutely delicious, even down to the pickled red onion! The chips were incredibly light and fluffy, and I have nothing but positive things to say about the ribs; they were incredibly sweet and fell right off the bone! We were so full they kindly gave us a box to take our leftovers home (Which ended up being lunch the next day, so no complaints here). All in all, I would happily go back and try other items on the menu, and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who loves meat and is VERY hungry! After the food, we decided to head outside whilst we finished our drinks and watched the sun start to set. It was a lovely day, a wonderful date, and I look forward to the next one!