Sweet Sixteen (pt.2)

O.K. It's official. World's. Worst. Blogger. Busy as a bee working two jobs now, and going to so many gigs these days that I have next to no free time. But today I thought I'd take a moment to post some more of my favourite photos. It's also nice to remind myself of why I came here in the first place, so it serves as motivation to work really hard so that I can achieve my goals for next summer!

 Synagogue, Praha

Old Town, Zadar, Croatia

Bratwurst in Biergarten, Berlin

Neu Synagogue, Berlin

Hundert Wasser, Vienna

Berlin

Markets, Zagreb

Plitvica Jezera National Park, Croatia

Plitvica Jezera National Park, Croatia

Oktoberfest, Munchen

Train station, Antwerp

Zagreb, Croatia

Hvar, Croatia

Hvar, Croatia

British Museum, London

Tate Britain, Edinburgh

Albufeira, Portugal

Laura, Lagos, Portugal

Festival of St. Anthony, Sao Teotonio, Portugal

Festival of St. Anthony, Sao Teotonio, Portugal

Pumakkale, Denizli, Turkey

Sweet Sixteen (pt.1)

Sitting here on this rainy London afternoon I look to sunnier days.. Days full of gallanting around on the beaches in next to nothing, sipping on vino verde in the ocean, pretending to be a mermaid on the rocks, having next to no worries in life.. If only my biggest worry now was which flavour of gelato to choose. (tip: always go for a nut flavour, you won't be disappointed.. unless you are allergic, then at least you will have died trying)

Thinking of these beautiful days has made me remember that for many of you non-Facebookers (yes, I am referring to you Johnny, because you are probably the only person who reads this.. so far!), you never had the opportunity to see some of the photographs that I captured over my long and epic journey. So a quick recap of last year, I can now safely say.. perhaps the best year of my life!

Laura- my travel spouse/companion and I also did this thing tried to do this thing where for each city we visited we thought of three descriptive words to remember it for what it was. Third week in, we got as far as Albufeira (which is safe to say it's words would unfortunately be: lazy, tacky, and German.)

So for the photographs I will post a selection of my favourite. I visited 16 countries in a five month period. What started with pub hopping/museum shopping in the UK,  quickly led to beach hunting in Portugal, partying/siesta-ing/tapa-ing in Spain, bazaaring in Morocco, savouring France, climbing through Zurich, drawing in Belgium, exploring and riding through Amsterdam, with some history lessons in Berlin, sophistication in Vienna, being a tourist in Prague, relaxing in the Turkish bathhouses in Budapest and getting to know both Buda and Pest... Then off to Croatia's majestic but rugged coastline, then for some jumbo pints and bratwurst in Munich, then over to explore the flavours of Italy, and finally to see where some civilization began in Turkey...

Since there are so many photos I have decided to split my post into parts. I can't give it all away now or else you'll never come back.. ! Here's a taster to set you up for your main course.. Enjoy

 Sacre Couer, Paris

 Schtoss, Zurich

Madrid

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Bon-bons in Lyon

Luxembourgli (or as I like to call them-whoopie pies!), Zurich

La Concha, San Sebastian, Spain

Girona, Spain

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Versailles Palace, Paris

Cathedral, Budapest

 Zagreb, Croatia

 East Side Galleries, Berlin

 Waffles in Brussels

 Flower Market, Amsterdam

 Biergarten, Berlin

Back in Town

Happy new year!

With a new year comes new goals! It's quite ritualistic nowadays to try to commit to these things, but realistically, most of us are just setting ourselves up for failure. Come February we are back on the sofa with Ben and Jerry, skipping early morning aerobics classes because we've had too much wine the night before... So this year I decided to set some more realistic goals for myself. One of mine being to be more productive.. and start blogging, so, I am back and ready for a fresh start!

And what better time I thought than now.. A new city, a new life, a new job, a new flat, lots of firsts for me and what better place to be experiencing this all than in London. It really feels like every time I go out I see something new. Its always full of surprises and exploring this city is quite easy to do from the top of a double decker bus!

Weekend markets, hole in the wall wine bars, and cheapy gigs are what make this city super appealing to me! Last weekend I went to Borough Markets underneath London Bridge for some affordable produce and delicious pastries. It actually dates back to as early as 1014, where settlers used to go there to trade livestock, grain, fish, produce, etc. but has now turned into a modern, reliable source of local, fresh and hand made goods! I left with some wonderfully cheap avocados and deliciously sweet mangos. Not bad for two pounds! The array of goods would make any foodie drool. Raqluette sandwiches (which I will be back for when Laura visits!), venison burgers, shortbread owl cookies, handmade Italian pastas, to home made veggie burgers and Spanish tapas. Yum! I could spend all day eating there.

Cheers!

London Calling

So sorry it's been so long but London has consumed us. Not nearly enough time to see, eat or do all we want but we have managed to sneak in some picnics at Hyde park, window shopping on Oxford street, the Tate modern and British museums and all of those touristy bits at trafalgar square. Absolutely loved every moment in this chaotic international hub. Unable to post pics but will do once we find some free wifi. Now it's off to scotland to get in touch with my roots. Xx

Gone Bananas

This summer season is all about vibrant colours and bold prints. So what better way to celebrate it than with fruity cocktails and flowing dresses?

Well.. Prada thought twice and incorporated the bold banana into this seasons collection with banana printed blouses and flowing skirts, to kitschy accessories. So why has everyone gone so fruity? Stella McCartney's citrus melange rocked runways, and now even Zara is coming out with its very own fruit inspired motif. I absolutely love it, perhaps more than fruit itself!!

 Banana charm for Juicy Couture charm bracelet

 A little pre-packing

Loco- my sister Cassi's cat and his giant slice of watermelon

Hands Off

Wa wa, weee wa.

If this isn't love at first sight... I don't know what is. These Alexander McQueen clutches are to die for.. I just don't know which one I would pick. If only I had a couple thousand dollars kickin around, my hands would be all over these.... maybe one day.

On a side note.. one more week until I am home free!! Now only if the McQueen exhibit were at the Tate as opposed to the Met..