November Favourites

1. My first favourite of the past month has to be the visitors I've had. Aoife was first to arrive followed by, ma man, Deco. I still feel quite fresh here in the city of Barcelona so I'm not greatly versed in the little local nooks and crannies. But! I'm getting there. Despite this, Aoife and I attended the greatest market ever (more on that later) and Deco and I watched El Clásico which was SO GOOD. I think it might have been the first football match I've ever enjoyed watching. The buckets full of bottles of Heineken might have helped.

2. As I'm writing this, I'm slightly distracted by THE voice that is Adele. On Thursday, Declan and I got tickets to her concert here in Barcelona and I'm insanely excited! She has been on repeat throughout the month of November, loud and proud. I think my roommates might have a word any day now. Can't stop, won't stop. Below is one of my favourites:

3. About that market I mentioned before. Palo Alto Market. It takes place over a Saturday and Sunday once a month. So, if you're planning a weekend trip to Barcelona I highly recommend checking the dates in conjunction with your trip. Aoife and I went on a Saturday night in November. We were met by quite a long line to get in. It's €3 to enter but if you download the Zapper app and zap a barcode from their website where you pay online beforehand you get to skip the queue and a discount on drinks once inside. The things that I loved most about this market in particular were the music, the delicious pastrami sandwich and the range of local goods on sale. I plan on attending and writing about the December market this weekend so a full blog on this to come!

4. I've heard so much about Korean skincare on different blogs and YouTube channels over the past few months. I was keen to grab a few face masks in particular. They just seem like a nice treat, yano? I was willing to have some shipped to my humble abode but decided to use my best mate, Google Maps, to see if I could grab any somewhere in the city. What did I find? MiiN Korean Cosmetics! Maeve and I strolled down one day to pop in and see what was on offer. The store itself is so cute and the lady there at the time was so helpful. I purchased a few masks, have used them and love them. I plan on picking up a few more for myself and for Christmas presents for friends at home so I'll mention some of my favourite ones in my December Favourites post. If you fancy a few face masks for yourself, visit their website as they ship internationally and prices are listed in €. Also a little FYI, they have directions on how to use all of their products on their website if, like me, you're not fluent in Korean!

5. Shout out to IKEA. Only there would you find a fantastic full length mirror for €20. Love.it. Even if I did get stared down various times on the metro home. 

Happy December,

Ciara

X

Happy Sunday!

Today, I had lunch at Maka Maka with my Spanish amiga, Laura, and her amigo, Daniel. If you're ever in Barcelona I highly recommend a trip to this place! The burgers are insanely tasty, it's just by the beach and there's a great atmosphere as the restaurant is packed most of the time. Oh! and it was featured in this here music video.

I met Laura whilst I was on ERASMUS in Malaga and have loved her little free spirit ever since! We spent the afternoon catching up and reminiscing as we normally do. After saying goodbye, I decided to walk a bit of the way home as the metro was extra stuffy today. I walked down along the port, through the gothic (where I found a street performer with some impressive bubbles) and got the metro from Catalunya home. Safe to say, my new boots are worn in.

Hope you all have a great week! I'm getting so excited about Christmas :)

Ciara

X 

Lately...

Lately... is composed of some photos that I've taken over the last while. I love using this blog to look back at certain times and travels so here's the newest addition. 

Trek to Montjuic

Maeve, James and I walked up Montjuic looking for the fountain which we found out after is located at the base of the mountain. Fantastic! But look, what a pretty place! I'm all about mountains, hills and rooftop bars. I think the first picture is gas as it looks awful cheesy with the Vespa, the couple and the lovely view but that's just Barcelona to a T. 

Halloween in Valencia 

Halloween in Valencia could have not been a thing but thanks to modern medicine, I was physically able to travel on a bus for four hours. Nicola and I decided to meet up whilst we were both in Spain so we settled on Valencia as it was halfway for us both. With me being on antibiotics, Nicola was the best mammy a gal could ask for; filling up my water bottle and willingly taking afternoon breaks. Bar order for the weekend: una cerveza para Nicola y un cosmo sin vodka para mi. I bloody love cranberry juice, I do. 

Aoife has come to visit for the weekend so there will be plenty of touristy Barcelona pictures to come!

Until then,

Ciara

X

Photo Diary: Walking along Diagonal

I was walking to my local grocery shop a few evenings ago. It had been the most gorgeous day in Barcelona; 30 degrees with a fantastic breeze. I spied what looked like the beginning of one of my favourite things - an insane sunset! In case you haven't noticed from my Instagram posts, I've moved to Barcelona. I live in Eixample, along Diagonal, so just on the cusp of Grácia too. I walk to and from work on Passeig de Grácia, the Sagrada Família isn't too far away and Gaudí is EVERYWHERE. I've got my metro commute down, Zara is cheap as is a meal in any restaurant so I'm pretty happy. Oh! and I can walk to the supermarket at 7:30pm and witness this.

Excited to share more Spanish/Catalan adventures with you,

Ciara

X

YURT

glamping

ˈɡlampɪŋ/

noun

BRITISHinformal

noun: glamping

1. a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.

There were a few things to be done this summer - one of them being taking a trip to Tayto Park, the other - glamping or YURTIN', whichever you prefer. So Declan and I killed two birds with one stone and stayed at The Rock Farm, Slane in Meath which is just a quick drive away from Tayto Park. I cannot recommend the place more! The campsite consists of several yurts, ranging in different sizes. We stayed in ''Ash'' which was equipped with a double bed, a pull-out sofa bed, wood burning range and fairy lights to boot. Then there is ''Le Shack'', the communal area which includes compost toilets (an experience), showers (I love a good shower and these were some of the best), kitchen and an outdoor seating area. The hosts at Rock Farm also give you the option of choosing between food packs which they provide for you on arrival. We choose the ''Meat Lover Breakfast Pack'' which we throughly enjoyed both mornings we spent there. Other facilities include a campfire pit, a swing and an outdoor wood burning hot tub. On our first night we were lucky as we were the only people staying on the campsite so we got the tub all to ourselves! 

1. 
   

To finish:

- I was so impressed with how everything that could have been was locally sourced; from the rashers and sausages to the soap in the showers.

- If you do plan a trip, take a walk along the River Boyne. There's buttercups and dragonflies and it's just lovely.

- On Tayto Park: Cú Chulainn is all it's hyped up to be, avoid the 5D Cinema like the plague and the Tayto chocolate bars have had a makeover and they're a-okay so buy one...or three. 

Until next time!

Ciara

X

Dusky & Dreamy - P L A Y L I S T

I like to drive and I like sunsets. So what's my ideal situation in this case? Driving during golden hour when the sky is all the best colours - blue, pink, orange and purple. The cherry on top of all this magic is the soundtrack. Below are some ideal tunes to best enjoy your drive throughout the evening hours. Fingers crossed you get to roll down the windows too.

Ciara

X

Coral Beach

Yesterday, Declan and I took a trip out to Coral Beach in Carraroe. The ground isn't made up of sand but of fine coral instead. I'm as in love with this weather as everyone else is - I hope there's months and months of it to come. 

A very Happy Earth Day to all. I hope you get many a freckle on your face this week!

Ciara

X

Photo Diary: 3 days in Rome

Wednesday

Trevi Fountain 

Fashion house, Fendi, are currently restoring the fountain until late 2015. We were a little disappointed just finding this out on arrival to the historical site. Alas, there's a mini fountain set up for tourists like ourselves to throw the obligatory coin in. 

The Pantheon 

The rain was an advantage for us when visiting The Pantheon. The rain came through the oculus and gave us a rare sight as visitors. 

Giolitti 

Just yum. YUM. Big thanks to Maeveen Harris for the recommendation. Great gelato in Giolitti!

Thursday

Vatican Museum 

St. Peter's Basilica 

St. Peter's Basilica was my favourite thing that we saw in Rome. We paid an extra €7 to climb up into the dome and the views were well worth it. *****, A+, gold star. 

Spanish Steps

Friday

Colesseum

Trattoria Luzzi

The best restaurant we went to whilst in Rome. The place was full of people with Italian waiters shouting across the packed dining room with pizzas and pastas in hand. Full of heart and soul and the best Diavola pizza I've ever had. 

Here's my boyfriend, Declan, just cause. 

Hope everyone has a great week!
Ciara
x