travel Archives - Page 16 of 20 - A World of Dresses

A day at the Real Alcázar Sevilla

06/18/2017 55 Comments

The Real Alcázar Sevilla. This is the place I’ve been wanting to visit for months. I had seen photos on social media from other people in my teaching program and thought “Sevilla has a fortress, castle-thing?” My only experience in Sevilla had been on my first trip to Spain back in June 2015 with CoffeeShop Spanish. We arrived in the afternoon, wandered the city and went to a Flamenco show that evening. It was simply too short of a trip for such a wonderful and historical city.

What is Sevilla?

Sevilla is a city in Spain. One of my biggest pet-peeves with travel blogs is when they don’t tell you what country the city or place is in. I know that that seems laughable, but I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been reading a post thinking “okay I think this is in the Philippines, but they didn’t say” or “I think this is in the UK … but it could be Ireland too. I DON’T KNOW!!” Travel bloggers just a little piece of advice: always put the country with wherever your post is about. While it may seem obvious to you, not all of your readers likely are familiar with the region you’re writing about. But likely we will want to know exactly where it is so we can make a note and future plans to travel there.

Portugal, travel

Affordable getaway to the Azores

06/16/2017 33 Comments

Last week I was on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Who here has heard of the Azores? It’s okay if you haven’t. Up until a few months ago when my friend Karla invited me along on her adventure, I had hardly heard of them either. However I’m always down for an adventure. And thus we planned an affordable getaway to the Azores.

In the middle of the ocean

During my stay on the island of São Miguel, I sent a Spanish friend of mine a screenshot of where I was on the map. It basically looked like this:

France, travel

My trip to Toulouse, France

06/02/2017 32 Comments

In January, I took a trip to Toulouse, France for a few days with a good friend. I was very surprised with how much I liked the city. My only other experience in France was when I went to Paris at the age of 18 with my high school. While this trip was an amazing experience, I was excited to see France outside of Paris. The major, capital cities only give you the tip of the iceberg as far as how people live their lives. So I was excited that my second time in France was a completely different region.

Basically, I went to Toulouse because I went to Andorra. Do any of you ever do that? You add another destination to the trip simply because you’re close by and why not? Over Christmas break, I went to Andorra. I’ve been fascinated with Andorra for a long time. If you’re like a lot of people, you’re probably wonder what Andorra is. Well, it’s a tiny country in between Spain and France in the mountains. You can read my post about Andorra here. You can get to Andorra by bus either from Barcelona or Toulouse. So I thought “why not come in through Barcelona and out to Toulouse?” So that is exactly what we did.

auxiliar life, Spain, travel

Thoughts on 1 year in Spain

05/31/2017 36 Comments

Today was my last day working at the school that I teach at. It’s such a weird feeling to not be going back there. Today was the last day I ran out of the door at 7:40 a.m. to catch the bus to meet the teachers that I carpool with to then ride an hour (and fall asleep) in the car. It was my last day to take that beautiful, windy drive through the mountains to the little town of Arbuniel and see 40-50 smiling faces greeting me with “hello teacher!” This year went by way too fast.

If you do not know, I work in the Southern Andalucia region of Spain as an English Language Assistant. The Spanish government hosts a program where native English speakers assist in bilingual public schools all over the country. If you have ever dreamed of living in Spain, teaching English overseas or both, it’s a great opportunity to do so!

It was just around this time last year that I received an e-mail assigning me to the primary school in Arbuniel. And I was freaking out …

Spain, travel

Day trip to Ubeda and Baeza

05/29/2017 22 Comments

When you think about Spain, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it Barcelona or Madrid? Is it tapas and beautiful beaches? While I love the big cities, I equally enjoy visiting the smaller towns of Spain. I love to get a different perspective on Spanish life … a perspective that you do not get from a travel book. Ever since I moved to the Andalucia region of Spain, people have been telling me that I need to see Ubeda and Baeza. On Sunday I finally decided to go.

These towns are both located in the Jaen province, which sits just above Granada. The trip from Granada is just about an hour each way, making them the perfect day trip!

travel, United Kingdom

The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour

05/22/2017 13 Comments

Everyone knows Liverpool, England as the home of the Beatles. So of course when I went, I had to experience all that I could. I only had one full day in Liverpool, so I wanted to make sure that I saw all the spots I could. Luckily they offer a Magical Mystery Tour that takes to all the hot spots for 20-something pounds. It was perfect.

The bus

It was a cold day, especially for April. Spring just arrives a lot later there. I had brought my leather jacket with me, which was honestly not enough. That’s one thing about Spain … Spanish weather is so much nicer than that of England. So needless to say, I was happy when it was time to board the bus.

travel, United Kingdom

5 Reasons you have to visit Liverpool

05/11/2017 17 Comments

Liverpool, England has been on my list of places to see for a long time. I’ll be the first to admit that the Beatles were initially the driving force behind that. Over in the United States, were always told that we need to visit London, of course. Check. Been there twice. And then of course following London, Liverpool always comes up. But I’ll admit that before my trip, all I really knew about the city was that the Beatles were from there. I was surprised that I came away liking it for more reasons than just the Beatles.

So without further ado, let’s just get right into it.

Spain, travel

A day trip to Toledo

04/26/2017 31 Comments

While I love the excitement of arriving at the airport, going through security (total sarcasm here) and boarding my flight to some exciting destination, I also love the fun of a simple day trip. There are so many places that we can explore within a 1-3 hour drive of us, wherever we are. I love taking day trips and where I live in Spain, there are so many!

Over Semana Santa, I traveled in Ireland and England for a little bit. On my way back home, I found cheaper airfare into Madrid. Since I’ve already been to Madrid several times, I decided to take a day trip to Toledo. Toledo is a perfect day trip from Madrid as it’s a one-hour away. And it’s also a city that you do not want to miss. It’s full of so much history and things to see. And the architecture is very unique.

travel, United Kingdom

Hatters Hostel Liverpool for a bit

04/18/2017 15 Comments

When I plan travel, I realistically need an entire night. I love all the logistics that go into planning your route, your accommodations and what you will see. I love comparing modes of travel, airfare and the like. That is exactly how I initially decided to come to Liverpool.

A friend of mine invited me to come to Dublin with her over Semana Santa. I found a Ryanair flight Malaga-Dublin for 20 euros. Great! Returning home, however, was looking quite pricey. It’s funny how that happens with Ryanair. So I got creative and started thinking about what other cities are near Dublin. It was my Semana Santa afterall (I teach English in Spain and Hispanic countries love to take the whole week off before Easter). I had time to explore. So using the GoEuro app (anyone traveling in Europe needs this app. It is amazing), I found a Ryanair flight from Dublin-Liverpool for just 16 euros! Liverpool has been on my list for a while since the Beatles are from there. So I said why not?

Spain, travel

My Primark spring dress

04/05/2017 14 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite happy that spring has sprung! I love being able to wear my dresses without tights and I love busting out all the floral prints. So I was happy to find this Primark spring dress for only 8 euros!

As you may have seen on Instagram or my previous post, I spent this past Saturday in Ronda, Spain. Ronda is an adorable small town about an hour outside of Malaga. My friend Karla and I made a day trip out there from Granada. Like me, she also teaches English in Spain.