Spain Archives - Page 6 of 7 - A World of Dresses

I woke up in a Guadix cave house

02/16/2018 21 Comments

Did you know that some people in Andalucia, Spain live in caves? No, it’s not like the cave men of thousands of years ago. I mean people actually build their houses into the land like a cave. Several weekends ago, I spent a night in a Guadix cave house.

You can actually find houses like these on Airbnb. This one and this one look pretty cool. They are typically painted white inside. The idea is that they are super cold in the summer and super warm in the winter. My initial idea was to get a group of friends together and rent one of these. However when I was invited by friends who lived there, I thought “even better!” Chaz and Arielle are English teachers like me who got placed in the town of Guadix. They chose a cave house over a flat because why not? They were super gracious to invite us out there several weekends ago.

Dress Picks, Fashion, Spain, travel

La Boutique de Lulú

01/31/2018 23 Comments

Even though I have been in Granada for a year and a half, I find that I’m always discovering new things. Several weeks ago was the perfect example of that. I had never been to Granada’s Atarfe despite living only a short bus or car ride away. It’s a small town close to I have been working with a new photographer named Miguel and he has a friend who just opened her own boutique called La Boutique de Lulú. He thought connecting the two of us would be a good idea. I always love to support small and local businesses, so I was down.

The looks

These looks were created from La Boutique de Lulú. She has a good selection of clothing and accessories in her shop. I was immediately drawn to the blue dress. I paired it with this vest and added the purse. We grabbed a handful of dresses and accessories, and headed to shoot some photos before the sunset.

Fashion, Spain, travel

My free Alhambra visit

01/28/2018 20 Comments

I did it. I finally had my Alhambra visit. I can finally check it off the list.

What’s the Alhambra? Well it’s one of the must-see sites in Granada. Last year I was a failure because I never visited it. Isn’t that how it always works? We often don’t spend enough time being a tourist in our own city. Every weekend last year I meant to go but things came up. A weekend away or a friend’s birthday. I just kept putting it off even though it’s amazing. However when I heard that I could go for free, I was all about it. I had to finally do it.

An Alhambra visit is normally not free. However on Sundays they offer free tickets to Granada residents (if there are tickets available). All you have to do is go to the Alhambra office the week before the Sunday you wish to go. All I needed was to present my NIE that indicates my address in Granada. If any of you live in Granada, you have to take advantage of this! Many Granadinos simply don’t know that they can get free tickets.

collaboration, Dress Picks, Fashion, Spain, travel

The warm flannel dress

01/12/2018 84 Comments

I have always been someone who gets cold easily. As many of you also know, I wear dresses year round. When winter hits, this simply means I switch from sundresses to warm dresses. That’s why when I saw this flannel dress from Zaful, I had to get it! It looked perfect for the colder months. When it gets cold out, flannel is always a good choice.

The other thing I was really wanting was a nice, big sweater. This is one I can pair with a lot of looks. Or I can just throw it on when I’m hanging out at home in my sweat pants.

auxiliar life, Spain, travel

14 things they don’t tell you about Spain

01/03/2018 35 Comments

What things come to mind when you hear Spain? Likely sangria, Spanish and old architecture. It’s an absolutely wonderful country to visit. It’s also an amazing place to live. I should know as I do live in Spain. However if you went to Spain for a few weeks, you might end up surprised when life isn’t like it was when you were on vacation.

While Spain is a Westernized European country, there are some big differences between cultures. Like any place, there were things I was not expecting. This is in no way to put Spain or Spaniards down. It’s just to say it like it is. These have all been things that have surprised and even shocked me at times. So here goes …

Spain, travel

6 Differences between American and Spanish Christmas

12/24/2017 23 Comments

The holidays are one way to really see and experience a foreign culture. This year marks the second Christmas season that I have spent in Granada, Spain. While many things are similar, I was surprised to find many differences between Christmas in the United States and Navidad in Spain.

Just like in the United States, the streets get decorated around late November to early December. Christmas music can be heard and people are out buying presents for their loved ones. Children get a few weeks off of school and adults generally don’t work. However there are just a few too many differences … enough that I felt like a list would be a fun and informative blog post. So let’s get into it!

Dress Picks, Fashion, Spain, travel

Exploring Granada’s Albaicín

12/13/2017 36 Comments

I live in Granada, Spain. I have to stop myself from taking that for granted. I am so very lucky to get to spend not one but two years in one of Spain’s most historic cities. About a month ago, I met up with a new photographer named Serena to do a photoshoot in the Albaicín neighborhood. Exploring Granada’s Albaicín is something that should not be missed when in Granada.

Nina's corner, Spain

A night out in Spain

12/08/2017 27 Comments

As I sit down to write this at 3:30 in the afternoon, I find myself in quite an appropriate state to write this blog post. Today is a holiday here in Spain, meaning no work. That also means that I went out last night. So I sit here still in my pajamas with an un-washed face and disheveled hair. I’m nursing a tiny hang over. I think the coffee is helping.

Going out here in Spain is quite different than going out back home in the United States. If you really go out, don’t plan anything around 10 a.m. the next day. You will likely come home between the hours of 6-8 a.m.

For the past year, I have always thought a diary-style post about a typical night out in Spain would be fun to write. Several weeks ago, my friend Carolina invited myself and some friends to have dinner at her house and then go out. I documented the entire night. Enjoy!

Spain, travel

Lemon Rock: where everything happens

11/17/2017 16 Comments

One day last fall, I stumbled upon the Lemon Rock Hostel and Bar. I believe it was a Sunday and I was in search of a place to do some work from my laptop. Somehow I had stumbled upon one of the best Granada hostels and it had a very cozy-looking cafe.

I quickly learned that the Lemon Rock was more than just a hostel. The Lemon Rock is a place enjoy good coffee, beer and food. It’s a place that Spanish people love just as much as the tourists. They host good concerts, dj sets and even language exchanges. In short, it’s a place you have to visit when you come to Granada.

I rarely ever write about my favorite Granada spots. I suppose when you live in a place, you can forget that it too has many amazing hidden gems. While I had been to the Lemon Rock dozens of times in the past, I had never really thought to write about it. It seems a little crazy to me as I love to write about hostels on here.

auxiliar life, Nina's corner, Spain, travel

5 Reasons Spain is great for learning Spanish

10/29/2017 54 Comments

As I begin my second year in Spain, I often find myself reflecting on everything I love about this country. One year ago, I had no idea how well my time here would turn out. I had no idea how many wonderful people I would meet and how much Spanish I would speak on a daily basis.

If you are wanting to learn Spanish or better the Spanish that you already speak, I would recommend living in Spain if you can. Of course I’m sure many parts of South America would also be wonderful places to learn as well. However except for Nicaragua, I have not traveled in South America. One day I hope to get to Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Costa Rica and basically everywhere else in that part of the world. However right now I’m in Spain and I love it here.