Portugal, travel

3 best things about Lisbon: pastries, parties and castles

29 Comments

So if I were to sum up my trip to Lisbon in three words, they would be pastries, parties and castles. Of course there was much more to my long weekend in the capital of Portugal. But these are the three things that stuck out the most during my time in the yellow and pink city. I had an absolute blast and have to return one day. Lisbon is one of those cities where a weekend simply is not enough. It’s also one of those capital cities that’s very easy to get around in. While I also love Madrid, Madrid to me feels like New York city. It’s big and you have to take public transportation everywhere. Lisbon, however, is different. You can easily walk from one place to another.

Continue Reading

Portugal, travel

Destination Hostel: simply the best Lisbon hostel

33 Comments
hostel survival tips

I just returned from a much-needed weekend away in Lisbon, Portugal. Life overseas is not always full of beautiful Instagram photos, delicious food and laughter. Yes, much of it does involve those things. But choosing to live full-time in a culture different than you own can be challenging at times. I’ve found that a little traveling can do wonders. So, it was so great to get out and play tourist for a weekend. Lisbon Destination Hostel played a big part in my lovely weekend of being a tourist.

Continue Reading

Nina's corner, travel

4 tips to plan ahead for vacation

14 Comments
Ibiza in off season

As I sit here and begin this blog post, I have about a million things going on in my head. I leave to teach my private lessons in an hour … I still need to look up exactly what I want to and need to see in Lisbon this weekend … I should probably post a photo to my Instagram. Now is a good time as my American followers are likely all waking up and starting their days while my European followers are going about their days. More eyes to see … oh and have I done laundry? … oh and my room is a mess.

I think we all know this feeling well. We have a lot to do and then we’re going on vacation. This coming weekend is what they call a “puente” here in Spain. Puente literally translates to bridge in English. However in this context, it means having several days off of work or school usually in regards to a holiday. This puente means I have next Monday and Tuesday off work. So I decided to take a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. Since Lisbon involves a bit more travel time, I figured a four-day weekend would be best.

Continue Reading

Dress Picks, My Closet

My winter dress style and a linkup

56 Comments
winter dress style

Today I’m very excited to show you my winter dress style! Yes, I wear my dresses all through the winter. I love dresses as we all know and it would make me sad to have to stop wearing them when it got cold. So I thought in today’s post, I would do two things:

  • Show you a dress I wore in the summer/fall re-styled for winter
  • Show you a few hacks to stay warm (as ladies, I know this is likely the biggest reason you think you need to pack those dresses away as soon as the temperature starts dropping)

Also today I am excited to be co-hosting another linkup. These days I seem to be co-hosting a lot of them, right? Well linkups are one of the first ways I really met and connected with other bloggers. I have learned so much from all the other fashion bloggers I regularly link up with. And I must say, they are all so nice! So why not co-host? Today’s linkup is called Start the Week Stylish. It’s weekly hosts are Michelle’s Pa(i)ge and Northwest Blonde. The theme is “winter chic.” And if you’re a fashion blogger, feel free to go ahead and link up with us below! Join the party!

Continue Reading

Dress Picks, Nina's corner

A reflection on 5 months and linkup

23 Comments
reflection on 5 months

Hi everyone! Today I’m very excited to be co-hosting the Thursday Fashion Files with Carrie from Curly Crafty Mom and Jill from Doused in Pink. I have been following their blogs for at least a year now and have linked up with them countless times. As I have transitioned from just blogging about to fashion to blogging fashion and travel, the times I can link up are less frequent. But I, of course, am always excited to when I can!

So for this post, I thought I’d do a little reflection on how I’m doing. I thought it would be fun to mix some photos in from the different shoots and outfits I’ve worn over the past five months.

Continue Reading

Spain, travel

48 hours in Madrid

48 Comments
48 hours in Madrid

I spent a lovely 48 hours in Madrid with a good friend back in December. Of course Madrid being the capital city of Spain, I knew I would get there at some point this year. On my first trip to Spain (in June 2015. The one where I decided moving here sounded great), I barely spent any time in Madrid because I met my group a few days late. So I simply landed, went to my hostel and took a bus out to meet my friends in La Rioja the next morning. So I was excited to actually explore Madrid. I also read that Madrid had some awesome Christmas markets, so it seemed perfect!

Continue Reading

Nina's corner

3 ways to celebrate Galentines day far away

35 Comments
celebrate Galentines day far away

Long-distance relationships suck at times. You spend lots of time on the phone or Skype. You send lots of messages back and forth. And you absolutely cannot wait until you’re together again. And no, I’m not talking about a long-distance romantic relationship. In fact, I’ve never been in a long-distance romantic relationship, so I may not even have the right picture of what that looks like (sorry is it’s totally wrong!). No, I’m talking about your best female friends. Living life abroad for me means that my best friends live many miles away from me. With Galentine’s Day approaching on February 13th, I know I’ll be thinking of all kinds of ways that I can show them how awesome they are and how glad I am that they are a part of my life! It just gets a little trickier with an ocean in between. So I’ve rounded up five different ways to send them some Galentine’s Day love.

Continue Reading

travel

Why I love the Glasgow Cathedral

49 Comments
Glasgow cathedral

It’s no secret that Europe is full of historic churches and cathedrals. Since moving to Europe in the fall, I’ve explored my fair share of cathedrals. However the Glasgow Cathedral is the one that had me stunned. It’s the one that had me going “wow!!” What can I say … I’m stunned by old, gothic arcitecture.

The history of the cathedral

The cathedral was first stone built in the year 1136 while King David I was in power. The current structure that is standing today was constructed in the year 1197. It’s so cool to explore buildings that existed so long ago! It’s truly amazing.

The cathedral played an important role in the Battles of Glasgow in 1544 and 1560. The University of Glasgow originally held classes in the precinct of the cathedral. Now the University is located on literally the exact opposite side of town.

Continue Reading

Dress Picks, Spain, travel

Exploring old Granada in a dress

41 Comments
exploring old Granada

Last weekend, I spent the day exploring old Granada. For those of you who do not know, I live in Granada, Spain. I’m an American and I moved there to teach English. And I must say, I absolutely love it in Granada. Some days I catch myself taking it for granted. Then I walk to meet a friend for a coffee and am stunned by my surroundings. I live in one of the prettiest cities in all of Spain. It is simply amazing.

Last weekend, I teamed up with a friend of mine in Granada who volunteered to do my hair, makeup and take my photos (thanks Kat!). Friends like that are the best! Kat lives in the historic area of Calle Elvira.

Continue Reading

travel

4 Glasgow local beer spots

63 Comments
Glasgow local beer

I drank lots of beer on my trip to Glasgow, Scotland. My trip to Scotland was planned rather last minute and to be quite honest, I had no real itinerary upon arrival. And I loved it that way. I prefer to roam and stumble upon things. In Glasgow, that ended up being beer. Everyone thinks of Scotch Whisky when they think of alcohol in Scotland. I did of course try my fair share of Scotch too. But the beer … that was quite the pleasant surprise.

I was missing beer

In my home country of the United States, we’ve really come to love beer. And no, I’m not talking about Budweiser. I’m talking about microbreweries. My hometown of Cincinnati has at least five that I can think of. That always blows Spaniards minds when I tell them that and the fact that a normal bar in the United States has at least seven different types of beer on tap. What can I say … we love variety.

Continue Reading