On The Road- Cádiz y Sevilla

Not long ago, a friend and I decided to tag on a little trip to another part of Andalucía on the end of the Easter week. We booked a BlaBlar Car ( a car sharing website and about half the price of public transport) and set off to destination número uno: Seville. Now, I had actually lived in Seville almost 3 years ago and was thrilled to be back in the city where my love affair with Spain all started. Seville is a typical and absolutely gorgeous Andalucían city with tons to see.
We stayed in the Oasis Backpackers Hostel in the centre of Seville and with only one night booked, immediately headed out to see the sights. My hot list would include hanging out by the river, either on the city side or on the Triana side, the Cathedral although beware of big queues and the gypsies, the bull ring, the old Jewish quarter and my absolute favourite, Plaza de Espana and the adjoining Parque Maria Luisa which is a little slice of paradise in a hot and humid city. It was great to walk around the city and surprise my memory with how well I remembered it all. We tried to eat at the famous Eslava bar but despite being only an hour after opening, it was already packed and with a wait for table so we decided on an old favourite not far from where I used to live. We had plans to head to Alameda de Hercules, a great spot for eating and drinking but unfortunately, after a good meal, the tiredness from walking around in the humid heat all day set in so we spent a while on the hostel roof terrace before going to bed.

I 100% fell in love with Cádiz. It's a small little town that faces out to Atlantic ocean and has a distinct colonial feel to it. We stayed in Casa Caracol Hostel which I would totally recommend- vibrant staff, great location and the price included breakfast. At the end of the road, the beautiful coastline was revealed. Although much of it is walled, you can either head up into the newer part of town or down to the very last tip of Cádiz where there are also more sandy beaches. I definitely enjoyed being sprawled out in the sun all day but didn't quite make it into the water- it is the Atlantic Ocean after all... that's some cold water! I would also say beware the wind- it makes the temperature feel a lot less that it is and within three hours, my friend got pretty darn burnt. We were advised by the staff in the hostel to take a walk down to the beach for sunset and it was so completely worth it. Bundle up warm, the wind had a serious bite to it, and sit on the wall facing into ocean and you will see one of the best sunset, just setting into the sea. It was probably my personal highlight of the whole trip.

I would so recommend a trip to Cádiz to anyone who's travelling around Spain and would go back in a heartbeat. Unfortunately there are only 3 weeks left for me here in Spain, and, provided I get organised and sort out my last minute ERASMUS paperwork, I'm looking to go trotting off into Spain a bit.

 I'm eyeing up the beautiful Cabo de Gata in Almeria. 

I'll keep you posted!

xx

Outfit Of The Day- Exploring

Shirt- H&M

Shorts- Vintage

We've recently discovered a new corner of Granada that is a complete hidden gem. Up by the Alhambra, a small but steep walk away, is Carmen de Los Martires, three gardens stacked onto one another and running into the hills above. I hadn't been there until a few days ago and this was my return visit. All the trees and flowers are in bloom and provide all the shade and quietness you need to go relax in the breeze up there or to take in the stunning views of the last snow on the Sierra Nevada.

The weather is hot now, hot and muggy. We seem to have skipped spring and have gone straight into summer again. Not that I'm complaining. I do however have my dissertation due in two week and if anything, its a test of my willpower not to leave it for another day and go out into the sunshine instead. But sure most of you can sympathize with me on that one. When I do hand it in, it'll be fantastic. I think some retail shopping might be in order as a treat, naturally. Some good food and wine as well of course. I'm looking forward to it and I'm excited for the summer and trips to the beach.

Hope all of you are doing well

What are you looking forward to?

xx

From A Forbidden View

I have to admit, I've gotten into a very comfortable yet lazy ERASMUS routine. It involves sleeping and lots of sitting in the sun now that it's beginning to warm up again here in Granada. And that is the best explanation I can offer as to where I've been really. Although, I then considered what better way to show you what I've been up to than with a few picture of a recent walk we all did last weekend.

We went on a walk last sunny Sunday to a spot my friend had discovered. Granada's a great place to take a walk around. If the sun is shining, there's always something go on somewhere, be it bubble blowers or impromptu musicians. As for the walk, it was pretty steep and I was wearing the worst possible shoes (sandals...) but even though I had muddy, slightly sore feet (yes, I did it bare foot eventually, it was a lot less hassle), the view from the top makes it all the worth while. It was great to see Granada from a different angle, just bathing in the sunlight. We had a bottle of red wine and biscuits from a convent we had bought on the way. They were quickly renamed nun cookies. 

It later turned out that we were on private property that we weren't aware of so we quickly relocated back down the hill for the last moments of sunshine before heading home. I washed my feet the moment I got back and made a mental note to always wear trainers in future if my friend says we're going for a 'walk'...

Hope you're all well

xx

Life Lately 007

L-R, Top- Bottom- 1. Tempestade. Storm in Portuguese, one of our cats. 2. Sunny day out. 3. Beautiful architecture on Gran Vía. 4. Albacín by night. 5. View from uni in the evening. 6. Entrance wall to Calle Elvira. 7. Plaza Triunfo. 8. Ice cream at La Cala, best coffee ever. 9. Our new adoptee.

Apologies all around for not having updated in so long. I thought I would share some of my Instagram snaps to show you what I've been up to. I've actually started uni lessons now and, a whole month later, am finally enrolled. Spanish administration is not the fastest or most efficient.However, I don't have classes on a Friday and therefore have a 3 day weekend, so I can't complain. We've also acquired a new cat, the little white kitten in the bottom corner, which was found abandoned, so we now have three. How anyone could abandon such a cutie is beyond me.

I have to admit I'm in a bit of a rut with blogging simply because I haven't been buying that much. I'm waiting on some ERASMUS grant money at the moment, which, with any luck, I should have by next week. And then maybe I'll celebrate by going shopping of course... I can't really post much about winter trends either because it's still boiling hot here- a high twenty on a sunny day and I'm beginning to get impatient for the day I can wrap myself up in my coat and scarf. However, my boyfriend is coming out in a few weeks time so I will get a chance to be a real tourist and my parents are sending me out some stuff including my tripod so keep an eye out. Otherwise, apologies for a slow slow month.

Besos

x

Bienvenidos a Granada- First Look

Bienvenidos a Granada! Welcome to Spain, or rather, my new home for the next 9 months or so. I arrived a week ago tomorrow, on the Wednesday and promptly went straight to bed, knackered after an early flight followed by a long bus journey. I now have somewhere to live in a lovely apartment block full of other ERASMUS students and I even have two kittens in my flat! Jackpot aha! I'm still getting used to the pace of Spanish life which is generally quite slow... and the fact that a lot of things close for the siesta around 2 and absolutely nothing is open on a Sunday. We've mainly spent most of the days just walking around. Everything in Granada is within walking distance, and when it's nice sunny weather, you really don't mind. Because I've been here before and because I'm here for the whole year, I'm not in a massive rush to go round all the typical tourist haunts such as the Alhambra and the Cathedral

So these are really just a few snaps that I've taken recently and I'm sure there will be more coming. I hope you don't mind. I'm also working on a small haul because I have, naturally, been shopping as my wardrobe has been seriously diminished despite my suitcase eventually being a few kg overweight... My semester starts next week so until then, I'll be making the most of this gorgeous city!

Besos

x