Places I Want To Visit This Year.

Travelling is not only a hobby of mine, but also a passion. There's just something about visiting a new city or country and experiencing new cultures, food and lifestyles that is so fascinating to me. Whether it be a city that is 3 or 30,000 miles away, I'll probably find something that I love about it - hot or cold, a beach break or adventure holiday... I'm in! I was lucky enough to visit some incredible countries last year, and I'm hoping to see even more of what the world has to offer. I'll hopefully be visiting these places...

I Was An Extra in Game Of Thrones?

Ronda; a historic town situated in the south of Málaga and one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. It's also where they film part of Game of Thrones. If I were to visit now, I know that I'd be taking photos of the famous bridges, mountains and dainty streets that it is known for. When I last visited, some four years ago, my friend, Meg, and I spend the day antagonizing Jed and Julia, photobombing and pretending to be bulls... as you do. I'd say this is one of my favourite holidays and best days ever.

Travel Tips From the Only Backpacker With Two Suitcases.

Please appreciate my new nickname that my Gran very lovingly gave to me. We all know that I've done a lot of travelling this past year, but I didn't exactly do it the traditional backpacker kind of way (two pairs of pants and only one pair of shoes? No. Just no.). It all worked out well though, people would take pity on me and just carry my suitcases before me because I clearly looked like a weakling. Even so, I like to think I've managed to pick up a few hints and tips that a few of you might find come in handy...

August Favourites Feat. Fruity Fragrances.

Can we appreciate the alliteration in the title of this post please because I honestly think it's something that my Year 7, and potentially Year 12, teacher would have been proud of. Can we also please talk about how it's the end of August and there are only four months left until 2017? I haven't had to write the date this year so I'm still not quite in a 2016 frame of mind, but seriously... 2017?! I don't even want to talk about it, so let's instead talk about what I've been loving this month...

Let's Have a Chat...

It's weird to think that, this time three weeks ago, I was on a fifteen hour and then a nine hour flight back from Australia. It's hard to believe that my six month Australian adventure has come to an end. I spent my last day in the most touristy way possible; on Bondi Beach in my Aussie hoodie and in a very hungover state. I left with new tattoos, new friends and plenty of new (some slightly fuzzy) memories and exciting stories to tell. Unfortunately for me, I came down incredibly ill on the plane. My best friend arrived at Heathrow airport and came running towards me, ready for a happy reunion, only for me to sink to the floor in hysterics, demanding to be taken to A&E.

The Best Day.

You know when you visit a new place and just know that you will visit again and again, and never tire of it? That's how I felt about Seville. I grew up in Malaga and thought that Seville would be similar, and it definitely was, but it also might have been a bit better. I love going to the beach, but historic towns and cities are definitely more my thing. Seville is home to some of the most beautiful architecure and historic sites I have ever seen. You immediately know that if they film Game of Thrones there, then it's going to be pretty special. The best part? I got to experience it with some of my favourite people. If you're ever there, you need to visit Alcazar. Word of advice: don't hold hands with your favourite person and walk/skip/run down the alter at the cathedral with your favourite person, pretending you're getting married, because they will threaten to kick you out and also bar you from one of the oldest cathedrals in the world. Probably wasn't my finest moment. The best part was seeing my History & Music teacher, both of whom came with us, getting extremely angry as they defended us and the security guard slowly going redder and redder, not realising that there was Chinese tourist behind him doing ballet with an extremely long selfie stick in her hands. SERIOUSLY?!

October Favourites - Things To Do in Málaga.

It's been just over a month since I moved out, left Málaga and moved to London. There's no denying that, when I was younger, I definitely didn't appreciate the beauty of Málaga. I considered it a place full of goats and olive trees, where everybody ate paella and it never rained. I was very, very wrong. Now that I'm older, I truly appreciate the architecture, the history of the buildings and the country itself, and the people. Oh, the food's not too bad either, and they don't just eat paella. They save that for a Sunday lunch. Call it their Sunday Roast, if you will. Now that I've had time away, I do actually miss the place, so here is a list of things I plan on doing as soon as I get back.

Meg.

Meg is my best friend. She has been since we were two years old, so I think you could say we know almost everything about each other. After all, it's not everyday that you can say that you've been friends with someone for seventeen years. Her mam happens to be my mam's best friend too, so it works well when they come out to visit us, which is exactly what they did this past week. Here are some photos from our trip...

Málaga.

It's only recently that the beauty of Málaga has really hit me. I guess the culture and historic monuments such as cathedrals and churches were a bit lost on me so I've been making up for lost time. I've been catching the train down with family and friends, sightseeing and taking lots of photos, some of which I thought I'd share with you all.

A Weekend Hike

I think it's safe to say that I've had a pretty amazing and adventurous weekend. After a hard day (and week) at college on Friday, I headed to my friend's, Saoirse, house. We had some lunch and a bit of a gossip before doing some homework. By homework, I obviously mean drawing on each other and doing no homework whatsoever, but it's the thought that counts, right?! Afterwards, we headed to our dance class. It was a little different this week as it turned into a Gymnastics class! I made Saoirse and a few of my other friends fly by balancing them on my feet, and I was feeling it ever so slightly by the time we got home!

That night, Saoirse slept at my house where we tucked into a massive feast of homemade curry with all the typical side dishes and some Milka chocolate. We also watched Les Miserables before having a relatively early night, as we were both so exhausted from our previous week of exams.

Feeling refreshed and ready to start our day, we got up this morning at about 10am. This was actually quite early for me, considering it's the weekend, but late for Saoirse. We had some toast and coffee (which I ended up spilling all down myself) before deciding to go on a hike! We eventually left at around 12:10 and weren't expecting to be back for a long while but, we're clearly fitter than we previous thought, as we back in just under three hours.

I technically live near the top of the mountain we were planning on hiking up anyway but to get there, you have to first walk down the mountain and then alone to get to the actual track that leads to the cross, which is officially classed as the summit. It is pretty much all up all but was no where near as hard as I thought it would be. I even ran some of the way! I was actually rather proud of myself, haha.

I don't think there's many people that truly appreciate the beauty of Álora, which is where we live. We definitely didn't anyway. Or at least we didn't until today when we walked through fields of flowers in the bright, blazing sun and looked down upon the views below us. The further up we climbed, the better the views seemed to get and the further we were able to see. Unfortunately, it was caterpillar season, so we had to watch out for them as they are poisonous but, other than that, our minds were completely at ease!

Our destination!

...Or at least we were until Saoirse 'hit the deck'. A man started running in the opposite direction to that, so I put my dogs on their leads just in case, and we took to one side while he stuck to his. After he had passed, I turned my back for one second to let my dogs of their leads when BANG. I turned around to find Saoirse sat in a ditch, having tripped over. The obvious thing to have done at that moment in time would have been to help her up but no, I had to have a good laugh and take a few pictures and then I plucked up the energy to help her back to her feet! 

buttercups

having a quick sit down after having helped Saoirse to her feet

and then we were on our way again!

Everyone seemed to be out in force, making the most of the beautiful, sunny weather. We met numerous dog walkers, runners, families out with their children and a Norwegian couple who asked us for directions. We gave them said directions and sent them off... in the wrong direction. We were later told by a Spanish couple that set them right that you could have gotten down the way we'd said, but it was rather dangerous and not recommended. oops. Maybe we're not the best people to ask for directions.

celebrating

The summit is from the whole of town and from below, it looks like a wooden cross but unfortunately it is a gravity-ridden, white, plastic one. Saoirse and I did have a good wonder how some people had managed to shimmy their way to the top of the cross and somehow spray-paint their names on there! Once at the summit, we had a nice lie down in the (dirt) grass, had a long drink and took lots of photos, both of us and our surrounds! Here are some of my favourites:

I've recently had to start wearing glasses. I had to take them with up and ended up having to actually put them on so I could appreciate the view!

Having spent about half an hour at the top, we decided it was time to go back down and we decided to try and be a bit more "speedy" about it instead of just wandering aimlessly. After all, this was a hike we were supposed to be on, but it obviously didn't stop us from taking even more photos. 

On the way back, it was my turn to carry the rucksack. This meant I now have an iPod, camera, camera case, glasses, dog leads and the bag. I am a true professional. 

Once we were about 10 minutes past the summit, we found that someone had drawn the Devil's sign on the ground. I found it a bit odd and then as we continued down, we kept finding arrows! This went on for over a good kilometre before they came to an abrupt stop. It was very strange.

Our final stop was an almond blossom forest, where we each took a few pictures before walking the last few kilometres home. Once home, it was time for a well deserved sit-down, a drink and some lunch! It was about 4pm by the time we got home, so we deserved it. 

I had such an amazing time and my legs don't actually even hurt (yet)! I really enjoyed and would like to try and do this more regularly, especially with the weather before so nice. Let's see what Saoirse has to say about that...

What did you all get up to this weekend? Have any of you being enjoying the sun? Let me know in the comments below!

Topshop Playsuits, Jumpsuits and Pyjama wear.

We are officially nearing the half-way point of February, and with that are coming the first signs of Spring (in Spain anyway!); the almond blossom is blooming, days are getting longer and my legs are itching to come out! Okay, that last one might be a bit of an exaggeration and probably isn't a sign that Spring is on it's way for most, but I am 100% ready to wear amazing outfits without shivering to the bone and being petrified that I am going to get pneumonia. Admittedly, I am probably going to have to do a rather a lot of sunbathing in the comfort of my own home to get a bit of a tan before getting my legs out, as my paleness might just blind people. So, if winter could please hurry up and leave, I'd be really greatful. I am officially counting down the days before I can put my winter coat away and leave the house without wearing 5 layers. Yes, I live in the Costa del Sol so probably don't have as much right to complain about the cold as many other people, but I am British and complaining is what we do best. 

I think it's fair to say that I have spent most of the past few Winter months spending endless hours on fashion blogs, websites and online clothes stores, searching for some key pieces to add to my wardrobe in time for warmer weather. Surprise, surprise, a few of my favourite pieces were from Topshop! Well, I saw a few but it's basically each and everyone of their playsuits, jumpsuits and everyday pyjama-style wear. The only things stopping me from buying something are a.) I'd never be able to narrow it down to one choice and b.) if I bought one, I know I'd never be able to stop myself from buying more. Willpower at it's finest.