It has been some time! I lost interest in blogging as I was finding new interests. I will do another post about one said interest next, but this one is just about SKINCARE! It can be so difficult to know what works and doing a whole trial and error process can get expensive. I try and not to think of the money aspect as I am working towards a clearer face. I’m trying to reach a goal. Also, I find it fun. Like an adventure. Also also, I am lazy and would love for a short skincare routine that does the job.
First things first, what to look for? Cleaners is number one, then a toner, and finally a moisture. I have followed a lot of Instagrammers who are into skincare and i feel like I get so overwhelmed about how much they use on their face in one morning. Crazysauce! So I chose out of everything they use to those three main things above (cleanser, toner, moisturizer). A lot of the time I wasn’t really taking the products from the Instagrammers because they can be pretty pricey. What I did was speak to my friends and ask around what brands or specific products they rave about and they found work. Yes, this can be exciting and sometimes you are just like what the heck and buy it, but first, they probably have different skin than you, so do some research. Check out what other products that brand has that may be better suited for you. So pretty much for all of 2019 and 2020 I was on a mission. If you look back on my blog you can see the all different things I tried. Anyway, lets get to it!
La Roche-Posay Hydrating Gentle Cleanser: I love trying out new cleansers. It’s one of my joys in life haha. This one I think has been my favorite. It’s easy. You don’t have to do anything tricky or use a certain face towel. It comes in a huge bottle and you can find it anywhere! The price is good as well and I know it will last me a while till I have to get another. I don’t really have sensitive skin but living in a sunny city it is nice to have something gentle to wash off my day. Also I didn’t want a hard cleanser as I will be using a bit of a harsh toner.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toning Solution: The reason I started using this one was because I was trying to find something cheaper and just as good as the Pixi Glow Tonic. Unfortunately the Pixi tonic had double the price here in the US compared to the UK. I happened upon this tonic on Ulta and thought I’d try it out as I have tried their peeling solution and was happy with results and the price. I am happy to say I love this product. First, I love it because of the price it’s $9ish with tax. Next thing is you only use it in the PM! I only have to use it once a day! That means in the morning when i’m lazy just waking up I only have two steps. I couldn’t be happier with this purchase.
Lush Vanishing Cream: I haven’t found a good moisturizer for a while. I have tried soooooo many different ones. Nothing was doing what I wanted it to do. I wanted something light, moisturizing, not greasy and bonus if it had spf. Over Christmas I went to Lush with my best friend and she swore by this product. She has the best skin so I had to believe her and I’m so glad I just fussed up and bought it. I know it’s a bit on the expensive side, but as I simplified my routine and the other products are within budget it was okay for me. I am so happy I bought this. It does wonders and keeps my skin hydrated without looking oily as it is so thin. Lastly, another great thing, is that even though it is expensive and in a small container a little goes a long way!
I hope you all enjoyed this new post and found it helpful in whatever way. I am thinking of doing a review of all the ones I used in the past by product so a cleanser review, toner review and a moisturizer review. Let me know in the comments if you would be interested. I can be your friend that shares the ones they rave about!
Reader Question: What are some products you swear by?!
Hope you are all doing well. I have had some visitors in the past month, such as my sister and my best friend, and thought I would share what we did with the state of how things are right now. In advance of each activity, we thought about what we needed to do or mentally prepare. Also we had other plans if it was too crowded. Luckily, not a lot of our plans had to be changed to something else, which was great! Also, more places are taking precautions themselves and that helped us a lot as well.
Solana Beach
First thing on the list was going to the beach. Leading up to my sister coming, who came first, we were a little nervous about crowds. Luckily during the week it is pretty calm and during the weekend it only looks crowded from when you first get on the beach, but once you walk down it spreads out. Also, we went in the morning and spend the afternoon and have lunch on the beach. This way we picked our spot further from the main area.
Potato Chip Rock
As we are close to the beach in our new home we are also close to some great hiking trails. One of the most famous ones is called potato chip rock. My husband has hiked it before but once you get to the top you can take a picture of the actual “potato chip rock”, which is just a rock that is thin and looks like a chip! The hike is rated difficult and it was mostly up hill but we started early so it was cooler, took lots of water and stopped for many breaks. Finally getting to the top and going back down felt like a great accomplishment and work out.
Balboa Park
If you don’t know Balboa park, it is absolutely massive! Not only is it home to two museums, but the San Diego Zoo resides in it too. My sister and I planned to go to the Japanese Garden within the park, but unfortunately it was closed that day. Instead, we walked around for a while and then sat at the tables outside of the art museum and did some serious people watching while we had a little snack. The whole area felt very Spanish and we loved just taking a stroll through it.
Pacific Coast Highway
The road, or highway as it says, that goes up and down the coast is a great way to pass time. It is a lovely and beautiful drive. We went up to Newport beach to go to a surf shop my friend wanted to go to and then on our way back down to San Diego we took the 101 aka pacific coast highway. As my husband and I have not ventured out much since we first got here to California it was fun to see all the beaches I have heard so much about.We saw Newport obviously, then Huntington, Laguna and stopped at Carlsbad to chill on the beach for a bit.
Bernardo Winery
Another activity we did was going to a winery that was very close by. It was all outside and we went towards the end of the day so there weren’t very many people there and we sat far from others. They had just started doing flights because of corona and we got 3 for $20. They also have a kitchen as part of it and the food was amazing. We were just going to do deserts, but someone recommended the bruschetta so we got a cannoli and a brownie along with that. It was all so good and we had a lovely evening just chatting as the sun was going down.
Reader Question: Have you all been up to anything? Gone anywhere?
PS! I started my own Etsy shop doing downloadable prints of my photography! Would love if you all could check it out. Let me know your thoughts. Linked on the name below!!
As outdoor actives started to open my husband and I wanted to take advantage a little bit, but no go crazy. So, we thought going to San Diego botanical gardens would fun. It was so nice to be out of the house and in the sun just walking about and taking pictures of course. Here is what we had to do and what we did for the day.
Tickets: You have to reserve and buy ticket online before you go. For reservation they take 75 people max per 30 minutes windows. We went in at 11am and about 10 others had reserved at that time as well so we felt pretty good about keeping distance as there were not many there.
Taking Precautions: First thing is we wore our masks of course, but some did not, so we stayed away from them. Also, we washed out clothes as soon as we got home just in case. Never be too careful when out with other people around and with some who weren’t wearing masks.
Lunch: We had planned to go to the beach and Pizza Port for the rest of the day, but the beaches have been packed more than ever and Pizza Port was closed. So we ended up right off Solana Beach and had brunch at T’s Cafe. It was close and we were starving at this point. Everything on the menu was $15.00, which kept it simple, and the food was amazing and the portions were definitely worth the money! We probably won’t go to another sit down restaurant any time soon but we will keep that place in mind when things get better. Also, just to let you know, all seating was outside and very spaced out.
Pool: When we saw how packed the beaches were we decided to reserve a spot at our apartments pool. It was such a warm day on Saturday that jumping in the cool pool felt amazing and so needed! Was perfect way to end the day relaxing poolside. My shoulders got a bit burnt but let’s hope that turns into a tan!
Reader Questions: Have any of you been out at all? Where have you been? What do you do to stay safe? Also, where have you been buying your masks?
I bought my mask above and another from Reformation. They have such cute ones for $10! I got the Fruit Salad & Painted Lady. (Linked)
Hope you all enjoyed this post and are staying safe as things are starting to open back up. Be smart š
It has been a few months! And man have things changed since then. Personally and worldly. Of course you know what has been happening recently with corona and quarantines, but personally a lot of things have changed as well. First major thing is, we moved! To California… from London. So thought I’d share my experience with the crazy packing, moving, and landing in Cali babbyyy.
First a little background, my husband and I had been wanting to move back the the US of A since Christmas of last year and thought about moving when our lease was up in June of 2020. But as you all know the world starting changing in February. So we started by booking a flight in April and then flights were getting shut down and cancelled. So we booked even sooner towards the end of March. During all this flight re-booking, we started packing. Also, with all of this going on, more and more people working and staying at home so we missed out on our plans to see the last of London, hanging out and say goodbye to our friends. That is one of the main things I wish we could have done before we left.
Anyway, skipping to March, we have a crate coming to us two days before our flight to pack full of all of our stuff that we wouldn’t need for a few months as it goes on a long ship journey, quite literally, across the world.
We are now at the end of March, packing the crate, and doing last minute packing for our flight in two days. Luckily there are some brave Uber drivers out there and thank goodness for them! We got to the airport with a total of 6 suitcases and bags (seriously I’m surprised it wasn’t more..). Then we checked in 4 of our largest bags and waited. Before the flight we were were notified via email to try and eat before as the meals on-flight might be minimal. This was difficult as almost every restaurant was closed except for the magazine shops that had some of those small snacks. We bought a few chips and things but ready for out smaller meals on flight.
Now we are on the plane. We quickly realize they had not booked seats away from other passengers. They asked us to stay in our assigned seats as the plane took off. People were pretty upset about that but we quickly got in the air and everyone immediately spread out. As I mentioned we were warned about food and we were given a little baggy of half a sandwich and some desert and pre-packaged candy bars. This was given to us as soon as they could serve after we took off and other than that we were given drinks and that was all for the 11 hour flight…. I was pretty upset that the pre-notification wasn’t more detailed.
Eleven hours later… we finally landed. Starving. There was a process of exiting the plane. We were asked to exit in small groups of 10ish so it took a while to actually get off the plane. During the flight they gave us forms to fill out about where we were coming from and where we were staying. Also, how we were feeling leading up to getting on the flight. Similar questions were then asked to us once we got off the plane. If you were not sure or looked sick they would take your temperature. We passed right through and went to customs, which was normal as for waiting time, but looked long as there was the 6 feet distancing.
Once we did all the boring stuff and left the airport the next stop was food and of course it had to be at In & Out. Those burgers revived us. Now we were headed to the in-laws to live till we settled in.
During the quarantine with the in-laws a lot of shows were watched and a lot of cheese was consumed. (yummy) I took up making summer bracelets to pass time. It was very warm on a few days so we got to go to a family house that had a pool and also ordered an inflatable pool for the backyard. I’m sure a lot of you have been making fun purchases as I have. I’ll have to do a post of my quarantine orders. Nail polish is a top one for sure!
Now to the present, my husband found a job in southern california and now we have moved into our new apartment. Keep an eye out for a new home post! We are now officially Californians.
Hope you all are staying safe and trying to keep busy.
*P.S. If you are in the US and want to order a bracelet. They are $15 shipping included. Hit me up on what colors you want. You can dm me on my Instagram or here. Whichever!
Reader Question: Has anyone had some crazy experience during this time?
Yes, I am backkkk. It has been two months since my last post. I can’t believe time flew by that fast. Honestly I haven’t been feeling inspired and a bit lazy, but i have been busy trotting around London and I thought I would share my experience with you all.
My sister came into town two weeks ago and the main reason was to see the Jonas Brothers in concert, because we wouldn’t miss their reunion for the world, but also it was nice to hang out with just the two of us. Here is what we got up to while she was here! Also, because my sister has been here a few times we ventured out and did some non major tourist things.
Thursday
First things first I had to travel all the way to Heathrow and let me tell you it was not an easy trip. Took 2 hours. Yay. After I found the sis we traveled right back. Another hour and half. For that evening, I had reserved us a table at Mestizo, a Mexican restaurant, because they had their tamale festival going on and we couldn’t miss it. So that was the plan!
When we got home we made up the couch for my sister and we chilled and then headed out for dinner. Of course when you go to a Mexican restaurant you need to order you some margaritas! They had so many different kinds. My husband got the classic, sister got melon and I got a ginger one, which i have to say was the best. After that we ordered 3 different tamale dishes and then even a dessert one! My husbands friend then joined up after he had been out with friends and bought a jug of ginger margarita for all of us to share and it was a perfect ending to the first night.
Friday
As it was the first night for my sister being here the jet lag was very real! I let her sleep in and we made coffee and had a brunch. We had a lazy day and it was great. My husband’s friend who joined us last night asked if we wanted to try a Afghan restaurant, called Ariana II, that him and his brother were planning on checking out and we accepted. We all met up after they were done with work, which was at Somerset House. When we got there I was little skeptical about the food but man was it amazing! I will put below what we ordered. PS. the place is BYOB so we bought wine along the way.
Starters – Samosa (right of picture below), Bolanee Gandana (left & my favorite), & Paneer Salad
Mains – Kabuli Palow. (I’m sorry that is the only one i remember but we orders 3 to share between all of us. )
Sides – Spiniach & Okra
Somerset House
Starters
Saturday
The first thing we did on Saturday was checking out the Barbican Conservatory. It is only open on certain days and it was open that weekend. I had been wanting to go for so long. Honestly if you have been to Kew Gardens before it is a bit underwhelming, but as first timer it was lovely. It was really nice when the sun peaked through. Next we walked around and ended up around Liverpool Street so we decided to go to Spitalfields Market. We were hungry so we wondered to see what everyone wanted. My husband got Monty’s Deli, which has really good Jewish salt beef sandwiches. My sister and I went for Yum Bun, which had the steamed buns and I had the fried chicken one. YUM was a very fitting name for that place. We also had match milk boba tea and my husband had a donut. After the eating was complete went to the shops and stands and my sister bought a brown leather train hat.
Sunday
Sundays are for the Columbia Road Flower Market, but before that we were craving food and it is Sunday so most pubs offer a Sunday Roast. We went to a nearby pub in Hoxton and they had a very satisfactory roast. I mean it wasn’t a home cooked one but it was very nice. Afterward, to the flower market we went! It was very crowded, as usual. It normally is except for when its raining. We walked through all of it and as you can see we purchased some bunches of flowers. I couldn’t wait to put them all through the apartment!
Monday
So like I said above, the main reason my sister came was because i bought Jonas Brothers tickets and without question she booked a flight. I won’t make this a fan girl thing and talk about how much i love them. Just know i saw them at the Texas State Fair before they got big and that is where i fell in love. Okay enough. That night we went out to Wembley Park and had a great evening listen and dancing and singing to some great new music and brilliant throwback. It was such fun!
Tuesday
For the next few days we decided to visit some great London museums. Pretty much all of the museums in London are free to enter, but the exhibits that cost money. The first one we went to was the Victoria & Albert museum. It’s known as V&A for short. I really wanted to go to this exhibit called Tim Walker: Wonderful Things. He is a fashion photographer and I couldn’t pass it up. I think it was 15 Pounds. We went in right away and there was a room called Chapel of Nudes and it was favorite part. After the exhibit we walked all around the 2nd floor. We got hungry but went into Harrods before going back home for dinner.
Wednesday
Next museum on the list was the British Museum. Surprisingly after living in London for 3 years you’d think I went before but i hadn’t. I loved the architecture on the outside and the great room on the inside. We walked half the museum before our reservation for afternoon tea at the Great Court Restaurant, which was in the museum. I had a Roobios & Orange tea and my sister had earl grey. After, we walked the rest of the museum. It was nice but honestly its probably my least favorite museum in London. If you are a history buff you will like it but it just wasn’t for me.
Thursday
Last museum was a smaller one that is located south of the Thames river called the Imperial War Museum. I recommend the WWI exhibit, which is free might I add, and my sister was pretty interested as you hear more about the second one. We spent all afternoon there and then we got hungry so we headed to Borough Market for food. It wasn’t as crowded because we went on a Thursday so it was nice. We both got mushroom risotto and it was amazing! We walked around and checked out all the different vendors and what food they had. At the end we bought a lovely baguette, a yummy chai tea, & two very large brownies. It was another successful day.
Friday
Today we decided to go central and have a walk around Carnaby, Regent, & Oxford Street. We popped into a few shops like &OtherStories and Liberty. Before we walked anywhere else we wanted to go to Dishoom and put our names down. Now if you don’t know of this restaurant it is firstly known for its amazing Indian food. The second thing is it’s known for the long line and waiting times. Knowing this, we made sure to be there before 6pm. Luckily the line had not formed and we were able to put our names down and get a buzzer. The wait was about 1 hour to 1.5 and for this place that was good. Trust me it’s worth it! I’ll put what we had below. It was a perfect amount for 2.
Drinks – Expresso Martini & my sister had a cocktail as well not sure what it was called though. I’ll edit if I do.
Starter – Lamb Samosas
Mains – Murgh Malai & Gunpowder potatoes
Sauce and Sides – House Black Daal, Naan, Basmati Rice, & Bowl of Greens
Saturday
My sister wanted to walk around our local park so we woke up a bit early and headed out. First we walked straight for the cafe in the middle of the park for breakfast. There are three of them scattered around our area and they have the best coffee! After we ate, surrounded by dogs and children, we kept walking through the park. We passed the skatepark and headed for the maze. I know how to get to the center so I let my sister lead and find the way. We were in there for quite sometime but it was fun and we finally made it!!
Sunday
For the last day, I was invited to a birthday brunch for my friend Annie so we had that planned around mid-day. But before we headed west to the Notting Hill area we went to our local market that pops up each Saturday. My husband bought some freshly squeezed apple juice and i bought a gift and card for my friend from the bookshop that was close to the market. The restaurant we met up at was called Rapidity and it was so lovely to see a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We ended up sitting and chatted for about 3 hours with everyone. After, we took a walk through Notting Hill to Lisboa Patisserie to have their famous custard tarts BUT unfortunately we got there late in the day so they didn’t have any left. We had other pastries instead and they were still good. After a little while walking we went back home and my sister had to pack to leave the next day.
Side note: In London we got some major storms so my sisters flight was cancelled and then she left the next day on Monday. We ordered some amazing burger and fries and had a Netflix day!
Hope you all enjoyed this post. I’m so glad to be back and writing and posting.
Reader Questions: Have you been to London? What was your favorite thing to do? Let me know in the comments!
I plan on doing an ootd post for this week as well so stay tuned!
It is now the end of November and Black Friday is coming and Christmas shopping is starting. So much has to be done! I headed over to Bicester Village to get some things done. This is such a fun and luxurious day trip to do some first time Christmas shopping. This outside outlet is so beautiful as it is now decorated for the holidays. Also, they have the best hot chocolate stand. You don’t want to miss that!
Hours
9:00 – 21:00
How to Get There
From London – Bicester Village is pretty close to Oxford so the train station in the city you need to take is from London Marlyebone. From this station it takes about 50 minutes to get to the Bicester Village Station and then a 5 minute walk to the entrance of the shops.
Shops
This is such a great place to get designer goods for a great price! My friends and I went to almost every shop that we knew of. Here are some that we loved! Also, note that some stores are smaller and they only let so many people in at one time so big stores have lines to get into.
Tory Burch – I normally wouldn’t go in this store, but they had some great bags and accessories in the windows. My friend Fernanda and I are lovers of small silk scarves so we went hunting. They had beautiful designs and colors. Of course we purchased the best ones we could find.
Dior – This was our favorite store to go into! Obviously it’s Dior so it is always nice, but they had some amazing clothes, accessories and shoes in there. We spend TIME in the shoe area and tried on our favorites because why not? I found these amazing strappy high-top boots. They were so beautiful, but they were still a few hundred Pounds. In the end, my friend Polli purchased shoes and they were her Christmas present to herself and she deserved them!
British Fashion Council – The BFC have their own space here and while we were there they were having a sample sale pop-up with some of the younger/smaller designer brands that don’t have brick-and-morter stores. Wow the prices on some brands were amazing! There was a gown there for less than 100 Pounds and it was beautiful. They had about 10 different brands to rummage through.
Polo Ralph Lauren – This was a huge boutique. They had a great sweater and shirt selection. We were shopping for Polli’s husband here and we found some great things! I knew that this stuff was probably cheaper in the USA so I held off on purchasing anything from here.
All Saints – My plan was to get something for my husband because he loves the brand and you can’t get these prices anywhere else as it is a UK brand. Unfortunately, the store was so busy and we were at the end of our rounds. I did have a little look in the store and didn’t see anything that was of a great price and that he would like so nothing was purchased in the end.
Restaurants
Like any mall or shopping area you have amazing and more expensive restaurants and you have more cost effective ones. We stuck with the cost effective one as we wanted to put our money toward the shopping and save on the eating, but there were a few places that caught my eye and I would love to go back to.
Pret A Manger – We went here for lunch and it was huge and packed, but luckily we got a seat. If you are not from the UK or been to NYC, this place is a great affordable place for lunch. They have great sandwiches and pretty good coffee. This place never fails me when I want to save money or need a quick snack.
Pierre Marcolini – At the end of our trip it was cold and we were cold so we decided to treat ourselves to a lovely cup of hot chocolate. Man was it amazing! It was so creamy and chocolatey and made you feel all warm inside. I was so happy we ended the trip the way we did. It was a great day out with friends š
Here are the restauants that I want to go back to:
That is all readers! Thank you all for visiting and reading. I hope you guys can make it to these shops one day. They are so nice! I will have to go back in the summer when it is warmer.
Question for you: Where is your favorite outlet or mall to shop near you? I think if I had to pick one closer to me I would choose the Covent Garden / Seven Dials area it is amazing. So many new and exciting things are happening there.
As October is coming to an end and there is now only one more month till December, which most people travel to family for, my husband and I wanted to get out of the busy city before then. I think this is my favorite day trip from London. Pulling up to the studios is so exciting and the whole place and day was so magical. Here are some of the sites and sees on our day out.
First things first, buy tickets online in advance. There are a lot of traffic during holidays such as high-summer time, Halloween, & Christmas. We chose to go after Halloween because the decor for Halloween was still up, but it was less crowded. I would love to go during the Christmas holidays though!
How to Get There
From London – Where ever you are in London, you first need to get to London Euston station. From there you take a train to Watford Junction. Once you get to this station, walk out, turn left and there is a bus stop you will wait at to take you the the Warner Brothers Studios. I would get there a little earlier than you think just in-case. You can never predict London transportation! For more information, here is the link.
Tour Time!
Once you get in building, you have to wait in line for your timed tour. This is where your group is then lead into the great hall! It was so amazing to see it in person. Honestly I thought it was smaller than I was imaging, which is pretty crazy. After the great hall, there is a massive room full of props, different areas/rooms of filming, and displays on how they made the magic happen on screen.
The Hogwarts Express was defiantly my favorite part! Also, the Buckbeak display in the forbidden forest was a close second.
Halfway Point
During the tour you reach a cafe at the halfway point. Of course, we had to try some butterbeer and it did not disappoint. We sat outside and right outside was the knight bus. It was pretty epic to see in person. After our pit stop the rest of the tour has a lot to do with the makeup and visual creation of the creatures. Lastly, we walked down Diagon Alley and around the aerial version of Hogwarts.
Also, now they have the filming set of the inside of Gringotts bank. I have heard it is amazing and I can not wait to go back.
The End! Hope you all enjoyed this day trip with me. Let me know if you know of any other great day trips from London in the comments.
For my birthday this year I wanted to spend some time exploring the outdoors and what better way than to go to Kew Gardens outside of London? In April and until the end of October, the Kew Gardens is showcasing Dale Chihuly’s work called, Chihuly: Reflections on Nature. Here are all stops we made while at the garden and some fun photos my husband and I took on our adventure day.
Getting There
When arriving, Victoria Gate is the most popular and easiest entrance to get to from the overground station. It is better if you purchase your tickets online before you go and there are some things that you need to pay for extra tickets such as walking up the Great Pagoda. Also, when you get into the gardens and you want to stop for a cup of coffee there a cafe right next to the entrance.
First Stop: The Great Pagoda
We bought tickets to climb the pagoda. It was only 4.50 per person. Going to the top floor and looking out to see the gardens from above was pretty cool!
Second Stop: Japanese Gateway
I was blown away by this zen garden. The blown glass balls were amazing and added more color to the nature around them. The cherry blossoms outlining the garden were beautiful! Also, there was a peacock roaming around! I would love to spend the day here reading a book.
Third Stop: Temperate House
The Temperate House was under construction for a few years and luckily it had just opened a few days before we arrived. It was amazing and the Chihuly art in the glasshouse were just as amazing. You can also go up the stairs and walk along the full circled balcony.
Forth Stop: Palm House
This was my favorite part of the gardens! The palm house was gigantic. As it was a chillier day and the inside the palm house was warm and pretty muggy as it is for palm trees, which was nice. It was so nice because the sun came out just as we were walking up to it and it stayed out for the rest of the day.
Fifth Stop: Waterlily House
I can’t picture this without the Chihuly art! The glass waterlilies in the pond was a stunning sight. I couldn’t take enough pictures.
Sixth Stop: Treetop Walkway
This was the number one spot I wanted to go to. There were quite a few stairs to go up to get to the top, but if you are not a stair kinda person luckily there is an elevator. It was windy and i’m not going to lie, you could feel the structure moving. It was so cool!
Seventh Stop: Princesses of Wales Conservatory
The architecture of this building was pretty incredible and so was the inside. It was made up of different temperatures and so different plants were in each zone. The main area was so green. I loved it.
Eighth Stop: The Hive
The hive was pretty cool. They recreated how a beehive is constructed, but when you walk on the inside they are playing classical music. It is so calming. It was a nice to end the day on that note.
Of course before we left we had to go to the gift shop and I bought a cute pot with a face on it. Here are more photos of our trip!
So that is my last post and now the week is over! .. or I guess it just started! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the posts this week. Let me know if you have been to Kew Gardens and what your favorite part was?
This last April/May I was able to attend La Feria de Abril in Sevilla, Spain. Overall it was incredible! I wanted to share my findings as a traveled and partied with fellow Spainards and Sevillanas.
What is La Feria de Sevilla?
When typing this I forgot this section and remembered not everyone knows what this event is so I thought I would give a little rundown. So La Feria lasts a week long. Normally is it held at the end of April and can go into the beginning of May, it is scheduled two weeks after Easter Holy Week. It starts at midnight on the Saturday and that is one of the best nights to go out. Also, the next day on Sunday is good as more people come in for the fair. There is the entrance (puerta) and from there there are just streets lined with tents, which are known as casetas. Unfortunately, you can not enter all of them as you please. Most are owned by families or businesses so unless you know someone in the caseta already you are not allowed in. Good news though, there are public ones. The public ones are normally bigger and say they are public. In each one there is food and drink and also a stage for dancing or bands to perform on.
Where to Stay
I was not part of finding a place to stay becuase I did not decide to go till a few months before, but if you are planning on going to this I would book your accomidations first thing! During this time of year the city is packed with locals, Spainards from out of town, and tourist. My friends that I went with are from Madrid and they booked the Airbnb we stayed at a little after a year before. We stayed in an amazing apartment that was right up against the river and walking distance to La Feria. We stayed close to Real Parroquia de SeƱora Santa Ana and it was perfect to go to the city and the fair by walking.
What to Wear
So the rule that most Spainards go by when attending La Feria is either go all out in traditional flamenco clothing or to dress nice. I can honestly say if you wear anything in between or under dress you will be known/seen as a tourist. This is the party of the year in Sevilla and everyone dresses up for it. Here is a little do’s & don’t list to help.
Do’s
Either wear full traditional Sevillana clothes or dress nice.
Dress nice = For women, a dress with sandals or trousers/skirt with a top. Flowy fabric is better as it is more Spanish. My friends and I had a daytime outfit and a night time outfit for the two days we went to the fair. For men, suit and tie is perfect for both day and night.
If you are going at night, bring a cardigan. It is only the beginning of May so it can get chilly when the sun goes down.
Don’t s
Don’t wear new shoes. I wore newly purchased heeled sandals and my toes paid for it the next day. The fair is bigger than expected and there is a lot of walking so make sure they are comfortable.
Don’t go too comfortable like tennis shoes like converse or vans.
Don’t mix outfits. There were a group of people who wore halloween costumes for the traditional like outfits and that is a big no-no. Also some just buy pieces of the traditional outfits and then wear converse with it. Another no-no. The traditional outfits can cost around 100 to thousands of Euros and you can tell how much time went into the outfits they are wearing that week.
Note: If you are just going to go on the fair rides and walk around for a little bit I wouldn’t worry about how you dress, but if you want to spend the day or night there and get into the casetas, or have friends who have them, make sure you stick to the dress code!
What to Do in the City
We got to Sevilla on Thursday evening and left on Monday afternoon and as the fair didn’t start till Saturday night we had Friday and Saturday to wander around the city. The best thing to do it just walk around and explore. Everything is pretty close to each other so you will end up at all the sites you want to see. Don’t look at your phone for instructions and take in the city. Go into a bar for a drink and tapas and I believe that is the best and most Spanish way to spend a day in any city. The only reason we looked at a phone was the find the Plaza de EspaƱa because it is a little walk from the town center and it was worth it.
plaza de espaƱa
plaza de torros
Here are some of the best main spots on a map.
What to Do at La Feria
To the fair grounds we go! Just in case you were wondering if the fair closes…it doesn’t. Maybe where the rides are, but almost at any point in the day there are people wandering the streets. If you are planning to spend a good amount of time at La Feria I would make sure you have a schedule because you want to see the fair happening during the day and take advantage of the parties happening at night. Really it is an all day party, but you know what I mean.
On Saturday we got there around 2am and as it opened at midnight there was already a crowed there. We stayed there till about 5 to 6am and I am telling you the party was still happening when we left. We slept till the afternoon then got dressed and went back to drink and hang with friends in their caseta. The day was great, but it was more families oriented and flamenco dancing was happening everywere. It was like being transported back in time seeing everyone dressed up on horseback and carriages. What a sight! Here are some tips on how to conquer the fair.
Tips
The drink of La Feria is called “rebujito”. It is red sherry and lemonade. It is so refreshing and ordering a jug is best.
Of course when you order drinks you will get tapas with it as everywhere in Spain so make sure you get some paella, croquettas, jamon iberico, and any of the mean or fish dishes. It’s just all good, but those are my favorites.
If you are tired from the night before and you need to wake up just pop over to the rides when you get arrive on the grounds and get on a ride. It will wake you up for sure! Also, you get to experience that part of the fair.
inside a caseta
puerta de la feria
goals… one day
Here is a map of the fair grounds! Best way to get there is by Calle AsunciĆ³n.
Well I think that is all! It was a crazy and sleepless trip, but so worth it. Let me know if you have any questions or if you have gone or planning on going to La Feria de Sevilla!
Hope you are enjoying your summer whether it is being filled with learning, lounging, or traveling! I just recently went to Spain with my mom and sister to finalized some wedding details along with doing some sea side house hunting.
Just thought I would share some information, favorite places, and pictures of the visit.
MADRID, SPAIN:
The amount of times I have been to Spain I am so surprised I have never been in May. Now that I have been, I think it is the best time to visit. In the beginning of May it is not too hot, it rains, and the flowers are in full bloom! There are so many wild flowers everywhere and it is beautiful. Other than taking in the beauty of the city my family and I went to the reception meal tasting, which was so delicious and filling, and to get alterationsĀ done to my wedding dress along with many other meetings with the photographer, DJ, and baker.
MOJACAR, SPAIN
What an amazing city! This is where we went to go summer house hunting. This mountain/ beach city is on the southeastern part of Spain. It took about 5 hours to drive here from Madrid. We stayed at a Hotel Best Mojacar, which was right off the beach close to the Golf Marina. It was so nice to finally be at the beach again and soaking up the sun after being in gloomy London for so long.
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Other than soaking up the sun, we had meetings with realtors to see houses in both the marina and old town Mojacar in the mountains. I would have to say the old town is my favorite. It has such an authentic vibe even with tourists walking around. The houses are all white and look out to the sea.
Here are some resaurants and spots I recommend in the area:
Ilario Imperial Pizzeria – great pizza!
Hola Ola – we watched the final Champions league Real Madrid game here and it was so fun and the food was amazing.
Dolce Vita – Best place for breakfast.
El Cid – If you want more of a fun / loud crowd this place, and around here, are the clubs and bars to hang later in the evening and into the morning if you are feeling up to it.
Plaza Nueva – This is such a beautiful spot. You have to go up the elevator to get the city center and to the look out point. It has the cutest shops and restaurants and don’t forget to just enjoy and wander the small streets.
That is all the places and things that stood out to me the most. Hope you enjoyed this post. Do you have a favorite Spanish city to visit?
est. wander 