Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Prague, Budapest and Croatia OH MY!

Where to begin...These last couple of weeks have been nothing less than amazing. I have traveled to three countries which I have never thought I would have been able to experience. These three places, Prague, Budapest and Croatia, have proved to be some of the most beautiful places in the world, all full of spirit and culture. I have to say I was completely blown away and taken back by these places, leaving me even more grateful and now a million times more sun burnt than before.
Last week was my Prague and Budapest trip. My friends and I flew from Dublin to Prague, which is now second nature to me. I counted the number of plane rides I have taken on this trip and I came up with the number 24! How crazy is that!!! Prague was stunning and is now one of my favorite cites in the world. It was the most European looking city I have seen and was just magical to me. I was in awe the whole time, the water the architecture and my favorite..the food!! Czech cuisine was delicious, the dumplings with craisons in the sweet brown sauce was the cherry on top of the amazing city of Prague, which I fell in love with. The memories that I made on this trip with my friends were priceless and unforgettable, moments that I will hold so close to my heart. From Cafe-cafe shenanigans to exploring the city on the pub crawl's bike, our moments were nothing less than amazing and adventurous. Our last dinner was spent overlooking the water on an outdoor terrace while we drank beer and watched the sun set. I can't even begin to express how lucky I felt to be living in that moment and to be experiencing this Euro trip. Of all the amazing things that I saw in Prague, I would have to say that the John Lennon Peace wall was the most moving for me. Seeing the wall and the colors and inspirational quotes really mesmerized me. The wall was so vibrant and being there really made me very happy.

Our adventures continued on a hot as all hell 7 HOUR bus ride to Budapest. Minus the striptease and the puddles of sweat from all of our bodies, the trip went rather fast and we were dropped off at a train station in Budapest ready to explore this new place. I had no expectations for Budapest, I did not know what it looked like or would be like so I was very excited to figure Budapest out..also I'm a little bit of Hungarian so it was extra special for me to be there. Budapest was great and hit a soft spot with me since it reminded me so much of Thessaloniki, Greece where I spent my first semester of college. The markets, the buildings, just everything reminded me of Thessa..it was so weird but the feelings of being in Greece came right back to me when I was in Budapest. It made me miss being in a place where English wasn't spoken and communicating was more of a game. Using my hands to speak became normal in Greece since their English wasn't too good. Sometimes I like not being able to completely understand a place or a culture. I like a little bit of mystery, and Budapest definitely provided me with mystery that completely made me escape into a new world. The Baths were my favorite part and were the most relaxing and unique part of the trip in my opinion.  Like Prague, I was very impressed with Budapest and was intrigued by the history and aesthetics of the city. I found it so interesting that Budapest is broken up into Buda and then pest. We explored both sides, which were both different but beautiful in their own ways. I have to say I did like Prague better but this Prague-Budapest trip was one of the most amazing weeks of my life and I would not change a single thing. I would highly recommend these two places to everyone who loves to travel and be amazed by the world.

After a couple of days resting up in Dublin, I jetsetted again to Croatia with Matt, Erica and Jill. Despite  some speculations about Croatia, we were ready to relax and explore Croatia and hopefully get some color..we definately  were becoming to look like ghosts after our time in Ireland and London. Croatia was gorgeous and warm. The mountains combined with the turquoise crystally beautiful was enough to make you cry, seriously so breath taking. As many pictures as I took, there isnt a picture that can truly capture its beauty. We stayed in an apartment overlooking the water, I felt like a princess..SO happy and lucky! We had a great weekend full of laughs, lots of pizza, wine and unfortunately insane sunburn, small bird moths and imaginary lizards according to Matt Fashion. We traveled to Bibinje, Zadar and Nin and took some amazing photos, ate some great pizza and generally just enjoyed relaxing together and wrapping up the semester together. It was sad because it was Matt and Erica's last trip and even more sad since Matt goes home on Friday. Man did the time fly, but all I can do is be grateful for all of these amazing moments that I have experienced. As Jill would say "Don't cry because its over, but smile because it happened" As cheesy as it is, its true! This semester has been incredible and life changing for me in many ways. I am a lucky girl to have seen what I have seen and met who I have met. Enough of this sob sorry for now since my adventures are far from being over!!! (Thank God) My friends and I are enjoying the rest of our week in Dublin drinking like the Irish do! And thennnn off to Barcelona and Ibiza with Chelsea! I'll cry to you and be all sappy when thats over, but until then bring the funnnnn <3






Monday, May 6, 2013

The family comes to Ireland!

Two sundays ago I welcomed my amazing family to Ireland after my short rendezvous in London with Matt. From drinking martinis at the Wyld Bar to seeing Michael Kors at the 2013 Vogue Festival..I would say my weekend was absolutely FABULOUS and got even more fab, when my family arrived in the Emerald Isle!

I haven't seen my family since January so it was so nice to see them and have the opportunity to spend the whole week with them. My parents and their best friends Gwen and Mike who are basically my second set of parents, came on the trip and it was extra special since it was Mike and my Dad's first time in Europe. Ireland is one of the most beautiful places in the world and one of my favorite places in the world, which made me want to show my family Ireland even more!

For their time in Ireland we did a CIE bus tour which took us all over Ireland from Dublin to Galway and everything in between, it was so amazing to see these beautiful places that I haven't had the opportunity to see yet. The Cliffs of Moher were absolutely beautiful, I've never seen anything like them in my life. County Clare, Killarney and the Ring of Kerry were also so beautiful and authentic and made me really appreciate my time in Ireland even more.

Of course my family brought me lots and lots of laughs and moments that I almost peed my pants, one of the many reasons why I love them so much. From my Dad sampling Whiskey at the Jameson Distillery to saving a lost drunken man at a bar, there was never a dull moment and there was never a moment where I wasn't laughing so hard that my stomach hurt.

The week flew by but we saw so much of Ireland and made everlasting memories that I will really cherish for the rest of my life. My family adored Ireland just as much as I do which made me even more happy and grateful. I can't believe that in less than a month I will be home and this amazing journey will just be a memory.


Saying goodbye to my parents and Gwen and Mike was hard since we had such an amazing time and they were the last of my family coming to visit me. All good things, in this case AMAZING things must come to an end but I am lucky enough to have a new adventure beginning tomorrow in Budapest and Prague! I can not wait to visit these places and take lots of pictures and just enjoy life!

Cheers to the next adventure!
XOX
B