Days like this..!
It’s amazing what a couple of hours on an island (and the boat ride there and back) can do to you. This day may go down in history as one of the best this year. The sun filled me with energy, gave my shoulders and nose some (much needed) color, lunch tasted heavenly on the cliffs by the water (Jenny’s chicken salad was fantastic), just strolling around the island with a cup of coffee in hand and peeking into stores with Jenny was the epitome of contentment.
Valencia snapshots from my cell phone
Barcelona Sants station. Barcelona, Spain.
On the train between Barcelona and Valencia.
The pier in Valencia, near the old America’s cup headquarters
Stray cats on the pier
Cool architecture everywhere
Palm trees, but cold. Weird contrast.
Clear skies and typical apartment buildings.
The street where I stayed.
A fountain.
More architecture.
Fresh fish in the grocery store.
Cold feet on a beach of sand patterned wavy by the wind.
Pretty castle-like building.
Sunrise early in the morning on the train from Valencia back to Barcelona.
Barcelona airport, love the super shiny black floors.
Studying, coffee and Fidorka at the Prague airport. (Fidorka are wafers covered in chocolate and come in different flavors, they were a favorite of mine when I lived in Prague, I liked the cute shape and size).
In a very cold Valencia, Spain
I started my second semester of Uni on Thursday last week and since then I’ve been pretty much just studying non-stop (group work, project and an upcoming exam to study for… phew!). Thereof the lack of blog posts lately.
And now I’m in Valencia, Spain. I got to here on Thursday, after travelling for thirteen hours. A flight to Prague, then to Barcelona and from there a train for 3,5h. I got a lot of studying done along the way, I actually enjoyed studying on the airplane and train here. Anything to pass time, right?
I was hoping for nice warm weather but I’ve spent the entire time here freezing my butt off! It’s unusually cold in Valencia right now (just my luck?), only about 3-5 degrees centigrade and below zero once the sun goes down. My toes have been numb for two days and I have slept in a sweater, long pants and socks (and still felt cold all night). Not exactly what I was expecting. I’m actually colder here than I am at home in Sweden!
I’ve had a nice time seeing the city, Thursday I got here late in the evening so S and I just had dinner and watched a movie. Yesterday we walked down to the beach and watched the waves for a bit, and checked out all the fancy boats in the bay. In the afternoon we went biking into town to check out all the fancy buildings, and for dinner we went to a nice tapas bar down the street that had amazing food. It was nice to try real tapas.
This morning a friend of S picked us up and we headed down to the boats because there was going to be a sailing race. The race was cancelled because of the cold so we went and had a cup of coffee nearby, went grocery shopping and then had lunch. Have spent the afternoon watching football and rugby on the laptop (S choice, not mine… haha) and I took a walk down to the beach to take some pictures and collect some shells and sand, it’s insane cold and windy today too.
Around 6pm we’re going to an irish pub in town to watch the rugby game and then coming home for dinner, watch a movie and then it’s straight to bed for me. I’ve got to get up at 3.45am to get a taxi to the train station to go back to Barcelona and then back home. Won’t be home until about midnight tomorrow… it’s going to be a long day.
My new Anthropologie bag
Here’s my Anthropologie purchase!
I must have spent at least 45 minutes in the store, walking around and around, trying different bags, comparing one with another, squeezing, stroking, and staring until I finally decided to get this bag. It’s not the type of bag I would usually go for, and it wasn’t my first choice, but in the end I opted for this one because it was the most practical and would suit me for school. It’s got lots of good compartments and is big enough to fit a couple of books and a notebook. So far, I love it!
New Makeup!
I stocked up on some new makeup while I was in the US because it’s so much cheaper to buy it there than it is here. Here’s what I got…
New foundation and blush brushes from Sephora. Soft and perfect.
I usually buy Maybellines coverstick to lighten up rings under my eyes and conceal any spots or blemishes, but the sticks don’t last very long. I decided to try something new and opted for a liquid concealer, also from Maybelline, this is Super Stay Concealer. I have yet to try it and will have to get back to you on if it’s any good.
My staple mascara is the classic Maybelline GreatLash, so I of course stocked up on that. I got one regular and one with an extra big brush, just to try it. I also got Maybelline’s Define-a-lash after my aunt recommended it and said it’s her favorite. I’ll let you know what I think once I try them.
I picked up two mixed eyeshadow palettes from Sephora, and I’ve already tried the green, brown and gold mix. I give it two thumbs up! The shadow sticks nicely and lasts all day, and I love that there’s three colors in each palette so you can mix and match.
Sugarbomb blush from benefit. I had the makeup clerk at Sephora try this one on me and it looked good in the store, however I’m not as pleased with it after trying it at home. Although the idea is good, with the four different shades that can be used to highlight and shadow cheeks and cheekbones depending on your taste and preference, I find it hard to get much color out of it. I want my blush to show more than this one does, but I’ll keep playing with it and see if I can get that magic working.
Marc by Marc Jacobs cosy for my laptop
I was thrilled when I found this black Marc by Marc Jacobs laptop case at the Apple store in Buffalo. Most of you probably are aware of my slight Marc Jacobs obsession. Needless to say, I was positively drooling when I saw this. Can we all take a minute to sigh over how perfect this is? It’s got a short strap, a shoulder strap, a fuzzy inside that’ll treat my Mac right, and an outer pocket for my charging chord. P-e-r-f-e-c-t!
Anthropologie in Buffalo!
Imagine my surprise when I heard they’d opened an Anthropologie store in Buffalo! (My grandparents live in Buffalo) I’ve been a big fan of Anthropologie for years and years but never had the chance to visit one of their stores because they’ve never had a store in any of the cities in the US that I usually visit (where my relatives live).
Anthropologie sell clothing, accessories, bags, shoes and things for the home. They’re kind of pricey and everything is very neat and sophisticated with a vintage feel to it. It’s sort of the style I want to have right now at this age and place I am in my life – neat, simple, clean and sophisticated.
When my aunt told me they’d just opened up an Anthropologie in the Galleria mall in Buffalo, I could hardly contain myself! I made a purchase that I’ll show you later…
Vacation Snapshots Part 2
Some more pictures from my vacation…
One evening after dinner we went to a cupcake shop called Zillycakes (it’s on Elmwood avenue). My grandparents and I each chose a cupcake and topping and they made them for us on the spot. I chose a mini rootbeer cupcake with chocolate meringue buttercream frosting.
Of course I did a bit of shopping too… more about that later.
And sipped a couple of Tim Horton’s iced coffee. Coffee at most coffee shops in the US is way too weak for me, which is why I often buy Starbucks (even though it is crazy expensive and my relatives always glare at me when I spend my money there), but it’s the only coffee that really even tastes like coffee. Tim Horton’s iced coffee tasted like water with milk to me.
I hung out with my lovely cousin at her boyfriend’s parents lake house in Maine. It was a beautiful place. I also hung out with my other cousin, he’s seen in one of the photos in my previous post from Diana’s Baths.
Threw on my bikini and went to the beach a couple of times. Or drove over to my other aunts place and swam in her pool.
Picked lots of blueberries. I picked 7,5 lbs (3,4 kg) to be exact. And we were only at the blueberry picking place for about 15 minutes.
American blueberries are so much easier and more fun to pick than Swedish ones.
I also picked raspberries at my grandfather’s friend’s place. They tasted like summer.
One thing I love about being in the US in the summer is all the fresh fruit and vegetables. We got lots of fresh fruit at farmer’s markets or fruit stands along the road. Fresh peaches, raspberries, blueberries, sweet corn on the cob, plums, watermelon, grapes, cherries… I was in heaven!
One evening I baked my “famous” pie. It’s a pie I make at the hospital often and it’s always a favorite. This one I filled with fresh picked peaches and blueberries. It was a winner.
Vacation Snapshots Part 1
Here’s a little pick n’ mix of pictures from my vacation.
I started my trip at Arlanda airport in Sweden. I bought a book for my trip, that I finished during my flight back home. I had to experience Starbucks on Swedish turf for the first time ever too (the only Starbucks in Sweden is at the airport, past security check-in). The verdict? It tasted just like any other latte made by a Swedish barista. Only it was more expensive.
I had a really fun time in Boston. One day, I helped my aunt at the Farmer’s market. She makes jewelry as a hobby that she sells at the farmers market. I ran around and bought breakfast and fresh fruit, berries and veggies for our upcoming road trip.
My aunt’s pretty jewelry.
We took a road trip to New Hampshire and stayed at my aunt’s friend’s cottage. It was really pretty and really big.
The views as we were driving around in New Hampshire were stunning.
Another day, we went to Diana’s Baths in New Hampshire. It was absolutely stunning and a lovely way to cool down on a super hot day (it was 100F or above, about 47C, every day).
We spent a lot of time cruising around with the top down on my aunts bug. Loved it.
I enjoyed several Kombucha, my favorite!
I chugged lots of Starbucks coffee, not because it’s necessarily the best, but it’s one of the only places to get a bit stronger coffee in the US. This is at Boston Logan international airport (with my journal and gossip magazines before my flight to my grandfather).
