family is always best

As I mentioned earlier my mom, brother and grandma flew over to visit me in Paris after I moved out of my flat in Glasgow. I had about 6 days between moving out of my flat and meeting up with Mel and Sarah. I was so happy when the whole Paris trip idea worked out  (I wasn't really sure what I was going to do). Plus I got to save all the money I would have spent during that time. 

I was so excited to get to spend a longer amount of time in Paris. Again and again the city draws me in and makes me want to instantly move there. It may be the simple beauty of Montmartre, the stunned feeling I get every time I see the Eiffel tower, the relevance of art, or the delicious food. Or it could be the perfect combination of all of these things. Whatever it is I love it. And I would go back instantly if I had the chance. 

My brother and I get weird when reunited

The similarity is scary

YUM

Spending these days with the family was just what I needed after leaving Glasgow. It had been so long since I had seen them so it was a nice and relaxing week before starting my next backpacking trip. So once again, thanks fam for spending all that money to fly out and see me. It was perfect. xo

the next adventure

I am leaving early tomorrow morning for my next European adventure. I am starting in London where I am meeting up with two friends from home (Mel and Sarah). I am excited that I get to go back and revisit some of my favourite sights, and some new ones of course. After that we are off to Munich for a couple days to drink some beer and eat bratwurst. Well that's what I am going to do at least. And then comes the exciting part - Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Venice, Florence and Rome! before coming on exchange Greece and Italy were my two must-see places so I am excited to finally get around to them. It is going to be a whirlwind 3 weeks but it will be full of tons of memories and amazing places. 
over the course of the 3 weeks I am going to try and update the blog as much as possible (with no pictures unfortunately as I will only have my ipad with me). But keep checking for updates and once I am back home in the lovely Canada I will fill you all in with pictures and more details of my adventure. For now, heres to new places, people, and lessons. xo


I am leaving you with a few pictures from my time in Paris with the family :)

thanks for the recommendation dad

While I was visiting Tess we decided to spend a bit of time in Copenhagen. I kind of loved it the second we got there, and I completely understand why my Dad loves it so much. We first walked around the area surrounding Tivoli and then made our way to the main shopping area (of course). After this we came to Nyhavn which was my absolute favourite. It is right along the canal and is surrounded by some of the prettiest and most colourful buildings. We staked out at one of the patio bars for a few drinks where we met some interesting people, and admired all of the beautiful Danish people around us. 

That night we met up with a friend of ours from Etobicoke who had just flown in to Copenhagen. We had some yummy sushi for dinner, a classy pre-drink, and an insane night out. Let's just say that the bus/ferry back to Aarhus was one of the worst experiences of my life (and most embarrassing). 

It was definitely a night to remember. I had so much fun with Tess and Dani, and was excited at the prospect of being able to meet up with Dani on a future trip (which I will soon be updating you all on). Oh and thanks Dad for recommending Copenhagen as a place to visit, I probably never would have gotten there otherwise and I am so thankful I did. For now it is off to bed. I spent the day in Inverness with one of my flatmates battling what was one of the windiest days this country has seen in awhile so I am a little exhausted. xo

father daughter weekend

This past weekend was lovely. It was so nice to be able to show my Dad around Glasgow and the place that I have been living in, and will be living in for the next few months. From the way I talked about the city he probably thinks I never want to leave...which is pretty much the case. Making this weekend even better was the fact that it was sunny, and warm, and perfect for walking around. I couldn't have asked for the weather to be better. From his experience, my Dad doesn't understand why everyone seems to talk about the rain in Scotland - he got some sort of special treatment with the weather. Typical. 

Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Park

My favourite

We spent Sunday in the West End of Glasgow walking through Kelvingrove Park, the University of Glasgow campus and the Kelvingrove Museum. The sun brought out tons of people to the park - boys playing football, kids running around, and couples strolling through the park for an afternoon walk with their dog. We came across several of these patches of flowers throughout the park, and I found them especially beautiful. It may be because I haven't seen flowers in a while, or because it is the first sign that spring is around the corner! 

The Italian Kitchen

We finished off our weekend with dinner at The Italian Kitchen which was one of the best meals I have had in awhile. We both started off with salads (mine caprese, and his rocket with parmesan) and continued with king prawn and white wine pasta with tomatoes. Oh and we shared bruschetta to start and finished the meal off with a rhubarb and mascarpone cream desert. So. Delicious. 
It was nice to take the weekend off from our normal crazy shenanigans and relax with the pops. Plus he brought me a little goody bag of magazines, and neutrogena/aveeno products so I am a happy girl. Thanks for visiting Daddy! (oh and although we didn't make it into Topshop he gave me a littttle bit of spending money to buy myself something pretty. I have been told no headscarfs are allowed though. Once I buy something I will be sure to post some pictures of it). xo

we are golden

It was sunny AGAIN today! Third day in a row. It's fantastic - I never want it to go away. But we all know that's not going to happen. So I will embrace the rain when it comes back - which is probably going to be tomorrow now that I jinxed it. I was extra happy that it was sunny today because my Dad arrived and we visited some of my favourite places around Glasgow. Buchanan street (the main shopping area) was packed today with people playing bagpipes, doing football tricks, and playing guitar. It is always a spectacle walking down that street - and even more so today with the sun out. We had dinner at Bar Square located in the very cool Merchant Square. While there we realized how much life has changed from him pushing me around in my stroller with pigtails coming out the top of my head, to me getting us drinks from the bar in Scotland :) Tomorrow we are going to head out to the West End of the city, a place I haven't been to since I first got here, to see the University of Glasgow, Kelvingrove Park, and hopefully make time for afternoon tea. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend as well! xo

it's not always raincoats and rubber boots

Although it's a rarity it does get sunny here! Today was one of those lovely days where all you could see was blue sky and sun. We took advantage of the nice weather and took off our rain coats, hid our hunters and took a stroll around the city enjoying how the city looks when  the clouds are gone. 

Although it most likely won't stay long it was nice to have the sun around for awhile. Hopefully the weather will be good this weekend. My Dad is coming to Glasgow for a little visit. Not too sure what we are going to get up to yet but it will be lovely. Maybe I can get him to buy me a few pretty items from Topshop...hmm probably not. xo