venice heat

Italy. The last stop on my European adventure and the last place I will be talking about on this lovely little blog. This is a country I have been wanting to go to for as long as I can remember (which was then enhanced by watching The Lizzie McGuire Movie, When in Rome, and Under the Tuscan Sun). Apparently my trips became heavily based off what I have seen in movies. We started our Italy tour in Venice. With all of its winding streets, boat taxis, and never-ending canals it was kind of a given that we had to go there. 
We spent the majority of the time lost in the mini streets of Venice. But that was kind of the beauty of it all - minus the fact that I don't think I have experienced hotter weather. Mix that with walking around all day equals girls who just want to sit and eat gelato. So that's what we did. 

the start of an obsession

My cool friends

inverness

Last week Marie and I went up to Inverness for the day. This town is a main hub for the highlands so we thought we should check it out. It turned out to be one of the windiest days this country has seen in awhile, and then the volcanic ash thing happened so our trip was a little strange. We were soaking wet and freezing but I am still glad I made it up there at least for the day. 

afternoons full of tearooms and sunshine

It has been absolutely beautiful here in Glasgow lately. Blue skies and sunshine make everything so much better. The temperatures have even been higher! On my run yesterday I only had to wear a tank top! In the middle of my run I had even wished that I wore my shorts instead of pants. It is actually that nice and warm here! In a city that normally rains every single person heads outside to enjoy the sun when it comes out. The parks were full of people playing football, walking their dogs and playing with their children. It was fantastic. 
A few days ago, on another warm and sunny day, Claire, Kayla and I decided to boycott our work for the afternoon and go enjoy some tea at the Willow Tea Room that I went to when my mom visited. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city and frolicking in the sunshine. 

It is supposed to be sunny and warm all weekend which will be a nice change! Although I am currently busying writing essays so for right now I will be enjoying the sun from my room. We are planning on doing some shopping tomorrow for a few things we need for our spring break trip (we leave in less then a week!!). So hopefully it is gorgeous and sunny for the little bit that I will step out of the flat. xo

bonito

Here are a few of my favourite shots from when I was in Sevilla. The little rays of sunlight streaming down on to the colourful buildings created such a lovely atmosphere. The girls told us that it was probably the worst weekend weather wise they have had since being there. But for Claire and I, it was wonderful - so much warmer then Scotland. Although not captured in photos we were able to go jacket-less most of the time we were there. I was even able to wear a sundress one day! 

In Maria Luisa Park

Bull Fighting

El Cronometro

Orange trees

I loved all of the fountains

Claire and I

Colourful buildings

Cathedral

This is the largest and highest cathedral in Spain, the largest Gothic building in the world, and the world's third largest church. Here is a little history lesson for you regarding the cathedral: After Ferdinand III captured Sevilla from the Moors in 1248, the mosque (that once stood here) was reconsecrated to the Virgin Mary and used as a Christian cathedral. But in 1401 the people of Sevilla decided to pull down the old mosque, leaving only its minaret and outer court, an built the existing building to match the greatness of their city - a remarkable feat for the time. 

Walk along the river

"Be European"

Night time

Maria Luisa Park

In the Universidad de Sevilla

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