letting go

Hiya everybody,
Sorry that I've been a really spastic blogger. This past week was a mess- I ended up in the emergency room because of my back. I've known about this herniated disc this summer, but have refused to let it affect anything. Hence, I went to Italy last weekend to hike in Cinque Torre- bad idea, tons of walking, climbing, carrying a heavy backpack, rain. So, I got back to Barcelona and realized that I'd really done it this time. Anyway, to make a long story short- I'm on the road to recovery! It's been a little rough though trying to adjust to the differences in the medical system and being under the weather away from home.

Done alot of soul searching and things of that nature though. I had to spend long periods of time with just my mind for company which can often be a dangerous thing. I occasionally swirled into little bouts of panic. I really have control issues and everything was completely out of mine. The doctor told me to take everything one day at a time, I didn't know whether I'd be going back to classes or whether I'd have to go back to the US or if I'd be able to walk around the next day. But, I realize now that this was really a beneficial thing for me. In the end, we can plan for every single contingency but life is unpredictable. We have to learn to adjust and move like water around the rocks.



Sweater: Old, no idea?// Scarf: Vendor at my university// Boots: Piperlime// Socks: J. Crew

bows & birds

So, here I am writing this post because it's yet another way to procrastinate. Isn't it funny how you can think of one million other things to do rather than do the one that you need to? I'm a really effective, productive procrastinator though! If that makes any sense..

I apologize for the crappy-ness of this photo shoot location. This is the inside of my room in my host family's apartment. There are literally 43920432 beautiful places in Barcelona where I could take pictures but a) don't have my tripod b) even if I did, there's no way I could leave my tripod unattended for a second without having it stolen c) we're all so busy! Even if i find a photographer, it's hard to make time for it. But, I'm working on! Bear with me. :]

These shorts are a newly acquired purchase from H&M. H&M is SO big here, it's kind of strange- I'm not sure why it's so popular. But, the store where I bought these is 3 or 4 stories of just pure joy. I was so overwhelmed with beautiful stimuli- they have really elegant pieces like the higher end H&M kinds of things and some really cool trendy items like loose, boxy tops and knock out corset dresses. I bought two other things while on this shopping expedition, coming to a blog near you! But anyway, back to the shorts- I love, love these shorts. They're really different- a sort of silk like sheen, with girly details such as ruffling and overlaying panels of cloth and a little subtle bow in the front. I really love how lately designers have been vamping up shorts to carry over to night time or to a nice lunch date. Also, before I left the States, I bought a gorgeous pair of black wool and satin shorts from J.Crew, can't wait until it gets a bit colder and I can wear them!

Bow tee: ModCloth// Scarf: Urban Outfitters// Shorts: H&M// Tights: WeLoveColors.com// Boots: via Piperlime

So, this is what I wore today. Just an average day for me- class this morning at 9 AM (ALWAYS rough) and another at 3 45. It's such a drastic change for me living in a city, I'm a burbs girl. But, I love that I can walk to school in 10-20 minutes depending on how fast I'm booking it and that I can grab a metro literally 500 ft from my apartment and zoom around to another part of the city. Barcelona has a really excellent public transportation system, it's great. And way cleaner than the D.C. metro which is a plus!

Today was a bit nippy in the morning, but I love that crisp autumn breeze. It heated up towards mid-afternoon, had to take my scarf off and my legs were a bit hot, but now it's probably cooled down some again. I think we're in that transitional phase now. The mornings and evenings are cool, but the heat peaks in the middle of the day. Definitely missing the usual comforts and pleasures of fall on the east coast- the warm toned leaves, watching football over the weekends, drinking apple cider and carving pumpkins! But, I'm so happy and blessed to have this great experience here and I'm loving every second of it. Halloween has actually infiltrated its way to Spain and people dress up here I think. Have you guys started thinking about your costumes yet? Any amazing, mind-blowing ideas??

xx A.

mirror, mirror

Just a couple pickchas, dropping a line. These are a few from the dressing room in H&M, it's four floors! And the selection is just ridiculous. Actually these are pictures of what I wore to go shopping, but I'll try to get some up soon of what I bought & hopefully, accompanying outfits.

Top: Gap// Scarf: Vendor on Barcelona's beach// Skirt & sandals: UO// Purse: DSW

Actually funny story about this scarf. So, there are these men that walk along the beach selling sarongs/scarves. It's actually illegal because none of them have licenses, but it's extremely popular. You can lay on the beach and have drinks, a massage, coconuts, beer, sunglasses and sarongs without lifting a muscle. They cater to all the tourists that come to Barcelona and it works! Well anyway, back to the story. One of the vendors sold this to a huge group of tourists- it was a big group of Europeans, we couldn't determine where they were from, French? German? But, they had a little circus going on- they were all getting massages and buying beers. They bought the sarongs just to use to lay on as towels and they were dudes, so I knew they really couldn't have cared less about what the scarf looked like. So, I asked the random guy who had this one if we could trade. The vendor haggled a Euro coin out of me for facilitating the trade even though I really didn't need his help.. but oh well. I ended up with this gorgeous Egyptian print scarf so I'm a happy girl! :]

little black swimsuit

So, I'm going to try to be a better blogger starting... now! I'm getting so super excited about autumn after seeing your all's photos. Fall is my absolutely favorite season and October is one of my favorite months because a) beautiful leaves b) my birthday c) Halloween. Those are good reasons, right? It's funny how the grass is greener on the other side. I'm here showing you photos of a tropical paradise while dreaming about autumnal breezes and apple cider! But hey, don't get me wrong- I am having a wonderful time over here.

The photos in this post are from this past weekend. I flew to Menorca which is one of the Balearic Islands off the Southeast coast of Spain. We managed to find a really cheap flight and an adorable hostel which was really more of a hotel than a hostel. I've actually yet to have a real hostel experience so far, but that is definitely not a complaint. I've heard that in real hostels you have to sleep with your purse across your chest clutching it because who knows what could go down in a room of bunk beds full of strange! Ayy!

Menorca is a small island with a beach town kind of feel. My friend Anna and I hopped around to the different "calas" which means coves and "playas" beaches. To me, the coves were probably the most stunning part. As you can see, the water is hugged on the sides with towering, jagged boulders and then at once, opens to the infinite expanse of the sea. It is truly spectacular!

This is the view looking back towards the inlet of the cove.

And this is the view looking out from the cove to the Mediterranean Sea!

So anywho, this is the newest addition to my always growing bathing suit collection. To me, it's the bathing suit version of a LBD, everyone should have one! I love that the bottom is cut like the bathing suits from the 50's, it's a pretty virtually flattering shape.

Please ignore my awkward facial expression? This is the only picture I have where you can see the cut of the bottom.

Ok I want to go on forever about other things, but I have to go and do some homework! Oui.

And thanks everybody for all the lovin'! It's nice to hear from you all over here. Little reminders of home. And I hope that you all know that you can travel anywhere too! If I can do it, you can too. There are so many ways to travel cheaply and smartly. Maybe I'll do a post about that? Thoughts?

xo,

A.