Surviving Homesickness in Madrid

I may love living in Madrid, but that doesn't mean that I'm immune to homesickness. About a month ago I got mono, and four lethargic weeks later, I'm still sick. Inevitably, with sickness comes the longing for mom's cooking, the comfort of my own bed, cuddling with my cats during movie marathons, and simply being taken care of. I'm a long ways from home, and homesickness has decidedly hit. For...

Shea McGrath Photography

Last month I had the pleasure of tagging along with lifestyle photographer Shea McGrath on one of her photo shoots as she gave me a lesson in portrait photography. Shea is a wedding and lifestyle photographer, specializing in natural light photography. She first fell in love with photography as a young girl, when she received her first film SLR camera as a gift from her Godmother. Shea says, "I...

Budapest's Great Market Hall

It's no secret that I love markets. I try to visit local marketplaces wherever I go, and exploring different markets around the world has undoubtedly become one of my favorite parts about traveling. Great Market Hall, or Nagyvásárcsarnok in Budapest is certainly no exception. Great Market Hall comes in second place for my favorite spot in the city, closely behind...

Take Me Back To: Dublin

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody! Not only do I love St. Patrick’s Day because it gives me a legitimate excuse to spike my coffee with Bailey’s, but also because it lets me get incredibly nostalgic about my trip to Ireland in 2010. Dublin completely took my breath away, and despite being there for only a few days, I truly became infatuated with the city. Dublin has a certain rustic charm...

Budapest

Today I awoke to the heartbreaking realization that I’m no longer in Budapest. The majestic city absolutely stole my heart, and now it hardly seems real that I was actually there, experiencing its magic firsthand. The entirety of the city captivated me – and I found myself constantly in awe of my resplendent surroundings. The twin cities of Buda and Pest are not only stunning, but they also possess enthralling...

How I've Changed Since Moving to Spain

1. I can actually stay out late In Seattle, I was pretty much an abuela, or "grandma". I was lucky if I could stay out until closing time, which in Washington is between 1:45 and 2:00 am. It was a real struggle to stay awake past midnight. As many of you already know, here in Spain people don't even start heading to the clubs until about 3 am, and eventually they head home around 6 or 7 am....