A New Series

My cousin is headed to study a Master at The University of Sheffield, just as I did a few years ago. I can't begin to express how happy it makes me that his dream is coming true, but also, the fact that he's gonna be walking the same streets as I did!!! 

It's not that common that someone you know (let alone as close as a family member) goes to college in Sheffield, as it isn't as popular as other European Master destinations as Barcelona, Madrid or even London, so I'm really excited to have this to share with someone I love. 

I've talked about writing a series about my time in Sheffield for a long time (since I never did while I was there) and now I have the perfect excuse! Except, instead of it being all about my adventures, I thought it could become some sort of guide for anyone heading there whether for school or just for a fun British getaway.

This will be an opportunity for me to share some knowledge about a place I called home for a year. To reflect upon the amazing experiences I had, but also on missed opportunities. All in favor of those who are coming after me, in the hopes that when they get their turn, they get to live the adventure to the fullest, no regrets.

They say 'to remember is to (re)live', so join me in (re)living this amazing experience! I'll start next week with a 'before you go/what to pack' post, so come back and check it out! :)

G.

Nuevo Vallarta

The airport is in Puerto Vallarta, which is actually in a different state, Jalisco.

Back in June I had to travel to Riviera Nayarit, more specifically to Nuevo Vallarta, for a project 229 is currently working on. I took a bus to CDMX on Monday afternoon and then headed there early the next day.

After spending most of the afternoon touring the site and taking measurements and pictures (without any sort of protection against the sun, I may add), I wanted to go out and explore. 

All the houses by the water give me major 'The O.C.' vibes.

Not a real pyramid, but the entrance to a hotel.

I first headed to a ‘mall’ which was kind of a letdown. However, I found a super market where I was surprised to see all the international products they carry (none of which I had seen before in stores in CDMX, Puebla or Veracruz). Orgasmic peanut butter, anyone?

Pumpkin pure, Sloppy Joe Sauce (Del Monte???), Marshmallow Creme and Orgasmic Peanut Butter.

I wanted to grab a bite to eat since I hadn’t eaten since way earlier, before my flight in. I decided to head into the Hard Rock Hotel, as I had seen they had 6 different restaurants (none of which I ate in). I gave myself a tour of the hotel, even taking a stroll down the beach and just hung there for a while, wishing A was there with me. 

This one was my favorite for its views of the beach and swimming pools (plus its name).

Loved all the music inspired details :)

Postcard from Nuevo Vallarta.

Tidal waves they rip right through me :)

Baywatch moment.

Sunburned and hungry, I headed back to the condo where they were lodging me and took a dip in the pool to freshen up and curled back on one of their chairs where I lounged and read the book I bought earlier at the airport (The Choice by Nicholas Sparks). 

Relaxing after a long day's work.

Even hungrier, I changed back and headed next door for dinner. I chose to eat dinner on one of their patios. I had a caprese salad, a creamy pasta with salmon and large sangría. The food was really good and the overall atmosphere of the place was nice, it being 9 pm and still NOT dark was a bonus. I skipped desert and headed back to the condo to call it a night.

Dinner for one (I may have over done it, just maybe).

Patio goals.

The next morning was uneventful. I had breakfast at a place nearby (never let it be said that I watch what I eat when on 'vacation') and went back for my luggage to catch a ride to the airport, heading to CDMX, then home by bus.

View from my room.

Breakfast of champions.

On the way back to the airport.

Flying home.

It was a super short trip (24 hours) but I definitely enjoyed having some well deserved down time for myself. Hopefully next time we visit as we work on the project, A will come along and we'll stay a weekend at the very least.

G.

Ghosts of Summer Pasts

I’ve always associated summer with two things: vacations from school and traveling. At least that’s what it was like when I was growing up. I wouldn’t see my friends for three months and our family would take a week or two off to go somewhere, usually the beach. My dad used to say if he could travel somewhere every summer he’d go to Cancun and Orlando. If only!

But it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed summer in the same way I did when I was a child. Gone are the three months off from usual activities (school) and family trips. No more summer camps at the club or sleepovers at friends houses. If I’m lucky these days, I’ll go home and the weather will be decent enough for me to spend a couple of hours at the beach.

Actually I can’t remember what summer it’s been like the last years since I stopped studying and started working. I guess when you work, summer is just a season, as opposed to a holiday period. One doesn’t get three months off, hell you barely even get a week, and that’s after a year’s work at best, depending on your company’s policies. Some people are luckier and have way more vacation days every year, but it’s never been my case. 

And so I decided to reminisce on some of my favorite summer memories from the past years since this one didn't exactly make the books:

Summer 2005 / Orlando, Florida. Having fun on a day off from working at Disney, at Universal Studios with my best girl friends.

Summer 2007 / San Juan, Puerto Rico. Roadtripping all over the Island of Enchantment with my Puerto Rican friends from Disney ICP.

Summer 2008 / New York City. School field trip with my classmates and friends, and my first time in NYC.

Summer 2009 / Miami, Florida. Beach days, touristy afternoons and club nights (plus mandatory shopping sprees).

Summer 2010 / Mexico City. Spent this summer traveling from/to Mexico City to spend time with A, falling in love :)

Summer 2011 / Euro trip. Sheffield, Dublin, Paris and London with my best friends from home :)

Summer 2013 / Acapulco, Guerrero. Got to spend a weekend there for my friends wedding.

Summer 2014 / Veracruz, México. Got to play tourist in my hometown when a couple of Disney friends were there for another friends' wedding.

As you can see, for me, summer is about spending time with loved ones, preferably in cool places. Beach/pool days, roadtrips, outings to eat, touristy activities like sightseeing, and of course lots and lots of pictures to prove it.

I was bummed to realize I have no records of last summer and this one is pointing in the same direction, but more of that next week. What are your favorite summer memories?

g.

Ten Cities

Day 26: Name 10 places you would like to visit

I love traveling, but then again, who doesn't. The choosing where to go, researching where to eat and what to see, the nerve wrecking experience which is buying plane tickets and booking hotel rooms online... 

Here's my list of 10 places I would like to visit, in no particular order:

1. Chicago. The windy city. Chicago is one of those cities filled with great architecture. It's home to buildings by Mies van der Rohe, Louis Sullivan and Helmut Jahn. Hell, it was home for Frank Lloyd Wright and where the Prairie School movement was born. As an architect, how could I not want to go there? (Image via here)

2. San Francisco. Maybe it is the kid in me who wishes was a part of the Tanner family or maybe I've just been watching too much Full House lately, but San Francisco has always appealed to me. It's just such an iconic city and for once, architecture has nothing to do with it (except maybe the Golden Gate Bridge): Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Lombard Street... It seems like the kind of place you could take the time to really see the city without having to worry about missing stuff. (Image via here).

3. LA (and everywhere around it). Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Malibu, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Anaheim...  God, I think this is the place where I want to go the most. Being such a tv freak, walking around any of the aforementioned places would be like a dream come true, like living in movies and tv shows I've loved for years. Seriously, just walking around Rodeo Dr pretending to be friends with Kelly and Donna would do it, but there are so many great things to do and see in LA: Disney Concert Hall, The Broad, LACMA, and a whole lot more of architecture based picks. Plus the food scene and latin vibes and basically everything. Earth, swallow me now and spit me in LA. (Image via here)



4. Positano. Ahh, the Amalfi Coast. It is one place that seems to be thriving these days, but of course, why woulnd't it? It keeps popping on my instagram feed implanting on me the idea of going there asap. The whole place just looks so romantic and laid back, like the perfect place for a honeymoon or an anniversary trip. (Image via here)

5. Paris. Because no one ever said 'Veracruz is always a good idea'. Although I've been once before, ever since I read that Jordan and her family moved there for a year,  I've been obsessed with the idea of spending a long time there, as in more than four days (like last time). It's the kind of city that has more to offer than touristic attractions. I've run around Champs Elysées and done the eternal lines to climb the Eiffel Tower (not that I would mind doing it again), but I'd like to really spend time in Paris. Sit at cafes, peruse flea markets, drive a vespa around the city, the true Parisian experience. (Image via here)

6. Amsterdam. When I was studying in Sheffield, Amsterdam was supposed to be part of a summer holiday but fell through at the last minute. I'd still like to go some day because I think the Netherlands has such a rich culture and Amsterdam seems to be a beautiful city with the canals and clogs and... windmills? (Image via here)

7. Tokyo. So exotic, right? As you can probably tell by now (except maybe for Positano up there), I'm more of a big city kind of tourist, way more into going to places where there are many things to do and see, over laying by the pool reading (not that I don't enjoy that as well). Plus, again with the culture and the architecture. (Image via here)

8. Shanghai. Those sights, that skyline... that's all I got, but seriously, big city, architecture, what more is there to it? well, of course, Shanghai Disneyland :) (Image via here)

9. Sydney. At some point in my life I was obsessed with the surfing culture (And the Olsen's twins unrealistic traveling movies). But taking that aside I feel like Sydney is a very cosmopolitan city, and one which has it all: beaches, great architecture, culture, art, and the Sydney Harbor Bridge & the Opera House. (Image via here)

10. Rio de Janeiro. A was the one who actually planted this seed on me, but what attracts me of visiting Brasil, other than food, is (you guessed it) the architecture. Actually a trip to Brasil would need to include other cities like Brasilia, Sao Paolo and maybe even Curitiba to check out Oscar Niemeyer and Lina Bo Bardi's work, not that the beaches of Copacabana wouldn't be enough for me ;) (Image via here)

So basically my picks depend completely on architecture and things to see (aka landmarks) which result in quite busy holidays, rather than relaxing ones. Oh, well! Live while you're young!

Other cities I'd love to visit include: Copenhagen, Beijing, Perú & Machu Pichu and everywhere I've been before, except now with A :)

G.

One Day...

Day 20: Where would you like to visit or live one day..?

One day I'd love to live in New York City. I think A would agree with my answer. We did meet there after all. We've been there once more since and have made it a point to visit at least once every five years. 

A actually disagrees with that last part there because if it were for him, we'd go once a year. It is such an evolving place that even if you went there twice a year, it would be different and that's kind of why we love it so much.

The thing with NY is... it has EVERYTHING. 

A gourmet market in the heart of Chelsea

Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum

The center of the universe, Times Square

Central Park

It's just the kind of place where I don't think you could ever be bored. There's always something happening, more restaurants than you could ever eat at, a lot of great museums and many places near enough for day trips and/or long weekends. Broadway/Times Square, Central Park, the Yankees, you get the picture. Plus it has got to be one of the most multicultural places in the world which is awesome.

And the architecture? for geeks like us, it's paradise. But maybe I'll write a whole other post about that.

So, yeah. Without a doubt, this would be THE place where I'd love to live one day, even if just for a year or so. What place would you like to visit or live in one day?

g.

ps. NYC cover image via here. All other images were taken by me.

Dublin Me Darlin

Originally planned for St. Paddy's Day, this post came to be late, but better late than never, ey? Grab a pint, this is gonna be a loooong post.

This month I wanted to share a bit about that one time my bf and I went to Dublin on holiday. It was the middle of the summer, she was in Spain, I was in England and we hadn't seen each other in a while. She was due to come visit as we had friends from Mexico flying over too, but we wanted to take a little pre-European-mini-tour together before they got there and just share some quality time.

I had been meaning to make it to Dublin since my cousin was studying there and flights were 1 pound (plus tax) with this airline, but I never got around to it and my cousin left. Not that I couldn't visit by myself, but it was way more appealing to have a partner, so I mentioned it to D and she was game. Neither of us had been there before and figured it would be fun to explore it together.

She arrived in Manchester and we flew from there to Dublin, arriving late at night.  We stayed at this hostel right on Temple Bar, and promptly went out and about to explore the city, ending the night at the hostel's own pub. 

One of the things I knew I wanted to visit was the Cliffs of Moher. I had read there are day tours that take you there for a fair price. However, the weather was terrible! The guy at the front desk of the hostel said it wasn't a good time to visit, as we wouldn't be allowed too close to the cliffs (which is basically the point of going) due to safety as it gets very slippery. It was a bummer, but hey, at least we have an excuse to go back some day.

We were actually shocked that the weather was so bad. It was very cold and rainy, which we weren't prepared for. Not that it stopped us from having a great time. On our first day, we ran into one of those free tours which we decided to join as we had no idea where to go. We visited the Dublin Castle, Dubh Linn garden, saw the medieval walls, visited Trinity College and St. Stephens Green.

After the tour was over we were on our own to explore. We enjoyed walking and shopping around King and Grafton Streets, specially souvenir shops! We walked over to Merrion Square to check out Oscar Wilde's monument and ran into a lovely street filled with colorful doors! We took a massive amount of photos because that's just how we roll. We also ran into Molly Malone and Oliver St. John and James Joyce's statues. That night we partied Irish style with nothing other than Guinness and Baileys at a Temple Bar pub.

The next morning, the weather was waaaay better. We started off with a traditional Irish breakfast (very similar to the British one) and headed out to the Guinness Storehouse which was amazing. We learned all about the history of the brand, including how the beer is made and even got a free pint at the end of the tour with an unbeatable 360º view of the city. We even made a new friend, Hi Nate!



Another thing I really wanted to see in Dublin was its more contemporary architecture. We headed to Daniel Libeskind's Grand Canal Theater and square and went right up to the Quays along the Liffey, where we continued to see interesting architecture and views of the city, street art and Santiago Calatrava's Samuel Becket Bridge. We ended our second and last day back at Temple Bar, with dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe right by our hostel, picked up our bags and headed to a night at the airport.

All in all, it felt like two full days were enough time in Dublin to see the touristy sites at the speed of light. I'd definitely recommend a couple more days in order to take day trips outside of the city which we weren't able to do. Not that it mattered to us because we loved Dublin! the city is very beautiful and pedestrian friendly. We got pretty much everywhere by foot and only took a bus once to the Guinness Storehouse and the shuttle for the airport. People, were very friendly, and although it was a bit hard to understand the accents at first, we managed. It seemed though as there are way more men than women in Dublin, at least that was our impression, which we couldn't complain about :)

Have you ever been to Dublin? how about somewhere else in Ireland? What things did we miss? I think we did good enough for two days! Hope this helps if you're planning a trip there soon!

g.