Day 1 in Salou: Soft Sand, Warm Water, Less Delph.

Marshmallow Clouds

Having left Dublin via RyanAir at 7:45 and left the murky, grey morning behind us, we flew across a glorious display of clouds which resembled a field of marshmallows having be flattened out perfectly. The the rocky hills of Spain broke through and all I could see was terracotta. The excitement was at a breaking point. I could have been in Miami when I stepped off the plane the place felt that exotic to me despite the short 2 hour flight.

      We got a public bus from the airport to Salou where we were to stay in Belvedere hotel. The bus driver was the nicest man ever! Not only did he not make me feel bad for not being able to speak a word of Spanish, but when it came to our stop he stood up and called back to us that this was where we were to get off! Lovely chap. Don't know if I'd often see Bus Eireann do the same in Ireland, would you?

     The only set back thus far was my trusty flip flops (or 'thongs' as I've heard Australians call them) which turned out to be not so trusty. I hobbled into our hotel room with blisters on my feet and threw the flip flops to one side where they shall remain for the rest of the trip. I'll stick to sandals, thanks!

     The room consisted of two double beds side by side, TV, en-suite with bath and a balcony. A balcony! I find balconies in hot countries amazing. I feel they genuinely serve a purpose other than being a good place to creep on the good-looking locals or have a smoke. Here you can also get some much appreciated vitamin D! The suitcases were unpacked and the airport clothes were discarded, time for beach wear!

     Our first mission was to get food. We were all starving with the hunger. As we strolled by restaurants taking in the menu prices and clearly looking like tourists, we were bombarded with menu distributing staff. Their job is to get business by enticing people into their restaurant which all have the most amazing deals in town. 

Mine?

I've seen such staff in Temple Bar in Dublin and on the streets of Rome but here, as there were many diners side by side, it felt like they were everywhere. It was like walking through a flock of seagulls from Finding Nemo all squawking "MINE MINE MINE". They see you coming and then dash for menus while never taking their eyes off you and then pace across the path until you're within their designated area. We politely declined many of these 'seagulls' if the menu was too expensive or the place was empty, and then finally settled on a decent looking place. 

     I thought it was only fitting to start the trip with a Spanish omelette which was delicious! Considering Salou is on the coast, there's a lot of sea food to choose from in every restaurant and very little vegetarian options other than salads or chips. But if you like your meat or your sea food, it will probably take you 20 minutes to choose from all the option you have!

Look at all the people!

     After food it was straight to the beach which was AMAZING. This was my first ever 

beach I've been to abroad and I loved it. The blue sky called for it to be a busy day but we still found space to throw down a towel. After I got over the shock of the amount of people there were, the next thing to blow my mind was how soft the sand is. In Ireland, there's always a section of the beach you need to tip-toe through with a lot of 'Hoo-Hah-Ow' noises as it consists of thousands of broken shells and sharp seaweed. Here, the sand is so fine! Then there was the water. Oh my goodness. I jumped some waves of the Balearic sea with my nephew and the water was warm. Warm I tell you! For someone who has only ever swam in the seas surrounding Ireland, you can understand how it exciting I found it to finally be able to say I swam in a sea that wasn't Baltic cold. Beautiful experience.

     There was an intercom system along the beach which occasionally had a man announce things over it. Naturally, these announcements were in Spanish so we couldn't understand a word he said, so we did nothing. He could have been saying there was a shark in the water for all I know but I didn't notice anyone leaving the water as such so we stayed! Although if the Spanish are anything like the Irish they'd say 'Ha! Shark. That's gas.' and keep swimming.

     We spent the rest of the day at the beach, then waddled home having gained an extra stone in weight in sand and salt water. We passed by one more restaurant promoter for Chicago Bar & Grill who's reason for us eating there was they only have 208 plates so we need to go in. I felt sorry for the chap considering his lack of plates and close to empty restaurant but we already had our dinner sorted! After an all-you-can-eat buffet for dinner (which is included in our stay, as well as breakfast), we returned to our room. Myself, my sister and my nephew are staying together and we were all asleep by 10.30pm (9.30pm Irish time).

     Tomorrow, we travel to Port Aventura, the gate to adventure. I feel like a child on Christmas eve!

Hasta luego, 

Ceara

x

How the film 'Taken' potentially saved my life. . .

So the title says all really. For anyone who hasn't seen the film, it's about 2 girls who travel to Paris from America and get kidnapped after sharing a taxi home with a good-looking french man who turns out to be a part of a huge human trafficking scandal. After watching the first time I told myself I was never going to Paris! Of course the film is blown out of proportion in some ways (I don't think anyone's dad would be as awesome as Liam Neeson in this, not even mine. Sorry dad, love you still!) but there are still many harsh truths depicted in the film. This would include the existence of human trafficking not only in Paris, but all across Europe and the rest of the world.

     My experience differs a lot from the film (thankfully!) but it's still kind of scary to think what could have happened had I not been aware of how easily abductions can happen. It occurred when I went to Italy for my godson's christening in September 2012. After the christening I decided to go to Rome by myself for 2 days before we flew back home. I had not been in Rome since I was 8 years old. I spent 3 months there on our first ever holiday abroad when my dad was working over there so I longed to go back to the city and re-explore the place that means so much to my childhood.
     I was staying in a hostel and had been walking around sight-seeing all day. As the evening came and the darkness rolled in with it, it started to rain. This meant the streets weren't bustling with tourists/locals as much as they would be if it were dry. Considering the rain was more of a heavy drizzle and the air was warm, I had no problem walking around and ticking each landmark that I wanted to see at night (for the lights) off my list. And of course I'm Irish too so a bitta drizzle wasn't going to get in my way, would you be mad?! 

My view having walked around the corner. 

     I was using my trusty tourist map to get around, but the streets are easy enough to navigate so I had no map in hand while walking around the corner into Piazza di Trevi to the beautiful Trevi Fountain. I wasn't dressed like a tourist but the long ginger, curly hair and glow-in-the-dark pale skin kind of gives it away in most cases! There was about 30 people at the fountain which is nothing compared to what it was like when I went there the next day on a dry night. This time I'm sure there were more umbrellas than people. I noticed a young man talking in a group that I had to walk by to get to the front of the fountain. They all appeared to be friends, I thought nothing of it, I was just taking in my surroundings. 
      While standing at the fountain, taking pictures and enjoying the view, I saw the man I noticed with the group approach from the corner of my eye and stand a few feet away from me on my left facing the fountain. He said 'Hello' to me, but as I wasn't looking at him and my hair was down (I allowed that to hang by the side of my face so it would seem I have no peripheral vision which made it easier to ignore him) I pretended not to either hear what he said or show I knew he was talking to me. After a few attempts of saying hello in different languages he took a step closer so that he was about 2 feet from me and said 'Hello!' directly at me. I felt I couldn't ignore him any longer so I turned and said 'Hello!' right back. He was slightly taller than me, a skinny fella, light hair, sallow skin, bright eyes, crooked teeth, not the best looking chap. He proceeded to ask why I have no umbrella, there was some small talk. He offered to take a picture of me in front of the fountain, which I accepted as all my previous landmark photos were just selfies with me and the building masked behind my frizzy hair. He took a few photos (not a great photographer might I add!) and he handed back the camera. He asked if I was here by myself and I said I was with my family who I'm meeting soon (lie). I asked him where he was from and he said Milan. I asked if he was here with friends and he said no, he was alone. At that point the caution bells that were tinging in my head burst into alarm bells. He wasn't here alone, he was here with a group of other young men. I just knew from the way I saw him talking to them earlier that he knew them. He asked if I would like to go for coffee to which I politely declined. He insisted and tried to talk it up as if this coffee would be the best experience of my life. This is also only after about 4 minutes of small talk, not even. I told him my family were waiting on me in a restaurant (lie) in the hopes that he would just give up and leave me alone so I could get back to enjoying the Trevi. He wouldn't give up though so I left him as I told him I had to go meet my family (lie) as he continued with protests. 
      I walked hastily away and down Via del Lavatore and went into Al Picchio, a beautiful restaurant which turns out was my favourite place to eat out in, 12 years earlier. I just went into it this time because it wasn't too far from the Trevi so if Milan Man tried to follow me he'd see me going into a restaurant. Plus I liked how it looked on the outside! 

It's pasta made of potatoe. Irish mind BLOWN.

     That was all the interaction with Milan Man I had. In the restaurant and for the rest of the trip I didn't really think much else of it. I was hungry and was mapping my route across Rome for the following day. What affected me more then was how pitiful and surprised the waiters were that I was dining alone. They removed the place mat across from me while looking at me like I was a child whose puppy had just died. The cheek! I was also trying gnocchi for the first time so I had practically forgotten about it. Food does that to me sometimes!
      On hindsight though, thinking about my interaction with Milan Man, I could have completely overreacted. He might have been just a sincere guy chancing his arm at a date with an Irish girl or just trying to get to know some travelers. I could have just been paranoid. Maybe he wasn't going to get me involved in human trafficking in some way. Maybe it might not have been as drastic as that. Maybe he wanted the 'ride' as some would say! To me, that is definitely something I still did not want. Maybe nothing would have happened if I went for that coffee, expect for a chat.
      But then again, maybe I could have died. Who knows? No one knows. All I know is I did not get a good feeling off this guy and I went with my gut. One thing I do know is I certainly do not regret not going for coffee with him just to be nice. I honestly don't know though, if I would have made the same choice had I not seen Taken.
      It's crazy to think what a fictional movie can teach you. I never doubted the existence of human trafficking but I never thought it would consist of 'nice' people luring you into a false friendship or sense of security. If I had not seen the movie, I would like to think I would have made the same choice. I hope I wouldn't have been naive enough to accept a date with a stranger in the capital city of a foreign country I was only familiar with. [I definitely would have turned down the coffee though. I hate coffee. Hot chocolate person all the way!] Many close friends who know me, know I find it extremely hard to say no to people, especially when it comes to turning down a guy. I either just go along with it for fear of hurting their feelings or run away and cut off all contact with them. [That's awful, I know, but I'm working on it!] So I honestly don't know if I would still be here or not had I not been recently exposed to human trafficking in Europe. 

Like I said, not the best photographer!

     That photo of me in front of the Trevi fountain could have been the last photo taken of me. Again, I know other people have more exciting stories of when they were actually kidnapped or robbed from or jailed and can laugh about it now, but it's always better to be safe than sorry, right? Would you have done the same? When it comes to travelling alone, especially as a female, you're always better off not taking any risks.
     Good advice to the lone female traveler would be;

• Always be alert when traveling, especially walking around at night. Be aware and take in your surroundings. You don't always have to be on edge, just alert.
• Don't get drunk when you're on your own in a city, even if your drinking with a group you just met. 
• Don't let men buy you drinks, they usually want something from you in return and could easily spike you. 
• Walk around with confidence. If you can't avoid interactions with strangers you don't want to talk to, speak to them confidently and don't be afraid to reject their offers. (This is also why I tried not to walk around with my map out all the time.)
• Lie (with confidence). Say you're travelling with family/partner/friends if needs be.
• Carry a safety whistle and/or pepper spray if you want, for extra protection.
• If you're walking around on your own, try not to wear provocative or revealing clothing. Dress for the climate but try to be smart about it. I know nobody asks to be attacked and we are able to wear want we want but always consider your surroundings and safety.
• Read up on where you're going before you get there and what kind of illegal activity goes on there so you know what to avoid.
• Always, always trust your gut feeling. If you don't like the vibe you're getting off a person or place, leave.

You can adhere to the above advice and still have a damn good time. I certainly did! I think to live is to travel. And you need to be alive to live so look after yourself. ;) 

So inadvertently, Liam Neeson kind of potentially saved my life! Damn. I'm sure there's potential for Taken 3 there. . .

Any feedback, questions, advice, thoughts are kindly welcomed. Have a great day and happy travels!

Grá.

Ceara

x

I took this picture as I left the fountain. His umbrella is out of sight. Beautiful fountain though! A must see in Italy.

Bikini Bodies - A Misleading Farce!

Every year, before we even have had the time to source pain killers to help us through our New Year's celebration hangover, magazines already have their Spring issues in print. As Spring leads to Summer (which I'm hoping you already know) so many magazines, fashion/beauty blogs and online articles etc. are already talking about what to wear as the weather gets warmer, how to lose some of those pounds gained from eating your weight in mince pies and how to get the most amazing 'bikini body'. 

So, what is a bikini body? Surely if you have a body and put on a bikini, you are then the definition of a bikini body? On searching for a definition of this term, the description I repeatedly came across went something along the lines of 'a body that looks sexy in a bikini.' 

1. Feel good, look good.
First of all, if you have the confidence to strut your stuff in a bikini and feel happy in your own skin no matter what shape, size or colour your body is then you're sexy, you have a bikini body and I salute you! That's not an easy task for everyone and there are women in their thousands that actually work to get the 'perfect' bikini body and still end up feeling self conscious. Screw the saying 'Look good, feel good.' If you feel good then that shines through you and you look good.

2. It's not all on the outside.
However I know from experience, it's never just about yourself. In situations like this you will probably compare yourself to others around you and think 'Their bikini body is better than mine.' Now, it's important you note that what you see on the outside is not always important. Skinny Joe on the beach over there looking great is actually really unhealthy and can't run 100 meters without needing to take a break and have someone massage his ankles. Then you have Chubby Charlie over there who looks slightly overweight but could actually lift heavier weights than Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and easily outrun Skinny Joe! You see what I'm getting at?

3. You can't please everyone.
If you're working on your bikini body to impress others then I'm sorry to break it to you but you won't be everyone's taste. Some people aren't attracted to others with toned abs. Some people aren't attracted to people with love handles. Some people aren't attracted to people with an 'innie' bellybutton. So quit trying to please everyone or fit yourself into a worldwide farce of a perfect body because there is no such thing and it's impossible to make everyone happy. Just be happy with yourself!

4. Tan before you go where you're going to get a tan...wait, what?

The amount of work that lots of ladies I know out into their summer holiday body is crazy. One of them being to get a tan before they get there, usually via sun beds. Why? If you're going to a sunny country then surely you'll get a tan there? Won't it feel like you're cheating too? Plus that amount of concentrated UV light all over your skin is not healthy. Especially on fair, Irish skin! Plus you'll stick out like a sore thumb among us fair folk before you leave. If you can't tan and don't wan't to stick out of the crowd while you're over there then first of all, a tan probably wouldn't suit you anyway, and second of all, you might not be recognized in your passport photo if you look like a different nationality. Just saying!

5. Dieting could do the reverse of what you want it to.
On top of tanning there's dieting. Now there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with cutting bad food out of your diet and eating healthily. But just eating less food and not getting all the nutrients and calories you need daily is unhealthy. You might think it's great because you drop a few pounds and look great, but when you go on holidays, one of the things you'll be doing is eating. Well you should be anyway, food is a huge part of culture and your whole travel experience! So you'll probably be back to eating the same amount of calories (or more) from before your diet and the weight will pile right back on. (To understand why this happens click here.) Don't cut out food/calories that you need, maintain a healthy diet on top of exercise and you'll feel and look great!
-I would also just like to comment on Kate Moss' famous quote; "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I highly disagree with this. She's obviously never tasted my veggie lasagna, or the pizza in Naples or even had french toast with syrup!! Screw skinny. Food is great and makes me happy. I love food. You should too!

6. Let's exercise for Summer!! YEAH! Aaaand, rest... for the rest of the year...
Of course there'll nearly always be a work out regime created to get your bikini body ready for summer and one thing about this really bugs me. Why is there so much pressure to exercise for your image and only for Summer?! Why not constantly talk about exercising for health and do so All. Year. Round. This is why I extremely dislike the idea of a bikini body. Understandably people are aware that the weather will be warmer hence they'll be taking trips to the beach, going on holidays or just going on a good swim and quite frankly, if you were to wear jeans or jumpers to any of the above, not only will you get people thinking you must have grown up in a volcano but you will also probably get heat stroke. Most likely. So, you will be wearing less clothes and you might be wearing a swimsuit or bikini or any outfit with a bit more on show than usual and fair enough, you want to look good so you exercise in advance. Then when it gets colder and the layers of clothes compete with those of an onion, a lot of people stop caring about that body that very few are going to see hence reduce/stop the exercise. Bikini body leans towards getting fit and healthy just for summer. How about staying fit and healthy all year round? And heck if you want to go swimming in December then you put that bikini on and still feel and look great!

These are the main 6 reasons why I think the idea of a 'Bikini body' is a misleading farce, and I didn't even get to 'bikini bridges' or the waxing and plucking and shaving preparation! If you agree, awesome. If you don't, please tell me why!

My message to all you ladies who still think they are not worthy of wearing a bikini I say this; you're mostly worried about what other people will think of you. Realistically, no one cares! This is how I get past most insecure issues I have; realizing the only one who notices or cares about what I worry about is ME. No one else cares!! So just put that bikini on and walk with your head held high. And if you don't want to wear one, then don't! All I ask is that you be healthy, be happy and forget about what anyone else thinks or says. Focus on yourself and enjoy that sun.

This meme sums up how I think you get a bikini body:

Message!

Thank you for reading. Find me on Facebook or Twitter  and let me know what you think or if it's just me!

Grá,

Ceara

x

Vaccination Advice

For the travelers out there who like to go somewhere a little bit different than the 'usual' holiday destination, chances are you'll need to be vaccinated to prevent contraction of any unwanted diseases or infections. [Well I certainly hope they're unwanted. Why would you want cholera?]

Vaccinations can be a hectic, scary or daunting process for a lot of people be it their first time getting them, being terrified of needles, worrying of the cost and time limit they have to get them or just being faced with the reality that these diseases exist where you're going.

First of all, relax. You're already preparing yourself and doing the research by reading this post so I have 100% faith that you'll be fine.

1. Know where you're going. 

It is very important to know where you'll be travelling so you can let whoever is administrating your vaccines know and they can make sure you get everything you need. Whether you'll be staying in one city, travelling through a few cities in various countries or making your way across a whole continent but unsure of exactly where you'll be, let the consultant/doctor know everything. And if you're unsure if you'll be visiting a certain place you'll need a vaccine for, just get it. It'll be one less thing to worry about on your travels and if you do decide to go there, it'll save you getting any counterfeit medication and risking your health if you deal with any unsanitary clinics or needles. Better to be safe than sorry!

2. Worried about the cost? Don't be.

• Unlike flights and hotel/hostel prices, vaccination prices will not fluctuate. Therefore you can check out what will be needed months in advance and know exactly what you need to put aside for it. Search the web for your local travel clinic and they should have all the prices up on their website.
• I know some people believe it's better to pay for the medication yourself and get your own doctor to administer the vaccines. I would advise against this. Nothing personal against your GP or anything but you're much better off going to someone who specializes in travel vaccines. And if you need to get vaccinated against rabies then there's absolutely no question about it, go to a travel clinic! The reason for this is you need 3 shots for rabies over a couple of weeks. One bottle is made up of 3 shots but as soon as it's opened, it expires quickly so if you were to get your rabies vaccine in your ordinary GP office, chances are no one else will be getting a rabies shot so it would cost upwards of €100 as you'd be paying for 3 bottles. In a travel clinic, other people will be availing of the same bottle so you'll save a lot of money!  
• Student discounts are often available and discounts for senior citizens and the unemployed also exist. You won't know unless you ask!
• If you're in Ireland I'd recommend The Travel Health Clinic on Dawson Street in Dublin. They're far cheaper than The Tropical Medical Bureau and were lovely to deal with. I felt fully prepared for Africa having received their guidance and had a number to call 24/7 if any emergency arose. They also accept any form of student cards, not just travel cards and they gave me a lollipop after every visit! 

3. Pain

It's not that bad. Really! It's like a slight pinch every time and there can be a slight 'panging' pain afterwards but it's fine. I will say however, not to poke at where the shot went in or lean on it and try avoid sleeping on it if you can, just to avoid any possible discomfort! I learned that the hard way which you can read in this blog post of my old blog. . . Obviously if you're the kind of person with the attitude of a soccer player that will bend their finger the wrong way then never shut up about it and demand some kind of prize for dealing with such atrocious 'pain' then my advice for you is; shut up and deal with it! 

4.  Needles

Needles? What needles? I never saw a needle when I got my vaccines done. Ask them not to show you and they won't. Dr. Weidenhammer in the clinic I went to distracted me without me even realizing by asking me questions while injecting me. It was over before I knew it! In my experience, there were no needles, just the slight pinch of  a magical fairy doctor that resulted in my body being magically protected from awful things! And did I mention? You might get a lollipop! If you don't like needles, you won't see needles.

5. Time

Some vaccinations require a few shots over a period of weeks. If you're worried that you won't have enough time to get them all before your trip away don't panic. Just ring up whichever travel clinic you'll be going to, let them know you'll be flying out soon and might need repeat shots. They should be able to squeeze you in if it is going to be a tight fit to get them all in. Staff at travel clinics are there to help you, they won't want you going away unprepared either so just relax! And in future, give yourself at least 6 weeks before your flight to make an appointment for a consultation. It's hard enough trying to remember where your passport is and whether or not you packed your pajamas the night before your flight without thinking about your possibilities of coming home with Hepatitis A as a souvenir instead of a key-ring. 

These are just some basic tips to help you through your vaccination experience. Your travel clinic will help you with anything else you need to know or you can fire a question my away and I'll promise to answer it. 

Thank you for reading and happy travels!

Grá,

Ceara

x

The First BBA Adventure...

For my 21st birthday, my crazy sister went and bought me a holiday. Obviously, now, out of my siblings (which consists of 2 full brothers, 2 half brothers, 1 half sister, 1 step brother and 1 sister in-law), she wins the Favourite Sibling award! Before the idea of this blog even entered my head she knew I haven't had the typical holidays abroad and felt I was worthy of a real holiday.

So we're going to Espana!! (I don't know how to do that squiggly thing above the 'n' like how it's supposed to be so just imagine it's there. . .)

On the 29th of July we're flying to Reus (my sister said a word that sounded like 'reece' so I'm guessing that's correct, there are a LOT of airports in Spain) and then staying in a hotel near Port Aventura in Tarragona for 5 nights. 

There are many reasons why I'm extremely excited for this trip. Here are just five;

1. I've never been to Spain before. - I'm gonna be fluent in Spanish when I get back amigos!
2. I've never stayed in a HOTEL on a holiday abroad. (I'm gonna be calling room service all like "Yo, can I have 10 extra towels please. Gracias." which I'm SO excited for!)
3. I've never been to a beach in a different country before and apparently there's one nearby! - I'm Irish and I can say in advance if being topless is 'the norm' on the beach, I will not be joining in. That only calls for extra areas to apply sunscreen to and I won't even tan so, no point! And will the sea water be warm?? Oh my God.
4. I've never been to a proper water park before. - My only experience of a ‘water park’ to date is Splashworld in Waterford (Ireland). Do you know of it? Well if not I’ll briefly explain. To my recollection it consisted of a kiddies area with a pirate ship that shot out water from a canon, a fountain you could sit under, those fake waves that reached about one foot high and two twisting slides. Basically it was a big swimming pool with the occasional colourful landmark and you occasionally had to take someone else's plaster off your foot. So to be in a real water park with various water rides and stuff and stuff and more stuff, will be AWESOME.
5. I've never holidayed with my sister or nephew before. - Spain better prepare itself because the two of us are insane enough and excitable enough on our own. Being together, on holiday, somewhere hot, for the first time; we'll be like kids on Christmas morning!

Just. . .oh my goodness I'm so excited. It hasn't even really hit me yet as I wasn't involved in booking anything so I'm just banking on what my sister says. Let's just hope this isn't some prank or scheme on MTV's Punk'd. Not that I'm important enough to be 'punk'd' but you never know!

This guy's sunscreen method is just like mine.

There's a lot of preparation I need to undertake before this trip, such as stocking up on litres of Factor 50 sunscreen and figuring out how I'm going to get it to Spain via one of RyanAir's restricting no-smiles-no-space-no-extras-no-happiness-only-a-stupid-landing-trumpet-jingle-flights. I'll need enough to apply everywhere, everyday as in the demonstration there in Exhibit A on your right. >

I'll also need to begin learning Spanish so I can seduce handsome men when I'm there and not end up asking them for 'the placenta of your birth' instead of 'your Snapchat name'. I don't know, it could happen! So far all I can say in Spanish is "Hay una fiesta en mis pantalones!" and that is NOT the path I wish to follow (or other people to follow) on this holiday.

Time to get a crackin'!

Adios amigos, 

Amor,

Ceara 

x

Welcome Aboard!

Fáilte! 

The name is Ceara and I would like to welcome you to my new Blog! (You can find the old one here!) As you may guess from the name, I have barely traveled abroad throughout the 21 years of my life so far. I feel having only visited 3 countries is a whole lot less compared to a lot of friends, family and acquaintances I know. I've never been on a sun holiday, drinking/partying holiday or pure adventure holiday. I went sight-seeing in London once then visited London 3 other times for drama trips (which were AMAZING!), went to Rome when I was 8 for three months which was also amazing and then left the continent for the first time to volunteer in Africa for 3 months. That trip to Africa was also (yes you guessed it) . . . AMAZING! In fact, it's all I really talk about nowadays. 

"That time I drank rhino poo!"

"That time I got attacked by monkeys. . .twice!"

"That time I made a holy show of Irish people by thinking I could sing and belting out a song on an out-of-tune guitar (while drunk)."

"That time I continued to make a show of Irish people by getting my friend to pull over so I could get sick on the way home from our one night out! (Yes obviously I was also drunk, but if you knew how cheap the alcohol is in South Africa, you would find it difficult not to make the most of it too!!)"

There are so many stories I have from my time there. For someone who has barely traveled I think that's pretty understandable! And considering the amount of feedback I received from people who read the blog, they found themselves laughing at my innocent expectations and surprise. (I honestly thought I was in business class when trying to find my seat on Emirates. Having never flown long distance before I genuinely had NO idea they gave everyone a blanket, pillow and headphones!) Anyway, you can find out more about me on the About Page and also why I started blogging and why I chose what to blog about.

This is just a prelimanary preliminarey preliminary blog post. (That's literally how I misspelled the word before I had to spell check it. . .) The rest to follow will be much more juicy and entertaining! 

Grá,
Ceara

PS. Here is a celebratory picture of me having JUST finished the first post and setting up all the sites, just for you. (Please 'scuse the frizz, ginger life can be tough.)