August 25, 2015

Sunset at the Florence Duomo

Sara Europe, Italy Duomo, Florence, Italy, sunset, things to do in Florence 22 Comments

Florence is a must-visit destination for anyone visiting Italy. There’s so much to see and do there, yet it’s not huge and overwhelming. It’s a city of art, architecture, and Italian history. I’ve been twice, and each time was absolutely floored by it’s beauty.

One of my personal favorite things I did in Florence was visiting the famous Florence Duomo. It’s properly known as The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and is the main cathedral in Florence. I’m a huge fan of churches, and Italian churches just can’t be beat! And my favorite thing about this Gothic Cathedral is the facade. I’ve been to Florence twice. The last time I was there, I was able to visit the Florence Duomo as the sun was setting. Visiting the the church at any time of the day is definitely one of the best things to do in Florence, but visiting at sunset was extra special!

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August 21, 2015

The Big Grill Festival and the “Meat Sweats”

Sara Europe, Gigs + Festivals, Ireland Ballsbridge, BBQ, Craft Beer, Dublin, Festival, Herbert Park, Summer Festivals, The Big Grill 2 Comments

According to Urban Dictionary, the definition of the “meat sweats” is: To consume an obsene amount of meat resulting in profuse sweating.

I swear this is a real thing. It happens to me all the time! And it was especially real last weekend at Dublin’s Big Grill Festival, where I consumed an absurd about of meat. But it’s ok because I also had an absurd amount of fun!!!!!! OK, so that was really cheesy… buy anyways, here is my review of Big Grill Festival 2015!

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August 10, 2015

10 Things to do on a Sunny Day in Dublin!

Sara Europe, Ireland, Travel, Travel Advice sunny day, Things to do in Dublin 34 Comments

Ah, Ireland. You sure do know how to make a gal lose her tan…

Ok, so obviously Ireland is not exactly known for having the best weather.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the cold and rain. But it does definitely gets old. I mean….it hailed in June. That just ain’t right. So although I do love the chilly weather, after a while of that one can’t help but wonder when the sun will finally decide to grace us with its presence.

One thing I love about being somewhere with finicky weather is that when it’s sunny, people REALLY appreciate and take advantage of it. A sunny day is ~~rare~~ special here. The parks will be packed, the trains will be full with people heading to the coast, and there’s just a happy energy in the air.

Here are my personal recommendations of the BEST things to do in Dublin on a beautiful, sunny day!

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July 23, 2015

Longitude Festival 2015: A Day in Review

Sara Europe, Gigs + Festivals, Ireland 2015, Hozier, Ireland festivals, Longitude Festival, Marlay Park, music festivals 7 Comments

OK, so I PROMISE this will be the last music festival post for a while. I know I’ve been posting a lot of music festivals lately, but it is festival season after all! But for those of you who would rather my travel posts, do not fear! I will be back to my regularly scheduled, absolutely awesome, and incredible witty travel posts soon enough!

But for now, I’m going to talk about and review my day at Longitude Festival 2015!

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July 21, 2015

Nos Alive Music Festival in Lisbon, Portugal

Sara Europe, Gigs + Festivals, Portugal 2014, European music festivals, Festivals, Lisbon, Nos Alive, Portugal 12 Comments

I’ve mentioned before in a few posts how much I adore Lisbon. I absolutely fell in love with it when I visited last summer and am already dying to go back!

There is SO much to see and do in Lisbon (check out this post) and I could go on and on about recommendations! But when we went, there just so happened to be a major music festival happening. So (OF COURSE) we had to go for a day! So just a few short weeks after having an amazing day at the Isle of Wight music festival in England, our last stop in Lisbon was to see my favorite band (which is the Arctic Monkeys FYI) headline NOS Alive music festival 2014, right outside of Lisbon city centre!

With this year’s NOS Alive having been recently, I’ve been reminiscing on my time there last year!

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July 16, 2015

The Cliffs of Moher + The Burren — An Irish MUST!

Sara Europe, Ireland, Travel, Travel Inspiration Cliffs of Moher, Galway City Tours, Ireland, The Burren, things to do, tour 28 Comments

So to celebrate the 4th of July in Ireland I got to cross something off of my bucket list! I finally got to see, with my own eyes, the Cliffs of Moher and they were unFREAKINGbelievable. I wasn’t sure if it was actually as good as I had heard, or if it was just a tourist trap. But trust me, the Cliffs of Moher are definitely worth it!!! Worth seeing, worth walking, worth sitting and taking in the views. They are incredible. ESPECIALLY with good weather, which we were lucky enough to have!

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June 30, 2015

The Weirdest Weekend of my Life | Body & Soul 2015

Sara Europe, Gigs + Festivals, Ireland Body & Soul Ireland Music Festivals, Body and Soul 2015, review 11 Comments

Let me start off by saying that if there’s some unspoken rule among bloggers as a limit to how many pictures should go in a post, this will DEFINITELY be going over that limit.

So a coworker of mine had an extra pair of tickets to a music festival she was trying to get rid of, since she was now going for free as a volunteer. She kept asking me if my friend and I wanted to buy them from her. I had never heard of this festival, and only recognized 2 names on the whole lineup.

But I figured “why not?” Who wouldn’t want to spend a weekend outside on the grounds of an Irish castle listening to bands with names like “Goat,” “Savages,” “Nightmares on Wax,” “Shit Robot,” and “Meltybrains?,” (yes the question mark is part of the name)? Basically, we’re in Ireland for a year and want to live it up! Get out of our comfort zone and experience werid/random things! Besides, I LOVE music festivals. I had already been to one foreign music festival (more on that here), and had the BEST time even though it was just 1 day. But I had never camped out at one before. So I figured I should try it out! And so, I found myself at Body & Soul 2015 during the weekend of the summer solstice.

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June 23, 2015

European Food Porn

Sara Europe, Food, Travel European food porn, food in Europe, food porn 25 Comments

I’m not sure why I decided to post this today…I must just be super hungry?

Anyways, one of my favorite parts about traveling is trying different foods from various countries. I think it’s essential in experiencing the full culture of where you are!

I have been lucky to have some BOMB ASS meals throughout my European travels. Obviously Italian food is praised world wide. I mean, who doesn’t love pasta? But I’ve also had some amazing meals in country that aren’t particularly known for their food, like the UK.

So, here are a few amazing meals I’ve had throughout my European adventures. I call it, “European Food Porn”, but it’s basically a roundup of the countries in Europe where I’ve had the best food. If you’re not drooling after scrolling through this pictures, something is SRSLY wrong wichu!

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May 28, 2015

My Ireland To-Do List

Sara Europe, Expat, Ireland, Moving to Ireland, Travel, Travel Inspiration Ireland to do list, Ireland tourist attractions, Things to do in Ireland 22 Comments

I’ve been meaning to share this with you guys, but I was still making the list myself! I feel like I’m constantly adding on to this list based on suggestions I get from locals. But, here is my “To-Do List” during my year here in Ireland!

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May 26, 2015

Ireland and that BIG Vote!

Sara Europe, Expat, General Musings, Ireland Dublin, Dublin Pride, Gay Rights, Ireland, Ireland Expat, Ireland referendum 2015, Yes Equality 2015 11 Comments

So, if you’ve been watching the news recently, or are in the least bit up-to-date with current events (or you follow me on instagram here or here), you are probably well aware of Ireland’s recent referendum. This past Friday, May 22nd, over 60% of Irish voters voted YES to a referendum to change the Irish constitution to legalize same-sex marriage. They became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote!!

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