Driving Around France

Last week my parents, sister and I went on a trip to the south of France to do a bit of exploring. We rambled around towns around the Mediterranean coast of France right along the coast of Spain. While we didn't get any rain (thankfully!) it was quite windy and chilly so a heavier coat was definitely needed. 

I thought I'd share a few of the photos I took along the way.

First Stop: Collioure

I really liked Collioure with its old town, colourful buildings and blue beach. 

Following any one of the many side streets and archways leads you to stumble upon pretty colourful houses. 

Next Up: Béziers

Béziers turned out to be a quite a nice city with lots of old churches, museums, French history and a gorgeous view.

Canet-en-Roussillon

I think I liked Canet in particular because it was the first warm, sunny day we had had all week. That being said, it was still a lovely seaside town that I'd say is lively during the summer.

I'll cut this post short here for now because it's getting a little lengthly, but more to come!

Let me know where you've been travelling to recently?

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

A Cup of Joe with Bob and Ted

Hey guys :)


I'm coming to you today because I'm still trying to stay on the New Years resolution bandwagon. The main promise I made to myself was to try and experience more this year and push myself not to get complacent in my safe daily routines. So when I came across Eventbrite and their GOMO blog post all about getting people away from Netflix and Chill, and into the habit of GOMO (Going Out More Often) it sounded like a perfect excuse to go do something new. 

Off I took to Google something to do in Dublin that I could pop into and visit on my way back from college and I saw that the Gallery of Photography Ireland were putting on an exhibit of photos taken of Bob Dylan by Ted Russell. I've always loved photography and taking photos myself so I'm really glad I got to see the exhibit and thanks to Eventbrite for giving me the push I needed to get out more often #GOMO 

I wasn't sure if you could take photos so I had to cheekily snap a few quick ones with my phone but check them out below.

For anyone who is into photography and film you should make you way to Meeting House Square in Temple Bar to check out the exhibits going on. The Gallery of Photography has a few classes on during the year that you can go to too. Such a cool area of town that I've actually never been to before. 

Also if you want to check out Eventbrite's blog post on GOMO its over here and if you ever want to start up your own event and need to sell tickets online they have you sorted over here too. I actually used Eventbrite to buy my college ball ticket, it was really easy to use and I was able to download the ticket onto my phone which made everything nice and simple. If you have the app you can even see what events are going on in your local area which is super cool if you're looking to go out more often. 

Let me know what's going to be your first #GOMO moment! 

*This is not a sponsored post, all opinions expressed in this post are my own :)

Chasing the Winter Solstice Sunrise

Hello lovelies!

So today is the 21s of December which marks both 4 more sleeps to Christmas and Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I always find that both Winter and Summer Solstice tend to fly by unnoticed so this time my sister and I decided to get up early and try get a few snaps of the sunrise.

Getting up at 6:30AM. Not a good idea. 

Happening to spill a bucket of paint in the shed whilst trying to get  out the bikes. Also not a good idea.

However after a dead quite, pitch black bike ride through the empty village we set up the camera and waited for the sunrise to begin. 

And then it was time to brave the cycle home with defrost the fingers and toes with a warm cup of tea.

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Sunday Morning Hike at Glendalough

Hello lovelies!

So I have just sat down with a cup of raspberry and cranberry tea after a shower and a long morning of hiking. Usually to keep fit (ie still fit into my jeans) I go on the cross trainer everyday for a bit but last night I realised that no matter how many episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians I watched to keep me distracted whilst enduring 30 minutes of hard breathing exercise really is quite boring. So in order to spice it up a little bit I suggested going for a bit of a hike with my parents in the mountains of County Wicklow.

Glendalough really is a beautiful area and if it's a nice day I would recommend it to anyone who was looking to waste a few hours exploring the countryside  This morning at 8 o'clock however, it was cloudy, cold and frosty, the way I like it.

I thought I'd show you a few of the photos I took whilst we were here. Be warned I've tried my hand at playing with the contrast and saturation so they may seem a bit rough ;)

We passed this poor chap puffing his way up the mountain as we were on our way down. It seems he finally got to the top. 

We were also lucky enough to run into two of the locals.

We spent a good 3 hours hiking up the back of the mountain surrounding the lake, coming back down to cross the valley and walk home along the black coloured water. It's a great workout for anyone who like me, gets bored quickly of the gym and doing the same exercises over and over again. Plus getting out in the fresh air and appreciating how gorgeous Ireland can be is a reason in itself. 

The only thing I would suggest is to wear lots of layers, especially if you're going up in the morning or it's a windy or cloudy day. You work up a sweat quick enough but as soon as you stop for a break you'll start to feel the chill.  

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx