|Bucket List: Greece| Just give me wine and olives

July 22, 2014November 22, 20151 Comment

I hate that when I finally have the time to sit down and write, inspiration just floats away like a stupid distracted butterfly. I’m on an airplane, blessed with WiFi but have somehow been drained of any writing ability. I have so many stories to tell about my recent travels and adventures, but of course, when I actually have time to make them come to life, I just stare at a blank document.

So, instead, I decided to play a little make believe and start getting inspired for my next big adventure… whichever it may be! By big adventure I am referring to a trip that is at least 1 week in duration to an uncharted destination, little adventures happen all the time and for that I am blessed.

Before I decided to visit Croatia this past month, Greece was on the top of my list. I’ve always wanted to visit this beautiful country and eat as much feta cheese and olives as possible. I want to experience every single Greek cliché.

After virtually drooling over amazing Greek destinations, below are some of my favorite. None of these pictures are taken by me and all of them have been credited. Again, I have never been to Greece to this is all wishful thinking!

Blue Caves, Zakynthos, Greece

I’m a sucker for the ocean, at the end of the day that is where my heart belongs. So it is no surprise that I am blown away by these Greek waters. For more information on how to visit click here – Photo credit

Santorini, Greece

I would be happy just watching sunsets in Santorini. Sunsets with wine and all sorts of delicious food, together with great company, of course. Image credits

Melissani Cave

In Greek mythology this site is known as the Cave of the Nymphs – For more information click here – Photo credit

Mykonos, Greece

Yes, I would like that to be me, please. Yes, that may not be the best quality image in town, it might be highly edited for all I know, but it holds the essence of my happy place and it even includes wine! Image credit

My next vacation has to be a perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. Granted, Croatia was amazing, but we were a little too ambitious for only 7 days in the country. We spent a lot of time in buses and planes and although we conquered a lot, a vacation still needs to be a vacation, right?

Have you been to Greece? What was your favorite place or discovery?

Be sure to follow my Instagram @peaceloveanddietcoke

Wordless Wednesday: Paris, Je t’aime

July 16, 2014November 22, 2015Leave a comment

I can never get tired of admiring Paris.

Photo by Cristina Nogueras, edited with Piclab

Post-vacation depression, it’s a thing.

June 20, 2014November 22, 20152 Comments

Raise your hand if you arrived back from a vacation saying, “Woah, so glad that’s over. I never want to vacation again.”

I can’t see you, but I know only fools would have their hands raised.

Post-vacation depression is a thing, I say this with all of my non-scientific knowledge. It is a consequence of real life hitting you in the face and saying, “Welcome back, you sucker!” It’s also a very confusing moment because you know you have to be grateful for the amazing time you had, but you are also miserable and decide to keep complaining anyways.

The thing with traveling is that, once you pop, you can’t stop.

Sure, you have wonderful pictures, videos and souvenirs to remind you of the amazing time you had, but in reality all you want is to go back and live everything again… and more.

“Oh, I wish I had visited that spot!”

“I wish I had more time in this city to explore this and that.”

“That restaurant was amazing, I want to go back and order this other plate.”

“Man, the weather was sweet, I wish I had another day to enjoy it.”

“Now I know two words from the language, need to go back and practice!”

Can you relate? I may sound like a little girl throwing a tantrum, but that’s kind of how it feels at times. You can ask my boyfriend for examples, like the fit I threw at the Dublin airport coming back from our most recent trip. There may have been a tear or two involved.

Now, with every return to real life, there are responsibilities and realities that hit you in the face. This means content from my vacation will be slowly coming up, but I’ll make it good for you all. Below is a little preview from Croatia, drool away.

If you are experiencing post-vacation depression, I’m more than happy to vent together.

Peace, Love & Diet Coke *

Plitvice Lakes National Park, the clearest water I have ever seen.

View from the wall in the old town of Dubrovnik, or as some of you may know it, King’s Landing.

Split, Croatia. It was odd for me to not have sand in the beach, but still, it was beautiful.

Check out more pictures of my trip in Instagram @peaceloveanddietcoke

More here soon!

“Great things never came from comfort zones”

May 27, 2014November 22, 20151 Comment

This has been my mantra for this past month. Not only is my big Europe trip right around the corner, but I got a new job and started a new professional journey (basically the reason why I have abandoned this blog for a few weeks) but cry no more, I’m back! (Only to leave in a week, but still!)

I also went home to my beautiful Puerto Rico and got to spend some wonderful days with my family and friends. It was really the perfect way to end a great chapter in my life and freshen up to start a new one. So really, I can’t complain. Sure, I’m peeling from the sun even though I am still technically white and sure, my bank account has taken a hit, but I’m sure I’ll live.

I try to stay away from all things cheesy (except when they actually are cheesy, yum.) but lately I’ve just been feeling like I have so much to take in from life (besides new work information, of course). Sure, I stress about things all the time, that’s just how I work. Who knows? This may be the nice weather talking, but life is good right now. Long gone are the days of miserable weather complaints and in are the sunny, sweaty walks to work. Ah, sweaty summer bliss.

But back to being corny,

Life is crazy, unpredictable and if you let it be, it can also be beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful, below are some pictures from La Isla del Encanto that I took during my last visit home (yes, I get to call paradise home). I always love giving out recommendations for travelers that wish to visit Puerto Rico, so feel free to shoot me a comment or tweet me any questions!

Yes, me and my boyfriend might have started a cheesy tradition of taking travel pictures with our feet #noshame – This was before our kayak tour at the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo. Tour started during the day, through the canals and into the bay to watch the sunset. Then, I was once again amazed by the beauty that is the bay’s natural glow. Third time doing it and it’s still worth the sore muscles!

Right before our journey! This picture has no filters, you can see how the sunset light glows in the water, giving it a nice natural tone.

Credit for this one goes to my dad (@josenogueraspr)

Hyatt Hacienda del Mar in Dorado, Puerto Rico

Basically, a little corner of heaven, right here.

It wouldn’t be complete without a food picture, wouldn’t it? For my boyfriend’s birthday I took him to a delicious restaurant in Dorado called El Ladrillo (The Brick) – I had been there when I was little and fine cuisine for me consisted of plain rice and chicken, coming back was absolutely amazing. Not only is the food really good and varied for all tastes, but the restaurant itself is beautiful. They have a true art collection within the space.

Be sure to follow my Instagram for more pictures that don’t make it to actual posts – @peaceloveanddietcoke

Main image credit – http://www.etmusiquepourtous.com/2012/11/07/16191/jpeg/

All other pictures taken by Cristina Nogueras © Do not copy or repost without attribution

Warning. This thing called wanderlust, it’s getting worse.

March 18, 2014November 22, 20152 Comments

Oh yeah, and by the way, I booked a trip to Croatia.

As much as I wish I could say this was a crazy moment of enlightenment in which I decided to book a flight to a random country, it was not all quite like that. I’ve been wanting to jump back to the other side of the Atlanitc for a while now, it was a matter of getting around the decision of where to go (and with what money, of course).

Turns out, there is a reason for credit cards and tax returns. That reason is so that I can go to Europe. I am beyond thrilled to be able to explore a new country outside my beloved European classics like France and Spain.

It’s booked. It’s happening. It’s getting closer.

Life is too short to live on the extreme, think about it. Too much saving wont get you moving places and too much wilderness and abandonment will leave you with no savings. So take this as a sign if you’ve been saving to travel for a while, or if you’re extremely broke then also take this as a sign and open yourself a nice little savings account.

Have any recommendations about what to do in Croatia? Comment away!

Also, be sure to follow the blog on Instagram @peaceloveanddietcoke

Image Credit – http://www.cntraveller.com/recommended/beaches/croatia-island-beach-holidays/vis-island-croatia

Wanderlust problems and other itchy feet musings

January 18, 2014November 22, 20151 Comment

paris3

Once upon a time, I was blessed to call France my home. I would ride a bike to school, have lunch by the river, come home to a dog and a warm family and drink good, cheap wine with new wonderful friends.

The thing about wonderful times is that they end, and as sad or exaggerated as it sounds, you never get them back. There’s something so bittersweet about it that I can’t help but smile. Sure, I could technically book a flight to France next week (I do have a credit card) but in reality it can never be the same. People and places change, but most importantly, you change as well.

That’s why we need to keep creating adventures, so you don’t miss the old ones that much. You will never get your old times back, but that is what makes them magical and timeless, the rarity and exclusivity of things that are gone.

It sure didn’t feel magical when I was stuck in my desk studying for a final exam, sad because I had ran out of money and my camera had broken. It sure was not exciting when I had to eat ham and cheese sandwiches for a week because I spent way too much money on my week at Spain, but once you leave and look back, it all sounds ironically perfect.

Sometimes things get even better when you have to look back to enjoy them. It’s almost risky though, to look back too often, as you tend to unconsciously edit the memories, add filters and suppress the mishaps (bike falls, broken cameras, hangovers, dry lunches, too cheap wines, boring lectures, train delays and scary flights).

bourgogne 1

Still, you know you would do it all again and in your future attempts to somehow really do it all again, you will get new, exciting adventures that will keep the cycle alive.

Humans are never satisfied and our thirst can’t be quenched that easily, so let’s drink on.