Hello everyone, 

Today I want to share with you our 2 week Ireland road trip itinerary. My family and I went on an epic Ireland tour, discovering top destinations along the Wild Atlantic Way including must-see places in Donegal, The Sheep's Head, Cork & Dublin. 

If you haven't yet, make sure you check out my Ireland Travel Vlog on YouTube which perfectly sums up our road trip in mp4 - epic views, nature and hikes!

First of all, here is a map with a rough draft of our route - as you can tell we had 3 major destinations where we stayed - Dublin, Rossnowlagh and The Sheep's Head. To get around we rented a car which we picked up after our stay in Dublin. During our stay in Rossnowlagh we went to the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival which took up some of our time.

• Destination 1: Dublin for 3 nights 

Staying at: Sky Backpackers Hostel (next to Arlington Hotel)

• Destination 2: Staying at a cottage in Rossnowlagh for 7 nights 
• Destination 3: Staying at a cottage near Bantry on The Sheep’s Head for 6 nights

This is our detailed 2-week itinerary and what we did each day: 

DAY 1: Arriving in Dublin & Explore City Centre
TIP: Get brunch at Brother Hubbard! 

DAY 2: Trinity College, Merrion Square & Shopping at Grafton Street 

DAY 3: Road trip to North-West Coast 

DAY 4: Glenveagh National Park (15km hike) 

DAY 5: Beach hike in Rossnowlagh & Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival (also for day 6-8) 

DAY 6: Studio Donegal (Handweaving & clothing from Donegal) & Muckross Head 

DAY 7: Ben Bulben looped walk, Rosses Point Beach and Harry’s Pub 

DAY 8: Slieve League Cliffs & Last day of Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival 

DAY 9: The Carrowmore megalithic complex & Strandhill 

DAY 10: Road trip along the west coast to Sheep’s Head & Cliffs of Moher
TIP: Dinner at The Snug in Bantry 

DAY 11: Hike to The Sheep’s Head (17km) 

DAY 12: Killarney National Park (Hike: Lakes of Killarney, Meeting of the Waters, Torc Waterfalls)

DAY 13: Mizen Head Hike 

DAY 14: Day trip to Cork 

DAY 15: Hike Seefin Mountain in Kilchrohane 

DAY 16: Drive back to Dublin and flying home  

My favourites were definitely the hike on The Sheep's Head as well as Slieve League Cliffs. 

Have you ever been to Ireland? Leave your best travel tips in the comments of this post!

Hugs, Laura x 

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Rome in Winter 3-Day Travel Itinerary 2019

My mum and I spontaneously decided to hop onto a plane to Italy and explore antique Rome offseason in January which turned out to be an incredible choice. We spent 3 nights in Hotel Milton Roma which we can highly recommend as it's only 15 minutes walk from the Colosseum and offers a delicious breakfast. We booked our flights so we'd have half a day on arrival and half a day on departure, making our trip 3 full days. Of course, we were not able to see all of Rome because it is simply a huge city with so much culture and history - you'd probably have to spend months and you wouldn't see it all. Anyway, we were able to explore most of the tourist attractions as well as a few spots off the beaten path. 

Day 1 (half day)

• Lunch at Hosteria I Buoni Amici
• Walk by Colosseum, Forum Romanum, Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II (go on top for a great view across Forum Romanum and Rome)
• Coffee at Bar Rossana
• Wander through Trastevere and have dinner in a traditional Pizza place 

Day 2

• Colosseum, Palatine Hil, Forum Romanum (you need at least half a day for this; consider a guided tour as particularly Forum Romanum is huge!)
• Eat Pasta Carbonara at L'Angoletto Romano 
• Pantheon 
• Gelato at Gelateria Della Palma with 150 gelato flavors 

Day 3

• Explore Piazza Navona and fountain of four river 
• Admire Castello Del Angelo
• Get a Maritozzi Romani con la Panna at Parenti (SO GOOD!)
• Guided tour through the Vatican (Vatican Museums, Sixtine Chapel, San Pietro) + Climb the top of San Pietro 
• Walk back across Piazza San Pietro
• Get dessert (I'd highly recommend trying Canoli) for later at Antico Forno
• Have a Margarita Pizza at Margherita 

Day 4 (half day) 

• Admire the Trevi Fountain 
• Climb the Spanish Steps
• Walk by Villa Medici with a great view across Rome
• Enjoy view across Piazza del Popolo from Pincio 
• Wander along Via del Corso for some shopping 

Read my blog post all about the best cheap eats in Rome here! 

Hugs, Laura x

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5 Top Affordable Eats in Rome 2019

Spaghetti alla Carbonara at L'Angoletto Romano

Via Monterone, 14, 00186 Roma RM

Not far away from Pantheon, this restaurant offers incredible pasta and other typical Roman foods. Highly recommend you guys try the spaghetti alla carbonara - it's heavenly. 

Hosteria I Buoni Amici 

Via Aleardo Aleardi, 4, 86100 Roma RM

Far off the tourist crowds, this traditional Hosteria is well worth the 10 minutes walk from Colosseum! The atmosphere is super local and the employees were very charming. 

Osteria Pizzeria MargheRita 

Via Praga, 11, 00144 Roma RM

Not far off Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, this restaurant is more on the modern side, however the Margherita pizza was still on point! And also not that expensive compared to other restaurants close to big tourist attractions. 

Parenti 

33, Via Ottaviano, 00192 Roma RM

On your way to or back from visiting the vatican, you MUST try a Maritozzi Romani con la Panna at the dessert restaurant and bakery Parenti. Absolutely delicious and our favourite pastry we tried on our entire Rome trip.

Gelateria della Palma

Via della Maddalena, 19-23, 00186 Roma RM

If you need a little dessert after the spaghetti carbonara, head over to this gelateria which is fairly close to Pantheon. Choose from 150 gelato flavours! A bit touristy and crowded but well worth it. 

Check out our 3-day Rome itinerary here! 

Hugs, Laura x

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Best Instagram-Worthy Coffee Shops in Toronto 2018

Living 4 months in Toronto for study abroad, I made it my personal mission to try out as many Instagram-worthy coffee shops as possible during my time there. Toronto is a city with diverse, colorful neighborhoods and a vibrant cultural scene, including hundreds of gorgeous restaurants and coffee shops. Literally, on Queen St. you can just hop from coffee shop to coffee shop for days and you'd not run out of options! Here are the 7 best coffee shops in Toronto to study or go for a date, or just indulge in some new coffee flavors and pastries. Hope you love this post <3

Balzac's Liberty Village 

43 Hanna Ave #123 (other locations too)

Gorgeous marble and dark woods interior and delicious coffee and snack options. I ordered an iced chai latte which was the best chai I have ever tried - so flavourful! I also tried their mocha which I highly recommend. For food, I had one of their bars (I cannot remember how it was called exactly) which had nuts and chocolate in it and was so yummy. 

FIKA Cafe

28 Kensington Ave (Kensington Market) 

Tried their gluten-free hazelnut praline brownie and a classic latte - loved it! They don't have tons of sitting space but it's such a cute place. Also, Kensington market is such a cool, Instagram-worthy neighboorhood to explore so a quick pop-in to FIKA is highly recommended.

Versus Coffee

70 Adelaide St E

Loved this place, the staff was so friendly. I tried an iced Chai which wasn't as good as the one from Balzac's, however, I also got a Marshmellow fireside latte and that was amazing! I saw on their Insta that they serve colorful lattes which I didn't get to try but I can imagine they are super cute and yummy.

Jimmy's Coffee

15 Ossington Ave (other several locations) 

The vibes in this place are so vintage and cool, I really liked it. I tried their lattes and can recommend them. Also tried one of their bars (again, can't remember what it was called but it was something with peanut butter) and that was yummy!

The Sydney Grind

2883 Lake Shore Blvd W

Although not located in the city center, this coffee shop is SO worth a visit. I only discovered it in my last week in Toronto and I am so happy I did! I had their white and dark mocha, and I also tried their Tim Tam chocolate cake as well as their lamington. OMG literally amazing. 

Forget me not Cafe

506 Adelaide St W

My first coffee shop experience in Toronto, and it was great! It's quite a small coffee shop so it can get busy but I loved the shabby-chic vibes. Got the Nutella latte and highly rate it.

Tucana Coffee

1413 Dundas St W

Okay, this coffee shop really got me because they had crystals *don't judge me*. It's not a place to sit and chill with your laptop as it's more a to-go place, however, the neighborhood it's located in is so cute that you can just take your coffee with you as you stroll around.

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5 Day New York City Itinerary - New York December 2018

New York City has been my #1 dream destination for as long as I can think. I am so grateful to have ended 2018 with this incredible 5-day Christmas trip to New York City including tons of sightseeing, Instagram-worthy spots, cheap eats and stunning views. Hope you enjoy <3

Watch the full travel vlog! <3

DAY 1 - Midtown and Upper East Side 

Times Square 

Rockefeller Center 

Grand Central Station

Empire State Building

Madison Square Park 

Flatiron Building 

Famous Original Ray's Pizza

Irving Farm Coffee 

The Palace Hotel (Gossip Girl film location) 

5th Avenue (From Rockefeller Center to Plaza Hotel at Central Park) 

Times Square at Night  

DAY 2 - Lower Manhattan, Chinatown and Brooklyn 

9/11 Memorial 

Zucker‘s Bagels

Brooklyn Bridge Park 

DUMBO

Sweet Moments in Chinatown

DAY 3 - Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan and SOHO 

Brooklyn Bridge in the morning 

The End Cafe Brooklyn 

Staten Island ferry to see Statue of Liberty 

Battery Park

Wall Street 

Eileen’s Cheesecake 

By Chloe 

DAY 4 - Midtown and Central Park 

Top of the Rock 

Bryant Park 

Central Park Wollman Rink Ice Skating 

The MET 

Harlem Shake 

DAY 5 - Chelsea and Greenwich Village 

Citizen of Chelsea Cafe 

Doughnut Plant 

Chelsea Market 

Bleecker Street 

The Butcher’s daughter 

Magnolia Bakery 

Jr's Pizza and Brew

DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections

Check out my blog post all about the best cheap eats in New York City here!

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10 Best Cheap Eats under $10 in New York City (Budget-Friendly and Instagram-Worthy)

Food is one of my fave aspects of travel (or actually, of life). Whenever going to a new destination I love exploring local cuisine and trying out all kinds of foods, restaurants and eating experiences. However, I am usually on a budget and I've gotten quite good at finding affordable yet Instagram-worthy and yummy places to fill my belly. Hope you enjoy <3

Watch the full travel vlog! <3

Famous Original Ray's Pizza 

811 Lexington Ave (Upper East Side)

Slice for around $4

There are many Pizza shops around NYC, this one was our fave. It is very likely that one slice will fill you up because they are honestly gigantic. I also tried the garlic dough balls which were yummy.

DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections 

550 LaGuardia Pl (Greenwich Village)

1 Scoop for $4

*Sugar coma warning* Get this sweet treat to share with someone because even the dessert queen (me) could not finish this scoop by myself. 

Food Trucks

Everywhere 

Most things are around $2-4 

Literally my fave thing in NYC. On every corner you get those cute food trucks that serve all kinds of foods - our faves were defo the big pretzels! They also have iced coffee that looked very yum, hot dogs, burgers - all the fast food stuff ;)

Doughnut Plant

220 W 23rd St (Chelsea)

Donuts for $3-4

I tried the Brooklyn blackout donut which wasn't the most amazing donut I've ever had (still good tho), however, my friend tried the Banana Peanut Butter one which was yummy. 

Harlem Shake 

100 W 124th St (Harlem)

Cheese Fries for $4

Milkshake for $7 

Burger for $7

Our fave restaurant! The milkshakes are to die for (I got black & white both times we went and it was so good), the cheese fries are heavenly and the burgers are good too (although a bit too greasy for my taste). Also, we loved the retro vibes in this diner. 

Magnolia Bakery

Banana Pudding for $5 (Greenwich Village)

West 11th Street, 401 Bleecker St

Such a yummy dessert. We got a small size which was just perfect to snack on whilst strolling along Bleecker street. They also had adorable cupcakes and a blueberry bar thingy (can't remember how it was called) that looked so good!

The End Brooklyn 

522 Metropolitan Ave (Brooklyn)

Health Drink for $9

If you want to treat yourself to a health drink (idk what's in it exactly) try the Lavender one! I got the Merbabe one and it was quite disgusting haha - the lavender one my friends got were got tho. 

Q&N Food

107 E 125th Street (East Harlem)

Bagel & Coffe for $3

Breakfast buffet for $8

Best food place ever. We went here almost every morning and were amazed by the food every single time. They have a huge breakfast buffet with the most delicious sweet and savory foods. You can get a big box of food for around $7, such a good deal!

Sweet Moment

106 Mott St (Chinatown)

Shaved Icecream for $7

A super Instagram-worthy place. Not the cheapest, but a small portion of this ice cream is definitely enough. We tried tiramisu, matcha, and mango-cheesecake flavours. 

Eileen's Special Cheesecake 

17 Cleveland Pl (SOHO)

Mini Cheesecake for $5

I got the Strawberry mini cheesecake and loved it. It's a great way to try out typical NYC cheesecake without getting a huge slice and falling into food coma afterward. They also had hot cocoa which we didn't get but it smelled yummy. 

Check out my 5-day NYC itinerary here if you are interested in what other things we did besides eating (although that was a huge part of the trip as you can tell). 

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A Day Trip To Dunnottar Castle - Stonehaven, Scotland

"Remember to explore."

Hello everybody!

Last weekend one of my best friends from the Netherlands and I decided to visit stunning Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven, which is about 20 minutes drive from Aberdeen. 

Dunnottar castle is a hilltop castle ruin located on a rocky headland about 3 kilometres south of Stonehaven. Back in the 17th century Dunnottar castle was used to hide the Scottish crown jewels from Oliver Cromwell’s invading army. If you want to learn more about the historical side of Dunnottar Castle, check out their website.

Dunnottar Castle in an absolute must-see on your Scotland trip. Just look at the pictures - can it get more epic than that? 

We spent about 2 hours at the castle. The entrance fee is £7, but definitely worth it. I think that you can easily do Aberdeen, Stonehaven and Dunnottar Castle in 1 day. If you have less then 1 day in the north east of Scotland - skip Aberdeen and Stonehaven and just see the castle. 

 My friend and I had a wonderful time exploring the magnificent castle and admiring the impressive scenery. I hope you guys like the pictures. Kisses, Laura x

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