Weekend Getaway: London

Living in Portsmouth is great, but I miss London so much I can't help to go there whenever I can – and that's exactly what I did last weekend.

Left here on Friday, I got to London and finally hugged my babe (AKA Rachel) after literally months – eight, to be precise. Yes.. EIGHT!
It was a lovely and chilled out weekend, nothing special about it. But anything you do is special when you're in London – or at least that's what I keep telling myself, ha!

Unfortunately, being Uni students meant we couldn't exactly go anywhere or do anything that involved loads of money, but we managed to have a great time anyways. Although, we had the horrible idea of going into central London on a sunny Sunday afternoon – horrible, I tell ya!

Nonetheless it was great catching up with her. It does suck having friends living an hour and a half away when last year I could literally meet them whenever I wanted to. But it's also okay, friendships don't change just because you live a train journey away – and that means I actually have an excuse to go to London every other weekend ;)

Leave a Comment central london, distance, explore, friends, friendship, living in london, london, london bound, portsmouth, university, weekend

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Wanderlust: Venice

One of the things I miss the most about Italy is its beautiful and historical cities. There is just too much art and beauty, it's overwhelming. 
And today I thought I'd share photos of a city you should definitely go and visit if you're in Italy: Venice.

To be fair, this is not one of my favourite cities, but you have to admit it's too beautiful to not share some photos. 
What made this city so special to me is that last time I was there I got to meet one of my closest friends and we spent the whole day walking around and exploring lanes and alleys. The touristic part of the city is not that big at all and we practically did it all in half a day – and still managed to find the time to go shopping and find a gorgeous book shop, as you can tell by the photos. It was absolutely stunning and looked like heaven to me.

Last time I was there I also managed to make a short and awkward vlog that I'll share here as well so you can see a bit more of what we did.
I know I haven't said much about the city, but sometimes photos are better than words.

3 comments adventure, bestfriend, explore, exploring, friends, fun, italy, journal, personal, photos, travel, traveling, venezia, venice, wanderlust

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Wanderlust: New York City

Two years ago, during my exchange year in America, I managed to spend a long weekend in one of the most beautiful cities in the world: New York City.
Unfortunately four days are not enough to even try and visit 1/8 of the whole city, but I still wandered around and went and see a musical in Broadway. 

The other day I was looking through my old photos on my computer and stumbled across my USA photo album and thought I'd share some of my shots on the blog. Now if you've never been to NYC before, bare in mind that these photos don't do it justice whatsoever because that city it's just too damn beautiful to be photographed – however I hope you enjoyed these few shots.
I really miss New York City and I look forward to go back there and hopefully spend a bit more time, there's so much to see and I can't wait to explore it. 
But, in the meantime, I guess the photos will have to do.

Leave a Comment broadway, explore, exploring, journal, lifestyle, new york city, nyc, personal, photos, travel, usa, wanderlust

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Lazy Sunday: the people I love

When I left Italy I was in a really bad place, thought I had no one who cared about me and moving to London seemed the only option.
Looking back now, I can assure you it really was one of the best decision I've ever made. London has opened so many doors for me, and I am sure it'll give me so many more opportunities. But most important, distance made me realise – once again, how lucky I am and how many important people I have in my life.

I guess it's true: you never appreciate something until you lose it – or, in my case, until you move city.
Living far away from the people I love it's not easy, and it never will be, but I am dealing with it and it's getting better because, no matter how far I am, they will always be there for me. And I couldn't be happier about it.

My advice for today? 

Go on and live the adventure, but never forget the ones who love you.

Leave a Comment adventure, bestfriend, distance, explore, exploring, fresh start, friends, friendship, lifestyle, living in london, london, london bound, long distance relationships, love, things I miss, travel, traveling

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1989 circa – Taylor Swift

Although I haven't had a chance to talk about it yet, music has always had a huge impact on me and my life and has helped me becoming the person I am today.

I seriously couldn't imagine a world without music.

So today, I decided to talk about it because something really cool happened last week. 

But first, a bit of music background. 
I grew up listening to Beatles and Eagles, Pink Floyd and Queen, and so on. All these bands had a massive influence on my music taste, of course. Therefore I've always loved listening to either old rock music, modern rock, indie, anything that has a bit of rock 'n' roll in it. 
But sometimes it's not only about a particular genre, it's not always about beats or chords, for me the most important thing is being able to relate to lyrics, knowing that you're feeling exactly what that singer is feeling, sharing emotions and creating a sort of connection with them. 
And the first person that made me realise that was Taylor Swift.
A bit of a change from rock 'n' roll, huh?
But, let's be honest, who cares? We are all free to listen to whatever we want and we shouldn't be judged because of that. 
Who cares if we like metal and pop music? Who cares if we listen to country and classical music? As a matter of fact, listening to different genres means learning some music culture. It means exploring and discovering.

So yes, I listen to Taylor Swift and yes I absolutely adore her.
Always had and always will.

And last week her newest album 1989 was released. And it's absolutely brilliant. 
A bit of a change compared to her previous albums – I have to admit, but that's why it works. 
She said in multiple interviews that it is her first official pop album and it's her favourite one out of all the ones she made.

I don't wanna give it away, if you haven't heard it yet an you like Taylor Swift, pop music or even if you're just curious, please do listen to it – you won't regret it.

Maybe this post won't be interesting for most of you, but 1989 – and music in general, is something that I like and that makes me happy and I wanted to share it with the world. 

But for those who listened to 1989, what did you think? 
Do you have a favourite song? 

Leave a Comment 1989, explore, exploring, lifestyle, london, music, taylor swift, taylor swift 1989

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Walking around London: Portobello and Notting Hill

Different day, new adventure, same city.

Just because I moved to London now, it doesn't mean I visited every single part of this gorgeous city. That's why two months ago I promised myself I would visit a different part of the city every weekend so I would never get bored and I would have the chance to wonder around and explore.

And for this week's blogpost I wanted to share with you my short – but productive, visit around Portobello and Notting Hill. 
So, where to start?

Portobello was exactly as described: a wonderful place with colourful houses and loads of flea markets. A bit like Camden, I have to say – but we all know how much I love Camden Town, therefore I'm afraid that nothing really compares to it.

What some of you may not know is that if you keep walking from Portobello Road you'll eventually get to Notting Hill and from there you can go all the way to Kensington and so on. Basically London is just a big, big city where everything is really close – if only you know where to go.

And what about Notting Hill? One of my all time favourite films was shot there, and it's such a posh but beautiful neighbourhood. Big, white houses, big streets, loads of expensive cars, but you'll always have a gorgeous view in front of you.

Best thing about this whole adventure was that I could share it with my friend Rachele, she's always up for a walk, a talk or anything really. Making friends in a new place is always hard, so when you find a good one you shouldn't let them go.

You know, it's been two months – eight weekends, since I moved here, but I will never get tired of this city.

Leave a Comment adventure, central london, explore, exploring, living in london, london, london bound, notting hill, october, portobello, touristic places, travel, traveling, weekend

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Tourist for a day: London by night

To be honest with you I've never liked being a tourist. Now, don't get me wrong. If you've been reading my blog for long enough you know that I love traveling and exploring new places and cities, however, I don't like the idea of visiting specific places and take loads of common photos. 

Whenever I am visiting somewhere new, I like to walk around and discover streets or places that are not known as 'touristic places'. 

Does that make any sense to you? I don't know, it surely does to me.

Now, moving to London was a huge improvement and a big decision for me and I knew that it would have been a busy and chaotic city – because, let's face it, it really is!, but I also knew I'd love it unconditionally.

And I wasn't wrong. 

So, as much as I dislike going to all the 'touristic places', I found myself walking around central London last night and I suddenly remembered why I fell in love with this city five years ago.

The simple beauty hidden in all these places is something unexplainable, something that makes me happy whenever I feel sad or out of place. 

Yes, London is my happy place.

Yes, I pretended to be a tourist yesterday.

Yes, I took loads of photos.

And yes, I've enjoyed it immensely. 

2 comments adventure, alice, central london, explore, exploring, living in london, london, london bound, london eye, moving to london, october, tourist, touristic places

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Motivation Sunday – you can do it!

I woke up this morning feeling quite strange, probably because I've spent most of my night yesterday writing my personal statement for my university application. And that made me think about how far I've got and how many experiences I've made.

A coulpe years ago I would have never imagined to do all the things I've done: going to America, finishing high school, moving to London and so on. 
But all of this wouldn't have happened without someone. And that someone is me. 
I realized that the only reason why I've experienced so much is because I wanted to. I was able to achieve what I really wanted.

And you know what? I am extremely proud of this. 
I would have never thought I'd be so strong but I am, and it feels so good.

So I am here writing this post to let you know that you can do it. And I am aware of the fact that this sounds a lot like a really boring and relatable quote – but it's true. And I've experienced it.

My advice for today?

Think for yourself and never doubt your strength. You can achieve whatever you want if you work hard enough for it. 
Nothing comes easy, that's true, but if we really want something – and I mean really really want it, we have to make sure we can do anything in our power in order to make it happen.

It's our only chance to do it, after all.

Leave a Comment adventure, alice, college, decisions, explore, london, motivation, moving to london, october, sunday

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View from a bus window – part 1

If there is one thing I love about public transportations is that they allow you to see parts of the city you didn't know of or places you've never been to. Sometimes, though, you're able to see places you've visited before under a complete different light.

And it's amazing.

That's why I've decided to start taking photos of my bus journeys and share them here with you all. Most of you will be surprised to find out how many places look completely different if seen from a bus window view.

So sit tight and enjoy the ride!

2 comments adventure, bus, explore, exploring, living in london, london, london bound, moving to london, travel, traveling, wanderlust

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Long distance relationships

Not everything that shines is gold, and traveling has its flaws as well.
One of the biggest – and probably hardest, ones is long distance relationships.

Due to my previous experience in America, I can tell you that is not easy keeping in touch with the people you love, even though you try your best. 
New city, new people, new routine, sometimes it just gets too overwhelming and you can't keep up. It's not your fault, of course, it is important to remember that this whole experience marks a new chapter in your life, therefore you will be willing to discover more and experience new things.

Does that mean that the people back home are not important anymore?

Of course not. 
Your relationships back home are the most important thing for you right now. All the support you have is because of them, they believe in you and in your dreams, and – hopefully!, they'll always be there for you.

But let me tell you one thing, the people that are not willing to keep up with you during your new adventure are not worth your time. 
Be careful then, during this whole experience you'll lose people, but you will never regret it – trust me!

Leave a Comment adventure, alice, distance, explore, fresh start, friends, friendship, future, gap year, london, long distance relationships, new post, relationships, teenager, travel, traveling

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