Wow, July was a whirlwind. Just as I was coming to terms with the fact that this Summer will be a quiet, travel-free one (remember I even made an Irish Summer checklist to make sure I explore my surroundings), travel plans landed on my lap from right, left and centre. Well don’t get excited, it’s nothing too exotic, but for someone who planned to stay at home the whole Summer, going through 3 European countries in a couple of weeks comes as a bit of a shock to the system.
So let me get you up to date if you haven’t followed my peregrinations on social media (I owe you an apology this month has been very quiet on the blog but should you ever be curious where I’m at, you can follow me on Instagram, I update it almost on a daily basis).

I started the month with the making of two other video guides with Emily. This time we tackled Dublin city centre and Howth, which is Emily’s backyard and it ended up being my favourite neighbourhood we filmed. And it meant I finally got to see the Howth cliff walk which was on my Summer checklist. I do want to go back though and hike the whole perimeter of the peninsula.
Another place I managed to cross off my list is the lavender field in Kilmacanogue, county Wicklow. I meant to talk to you about it before the end of the month as the harvest sale event only happens during July but I failed you as a blogger. Sorry. It will be the subject of my next post here though! Also, I couldn’t go to Kilmacanogue without checking Avoca’s flagship store which is way too dreamy for words. The flowers! The homeware! The stationary! The teas! … sigh.

July blooms / #DublinGhostSigns near Moore St / Emily vs. Dublin
Beautiful hairdresser’s shopfront / Flower stall on O’Connell St / Baily Lighthouse, Howth
Rialto Market in Venice / Lavender Field in Kilmacanogue / Whimsical crockery in Avoca

It was then time to leave for the Motherland, aka Belgium by way of London, to catch the Eurostar. I spent a few days in Brussels, mainly catching up with family and friends and playing tourist on my own turf. After that, I took two trains (via Paris) to a secluded village in the mountains of Auvergne where I spent a week with a very dear friend of mine and her little family. It was probably one of the most relaxing, wifi-free holidays I ever had, I took a lot of pictures so will talk more about it soon.

Nissan Figaro parked at St Pancras / The interesting facades of my hometown / Grand-Place, Brussels
View from Gare de Lyon, Paris / The cutest door in Saint-Julien-Chapteuil / Ghost sign on the high street
Le Puy-en-Velay / Classic car in Saint-Julien-Chapteuil / Doesn’t it look like a film set?

Galeries de la Reine, Brussels / This restaurant’s sign <3 / Loved the rice paper rolls in Knees to Chin!!

I’ve been back in Brussels for a week now, spending more time with family and friends, eating all the good food (Man, I missed bread) and soaking up sun rays in preparation for my return to that little green island under a perpetual cloud. But before that, I’ve got one more destination up my sleeve. But I’m sure you can guess what that is!

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Last month started with a little trip to the South of Ireland where I was attending a wedding. The wedding itself took place in a church at the top of a hill, overlooking Dungarvan bay and its oyster farms. These were breathtaking views, to say the least.
For the reception, we headed to Ballycotton, in county Cork, which had the recipe down for the perfect Irish seaside holiday, what with its cute lighthouse and its wide beaches (making a mental note to come back).
Back in Dublin, I went to the food festival Taste of Dublin for the first time! It is set in the beautiful Iveagh Gardens and the general easy-going atmosphere as well as the accent made on good local Irish food reminded me a lot of Bloom Festival.
I also got to explore two more neighbourhoods with Emily: Baggot Street and the Liberties. They were full of good surprises like these scrumptious cakes in Eathos and the colourful cottages behind Meath Street. Add the usual #dublindoors, flowers (yay for peony season!), parks, street art and classic cars and you have my month of June seen through my phone!
Also, I wanted to mention that I had a little feature on the Guardian Cities instagram account, I listed some of my favourite Dublin instagrammers, if you’re looking for people from around here to follow!

Rhododendrons / Fresh in Temple Bar / Laundry day in Burano
Burano Island / Wedding reception / Dungarvan bay
Countryside pub / Classic wedding car / In love with ‘Pottery Corner‘ at Taste of Dublin

tea time at Eathos / The Shebeen pub / Jungle door
The Swan bar / pink door+bicycle=<3 / broken Jag
Rainy evening at the park / Newmarket Square Street Art / #straightfacades

Dalkey village / Killiney Hill / Cute cottages in the Liberties
Street art in Temple Bar / Buying peonies at the market / The beautiful pink building on Pembroke Rd

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Can I say a cliché and then I promise I will never mention this here again? … Where does the time go?? The month of May flew by like no other. I came to like these posts as they help me reflect and make sense of the past month but I’m struggling to visualise what May was like here . I had a 2 week Instagram break as I was a bit taken by a few worries and stresses, which is a recurring problem in my life. I get overwhelmed really easily and feel like hiding. I’m adamant not to let this summer slip by so I think I’ll make a little Irish Summer checklist of the places I want to visit the next couple of months. I don’t have any travel plans in sight so I’d like to take this time to explore Ireland. Would you be interested in seeing this list here?
But let’s go back to May as it wasn’t all dread and gloom! Here are some of the highlights that were caught on Instagram:
– Eating a courgette cake (?!) and catching up with Magda
– Going to an eerie exhibition with Nancy and being inspired by her enthusiasm for Dublin (I found the knight on the segway on my way to meet her)
– Exploring neighbourhoods with Emily and finding joy in creating something with someone else
– The marriage referendum which brought so much happiness and celebration to the country
– Having a picture featured on Design*Sponge‘s instagram #fangirl

Dublin’s Botanic Gardens / The beautiful shop Dust / Catching up with Magda in Slice Cafe
Perfect Georgian symmetry / Street art by NUNC / Missing London, always
Vintage station wagon / Street art by Joe Caslin / Dublin in Love

Ireland said YES / The tiles in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church / The prettiest building in Temple Bar
Flower stalls on Grafton Street / Francis Street / Lighthouse Cinema’s cheerful seats
When hair and doors match / More Dublin’s Botanic Gardens / #thedoorsofdublin

Tell me about your month of May! Are you ready for Summer? Do you have epic travel plans in store?

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How was April for you? Summer came early in Dublin this month, with two beautiful weeks of unadulterated sunshine. If you’ve ever lived in Ireland, you know that this is something so rare and precious that being inside is accompanied by the most crippling FOMO. So I tried to make the most of it, I’m actually surprised there’s not more cherry blossoms in my feed, I must have snapped every single pink tree in the capital.
I visited three new-to-me awesome places this month. First, the shop Dust where I got a copper tape and now literally want to tape everything. But I managed to restrict myself to my desk area where it’s safe to say copper has well and truly taken over (I will talk to you about Dust tomorrow and other great interior design shops in Dublin so make sure you come back if you’re into your home decor).
Secondly, I finally managed to eat at the most instagrammable café in Dublin: The Fumbally. I don’t know why it has taken me so long but I’m happy to report it’s as delicious as it is visually pleasing!

Magnolia tree / Easter treat / Sunset on the Poolbeg Chimneys
Purple blooms in Airfield Farm / Succulents in Dust / All the copper things
Solo Parking #1 / Dublin’s Botanic Gardens / The Fumbally

Lastly, I climbed up Killiney Hill for the first time and, oh my God! There was so much beauty to take in, between the yellow clouds of gorse and the panoramic views of Dublin. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better activity on a sunny day.
Also, a huge thank you to Emily from From China Village for featuring me in her list of Irish Instagram accounts to follow. I’m beyond honoured and I’m digging her Insta-wander series. Do check out her blog for some of the best Dublin tips you’ll find on the interweb!

Killiney Hill / Solo Parking #2 / Knock knock
Spare your postman’s eyes / Strand Hotel in Bray / Ice-cream parlour in Bray
Christchurch Cathedral / Pastel Bray / Dublin’s Botanic Gardens

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And here’s another month through my phone! March is generally a month where I get itchy feet to go and explore Dublin.
Irish winters are not the harshest in terms of temperature but they’re gloomy, windy and wet. Not a great combination, I’m sure you’ll agree, for a wander. So after all these months being cooped up inside, I get the urge to reconnect with my surroundings as soon as Spring shows its first signs.
This month definitely didn’t break the rule. I didn’t look for many new places but rather revisited old favourites (the neighbourhood of Ranelagh is one).
I seemed to have had yellow first then pink on the brain and I thought I was getting the hang of the whole ‘Instagram theme’ thing but it didn’t last long. Does anyone of you stick to a palette? Do you have any tips?
I also snapped a lot of murals as I was taking part in the instagram challenge #PPArtAroundYou organised by Passion Passport (I got an honorable mention, yay!) and I got really enthusiastic about the Irish street art scene (I linked a couple of artists below if you’re interested).

Pink princess mansion / Doran’s, one of the oldest barber’s in Dublin / Cute flower shop display
vintage cars FTW / Spring-y Georgian doors / my favourite #Dublinghostsigns
January+February Favourites / Ranelagh <3 / more vintage cars

Spring has sprung! / A pink georgian door / I found a dragonfruit (!) + my current read
‘Home Villas street’ / An art deco building / ‘Only the rivers run free’ by ADW
The Bernard Shaw pub / ‘Don’t be afraid’ by Maser / Little Ass Burrito bar

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February was marked with a spur-of-the-moment trip to the South of Spain where friends of mine now live. For the past 2 years, ever since they left Dublin, I had been promising I would come and visit. The stars finally aligned and I got to see their ‘new’ surroundings and their adorable French bulldogs, Luffy and Nami (they have an Instagram account, go follow them for daily cuteness!).
They live next to the border of Gibraltar, on the Spanish side. The weather was a bit miserable which was a-ok with me as it was still miles better than icy Dublin and I got to spend lots of time with the puppies. My friend Linda generously took a day off work to show me around. We went to Bolonia, a beautiful white-sanded beach, but we had to make a fast retreat as the winds were too strong. We chose to go to the nearby town of Tarifa, primarily famous among the kite-surfing community but the old town charmed us with its white and yellow Andalusian architecture and its cobbled streets.
I also went to Gibraltar during a hot sunny day. Unfortunately, that week, the cable cars leading to the Rock were under maintenance so I didn’t get to see the infamous monkeys running wild. So instead, I decided to go for the local Botanic Gardens. It took about 15 minutes to walk to the end of the main artery of the peninsula, a pedestrian shopping street, to get to my destination. Gibraltar is really that small. The gardens were so peaceful, full of cacti and I did get to see some monkeys! But they were in an animal shelter in the park’s corner, along with some hyper bats and chatty otters.
It’s with a refreshed mind that I came back to Dublin, relieved to have missed the tail of Winter and that Spring is now showing signs of its imminent arrival. In honor of the change of the season, I did a little spring clean of my desk area and added some new bits from Tiger to freshen up the place.
Add to the mix some ‘Throwback Thursdays’ featuring photos of my trip in Venice and you have February 2015 as it appears on my Instagram feed!

Mirror selfie in Palazzo Mocenigo, Venice / Oh Venice, how I miss you / Bedroom view, Gibraltar
Road tripping in Tarifa / Luffy & Nami / I got Luisa Casati’s biography after seeing the exhibition
Wandering in Gibraltar’s Botanic Gardens / The exhibition ‘La Divina Marchesa‘ / Namiiiii <3

Some bits & bobs bought in Tiger / My desk area all tidied up / Big blue sky in Dublin
The colourful houses on Burano Island, Venice / Swans sunbathing in the Grand Canal

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I thought I would start doing monthly Instagram round-ups now that I’m slightly more at ease with the social media. I still haven’t found my ‘cruising speed’ when it comes to how often I post and looking back on January, I wish I had made it look more like my actual month happened. Hopefully, my feed will sync with my reality during the month of February (not doing great right now as there’s still a bit of a spillover from Venice). As I went to Venice at the beginning of the month, January was almost excusively Venice-centric on Instagram for me. I had planned to post two or three images a day while I was there but my heart wasn’t in it (I arrived in Venice the day the horrendous attack happened in Paris). I then played catch-up the rest of the month of January. I think I’m nearly done now bar pictures I reserve for when related posts go up on the blog.

Dennis Severs House, London / Arriving in Venice / Murano Island
“Je Suis Charlie” on Rialto Bridge / View from the belltower / Artichokes in Rialto Market
Dorsoduro bank at dusk / Gondolas & San Giorgio Maggiore / Leaving Venice

The tiles in San Giorgio Maggiore church / Piazza San Marco / Lost in Venice
Murano Island / Sestiere Castello / Arsenale