The best summer ever! | Introduction

Now, this post is slightly/ very overdue, and perhaps not the best time to write it on the approach to Christmas! However, I didn't want to rush this part of my blogging journey because it includes the biggest physical journey that I personally have taken in my life so far. That makes it sound like I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro or something (like my awesome dear friend Becki did, which I certainly DID NOT), however I really want to tell you all about the best summer of my life so far! 

The best gelato in Florence! (please excuse background swearing)

As you may have read in my About Olivia post, you will know that I am in love with all things Italian. Over the next few weeks I aim to post several pieces on my trip. Splitting up the posts into the places that I visited so that it has some kind of structure, but here I will just give you a little intro as to what I did.

This summer, I spent six weeks travelling the beautiful landscapes of ITALIA! Louise, who is my good friend from University accompanied me as we travelled to a few different regions of Italy for recreational purposes as well as for work. We had both been accepted to work for a children's summer camp company for a few weeks so we thought we would make the most of our time there and do some travelling before and after our duties. We met some amazing people and created unforgettable memories on our journey, and I'm really excited to share it with you :)

Our awesome journey took us to the commercial city of Milan, the beautiful and historic national park area of Cinque Terre, sunny Sanremo on the Italian Riviera, the musical city of Cremona, the most heart-capturing city I have visited- Florence, and last but certainly not least, the stunning countryside of Le Marche where I celebrated my 21st birthday with my parents.

Watch this space to ensure you hear all about my brilliant experiences working abroad, teaching, travelling, staying in hostels, eating shed loads of gelato and pasta and generally just having a blast!

A presto!

Olivia x

My first post! Holidaying in Greece.

As this is my first post, I thought I would write about something fun and exciting that is fresh in my mind. Two days ago I arrived home from a lovely 11 day break on the beautiful Greek Island of Corfu.

It was my third visit to Paleokastritsa and it certainly did not disappoint, yet again. This area of Corfu has been long known to be one of the most beautiful places on the island, and I completely agree! During my past two visits however, I did not fully appreciate the beauty that the village holds so it was a pleasant realisation for me this time round.

Paleokastritsa is about forty minutes away from the airport which is located in Corfu Town where the main shopping amenities, small bars and restaurants can also be found. Away from the hustle and bustle of town, little old Paleo holds several hidden gems of restaurants, beaches and beautiful sights to visit.

As already mentioned, I have been to Paleo twice before so I went there this time with the intention to lay in the sun for the majority of the time, only to go to the bar every now and again for another cocktail. I visited a few beautiful beaches including Agia Triada beach, Paradise beach and La Grotta, just to name a few.

My friend and I were invited to a night time BBQ on Paradise beach which is a beautiful little cove which can only be reached by boat. We journeyed across the sea at about 10.30pm in the darkness, in a little boat full of Greek people happily chatting away whilst us little blonde English girls sat in the corner. We arrived at a little beach where only the flames of the BBQ and the odd little flickering lantern illuminated the happy faces of our company for the evening. We ate pork chops and sausages with our hands in the dark; it was phenomenal food. Our new Greek friends (who were all double our age or more) were extremely welcoming and couldn't be more accommodating, seeing as though we pretty much crashed their annual work party! After dinner we all chilled out and watched the stars for hours. We saw two or three shooting stars and we attempted to find some of the constellations and failed miserably! After a happy and relaxed evening, we all piled back into the boats and sang Adele songs at the top of our voices underneath the orange moon.

La Grotta

La Grotta is a beautiful little area in the rocky edge of the cliff that surrounds crystal clear waters. There is a bar there serving cocktails and snacks all day and night that pumps out music for the visitors. There are ledges in the rocks and sun beds dotted around for those wanting a break from diving off the rocks or simply to bask in the glorious Greek sun. If people-watching is your thing, then be sure to visit this place! There are ropes trailing up the rocks to aid those daredevils who want to make a big splash, and a diving board for somersault show-offs. One day that I was there, a group of olive skinned, beautiful Italian men gave us a little show on the diving board; lets just say I was thankful to the gods that day!  The friendly, family-run Michalas Boat Rentals company wait at the bottom for anyone wanting to travel to any of the other beaches or caves (trust me, walking back up La Grotta steps are a killer. Use the boat!).

Pergola bar

There are many bars in the area offering local dishes and drinks, however there is one bar which I would love to tell you about. It is called Pergola and is a little family-run bar that sells an array of tasty drinks and snacks. All the furniture is beautifully hand-made by the owners and the decoration is lovely, however the best bit (for me) about this bar is the family who dedicate their days and nights to the place. They are half English/Greek and so when feeling a little homesick or if you've gone in for your morning coffee and cake (1.50€!!) alone, you know you won't actually be alone and a welcoming smile and friendly chat awaits you. In the evenings, the chilled out daytime vibe meets swanky yet up-beat vibes. The bar stays open until you you want it to: awesome. Visiting Pergola each day, whether it was just for an espresso and freshly baked cake or a full blown night of cocktails or very reasonably priced wine, this place and the people made me happy.

Ok, so now I have told you some of my favourite places in Paleo, I will leave you to figure out the rest yourselves. I would recommend Paleo mostly to couples and any others who simply want to chill out and enjoy the sights, the sun, the sea and the food.

I will finish here with a happy photo from our trip to Paradise beach. Please let me know what you think of my first post: any comments will be appreciated! Tell me what you think.

Tara (left) Me (right)

A presto! 

Olivia x