Packing List // Fuerteventura

We are finally, FINALLY heading out on a beach vacation for the first time in like three years - to Fuerteventura! To the SUN! Can you tell how excited I am? Do you see the title of this blog?

We finally booked it after I accepted a new position in Gent, which I'll start on the 3rd of July - the day after we get back. Let's hope I'm not looking like a lobster for the first day on the job. We're staying at an all-in resort hotel, which we've done before and liked, though I'm not sure how much time we'll actually be spending on the hotel grounds. There's so much to do on the island.

This week, with PJ out of town, I've been getting ready for the trip and daydreaming (plus napping) about all the things we're going to do - sunning, surfing, and sampling all the tapas I can get my hands on. Which also means that I'm prepping my packing list with all the summer shopping I've been doing. To be honest, I started shopping before we even booked this trip.

My absolute must haves for the week are shorts and swimsuits, though shorts are my summer staple no matter where we are. Add in a cute straw hat and some sunglasses and you basically have my wardrobe set for the week.

Printed Swimsuit

South Beach Straw Boater Hat with Peach Band (sold out, but I like this one and this one)

Bandeau Bikini Top

Embroidered Denim Shorts

Embroidered Cotton Shirt (I. Am. Obsessed.)

ASOS Beach Shorts in Wispy

This pink embroidered shirt is my everything right now. I didn't even need to try it on, I just knew - and Mango is killer for their tees right now - loving their graphic and slogan tees - I picked this one up a few weeks ago and have gotten so many compliments on it and the pink one above.

The rest of my suitcase will include a few dresses from last year that I just haven't had the occasion to wear, plus lots of greens, whites, neutrals, and all the other swimsuits I can stuff into it. And some sunscreen. Don't forget the sunscreen.

And with that, I'm off to get my nails done. I have a busy Thursday and Friday, with a new team dinner and workshop, then we head to the airport early Saturday. Only three more sleeps til I'm in paradise again with my love. Can't wait!

xox,

Suz

Shots of my city // Gent in June

This past weekend a friend living in Antwerp came to visit me in Gent for the first time. I've had a few foreign visitors in my two years in Belgium and I've circled this city quite a few times now. After she arrived, we went for lunch at Holy Food Market and got a bagel at Avo, then went around to see some of my favourite sights in the city. Here are a few shows from our walking tour around my adopted city.

If you've been to Gent, do you have any secrets that I may not have discovered yet? Let me know!

xox,

Suz

Barcelona Photo Diary // April 2017

Sometimes I forget how unbelievably wonderful my parents are, but then they go and do something like buy me a ticket to Barcelona for my birthday so I can go there with them to visit the city for their first time (and see our friend Jordan (p.s. happy birthday JoRo))!

About two weeks after my 27th I flew over to Barca and crashed with them and Jordan for the next 3.5 days for tapas, shopping and a whole lot of Vitamin D (which was so desperately needed, my mom said I looked like a ghost). 

We stayed in Eixample at the Avenida Palace, which was great for my shopaholic tendencies but horrible for my bank account, next to a bar called Obama, which I can recommend if you want a small place with live music most nights - but beware the pseudo-colonialist interior...

Other new discoveries (this was my first time there for more than one day (2011) /not-for-work (2016):

El Nacional - the interior starts with the greenery that you can see below, and it's sort of a food hall but it is so beautiful inside. And you absolutely have to check out the bathrooms. Trust. 

Cerveseria Catalana - I thought that Tast was the cutest/nicest/smallest place for tapas and was so sold on it being my one & only (we ate there like 6 times in 2016) until Jordan took us to Cerveseria Catalana, which was honestly some of the best food of my entire life. Luckily Jordan, Dad & I decided to split a bottle of cava during dinner to really enjoy it. 

Canarian cheese - So I didn't actually try this in a resto, but Jordan invited me to his place then out with his roommates, who were some of the nicest people ever. One of his roommates happened to be from the Canaries, and we had some nice jokes about both being from Africa ;) but then he brought out some Canarian cheese to pair with the wine of the night and omg, our trip to Fuerteventura might have been influenced by this. Thank you boys. From the bottom of my heart. 

Check out some more shots below - I'm not sharing so many since I took about 300 shots with my new Olympus Mark II.

With my new Veja shoes

If you have any other recs for when I finally convince PJ to visit Barcelona with me, please let me know! We're especially suckers for great fuet sandwiches, Barcelona FC & ice cream.

xox,

Suz