"Salt in the air, Sand in my Hair"

Wherever I end up 'settling' down one day, one thing is for sure it WILL be beside the sea.

There is nothing more refreshing then taking a walk on the beach. 

Yesterday was one of those days. 

*failed attempt at a heart*

The sand dunes might not look like they are high! But give them a climb and get back to me!!

'Knocknarea' from the back
The view from the top of Knocknarea over looking Strandhill is a must see!

These next photos where taken another day but I couldn't help but share them!
LOVE it up there!

'Atop the sand dunes'

Hope you liked the photos!

Sinéad

x

Photos: (c)http://thislifediary.blogspot.ie

"Don't follow me, I'm lost"

Playschool, national school, secondary school, college. 

Easy peasy.

It is all laid out in a LONG and lovely boring order. 

But it is easy to follow. You know what comes after what, there is no beating around the bush.

 Right?

Well no one told me what would happen after college. 

I have a "degree". It was somewhat easy to achieve. 

But here I am, a year on from finishing the degree and I can't help but think....WHAT have I achieved???

The answer is plain and simple. Sweet...F....All. (excuse my french). 

Yes I got a new job with more hours then my last job. 

Yes I moved of my parents house(20 minutes from home to be exact)

Yes I have a new group of friends (having also drifted away from old friends, but clutching at the strings of those who I miss very dearly) 

But everyone around me seems to be going at a million miles an hour in a thousand different directions (England to be precise). In the last year and in the next few weeks (cue the tears) England has gained many of my nearest and dearest to which I respond.
You lucky duck.  

It was easy every year knowing what was coming next. December 31st might be the end of a year for some, but for the last 17 years each September brought with it a new chapter and a new adventure. 

Last September (2013) saw me for the first time without a new adventure, I wandered aimlessly to December convincing myself that it was my break, that in January I would settle down and figure out my plan for September 2014. Now as the second September looms closer and my nearest and dearest friends are literally in their "grown-up" jobs. I feel like I am being left behind and it petrifies me.  

I have begun questioning everything I have ever wanted to do. To write, be a journalist, and I have begun to be a sheep and think I will follow the crowd. Realistically do I want to be a teacher? No.

I feel like everyone has there life on track and I am just waiting for someone to turn to me and tell me they haven't figured it all out either. But what terrifies me more is that this year break will turn into another few years and I will wake up 30 with no career and no goals and nothing achieved and wonder where my life has gone.
This is a very deep post for a Tuesday.
I suppose realizing it now should make me kick my butt into gear.

Anyway here's to the summer, next week I am off on a month adventure so that is something to look forward to and I am grateful for the opportunity to even do it.
It's just what to do after that is the scary thought.

anyone else feeling a little lost? 

Sinead

x

"Not all who wander are lost"

T-minus 12 days, 13 hours and so many minutes until we set off into the abyss of central Europe.

*que excited screams*

I'm not sure what way to take it. I am petrified and beyond excited all at the same time. 

We are travelling through 8 different countries, that's 8 different languages. Sometimes I have trouble just speaking English let alone trying to understand any other language. 

Munich: Germany

Prague: Czech republic

Bratislava: Slovakia 

Ljubana: Slovenia

Zagreb/Rjeka: Croatia

Budapest: Hungary 

Krakow: Poland

Warsaw: Poland

Berlin: Germany

Amsterdam: The Netherlands 

Tonight I do my trial packing, i.e me crying at the fact that half the clothes I want to take with me won't fit.
I recently picked up a backpack in Aldi for 25.99 which if I do say so myself was a bargain.
I feared that it would be too small, but having trawled through a bazillion instagram photos under the hashtag #interrailing. I can rest assured that it is more then enough!

Now what to pack. Since joining the blogsphere it has helped me in so many ways. The opinions and the advice from people all over the world has helped hugely.
Having trawled through a few blogs I came across the Travel Fashion Girl. I found this helpful and it mentioned things I would not have thought of, like flip-flops to wear in the shower in hostels? considering the amount of people coming and going in these places it is a must!!
The Lonely Planet is another one which has helped decide what to do and the best sights to see on our travels.
One blog which helped us kick start our travel preparations was One Year of Light. Anyone travelling around major cities of Europe needs to check it out. I found this blog on instagram and I am glad I did! Advice and places to stay as well as pretty photos and travel stories this blog helped me and my friends a lot! Go show it some love!

Now I'm off to do a trial run on the packing, wish me luck! EKKKK!

Sinead
x

"Watch out for the Rams"

Monday was one of those days in Ireland where the sun gives us a rare glimpse at itself.
A day that I am glad I live in coastal Sligo.

With the day off work my housemates and I rounded up a few troops and decided that finally after the last few weeks of saying it, we were finally going to climb Benbulben.

For those of you who are not familiar with the place, Benbulben is a table top mountain in Sligo situated in an area of Sligo known as "Yeats" county. 

Having googled where abouts to start the climb we actually ended up on the wrong side of the mountain about to start a 1.5 hour walk around the base of the mountain.

This did look like it was going to have some fascinating sights of the mountain but we wanted to get on top of it.
RIGHT at the tippy top.

So we got there in the end, parked the car's on the side of the road and started the climb.

The "wrong" road

The "Right" road

See if you can spot my friends in the picture on the right (it will show how high up I was)

One of our many breaks!

Mountain "twerking"

"But first, lemme take a selfie" 

"The descent"

So this post was pretty jam packed with photos. 

But it was such a pretty day and the sky and Benbulben looked so nice. 

We did go about climbing it a bit arse ways. As in there is a proper route I THINK. 

Whereas we just headed straight up, jumped some gates, the odd barbed wire, dodged a few rams.

BUT we did make it back in one piece. 

Piece of advice: Proper walking shoes, WATER and do not even attempt if wet. 

Now I'm off to take care of some traveling plans, which will involve NO mountains!

X



"Unlucky is my middle name"

A while back me and my friend decided to hell with it we want to see more of the world and what it has to offer. 

There has to be more to the life than Ireland right?

So with that we decided inter-railing around Europe was the way to go. 

With a month booked off work, route decided we picked out where we wanted to start.

 We booked flights to Munich with another friend deciding last minute to come along.  

Now all we need was €450 each to purchase the elusive 30 day continues rail pass. 

Last week we had decided that FINALLY we were going to purchase the ticket. That was until my friend got tagged in a competition on Spin 1038  Facebook page with USIT sponsoring two free Interrail tickets for 30 days continuous travel.

Thinking that nothing would ever come of this we all commented on the picture. Having done this I said:

"It doesn't even matter I never win anything anyways" 

4.5 thousand comments.

2 thousand likes.

 

I had won. 

To say that I was happy wouldn't even begin to describe it. 

We saved ourselves a lot of money and I can sleep a little easier the last few nights knowing that I have a few extra euro in the bank and it was all thanks to USIT

I can not thank them enough. Whoever is looking down on me I owe you one.

Now roll on July. 

We are gonna get so lost and I can not wait.  

YEOOOW.

x

"If it does not challenge you it does not change you"

A thousand times a year I will utter the phrase, "I am on a diet".

And how long does it last, well not very long if the scales is anything to go by.

But I am so sick of it. I just want to be fit and healthy and not be out of breath after running for merely a minute.

So why the change of heart? Why NOW?

I am in my early twenties I should be loving my body not despising it!

So now that there are a million apps out there to track calories, have workout videos, and running plans for us mere individuals who are incapable of running for more than 30 seconds. I have decided for once and for all to KICK my derrière into shape!

So after scouring the app store and with a recommendation from a friend I downloaded the 5K Runner:

 0 to 5k run training. Free.

Free always is the key phrase isn't it? 

This app takes you through 3 workouts a week, for 8 weeks. With the goal in mind that by the end of the three weeks you will be able to run 5k.

However there is one downside (only a small one). You get the first week and the second weeks first day FREE. Then you have to pay a small fee of 2.69.

The first day you do a 5 min warm up walk then you run for 1 min and walk for 1.5 min and this is repeated 6 times, then ends with a 5 min cool down.

Rank photo I know but it is motivation to show how UNFIT I am.

Here's hoping I can stay motivated, I need not only a summer body but a whole new forever fit body.

                                                                         x



"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page"

So to say it's been a while since I posted on here would be an understatement.

 Laziness, lack of laptop, no inspiration to post and a new job is all of the excuses and many more!

This summer my housemate (work buddy, drinking buddy etc etc) and I decided that the sights of Sligo would just not do this year and instead we are going Inter-railing around Europe!

We have done the weekends away, drinking holidays, girly holidays so instead we are going for something a little different.

Four weeks.

2 flights.

10 cities.

 8 countries.

1 train ticket.

July can not come quick enough!

anyone else gone inter-railing before?

X