MONTHLY LOVE | AUGUST

Okay, you've caught me. I've been neglecting the blog. There are a variety of contributing factors that have distracted me from blogging, but all in all I've just been really busy. This mini break has been lovely, but I'm ready to resume normal blogging activities… next week ;). In the meantime, here are a few things I've been loving this past month!

THINGS I'M LOVING

PINTEREST | I created my Pinterest account years ago, but I really was never a fan. I found it distracting and never really understood it's purpose. Recently I was in some desperate need of inspiration and decided to take a peek at Pinterest. Needless to say, I'm hooked.

CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST | I'm not a huge fan of reality TV. I feel my brain slowly turning into mush every time I come across an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashains. However, my sister introduced me to one show that I just can't get enough of. If you haven't met the Chrisley's, I think you should. A southern family, every word that comes out of the Chrisley's mouths is hilarious. Especially the eight year old, talk about a sassy child.

HAZELNUT COFFEE | I know it's not autumn yet, but I'm craving the season! I can't wait for pumpkin spiced everything, scarves, and sweaters. But for now, I'll curl up inside and just pretend it's my favorite season with my Hazelnut Coffee.

SHAKESPEARE | I read a handful of Shakespeare plays in high school, but as I have stated before being forced to read something in high school is a lot different than reading something on your own. I just started reading Richard III and I LOVE it! I feel like I appreciate the genius of Shakespeare way more now that I am older and understand literature.

LOVELY LINKS

+ 50 Things to Do In New Orleans, you can find my post under #1!
+ Buzzfeed's If Call Cneter Employees Were Honest is the most accurate video ever. Anyone who has answered phones as a job should watch.
+ Like I said earlier, I've been using Pinterest a lot more! Follow me at sararosedavis.

Happy Friday!!

xoxo

The Best Views in Bristol, England

Bristol is famous for a lot of things. The ss Great Britain, Bristol Balloon Fiesta, Skins, and Banksy to name a few. However, nobody stops to think about Bristol's unique geography. Located where the River Avon meets the River Frome, Bristol is blessed (or cursed depending on your form of transportation) with rolling hills and steep cliffs. Every hill offers breathtaking views where city meets country. Arguably the coolest city in England's southwest, it's hard to fall out of love with Bristol after visiting some of the best vantage points in the city. If you are anything like me and will do anything for a photo op, I suggest visiting some of these totally awesome views of Bristol, England. 

CLIFTON DOWNS

Let's start with the hardest climb out of them all (and trust me, it is a CLIMB). Getting to Clifton Suspension Bridge is easy enough, however, hike a little further up the downs and you'll be stunned with Bristol's natural geography, as well as a few impressive man-made structures. 

AVON GORGE HOTEL

Rather eat than hike up steep hills? Not a problem. The Avon Gorge Hotel offers a variety of restaurants that overlook Avon Gorge and Brunel's beautiful Clifton Suspension Bridge. Whether it's tea or a pint you're after, the Avon Gorge Hotel has you covered. Just be prepared to pay slightly more for that killer view. 

CABOT TOWER 

On a clear day, climb the narrow winding staircase up Cabot Tower for a 360 degree view of Bristol. From the University of Bristol to the ss Great Britain, Bristol's horizons are stretched out in front of you as far as you can see. With two separate viewing platforms, Cabot Tower is ideal for getting to know Bristol and its geography all that more. It even helps you find cool places like Gloucester and Cheddar (or America if you're into that sort of thing).

BRANDON HILL

Before I moved to Bristol back in 2013 I watched every episode of Skins… twice. Other than being one of my favorite shows of all time, I used it as a tool to map out cool places to visit in Bristol. Brandon Hill is famously known as the place for "Cassie's Bench", but the park itself became one of my favorite places to hang out while I lived in England. On summer days people spread out across the grass drinking or reading, and in the winter people would use it's vast trails for exercise. Whatever your reason may be, Brandon Hill should be a must on any visit to Bristol. 

M SHED

Other than being an interactive and interesting museum, the M Shed can also stand in as a cool place to see Bristol's Harbourside. Admission is free, all you have to do is take the stairs up to enjoy the large patio space overlook the River Avon and a few other Bristol landmarks. 

CHRISTMAS STEPS

Bristol's Christmas Steps are a man-made feature. However, on a rainy day this alley can also be used as a waterside (jokes, sorta). A rather hidden and forgotten passage, the Christmas Steps are a series of staircases that take you from St. Michael's Hill all the way to the City Centre. Browse local stores and shops, or stop to have a pint (pubs can at both the bottom and top of the Christmas Steps). 

BLAISE CASTLE

You remember when I said Clifton Downs was the hardest climb on this list? I lied. Nothing compares to the hike up to Blaise Castle. Blaise Castle is not really a castle, but more of a single tower that sits on top of a cliff. How do you get up to this view you may ask? Easy! Crawl your way up the side of a cliff on all fours. Okay, this is slightly exaggerated but take the hike up to Blaise Castle at least once and you may agree with me. Not for the faint hearted, that is for damn sure.

Happy Friday!

xoxo

Would You Rather | Travel Edition

I am usually not one to fill out Q&As or tags, but sometime one comes along and it is just too good to pass up! I've seen the "Would You Rather :: Travel Edition" floating around in the travel blogging sphere but most recently I saw it over on What the Elle. I loved the answers to these questions so I thought I'd give it a go!

Travel or focus on your career at the age of 25?
I always thought I would want to focus on my career at 25. Now that I'm close to that age (less than a year away) I realize my priorities revolve more around travel than my career. I would love to work on both, but if I absolutely had to chose one it would be travel.

Have a $10,000 budget for a holiday and fly first class for $5,000 and stay in mediocre accommodation, or spend $1,000 on economy and stay in luxury accommodation?
Absolutely spend $1,000 on economy and stay in luxury accommodation. I can handle long haul flights, it's just a part of travel. Accommodation can make or break a trip in my opinion so I much rather stay somewhere nice!

Never take the train or never take an airplane again?
Never take the train. I love traveling by train but it's very limited. Flights can take you anywhere! 

Stay in a palm hut along the seashore for seven days or stay in a log cabin in the woods for one month?
I'm a beach girl. I love spending time outdoors in the woods, but my dream relaxing vacation is on the beach. I can't think of anything better than spending seven days in a little hut, soaking up the sun and drinking pina coladas. 

Be left behind in the bush on an African safari or be left behind in the water on a scuba trip?
Both of these sound horrible, but the open ocean TERRIFIES me. It's possibly one of my biggest fears of ALL TIME. So I'm going to have to go with the African bush. Yes, I may be mauled by a lion or eaten by hyenas, but I rather die like that than be attacked by a shark or drown. 

Have an awesome job in a mediocre city or a mediocre job in an awesome city?
A mediocre job in an awesome city. I love to soak up my environment. I believe the city you live in effects your attitude and mood more than you realize. I could absolutely risk having a job I didn't enjoy just to live in a place that made me happy. 

Be able to teleport to places you’ve already been or only be able to teleport to places you’ve never been before?
Being able to teleport places I've already been before. I think if I had the power of teleportation I would want to use it to visit friends and family in an instant. If I were able to teleport places I've never been it would require way too much planning. I'd probably end up confused and wouldn't be able to enjoy it!

Be stuck on a seven-hour delay, or turn up at the airport and realize your flight is tomorrow?
I can handle a seven hour delay. Yes, it would be inconvenient but far less inconvenient then driving to the airport, parking, going inside, and then realizing you have to do it all again tomorrow! 

Be able to play every musical instrument that you touch or speak every language that you hear?
Can I have both? When I was younger, I learned Spanish, ASL, piano, and guitar. Although I was okay with all of them at the time, I was never able to stick with them. However, I think at this point in my life I would have to chose speaking every language! 

Would you rather travel along the ocean floor or take a trip to outer space?
I've always said if I could be an animal it would be a dolphin (which probably makes no sense since the open ocean terrifies me). But the thought of taking a trip into space terrifies me even more, where as I would find traveling on the ocean floor beautiful! As long as I'm nice and safe inside a little submarine. 

Travel back in time to meet your ancestors or forward to meet your descendants?
As a history major, the idea of meeting my ancestors is amazing!! Seeing where my ancestors were from and what their lives would be fascinating. I come from a Mexican, Spanish, German, and Welsh background. With such a variety of cultures in my blood I would love to compare the lives of each one of my ancestors and see what really mattered to them. 

Have in-flight WiFi but no legroom (like, zero inches) or in-flight legroom but no WiFi?
This is such a hard one!! I love it when flights have wi-fi but leg room is super important, especially since I have crappy knees. As much as I hate to say it, I think I'll go with the leg room and no wi-fi. 

Be able to eat anything and any quantity of food with no negative health effects or be refreshed and well rested after only three hours of sleep?
Food or more hours in the day? CAN I HAVE BOTH?! Urghhh, if I have to answer I think I'll go with eating anything! I just LOVE food. 

Make sure to post a link to your blog if you decide to answer the tag!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Hillsboro Village In Pictures | Nashville, Tennessee

Last week I booked a flight to visit my best friend in Nashville over Labor Day weekend. My last trip to Nashville was a whirlwind of sights and food. While I'm looking forward to doing those things again, I am also excited to get to know Nashville a little better. 

Sometimes I find myself snapping away for no particular reason. I have thousands (yes, thousands) of photos I never share because I have nothing to say. But a picture is worth a thousand words, or so they say, so here are a few of the "lost Nashville photos" from my last visit to Music City.

Happy Friday!

xoxo 

My 3 Worst Travel Experiences

Life doesn't always go exactly as planned, especially when it comes to travel. No matter how much you plan, unexpected circumstances can turn a dream vacation into a living nightmare. While I am usually able to see the best in every situation there are three cities that have been tainted in my memory due to my unfortunate travel experiences. I fully intend to return to each one of these cities in order to change my perception one day, but for now let me tell you about my holidays in Rome, Pompeii, and Paris. 

1 | ROME
As soon as we touched town in Rome I knew I was in love. I was sixteen and had never been to Europe before. Rome, the city of history, beauty, and culture, was fascinating to me and I couldn't wait to soak it all up.

Less than 48 hours later I was curled up in bed, watching Italian MTV at 2am, crying. Earlier that day we decided to grab dinner in an alley off of Piazza Navona (something an Italian friend of mine now tells me NO ONE should do). By that night I had the worst case of food poisoning I ever had before, and ever had since. My entire vacation was spent in our hotel room eating saltine crackers and staring at Villa Borghese from the window. I missed the Spanish steps, the catacombs, and an awesome Italian cooking class. Luckily our trip in Rome was already halfway over by the time I was quarantined to my room, so I was able to see some of the sights I was looking forward to the most. But lets face it, there is so much to see in Rome and a trip back is in the works! No dodgy spaghetti this time ;)

2 | POMPEII
So you know what happened after I ate a rather foul bowl of spaghetti in Rome. With my food poisoning at its worst, we slowly made our way on a bus to Sorrento via Pompeii. Possibly the worst public transportation experience of my life, but that isn't where the story ends. As the biggest history nerd you've probably ever met (I have a masters in the subject now in case you didn't know), Pompeii was the city I was looking forward to the most on our trip. I forced myself off the bus to visit one of the most famous ancient cities in Italy.

An hour into our tour of Pompeii I thought I was dying. I was seeing spots, my hearing was gone, and I probably looked like death. Within the walls of a tiny Pompeii home I hid myself to puke before passing out. Talk about traumatizing. My family and I joke about how my visit to Pompeii was unique to say the least.

3 | PARIS
Oh Paris. The city that captivates millions across the world through a highly popularized image of romance and sophistication. I was nineteen, and a weekend in Paris with my study abroad group sounded amazing. However, from the get go our trip turned out to be far from what we expected. At the train station we caught someone trying to steal a wallet. At our hotel there were men standing outside yelling God knows what to us every time we went in and out. And at a gift shop along the Seine a homeless man put his hand up my skirt. Needless to say our entire trip left us with a bitter taste in our mouths. I would love to change my perception of this city one day. I had worked up the "idea" of Paris so much that reality was guaranteed to disappoint.

What are some of your worst travel experiences?

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo