| September Blogging Challenge | Favorite Cafés ☕️

Everyone knows how much I love coffee and something that mom and I enjoy doing is to explore different coffee places. I do that with my friends too.
But even tho there are many that I like, I'm only going to share 3 of my favorite ones, here where I live and 2 that I loved back in Spain.

Let's do this! I'll start with the places I like to go often:

☕️ Starbucks

I think some of you already saw this one coming and I know many people have mixed feeling about it because, they don't like the coffee or think it is too expensive. It is true that there are cheaper coffees out there with great taste but, I just love my Starbucks. And I'm not only talking about their coffee, also love their matcha lattes, shakes and seasonal drinks as well as their food and bread. I have a thing for seasonal drinks so there are certain drinks I patiently wait for such as my beloved pumpkin spice latte and other pumpkin drinks in Fall and the cranberry white mocha in Winter.

They have coffees from around the world and have different brewing methods to enhace characteristics in each coffee. Plus it's always nice to costumize your coffee to your liking. You can find Starbucks almost everywhere!
Check Starbucks.com for more info.

☕️ Macadamia Gourmet

This is the place my friends and I like to go for seasonal drinks because their themed menus are the cutest, no only on Halloween season. We started going years ago when it was a very small coffee place, now it is a lot bigger and they offer meals and acoholic drinks too. I find cozy in a way and it is located in a nice place so even the view is kinda pretty.
Prices wise it is a little similar to starbucks and it's a very pet friendly place.
Go to Macadamia Gourmet for more info.

☕️ CachiBache Caffé

I really like the whole vibe this place has, decoration is also pretty interesting. They mostly have desserts and drinks but you can also have a few salty things. They have unique drinks such as the turmeric latte, which I love, coffee is really good and strong too. I believe they work with other local gourmet food brands so they have unique thingies. You can also play board games and enjoy live music in this place. Defo a good place to visit if you're downtown. Add to that prices are great and very affordable for yummy treats.
For more info, check their fb page: CachiBache Caffé

Now I'll move on to 2 places I went often and really liked back in Spain:

☕️ Pastisseria Crespo

This was the place I used to visit at least 4 times a week when I was in Spain. It is in La Pobla de Vallbona, a small town, 30 minutes away from Valencia.
I had my first coffee in Spain in this place and tried bitter kas for the first time so, it's special, hehe. They make their own bread and food is always fresh, they have good variety and food changes depending on the hour. You can go to have meals there or just coffee with dessert. Something I loved about this place is the attention. They always make you feel welcome. Thanks to Crespo I became addicted to café bombon (which is sweet condensed milk and espresso), and that was my regular order in there. I was also spoiled recieving free yummies on every visit. I couldn't find much info about this place online because it is in a very small town but it is really worth it and it has a special place in my heart and tummy, haha.

☕️ LiaoPastel

I only got the chance to go to the one in Vall de Uxo but there are many franchises all over Valencia and Castellón. The one I went to was really pretty and has a big variety of food, desserts and drinks. You can eat for a very good price and its a nice place to get some coffee and relax too. You know how much I love pretty things and most desserts were like that, pretty! And yummy too. I'd defo go back if I had the chance and it's a place that I totally recommend if you happen to go to Valencia. From what I've heard, the other cafés have a pretty decoration too.
Click here to check the one I went to, or here for more info on the other Liaos hehe.

I only chose those two places cuz I went there many times but honestly, Spain had so many good local coffee places with strong and delicious coffee for a very good price. I didn't even miss my Starbucks while I was there.

My Spain Adventure!

Hi loves!
As most of you know, I spent over two months in Spain visiting mom and just having a break from life, work and pretty much everything. It was my first time in Europe, I remeber when I was little I was obsessed with living in Europe, (London to be exact) but I never thought I would fall for Spain as much as I did.
There are a bunch of Spain vlogs I'll link down below for you to see part of my trip but I also want to have a (not so) little chit chat about some of the things I lived and experienced there.

Let the adventure begin...
On November 21st I took my first flight to Madrid, arriving there on the 22nd to catch a second flight that would take me to Valencia. Flight was great, Iberia crew were always super nice to everyone, plane was very comfortable and even tho I had a bad migraine during my flight, I had a good trip.
I have to admit that the few hours I spent in Madrid were not exactly my favorites. Even tho I had the best happy and polite attitude, immigration police made me feel so stressed! But, I also find some nice (but cold) people who were willing to help a very lost Mon to get to her boarding gate. Such an adventure, I swear! I felt so relieved once I got to Valencia!

From Valencia to La Pobla de Vallbona
La Pobla de Vallbona was my home during my stay in Spain, it is a small (and I mean. small) but nice town really close to Valencia (15-20mins by car). It kinda reminded me of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, everyone knows each other, you can hear good and bad news on the streets, there's only a small place to go to watch movies, theater and other entertainment related stuff. Every Monday they have a big market downtown and it is very popular. It was fun to walk around and buy some goodies. You can find a bit of everything there: food, fruits, shoes, clothes, etc.
People there were super nice and sweet to me from day 1, starting with the adoptive family, who invited me for lunch on the same day I arrived so we all could meet. I had my first fideuá and met people I truly adore now.

Family & People
I had my mom & Jose, who were the only people I knew when I got there. I really, really enjoyed all the time we spent togehter and I'll be forever thankful for everything they did. I was so spoilt, they took me everywhere and fed me with yummy food. I was literally a princess. ♡
People made it so easy for me to feel comfortable around them. My now Spanish family are the sweetest people. It was hard to leave them considering I found new grandparents, uncles/aunties/friends in them. And of course they had a dog to love, Pocholo. Aka Pocho, who has been the most difficult dog I've met. It took me a couple of days to make him like me but we ended loving each other.
I met other amazing people too; family friends, people from pubs, restaurants and coffee places that made my time there a very happy and special one.

Valencia, cities & towns
I absolutely loved Valencia, it has everything: city, castles, beach, mountains, story, malls, lots of coffee places, etc. I would live there if I could! Besides Valencia, I went to other places too such as Requena, Teruel, Vall de Uxó, Albarracín, Utiel, Xilxes, Alcalá del Jucar, Alpuente & others.
Most cities have both, their modern part and the old town. I was amazed to see castles pretty much in every place we went to. Some of them bigger than others but always beautiful. Some towns even made me feel as if I was walking in a movie, or being transported to a different era.
But as beautiful as the towns are, some of them are so small that there's nothing to do there besides sightseeing. Unless you are looking for a super duper quiet place to hide from the world.

Requena

Albarracin

Alcalá del Júcar

Teruel

Customs, traditions & Time difference
I have to say time difference wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be for me. At least not in the sleeping part. I pushed myself to styay awake the whole day from day one so I could sleep better at night and I have to say that helped a lot with my jetlag. My eating hours were a little more affected by it cuz whenver I had to eat, I was not hungry, then I got hungry when I wasn't supposed to eat. but that only lasted for a couple of days.
Something I noticed is that most people are very religious, so religious celebrations are a big deal. I got the chance to see many parades, lots of music and fireworks when I was there.
It seems like respecting eating hours is something very important there. I was used to only have 3 meals a day and I dodn't exactly had an hour to eat, I ate whenever I could or if I was hungry but, they usually have like 5 meals a day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, something in the evening and dinner. Funny thing was, some restaurants only had food around lunch time, after a certain hour, there was nothing to eat as a main dish.
I'm always used to have all the stores open all day, unless it's a sunday, but you know you can always have supermarkets in case you need something. So, something I found a bit annoying was the fact that most places close around 2 pm and open until 5pm...!!! (lunch time and then, a nap!). Everything is dead. It wasn't likie that in the city but, still!!
Another thing was how supermarkets were not open on Sundays. Not a single one. That was the only thing I missed, having everything open whenever I needed it.
You all know how much I love my coffee, and I was very surprised to discover they drink a super yummy and strong coffee but, in the tiniest cups ever! Other than that, I don't think I had a big cultural shock. It was actually very easy to get used to the way things were over there.

Shopping, people & fashion 
I am aware I have shopping problems, but I honestly didn't think I'd buy enough things to end up paying for a second suitcase... Thing was, I was lucky to be there when they had sales everywhere! I tried not to buy in stores I already have here. Some of the stores I love the most were Druni, TEDi, MANGO (even tho I have it here, it was way cheaper over there), El Corte Inglés, AleHop & Mercadona (yes, even if it's a supermarket). I thought I got more makeup than anything else but as I started unpacking I realized I did get many clothes too. I found some face & eye creams for great prices and became obssesed with ESSENCE.

I noticed that people in Valencia (and around) were a lor warmer than in Madrid. Most people were friendly with me in restaurans, stores and just in general. Of course, there are exceptions like in every other country. You get too see many tourists and foreigners in Valencia. I love to see people from around the world walking around! Their style, and all that.
As for fashion, I realized that older people really put an effort to always look good. I don't think I saw trends that I loved but I did find some pieces of clothing that you don't see over here often. I liked that!

Weather
To be honest, I was expecting a super, duper cold weather but even tho it was cold, it wasn't as bad as it was supposed to be. I arrived in late fall and it was just beautiful. Super windy but, beautiful. Fall is my favorite season and I don't think I've seen a fall like that before. During my time there we got warm days, cooler ones, but not super cold until late Jan - beginning of February. Then cold got serious. Some places got heavy snow but Valencia only got rain. I got to see snow tho. They took me to Requena & Utiel so I could see it. I fell in love.
I was actually worried about my flights being cancelled because of the snow but luckily, Madrid had no snow the day I ad to fly back.

I'm sure there is a lot missing here, but if I keep adding things as I remember them, I'm never gonna post this entry before the month ends.
Going to Spain was a beautiful experience I'm never gonna forget. It hepled me to grow in so many ways, I got to relax and sightseeing a lot, ate different food and went to places I never thought I'd get the chance to visit. I'll be forever thankful to everyone who made that trip possible and who made me feel at home over there. I met wonderful people and came back feeling like I have a family there in Spain. I defo want to go back soon and see everyone again.
Spain, you have my heart now!!

And to end this blog here, I'm gonna link the Spain Adventures playlist down below as well as some of the Spain related posts. I really hope you enjoy this travel chit chat and, I'll see you next time!
xx

YOUTUBE | Spain Adventures |

BLOG POSTS:
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul #1
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul #2
Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul #3
Essence Makeup Haul

TEDi Haul

Spain Clothing & Accessories Haul #1
Spain Clothing & Accessories Haul #2 |MANGO|

| Spain Adventures | Alcalá del Júcar

| Spain Adventures | Albarracín

Spain Makeup & Beauty Haul #3

Hello everyone!

Here comes another beauty haul...hehe. This one is not too long tho, but, i wanted to show you the latest purchases. Ready?

I'll start with SEPHORA because I have 2 items, the first one is the SEPHORA Blush to go* in number 05 "Miss Flirty"
It is a stick blush with creamy texture and a powder finish. The one I got is a peachy shade with some shimmer. It is not that pigmented but you can build up the color. They have a large variety of colors, as well as hightlighters and bronzers (I think).
Oh! And it is really, really cute.

Also from SEPHORA, I got the Winter Wonderland set of face & eye brushes with a magnetic stand. I actually got this when Christmas was over so it was half of its price. They are very simple but pretty. The set comes with a Powder brush, a blush brush and an angled brush. All in black and gold. This brushes are a lot softer than the ones I got with the Mixology Eyeshadow Palette. I still haven't used this babies but I'm really looking forward to it.

Then is the Grace your Face Green Tea Eye Pads. It comes with 10 pads in the shape of green leafs that soothes tired eyes & help to reduce puffiness.

Another nail polish from Essence. This time I got the Essence The Gel Nail Polish in "On Air!" (44). I can't help myself.

Then I got this Hello Kitty Lip Balm duo because I love Hello Kitty and I can never have enough lipbalms...

And lastly, a makeup organizer. I already have 2 back home. I found this one at Tedi for €3, a lot cheaper than what I usually pay for them. And, it's been helping me to have my makeup organized while I'm here. Love it.

That's it for now! I'll see you next time~!

|Spain Adventures| Albarracín

Albarracín transported me to a different era, I felt as if I was in a movie (And I coulnd't help to think of Shingeki No Kyojin because of the walls...hehe).

It is located in the province of Teruel, community of Aragon. The town is surrounded by hills and amazing walls, it has the most beautiful views as well as super narrow streets. Architecture screams middle age, Stone walls are all in the same colors (pink, orange and browns) so it kinda gives you a perfect picture, everything matches perfectly. You don't see a single modern building. It is a great place for sightseeing but, because it is a really small town, there's not much to do besides that.

I was amazed by the walls that surround the town, they are pretty old yet, they still look so strong. The view from up there is just beautiful. I'm not a big fan of hiking but, it was definitely worht it.

Albarracín, as well as Teruel, are famous for their ham so I had to try some "jamón de Teruel" in my plato combinado.
We ate in "La Taberna", food and service were pretty good. The place was very cozy, it felt good to go there after walking in the cold weather.

You can pretty much decide what to have in your plato combinado, since I'm not a
massive meat fan, ham, egg and fries. I also tried local beer.

I can say, Albarracín is one of the most beautiful towns I've ever seen. And I'm not saying this beaceuse I loved Teruel, it really is beautiful

Click here to watch my Albarracín vlog and don't forget to subscribe for more Spain vlogs. xx