Last days in Havana

So, on our last days in Havana, we walked around a lot and were able to find this amazing old theatre that is now a carpentry. Also in walks we couldn't help starring at the women practicing Santeria at Plaza de la Catedral, I just love their style! <3We really walked and walked and walked! From Habana Vieja to Centro Habana, we just rambled around. We actually started walking on the Malecón and only stopped after we walked for 14km. On our way we saw 2 women having a very dark Santeria ritual where they were killing a chicken right next to a bay. How bizarre!? Then we took a bus, which cost only a few cents to come back. That way it was possible to get to know Havana's surroundings, and we didn't meet any tourists on our way there and back.La Bodeguita del Medio and El Floridita are two of the most famous bars in Havana, where Ernest Hemingway used to hangout. Today they're crowded with tourists but the old environment is still striking. On the way between both bars we bumped into some people in the street selling puff pastry treats filled with guava paste. They're absolutely delicious!We went to La Guarida, to book an early dinner and we fell in love with the old building. The dinner was good and I would tell you to order as many starters and desserts as you're able to. When you're finished head to the rooftop terrace to enjoy the sunset and the view of nightlife starting to burst. After our dinner we proceeded to have a couple more drinks and soak in the culture one last time.<3

Welcome to Viñales

After a four hour drive in our taxi colectivo we arrived in Viñales. We couldn't have wished for a lovelier hostess. We stayed at Casa Dra. Alicia, a little house in the quietest part of the village. Alicia was just amazing and we got to spend 3 nights at her place. We had lovely late night talks on her balcony and a delightful dinner in a nearby restaurant where we talked about our cultures and living in Cuba. Juanky, Alicia's boyfriend used to be a history teacher and now he earns a lot more as a barman. Words can't describe how amazing they were to us.On our last day we went to a beach called Playa de Cayo Jutías. It's only about 50 kilometres away from Viñales but the roads were in such poor condition that it took us 1 hour to get there. Anyway, it was totally worth it! The beach is super clean and you can easily get away from the crowd if you walk a bit along the shore. Our driver stopped on the way to get his lunch and that's where we bought ours as well. It was super cheap and incredibly delicious (it included a delicious stewed pork, yellow rice, avocado and manioc)!Because we spent a little too much money in New York, we had to compensate in Cuba, so we decided to walk everywhere we wanted to go and pass the horse rides and the tours. The furthest we went was Cueva del Indio (which is 6,3km away) and we were the only people walking. We had a lot of water to hydrate and we stopped to drink some fresh guava juice on our way. The cave is actually not that amazing, considering the time we had to wait plus the whole experience inside it, which was too short. Anyway, the walk was absolutely worth it as we took in the landscape and were able to spot a snake, some griffons, a buffalo and an incredibly cute hummingbird.The houses are so colourful and cute. Alicia told us that the houses are blue and pink because that's the only colours you can get when you go and buy paint, you can't really choose. Her dream was to have a sand colour house and she made it come true. Though I preferred the former flamingo pink. There are no glass windows in most houses, so there are quite a lot of bugs. We didn't have insect repellent, but I would advise you to bring some, as the itchiness can get quite annoying. While at the balcony one night we were able to see a tarantula! It was the first we saw on our trip and it was rad!If you walk around Viñales you'll be able to find some cool caves to explore! Remember to bring a flashlight (of course we didn't have one, only our cellphones). Also, try some mamoncillo, a little fruit that you can find in trees over there. We ate way too many! Luis climbed up a tree to pick them and we shared them with some kids that were playing baseball nearby.We usually don't go to the beach that often but if we've known beforehand how wonderful the beach was we would've stayed longer. The water is so incredibly hot that you never want to get out of it and the view is so stunning that you could stare at the ocean for the rest of your life. The sky became super cloudy in the afternoon and it started raining but I think that only made the beach look more appealing and mystical.<3

Cuba is Blue and Pink

 Havana was our next stop after New York. We decided to stay for 1 day there first, then go to Viñales for 3 days and come back to Havana for our last days in Cuba. That way it was possible to get to know this amazing city a little and come back for more! I've never seen so much colorful buildings in my whole life, and boy, do I love color!People are polite and helpful. Though there are already a lot of schemes for tourists, so be careful. Also, if you want to visit Havana's surroundings and neighborhoods, try to exchange some CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos, the money that you get from the ATM) for CUP (Cuban Peso or Moeda Nacional) at a Casa de Cambio. With CUP you can have a meal or a juice almost for free!Traveling by bus is the cheapest way to travel but buses are often super crowded and surely are not for pussies! Try to negotiate if you're traveling in a taxi colectivo. Also, don't be surprised if your driver honks to every woman and teenage girl that passes by! Men are still very sexist. As I was with Luis, I never felt unsafe, but a lot of women I know who traveled to Cuba by themselves felt disrespected.Sundays are baseball days. You can buy a ticket for a few cents and enjoy a social afternoon with a lot of cheap snacks and  plenty of excitement. We watched Industriales against Isla de la Juventud.Stay tuned for more from my trip to Cuba!

NY #1

We arrived at about 11pm, so we went straight to the hotel by public transportation. I felt I belonged with all the crazy people on the subway! 😜 The next morning we went right out and we walked non stop.As a NY first timer I felt bliss wherever I was. It was all I ever imagined and more. I just felt I belonged to all that frenzy! And because we don't really like to stick to rules, we just decided to ramble around.Our rambling drove us (not in a correct timeline order) to Central Station, China Town (where we had a great foot massage), Little Italy, The Met ♥ and Rockefeller Center.As we went on, we came upon Brooklyn Bridge, so we crossed it and continued strolling towards the South. There's an amazing park over there, where people go to play sports, chill or have a collective BBQ with friends and neighbors.At the end of the afternoon we were starving, so we looked up for a cool restaurant to eat and we ended up going to Yemen Café (176 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn). I can tell you that I would eat the same lamb with hummus for the rest of my life!Stay tuned to find out what's next! ♥

From Oslo to NY

I've planned a trip earlier this year and I want to show you the wonderful places I've been. Me and my boyfriend sold everything, from our car to guitars, so we could have enough money to spend 40 days away from home. Our journey began with a stop in Oslo, Norway. I'm not very into super cold countries, nevertheless it's impossible to stay indifferent to their culture and politeness. We only had 6 hours to visit the city, so we tried to enjoy it the best we could.We were able to visit the Oslo Opera House, and walked our way to Slottsplassen, the square where the Royal Palace stands. All the way from the train station to there, there are a lot of smaller streets where you can find second hand shops. I fell in love with a traditional costumes shop called Heimen Husfliden. There you can find a huge collection of amazing jewellery and clothing made with the best materials.We went back to the airport by train. Next stop -> NY, USA! Stay tuned for what's next! :)Oh! I loved the psychedelic vibe on the plane!While we were on our flight to New York, I actually felt an urge to go to the window, because I had the feeling we were flying over Greenland and my instinct was right! The view was just mesmerizing. No photos can do it justice.

Oporto City Hostel

This is Oporto City Hostel. All the interiors have been restored and I was able to create this project with a super low budget. I'm still working on it, which is super cool, as it's a never ending process, and as I can add new details in a monthly basis. =) After this photoshoot a lot has been updated, so stay tuned to see new stuff happening. Btw, have you noticed the super cheap IKEA Hyllis Shelf (9,99€) painted in gold, as well as the shelf brackets on the last photo?

Apartamento da Praça

This was my first interior decoration project. It actually used to be my apartment.  It also used to have walls and a door to the kitchen and one to the room. In my opinion every part of a house has to be used, otherwise you should move to a smaller one (unless your house is a museum). Now this apartment belongs to a tourism company. Sometimes you have to let your own things go to create space for new ones, but I still took some stuff with me, which had too much sentimental value, like some of the vinyl records and some inherited or found knick knacks.

Photo Credits: @atgraces