The books I’ve read recently

books

Books

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Ailish Sinclair

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read this book a couple of weeks ago or so, ad I wanted to sit on it a bit to find the right words, but I’m still in awe.

This is a story about love, family, and unbreakable ties. It’s a story about home, about the power of love that connects souls beyond space and time. The emotions – innocent and hopeful, that got more intense, mature and darkened throughout the story – screamed from those pages, and I can still hear the echo.

What most fascinated me about this book was how steady the narrating voice was. The story is magical, and it absorbed me, but how consistent the voice and the tone were, blew my mind. This book got me from the first sentence. It’s a gem I’m so glad to have come across. I can’t convey here the beauty of the sentences, but they were soaked in magic.

I am convinced I lived on Scottish soil sometime in my previous lives because I can’t just randomly be so drawn to a place I never came even close to visiting. That place feels like home, and it’s so far away. And it is through books like this that my heart can get the fill it needs to keep nostalgia at bay. So, if you’re like me and you also want to allow a book to paint the most vivid and beautiful images in your mind and be transported to another place and time, please spare some time to read this book. You’ll notice its powerful magic from page one.

SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD on Goodreads

ACCIDENTALLY AMY by Lynn Painter

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book has an entirely different vibe from the previous book, but I was looking for something light and cozy to read. And, for some reason, I didn’t find it too cringey! It made me laugh at how silly it was, and it was a perfect fall, relaxation-type read.

I was a bit discouraged by the Goodreads reviews on it (and yes, I’ve made the mistake of checking the reviews before reading the book), but I just couldn’t find it in me to hate it, no matter the amount of cringe and absurdity it offered. Maybe if I read more books in this genre, I would be a bit more judgemental or agree with the points that classify it as bad, but I don’t, so let me live in my blissful ignorance!

Two more things: 1) it’s a bit spicey, and 2) I don’t like the cover. I’ve seen worse, but that’s the amount of cringe I can’t bear.

ACCIDENTALLY AMY on Goodreads

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES by Hester Fox

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow!Another book that made me fall in love with the author’s writing. I loved the cover, and the title, so I set it aside to read later and then forgot about it. A couple of days ago, I was scrolling through my TBR pile and finally picked it up, and once I did, I didn’t put it down until I’d finished it. This captivating story stretches through more than a century, bringing together two women that deserve justice. They both need to fight and stand up for themselves, each with a battle of their own to win. These two women have been so wronged by the men in their lives, made to fit the mold, meet the expectations, and be picture-perfect. But their power is so much stronger. They both share an anger that comes from the same source, and they need to cross the bridge of time to help one another. The book has two POVs: one belongs to Margaret Harlow, who tells her story herself, with all the beauty, magic, power, disappointment, grief and anger. The other POV tells us about Augusta Podos, who will, a century and a half later, try to correct the past while also trying to help herself. I found it interesting how we got one POV in the first and the other in the third person because it encompasses the story well and leads towards that specific end. Without spoiling anything: I think it helped encircle Augusta’s role and character.

By the end, the story took up an unexpected twist that put me on the edge of my seat, anxious for the situation to resolve. It was suffocating and dark and scary. In conclusion, I loved this book!

A LULLABY FOR WITCHES on Goodreads

THE LANGUAGE OF TATTOOS by Nick Schonberger, Oliver Munden (Illustrations)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This aesthetically pleasing cover and, of course, the mention of tattoos grabbed my attention immediately. The Language of tattoos presents the most popular tattoo designs, going through the American, European, and Japanese tattoo traditions. The book connects art, mythology, symbolism, and tattooing, dividing 130 symbols into categories, and explaining their meanings. I was familiar with almost all the designs but didn’t know what they all meant, so I learned something new. If you are a tattoo enthusiast, give this title a look!

THE LANGUAGE OF TATTOOS on Goodreads

CURRENTLY READING:

  • Este dolor no es mío by Mark Wolynn
  • The archer princess by E.P. Bali

HALF A BANDANA WILL DO: A Little Book of Camino Stories by Gail Woodard – a book review

book review
Half a bandana will do on Goodreads

Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a copy of this book! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this book review voluntarily.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wasn’t this the perfect book choice for me? Well, almost, at least. I am in Santiago, but without the Camino. But, doing the Camino is something I promised myself long ago when I first heard about it. (Yes, after I watched The Way for the first time.)

Firstly, I devoured this book. It is short, a quick-read, ”a little book of Camino stories”. The author walked the Camino in 2019, and it took her two weeks and 180 miles to get to Santiago. She describes those two weeks and the preparation that preceded them, sharing anecdotes, tips, and thoughts about this journey. Her Camino was ”a bucket list checkmark and a search for the Divine Feminine”. This pilgrimage means so many different things to so many people. The author sums it up like this:

For some modern-day pilgrims, the walk is a religious experience strongly connected with the heritage of the Roman Catholic Church. For others, the Camino is spiritual with little or no concern for Catholic dogma. Many traverse the land for deeply personal reasons. For others, the walk is an inexpensive outdoor vacation.

If I know anything about the Camino, I know that this description is true. It is a journey everyone sets their own pace for, they take however time they need or want for it, start wherever, and make as many stops or trail offs as they want. Maybe that’s why it attracts more and more people each year, because of the freedom it provides in doing it. You can walk alone, or you can meet a bunch of new people; you can make brief acquaintances or lifelong friendships.

I enjoyed the way the author described and presented her Camino. She also provided another perspective. Because it is (mainly) about walking, there is so much preparation and training that goes into it long before the ”official” Camino starts. The author said:

The actual walk in May will be a celebration of the transformation that will already have happened.

There’s no one to say that you can’t just up and start walking one day, wander until you get there, book a ticket to a city that will be your starting point, and just go. But, there is something beautiful about seeing the Camino in this way – as a celebration of a change that will already happen in you, in whatever way. In the book, there’s a link to a video the author posted on Facebook, in which she compares walking the Camino to writing a book, concluding that with a message to keep moving forward on the path. There are no other set rules.

Upon coming to Santiago, the author experienced something I can relate to. She said that, after finally coming to the plaza in front of the cathedral, exhausted, she couldn’t feel much beyond ”Ok. I did it. Now, where am I going to sleep tonight?” I remember my first morning in Santiago, after traveling all day the previous day and arriving in the city around 9.30 p.m.: I came to the plaza, wanting to see the cathedral for the first time after seeing it so many times in the pictures. I sat in front of it, and it was like all the excitement abandoned me. For some reason, I wasn’t as happy as I thought I would be. I still don’t know where that excitement went. So, even if I didn’t do the Camino, I still understood the author or at least recognized the reaction I went through myself. I wonder if this is the case with other pilgrims here. I see so many of them every day.

As the author said at the beginning of the book, one of the goals of this Camino was finding the Divine Feminine. This is a concept that I am, honestly, not familiar with. I feel like there’s so much work I have to do, so much maturing and developing to be able to tap into this. To recognize it and be familiar with it. Reading this book made me think about how I perceive God, what that means to me, who I am, and who I want to be. It made me unlock the questions of my spiritual Camino – which is more difficult than the physical journey I’d have to make. That’s why I think that no matter what you know about the Camino de Santiago or if you plan to do it, you can read this book as a completely separate concept. You can think of it as taking a journey inside yourself, asking questions, looking for answers, and exploring your thoughts and beliefs. The final destination doesn’t have to be the cathedral in Santiago. It can be – as it always is – yourself, that you got to know better.

This week’s been so good to me with the books I’ve read and the different joys they brought me, and I’m so excited to talk about them! 😀 After I catch up with my studies this week, I will share more about it.

THE SWEETHEART FIX by Miranda Liasson – a review

THE SWEETHEART FIX

the sweetheart fix
The Sweetheart Fix on Goodreads

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing! I received this title for free and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is just as cozy and sweet as the title suggests. You know how it goes: ”He was a (cow)boy. She was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious?” But will these two have their happy ending after all? Will a woman that has two and a half engagements behind her be able to say ”yes” to a new lover – and stay, this time? And him: will he be able to get over his commitment issues and for once take a relationship seriously and voice his feelings?

This book is so sweet, cozy, family-oriented, and heartwarming. It’s such a light story – perfect for falling-leaves weather! That our two MCs have a thing for each other is a no-brainer from page one, but how (or if) they overcome their obstacles is what we need to wait for and see. And if only it were and outside obstacle, like long distance, work, or whatever, that they have to deal with, but it’s themselves they have to fight!

Juliet is a town sweetheart and a relationship counselor, or at least she tries to be, but her own misfortune in that area kind of gets in the way. Jack is the town mayor and the opposite of Juliet. While she has no problem warming up to people’s hearts and solving any issue like a good fairy, Jack is not exactly a natural, although he is trying! Honestly, this book gave me such Hallmark movie vibes. A light rom-com to watch and relax on a Sunday afternoon, cozied up in a blanket, with a cup of coffee nearby and a vanilla-scented candle on the table, while it’s raining outside.

The book talks about mental health, as well. That annoyed me a bit because I don’t take that topic lightly. I feel like, in this case, it was explored in a shallow way and kind of romanticized. I hate to say it, but it really bothered me. It might not be an issue for others, though!

If you plan to read this book, you should know that it is a part of the Blossom Glen series, but it is a standalone. The other book in the series is The Sweetheart Deal. This title – The Sweetheart Fix – is out November 29th.

MAGIC AND GOLDFIRE by Clare Rushing – a review

MAGIC AND GOLDFIRE

(Thank you to BookSirens! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review of Magic and Goldfire voluntarily.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐

A knight of the sunny court of the south and a royal physician’s apprentice of the cold court of the north join forces as they travel from one kingdom to the other on a diplomatic mission that turns out to be something completely different. That makes their journey so much more important and urgent. Those two young girls play a role they don’t even realize the full impact of, but they have to fight for and through it. Diplomacy, court scheming, usurpers, lies, magic, gods, and destiny, are all thrown at them to deal with as best as they can, and at the same time, they try to figure out their place in this world.


Rainy season and falling leaves call for mythology reading, so a lot of my book choices revolved around that. That’s what drew me to this book. Contrasting silver and gold, fire and ice, and the sun and the moon is how I see the world. The energy that’s in those opposites. That’s the vibe this book gave me. Reading the first part of it, I was reminded of other books I read and adored and I was thinking this book can go on the same shelf as The Bear and the Nightingale and Uprooted. Later it sort of strayed away from that. The beginning was very promising, and I enjoyed it, but I have to say that I also reached a point in the middle of the book where I almost gave it up, because it felt like it was being dragged and the story followed one linear path, from point A to point B, from B to C, but in a way that it didn’t create much space for anticipation. It was just one ”checkpoint” after another as the characters – and we with them – make the journey from one kingdom to the other. Some other elements, like the appearance of some places and characters, didn’t make much sense. It failed to deliver any purpose to the plot or connect the storylines. Other questions, like the magic system, weren’t explained properly in my opinion, but I’m happy to hear that there will be more to this story as this is the first book in The Midenvalle Saga, so there’s more space to develop that. Maybe the other elements, like the mentioned places and characters, will also be more explored, maybe through some flashbacks? I can see that happening.


Whenever I have some issues with the book (that are not huge and objectively problematic issues, but just some minor ones, like with this one), I feel bad about it, because my opinion can affect someone’s choice to read it. I always feel like I’m being too harsh, but I really can’t put this book in the same category as the books that took my breath away.

World Mental Health Day in my world

Mental health

In lights of the World Mental Health Day – that I’m… not late to, because the conversation shouldn’t start and stop on that day – I wanted to share… let’s call it a diary entry, that I wrote in June of this year. I think I’m at that point again, in a way. I can’t seem to get my head in the game and I waste so much energy on feeling guilty for it that I have no energy to actually help myself and change that.

Anyway, here’s what June me wrote in an outburst of energy, before crashing down again: 

It's raining outside. There's not much rain, but the thunder is deafening. It's like the sky opened right above me. And the electricity has gone out. Now I am properly separated from the world, closing myself inside of my college apartment. The phone app said that it's supposed to be sunny, so I don't know where this came from. 
I try to study, but I can't see in the dim light and I use that as an excuse not to do it. I feel the engine failing again. I've been noticing the signs for a while now. 
Music doesn't soothe me. My stomach protests at any sign of food, but I am hungry. It's the middle of the week and I'm drinking coffee that I made yesterday and the sink is filled with dirty dishes and I was supposed to put my clothes to wash and go pay the bills, but it feels more urgent to sit on my couch and stare into the opposite wall and contemplate my empty thoughts... I could also use a shower, but as I sit here, silently screaming at myself to move and get going, the list of chores I create in my head (that I will definitely get to in a minute) goes to the back of my mind, in the garbage can that I could also empty out. While I'm sitting here, my brain sends my body the orders to move, but I'm motionless. Can't even tell if it is my body or my mind failing me. 
A few days ago I wanted to make myself some pasta to eat, but it was only after maybe ten minutes that I realised that I never poured the water into the pot and I did turn on the stove. I could've started a fire.

My coping with emotions and states has always been working. I needed the distraction and that’s what would get me out the void. Although that system isn’t in the slightest a healthy one, it has been my approach for so long and it worked, for the most part. But, this year I reached a point where working couldn’t calm me, couldn’t distract me from the pain, exhaustion, grief, pressure, and eventually, indifference I felt towards where that state could lead. As I’m losing my focus, but still trying to get going, I wanted to share this to, first: be honest and open about this, and second: I want to create a space where we can all dump our weighting thoughts so we don’t carry that much burden in ourselves.

mental health

On language

Language- this is a thought I wrote down one day after coming back from my classes. I keep thinking about it more and more.

I’m just here, drinking my coffee when all of the sudden my eyes are teary and I have to put my glasses down. And what caused that?

Ever since I heard about this topic, I can’t get it out of my mind. And it’s not news, either, I just never gave it much thought. One day, my language could die. One day, my descendants might wake up in a world where they wouldn’t know a single word of the language I use today.

First, here’s some context. I study languages, okay, that’s my biggest passion. I love learning them, I like studying them, analyzing, comparing, just listening, everything. I have this weird tendency to at least look it up and research the basics of the language whenever I hear a new one. That also goes hand in hand with my obsessing over a certain topic or a project I start. I’m just fascinated by languages and I’m angry that I would never be able to learn them all (even though I know that’s quite literally impossible). Anyway, beside all other phobias that I have (and that are not irrational AT ALL – this is not sarcasm), college unlocked a new fear for me – the death of a language. A structure so complex, so unique and fascinating, that is so beautiful and personal, passed down from our mothers, one day simply vanished. The thought of a dying language honesty fills me with sadness. If we try to define it: a dying language is the one that is no longer taught as a native language. That means that it is uprooted from a community to which it belonged, the community it identified.

My language is small, it doesn’t have many speakers and the number is decreasing, and I think for a great period of my life I ignored my language in a sense that I didn’t find it beautiful. I was used to it and used to always compare it to other, prettier languages. Just like my hometown – I never understood why visitors always praised it. Just like my name, that I used to pronounce differently, especially when talking to a foreigner. I adjusted it to sound more global, more… I don’t even know what. No, my name is my identity and so is my language! I am so proud of it and its rich history and the layers of it that trace back so far in the past that it feels like it’s connected to the very first earth there was.

That much power comes with something you can call your own. This is me, this is my name, I can talk about love and power in my own language, I can use it as a code that will unlock for me the secrets of identity, belonging and a force so powerful that no matter where I go, I will never lose it. That’s such a warming thought – that my language will serve as a bridge that will connect me to my home and my people no matter where I am in the world.

And I feel hypocritical not writing this in my language, so here it is. Let me show off all of its beauty and be proud:

Prva riječ bila mi je ”mama”, riječ koja je, mislim, ista na toliko jezika. Zato što je toliko posebna, toliko kao nijedna druga, tako bliska i značajna, ali i zato što je putovala kroz vrijeme i povezivala ljude i bila na usnama tolike djece u različitim trenutcima u vremenu i prostoru. Ona je zlatna nit koja je povezala obitelji i kulture dok nije došla do ovog trenutka danas da je i mi izustimo. I danas nema riječi koja će mi više ugrijati srce. Jer je to moja mama, i njezina slika. I jer je to moja majka domovina i jer je to moja majka – jezik. Moja kolijevka i moje ogledalo u kojem ću uvijek vidjeti svoju obitelj, zajednicu koja me je podigla, mjesto u kojem sam se rodila. Ogledalo koje će biti vrata u upravo onu prošlost u kojoj se moj jezik kovao, a koju ću moći dalje graditi i čiji ću dio i ja biti kada postanem predak koji će položiti sigurnu ruku na ramena svojih potomaka.

Our falcons and thunders will keep our language, because the sounds of echoed in the mountains when we first spoke it.

language

Lugo & Playa de las Catedrales

Saturdays are for ESN trips. This time, we visited Lugo, where we had a little walk around to get to know the area. One of the USC campuses is in Lugo. I wish we had more time to explore the city, but we’ve been dealing with the minor delays all day and we still had to drive from Lugo to the beach later in the day, so we were sort of on a tight schedule.

Lugo

lugo
Casa Consistorial de Lugo

The city was in preparation for the festivities of San Froilán. They were setting up stages, lights and decorations. The festival goes on from 4th to 12th October, so I might persuade someone to go with me to see it.

We took a short walk on the Roman walls, which are a part of UNESCO. According to the UNESCO’s official website,

Roman Walls of Lugo

The walls of Lugo were built in the later part of the 3rd century to defend the Roman town of Lucus. The entire circuit survives intact and is the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe.

UNESCO
On the Roman Walls

Besides walking around this beautiful and quiet city where you can only hear amazing music at the street corners, I also spent some time in a shop next to the Lugo Cathedral.

The shop is called Artesanía Triskel and it says on their website that “La casa de las brujas existe y está en Lugo”. What an awesome introduction! The interior was marvelous, but you’re not allowed to take any pictures.

You can, however, take as many pictures of the exterior as you want, and get some amazing gifts to take home with you.

So, visiting the “house of the witches” and not getting one for luck is definitely not an option! I got myself the Brujita de los Estudios for good luck with my studies 🙂 She’s on my keychain now. Imma name her Catuxa.

Here are some more pictures of Lugo before we head to the Playa de las Catedrales.

Playa de las Catedrales

Seeing the coast of the ocean, tasting the salt in the air and smelling that ocean scent is a literal paradise for me. Playa de las Catedrales and the little wooden walking trail that connects the beaches when you can’t go down there is a perfect place for the artists. Sitting there, being inspired and calmed down by the sound of the waves, finding a little hidden corner for yourself to sit in peace, feel the breeze on your cheeks, soak all that beauty in… I wish I could put that place in my pocket and carry with me so I can go back to it whenever I feel overwhelmed or lost in the rest of the world.

playa

Among many marvels on this beach, we also found this:

Goose barnacle

I first thought it’s a sort of a shell, just there in the wall, but it looked like pincers and I was so intrigued by it, so I googled it, and apparently, these are the gooseneck barnacle. It’s like a crab species, apparently a delicacy here in Galicia, and very expensive.

All in all, it was a beautiful day, I met a new friend, she’s also a Pisces, and we were both so happy to be home, that is – by the ocean. 🙂

Okay, thanks, bye!

LAST OF THE TALONS by Sophie Kim – a review

LAST OF THE TALONS

Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the ARC of this; Last of the Talons book! I received this copy for free and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Always controlled. Always at another’s whims. Whether it be at the behest of the Blackbloods or at the will of the Dokkaebi emperor, I am never anything but a pawn to be moved around the chessboard by another’s hands. I am nothing but a plaything.

Last of the Talons

Every step Shin Lina takes in life is decided by someone else, but if there’s any mistake in the calculation, that misstep is hers to take responsibility for. She carries so much on her shoulders, her literal life is not in her hands. Loss after loss, it’s easy for her to throw herself in the near-death situations – after all, that’s where she danced all her life. So, when the Dokkaebi shows up at the rooftop, the game doesn’t change, the stakes just get higher.

For my loud and messy mind, this book quieted every voice but that of the story in front of me. I know that sounds too dramatic, but I was literally glued to my seat and completely ignored the pain in my back, because nothing could’ve torn me apart from this gem of a book.

I loved the story, was bought by the Korean mythology, stuck around for Lina & Rui’s dynamic. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with this much chemistry between the MCs. The bickering, the teasing…oh, I can’t!

I don’t want to spoil things, but I want to talk about the details in the book, like the eyes and the looks, how you can actually tell every emotion and how the author played with that. The way she portrayed the pain and the grief, as well… genius! And the fact that this is her debut novel… Besties, grab this book! Don’t make me use some Manpasikjeok magic on you!

last of the talons
Image by Susan Cipriano from Pixabay

Anyway, I feel like I haven’t presented the book well enough yet, so here’s some rapid-fire facts about it:

  • ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS, I repeat, ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS
  • amazing story building
  • Korean mythology
  • wonderful dynamic between all characters, actually
  • beautifully crafted backstories
  • flashbacks throughout the story that build up to a crescendo of pain, grief, regret (and empathy from a reader)
  • the DETAILS!!! the subtle moments

Although the story could’ve ended completely where it has now, I hear that there’s a sequel coming, and best believe I’ll be waiting for that one. I am officially a Sophie Kim devoted fan.

Benvida at the University of Santiago de Compostela

This semester is the first one going back to in-person classes at the University of Santiago de Compostela, so, to welcome and motivate their students, the University organized a bunch of activities for everyone’s liking. There were sport events, concerts, picnics, traditional dance classes, presentations and seminars and visits to the museum of natural history and the observatory.

I had classes this week and, since I had to make some changes to the classes I will be attending here, I had to figure out my schedule, but I did visit the museum on Thursday.

University of Santiago de Compostela

The Museum of Natural History of the University of Santiago de Compostela is located in Parque Vista Alegre. Before that, it was moved several times as it was developing. As a museum, it was located in the building of the Faculty of Chemistry and before that in the Faculty of Geography. Before gaining a status of a museum, it was a Cabinet of Natural History that dated back to the 19th century.

Today, it has six exhibition halls. Biodiversity (Galician Terrestrial Biodiversity), Global terrestrial biodiversity and Temporary exhibitions halls are on the ground floor, and Geodiversity, Soil diversity and Marine biodiversity are on the first floor. Btw, the visits are free every first Wednesday of the month, other than that, it’s 3€ for adults, 2€ for under 18, students, teachers, family and retired and 1€ for those with TUI, which is a student ID card at the USC.

Their newest collection is the butterfly collection. I saw a lot of new species (and many of them looked like fairies). Anyway, since I’m not an expert on any of that, I was just admiring the different shapes, sizes and colors of the butterflies.

My favorite halls are Geodiversity and Marine Biodiversity. My friend and I went to the museum together, and we were actually late to the presentation about each of the collections, so we didn’t hear all about it, but the Geodiversity collections were stunning, so interesting to see. I’m really glad we have the opportunity to go visit all that. Also, to think we are able to see a collection of meteors that were once somewhere else in time and space out there, and now they are literally in a museum 15 minutes from where I’m staying is mind-blowing.

After the visit to the museum, we walked through the Parque Vista Alegre, where I finally saw one of these:

El hórreo gallego

This is one of the symbols of Galicia, but basically it is a construction, a barn, where people would keep the food for the animals, built like this to prevent the rodents or the flood to destroy the food.

We collected some chestnuts, some leaves with the pretty colors, and we also met this guy:

Cats are a rare sight in Santiago, btw!

On our way back, we stopped at the store called Casal Cotón, where we tried some candied almonds, this yummy cake called Tarta de la Casa, and Crema de Licor, which is like Baileys, but with less alcohol, and everything was better than the other.

The lady working there was super nice and she told us more about the liquors, what are the most famous, what are each of them made of, how to properly make a toast and what’s the meaning behind witches. There are two kinds, the good and the bad ones. There are some charms to invite or repel them. Also, there’s this plant called “el toxo”, which is very common in the area. There’s a phrase related to it. If someone tells you: “you’re such a ”toxo”! “, they are actually telling you that you are really rude or you are a grumpy person.

After walking around, we finally went to grab some ice cream. We went to this place called Puerta Real and the ice-cream was sooo good! I’ve set myself on a mission to try all the flavours while I’m here.

Okay, thanks, bye!

A Coruña – 10/09/2022

A Coruña

So, last week we had our first trip with ESN. We spent a day in A Coruña, which is a city on the Adriatic coast, north part of Galicia. The city is more than beautiful, I was literally stunned and I wish I could’ve seen more. My leg still hadn’t healed at that point, which made me sit through most of the day.

Before anything, I have to mention the fog  in Galicia. We took a bus to get to A Coruña and at one point I looked outside the window and thought there’s a forest fire nearby. Turns out, it wasn’t. It was just Galician fog mixed with the sunrise (which happens around 9 a.m. here). But the cute little hills we saw after the fog lifted blew my mind. It was literally as if I entered a magical land. Kissed by the morning sun, with the cows out in the pasture and beautiful forests, it was my own version of Arcadia.

We got to A Coruña in what felt like 5 minutes and again I was amazed by the view. I expected A Coruña to be pretty, but I don’t even know how to describe it. I was like a little child, my eyebrows up in my hairline. I really want to go back there to see it all again!

A walk around the city

This is the route we took to get to the Tower of Hercules. It actually took me double the time to get there than the rest of the group because I was limping and that lead to two new problems: muscle soreness and sunburn, because best believe I came there unprepared. We started at the Obelisk, walked the promenade to the Tower of Hercules and finally got to the Riazor beach, where we spent a few hours.

My first time seeing the ocean 🙂

Anyway, it was such a nice walk. And even though my legs were dead, my eyes were fed! Let me show you:

We made a short stop at the Castelo de Santo Antón:

Side note, you need the sunglasses when you go to A Coruña. Can’t go without it. Trust me.

The obvious conclusion is that I am going back there for sure, and this time it will be with no injuries, with sunscreen and a hat!

Okay, thanks, bye!

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