Venice.

We are home from an unforgettable experience! <3

Venice is one of the most beautiful cities that I have had the pleasure of visiting. A lovely weekend away (which was my anniversary present from Davide) in a breathtaking city. 

     As everyone know's Venice is a city on water made up of canals. When we arrived in the train station we had to take a 'water-bus' possibly the strangest thing I have ever heard. A bus in Venice is a big boat (just like the boat you take to the Aran Islands). We passed through the Grand Canal to get to Piazza San Marco (the main Piazza of Venice). We were faced with the most beautiful buildings in our 40 minute "bus" journey. 

      We arrived in Piazza San Marco with our luggage and walked to our hotel which was overlooking one of Venice's beautiful canals. It is very easy to get around in Venice without a boat or Gondola it has plenty of small bridges connecting the streets. 

     The Gondola's are so beautiful but very costly, €80-€100 depending on the time you go for only 30 minutes. We decided we would go on one when we are millionaires because no thank you!! Venice also has taxi's..water-taxi's! They're fabulous mini speed boats with leather interiors and an area to stand and look around at the beauty that is Venice.

     Other than that, it's you and your two legs! Venice is full of creativity, known for the fabulous masks of the carnival and Murano glass. I wanted to buy a beautiful mask but the price on them are very expensive (due to the care put into them whilst being constructed). I ended up getting a hand-made necklace of Murano glass (Murano is an island very near Venice and is part of Venice). If you follow me on my Snapchat you would have seen all the beautiful masks and my glass necklace: @ciaraswalsh 

Below are some of what we got up to:

 Palazzo Ducale/ Doge's Palace

 Outside our hotel

Ponte dei Sospiri

 View from our room

 Inside Palazzo Ducale/Doge's Palace

 Teatro la Fenice

Coat: Jenneyfer

Turtleneck top: Penneys/Primark

Pants: Zara

Boots: Mango

 Museo Correr

Murano

Venice has stolen both our hearts. We plan to return in the future for sure. In the end we had problems getting the water-bus back to the train station so instead of missing our train home we took a water-taxi! We truly felt like James Bond speeding down the grand canal. It was so beautiful watching Venice shrink before our eyes as we drove away.

Love Ciara x

Anxiety and depression are NOT 'Fashion Statements'.

Hi guys today I just want to get something off my chest that's been bugging me for a while now. I could have written a status on Facebook about this but I think this needs a Blogpost.

I know a lot of you have seen that people have began to tell their Anxiety story on Facebook or on their Blog and about how they are trying to battle it. I know recently it's becoming a lot more frequent. But one thing I have seen is people beginning to hate on these people saying it's a "Fashion Statement" or "oh everyone has mental disorders now" or "I feel sorry for people who actually have a mental disorder". When I began to see these nasty comments I was shocked. How could someone just judge another person so harshly on a topic so sensitive? Do you not realise these people are feeling more comfortable now to come out and tell others how they feel? You do know that they make themselves extremely vulnerable when they speak up? I admire every single one of these people for expressing the battles they face! Every story that surfaces helps an extra person because they know that they're not alone.
What happened to everyone saying "it's ok not to be ok"? because now all I hear that it's a "fashion statement"?!
Nobody has the right to tell someone how they should feel. 
Mental health is becoming more common because people are talking more. Who is to say that people didn't suffer 20, 30, 40 years ago? People didn't speak then, mental health was a shocking conversation back then. Our society is evolving and we want to help anyone who suffers from anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, you name it. But now the fact that people are speaking up more doesn't mean others should shun them. WE ARE HUMAN! 

Don't judge someone else just because you don't suffer like them, you don't know how their brain works just like we don't know how your brain works. We are all different. Acceptance of people is not hard. Mental health is not a bad thing. Stop judging, stop bullying, learn to accept people and help people. Be there for people, be kind to people.

Anxiety and depression are NOT FASHION STATEMENTS!

My family comes to Italy!

Hello my lovelies :*

As you may know my Mom and Sister came to visit me in Italy not so long ago. It was so nice to have them here because I missed them a lot. I've been living in Italy for 2 and a half months now, don't get me wrong, I love Italy with all my heart but having some family around me made me so happy. They flew into Bologna and they stayed with me for the first three days and after we got a train to Rome for the following six days. 

Just like every time I travel to Rome I feel a sense of home, which was heightened when Mom and Ráichéal entered the city with me. Mom was in Rome last year but I could see that Ráichéal fell in love within the first few minutes. I still remember the first time I saw this city so I know exactly how Ráichéal felt when she felt its magnificence and beauty. 

We visited a lot within these six days, including the Colosseum, The Roman Forum, The Trevi Fountain (which had been finally completed after being under reconstruction for the last two years), The Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica, The Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo and so much more.

 Colosseum

 Trevi Fountain

 Piazza Navona

 Pantheon

 The Roman Forum

 Piazza del Popolo

 St. Peter's Basilica

 Vatican Museums

It did take a while to get back to normality after they travelled back to Ireland. I was without them for over two months and being back with them felt so great. I felt very homesick after they left. But I will be home for Christmas time so only a few more weeks until I get to see my whole family and friends! :)

Chat soon my dear,

Love Ciara x

1 year at Savini

I'm back!

Just back from a lovely trip to Rome with my mom and sister (more on that later) which delayed my ability to upload this post; Our 1 year anniversary at the Savini Restaurant in Milan.

It was a magical night. We decided to dress up a lot for this occasion because we love an excuse to dress elegant. :) Our apartment in Milan was right next to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, so we decided to dine in the fabulous restaurant called Savini. We were greeted courteously upon arrival and were seated in a cosy area. Our meal? Outstanding! The Chardonnay was one of the best I've tasted and we both ordered a plate of the famous Costoletta alla Milanese also known as Cotoletta. Our taste buds were in heaven! We then raised our glasses to an amazing year together and wished for many more incredible years. 

After our meal we had a lovely walk around the centre of Milan. An unforgettable night. <3

Here are some photos of our night, including outfit details:

Coat: Jennyfer

Dress: Zara

Shoes: Zara

Bag: H&M

Jewellery: Coco & Sparkles

I can't wait to share about my time with my mom and sis!

Love Ciara x