The perfect weekend

So as you can see I've given my blog a little facelift! I've decided to take my blogging a little bit more seriously so expect more posts from now on! This weekend just gone was my last weekend in Porto before I head home for Christmas, so we decided to make the most of it.

On Friday we headed to Rua Santa Catarina, Porto's best shopping street, and had brunch at Café Majestic. It is the oldest Café in Porto, still with its 1922 original furniture. It was traditionally the hang out of artists, musicians, politicians and other intellectuals, and now me :] I had a fabulous breakfast of poached eggs, croissants, fruit, juice and champagne, whilst André went for the lunch of smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches with a selection of pastries and coffee. 

After brunch we headed to Bolhão Market, now I have been waiting to go to this market for weeks! It's Porto's famous market and I have heard so much hype about it! I was walking there thinking "I’m gonna buy a nice bag, some vintage jewellery, maybe a coat"... but oh no, all that was there was flowers, fruit and fish! I was so disappointed I think I actually shed a little tear, I felt like it was my birthday and someone dropped my cake on the floor! However André bought me a beautiful pink rose and walked me back to the high street and told me to get my shop on!

So I roamed around the shops for a few hours trying on this and that and in the end bought a leopard print cardigan from Bershka and a cream blouse from Zara, all this is irrelvant mind you as all i really wanted to buy that day (as everyday), besides a vintage gold charm bracelet from a famous market, was a pair of leather trousers! My hunt for the perfect pair of leather trousers has been going on all season and you know what, I think i'm near the point of giving up! I just hope Santa brings me the perfect pair for Christmas. After about 4 hours of shopping I headed to Breiner house for a goodbye meal for the Belgian girls. They cooked "traditional northern european food", it was strange but kind of tasty I guess! (As i'm writing this I can hear a little Portuguese boy singing what sounds like "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music lol!).

So the next morning/ more like afternoon I was woken up with the promise of a chocolate croisannt aka heaven in a pastry and a trip to THE CIRCUS! I ate my croissant, got showered and dressed and off we went to the circus. I was so excited, I felt just like one of the hundred 6 years olds sitting in the audience. The show was really good and I think both I and the little girl who was sitting next to me, dancing like Shakira the whole way through, have realised that we want to join the circus when we grow up! The circus women were so sexy and cool... and flexible! If only!

After the circus we went out for dinner. Now I am a huge exagerater, however this was definitely the best meal I have ever had in my whole life! André ordered a seafood platter for us which consisted of crab, lobster, prawns, snails, oysters and some other weird sea creatures. I loved every mouthful and when it ended I thought I was gonna die because I was that full! But there's always room for cake :] the cake was a homemade Brigadeiro cake and it was amazing!

After we'd stuffed ourselfs we headed to Breiner for the 2nd time this weekend for the Sexy Christmas Party. I felt bad because I didn’t dress up, but it would look a bit odd wearing a sexy Christmas outfit to the circus and then to a restaurant! The party was really good and all the house made a lot of money! But André and I were super tired so we headed home early and laid in bed to watch the Vampire Diaries. That night I found out some terrible news... ok so my friends know that I'm a bit of an American tv show addict, I love my Gossip Girl, my 90210, my Vampire Diaries, my Keeping up with the Kardashians, my Modern family and so on. It seems that America has a horrible Vendetta against me and all these shows have gone on a I hate Charlotte strike, meaning that they are off my screen until mid-end January! What the hell am I going to do for a month!!! I know its Christmas and I should be spending time with my family and friends who I haven't seen in months, but I need my shows! They're like my crack! :[ so I am a tiny bit depressed.

But let me leave you with an enlightening story...
 

Ok so I was on the Daily Mail website a few weeks ago and saw Frankie Sandford from the Saturdays wearing the most amazing leopard print coat I have ever seen. I tried so hard to hunt this coat down but couldn't find it anywhere! It's like she got it from space or something. Then I went out the other night and saw this Portuguese girl wearing it! But by the time I plucked up the courage to ask her (in Portuguese) where it was from she had disappeared! I was so upset but thought, maybe its fate, maybe I am supposed to be cold this winter (ok so I own like 10 coats, 4 of them bought since I’ve been in Portugal but shhhh). And then last night it happened! We were in a shopping centre to get some dinner (they have restaurants in their shopping centres over here) when from the corner of my eye I see this coat shining in the shop window. It was MY COAT! I've been to like 10 Zaras this month and haven’t seen this coat in any of them, and just by chance we go to the shopping centre that I normally dislike and it's there that I find my coat! Perfect.

Overall my last weekend in Porto was perfect :] 

Love you long time xxx

Wow my last post was on the 26th September... I do apologise for this! This is my attempt to write about 2 months worth of living in one blogpost! Hmmmmm where to start...

So in my last post I told you all a bit about a guy called André...
I am happy to say that when I come back from this year and someone asks me "So what did you do on your year abroad" I can reply "I fell in love" <3

In October André and I made a 4 hour car journey to Évora where we stayed in the Convento do Espinheiro hotel for one amazing weekend. The hotel is an ex-convent converted into a 5 star hotel, it has absolutely everything you could possibly want and need (I'm not gonna lie, I felt like a princess :] ). We were only there for 3 days so we had to make the most of the weekend and drag ourselves out of the hotel complex and into the historical and beautiful town.

On the way home we decided to go via Lisbon for "1 night" and stayed with André's aunt. We ended up staying there for 3 days but had an incredible time. André lived in Lisbon so he showed me around the city local stylee. I love Porto, but if you're visiting Portugal go to Lisbon! It is the most amazing city and has some incredible shops!

I also went to Aveiro with Lindsay and Ania (Breiner house mates) that month. We took the train to the "Venice of Portugal" and had an amazing time. Fair enough there is a canal running through the whole town, but it is definitely not the Venice of anywhere.


In November my mum, sister and younger brother came to visit. We had a really good weekend, even though it rained and was extremely cold! I showed them around Porto and they moaned about the walking!

The weekend after Breiner house had their first official party and it was Kitsch themed (don't ask). Ali and I organised it, and i think we did a pretty good job. People had to pay entrance and for their drinks and the house made a nice bit of money. I really enjoyed it however it didn’t seem very much like a party for me because I was the only sober person out of 400 people in the house and I had to run around with money all night.

                                    


The next party is this weekend and I have decided to step down as chief organiser and enjoy myself this time! Especially because I moved out of Breiner house last week!

Although it was a great atmosphere and I love everyone in that house, André made me an offer I couldn’t refuse... living in a beautifully furnished and warm house rent free. It made sense because I'm always there anyway and I will only be in Portugal for another month and a half.

Last weekend my brother and his fiancé Charlotte were supposed to be flying over for a visit. Unfortunately the snow on their end meant that their flight was cancelled. I was so annoyed because I was not only excited to see them, but also to see Charlotte’s engagement ring :] but it looks like i will have to wait until I go home for Christmas for that!


Last night I went to a party in Vila do Conde at the Forte São João. It was insane, a party in a fort with QUENTIN HARRIS, who is now my favourite DJ ever.

I am returning to England on the 19th December and am really excited. I love being in Portugal but I need a bit of English in my life! Also I cannot wait to hit the shops!  Westfield here I come :]

 
Love you long time xxx