Travel Journal - My Week in Sicily

La Bella Sicilia 💗

Sicily is an island in them Mediterranean, very close to Malta  (around 2 hours by boat or 30 minutes by plane) It's rich in ancient Greek ruins, home to the tallest active volcano in Europe - Mount Etna, and it's capital city, Palermo, has recently been elected the European Capital of Street Food. Those facts do not nearly summerise all of Sicily's beauty and history.

This was not my first time visiting Sicily, as I had been there 3 times before, but something about it makes you want to go back. You'll never get bored of that place, as there's always something
new to discover.

Whereas during all my other visits to Sicily I've been to the north/east region, this time I visited the west part. This includes cities such as Trapani, Erice and Marsala. In my opinion I feel that this part of Sicily is often underestimated when compared to the north/east region and not given as much importance as it should. It may not be the most industrialized area such as having huge shopping complexes, which one will find on the other side of Sicily. But it's beauty and history is rich and intriguing.

I was honestly impressed with the amount of stray dogs there. It made me really sad, especially having adopted a stray from Sicily myself, seeing how they live and how they just want to be loved - as the simplest bit of attention they got made them so happy.

Enough blabbering, lets get to the pictures 💗
Side note - This post is in collaboration with my extremely talented cousin who was with me on the trip and took all the photos used in this post. Follow her on Instagram - Marta Cachia

Talk to you soon,

Janine xo

Journaling

When I was younger, I always had some kind of journal or diary. I just loved the idea of documenting things that were important to me at the time and looking back at them.

Then I kind of stopped for a period of time because I could never comite to them.

Last Summer, I decided I wanted to start a journal, but this time it would be different. 

I made it a journal that had no commitment, meaning I didn't have to write in it daily, weekly or whatever - just whenever I felt like.

That meant that I wouldn't give up that easily and hopefully would stick to it.

It seems to be working as so far I've kept it up for a whole year!

I don't have a million entries but I have a good number.

As someone who suffers from anxiety, I look at my journal as a place where I can express any anxieties I have, whether big or small, without being judged.

It's like a safe haven where I just let everything out, without sugar coating anything.

I feel relieved after I write things down. The problems may not have been solved, but at least I would have got it off my chest

I would encourage anyone to start a journal. It has really helped me during the past year and I love looking back at my old entries and see how far I've come since.

Click here to purchase the notebook I use as my journal :)

Do any of you have a journal? How long have you had it for? 

Let me know in the comments below!

Talk to you soon,

Janine xo

My Beach Essentials

Hi Lovlies :)

The long awaited summer is here! Time to show of that bikini body you've been working so hard for (by binge watching Pretty Little Liars whilst eating a bag of crisps) and head to the beach.

Here are my beach essentials that I always carry in my beach bag.

So you obviously need a beach bag to carry all your stuff in. This one is shocking pink and I think it's perfect for summer :)

A towel is also a must-have

I think sun cream is the most important essential - it protects you from the harmful rays of the sun! Definitely include this in your beach bag, especially if you're spending a whole day at the beach!

A wallet is essential - do I need to explain further?

My bikini is usually not in my beach bag as I'm usually wearing it. This one is from "Jennyfer" and I'm obsessed with the colours.

I always carry a good book with me to the beach. I think the beach is the perfect environment to sit back and relax with a book. This book is by John Grisham and it's called "The Abduction" It's an amazing read :)

I always carry a floppy hat with me when I go to the beach

 1) It protects my face from the sun

2) It's really cute and stylish :)

Call me a child for life- but I always carry goggles with me :) Is it just me?

 It probably is.

Anyone who knows me knows that I always wear sunglasses, whether it's to the beach or out shopping! This pair of stylish sunnies are from "Accessorize" 

I usually keep a small makeup bag with me where I keep some small essentials like these ⇩

In the makeup bag, I usually keep a portable brush & mirror, a pack of tissues, lip balm, a hair tie and this Vitamin E face refresher that I got from "The Body Shop" which is amazing :)

I hope you found my beach essentials helpful! Do you have any essentials that I didn't mention? Drop a comment down below :)

Janine xo