Sarah la Viajera
Sarah la Viajera

Life in Spain

37 articles
When you move away from your home country, you oftentimes miss the foods and products you took for granted because you had them close by. Move a few thousand miles away and those beloved comfort foods are either not to be found or a bit too expensive for your taste. This is too true when it comes to American-style breakfasts. Spanish people don’t have the same things for breakfast as Americans or even the Brits do. That’s where Tamara of @mazalbagels comes in. She’s been baking bagels from her apartment in Madrid for over two years but just last month she opened her own shop and café! Being from Philly, she grew up eating bagels with cream cheese or whatever topping she was in the mood to add. It was a couple years in the making but Mazál Bagels & Café (formerly Bruja’s Bakery) became a reality for her in January 2020. If you’re in the area (or you live here) and are ever missing a nice New York style bagel or bagel sandwich, she’s got you covered. 🥯😋 I visited the café on its opening day on January 14th for lunch and as you can see and swipe through, you’ll see I tried one of their fancy bagel sandwiches (a pizza bagel) and was treated to a complimentary slice of cheesecake. 🍰👌🏻 Business has since picked up and the demand for the “best bagels in Madrid” is increasing everyday. You can read more about what they offer both in my new blog post (link in bio) and on their own website. *This is not a sponsored or paid post. I just wanted to share my experience and give this new shop some love!* Do you like bagels 🥯 or do you prefer a more traditional, full breakfast? 🍽 🍳🥓🥤🥑
Happy birthday to the man who always protects, always hopes and always loves with his whole heart. One of the things I admire the most about @andrewrgillan and his relationships is the way he cares for those he cares about. He doesn’t hesitate to lend a hand or even surprise someone with a small yet thoughtful gift. He adds so much life and laughter to any room he walks into. He is truly a blessing not just to me but to dozens of people in his life. I pray that this year you will achieve more goals and see more growth in both our lives. And that we will laugh a ton more as we walk side by side in this journey called marriage. I love you, mi media naranja 🍊😘 #thisis34 #husbandandwife #visitgibraltar #married #botanicgardens #naturelovers #happybirthday #mylove #amor
💙 9-21-19 💜 These past few months haven’t all been filled with romance, roses and happily ever afters. They’ve been filled with small gestures, thoughtful reminders, wee surprises, some stress and bad dreams and sleepless nights but most of all, love demonstrated in new forms. A wee treat 🍫, an extra hug, snuggle or kiss, tidying up when you’re tired, walking home together when it’s late, cold or we’re exhausted (or all of the above), listening with a kind ear and an open heart or even just putting the kettle on after a long, hard day. It’s not the kind of love we started out with but it’s one I’ve grown fond of and have had to learn and express. It’s only been a few months since we started this journey but there’s no other man I’d want by my side. Whether it’s trekking through a beautiful forest behind our wedding reception in 👠 or navigating the streets of Spanish cities together. You are the best media 🍊I could ever ask for. 😘 Sharing some special photos we took in Glenarriff Forest Park in this post by @aaronjeanphotography. And a bonus B&W one from @visitgibraltar that I love. Reception location: @laraghlodge
A moment from our wedding that I was pleasantly surprised to see captured on film back on that gorgeous sunny Saturday when we became man and wife. . . . (How I carefully wiped my lipstick off @andrewrgillan’s lips with a tissue after our first married kiss. 💋🤣) . . . . Nearly five months in, we’ve done a lot of cleaning up after one another but now it feels like we’ve gotten into a rhythm and things are flowing. What’s more is that I look forward to each and every day I get to wake up next to you. 🥰 Side note: this is the first ever black and white photo I’ve posted on my account! 📸⚫️⚪️🖤
About a month and a half ago, I quietly turned 31 without many people realizing it -which was my plan. After about 5 years of making my birthday a big deal or spending it with a significant other, I had a much needed low key birthday. (Personal fun fact: December 16th is 9 days before Christmas. 😜) It was also because I was burnt out beyond belief after a year of wrestling with being 30, planning two wedding ceremonies and not seeing the finished products until I got there, failing oh so very hard, pushing my body to its physical limits and pulling back to forced rest not once but 3 times this past month. But I don’t feel the exhaustion I felt multiple times last year. In the latter part of the year, I found what you see on our faces in these photos: peace. ✨ A peace so deep and so restful that I could lie down and drink from its well. Thank you for being that to me, @andrewrgillan, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse. 😘 #tequieromucho #novios #brideandgroom #wedding #flashback
When someone or somewhere changes your life, you can’t help but spend the rest of your days thinking about it and sharing just how much of an impact it (or they) made on you. Many of you know my first visit to Spain was what changed my life completely at the young age of 21. That was 10 years ago now! My confidence, courage, faith, linguistic skills, my lifestyle and relationship goals and so much more all changed after I lived here for a few brief months in 2010. What perspective I have gained and how I have grown since last decade! And how Spain as a whole has developed and blossomed in the last 10 years. 🌺 I share from time to time what that first stay was like and how the culture has changed in both positive and negative ways. And how it transformed my vision of what I wanted out of life and love. So, in honor of when I first set eyes on the country itself (tomorrow back in 2010), I wrote a post on what the Spanish life was like for someone my age. From Internet cafés actually being in use to finding numerous ways around making a paid phone call to your friends, it was a fun albeit rough time to live in this country. The link is in my bio if you’d like to read it! ✨And now a question: did you live, work or study in Spain in 2010? What did you think of the culture back then? 🇪🇸👩🏻‍💻📚👨🏻‍💻🏃🏻‍♀️🚇 📸: Parque María Luisa (#Sevilla, #España) during my first full weekend in the city. 💕
🎉 Happy Birthday to my oldest friend in the world, Shannon! 🥳✨🎂🥂 As I think back on our friendship thus far, there almost isn’t really a time in my life when I can’t remember you in it. From little girls who played dress up to awkward teens with acne and budding self-confidence and then full grown adult women with college degrees, work experience and hundreds of crazy stories and experiences up our sleeves, we have experienced a lot of life together. To picture you absent from my big wedding day was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to imagine and work through. I’m eternally grateful that you were able to work through a multitude of difficulties and at the very end, be by my side. A delayed then canceled flight aside, not to mention being picked up by a total stranger (Andrew’s pastor) at the airport, riding in his car for 3 hours, taking a nap and then waking up at whatever time it felt to you 😂 and doing both our hair and makeup. 😅👯‍♀️👰🏻 Though I only saw you for what seemed like the blink of an eye (less than 12 hours), I loved having you a part of that day and more so I couldn’t ask for a more godly friend to be by my side through life. You are beautiful inside and out and you deserve the best year possible. I pray that this will be your year to shine, prosper, laugh, live and enjoy the gift of life. 💞 Much love always! 💞
2019 was a year I’d like to forget but it was also a year filled with unforgettable moments. It was also *the* year of introspection and self-reflection for me. I started the year making big life plans: a wedding, a move and crossing from single life (as in living on my own) to married life. There were a lot of things in my heart and path that I had never dealt with before but knew that I needed to. Especially since I was going to join my life with his, my life partner’s. He deserved a better version of myself and one that’s taken over a year to achieve, though I’m still not where I want to be yet. Still, I rose above the extreme self-doubt, worry, negative thoughts, stress, depression, narrow mindset and utter misery and worthlessness I felt at times. I worked through the pressure to please other people, accepted my lack of resources and grieved over the loss of a specific dream I had had for a very long time. But joy comes in the morning. The sun still rises after the darkest night. 🌅 2019 was when it was finally my turn to get married and begin my long-awaited journey with the love of my life, @andrewrgillan. It was also the year I had to fight for what I wanted and who I wanted in my life. It honestly wasn’t the best year I’ve ever had by a long shot, even though it was the year we got married. It doesn’t always happen that way for everyone. However, my prayer is that all the mountains of tears I cried last year will be what water the soil for the blessings that are to come in this new year. Let’s see what you’ve got 2020. I’ve been waiting for you...✨🥂
Merry Christmas / Feliz Navidad from @andrewrgillan and I! This is not only our first Christmas as husband and wife but it’s our first ever Christmas together. 💑 The downside of living far away from home is that you do miss out on being present for holidays, birthdays and other celebrations. Homesickness can creep around the corner and overwhelm you when you least expect it but this is something that comes with the territory. I haven’t been able to be home for Christmas for the last 6 years but I have found pieces of home in the South of France, snowy Slovakia and sunny Spain during the past 5 years. This year is different and I’m so grateful to not only have somewhere new and special to go but a new family to celebrate with for the very first time. It’s been emotional at times and just when I thought old wounds have been healed up, snuggling with an affectionate kitty cat by the fire reminded me just how long it’s been since I’ve spent Christmas with a furry friend. It’s been a very British Christmas with some sun(!), ocean views, turkey, ham, mashed and roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts, stuffing and gravy. And peppermint cheesecake (which I’ve never had before), tea and caramel shortbread squares to top things off. 👌🏻☕️ And last but not least, we ended the afternoon watching a special message from the Queen herself, an annual tradition for many British families. As she said, it’s been a bumpy year and if it’s been that way for you too, I hope you find comfort, peace and joy in this season. 🎄❤️🎁👫🌠