Fourth of July

I usually spend my fourth of July holiday at the beach but this year I went a little further than the Jersey Shore to get to it. Yes, Elizabeth and I finally found a beach on the island of Ibiza after many conversations and a ferry ride. The beach was small but it worked just the same. We laid out all day, indulging in the gorgeous skies, warm clear waters, and fresh fruit.

I'm not sure if it's all European beaches or just the ones we encountered (we ventured to a beach in Portugal too) but the atmosphere seems so much calmer than any American beach I've been to. I'm certainly not complaining; the chill vibes and lack of children (or people in general) were a pleasant change from my normal beach-going experience.

Ibiza and Beaches are NOT Synonymous

So apparently Elizabeth, myself, and the rest of America missed the memo about Ibiza not having a plethora of beaches. It appeared to be common knowledge for everyone in Europe, but for two excited Americans dreaming of endless parties and beaches, we fell a little short on the later.

After finally finding our hotel Elizabeth and I quickly threw on our swimsuits and went in search of the glorious beaches we had been daydreaming about for months. Little did we know Ibiza's idea of a beach is not the same as ours. We walked around the rocky coasts for awhile hoping that we were just "missing" it.

Well my friends, we had no luck finding beaches the first night in Ibiza but we did however find a classic Jokester, catch a free Lenny Kravitz show, watched the sunset on the Mediterranean Sea, and of course made some new friends who we later had a sing-a-long with!

This guy, yes the one dressed in all orange, is one of the best Jokesters I've encountered to-date. He sat on his little area of rocky coast, drinking, laughing and enjoying his "tea" while we starred in amazement from afar.

This super preppy guy ended up making friends with Mr. Jokester after he proceeded to pee into the ocean rather than finding an actual bathroom. These two were quite the show for everyone in the surrounding area--a lot of laughing, drug/alcohol exchanging, and the most hand-motions I've ever seen in one conversation.

We eventually ended up hanging out with some people from Isle of Man, and proceeded to find the most deserted bar on the entire island to have a classic 90's jam session in. Wonderwall and, of course, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song were among the random assortment of songs played.

We never made it to a crazy club or anything but we had just as much fun roaming around and making our own Ibiza memories. But the night did end with some fireworks...

New Music

I am usually sad to see the days of summer begin to dwindle, but this year I couldn't be more excited for fall! September is going to be the start of many great things this year, including: my new job, birthday count downs, and of course new music! Here are a few new albums I can't wait to get my hands on:

Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon (September 3rd)

Field Report - Field Report (September 11th)

Dave Matthews - Away From The World  (September 11th) 

Avett Brothers - The Carpenter (September 11th)

 

David Byrne and St. Vincent - Love This Giant (September 11th)

Band of Horses - Mirage Rock (September 18th) 

Brother Ali - Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color (September 18th)

The Killers - Battle Born (September 18th)

 

Mumford & Sons - Babel (September 24th)

 ♫ Enjoy ♪

Lake House

This past weekend Kevin and I enjoyed some time away from the hustle and bustle of city life to visit his family at their lake house.

Gorgeous skies, clear water, fresh air...the perfect weekend getaway.

Branches

I stumbled upon Branches the other night and immediately fell in love with their "Cover of the Month" series on YouTube. After listening to nearly all of their covers I finally tracked down the Branches bandcamp page and indulged in their three albums (two EPs and a full-length album released early this year). I have since become completely obsessed with their entire catalog, and so should you.

Here are some great covers to get you started:
I Believe In A Thing Called Love (The Darkness)
Skinny Love (Bon Iver)
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes)
Somebody To Love (Justin Bieber)

Now just take the plunge and enjoy all of their fabulous music.


Source: branchesmusic.com

Sights and Scenes from Barcelona

Despite some unexpected rain Elizabeth and I enjoyed multiple days of sightseeing and fun mini adventures around Barcelona...

Even though we only had 3 days to frolic in Barcelona we packed as much fun, adventure and food in as we possibly could. Barcelona, you treated us well and hopefully one day we shall return for more fun and delicious yum-yums.

Highlights of Barcelona:
- Finally reuniting with Elizabeth
- Decadent food
- Watching Spain win the Euro Cup while being in Spain
- Beautiful Gaudí buildings
- Secret castles
- Our wonderful host Jami (who creates gorgeous handmade jewelry) 
- Oh, and using my amazing Spanglish skills once again