Camino Ignaciano Part 1: Loyola

As many of you know, at the end of June I set off to begin the Camino Ignaciano, which is a pilgrimage following the footsteps of St Ignatius of Loyola beginning in Loyola (naturally) and ending in Manresa (near Barcelona). Ignatius is the founder of an order of Catholic priests called the Jesuits, which are founders of many famous universities like Georgetown, Marquette, Loyola of Chicago, Santa Clara, etc.

I plan to share some photos and experiences of the trip in the next few posts. Some places (like Loyola) will be obscure, but hey, it was part of my camino experience :P

I flew into Barcelona about half a day earlier than my classmates (yes, I got school credit to do this!) and spent the evening re-packing my pack and finishing preparations for the scheduled posts that were shared. 

Once we were all in Barcelona, we took another flight to Bilboa - which I had never heard of (woops). We were barely in the city, but we did get to see this giant flowery dog (not bear) in front of the Guggenheim. And who doesn't like giant flowery animals, amiright?

From there we took a bus to Loyola, where Ignatius was born. 

We spent 2 days touring Loyola before beginning our official walking. Loyola is a fairly small city, but if you are at all interested in the Jesuits and Ignatius, there is a lot to see and do. And even if you are not interested in that particular history, the town is very beautiful and was a lot of fun to just walk around. The streets are narrow and beautiful and lined with quaint little bakeries and boutiques. It was quite a change from bustling Barcelona, and I greatly enjoyed my time there. 

Typical of Europe, Loyola's basilica was absolutely stunning. It was literally right next to the hotel where we stayed and also connected to the home where Ignatius grew up. (I'll spare you the photos of the room in which he was born, healed from a canon to the leg, etc.)

I mentioned before, but the scallop shell is a common symbol for pilgrimage, in particular the Camino de Santiago. All along the way (photos to come) there we scallops pointing the way to Santiago and hidden in many forms of art. 

And one more, just for fun :)

Peace,
Sarah

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Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm finally settling into my Italian home for the summer and have been shamelessly browsing the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and thought I would share some pieces that grabbed my attention. This sale is probably my favorite of the year because it includes so much fall clothing!

I'm sitting here in the beautiful, Italian summer and Nordstrom has me aching for the Ohio fall. Oy. I can't help it though, I am a sucker for all things autumn - pumpkins, hay rides, colorful leaves, the smell of fall, etc. It's also my favorite season for clothing - riding boots, booties, oversized sweaters, plaid... did I mention boots?

Anyway, back to the sale. Here is an outfit I put together with some of the pieces offered. It's fairly casual, but still fashionable (in my opinion).

A good quality plaid shirt is a must for fall. You can dress it up with a pencil skirt and pumps, or wear it casually with some skinny jeans and booties. I especially love the cool colors of this one since most of my plaid is in the warmer color pallet. Throw on an oversized cardigan if it's chilly, plus some golden accessories and you are good to go. The pumps with the jeans would also be a nice, feminine touch, especially for a date night.

In addition to what is pictured, I'm also in love with these scalloped flats in teal, this dress and this jacket.

Decisions, decisions... We still have some time though. The sale is currently only open to Nordstrom members right now (which I am not), but will open to everyone on July 17-August 2. But act quickly as many things are already low in sizes!

And now I'm trying to develop a plan of how to have it delivered in the US without sitting at my front door for a month...

Gotta love a good sale! What are some things that caught your eye this time around?

Peace,
Sarah

(The images below are links to the items from my collage. I couldn't get the boots to show in the correct color and many of the items are available in multiple colors!)

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Summer in Italy

Hey, I'm back! Well, sort of...

After 2 weeks of hiking through Spain, our Ignatian Camino ended with a 3 day stint in Rome for a little more walking (oy) and a very small amount of touring. The trip was one of the most challenging things I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding and I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

I have LOTS of photos to sort through and stories to share, so stay tuned for some new posts including reviews of what I packed for the journey. 

In the meantime, here's a clue as to what the rest of my summer will look like. 

Name that circa 1999 movie:

(Clearly I am a photoshop genius...)

If you guessed the adorably cheesy classic, Au Pair, you are correct! For the rest of the summer, I will be living near Genoa, Italy and working as an au pair (live in nanny) for an Italian family. I am so excited for this next adventure and am sure I will have tons to share as this new chapter unfolds. 

Thanks for continuing to stop by (especially since my posts have been so scarce lately)!

Peace,
Sarah

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Camino: What I Packed

Packing for this trip has been a real point of anxiety for me. I am a chronic over packer who likes to be prepared for just about anything. However, because we are hiking through Spain, we had to be able to fit all of our belongings in our packs on our backs. To add to that, it’s recommended that your pack only weigh about 10% of your body weight. Mine ended up coming in at 14.1 lb without water in my water bottle, so it should be right on the money. It would have been even lighter, but I am committed to bringing my DSLR. Hopefully my photos will be worth the extra weight…

Here is what I packed:
(Keep in mind that we plan to do laundry multiple times on the trip and I also plan to share sunscreen and detergent.)

• Three 2 Tanks (I ended up taking out the pink spaghetti strap top because I noticed on my walk around the airport that my pack straps were a little irritating on bare skin.)
• 2 Tee Shirts (one for sleeping)
• 4 Pairs of sports shorts

I really focused (and even went out to get a couple more) on loose, comfortable fitting materials. I have t-shirts that I like to wear or run in that I knew I would not want to hike in. Make sure the clothes you choose are easy to wear and hopefully will dry quickly too.

• 1 light weight dress 
• 1 cardigan to wear over the dress if necessary in certain sites we visit

Toiletries:

Nothing too out of the ordinary here (soaps, toothbrush and paste, deodorant, hairbrush, etc). I was lucky to have a few samples of hair care products from birch boxes that were slightly lighter than other travel ones. I made sure to bring a cheap, light razor rather than a heavier one. If I had thought of it sooner, I probably would have bought a smaller brush from the travel isle at Target. I know it sounds silly because the regular size probably doesn't weigh that much more, but the ounces add up.

Misc.

• Buff (it’s a wider headband that will hopefully help keep my hair off of my face and keep me less sweaty)
• Sunglasses
• Headlamp
• Water bottle
• Journal (small moleskin) & pen
• Light weight towel and wash cloth (from Amazon)
• Small first aid kit   the group is bringing a legit first aid kit to share so I left this guy behind.
• Misc. meds - pain killers, tums, and my trusty inhaler. 

Not pictured:

• Sleeping bag (we are staying at hostels and could pay for bedding, but that adds up $$)
• Camera (Nikon D3100)
• iPhone
• Baseball cap
• Undergarments and socks (about 5 of each)
• 2 pairs of spandex to help reduce chaffing (cute, I know)
• Sandals for shower time and giving my feet a break

Looking at it in list form, there is a surprising amount for such a light weight. I suppose the shoes don’t really count since they’ll be on my feet. It also helps that gym shorts and tank tops aren’t heavy.

After the Camino is finished I will be sure to let you know what works and what doesn’t. I’m sure I’ll learn some tips from my companions along the way too.

Peace,
Sarah

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25.

Well, it’s official… I’m a quarter of a century old. The big 2-5. Veinticinco.

No, I can’t believe it. And yes, I do feel old.

I know I shouldn’t because in the grand scheme of things 25 is still so young, but it still feels weird. It’s weird to me that I’m going into my 3^rd and final year of graduate studies (and hopefully school forever!) and it feels weird that I haven’t lived at home for 7 years. The majority of my friends are married and having babies and while I know I’m no where near ready to settle down, I’m starting to feel like I’m supposed to too – which, let me tell you, is no fun.

25 does have a lot of good qualities though. For instance, I can rent a car – and that’s about all that’s new haha.

If I’m being real though, I have been incredibly lucky and blessed these past 25 years. I’m constantly reminded by friends and family about how many wonderful experiences I have had before turning 25 and their reminders keep me grounded.

This year, my birthday will be spent smack dab in the middle of my Camino and I couldn’t be happier about it. Cheers to backpacking through Spain on my 25^th birthday and all of the adventures that lay ahead of me now that I’m old(er).

Peace,

Sarah

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Buen Camino

For the next 2-3 weeks posting will be fairly slow here on Simply Sarah. Thirteen other classmates and I are about to begin a long backpacking trip through the Basque region of Spain on a pilgrimage called the Ignatian Camino. In a nutshell, it’s a journey walking to various significant sites from the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola who founded an order of Catholic priests called Jesuits. Both of my undergraduate school and graduate school are Jesuit schools and my year in Alaska was with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, so it will be something to visit these places I’ve been learning about for the past 7/8 years. The Jesuits have a deep emphasis on immersing oneself into different cultures and contexts in order to be educated on root causes of social injustices. Their passion and commitment to social justice is what sparked my own passion and pushed me on the career path I’m on today.

We will begin walking in Loyola, Spain on June 26^th (my mom’s birthday!) and end in Barcelona around July 8^th (my grandpa’s birthday!) which is when we will fly to Rome for 3 extra days. I’m very excited, but also pretty nervous.

Here is a map of the Camino Ignaciano for those interested:

Needless to say, my access to internet and free-time will be limited, especially with how exhausted I will likely be. I have a few posts already lined up to share, so hopefully they will keep y’all interested and following ;)

Feel free to message me with questions! I can’t guarantee when I will be able to answer, but I can promise that I will answer!

Peace,
Sarah

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Red Sundress

Every time I wear this sundress I can't help but get Kip Moore's, "Something Bout a Truck", stuck in my head. If you haven't heard it, it's a country song (don't hate me, I'm a country fan) that was fairly popular a few summers back. In the song is the line, "something bout a girl, in a red sundress..." which was circling my head all day.

I think it's pretty obvious why the song pops into my mind when I'm wearing this bright red beauty. I bought it and my braided turquoise necklace at Charming Charlie last summer and still can't get enough. Did you know they sell clothes?! I typically have problems with high-low dresses being to short in the front, but this one has enough material to stay on the appropriate side of sassy. The dress isn't in stock any more, but I did find some other great red sundresses to keep the sun on your skin and Kip Moore playing in your head - unless you don't like country... ;)

Dress: Charming Charlie (more options below)

Shoes: b.o.c (exact in black)

Wallet: Target (exact)

Necklace: Charming Charlie (exact)

Rings: Old Navy - in store only  (similar)

Earrings: Old Navy - in store only (splurge)

Sorry for the sporadic posts this week/weekend, I'm in the process of packing up and cleaning my apartment along with packing for my European backpacking trip. Woof. There's a lot to do before Wednesday and my head is spinning in every direction. I do have some fun ideas for new posts that should be coming soon though. Thanks for your patience!

Peace,

Sarah

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