Food, glorious food (and a bit of exploring)

Hello all,

Today's post will be an ode to Food. I'm continuing to post pictures of our one-day journey from Hersonisos to the western coast of Crete.

The first stop of our little trip was...obviously... the beach. We went to some random beach near the city and spent there a lovely hour swimming and sunbathing, but our next stop was an ancient city of Rethymno. It has a very pretty Venetian port and a picturesque center with knick-knack shops and little lovely boutiques. We were told by our friends that we definitely had to try fresh seafood and fish from the port in Greece, so we thought that Rethymno port was ideal for a nice romantic meal.

See those lovely restaurants in the port? Yess, we're going in!

We ordered a jumbo prawn, some squid for a start and a grilled dorado fish with fresh weggies for a main. It was so good! I have no words to describe how amazing it was. You might think that it's such a touristy place and it's so expensive to eat in the port, but as we didn't find anything else as nice, we had a lovely meal.

By the way, as you are eating, the fish in the sea is waiting for you to throw some food in the water. I did so with a piece of potato and caused a real battle, so cool! We even put our go-pro camera into the water and made some underwater shots of the fish:)

See you all,
xxx

Chrystal clear waters of Kournas

Hi there,

It's been a while again, I know. Today I have some pictures and impressions about an amazing phenomenon - Kournas lake. It's  the only freshwater lake in Crete.

Here are some geographic facts that might be interesting to know and get an impression: lake Kournas is relatively small, with a maximum length of 1,087 m and a maximum breadth of 880 m. It covers an area of 579,000 sq. m. and is generally shallow, 22.5 m at its deepest point, while it lies approximately 20 m above sea level.

We drowe there almost randomly after we had an amazing and super filling seafood meal at Rethymnon, which I'm definitely showing in my next post. To get to the lake you have to turn left away from the sea and go by a weird country roads with barely any signs, but it's so worth it! You park the car, go down the hill with multiple pottery and souvenir shops and taverns and there you have it - an amazing view of the lake surrounded by green mountains. It's absolutely breathtaking to see something like that in Greek landscapes. It reminded me a bit of continental Europe (ignoring the fact that it was 34 degrees).

We took a little catamaran for 7 euros and went to the center of the lake. I was fascinated by the color of the water! The camera doesn't translate it well, it's even more blue in real life that on the shots! And you can see the bottom even almost in the center of the lake!

A little go-pro shot of us driving to Kournas all fancy and adults :)

Our little transport for an hour. It was so cool, such a lovely afternoon to take a little boat trip along the lake

Amazing chrystal clear water surrounded by mountains..

In real life it was all so bright, colourful catamarans, azure water and blue sky, sunshine and deep green olive trees, so impressive!

It's definitely not translating well the color, but imagine it's almost 20 meters deep

And finally a little shot of me, why not?)

To be honest, the best way to explore this region is to come for an hour or two to make a little catamaran trip - there's nothing else to do apart from eating in a pretty touristy tavern and sunbathing on the beach, but it's definitely a place to see once in your life.

xxx

White and blue beauty. Santorini

Hi! Today I'd like to share with you all the amazing landscapes of Santorini that I was able to see on this tour to Greece.

As we went to Crete I really wanted to go to Santorini for a day, as it's not that far away - only 2.5 hour trip on the ship. So we paid for the excursion and went on august, 11th.

After getting to Santorini we went on a guided bus tour to Oia, the prettiest town of the island, then to the capital Fira and a black volcanic beach.

Santorini is the most extraordinary island in the Aegean. You sail into a strange, enclosed sea, shut off by the Burnt Islands. The volcanic cliffs of Santorini are red, brown or greenish, surmounted by a string of white villages. It is rather like a model of a monster's jaw made by some infernal dentist; a sinister and alarming place, like nowhere else.

I would say that it's true that "you either love it or hate it", and I definitely love it. Oia is exaclty like I've imagined it - pretty as a picture. It was super hot, like about 40 degrees C, but it's definitely worth seeing at least once. I'd like to have a wedding photoshoot there some day...

Santorini, as I assume, is the best place for shopping in small boutiques and tiny little custom shops for pretty but expensive and well made things like this jewellery. Greece is famous for gold and silver jewellery btw.

Loads of people but so worth it!

I would really like to come back when the season just starts (or ends) in may or october, when there's no such a crowd for a couple of days just to explore the small boutiques, enjoy one of the best sunsets in the world and relax. Oh, and make a wedding photoshoot of course :)

Greece sunny days

Эй, ребята!
Это было время, но я стараюсь, чтобы вернуться на правильный путь с должности. В середине августа я и мои друзья отправились на отдых в Грецию. Мы пошли к Creta остров. Это был мой второй раз там, но сначала для мальчиков, поэтому мы пошли в клуб-отель в стиле бунгало с удивительным и милые цветы вдоль прогулки. Я любила его очень сильно, хотя я был в большом количестве отелей, как этот.

Это первый раз в долгое время, когда я пошел с моими друзьями и не только с моим парнем, так что это было весело. Мы арендовали машину, отправились в круиз на Санторини, исследовал некоторые дикие пляжи и бар улиц в пару городов.

Далее я буду размещать некоторые фотографии и запечатлеть самые интересные моменты поездки, в частности, нет порядка.

How can you NOT take a selfie on the vacation??

Can we just take a moment to appreciate it??....

I would say, the GoPro is DA BOMB!

Our hotel was really very good (Not taking into consideration a really awful wifi)

TMI Tag

Hey there!
I´m probably on vacation in Greece now, but as I still want to post some interesting stuff while I'm away and I don't have access to good wi-fi I scheduled this TMI tag to go up. I'll be posting some amazing Greece pics when I come back for sure!

1. What are you wearing? I'm rocking a black and while look today. I'm in my Zara snake print espadrilles from last year, white Diesel skinny jeans, black loose T-shirt from Abercrombie and I carry my black small Michael Kors bag.
2. Ever been in love? Yes!
3. Ever had a terrible breakup? Not really.
4. How tall are you? 175 sm.
5. How much do you weigh? Less than I should but more than I think I should. 
6. Any tattoos? Nope!
7. Any piercings? Earings (1 in each ear). And I'm still hesitating on getting my belly button pierced.
8. OTP (I include celebrities)? Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield, Kate and Prince William, Carrie and Mr.Big. Nothing else comes to mind.
9. Favourite show? Sex And The City, New Girl, Suits, True detective, House of cards
10. Favourite bands? Some russian ones, some old latin music. I'm not really a passionate music listener, so I just like what's on the radio and some old things from school.
11. Something you miss? I miss my grandma who lives near Japan in Vladivostok far far away, my friends from Ireland, freedom that I had in the Uni..
12. Favourite song? Favourite song ever is "La valse'd Amelie" in instrumental. I wish I could dance to it on my wedding one day
13. How old are you? 23
14. Zodiac sign? Aquarius. Don't really know what that actually means in my life.
15. Quality you look for in a partner? I like caring and respectful people with sense of humor.
16: Favourite Quote? "In the end we regret only the chances we didn´t take"
17: Favourite actor? Emma Watson, Emma Stone, Blake Lively, Mattew McConaughey, Leonardo DiCaprio
18: Favourite color? Black, navy, cream and burgundy
19: Loud music or soft? Loud when I get ready and soft in the car 
20: Where do you go when you're sad? It depends... Either I go home and do some productive stuff or I go away and walk alone.
21: How long does it take you to shower? Something between 10 to 15 minutes and about the same to moisturize and do some after shower stuff
22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Usually around 40 minutes to an hour. I don´t like rushing and I prefer watching some YouTube or series when I get ready, so it takes some time. But when I need to be quick I can go out the door in 20 minutes after I get up.
23: Ever been in a physical fight? Um, probably yes, with my cousin when I was younger. We used to scratch each other with fingernails and pretend that didn't hurt when we had a fight. 
24: Turn on? Funny and flirty guys that like me, sexy hands from elbow down, tall guys
25: Turn off? Smelly guys, zits, generally not neat guys. 
26: The reason I joined blogger (instead of YouTube)? I used to watch a lot of YouTube videos of some beauty gurus, and as I don't have time to start my own channel, so I've decided to do blogging. 
27: Fears? Insects, bugs, snakes, ilnesses and something happening to my friends and family. 
28: Last thing that made you cry? Some personal emotional crisis.
29: Last time you said you loved someone?  To my boyfriend something like an hour ago
30: Meaning behind your Youtube/Blogging Name? Tosura - that's how my mom calls me at home.
31: Last book you read? Memoirs of a geisha (I know I'm too late on track)
32: The book you're currently reading? By a russian author Ovchinnikov about Japan
33: Last show you watched? True detective. A bit creepy, super professionally made, OBSESSED.
34: Last person you talked to? My coleagues at work
35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? My bf
36: Favourite food? Sweets (almost ANY sweets), burgers, basically I'm a foodie. 
37: Place you want to visit? New York, Bali, Maldives, Amsterdam, LA - loads...
38: Last place you were? I went to my favourite cafe for lunch, but far away - on The Golden Ring of Russia in Suzdal.
39: Do you have a crush? Yes
40: Last time you kissed someone? On sunday
41: Last time you were insulted? Today I've had a fight with my bf about coming to his place for going abroad.
42: Favourite flavour of sweet? Chocolate
43: What instruments do you play? None!
44: Favourite piece of jewellery? My new diamond pendant from Tiffany, my Gucci pendant. They are like spiritual for me.
45: Last sport you played? I don't do sports, but I go to the fitness class every monday and wednesday.
46: Last song you sang? No idea.
47: Favourite chat up line? none
48: Have you ever used it? nope
49: Last time you hung out with anyone? On sunday - we met with 3 of our friends and went to the river to seat down and chill
50: Who should answer these questions next? Whoever wants to :) 

My Pandora bracelet

Hi there!

Today I'm going to show you my Pandora collection. Initially, I didn't want the bracelet, because Pandora is Huuuuuge in Russia and EVERYONE has it. Even in my office five girls have their bracelets. Mine was a gift from my boyfriend's parents for my Uni graduation, so I didn't choose anything from the start. I've had already different stages in my relationship with this bracelet from denying to buy it to getting slightly bored of it through some serious obsession.

My bracelet is from black silver, a lot bigger than my wrist, because I didn't choose it. I can even put it on without opening the clasp, and it's got even bigger after I put all my charms on it. I wanted to buy a new one in my size or exchange this one in Ireland (you can't exchange jewellery in Russia by law), but as it was a gift I didn't have a bill and so I decided that I loved it anyway, so I didn't bother doing that.

It came with 4 different charmes picked up by my boyfriend's parents. They were all new from the summer collection of 2013 (I guess)..

So I got these ones from the start:

I have two of these, but I took them off and I almost never wear them, cause I prefer my bracelet to look neutral

I don't have too many of the charmes, and I don't have any specific rule of purchasing them either. Some of them are gifts, some of them are meaningful to me, some of them are brought from abroad. I'm definitely not that kind of person who prefers only the ones that mean something. 

Next one I got was this one. I bought it in Dublin when I was visiting my best friend Oksana. I chose the one that reminded me a lot of Celtic culture.

Then when I returned home I got this one from my boyfriend just because he loves me and he wanted to do something nice. And it was a summer collection and after browsing the internet a lot I just decided that I really liked this one. 

Next was this one, that I got from Palma de Mallorca. I bought it and brought to the hotel in a fancy paper bag that they give you, but then I realized that it was the wrong one with the words "Mum" on it, so I had to go back to Palma and exchange it.

Then I had a break in buying myself the charmes for a couple of months, but as my friend and I finished a seasonal work at the Flower Expo in Moscow we decided to buy ourselves a meaningful flower-y thing. I bought this one.

It's probably one of my most favorite ones. 

Then on Christmas time my boyfriend's parents went to Prague as they always did, so they came back with these two adorable Christmass-y things. I don't wear the bells that much just because I personnaly consider them quite chunky for the bracelet. But anyway, I love them both.

After that I got a bit bored with the bracelet and I don't wear it as much (at least not every day), but I still get some charms for it, but mostly meaningful ones.

This one I got in Rome where we went on our 6-year anniversary. Totally Rome one. I purposly didn't buy the Colosseum one, just because it's too touristy, I think.

This one's a bit uncomfortable to wear because it has some sharp and pointy bits that can be stuck in clothes, but I just love it anyway

The latest addition to my collection was brought to me from France by my parents. These two things were the first ones that my parents gave me and the heart is my faaavorite of them all. The kitty was chosen by my dad, so I love it a lot. 

And finally here are some pics of my Pandora

I don't wear my Pandora every day and It's a little bit too big for me, but I love it and I think I'll keep up with my collection.

xxx

Recent beauty purchases in Rive Gauche

Hi there!
Today I´ve been to Rive Gauche which is a huuuuge beauty store (something between a departament store and drugstore) which has everything from Jo Malone to Maybelline and have bought some beauty stuff. Even knowing that I'm going on vacation on friday and I need to keep all my money safe and secure I still got quite a bit. I've asked my mom for a discount card and went exploring.

I know, it's not a lot of stuff, but you have to treat yourself, right?

1. l'Oreal Perfect match "le correcteur" concealer. I'm pretty sure that it has another name in Europe and States, but whatever. I've gone for a color number 3, since I go for this in a lot of brands. It says that it's "super blendable perfect concealer" so we'll see how it goes. I've been using my MaxFactor for years now and I haven't find anything better. Probably this one can be. (332 RUR or 7 EUR or 9.5 USD)

2. Two ESSIE nail polishes. You still don't know, but I'm OBSESSED with nail polish. I even prefer doing mani/pedi myself rather than going to the salon. Sooo... The first one is "Not just a pretty face", which is a repurchase. My mom loves this color and she uses it every single time she paints her nails, so she's used up an entire bottle. Lucky her.. I have so many polishes that I'll never ever use up not even one. And to add to my collection I've bought a "cute as a button" one. Initially I went to buy a "tart deco" which is a salmony-peachy shade, but I saw it and found out that it looked super similar to one I already owned. Anyway, this one is a "jelly" finish warm pink that I'm excited to try. (337 RUR or 7 EUR or 9.5 USD each)

3. Clinique Quickliner for eyes in the shade 03 roast coffee. It's a twist-on eyeliner with a blending nib on one end. I have this one in black, but this is in brown and it's allergy tested and fragrance free which is always good. (735 RUR or 15,5 Eur or 20,5 USD)

4. Strengthening nail polish remover from Sally Hansen. This is an old favourite of mine, just cause it's easy to use, it's from a "professional" brand and it's promising some strengthening effect. I buy these bottles every once in a while because they are quite big and handy to always have at home. (179 RUR or 3,7 Eur or 5 USD)

5. Garnier moisturizer for brightening the skin with SPF 20. This was an impulse buy and since I'm going away and I'll be exposed to the sun for 10 days I've decided on one with an SPF in it. I don't have any simple moisturizer so I've bought this one to try. They say it's a good makeup base and it's suitable for sensitive skin. (190 RUR or 4 Eur or 5.3 USD)

What's on my desk at work

Hey guys!
This is my first ever blog post, and I want it to be simple and fun for you. As creating a blog was an impulse desicion (although I've been thinking about it for a long-long time wathcing Zoella, FleurDeForce and other girls on YouTube) the topic is super random.

As you may already know from the "about me" info, I'm working as a project manager in a PR company making campaigns for Innovative companies of Russia. It sounds so posh, but our office is pretty small and home-like, so to make my desk more fun I've decided to jazz it up a little with some girly bits and bobs.
Sorry for the quality of the pictures, again, it was a spontaneous desicion to set up my blog today.

Here's an overview of my desk area. Pretty girly, huh?

I am a pretty organized person in general and I hate damaging nature, so I don't print a lot of stuff that always clutters the desk space, so my work surfaces are always pretty clean and empty. And I don't know if it's just me but I hate pens - I prefer a good thin mechanical pencil instead. And, of course, loads of notebooks with all the important data. The grey one is more personal, there I keep all my ideas, things that I want to try etc., and the one behind is a working one, where I write all my to-do's and phone numbers or I take it to the meetings with me. 

The mug. No. THE MUG! I just looove it. This is a 0.5 liters mug from a Disney Store in Palma de Mallorca. We actually bought two on our trip last year, but my boyfriend doesn't use his one yet. Probably we'll use this mugs as a pair when we move out together. Who knows. 

A teddy is a random gifr from my boyfriend and as I have so many at home I decided to bring this one here. It doesn't even have a name, which is kinda weird for me. The badge on it was given to me by a colleague. It's made and sold for charity in Saint-Petersburg. And it's so cute. The Father Dog from Peppa Pig was brought to me from London by my boss, and the heart magnetic cardholder was a gift for my birthday from one of my colleagues. I don't like to put personal photos at work, so I've just printed a letter A to fill it in. 

I got this red diploma for being active at one of the most difficult projects I had here, the NNN thing stays with me from my journalist past. The card with two bears and a flowers sticker on the picture were "be my Valentine" cards and I still keep them on. Don't know why. I used to change the big picture all the time printing an image correspondant to the season or holiday, but once we had to print our photos for a celebration so it stays there. This is my graduation from the Uni in 2013. On top of it I keep a paper feather that I carved when I was completely bored and a badge from an event. I have an entire drawyer at home filled with badges. Love them. 

This is my little Kinder Surprise Belle that randomly stays on the wall. A bit silly but I like her. 

A pretty basic black thing but the most important is what's inside. Yep. Plastic airplane set of cutlery. I've always thought that the peope who take them home are weird. Not any more. And... Yes. I have a gigant screw just sitting there. I've no idea where it is from but I just keep it. For emergency reasons hah.

Hope that you've enjoyed my first post. Please make sure to let me know about my mistakes, because I talk a bit better then I write. English isn't my first language. And even the second. My second one is Spanish by the way.

Enough rambling,
xxx