Travel Archives - Page 29 of 40

#TBT | Italy – Milan

November 20, 2014

This week’s #ThrowBackThursday is Milan! We stayed in Milan for 3 nights. Our hotel wasn’t all that – we found it on Priceline – it was okay. I liked Milan but to be honest it was not my favorite. If I could get a do over I would stay the 3 nights in Venice and take the train for a day trip to Milan. I could spend days in Venice and never get tiered! Milan however was uneventful for me – the only thing I over was the Cathedral and the window shopping.

Italy

#TBT | Italy – Florence

November 13, 2014

This week’s #ThrowBackThursday is Florence, Italy. Florence was the second city my sister & I stayed in during our Italy trip in May 2009. We stayed at Hotel Palazzo Ricasoli for 2 nights. This was the same hotel I stayed at when I was in Florence in 2007 on my high school senior trip. I loved the hotel and the location that we just booked the same place – it was walking distance from the Florence Cathedral.

Italy

#TBT | Italy – Rome

November 6, 2014

I have been blessed to travel to Italy twice. My first trip was part of my high school spring break trip which we went to Florence & Rome. The scone time to Italy was with my sister in May 2009. This was the first ever trip my sister and I went on together as “adults.” I planned the entire trip and we both had a blast! We spent 10 days in Italy – 3 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Florence, and 3 nights in Milan. Today’s #ThrowBackTravel is Rome!

Once we arrived we checked into our hotel – which was a bed & breakfast walking distance from the Colosseum. Day 1 Itinerary included walking the Roman Forum, visiting the Colosseum, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I should add that we happen to have family in Rome and they spent the day with us and took us to all these lovely local places. It was a lovely first day in Rome!

Day 2 began at The Vatican. We went on Sunday and happened to stumble upon Sunday Mass. My sister went to a Catholic high school therefore she really enjoyed the experience After mass we climbed the Cupola (Dome) to get the best view of St. Peter’s Square. After the Vatican we hopped on the metro and went to the Spanish Steps. We bought some sandwiches from a local deli and had lunch on the steps and participated in people watching. Afterward we headed to Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.

For day 3 we booked a day tour to Capri. The tour was a great option since we had a limited amount of time and wanted to see Capri in a day. The bus left from Rome to Naples, then in Naples we got on a ferry to get to Capri. Once we got to Capri we immediately hopped on another boat to go to the Blue Grotto. Being able to visit Blue Grotto is unpredictable because it all depends on the tide, weather, and if it is safe or not. The Blue Grotto was such an experience! It was scary and exhilarating at the same time. I’m glad I didn’t think about it and just did it because in retrospect it was highly unsafe since I didn’t have a life jacket on and I really can’t swim – oops! After the Blue Grotto we spent the day in Capri and explored the island. In the evening we took the ferry back to Naples and took the bus back to Rome.

On the morning of our departure from Rome we went back to The Vatican to visit the Sistine Chapel since we weren’t able to do so on Sunday. As my sister said, “I’m not leaving Rome without seeing the Sistine Chapel!” Even though I have seen it before it still took my breath away. I’m a big art history nerd and honestly I spend half an hour just staring at the Sistine Chapel. It’s just remarkable.

After the Sistine Chapel we hopped on a bullet train and headed toward Florence.

Tune in next week for #ThrowBackTravel to Florence!

p.s. Make sure to enter the Jamberry Nails Giveaway here.

Giveaway ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. ET. Winner will be announced on Monday November 10!

DC, Fall, Lifestyle, Style, Travel, USA

D.C. Nights

November 4, 2014

Necklace: BaubleBar | Bag: Phillip Lim for Target (old) | Watch: Michael Kors |

Bracelet: Alex & Ani | Ring: BCBG | Lips: MAC Ruby Woo & Stila Beso

It has been on my bucket list to visit Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and National WWII Memorial at night time. I have heard from numerous people that visiting these monuments at night is completely different then visiting during the day. All the rumors were true! On Halloween night my bestie twin and I grabbed some tea & chai-cider from Baked & Wired and then headed on to the monuments. I must say I love the monuments at night – more than daytime! I was very excited to go to the Lincoln Memorial because I hadn’t been there in about 12 years. I constantly drive by it but never actually climbed the steps since moving to the DMV area. My bestie twin is also an amazing photographer and she snapped all these amazing images – she puts my camera skills to shame. It was such a lovely walk and I wished I lived closer so that I could go on this walk at least once a week!

p.s. Make sure to enter the Jamberry Nails Giveaway here.
Giveaway runs until Thursday November 6 11:59 p.m. ET. Winner will be announced on Monday November 10.

France

#TBT | France

October 30, 2014

This week’s #ThrowBackTravel is a special one! The first trip I ever went on – by myself – was my high school Humanities class Spring Break trip to France & Italy. It was such a memorable experience! The first leg of our trip as to Paris, France. Our stay in Paris was extremely short [Friday-Sunday] but I was able to see the highlights. Our class trip was was organized by a tour [ACIS] therefore the itinerary was pre-planned and I just went with the flow. This trip is very memorable for me because I considered it as my first trip and basically what started my travel bug.

Upon arrival to Paris we checked in to the hotel and then wasted no time with sightseeing. We first visited Notre Dame.

The second day started with an early drive by of the Eiffel Tower – jaw dropping and so surreal! I legit was skipping down the street with glee. Afterward we spent majority of the day at Palace of Versailles. I can’t even begin to describe how spectacular Versailles was. Everything was grand, luxuries, and out of control! It was nice to get a glimpse into how lavishly Marie Antoinette lived!

After Versailles we headed back to the city. Our tour guide took us to Champs-Élysées where we walked a bit and enjoyed strolling the streets of Paris. I window shopped my entire was down the Champs-Élysées – swoon! Later at night we went on a boat tour and got to see the the Eiffel Tower light up and take in Paris at night! It’s such a magical city.

Our last day in Paris – was Easter Sunday – therefore it was a split between going to Notre Dame Easter Mass or Claude Monet’s House. I opted for Monet’s House which was by far my favorite part of the trip! Monet is one of my favorite artists from studying humanities. I LOVE his paintings therefore visit his home felt as if I was walking through a Monet painting. I took so many pictures in the garden! Everything about the house & garden was just lovely! I highly recommend making the trip outside of Paris to visit Monet’s House.

After the morning sightseeing the group reconvened and headed to the Louvre Museum. Going to the Louvre was the highlight of my trip because I spent all year studying Art History in Humanities class and it was surreal to see all these paintings and sculptures in real life that I had been styling for 8 months. The Winged Victory of Samothrace [Nike of Samothrace] is one of my favorite sculptures and I was overjoyed to be up close to this majestic statue. It’s just stunning. We explored the museum for hours and it was just amazing. Afterward we hopped on an overnight train and headed to Florence, Italy. I will save my travels to Italy for another post! Have a lovely day!

Travel, USA

Texas | Houston

October 28, 2014

This past weekend I traveled to Houston with my sister and friends for a wedding. It was short weekend trip however we managed to schedule in some great dining experiences! The first night we had dinner at Kasra Persian Grill. Are you surprised? Persian people always go to Persian restaurants when its an option. The food was delicious!

The next morning we had brunch at MKT Bar which is located in Phoenicia Specialty Foods. I legit found this place on Instagram when searching for Halal food in Houston. I have a knack for finding things on Instagram and forcing people to follow me on my adventures. Thankfully this place was legit and the food was delicious! If I lived in Houston I would only eat at MKT Bar. The food was on point! Even the coffee was delicious. We ordered the Knefe Jbneh, Black Pepper Waffle, Hill Country Fried Chicken & Waffles, and Fresh Fruit Waffles. Basically – food coma!

The second day we had brunch at Batanga – thanks to May for the awesome pick! It was a tapas style restaurant which had a delicious brunch menu. We ordered a bunch of things which included Patatas Batanga, Chickpea Puree, Marinated Beet Salad, Chilaquilles, and Vanilla Pancakes. The Vanilla Pancakes were delectable. They just melted in your mouth! The caramelized bananas were to die for.

After brunch we went on a bit of a adventure to find Adickes Sculpturworx Studio in order to see the 35-foot tall statues of The Beatles. From my Internet research there should have been dozens of presidential busts as well – however sadly there was only two headless busts. Therefore we decided it was a great idea to climb the busts and be statues for all of 2 minutes. I thought it was great – my sister was not amused. We called it a day and got some froyo after!

Houston was short – mostly because our priority was the wedding and didn’t plan for sightseeing. However we managed to hit up some delicious food joints and go on a small presidential adventure.

Till next time Texas!

#TBT | Italy – Milan

#TBT | Italy – Florence

#TBT | Italy – Rome

D.C. Nights

#TBT | France

Texas | Houston

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