Friday Favorites

So I'm going to interrupt my Europe travels, to give you some of my favorite things this Friday! 

1. Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud Music Video

Okay first off, let me just say that I'm not a die-hard Ed Sheeran fan.  I do like some of his music but overall, he isn't my absolute favorite musician.  But let me tell you, I love the music video and the song!  I LOVE any type of dancing- especially ballet.  So when Ed's new music video is all dancing, and he is dancing, I was hooked.  

It is so cute and it was choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha, one of my favorite choreographer duos from So You Think You Can Dance.   Check it out!

This song has been on repeat for a couple hours now... oops!

2.  Puffer Vests

As it starts to get cold in Chicago, my J.Crew Excursion Quilted Vest is a go-to!  I love how stylish and put together you look when it is on.

Image from J.Crew's website

When I was little, I HATED the vests.  I thought they looked so weird and my arms always got cold! However, now I am hooked!
I love the quilting and the gold hardware.  I was a little nervous getting it in Bright Ivory, because you can't wear white after Labor Day.  Well its Ivory and I still wear white anyway.  Who cares! The vest is a must in Chicago and anywhere it is starting to get chilly!

3. How to Get Away with Murder

I actually really like this show!  It is on Thursday nights at 10/9c.  My roommate and I started watching it together when it premiered and now we are hooked.  I'm not sure how I feel about the set-up, switching back and forth between what happened three months ago and what is currently happening.  We'll see how the rest of the season turns out.

Last night was only the third episode, so I suggest starting soon if you want to start watching it!

4. Graeter's Ice Cream

So Graeter's is a Cincinnati thing and it is amazing!  I went to the grocery store yesterday and picked up some ice cream since it is now being sold in stores nationwide!

I got some Black Raspberry Chip Icecream and it is one of my favorites.  You're probably thinking, why are you telling me about ice cream.  But trust me.  It is definitely worth it!  All of the ice cream is delicious but I would suggest this one if it is your first time trying Graeter's Ice Cream.

And they are even planning on opening up a store in Chicago! Yay!  If you live in the Midwest- Southwestern Ohio/Indiana/Kentucky area, check out the Bakery part to Graeter's for the delicious coffee cakes, doughnuts and candy.  

5.  Bloglovin'

I LOVE Bloglovin'! It is a great way to organize all of the blogs you may read.  It is like Facebook for your blogs.  You add what blogs you follow and they show up on your "news feed".  You no longer have to go to each site and it is very organized.  Check it out!


Follow Me!

Do you like my blog? Let me know! I would love to hear any feedback you may have.  I'm open to any and all comments.  

Bonjour Paris!

Early Saturday morning, my family took the chunnel from London to Paris.  The idea of the chunnel is really cool but when you are in it for the 15 minutes, you can only see the dark tunnel surrounding you.  However, I loved looking out at the scenery for the rest of the two hours.  There is so much to see in the world and the only way to get out and see it is to travel.

Once we arrived in Paris, I was very surprised that I didn't have to go through any type of customs or security.  I literally walked off the train and went to the line for the taxis.  Nothing.  Coming from the United States, I expected security or at least some place to stamp my passport!

 

Train station number 1. 

We hopped in a taxi and went to our hotel, Les Jardins du Marais.  The hotel is located in the Marais district of Paris and it is very close to the train station that we would need to be at the next morning to catch our next train.  My family and I literally had 18 hours in Paris.  We had been to Paris before so it wasn't a big deal to only be there for a day.  

The hotel was nice.  I would say that the area immediately around it was in wasn't very touristy, but it was still nice.  It wasn't a far walk from the Bastille monument and the Opera House, Opéra Bastille. 

 Bastille Monument

Since we did not know the area very well, the hotel recommended a freeish walking tour, lead by a local Parisian.  The tour was strange to say the least.  She showed us many of the uncommon places of the Marais district and she told us many stories that were really not important.  Furthermore, she did not take us to any major sights like the Bastille monument or the Opera House. 

After the tour, my family and I walked around the area a little bit and then returned to the hotel to see if our room was ready.  We changed our outfits, got some water, (we were so thirsty!) and headed back out.  One of the great things about Paris is all of the bakeries! For dinner, we stopped at a food truck serving crepes!  And were they good! He made them fresh and I ordered the nutella and bananas crepe.  They had sweet and savory crepes which made the selection to choose from very big.  We also bought some macarons, because we are in Paris and why not! My family and I have a pretty big sweet tooth :) 

We then jumped in a taxi and headed to the Eiffel Tower.  We had been to the Eiffel Tower before, just never to the top, since when we were there last, it was raining, windy and cold.  My mom had also heard about "Fast Pass" tickets to the top so she got those.  And thank goodness she did! Once again, we literally went to the top with barely any line.  It was a timed group tour, but the group only walked from the store front to the Eiffel Tower and let you loose from there.  

After the Eiffel Tower, we went back to the hotel.  The rooms were nice, but I got worried when I was walking back to the rooms,  Our room was on the first floor and directly outside was a restaurant/bar area.  I was very worried I would not be able to sleep.  Thankfully, they were not that loud and I feel right asleep.  

The next morning, we had to wake up at like 5:00 in the morning so we could catch our next train to Monte Carlo, Monaco! 

Until next time! 

All pictures are taken by me. 

Tea at Buckingham Palace!? ~London Part 2

Buckingham Palace is open to the public for a few weeks every year.  Luckily, we were there one of the first days that it was open.  We had purchased tickets early in the year so we could see the Palace. Click here for more information about visiting.  We got the "Royal Day Out" Package which allowed us to visit the Mews (where the carriages and horses), the Queen's Gallery, and see some of the Staterooms and Gardens.  

We first went to the Mews.  It was really cool to see the different carriages that the royal family rides in- including the Diamond Jubilee carriage which cost about $4.5 million to complete... WOW!

Next my family and I went into the Queen's Gallery.  This is her private collection of art.  If you like to look at art, this would be perfect for you.  It was interesting to look at for a little bit, but not necessarily my thing for long amounts of time.

We finally went to through the Staterooms and Gardens which took about two hours.  They were incredible.  Buckingham Palace is HUGE and extravagant! I couldn't imagine living in a place like that.  The Staterooms they had open were many of the ones you saw on TV or public pictures.  Just being in the rooms made you feel part royal.  :)  It was a glimpse into how the royals live.

Of course there was a cafe for people to buy food and drinks once you left the Staterooms and walked into the gardens.  This is where my family had "lunch" (AKA more desserts) and of course tea.  We love our desserts, okay?!  We had to say we had tea at Buckingham Palace.

After the Palace, we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit.  We had been walking around all day and still didn't adjust to the time change.  We walked to Fortnum & Mason and bought dinner for us to eat at the hotel. This is another place you shouldn't miss- especially if you love food.  I would describe Fortnum & Mason kind of like Eataly if you have been there.  It is a giant UPSCALE supermarket where you can buy food as well as eat it there.  They had plenty of desserts and macarons on the first floor and if you walked downstairs this is where they had produce, meat, and fish.

I got Salmon which was actually very good.  They had a number of different items you could purchase.  We walked back to the hotel where we ate our dinner.

After we ate, we walked down to the London Eye.  (Also a LOT of walking on this trip if you haven't noticed yet).  My mother had read online about buying a "FastPass" to the London Eye.  And thank goodness we did! The line for the Eye was long but my family and I basically walked straight on thanks to our FastPasses.

The London Eye is so cool.  We went at night so we could see the city lit up and it was well worth it.  The panoramic views were incredible.  It was also a clear night so we could see for miles (or kilometers over there).

After that we walked back to our hotel and started packing for our next adventure.

Until next time~off to Paris!

Tower of London Poppies

So if you read my previous post about London found here, you read that there were poppies in the moat at the Tower of London.  Well here is the information about that.  I wanted to make a separate post about it because I think it is that special!

This year marks the 100th year since the British joined the first World War.  Throughout the course of WWI, 888,246 British lives were lost.  Volunteers were putting 888,246 ceramic poppies in rememberance of the lives lost- one for every person.

How cool is this?

Seeing all of those poppies made me think about how many livers have been lost fighting for what we believe in.

Each poppie was made by hand by a team of artists and volunteers.  They worked non-stop, with shifts 24/7 in order to make sure all of the ceramic flowers were made in time.

If you want to find out more about the ceramic poppies go to this link here.

Summer Travels- London, England Part 1

Can you believe it is already October 1!? Where has the time gone?   Ready for all of the details of my summer vacation? Be prepared, it will last over MANY, MANY blog posts.  Let's begin.
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London, England

My family and I arrived in London on July 31.  We left the US Wednesday night and took an overnight flight.  One of the best things about flying overnight?  Your body adjusts to the time zone easier- at least that's what I think!  Sleeping on the airplane, even if it is for only a few hours, always helps you adjust to time changes.  

We went straight to our hotel, Le Meridien Piccadilly.  Overall, it was a nice hotel.  The location was great for what we needed. We were able to walk to many places- the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Fortnum & Mason, Picadilly Circus, etc.  We were on the club level, which was good because we ate there a lot! Overall the hotel was good for the two nights that we were there.  

Anyway, once we checked into the hotel, and got our bearings, we walked down to the Westminster Abbey pier.  My mother had bought tickets for the CityCruises boats that make 2 (well 3) stops: Westminster Abbey/London Eye, Tower of London, and Greenwich.  We thought that taking the boats the first day would be best since we were all pretty tired and the less walking and thinking would be best.

The river boats were great!  It was a great way to see a lot of London since most of the city is built along the River Thames.  We went all the way to Greenwich and walked to the Observatory.  We did not stand over the actual Meridian line (the line was too long) but we did see it!

Our "lunch" for the day was ice cream.  We don't usually have a full 3 meals a day- most days consist of ice cream or pastries for dessert :) You only live once right? 

We had dinner at Caffé Concerto, a London restaurant serving Italian food.  I got Ravioli Spinach & Ricotto for my main course and then the Tiramisu for dessert.  Both were delicious and I would recommend going there if you want a good meal.  I know that is is more of a "chain restaurant" but it was good, located close to the hotel, and a descent price.  

Friday mornig we woke up early and went to the Tower of London.  Thankfully my mother had read to get to the Tower of London as soon as it opens and head straight to the Crown Jewels.  Since we were some of the first people there, there was absolutely no wait for the Crown Jewels, which gets very crowded, very quickly.  

The Crown Jewels were amazing! Unfortunately we were unable to take pictures, but the Jewels are huge.  I can't believe how big some of them were.  There were also swords and other incredible pieces of gold that have been part of the royal family for centuries.  We took the Beefeater tour which was interesting but basically told a bunch of stories while walking around the Tower. 

One of my favorite parts of the Tower of London were the poppies volunteers were putting in the "moat".  I'll post more about this later.  

I'll leave you all with that information- which is a lot!  My next post should be coming out tomrrow afternoon so be prepared for more London!