March 28, 2011
the glamourai: { the object is } to look as chic as you can
the glamourai: { the object is } to look as chic as you can: "'you're gonna be an old woman some day.... don't worry about it!' so much to love in this video. by advanced style for nowness."
March 27, 2011
J'aime Paris
I wanted to visit Paris, because well, it's Paris. I was hoping to be utterly disappointed in every aspect because of the constant buzz about the famous city; however, I was even more fascinated than I would have ever expected and am officially the biggest fan of the gorgeous city. I took more pictures in my two days in Paris than I have in any trip I've been on, and I think what I loved so much about Paris is simply the feeling of being there. Every place I went I wanted to stay and enjoy for hours. I could have laid in the gardens at Versailles for days and stared at the glistening Eiffel tower all night til I went silly in the head. It really is an amazing city - surprisingly relaxing and homey compared to the cosmopolitan London.
I took the Eurostar Thursday morning and was in Paris by 11, got metro tickets, and headed straight to Notre Dame. It's one of those venues you have to see in person, unbelievable. Of course the line to get in was streets down the road, but I was perfectly content taking 30+ pictures at its grandeur.
Next stop, the Lourve and how gorgeous!!! When I finally went into the Lourve after walking around a little the worst part of my day began. I didn't get there until around 1 and I find myself to be a very patient person, even more so with all of the traveling I've done, but there was so many people I couldn't even enjoy the art. It took me 34 minutes to get into the room where the Mona Lisa is...enough said. Anywho I did see some incredible works and once again could have easily spent about a week in there and not seen it all - incredible place though.
I then walked down the widest street in Paris, Avenue de Champs Elysees, which is basically a very very large "lovers lane" lined with cafes and people enjoying the 65 and sunny Thursday. I could have strolled for hours - so enjoyable. At the end of this spectacular walk you'll find the Arc de Triomphe = HUGE!
And of course, you can't leave Paris without visiting the Eiffel Tower. I learned that it was built in 1889 (same year Clemson was founded and 100 years til I came into the world) in honor of the French Revolution and has been repainted 18 times each of which takes 15 months. It really is a beautiful and unique sight. Our last night in Paris we got crepes off the street with nutella inside and ice cream on top and sat under the Eiffel tower - perfect ending to a perfect weekend. Of course it's tourist central and everyone says you have to go to the top, but I couldn't have been happier sitting on the grass with my crepe, talking with friends, and just taking it all in. Plus, who wants to stand in line for 4 hours and spend more of your parents money if you don't have to? However, we did come up with an alternative.
We went to one of my now favorite areas of Paris called Montmartre where the Sacre Coeur is. Sacre Coeur means "Sacred Heart" and is a famous white church in Paris and lies on the highest, largest hill in Paris, which outside of the Eiffel Tower is the highest point in Paris. Once we got to the top you could see the city for miles. Plus it was covered with locals selling paintings and performing which I always enjoy.
VERSAILLES....need I say more? Some of the greatest monarchs of the time lived here including Marie Antoinette. At the time of her stay at Versailles when poverty and famine was at its highest and the people had no bread to eat, Marie famously responded, "Well let them eat cake." I now can see how her head got soooo big, the place is immaculate. In this picture, the palace at Versailles is to my back and facing ahead is the Grand Canal. We dangled our feet in the water, fed the suns, and soaked up some rays and walked for hours along the estate. It couldn't have been a more enjoyable day.
On top of all of these incredible sights and views I took in lets not forget the cheese, wine, and many many crepes consumed as well - such a wonderful place and yes, J'aime Paris.
March 23, 2011
field trips!
Yesterday my management class was held at Whole Foods in the Kensington area of London. It's the only store in Europe and the largest out of the 303 locations in the US and what a cool company! I will forever more only shop here if I can. The reason being they embody all the tradition values we hope to keep, or at least many that I do. For example, they use every local farmer possible for their produce, real butchers rather than bringing in already cut pieces, and are basically 100% about keeping things as natural as possible while supporting the community. However, the main reason we made the trip to this 5-story store complete with everything from produce to restaurants and over 1300 wines was to learn about their global entrance into the market. We spoke to the head manager of the European global entrance, which was awesome, and learned about how they are turning this American brand into a global one. Some of the challenges they faced here ranged from culture to products offered. For example, customers in the US like being approached whereas in London they don't and the company experienced many experiences as such. Such a neat experience! Love the London field trips :):):)
March 21, 2011
life is beautiful
Split, Croatia is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. As soon as we got off the plane it felt like someone just dropped us (Cassie and myself) off in the middle of nowhere in a random, unknown country...which is exactly what had happened. There are 4 million people in the entire country and it is comprised of 1,300 islands all of which are accessible even though only 47 of them are inhabited. The language, outside of Chinese, is one of the most difficult wars. There is still much political unrest in the country because it is an old Yugoslavian country that has a bloody, war-filled past because so many countries have fought for Croatia but it's on the way to becoming The Republic of Croatia as well as a member of the EU. That being said their language has a Latin base, but has much Russian and Italian influence = years to learn. The country is also almost 80% Roman Catholic and the average wage is about $700 a month. It is a very poor country rich in tradition with some of the most beautiful people, men and women, that I have ever seen in my life. I felt like a midget because everyone was so tall, but most people spoke broken English so we were fine, and they were unbelievably hospitable.
Furthermore, the entire country lives for the summertime when the tourists come in. We learned that <0.5% of their tourists are American and >50% of them are Germans. Most Americans just don't know about this European gem which has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The majority of the beaches are pebbles and not sand, hence why the water and beaches are so clean and gorgeous. The country is also a huge fishing port. They are famous for their fish markets, fish soup, and fresh fish dishes and they are delicious! They broil or grill a small white fish and literally serve the entire fish head and all which is absolutely delicious! Our hotel was located in the center of the city only steps from the famous Diocletian's palace where the ruins are over 1,800 years old and some of the most beautiful I've seen. We also rubbed the toe of their famous guru for good luck and climbed the highest mountain in the city, called Marjan, where the views are indescribable. Split is also the second largest city in Croatia, but we walked the entire place in less than a day - it is verrrrrry small. It's about the size of Edisto, but knowing it's the 2nd largest city just shows you how little the country is. We also saw Sigmund Freud's home, went to the famous art gallery, and walked around the main square of town.
For our last day in Croatia we took a day trip to the famous Krka National Park. Croatia has soooo many UNESCO World Heritage sites, a famous one being the Plitvice Lakes, but they were too far from us to make in just one day. Therefore, we settled for the next famous site which was no disappointment which was the beautiful lakes and wildlife of Krka.
Overall a highly successful, fun, and gorgeous getaway. Everything we did and saw seems like a dream and I am so so proud, as an American, to say that I have seen the oh so gorgeous little country of Croatia.
March 16, 2011
soho is where to go
The British version of "field trip" is my kind of field trips. For my British Youth Culture class we spent the day in Soho. I am absolutely in LOVE with Soho and would do anything in the world to live there rather than Chelsea. It is full of energy, young people, and not prices that are higher than the sky scrapers surrounding you. It is such a fun area, and one of my favorite parts of it was Carnaby Street. We learned all about John Stephen (founder), the British
stores and shopping. We also saw the old homes of Jimi Hendrix, George Handel, and streets filled with saxophone and guitar shops - every artists dream. We even went into St. Martins College of Art and Design where those and many other famous artists attended which is also the sight of The Sex Pistols first gig. We also saw the famous map of Soho (right) and went to Trident Studio which is a famous recording studio. Famous songs were originially recorded there by artists
such as Elton John, Queen, The Beatles, and David Bowie. We also went by the VOGUE magazine's UK office which was really cool, and then ended at the famous Abbey Road recording studio legendary mainly because of the Beatles. Some of my classmates attempted to mimic the notorious Beatles album cover, but as you can see, it wasn't as smoothly done.
Such a fun day!!!! Officially the biggest Soho fan ever.
stores and shopping. We also saw the old homes of Jimi Hendrix, George Handel, and streets filled with saxophone and guitar shops - every artists dream. We even went into St. Martins College of Art and Design where those and many other famous artists attended which is also the sight of The Sex Pistols first gig. We also saw the famous map of Soho (right) and went to Trident Studio which is a famous recording studio. Famous songs were originially recorded there by artists
such as Elton John, Queen, The Beatles, and David Bowie. We also went by the VOGUE magazine's UK office which was really cool, and then ended at the famous Abbey Road recording studio legendary mainly because of the Beatles. Some of my classmates attempted to mimic the notorious Beatles album cover, but as you can see, it wasn't as smoothly done.
Such a fun day!!!! Officially the biggest Soho fan ever.
March 15, 2011
London Glam
March 13, 2011
fancy a snog?
I LOVE SNOG!!! "Snog" is a frozen yogurt made right here in London from agave nectar rather than sugar, has no fat, and the toppings include everything from fruit and nuts to homemade brownie pieces. Plus, anyone who's anyone snogs on Kings Road in London.
field trip
Never in my life have I taken so many "field trips"for classes. This past week my Media & UK Politics class was spent at the BBC television headquarters and it was incredible. I learned and saw so much more than any justice a textbook could've given.
March 12, 2011
properly creamed and sugared
Welcome to Ypres, Belgium - the land of melt in your mouth chocolate, to die for waffles, and an endless selection of beer. A sleepy, gorgeous European town with the nicest people makes your visit that much more enjoyable. This is the man town square which houses Europe's greatest WWI museum...walk to the end of the street and you've arrived at the famous homemade waffle shop and all I have to say about that is YUM!!! Much of our trip was about centered around WWI and it's effect on
Europe. Within Ypres alone around 500,000 soldiers lost their lives and English primary school children are required to visit the city because it is such an important part of English history. We visited, analyzed, and heard stories galore in French, German, English, and Belgium cemeteries (a history buff's dream come true) as well as walking through the only actual trenches preserved from those battles - such a cool experience! We also visited
the site where the "In Flanders Field" poem was written as and are hostel was located just feet from the Mini Gate which is where the only ceremony that commemorates WWI victims is held daily, and we got to see it Friday night. We ate the most delicious homemade chocolates and waffles you will ever eat in your life and had some of the most divine beers. We also went to Poperinge where they housed soldiers and entertained them as well as a city called Perivse where the "Madonnas of Pervise" were two of the first women to have a first aid station for soldiers. We literally learned and saw so much about WWI, it's effects, and how life was like back then that's it's hard to know where to begin. This morning we even got a chance to go through the town markets in Belgium which had vegetables, meats, and clothing racks for days and was definitely something to see. Getting to and from Belgium was a bit of a hassle
though. We took a bus to the coast of England, a ferry to the coast of France, and then a bus into Belgium and the same root home...about 6-7 hours of traveling but it was worth every minute - absolutely gorgeous. I am loving and learning more and more by the minute.
Europe. Within Ypres alone around 500,000 soldiers lost their lives and English primary school children are required to visit the city because it is such an important part of English history. We visited, analyzed, and heard stories galore in French, German, English, and Belgium cemeteries (a history buff's dream come true) as well as walking through the only actual trenches preserved from those battles - such a cool experience! We also visited
the site where the "In Flanders Field" poem was written as and are hostel was located just feet from the Mini Gate which is where the only ceremony that commemorates WWI victims is held daily, and we got to see it Friday night. We ate the most delicious homemade chocolates and waffles you will ever eat in your life and had some of the most divine beers. We also went to Poperinge where they housed soldiers and entertained them as well as a city called Perivse where the "Madonnas of Pervise" were two of the first women to have a first aid station for soldiers. We literally learned and saw so much about WWI, it's effects, and how life was like back then that's it's hard to know where to begin. This morning we even got a chance to go through the town markets in Belgium which had vegetables, meats, and clothing racks for days and was definitely something to see. Getting to and from Belgium was a bit of a hassle
though. We took a bus to the coast of England, a ferry to the coast of France, and then a bus into Belgium and the same root home...about 6-7 hours of traveling but it was worth every minute - absolutely gorgeous. I am loving and learning more and more by the minute.
March 10, 2011
March 9, 2011
flapjack-flipping MPs
Members of Parliament aka members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons which is the equivalent of our Senate and House. Annually the MPs (member of Parliament) participate in a pancake relay race to raise money for Rehab which is an organization that works with thousands of people with disabilities, injuries, and mental health difficulties to enable them to achieve independence and remain active citizens. This race has turned into quite the rage of an event and a media frenzy kind of gathering, plus, it's always a good time to poke fun at your government officials and see them let loose and have a little laugh as well. The event was held Tuesday morning (yesterday) in the Victoria Tower Gardens directly beside Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey and the gardens run right along the River Thames. The race began at 10:30 with 50 degree, sunny weather and it couldn't have been a more fun and entertaining way to start the day. Afterwards of course I was in class all day, but it was such a fun treat!
I would love to see our Senators participating in pancake flipping relay races...wouldn't you?
I would love to see our Senators participating in pancake flipping relay races...wouldn't you?
keep up with me?
As long as it feels like I have lived in London now (2 months) it is absolutely flying by and the days are all beginning to run together I am doing so much! This past weekend I went to a Fulham football (soccer) game where they played Blackburn and it was fun. They are a bit of a small team, so the game was exciting, but I'm pretty sure I was the only fan not screaming or chanting at all times - what can I say, I was raised
on baseball and American football.
Then on Sunday some friends and I (Melanie on the right) went shopping in the markets. It was a blast! There are tons of markets that stretch for miles around London and Saturday and Sunday are the days to go. Everything from food from all different ethnicities to local surcie, leather goods, and a vintage shoppers dream - they were my favorite! Most vintage shops we went into were playing loud Beatles music and had racks of all sorts of items from
every decade. It was such a fun time!
Then, of course, we walked for hours through the Camden markets people watching and booth shopping in the sun and even picked up a delicious crepe with nutella and strawberries in the end. My kind of Sunday.
on baseball and American football.
Then on Sunday some friends and I (Melanie on the right) went shopping in the markets. It was a blast! There are tons of markets that stretch for miles around London and Saturday and Sunday are the days to go. Everything from food from all different ethnicities to local surcie, leather goods, and a vintage shoppers dream - they were my favorite! Most vintage shops we went into were playing loud Beatles music and had racks of all sorts of items from
every decade. It was such a fun time!
Then, of course, we walked for hours through the Camden markets people watching and booth shopping in the sun and even picked up a delicious crepe with nutella and strawberries in the end. My kind of Sunday.
March 6, 2011
it's all true
Everything you've ever heard about Amsterdam is true...every myth, every story, every tale - all true. Literally you can do anything anytime of day and no one will care or judge. As soon as we got out of the taxi at our hotel we passed a man smoking weed walking down the street as if it was a cigarette. If that's not a culture shock of a welcome I don't know what is. Anywho, we walked around the city and explored our first night going in and out of shops and so forth. We quickly noticed that anything that said, "coffee shop," is where people go to smoke, but it's literally like a coffee shop with some minor adjustments. Those adjustments being the muffins and baked goods behind the corner all have pot in them and you can buy all sorts of pot there as well as smoke it. For me to see people on their laptops, smoking weed and sipping espresso was a little odd to say the least. After all the shocks bed was calling.
The next morning we went straight to the Anne Frank house bright and early and it was unbelievable! We walked through the Secret Annex, her bedroom, saw her diary, and the entire hideout - incredible to see and so so sad. We spent the afternoon walking around the city which has a million bridges and you can't walk a block without seeing a canal - they are beautiful! Because Amsterdam is 100s of feet below sea level they have no tide which I thought was very interesting. Also, after being there less than 24 hours I decided that the Dutch talk like they have a hairball in
their mouth. You know that noise you make when you're trying get something up? Gross I know, but every other word in the Dutch language has that tone/noise at the end of it. Also, the tram/metro runs in the middle of the street. There is the tram, regular streets, scooter paths, and pedestrian paths, but you can go on any of them...once again no rules. For example, our taxi driver spent most of his time driving on the tram tracks than the actual road - crazy? Furthermore, they have neighborhoods on water which is quite the norm for the Dutch. Yes real estate
is sold on water and much of the population lives in their floating houses on the canals. Of course we had to make a stop at the famous Amsterdam sign and take a canal boat tour. It was gorgeous and taught us so much about the Dutch and Amsterdam in general. It's actually a very quiet city (maybe because everyone is doped up the whole time), but the canals and quietness truly give it a relaxed European feel minus the wiffs of weed you get passing every other building. But we did notice quickly that's it's just a big
part of their culture. It's like having tea in Britain - it's used for relaxing, socialization, and conversation. The last bit of this oh so interesting culture we checked out was the red light district...and the shocks continue! The streets surrounding it are nothing but sex shop and coffee shop (pot) after the other and when you finally enter the red light district it's actually beautiful. The lights are something to see and the swans on the canal at night are so pretty; however, as you begin to walk you can't help but notice the females dressed in barely there lingerie pointing at you and making inviting gestures and yes you guessed everything is legal here including prostitution. We learned that it is an actual career where the "employees" get health benefits and the works and even get checked for STDs four times a year...who knew? It was shocking, sick, disturbing, but amazing all at the same time. The city of Amsterdam is something to see, but I swear the city of maybe the Dutch in general are on their own planet and so far from reality - at least in my mind. That way of life...whether it's living in a little boat house on the water, getting high on the regular (how is that cultural and how do they have any brain cells left?) or being a prostitute I have no idea in my mind or can even imagine spending longer than the day and a half I did there. By far the most shocking experience thus far and the shortest one (thank God). Yet another very very very interesting addition and experience to my European extravaganzas and it, once again, concluded how wonderful my life and the incredible in it are. It, as every experience here, just made me so appreciative of my family, roots, and life.
The next morning we went straight to the Anne Frank house bright and early and it was unbelievable! We walked through the Secret Annex, her bedroom, saw her diary, and the entire hideout - incredible to see and so so sad. We spent the afternoon walking around the city which has a million bridges and you can't walk a block without seeing a canal - they are beautiful! Because Amsterdam is 100s of feet below sea level they have no tide which I thought was very interesting. Also, after being there less than 24 hours I decided that the Dutch talk like they have a hairball in
their mouth. You know that noise you make when you're trying get something up? Gross I know, but every other word in the Dutch language has that tone/noise at the end of it. Also, the tram/metro runs in the middle of the street. There is the tram, regular streets, scooter paths, and pedestrian paths, but you can go on any of them...once again no rules. For example, our taxi driver spent most of his time driving on the tram tracks than the actual road - crazy? Furthermore, they have neighborhoods on water which is quite the norm for the Dutch. Yes real estate
is sold on water and much of the population lives in their floating houses on the canals. Of course we had to make a stop at the famous Amsterdam sign and take a canal boat tour. It was gorgeous and taught us so much about the Dutch and Amsterdam in general. It's actually a very quiet city (maybe because everyone is doped up the whole time), but the canals and quietness truly give it a relaxed European feel minus the wiffs of weed you get passing every other building. But we did notice quickly that's it's just a big
part of their culture. It's like having tea in Britain - it's used for relaxing, socialization, and conversation. The last bit of this oh so interesting culture we checked out was the red light district...and the shocks continue! The streets surrounding it are nothing but sex shop and coffee shop (pot) after the other and when you finally enter the red light district it's actually beautiful. The lights are something to see and the swans on the canal at night are so pretty; however, as you begin to walk you can't help but notice the females dressed in barely there lingerie pointing at you and making inviting gestures and yes you guessed everything is legal here including prostitution. We learned that it is an actual career where the "employees" get health benefits and the works and even get checked for STDs four times a year...who knew? It was shocking, sick, disturbing, but amazing all at the same time. The city of Amsterdam is something to see, but I swear the city of maybe the Dutch in general are on their own planet and so far from reality - at least in my mind. That way of life...whether it's living in a little boat house on the water, getting high on the regular (how is that cultural and how do they have any brain cells left?) or being a prostitute I have no idea in my mind or can even imagine spending longer than the day and a half I did there. By far the most shocking experience thus far and the shortest one (thank God). Yet another very very very interesting addition and experience to my European extravaganzas and it, once again, concluded how wonderful my life and the incredible in it are. It, as every experience here, just made me so appreciative of my family, roots, and life.
LFW
I could hardly sleep the night we got back from Ireland, because London Fashion Weekend was the next day!!!! It really was unbelievable. The actual London Fashion Week is invitation only and closed to the public Monday-Thursday, but London Fashion Weekend is open to the public. There are all sorts of levels of tickets, but the one my friend Melanie and I ended up getting got us in Sunday afternoon for a 1:30pm catwalk time and as much frolicking about as we'd like. We walked in gorgeous London sunshine all the way there and as soon as we got in the doors in down poured the rest of the day, so we definitely did well on timing!
One of the many reasons I was so excited to go is because Sunday is called "bargain day" because by the time the last day of such a long week rolls around all of the designers and so forth want to get rid of the last tid bits of what they brought so they knock off the prices big time! Having a hard time simply eating a descent meal under 15 pounds here I didn't buy anything from a high end designer, but it was unreal to
see booth after booth and rack after rack of designers from Sass and Bide, Rag and Bone, Corey Lynn Calter, Vivienne Westwood, Emilio Pucci and the list is endless. For me, I am just amazed by fashion and the creativity, talent, and design that goes into each handmade piece...I think it's fascinating and gorgeous of course. It was incredible to see the actual pieces and designers I am so fond of right in front of my eyes and all half price. The place was packed and
we walked what seemed like hours oogling over
everything in front of us.
Catwalk time! We saw 4 different shows and it was a blast! The models looked a bit unhealthy but what's new. We saw the lines of Mark Fast (one of my new favorites), Bora Aksu, a mixture of Zara pieces, and a colorblock collection. Melanie and I had the BEST time!!!
Quite an amazing Sunday afternoon...
One of the many reasons I was so excited to go is because Sunday is called "bargain day" because by the time the last day of such a long week rolls around all of the designers and so forth want to get rid of the last tid bits of what they brought so they knock off the prices big time! Having a hard time simply eating a descent meal under 15 pounds here I didn't buy anything from a high end designer, but it was unreal to
see booth after booth and rack after rack of designers from Sass and Bide, Rag and Bone, Corey Lynn Calter, Vivienne Westwood, Emilio Pucci and the list is endless. For me, I am just amazed by fashion and the creativity, talent, and design that goes into each handmade piece...I think it's fascinating and gorgeous of course. It was incredible to see the actual pieces and designers I am so fond of right in front of my eyes and all half price. The place was packed and
we walked what seemed like hours oogling over
everything in front of us.
Catwalk time! We saw 4 different shows and it was a blast! The models looked a bit unhealthy but what's new. We saw the lines of Mark Fast (one of my new favorites), Bora Aksu, a mixture of Zara pieces, and a colorblock collection. Melanie and I had the BEST time!!!
Quite an amazing Sunday afternoon...
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