Our first stop in Greece was Athens. All I have to say was it was HOT!!!. I mean not warm but HOT. I managed to survive. Our first stops were the Agora and the Acropolis. WARNING: This post is picture heavy. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Stay tuned for Part II of Athens.
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Everyone has asked me which of the places I visited was my favorite. I really cannot decide which qualifies as my favorite since there were several but every time I am asked that question the first thing that comes to mind is Sicily. We only spent a day in Sicily but it felt like we were there forever. There was so much to see and do and every moment was amazing. Upon arriving in Sicily our first stop was a town called Taormina. We spent a few hours exploring the town but the highlight was the Greek Theatre which offered amazing views of Mt. Etna. After our visit in Taormina we drove up towards Mt. Etna and stopped at a lava flow. It was amazing to think that what I was standing on could cause and did cause so much destruction. It was a bit of a surreal experience. Our final stop of the day and of course my favorite was at a winery. The surrounding areas of Mt. Etna are covered in volcanic soil which is very rich therefore I wasn't surprised by how lush and beautiful the grounds were. In addition the wine was fantastic. I had a chance to try a sparkling rose among others varieties that is made using the same process as Champagne (but with different grapes of course). Top: Old Navy Available here Shorts: Forever 21 Similar here Sneakers: Adidas Similar here Bag: Cole Haan Available Here Hat: Street Vendor Similar here Sunnies: Kate Spade Available here -Taima Today I am linking up with:
We started off our second day in Rome at the Vatican. The first stop was the Vatican Museum. Let me start by saying that if you have never been the the Vatican Museum I strongly suggest getting a tour guide. There is so much to see and it is impossible to see everything (unless you plan on spending a few days there) so it is best to get a guide that will show you and tell you about some of the more important pieces. Before you walk into the museum you get a glimpse of the Vatican Gardens. They can only be accessed via a private tour so we did not get to go but we were able to get a nice glimpse from up above. The Vatican Museum tour ended in the Sistine Chapel. Although this was my second time in Rome this was my first time at the Sistine Chapel. Although it was not exactly what I expected it was beautiful. It is amazing to think the time and patience that went into creating such a wonderful masterpiece. Unfortunately pictures taking is no longer allowed in the Sistine Chapel therefore I did not include any pictures. Our next stop was St. Peter's Basilica. St. Peter's Basilica is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too. This was my second time visting but it felt as if it was my first. It's hard to take it all in when you first walk in. We spent hours walking around and just admiring everything around us. After Vatican City we decided to take a break from site seeing and headed over to Travestere for lunch. It is such a great place to roam around not to mention how yummy (and cheap) our lunch was. We ordered Pizza, beer and wine and spent the better part of our afternoon eating and drinking. Nothing gets better than that. Our last stop of the day was the Pantheon. We were exhausted by then so I don't have much to say about it other I was happy to finally find a place to sit. -Taima I'm back!!!! Now let me warn you that most of the next 15 or so blog posts are going to be about my Euro trip. I promise I will throw in some fashion here and there. There are over a thousand pictures to sort through. I honestly don't think that is too bad considering we were away for almost two weeks. Time to get right to it. We started off our Euro trip in Rome where we spent about 3 days. By the time we found our hotel (we got lost), freshened up and got something to eat (pizza of course) it was well into late afternoon. Our first stop was the Colosseum. This was not my first time in Rome but you would never know by how excited I was when I stepped off the metro and saw the Colosseum. It was just as amazing as I remember. The last time we were there it was raining so it was nice to see it on a nice sunny day. Next stop was the Roman Forum. These ruins represent the center of ancient Rome and they were quite amazing. Unfortunately it was getting late in the day so we kinda rushed through it. After the Roman Forum we were a bit over sightseeing so we decided to take a walk. We found our way to the Spanish Steps where we lounged for a bit. We were so tired from our flights and walking around that I felt like we could have spent the entire evening there. It is a great place to people watch. Men's fashion in Italy was quite the treat. After the Spanish steps we took a walk over to Trevi Fountain. It was quite crowded but we managed to squeeze in for a few shots. We decided to move on and come back later in the evening. By this time we were starving so we stopped at a cafe off of one of the side streets near the Trevi Fountain for spagetti and wine. Unfortunately the food was not too memorable but the wine was. We ordered a carafe of wine for about 4 Euro which kept us entertained for most of the evening. Let's just say our walk back to the Trevi Fountain was quiet entertaining. We ended out night with gelato by the Trevi Fountain. We were quite exhausted by the point so afterwards we headed back to the hotel to get some rest and prepare for Day 2 in Rome and Vatican City. With regards to my outfit for Day 1 I wore what would become my uniform for the trip. The dress was super light and perfect for the weather. It was quite warm but the temperature dropped a bit in the evening so my denim jacket worked perfectly. Dress: True Rock Similar Here or Here Shoes: Crocs Available Here Jean Jacket: Old Navy Available here Bag: Cole Haan Available Here Sunnies: Kate Spade Available here -Taima Today I am linking up with:
According to the calendar summer is officially here. Whatever that means. It has definitely started to feel like summer here in the New York but there have been summers where the temperatures barely reached above 70. A few weeks back I went to the cape for a weekend with the girls. While most of us were ready to pull out our colorful maxis and sun hats the weather was not exactly summery so we opted for layers instead. As a rule I tend to keep a pieces such as jeans and light jackets on standby through out the entire summer just in case. What kind of off season pieces do you tend to keep at the front of your closet during the summer months? Jean Jacket: Old Navy Available here Jeans: Uniqlo Similar here Shoes: Ralph Lauren Available here or Similar here or here Bag: Coach Available here Top: Necessary Clothing. Similar here or here -Taima Today I am linking up with:
Can we briefly talk about how I am off to Europe in about two weeks and I am starting to get anxious. I am excited about the trip but I am anxious about the packing. I promise I will work on it this week. This past weekend I took a little road trip with my parents to Atlantic City. The weather was icky on Friday but Saturday and Sunday were amazing and I made the best of it. I also did a little shopping for my trip that I will posting about later.
-Taima Today I am linking up with:
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Southwest Airlines Vacations. All opinions are 100% mine. As you all know I love to travel. I have a very looong list of places to go and have slowly but surely been ticking away at my list. This year I will be traveling to Europe (Italy, Greece and Turkey to be exact) and hopefully Bermuda. I usually go to Mexico for my birthday in December however with all this International travel planned I have yet to plan something for my birthday and I've been thinking it might be time to consider something a bit closer to home (and cheaper). Insert "Vegas Trip" here. Most of the time when people thing Vegas they think weddings or Bachelor Parties. I think it would be just as great to go with DH for a little relaxation by the pool and lots of eating and shopping. I hear they have great shopping. Since I am always looking for a great deal I was happy to hear that Southwest Vacations now has some great packages for trips to Vegas. They even have flights out of either Newark or LaGuardia (for all my NYC peeps) which gives me more options to find the best price. I am poor in a private plane. I am always looking for a good deal. I did a quick search to see what the prices looked like and it is definitely affordable for a long weekend. I was surprised to see how cheap it would be to fly out for a few days. I was also happy to see that they have a good variety of hotels to choose from. I may be poor in a private plane but I have my standards when it comes to accomodations. Here are some examples of the savings. Save up to $100 + 25% on the Hotel Stay! (The Quad Resort & Casino - Center Strip) Save up to $100 + $20 in Food and Beverage Credit! (Excalibur Hotel & Casino) Save up to $100 + 25% on the Hotel Stay! (Rio All Suite Hotel) Save up to $100 + 25% on the Hotel Stay! (Bally's Las Vegas) I know it is a bit early to start planning but Vegas is definitely a contender for my birthday celebrations this year. Now I am off to check out Las Vegas Vacations over at Southwest Vacations to see if I can score a great deal to Vegas.
-Taima I am going to Europe for a couple of weeks this summer and I am stressing out about how I am going to pack 39 outfits in one luggage. I am pretty sure it is going to be nearly impossible but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. One of them being sneaking some stuff into DH suitcase. Shhh don't tell him. One of my favorite things that I discovered a few years ago is the convertible dress. It is a dress that can be worn in a number of different styles and I think it is a great idea and something I will definitely be including in my suitcase. They can be expensive (think upwards of $200 bucks) so here are some options that I found that are a bit more wallet friendly. If money is no object this version comes in at over $300 bucks. One day I may invest in one of these but for now it is a bit out of my price range. This is a great option for formal wear. Gilt currently has this version on sale for about $100. Definitely well worth it if it is within this budget. Last but not least Target comes to the rescue with a version that comes in at 34.99. This is a great deal and definitely a great way to try out the trend before investing in it. -Taima Happy Summer. The unofficial start of summer was this past weekend and I had the opportunity to celebrate with some wonderful friends in Cape Cod. Although the weather did not exactly cooperate most days we made the best of it and had a great time. Here are some highlights from my week and weekend. What did you do for Memorial Day Weekend?
Special thanks to Emme, Kati and Lizzy for putting up with me and also taking some of these pics :) -Taima Today I am linking up with:
A lot of people ask me how I manage to have a full time job, go to the gym, cook most of my meals and blog. All this while making it to bed by 11 every night. Oh yeah and I kinda have a social life too. I am not too sure how to answer that but guess what. Life has finally caught up to me which is why I have been a bad blogger lately. I think planning for my summer has pretty much pushed me over the edge. As of Memorial Day Weekend I pretty much have plans for every weekend through mid July. I am pretty sure I am going to spend most of August sleeping. Haha. There is lots to look forward to and although there may be days when I won't be posting I promise I will have lots to share when I get around to it. In the meantime here is how my week went.
-Taima |