"To The Top of the World"

Italy. Switzerland. France. England. 

What a whirlwind these past 12 days have been... I've had a blast traveling with my mother and the tour group despite the 5:30 am wake-up calls. I can't fully describe everything I experienced during my trip; indescribable the sights I saw and the foods I ate. However, below are some of my favorite pictures and a link to the Facebook albums so you can peruse at your leisure. Oh and I will describe in my next three posts some of my favorite places. Can't recap everything, but at least you get a snippet here and there.

Vatican | Rome

Colosseum | Rome

Venice, Italy

Lucerne, Switzerland

Notre Dame | Paris

Champs-Élysées | Paris

Eiffel Tower | Paris

Buckingham Palace | London

For more, click here: Album 1 (Rome and Venice), Album 2 (Venice and Switzerland), Album 3 (Paris and London)

Buonasera from Florence bellas!

Apologies in advance, I have not uploaded pictures yet nor will I do so until my return to the States. I may have forgotten to bring the camera cable. whoops, my bad!


Italia has been amazing so far. Roma was absolutely beautiful except for the fact that mosquito bites now cover the back of my leg (ewww), and my feet are covered with blisters. Let's just say that I'm exhausted from this "tour." Word of advice to the old, fragile and weak: don't by any means sign up for a "tour." If you're brave, try out Europe on your own, but if you're like my mother who likes schedules and things planned out for you by the minute, then do the tours.

Typical day:
6:00 am :: wake up call - so basically you need to wake up at 5:15 am to shower/pack
6:30 am :: luggage needs to be put outside of your hotel room
6:45 am :: breakfast
7:00 am :: depart for a 5+ hour walking tour or a dreadful 3+ hour drive to your next destination

The tours are lovely and conducted by local guides... however, the walking is non-stop... and in the heat.

On a lighter note, here are some highlights of Roma:

• Despite the long walks, I thoroughly enjoyed Rome. The tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica was absolutely stunning. I wish we had more time there to have mass. That would have been perfect.
• Shopping... we didn't really do any since we're saving our energy for a large Parisian excursion. But on an optional tour in the afternoon, we went to Italian version of Rodeo drive with the original Missoni, Gucci, Dior, Valentino and Prada. OH EM GEE. LOVES. We checked out LV, Chanel and of course Cartier. PS Valentino is the only Roman designer. Learned that from Enriqo our tour guide.
• The Trevi Fountain - what a spectacular sight. Gorgeous.
• Our tour also included the Colosseum, the forum, Pantheon, a whole bunch of other churches and excursions through various streets that all looked the same. If we were without our tour guide, I'm sure my mother and I would get lost in a heartbeat.

Today, we traveled to Florence by motor-coach aka a large bus. The long bus ride got me uber-dizzy and sick from motion sickness, and as a result, my mother and I took a quick taxi ride from the Academy of the Arts (where they dropped us off) to our hotel. I missed out on seeing David's "you know what" but the five hour nap was worth it. I felt a lot better afterwards and was finally able to enjoy Florence from my hotel at dinner. Hopefully, tomorrow's bus and boat ride into Venice won't get me into another woozy mood. 

More adventures to come... we've got Switzerland, Paris and London! 

I'll leave y'all with a little Party Rockin' tune.

Arrivederci, US of A!

Instead of going to bed and getting a full eight hours of sleep before my flight tomorrow, I am writing to you my friends because I can't sleep. Just way too excited - all giddy like a child waiting for Christmas! 

All packed up... aka 12+ outfits into my "little luggage set of an armoire" and ready to begin my journey. Tomorrow's set of flights shall be tiring but oh so worth it. A 6:35 a.m. 747 to the JFK airport in NYC and then just two short hours before the next flight to..... (drumroll please) ROME. 

Ohhhh When in Rome...

All of the sights, tastes and smells... ahhh can't wait. Goodbye diet; you'll be coming back post-Europe. 

pasta... pasta and more pasta. #loves pizza, paninis, gelato.. prosciutto and melon. delicious.

History right in front of me... that's what I've been waiting for and here's my chance. Chyeahhh buddy.

I will try my best to blog a little bit each night to let you in on all of my adventures. No guarantees though, because with all of the sightseeing, this little lady might just pass out-shoes-on when she hits that fluffy little bed at night. 

Well, I guess it's back to the Italian-English dictionary and looking up phrases in German and French on Google to prep me for this trip.

Arrivederci, m'dears!

images via

image via

Just 3 days until I hop on the plane with my mom and cross the pond. #cantwait


After days of procrastinating, I finally dragged that suitcase out of the closet and began packing. Four hours later, I had managed to fit twelve outfits with appropriate accessories and shoes in that 12 X 11 black armoire on wheels.

T minus 3 days... #lehgo

5 1/2 Weeks... and counting

summer: jet-settin' all over the world...
the countdown begins now.

In just five and a half short weeks, I'll begin my summer adventures with a 6:45 am flight from PDX to Denver, and then a straight way 'cross clear blue skies to reach my final destination of Hartsfield Jackson Int'l Airport in ATL - Hotlanta!

How stoked am I? There are no words to describe my excitement -- can't even begin to describe my anticipation and eagerness to fly down now. 80+ degree weather...everyday errday, sundresses, floppy hats, sweet tea, Southern grace and 7 beautiful.amazing ADPi-webleedblueandwhite-alphielovin'-violet-EUGENIA-iheartmypin-ultimate.diamond.studded.srat.castle EO sisters... what more could I ask for?

one of my top ten things to do in ATL: 

sit on a big porch and sip sweet tea while I day-dream/unwind after a long day

After an amazing internship at ADPi Headquarters, I'll be returning to my beloved Pacific NW - hipster and all - and spend the end of July with family in my hometown of Portland, OR and visiting relatives from Dallas (CHYEAH - i.heart.texas.) and Scottsdale, AZ. Happy hour in the Pearl District, shopping at Bridgeport, running along the Columbia River and hikes up at Multnomah Falls - oh how I've missed it! 

August 10th I'll embark on another adventure with my beloved Momma to Europe where we will be taking an 11 day tour through Italy, Switerland, France and England. Not gunna lie... 11 days just aren't enough, so the plan is to go back next summer... anybody wanna join? 

photo courtesy of We Heart It

From Portland to New York... and then it's across the pond, we go! 

really funny story... on the way back from London, we have a 2 hr. lay-over in ATL

is it possible to do a quick trip to EO or a fellow sista come visit me at the airport?

11 Day Itinerary

Italy:: Rome + Florence + Venice

Day 1: Arrive in Rome and explore until 6 pm dinner with the tour group and director

Day 2: Seeing all of Rome -- Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Square, Basilica, Colosseum and Roman Forum -- shopping, gelato, and getting wooed by cute Italian boys in Vespas.. ya dig? 

Day 3: Florence - Tour of the Academy of Fine Arts (Michelangelo!!!), Cathedral (Giotto's Bell Tower), Signoria Square and more shopping

Day 4: Arrive to Venice by private boat - hitting up St. Mark's Square, the Clock Tower, Bridge of Sighs, glassblower demonstration and a serenaded gondola ride

Switzerland:: Lugano + Lucerne

Day 5: Past Milan and Lake Como, we're visiting Lugano to admire the beautiful Swiss Alps... do you hear the sound of music? There's a possibility that my dearest mother and I will attend a folklore party -- set with yodeling and alphorn blowing... bahaha 

Day 6: Onward to Lucerne, we're visiting the famous Thorwaldsen's Lion Monument (the biggest and coolest Alphie ever!) and then crossing the famous Chapel Bridge to a Jesuit Church.... It must be fate:: ADPi + Jesuit... best combos ever! Ending the night with a cruise on one of the fjords. 

France:: Paris

Day 7: Finally.... the city of love, baguettes, Chanel and everything that I absolutely love! Quick trip to the vineyard on the outskirts of Burgandy and Fontainebleau Forest -- arriving into the heart of Paris by night.. momma, let's go galavanting through the city and admire the lights

Day 8: Touristy day in Paris with admiring famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champ-Elysées, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower. Louvre for a bit... then it's off to Versailles (I'm looking forward to this the most!)

England:: London

Day 9: Arrive in London in the afternoon -- free to roam around... possible shopping day? CHYEAH!

Day 11: Morning tour of London to see Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus and Buckingham Palace. Option for the afternoon tour includes Windsor Castle or Tower of London... decisions decisions decisions...

this summer is outta control.

non-stop fun. jam-packed. unforgettable

these will the best memories...