Trip Planning: Still Deciding Where to Go

A few weeks ago I uploaded a post about planning a new trip for the end of August. I then looked at all my options, and most importantly, my budget, and decided it was wiser to stay home and work some more.  I can then save my money, and really properly plan a trip.

Plus, I like writing these posts, updating you on what I am up to and all.

Planning a New Trip

This is somewhat of a different and random post, but this blog is not just about makeup chat. I also want to share certain things I am up to and what's happening.

Unforeseen circumstances have made me cancel an upcoming trip to Germany, which now leaves me with days off and no destination. I now need to plan a trip somewhere else.

Therefore here is a post talking about the places I'd like to visit and maybe I'll continue this post with another or more in the future about my planning and how I decided on a new destination.

And perhaps by doing so I can inspire some of you on your next vacation.

A brief travel diary : Frankfurt

Frankfurt is a city I've found myself traveling to often over the past several months and each time I am impressed with it's mix of modern/urban style with old German architecture. 

There are many things to do in this city from shopping, museums, parks, zoos, dining, etc. There is also the beautiful Main River that flows through the city and makes for great scenic walks. 

Thailand Travel Tips

As I have mentioned in some previous posts, I went on vacation in May, to Thailand. Before leaving and while there I learned many things and picked up some tips and advice on how to travel around in that part of the world.

The total time I spent away was 16 days, including travel time, so there really wasn't much time.

We spent a few days in the capital, Bangkok, then headed south to the islands. I would love to go back some day and see the north of Thailand, but there just wasn't enough time on this trip to see everything.

Our vacation did not go smoothly the entire time. We did have fun, but there were times we wished we were elsewhere.

After all our adventures and misadventures in Thailand I figured putting together a tips and advice post would be helpful to anyone considering traveling in South East Asia.

Travel Essentials : Thailand.

This is a late post, but better late than never. I have taken a two-week hiatus from this blog due to vacation, hence the subject of this post. I am now back, and there will be posts once again consistently on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The items featured in this were gathered before my trip, obviously, and since I am back home now, I can give a full review of each and tell you how useful they really were. 

Exchange Student's Survival Guide no5: Packing!

Packing for any trip can be a daunting task. What will I need? What will the weather be like? Should I bring my sheets, comforter and pillow? There are many things to consider, especially before embarking on a several-month trip abroad.

After my two exchange trips to France and Germany I have learned about the importance of packing light.

Here are my tips on packing for an exchange.

Las Vegas Trip

Last week I was able to take a few days off and travel to Las Vegas, America's playground. It was a lot of fun, and even though it was short, I enjoyed myself fully.

We took a flight that arrived in Vegas at 11pm, which started our trip late, but Vegas is the city that never sleeps, so we walked around a bit between 11:30pm and 1am to see what was out there.

Here are some highlights from my trip :)

Exchange Student Survival Guide no4: Starting to Plan the Trip

Now that you have applied and hopefully gotten accepted to the program, it's time to start planning the journey there.

If you did some research on bursaries and scholarships before this point you will have information about possible financial help during your exchange semester.  This will help you decide how to go about the following steps.

Exchange Student's Survival Guide no3: Applying for the Exchange

Now that you have decided where you want to go, it's time to submit your application to your school. Every university will function differently and submission dates and such will vary, but essentially what I will be suggesting and the advice in the post is general and can be applied to most exchange programs in my opinion.

Exchange Student's Survival Guide no2: Deciding Where to Go.

As a young and ambitious high school student many years ago, I was already planning my eventual trip abroad to study while in university.  I knew for certain that I wanted to go to Europe. It's such an amazing place filled with history and culture, I knew that living there for several months at a time would be the absolute best opportunity in the world.

When I finally got to university, one of the very first things I did was get in touch with the person in charge of student exchanges. I was told to apply the following February (it was September), so I had several months to look at the partner schools and make my choice.

Seeing as I had chosen a major in Modern Languages studying French Literature and German, it was pretty much decided which countries I'd be going to.

Exchange Student's Survival Guide no1: Intro

Here's a new kind of post I'll be doing once in a while.  Since this is a lifestyle blog as well as a beauty blog, it's time I start being more consistent with posting 'lifestyle' bits.

This initial post of this new Exchange Student's Survival Guide series will be an introduction to be journey into wanting to do an exchange and why I believed it was and still is a great idea. I really hope this new kind of post will be helpful and please you all.  Here goes nothing...

Easter weekend in Italy !

Let me start out this post by saying how good it is to finally be able to post on my blog with my computer, the last couple posts were made with my iPad, which meant the quality was lacking.

But now I am reunited with my computer, which I had spilt tea on and had stopped working and I was without it for about two months (it didn't take that long to fix, but I had to send it back to Canada while I was still in France... anyway a long boring story).

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the trip!

I had never been to Italy before and have always wanted to go, so when my friend Patricia suggested we spend Easter weekend in Cinque Terre, I jumped on the occasion.

Day 1 : Traveling to Cinque Terre via Milan

We spent a really quick afternoon in Milan, because that is where we

decided to meet up, and then we took a train together from there to Cinque Terre.  All we did in Milan was see the Duomo quickly from the outside and eat some pizza.

(Piazza del Duomo, Milan)

(The pizza I devoured in Milan)

Then we took the train from Milan to Monterosso.

The first day we arrived around 9 pm, so all we did was eat then we went straight to bed.

We stayed in a lovely little Bed and Breakfast in Monterosso al Mare, which is the first of the Cinque Terre (five lands).  The other four are Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.


Day 2: Rainy day, eating, short hike 

The following day we woke to a rainy Monterosso, but that didn't stop us from walking around, taking some pictures and eating A LOT of delicious italian food.  The woman who owns the B&B where we were staying recommended we try her sons' restaurants in Monterosso, which we did and thoroughly enjoyed :)

(if you would like to check out some pics of the food I ate while in Italy, go check out my instagram, I posted many food pics there from my trip)

When the sun finally made an appearance in the late afternoon, we were able to go on the hiking trail and make our way towards Vernazza. We didn't go all the way to the other land, but we did walk for about half an hour and were able to take in some wonderful views of Monterosso and the sea.

(A view from the hiking trail )

(Me on the hiking trail)

(Monterosso al Mare)

Day 3: Boat trip to Portovenere

On our third day in Cinque Terre, the sun was out and it promised to be a beautiful day.  We woke up early and bought our boat tickets to Portovenere, a slightly bigger coastal town a little east of the Cinque Terre.

The boat trip was really fun and I would recommend it to anyone, because it is the best way to get a good look at all of the five lands.  If you have enough time, you can even get off the boat and visit the other lands, except for Corniglia, which is only accessible by train.

(Corniglia, now you see why this town isn't accessible by boat)

(Manarola)

(Riomaggiore)


In Portovenere we walked around and fully enjoyed the lovely sun and warm weather.  We had a delicious lunch of focaccia sandwiches.  They were so good that we ordered a third one to split.

(Portovenere)

(Boat in Portovenere)

(View of the Cinque Terre coast and the sea from Portovenere)

After lunch we walked around some more and at the end of the afternoon we took the boat back to Monterosso al Mare, but we made a pit stop in Vernazza first.

(Vernazza)

That evening we had another yummy meal in Monterosso (pizza and wine), and went to bed, because the next day we had to get up early and take a train home.

Quick tips: 

1) Water is not given out for free in restaurants, you always have to pay for it.

2) Be aware of an extra fee for sitting and eating in a restaurant.

3) Try the gelato!


I really enjoyed my weekend in Italy and I really hope to get the chance to visit the rest of this beautiful country.

Weekend Trip to London

Last month we spent a weekend in England.  I had a friend to visit there so it was a perfect excuse to take a weekend trip and visit the country's capital.

Here are a few things we did, saw and ate while in London.

Day 1: Londe Eye, Westminster and Buckingham Palace

Our first day in England actually started very early in the morning.  We took a Ryanair flight from Marseille to London Stansted, which meant we had to take an hour and a half long bus ride to London from the airport.  We landed at 11pm and after a longish wait at border patrol we made it out of the airport with our luggage and unto the National Express en route for London.  The ride itself took close to 2 hours and we were quite tired when we eventually made it to our hotel room. 

After sleeping in til about 10am we set out for our first day in the English capital. Our first stop was the London Eye, because I wanted to indulge in the wonderful view of the city and get the long wait in queue over with.  The wait was about 45 minutes and it was worth it.  It was a beautiful sunny day so the view was amazing! 

After having seen the city from up above, we made our way over to Westminster Abbey and paid the extremely high entrance fee of 18 pounds.  I would say it is worth it to do once and take in the grandeur and history of the place.  My favorite part was the poet's corner where many famous poets and authors have been buried or memorialized there. They include Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, Shakespeare, Robert Burns, the Brontes and many more. 

We also took a few snaps of Big Ben while in the area of course. 

Then we strolled through St. James's Park and saw all the ducks, swans, geese, and pelicans that live there. Being an absolute lover of all animals, this was of course really fun for me! 

After a ten minute walk with all these great winged creatures, there stood the place everyone wants to see when they visit London, Buckingham Palace.  

It was then time to grab something to eat. It wasn't quite supper time but we were famished.  That's the thing about traveling, you never end up eating at normal hours. We found a quaint coffee shop in Shepherd's market and had some tea and paninis. I chose a tune melt, which was either really good becaue I was just that darn hungry or it really was the best tuna melt ever.

That evening we went back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit and then went out to a nearby pub for a quick supper before going to bed.

Day 2: Meeting up with Kelly, Hyde Park, Camden Market, Afternoon Tea, Shopping

The main reason we went to London that weekend was to visit with my friend Kelly, who had been living on the outskirts of London for the past couple months.  

Our hotel was located right next to Hyde Park, so that is where our day began. We strolled through the parkon another beautifully sunny day in the city where it "always rains". 

We saw but did not visit Kensington Palace (Princess Diana's home). We passed by Prince Albert's memorial and admired Princess Diana's memorial fountain. 

Before leaving Hyde Park we saw a few swans and ducks that of course had to be photographed.

After the park we made our way to Camden market to enjoy the lively atmosphere there. Camden is very different from the areas of London we had visited the previous day so the contrast was quite flagrant, but not at all negative.

In the afternoon we walked around Piccadilly circus and into the giant M&Ms store. 

One of the highlights of the weekend for me was having an authentic English Afternoon Tea.  It was so satisfying after a morning and afternoon of walking around. Yum! There were tiny crustless sandwiches,  warm scones and sweet pastries. 

After the tea we did some shopping, some stores are just a must-see while in London such as Topshop, Primark, Selfridges, Spacenk. 

Day 3: Canadian Gold medal final, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, fish'n chips

Being there during the Olympics made it essential for us to be able to watch the game.  Although I must admit I am not the biggest NHL fan, Olympic hockey is an a whole different level and therefore very enjoyable to watch. My Canadian friend and I set out of Sunday morning in the hopes of finding a seat in a bar/pub that was open and would air the game. Our mission was successful and we sat down to witness yet another victorious gold medal game. 

After that we had to keep visiting the city, we walked quickly through Trafalgar square, snapped a few pics and headed to the nearest tube station en route to Tower bridge. 

(Note the Canadian embassy on the far right:) ) 

That day wasn't quite as nice as the previous two, but it wasn't raining, so no one was complaining. 

Walking across such a mighty bridge, we were famished and needed sustenance stat! So we stopped at a nearby pub and I was able to sample some delicious English fish n chips! 

We then checked the time and realized we hadn't visited the famous Harrods and there was merely one hour left before it closed, so we hurried to the tube and made it to Harrods in the nick of time. We were able to take the Egyptian escalators to the top and back down before exiting the enormous shop and snapping some nighttime pics of the iconic building. 

That evening we said bye to my friend and headed straight to bed, because our flight was at 7 the following morning and we needed to catch the 4 o'clock bus to the airport. 

Overall our trip was fantastic! I don't think I could've asked for a better weekend in the English capital. There are still many things I haven't done and definitely want to go back again and again! Maybe next time I'll get to see the Queen ;) 

Trip to Sweden (part 2)

Here's another look at our week-long trip to Sweden's capital city, Stockholm!

Day 4 : Garbage hill and Södermalm 

On the Saturday, I was feeling a little under the weather, so we took our time getting ready and set out for the day.

Since we were staying with family friends a little outside the center of Stockholm, we were able to explore around the area a little bit.  One of the notable things was a hill made up of construction waste/extra and unneeded material.  They even made it into a very small ski hill.  There was obviously no snow there yet, it being September and all, so we just climbed up it and enjoyed the nice view of Stockholm from the top.

Then we walked back down the hill on the other side and ended up in a very nice residential area surrounded by water.  It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm.

We then took a small ferry boat to cross the water into Södermalm. This neighbourhood is quite trendy with many good restaurants and eclectic shops.  There is also a church and a park to visit while there.

We stopped to have a snack/lunch at a cute little cafe.

Afterwards, we walked a bit more and took the elevator up to have a gorgeous view of the center of Stockholm.

Day 5: Hermans café, Vasamuseet (Vasa museum) and Grona Lunds Tivoli

For lunch we made it to Herman's café, a wonderful vegetarian buffet restaurant with an amazing view of Stockholm. The food was so delicious! I would recommend anyone visiting Stockholm to have a meal at Herman's.

After lunch we took another ferry boat to Djurgarden, one of the many islands that make up the vast city of Stockholm.  On this island there are several museums, such as the Vasa museum, the Abba musuem, the maritime museum, Skansen open-air museum and an amusement park.

When in Stockholm it is very important to make time to visit the Vasa museum.  333 years ago, a Swedish war ship sank on its maiden voyage, in the middle of the harbour in Stockholm.  In the 1970s the ship was finally removed from the harbour and placed in a museum which can now be visited by tourists.

The museum was quite impressive and the ship itself is amazingly preserved.

After the museum we decided to have a little fun at the amusement park.  There are no pictures from there because we were too busy having a blast on all the roller coasters.

Day 6: Gamla Stan, Fika, traditional Swedish restaurant

On our last day in Stockholm we had to walk around the old town, Gamla Stan.  We spent most of the morning and afternoon walking around, shopping for fun little souvenirs and taking lots of pictures.

Around 2pm we decided it was time to have a little bite to eat.  We made our way to a very popular Swedish cafe to have fika, which is a Swedish tradition of having a snack in the middle of the afternoon.  I found that custom quite pleasant ;).  The cafe was called Sturekatten.  We ate a platter of Swedish savory snack foods and a princess cake for dessert, a traditional Swedish dessert.  Sadly I have no pictures because we were too hungry to bother taking out our cameras.  It was all very delicious though, you can trust me on that.

That evening we had a lovely supper with our hosts at a traditional Swedish restaurant in Södermalm.  On the menu there were the ever popular Swedish meatballs, which I didn't order or course.  I chose a fish, which was served with potatoes.  Everything was lovely.

Day 7: Trip home 

On the Tuesday we had to make it back to France.  So we packed our suitcases, took the bus back to the airport and boarded our flight home.


Overall it was a wonderful trip, filled with delicious food, amazing sights, and even more wonderful people.  Thank you to Maria for being the best of hosts !!

Trip to Sweden (part 1)

I know this is a little late, but you know what they say...

Anyways, time to get to the point. 

At the end of September my boyfriend and I went to Stockholm for a week.  I hadn't started my new job yet so I had time to spare, and being September, it was a splendid time to visit a colder part of the globe.  

So we arrived in Stockholm on September 17th via Ryanair, which is a great airline to use to travel within Europe inexpensively. 

We were very lucky to be able to stay with family friends so there will be no hotel reviews in this post.

Day 1: Skansen Open-air museum 

View of Stockholm from Skansen

Inside Skansen

Animals of Skansen, the elk

Day 2 : Cruise to Mariehamn, Finland and back 

On our second day in Finland we had booked a day cruise across the Baltic sea to the Åland Islands of Finland and back.  We lucked out because that day it was raining, so we ended up being quite comfy inside, warm and dry.  It being a big ship, there was a  spa on board, which we took advantage of, of course.

Day 3: Day trip to Uppsala 

On the Friday, we took a train to the nearby university town of Uppsala.  Much smaller than Stockholm, but very pretty with a distinctly Swedish vibe.  Again we lucked out, because we had sunny and comfortably warm weather to walk and explore around Uppsala.

We arrived in Uppsala just before noon, so we were quite hungry.  We found this lovely little vegetarian buffet  called Frojas sal right across from the train station.  We paid 80 crowns, which is about 12 dollars, each for an unlimited amount of yummy swedish/asian vegetarian dishes.  All was very good.

Then we met up with a friend of mine, who showed us around her town.

We went to the botanical gardens and it was stunning! A definite must-see for anyone planning a trip to Uppsala.

There is also a cute little river that runs through the town with pedestrian paths all along it.  It was very pleasant to stroll along those paths before dinnertime.

More from our trip to come in another post so stay tuned :)