Flashback Friday: Candids From Europe

I know it's been awhile since I've done a formal Five Friday Favorites, but today & for the rest of August I'm mixing things up and doing "Flashback Fridays," featuring some tidbits from my European travel this summer. I just got around to downloading all the pictures I took on my phone to my computer (yay! now I finally have room for more pictures!) so I came across a ton of fun pictures that never made it on the blog, or on my Instagram. But they are so fun, I must share them!

Today's theme is funny candids and the stories behind them! So lets get started...

"Look how pretty this place is! Just look at it!" I believe that's pretty darn close to what I said when this picture was taken, on our first weekend trip outside of Florence. We went to the Cinque Terre, but stayed in a nearby town called Moneglia, where we spent the entire afternoon of our arrival exploring the rocky beach area. We acted like we were 10. It was great.

"Do I look like a Medici?" In Florence, we got the chance to tour the Chapel of the Medici's and the Basilica of San Lorenzo, and admired the richness of the marble inlays (called pietra dura) and and intricate woodwork. I paused from my sketching to pretend like I was a wealthy Medici, and a classmate snapped this picture... I definitely pulled it off. 

"Let's touch the butt!" We pulled a Finding Nemo while in Prague, at the Piss statue by controversial artist David Cerny. One of my favorite of his pieces throughout the city, the two men stand on a pool shaped like the Czech and you can text in whatever you want them to spell with their stream. Kind of a cool community interaction piece. But anyway, yes, we had to get cheeky with it. 

"Look how relaxed I am..." This picture itself isn't funny, but the story of what happened not more than 5 minutes later is. I was at the Milan Expo, about to meet up with all of the FSU group to head back to Florence so I was chilling with a drink in my hand (non-alcoholic, just to make that clear for what comes next) at the Czech pavilion with my tired feet in their little pool. It was time to go meet up, so I stood up to leave and splash, my whole bag slipped off my shoulder and into the water. The bag contained not only my student ID, my passport, and money, but also my camera and cell phone. Thank the Lord for the nice gentleman sitting right next to me, because he grabbed it before it started to sink! Everything survived without damage, except all my paper pamphlets from the pavilions and my empty spare sketchbook. So it ended up being kinda funny, especially since I can't even blame alcohol for this one!

"How do you fire a cannon?" When touring the Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, I had my friend take a picture of me standing next to the big cannons to send my dad and brother (they love stuff like that). Then I also decided I wanted to fire it, but quickly realized I had no idea how to actually make it look like that's what I was doing. Oh well!

My Europe travels definitely were anything but boring, and I hope you enjoyed a few laughs while reading this! Happy Friday & Happy Weekend!

--Caroline

Life on Lake Como

Today I'm doing a little throwback to our weekend in the Lake Como area of Italy! Somehow in my travels I forgot to share about this beautiful hidden gem of Italy, and one of my favorite places we traveled. My roommates and I decided to make our last weekend trip together a spa weekend, so we booked a spa day package at the Spa at the Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy. We stayed just outside Bellagio, in a little village called Lezzano. Despite a lot of rainy weather, it was such a beautiful area and was the perfect place to end our travels in Italy. The first day we just spent exploring, the second day there was our spa day, and then the third day we used the ferry to travel in between all the cities around the center of Lake Como. 

My favorite city, other than Bellagio, was Tremezzo, where we toured the gorgeous Villa Carlotta, which was once a wedding present! I'm getting married soon... Anyone want to gift me a villa like this one?! :) I kid, but it was an absolutely beautiful villa on the water. 

On our way back to Florence, we hung out in Como before hopping on the train. Finally the sun came out, and we had fun exploring and shopping!

I would love to go back to the Lake Como area. It would be the perfect place for a romantic getaway, possibly a honeymoon! :) It was so hard to get on the train... I definitely didn't want to leave at all.

I hope you enjoyed this little throwback, happy Thursday!

--Caroline

From Paris, With Love

Last summer when my family and I were in Europe, we spent only a couple few days in Paris. It was so nice to be able to spend a longer time there this summer, and it meant we could relax a little and not have to run around Paris trying to see everything like chickens with our heads cut off! 

We returned to one of my favorite places, the Luxembourg Palace and Gardens, and saw all the main sights: the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. We also took a day and went into Giverney to see Monet's Gardens and relax in the Norman countryside. It was so cool to see where Monet's inspiration came from--I would be inspired to paint like that if I lived in such a beautiful area!

I loved my time back in Paris, but it was still good to finally make my way home after 8 weeks of traveling in Europe. I truly enjoyed my trip, and the memories and things I learned will stay with me for forever. As you read this, my family and I are heading to Yellowstone for the week for a little family vacation… My traveling just doesn't seem to end!

Happy Monday!

--Caroline

Five Friday Favorites: London Edition

We spent only two nights in London, but for two nights and three ish days we did quite a lot! Today, in honor of Friday, I'm going to share my Five Favorite things we did in London. From Scotland we took the train, arriving in Kings Cross which was a fun experience. The cab driver that took us to our hotel recommended to us a fun restaurant, which starts off my list...

1. Secret Mexican Restaurant 

My friend was craving Mexican food, so when we asked our cab driver for a recommendation and when he mentioned a secret Mexican restaurant we knew that was where we'd go! Hidden in SoHo behind the facade of an adult store advertising a "peep show", we hesitantly walked in, hoping we were in the right place! We were then taken downstairs, to a very atmospheric & chic restaurant. Despite the limited menu that was a little more than we would have paid, it was definitely a cool experience! 

2. London Eye

The next day, we made our way to the London Eye to start our day with a birds eye view of the city! If you're only in London for a short time like we were, it's definitely worth it to upgrade to the fast pass ticket, and you get to see a lot of London from a cool perspective. Definitely the best way to see Big Ben! 

3. Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard

After the London Eye, we made our way across the river to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, which I didn't realize was quite a show! The guards played a mini concert for the masses, and if I did it again I would have gotten there much earlier for a better view. 

4. Natural History Museum 

After the Changing of the Guard, we found our way to the free Natural History Museum. Confession time: we originally intended on going to the British Museum, the location of Night at The Museum 2, but we got a little confused and went to the wrong place. But it was okay, because London's Natural History Museum is definitely a fun place to go if you have time. Lots of cool exhibits, and it was fun to learn about something other than art for a change. Also, the architecture of the museum inside and out was beautiful! 

5. Being a Typical Tourist 

On the day we left, we still had one mission before we hopped on the train to Paris: find a nice red phonebooth and act like a tourist. Thankfully there was a decently clean, graffiti free one nearby our hotel! 

London was definitely a cool city, and part of me wishes we could have been there an additional day. However, we saw a lot and made the most of our short time there! I'll just have to go back :)

Happy early Fourth of July! I'm glad I was able to be home in the States for the holiday with my family... I can't wait to eat burgers and watch fireworks! How are you spending the holiday? 

--Caroline

Scotland

Post-Italy, the first stop for my two friends and I was Scotland! They are sisters, and have relatives that live just outside of Stirling, Scotland that offered to house us for about 5 days. It was definitely one of the best places I've been to! I think through living with the locals we were able to get an even more accurate and fun view of Scotland, and the trip would not have been the same had we stayed in a hotel. While there, we did several day trips, to the cities of Edinburgh, Stirling, and Glascow. 

EDINBURGH

Definitely worth it to spend the whole day, after breakfast through after dinner. We left before dinner time, and we still got to climb Scott's Monument (it gives a fantastic view of the city!), eat lunch, tour Edinburgh Castle, do a little shopping, have a few drinks... Especially the latter! Our hosts wanted to take us on a pub crawl, which we started in Edinburgh before heading back to their little village. However, we only went to a total of 4 pubs and were sad to hear we barely came close to a traditional pub crawl, which involves more like 10 or more pubs. Solid try? Sure! 

STIRLING

We did a bit of a half-day trip to Stirling, which I think was plenty. A smaller city, we were on a mission to find a couple gifts for friends and family back home, and there were many shops to choose from for not only souvenirs but also just shopping in general. We walked up to the top of the hill where the Stirling Castle sits, too look out at the great view. Having toured the Edinbugh Castle already, and because our hosts said it was underwhelming, we decided to skip the Stirling Castle. 

GLASCOW

This was such a fun city, and surprisingly artistic! We were told the Willow Tea Rooms were a must-visit, because they feature the architectural designs of famous designer Charles Renny Machintosh. After a yummy lunch, we came across the Lighthouse, the architectural center of Glascow. They had some cool exhibits, and naturally Lauren and I were in interior architecture heaven! We then found our way to the Gallery of Modern Art, a free museum that was worth the walk through. If we didn't have dinner plans with our hosts, and we had gotten there earlier, I think we could have used a longer amount of time in Glascow! There was so much to see and do, as well as good shopping. (Is it clear that I love to shop yet? Because I love window shopping!) 

Although I loved exploring the larger cities of Scotland, it was so nice to also explore the area our hosts live, a village called Menstrie. A quaint little place, some of my favorite moments in Scotland were just exploring the hills leading to the Highlands and looking out over the village below. 

Overall I loved my time in Scotland, and getting on the train to continue onto London was quite hard. I didn't want to leave! I'm already thinking about when I can come back, and have decided that Kyle must come with me. In trying to keep my personal life mostly personal, I haven't really spoken much about missing my fiancé while I've been away on study abroad. As I write this, it's my last night of the trip and I'm sitting in my bed in our hotel in Paris (posts about London and Paris to come!), and I have to say that while I'll miss Europe I am quite excited to be back and see Kyle, my family, and be back in Colorado. Kyle and I have done long distance for so long that we are used to this unfortunately. But this time it's been especially rough, especially because of time differences and my lack of an international phone plan. Like the huge sweetheart he is, he's making a trip out to Colorado to see me over my birthday, so we get to hang out with our friends and wedding plan... Together! I'm over the moon excited! 

Anyway, like I said look for posts to come about my experiences in London and Paris, and I'll be back on normal posting schedule shortly as I arrive back in the States from my study abroad and travels in Europe! 

Cheers, Ciao, and Au Revior for now!

--Caroline

Back To Praha

Man oh man, things have gotten busy! Between class, museum visits, sketching assignments, and weekend trips, it's been far too long since a blog post.... So today, I'm playing catch up by sharing my weekend jaunt up to Prague a couple weekends ago. If you've been reading This Styled life for any amount of time, you know that my first visit to Prague was last summer with my family, on our river cruise through Europe. I had no expectations for Prague, so I was wonderfully blown away! It is definitely one of my top 5 favorite cities in Europe, so you can image how excited I was to get the chance to go back with some of my classmates. We ended up doing to the trip through a student travel company, which wasn't my favorite experience but regardless I ended up in the city I hold so near to my heart! Just a few snapshots from our brief visit there...

We of course went to all the typical must-see places: the John Lennon Wall, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and Prague Castle. It was nice because we stayed in a different part of town, so I saw many new sides of Prague that I missed last summer. I don't know when or how, but I will be going back again! I just love it so much! 

Ciao for now!

--Caroline

A Church With A View

Over the weekend we had the pleasure of touring The Basilica of San Miniato Al Monte, which sits up on a hill and offers incredible views of Florence. The church itself is around 1000 years old, and the amount of detail in the frescos, floor, and ceiling there that are still intact is incredible! After all the churches I saw last summer, I have to say that this is one of my favorites! Plus the view from the entrance and the walk up the hill just makes it so much better. 

Ciao for now!

--Caroline 

Fiesole

One of our first included trips with FSU was a day trip to a city near Florence called Fiesole. It is a hillside town that offers breathtaking views of Florence, and a glimpse into the history of the Etruscans. The original Etruscan outdoor amphitheater is still used today, and dates back to the 9th century BC. Nearby are ruins of a Roman bath house, as well as of an Etruscan temple. Before visiting the ruins, we walked up the hill to a monastery, which was absolutely beautiful, especially the attached garden. Overall it was fun trip, and I enjoyed the rich history and culture. Ruins are definitely one of my favorite things to see, because I love picturing how they must have looked in their heyday.

I took many pictures, but these are just a few of my favorites...

It was such a fun day, and if you ever have the chance to explore Fiesole I highly recommend making the trip! 

--Caroline

Wish List

The Day Book Black Maxi Outfit  / Megan's Moda Sneaker Outfit / J's Everyday Fashion Linen Pant Outfit

This week we've had two different meetings regarding our study abroad trip to Italy, one for the whole group going over and one interior-design specific meeting. Lot's of great information, some things I already knew (packing tips, common sense travel tips, etc) but naturally they went over a lot of specifics about our program and what we'll be doing. Needless to say, it got me so so excited for the trip, as if I wasn't unbelievably excited already!!! In thinking about our itinerary and the climate in May/June, I'm feeling like I'm missing a couple things from a fashion standpoint. For example...

A black maxi dress. Perfect for touring churches where knees need to be covered, this is also just a great basic to have anyway. I used to have two but neither were perfect. I won't break my back trying to find one before summer time, but it would be nice since I currently only have one maxi to bring with me.

Fashionable sneakers. The interior design department rep we are traveling with (and who is teaching our courses!) LOVES to talk about the shopping over there, specifically shoes. She said that fashion-forward sneakers are all the rage in Italy, and since I was already thinking about adding some to pack in my suitcase I just might have to give this trend a second look. I how this "trend" looks on others, but I have a hard time picturing myself in it. The sooner I get a pair the longer I have to adjust to wearing them in unexpected ways!

Linen pants. I have a peach wide-leg pair that I wear all the time, but I think I'd like a second pair, in a more neutral color, to wear abroad. With temperatures being cooler in the beginning of our stay but warming up fast, I think that a pair of lightweight pants might be a great option! I could probably layer tights or leggings underneath if I need more warmth.

Have you ever been to Florence, Italy? If you've been, any recommendations? Any must-have clothing items for the student studying abroad? 

Eeep! I can't wait!

--Caroline