Category Archives: paris

February 5, 2015 · 8:18 pm

Sexy and the City

I heart Sexy City Travel, do you? I return to all 3 of these cities again and again. I’d love to hear which cities are your Sexy Travel Spots. Here are my top three Sexy Cities.

Paris

I love Paris. I always have. The people look as delicious as the food and wine! It’s a romantic city but it’s also a sexy city. There is top everything from see and be seen shops, hotels, restaurants and clubs. But, you don’t have to be in the know to get the sexy vibe there. You could just be sitting at a cafe watching the world go by eating French onion soup and drinking a little vin. The French language is sexy. The French women and men are sexy. The French ophthalmologist shops are sexy. French artists make sexy French art. Famous writers from around the world wrote about sexy times in Paris. It’s indisputable.

New York City

Well, they did make a show about ‘sex’ in this city after all! New York is sexy for many of the same reasons as Paris. I wouldn’t say New York is romantic but it is a fast paced place where there’s always something exciting going on. Again, the people watching is incredible. It’s edgy and fun and that makes it sexy to me. It’s a bit of a rebellious city. Like the sexy rock star! You never know what or who you’re going to see when you step onto the streets of New York. This is one exciting and very alive city. You can feel its energy pulsing at any given hour practically anywhere.

Miami Beach

Now this city, to me, is the most sexy of the three. It just feels more exotic. The chill international vibe. The swanky sporty cars and scantily clad people. Sex is literally in the air in Miami. That suntan oil summertime smell and lounge music drifting all around. I mean the sand and ocean tend to make you think of sexy things, am I right? Lots of sun-kissed skin. But even the dinners, drinks and dancing is sexier in Miami. That must be why I love it so much.

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Filed under miami, new york, paris, travel

May 20, 2014 · 9:10 am

Baking Baguettes in Paris, France

OUI. You read that correctly. Once upon a time, I went to Paris and learned the process of baking baguettes with a Master Baker. That’s not the ONLY thing I did over my brief visit but it was by far the coolest. Luckily for me, I’ve been to Paris a few times so seeing the typical sights wasn’t the big “wooo oooh” it’s been in the past. I mean, I never tire of the Eiffel Tower but it was so so fun to get inside a real working bakery’s kitchen and bake French baguettes and croissants. Who couldn’t love that?!

This amazing hands-on tour was put together with WonderTime, a boutique company offering unique behind the scenes experiences with inspiring people in their crafts. My baguette & croissant baking was with Frederic Lalos, the highly awarded Master Baker, who is not only an expert but also an entertaining pleasure to learn from. Frederic is one of the partners of LALOS Paris and together with his partner, Pierre-Marie Gagneux, owns 6 shops in Paris plus provide bread and pastries to the finest Michelin-starred Parisian restaurants.

While in the kitchen at LALOS boulangerie, you will learn about the history and technical steps of taking various flours and turning that into the world’s favorite loaf and pastry – baguettes and croissants. Frederic’s method is according to centuries-old French tradition and takes over 50 hours to make the bread. Once you learn some of the Master’s secrets, you will put what you have learned to use and make a few souvenirs of your time as a baker’s apprentice. Fortunately for you, most of the hard work is completed in advance and your time in the kitchen will be only 120 minutes of learning and fun with delicious results! Sampling of some of Frederic’s award-winning pastries are all a part of your visit too. MMMM.

Not only was this an educational and special one-of-a-kind Paris, France, experience but also spending time with Frederic was extremely inspiring. His passion and love of his job and his enthusiasm to share knowledge is truly quite something. I have a whole new appreciation for bread! As Frederic says himself, “this visit will forever change the way you see – and taste – baguettes and croissants.”

WHY WonderfulTime? Check out this video with testimonials, including le mien!

This WonderfulTime tour, “In the kitchen with The French Master Baker” takes place in Paris at LALOS. It’s for 4-8 people and costs 170€ per person. Other categories of unique tours include gastronomy, wine, arts and fashion. I was a lucky participant of a test tour. MERCI BEAUCOUP!

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Filed under france, paris, travel

Tagged as Frederic Lalos, Paris tours, WonderfulTime

September 9, 2013 · 9:52 am

#CTC13: Capture the Color with @travelsupermkt

being with LOLA is like being with Skittles

here we are, a year later and it’s “Capture the Color” time again with Travel Supermarket. i actually enjoy participating in this because it makes me really look through all my travel photos and relive my trips! the idea behind it is you publish a post with pictures that capture these five colors – blue, green, yellow, white, and red – to try and win a boat load of prizes including the grand prize grand – a £3,000 travel fund. now, you know Lola cannot put her entry in without adding a token PINK category! i was invited to participate by my pal Erin from The World Wanderer and so i hope i do her proud with my CTC photos.

BLUE my favorite kind of blue is the blue of the ocean. this is a photo i have many versions of from over the years. me, coming in for a landing over Miami Beach – LOLA’S favorite quick escape.

GREEN was the color of the day at the Montreal Botanical Garden. isn’t this butterfly just so pretty? there are so many wonderfully pretty things to discover in Montreal.

YELLOW i love the golden yellow umbrellas these monks are carrying shading them from the Cambodian sun. my entire CTC post could have been full of just Cambodia photos. that county is so colorfully beautiful!

WHITE isn’t this such a gorgeous shot of the Swiss Alps? i was soooo very lucky to ski in the winter of 2013 in Verbier, Switzerland where this photo was shot. now i never want to ski anywhere else.

RED Paris is such a special city. red wouldn’t be the first color i’d use to describe it but it would certainly be the color i would use to describe the Pigalle neighborhood where you can find the Moulin Rouge.

PINK and my token pink photo! i just adore this pink sombrero that i was gifted during my trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico from the Bahia Hotel. now i need to return so i can wear it again. ANDALE!

now for the tagging on my part…

Joshua from Engineer on the Road

Calan from Discovering Your Truth

Tom from Waegook Tom

Yishyene from Small Crazy

Keryn from Walking on Travels

looking forward to seeing your photos friends. i know you all have been doing some amazing travels over the last year so let’s see your colors shine!

XO – LOLA

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Filed under cabo san lucas, cambodia, miami, montreal, paris, travel, verbier

Tagged as travel photos

September 6, 2013 · 10:37 am

3 Euro Escapes for Less

LONDON

England’s capital city is notoriously expensive but you can find ways to spend less. For starters, travel in months other than June through August, when it’s most costly to travel there. Taking the train is an affordable option from most EU locations and if you opt to fly, be sure to try each of London’s 3 airports because one may be cheaper than the others. Once in London, money-saving options range from using the Oyster Card or Travel Card for train discounts and the London Pass for savings on attractions & restaurants. You can also find better deals on accommodation if you opt to stay further away from tourist attractions in areas such as Camden & Hammersmith.

PARIS

For the lucky inhabitants of the United Kingdom, Paris is one of the more popular destinations. This isn’t just because of the proximity and ease of access from the UK (2 hours by Eurostar train) but also because of the food, wine, culture and architecture. Traveling to Paris in the wintertime is often cheaper as travel companies don’t hike up their prices like during the school holidays. Searching sites like Holiday Discount Centre for deals in Paris is good place to start because, no matter the season – let’s be honest, Paris is always a good idea! Other ways to save while in the City of Light are using the excellent metro system over taxis and planning your museum visits on the first Sunday of the month when they offer free admission.

BUDAPEST

One of my favorite cheap Euro escapes is Budapest. I hope this great city always remains less expensive but, alas, I have a feeling things are going to change. For now, you can get to Budapest rather cheaply within Europe and stay at a nice place for not a lot of money. Obviously, the farther away from the Danube the less expensive. Excellent dining out in Budapest can also be inexpensive. For instance, eating in the Jewish Quarter cost me $12 for a BIG meal and wine – amazing right?! Using Budapest’s mass transit will also save you money and consider getting a Budapest Card to save on public transport and attractions.

I could go on but you get the idea. Traveling to Europe or within it doesn’t have to cost a fortune if you do your homework and time your trip correctly with the shoulder or low seasons. So, go on, get going!

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Filed under budapest, london, paris, travel

Tagged as budapest, london, money saving tips for budapest, money saving tips for london, money saving tips for paris, paris

April 15, 2013 · 8:34 am

my favorite purchase of my 30 day Eurotour

OH Louis, how i LOVE thee!

i’ll be honest, i didn’t leave much room in my bags for purchases. c’mon, i was going for 30 days to Europe and i wanted/needed to look good. that meant lots of options and i wasn’t going to leave that up to shopping days. in reality, there were 2 days in all of the 30 days that were lent to some shopping time. anything else was a stumbled upon type of thing. it was the least shopped travel experience i can remember and the truth is i don’t even shop that much when traveling. PS – i didn’t miss it either.

the things i bought i can practically count on one hand. a FAB poncho in Milan. a handbag in Positano. costumes in Barcelona. (yes, that) a fur scarf in Burgundy. a sweater & boots in Paris.

and then there was one, iconic, impressive, important and expensive purchase. one i hadn’t planned on making. it may be that i bought next to nothing in 30 days and had intended on buying many things (like gold charms for my charm bracelet) that influenced this purchase. i like to think it was an “in the moment” situation. something i couldn’t pass up. something presented to me in such a way i could not say no. that would be a sign of true salesmanship and guess what, it was!

bonjour Mr. DiCaprio i mean Kevin

Kevin, aka personal shopper to the rich and famous at Louis Vuitton Paris, could not have been a better match for me. he looks like a more handsome version of Leonardo DiCaprio and knows the history of the fine leathers of Louis Vuitton like the back of his hand(bag). 😉 HELLO…what’s not to love with all of that?! you may be wondering how i ended up with Kevin’s assistance that day. sheer luck and the fact that every sales associate was busy and Kevin didn’t have an appointment at that time. LUCKY ME!

i was traveling with my travel partner in crime, Leah, as you probably recall. we were dared to go into Louis Vuitton, check out some bags, take photos smelling the leather and then leave. first of all, you cannot take photos in the store. secondly, we have no willpower. this magical purchase started with Leah asking to see that bag, oh, and that one too. what about that one over there? and soon enough Kevin was pulling out a secret stash of bags that weren’t up on the wall. that’s when it happened. when i FELL IN LOVE. there was one bag screaming out at me to try on. so i did and that was it. it was decided.

Kevin explained that the graphic logo which is synonymous with the Louis Vuitton brand didn’t exist in Louis’ lifetime. in fact, it was a tribute to Louis from his son George on the fourth anniversary of his father’s death. the flowers that make up the monogrammed canvas are symbolic of George’s father’s deep religious roots and love of Asian art. another tidbit Kevin shared is that every bag is made with one single piece of leather.

French champers sil vous plait

after we each decided on our bags, Kevin decided to give us a little VIP tour of the flagship store located on Champs-Elysees in Paris. as we walked the different floors he explained that you were meant not to notice that you were changing floors. the store just flows. everything has a point and a purpose. the thoughtfulness, care and craftsmanship is evident in everything. such amazing pride makes Louis Vuitton so exquisite. Kevin’s love for the brand and the information he shared only solidified my favorite purchase of a Louis Vuitton bag. it didn’t hurt that when excused himself to go wrap our purchases he brought us a glass of Veuve Clicquot to enjoy in the women’s shoe department. when he returned with our packages he had with him Ludovic, head of the concierge team, to also greet us in case we ever needed anything more. talk about service – TRES FAB!

Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854 and, consecutively every year since 1996, Louis Vuitton has been named the world’s most valuable luxury brand. YES the price tag stung but it’s a purchase i will never forget OR regret. i carry my LV bag practically every day and it is timeless. plus, purchasing it in France costs less than if i had bought the same bag in the USA. *BONUS* don’t forget your VAT tax ladies!