six verbs, eight nouns and a map.

Whoa

2011-12-17T17:59:00.000-05:00

Why have I not been blogging? I need to rectify this! I'll be back with some ramblings very soon I promise.

Until then, follow me on twitter @jetsetnojetlag

New French Challenge

2011-10-27T18:37:00.000-04:00

I think I made a decision re: my goal to learn French.

I'm going to learn a song.

I'm thinking this song because it's not that many words, it's a fun song and let's face it.. Eartha Kitt brings out my old fashioned glamour girl side.

But then... this song... is also a classic. More challenging.. but at least it's good for a solo. Not like the Eartha Kitt song which will have the "si bon, si bon" in the background

Now I'm not claiming that I can sing... I'm no chanteuse and I'm not a fan of my voice as it's recorded but maybe at the end of my challenge, I can be persuaded to make a recording of the chosen song.

I'll decided on Tuesday Nov 1. and challenge my self to learn the song by Jan 31st. Three months.

Which do you guys think I should choose? Comment here or on twitter. (@jetsetnojetlag)

Je n'ai pas encore parler français

2011-10-16T10:43:00.000-04:00

I just read an article on Matador network about how to learn a language in three months. I admit when I read the headline I was skeptical. (5 steps to learn a language in 3 months)

"Fluency takes time.... three months.... but i've been learning French (outside of school) for two years and I'm still struggling..."

I finally realised what I've been doing wrong but before I get into that, here's a link to the article. Maybe if any of you are like me, still struggling with something that should be cake by now but continues to escape, this link will be helpful.

In my case I realized this morning that I kept telling myself that I want to learn French by the end of the year without really setting any goals as to how or what I want to be able to do with the language. I also realize that I was biting off way more than I can chew by just accepting a broad challenge without taking the process one step at a time. Instead of wasting 10 months trying to learn everything in French I could get my hands on from sports to food to current events, I should have just maybe taken three months at a time and set a foreseeable goal. A perfect example would have been... in 90 days I'm going to learn all the words to "Ne Me Quitte Pas" or in 90 days I'm going to learn how to tell someone the plot of "Amelie" in French.

Right away, after simply saying that, everything sounds more attainable and not so scary as imagining I have to know every word in French just incase it comes up in conversation. It's helpful to know random words but at the same time more helpful to understand how to construct sentences and decline verbs and mostly to practice speaking! Ok, I feel a lot better now honestly because the truth is, while I have been learning a lot of French over the past 10 months, I feel like most of it has been specific to certain situations that I may never even find myself in. It's frustrating to still have the word "crémaillère" still stuck in my head when the truth is that I don't go to that many house warming parties and may really only have one in my life. And even if I go to 75 housewarming parties in the next year, how many of those people are going to be french speaking that I would even be able to use the word?

I guess 10 months into my challenge to learn French it might be a little late to start over... I could just continue what I'm doing and start again in January like I did this year and have a new goal in place. But I think the best thing I can do is to figure out something quick and start towards it right away. At least it would give me something to brag about on my christmas cards! What should my new 90 day goal be? Even if it doesn't work I'm always willing to trying a new method of learning!

The last thing I'm going to do is post this video. I know that some of you, like me, have seen this video numerous times. As far as I'm concerned Capucine never gets old. Now that I'm going to develop a new goal as step 4,567,993 to learning this language I thought of her and her storytelling. This girl was four at the time the video was shot and she tells a great story. Ok, yes, she's a native French speaker but that doesn't mean I can't be motivated by her, right?

AIrport Pickups!

2011-10-14T14:54:00.000-04:00

The more I travel the more I have come to appreciate being picked up at the airport. Granted, after getting off of a 6+ hour flight the last thing I want to do is rush into a car but it isn't about that.

I'm talking about... how great a feeling it is to realize that you are on an aircraft, just several minutes from landing and knowing that someone is there waiting for you on the other side of customs. To me, it does not matter who it is or how long I have been away but the instant when I see a face I recognize is priceless. I'll never forget a time when someone was waiting for me in the airport like that... I remember seeing a certain person across baggage claim every time the automatic door opened. I remember itching to get my bags off the carousel and I remember walking slowly toward the automatic door trying contain my excitement; staying cool, collected... i'm a jetsetter, I do this all the time.

I still remember what we were both wearing. I remember it like yesterday. : )

I never mind making an airport run for someone with whom I am close arriving at a local airport. Partially because I like to watch and hear the planes taking off and landing but also because I understand what a special gesture it is and how much it is appreciated by the person coming back into town. It's the perfect greeting and the best hello... or welcome back!

Anyone else have any special airport pick up stories to share?

follow me on twitter: @jetsetnojetlag

Ecoutez Wednesday

2011-10-12T14:38:00.000-04:00

So check it.... I've been hearing this song for a few months now on the french radio and I finally figured out who sings it and what the song is called. I instantly love this girl. She might be heading toward my "new favorite" category. This song called "Tourne" by french singer Shy'm is really catchy and cute. The video is adorable and how about her hair and outfit at the end when she's with the all girl band? She's adorable.
Someone told me that she's competing on this seasons French version of Dancing with the Stars. I wish her luck.
While i'm on the topic.. watching this video, is anyone else slightly reminded of Nicole Scherzinger?

If anyone should be so inclined, please go to youtube and check out some her other singles. I recommend "Prendre l'air" "Je suis moi" and "Si tu savais". Come back and tell me what you think!!

I Never Leave Home Without This Bag!

2011-10-11T22:17:00.000-04:00

Floral Duffel Bag - Antwerp, Belgium - January 2009

Well, on my first trip to Belgium I got a little zealous with the shopping. I had not been anywhere new in quite some time I needed a vacation and I had a bit of money to spend. What I didn't spend on Duvel and stoemp, I spent on chocolate, glassware, warm clothes and various other souvenirs. I was coming up on my last few days in Antwerp very soon to head back to Brussels to catch a plane home when I realize that my one little backpack was not going to cut it in terms of bringing my things home. I had two choices, ditch the roughly 100 euro worth of chocolate I bought or buy another bag. I scoured the streets of Antwerp looking for a bag that I could not only use to transport my things but also that I would be able to use and store once I got back home. I don't have a lot of storage space as it is so I didn't want to bring home a suitcase. I was in Antwerp at the right time because it was just after Christmas and everything was on sale. I looked in every store and found nothing. The next day, determined to find something, even if It was just a cheap backpack to get my things back to Brussels so I can look there for something cheap (there's a crazy cheap store by the Bourse in Brussels that sells suitcases and backpacks so I was going to try that when I got to Brussels. ) I set out toward the main shopping road via a winding and twisting back street behind the Cathedral. Grim and gray as Antwerp can be, every store format seemed the same.- Looking dull on the outside- until this one little store at the end of the block caught my eye. The inside of the store was all pink and girly adorned with flowers and polka dots and curlicues. I thought what the hell and went inside. There were three shelves on the wall right in front of me as I walked in; a bag on each shelf. The first one on top was a flowered duffel bag and it was love at first sight. It was however the most expensive out of all of them (about 30 or 40 euro) and I didn't think I should spend that much money on a bag. To this day, I don't know what made me say "what the hell" but I decided to buy it anyway. When I took it to the register, the woman told me that it can be folded into itself down to the size of a large clutch bag. SOLD! Not only did I buy something I liked but also something that wouldn't eat up space in my closet. To date, this is one of the purchases that I am the most satisfied with. I'm SO glad I didn't go back to that luggage store that was all on sale or I would have ended up with a $200 Rimowa that -even though I really wanted- I was not ready to purchase.

Since I've acquired this duffel, it literally goes everywhere with me... West Coast.. Europe... road trips... sleepovers. I take it everywhere except to work with me on a daily basis. It's hands down the handiest and most practical purchase i've ever made and the best part is that it's not a boring black or brown. And, it's nylon... easy to wash. Oh, I can't say enough wonderful things about this bag.

First up! The Sugary Stuff!!

2011-10-07T16:34:00.002-04:00

My friend recently went to Colombia. I asked her to bring me back some Coca Cola...con azucar! Well, because I'm an addict! I have yet to crack it open...and no I'm not sharing it!!!

My Global Shopping: Introduction

2011-10-07T16:29:00.000-04:00

Not to brag but I have some really nice things from a lot of places that I've traveled, and even some places where others have traveled that have been given to me as gifts.

I'm not much of a shopper when I'm in New York. I don't really enjoy shopping or malls or crowded areas of commerce and I tend to steer clear from them both home and abroad. When I'm outside of New York. I won't say that I love to shop but I think i"m more inclined to do so only because I'll look for souvenirs or something quirky for myself. When I shop for myself I like to look for stores and brands that are not in the States. I'm a big fan of Tezenis in Italy, Calzedonia and Intimissimi in Italy, Spain and Portugal, Princess Tam Tam, and Zaabar chocolates in Belgium, John Bull in Nassau etc. But I also love going to worldwide brands in other countries too because the inventory can vary, like H&M and Zara in Spain or Topshop in London. Even places on the West Coast that we don't have on the East Coast are worth a browse just like Kitson ( which I think is just a more expensive Urban Outfitters but whatever… )

I've bought things off the street or in the subways ( like my pashminas from Paris) and i've even spent money I probably shouldn't have on things just because I forgot something at home ( I bought a scarf for a meeting in Lisbon because the only sweater I had was too casual. I had to fancy it up). I've set my eye on things and been tempted to buy, walked away, walked back, walked away, walked to an ATM, withdrew money, went back, either bought whatever it is or changed my mind and moved on to something else. I've bought wine, chocolate, candies, mugs, knives, keychains, beauty products, perfumes and in some cases i've bought all of those in one trip and I've had to buy an extra luggage.

Whatever it is, whatever I've bought I purchase with one thing in mind only: I like it now, but will I like it or use it once I get home.

I have a high success rate of using things i've bought on the road at home. I used to buy tons of crap but I've gotten a lot better and zeroing in on things that work for me vs useless junk. I really want to share some things i've purchased and some things i've received as gifts. People often ask me where I've gotten certain things so I would like to start a new topic on here of just showing you all what I have and a little story about how I came to own it.

Stay tuned! Good stuff to follow.

Oh and please feel free to follow me on twitter. @jetsetnojetlag

Prelude to a New Topic

2011-09-21T15:06:00.000-04:00

I was cruising around on the internet this morning and came across an article about a woman who likes to shop for local what nots on her trip.

I'm going to stop short of describing the article and let you read it for yourselves. It's great timing however as I've been running through my own mental inventory of things i've collected over the years and want to share with you. I'm going to start with the next post of showing you all the cool stuff I've collected over the past few years, so stay tuned and keep watching for new posts.

Here's the link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2011/09/13/nothing-to-declare/

Dreams Coming True

2011-09-21T13:45:00.000-04:00

Someone retweeted this Frommers slideshow about cooking classes in other countries. This is really a brilliant idea and something I never thought of.

For a few years now, one of my dreams has been to study at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Unfortunately, it's so expensive and not really a part of my budget right now. However, it would be wonderful to have the chance to go to a short class in a city where I'm staying. It might even be worth it to plan a trip based around a week long cooking class in a cuisine that one really loves. In my case, I'd love to go to Greece or Turkey and learn to cook some of my favorite dishes.

In any event, if you enjoy cooking and eating like I do, please check out some of these schools. Might be something there for you

http://www.frommers.com/slideshow/?p=1&&group=443

Ecoutez Wednesday- Thoughts About Global Music

2011-09-14T13:55:00.000-04:00

I had a mini conversation with a friend of mine last night. She, like me, is really drawn to culture and language, art and food, and wine and music. I made mention to her as I was coming home last night that I wish Tiziano Ferro were on Twitter because this way, if he's not going to release any new music, he could at least entertain us somehow with his his day to day life. She agreed with me and then she said that she wished there were more Italian music on the US Itunes.
I could not have agreed with her more.
I had recently tried to download some old Raffaella Carra songs ( I later found them on a cd a friend of mine in Italy once made for me) and the search for Raffaella Carra yielded 0 results. The same goes for Tiziano Ferro and his Italian songs ( his Spanish language songs are in abundance but there's like one Italian album.)

I got to thinking that a lot of people I feel are at the mercy of Apple and itunes in terms of what sort of music we can legally acquire. If I'm young, like American pop music and want to download legally I can get anything I want. But if i'm (sorta) young like music from Europe or Korea or Latin America, I'm limited to what is available.

Not too long ago, it was easy for me to go into a record store and buy imports. Virgin had an amazing selection of imports as did HMV. I bought my first Italian cds there and I loved being able to just go in there and browse. Some of the smaller stores seemed to think that Italian music meant only Pavarotti...French music was only Serge Gainsbourg and many times, the only music from the continent of Africa was Ladysmith Black Mambazo but the bigger stores had a better selection of everything I could have wanted. Sadly, these stores are all gone and the only thing I can do is buy from Amazon or buy from Itunes. I have no problem buying from Amazon but sometimes I don't want to buy a whole album, and sometimes I don't want to pay shipping costs. Lately I've been averse to having a physical album in my hands. Itunes is easier. Not only is there no shipping fees but there's also no waiting for music to come in the mail.

But itunes doesn't give many options. Unless I just want to listen to top 20 pop music.

Think about it. Up until earlier this year we couldn't even download music on Itunes by a band from Liverpool. : )

So what can be done about this? Would it make sense for itunes to offer a broader spectrum of music? I think that since they are partially to blame for our record stores going away, then yes, they should definitely contain the same music inventory as those stores that used to be our sanctuaries. In a way, they made something more efficient but then took away a lot of the options available to music lovers.

I want my global music. But I don't necessarily want to/ have time to/ can afford to travel the globe just to get it..... What's a girl to do?!

Well, since I like to leave some music clips and it seems like this music situation won't be resolved any time soon, here's a song that I like. I heard it last year or so and forgot about it. Enjoy!

The Title of this Post is not 'Bern, baby Bern'.

2011-09-09T14:49:00.000-04:00

I love the New York Times slideshows. Here is on of Bern, Switzerland. A place that most people (in my experience) might not even think of going to.

hmm, I think it looks lovely. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/09/11/travel/11HOURS.html

Ecoutez Wednesday... on Thursday

2011-09-08T19:20:00.000-04:00

In keeping with the French theme I seem to have going, I thought I would point out a song that's been bugging me lately. That and, I have not done an Ecoutez Wednesday in a while.

Before I start this, I just want you, the reader- to know that I never intend to tear down another artist. Even if they really are terrible. It's not my aim. But, I am only human and it's I hope safe to say that things will occasionally irk me.

There's this song by Inna Modja called French Cancan ( Monsieur Sainte Nitouche) that's been all over the French radio stations for the past few months. The first few times I heard it I decided that I hate it. I like the music but the words do my head in ( Coco Chanel Coco Cho-co-LAT).... Hearing that five times a day at least is enough to make me lose it. I could have simply changed the radio station but it wasnt that serious. Over time, I learned to get by and just ignore the song.

I'm sitting here now at home and the song just popped into my head. I went to look up the video and from the first notes my stomach started knotting up. Watching the video I will say has not made me love the song but I do have a more positive look towards it.

Why?

1. The adorable doll in the first few frames.
2. Inna's major afro. I like it.
3. I'm a fan of any interracial relationship.

Then I got to the end of the video and I realised that she changed outfits about 88 times without explanation. Ok, I can deal with that. Then the fellow she's talking about is portrayed in profile and it's clear he needs a haircut. But wait... some large peach colored organza begins to fly by in the distance... zoom out and it's a giant Inna Modja standing on the beach.

What. In. Blazes?

You know what... just watch the video to the end to see the really strange thing she does to the man in the end. This is either that bizarre French humor I keep hearing about or she single handledly killed the music video.

xx

En Francais, S'il Vous Plait ... uh... what?!

2011-09-07T10:50:00.000-04:00

Around the first day of this year I decided that enough was enough and I'm going to take the opportunity to learn French once and for all. I've periodically updated you all on my progress and with four months left until the end of the year, I admit prognosis is grim. I'm very close to digging up my French-English dictionary and putting it under my pillow to sleep on.

The truth is French is hard. Duh! What else is new? But I'm usually tops at learning languages. I can parse a verb and decline a tense like nobody business. It's this unfortunate cockiness that I have in my brain that is both helpful and a hindrance.

I've refused in the past to enroll in a class thinking that I can learn French by listening to pop music, reading Le Monde and drinking bottle after bottle of Lillet. But, my friends, after two and a half years, it isn't happening the way that i'd planned it all out.

Not to say that I have not made any progress. I've made strides in certain areas. Occasionally, a song that I may have been listening to for ages will suddenly make sense word for word. But even that in itself is fleeting. I compare myself in that way to the spiritual medium always portrayed in movies, hovering over some mystical talisman, who suddenly jerks wildly and then becomes the living embodiment of the main character's deceased loved one. Everything is clear and shiny and I can speak and understand and communicate with a language that few around me in the moment can. And then suddenly, just like in the movies, the spirit retreats back into the netherworld and I, the Medium, sit there not fully aware of what just happened but aware enough to know it was something major. That's me. Listening to every Carla Bruni or MC Solaar song I can get my hands on.

So where does that leave me? Learning a language really is not that hard. It isn't. For me. But then again I find adding two numbers to be the most difficult thing in existence and some people who can barely manage English, though it's their native tongue, can add in their sleep. In the spirit of full disclosure I must say that I have not been thoroughly diligent in my learning process. I've been writing down new words that I learn (Thanks to Transparent Language Word of the Day) but half the time I can't find the notebook. I don't make the effort to understand verbs and how to decline them or how to use them in a sentence. I barely make the effort to pronounce them even though all I'd have to do is Google the pronunciation or ask any one of the half dozen French speakers I know to teach me how to say something.

I hate being a pest.

When I was first learning Italian in college I made countless flashcards and put them all up on the wall color coordinated. one color were "-are", another were "-ere" and a third color were "-ire" verbs. That kooky system worked. Then again, I was 18 and I'm sure a youthful mind had something to do with it's effectiveness as well. But I kicked ass learning Italian. It's so easy. French is a different beast.

I think what it is all going to boil down to is that I'm going to have to suck it up and realize how badly I want to be functionally fluent in French. How badly do I want to argue the price of aubergines in the Wednesday open air markets? How badly do I want to ask a landowner in Provence if I may have a few pieces of lavender from her property? How badly do I want to flirt with tall Swiss fellows at an apres ski in Courchevel? I guess I'll need to work a bit harder and dedicate myself to something I really want. Dedication is so hard! But truth be told, learning French is in the top 10 things I want to do in life.

It's now or never!

I guess I should take a class or find a tutor... any suggestions?!

....and we're back!

2011-09-06T11:59:00.000-04:00

After a end of August blog vacation I have loads of things to say and wouldnt you believe, I can't remember what I want to communicate. Well, I remember but I cannot actually get it out in an articulate manner. So I'll take a breather and get back to you all later.

The one thing I do want to say. completely self indulgent is that I want to go to Paris for Christmas. That's really it. No reason and no real purpose for it all. I just want to indulge myself for once. I doubt that it will happen but it would be wonderful if it could. I don't really enjoy Christmas in New York that much. I'm having wild fantasies of me in my houndstooth coat and stiletto boots navigating the Pere Lachaise searching for famous gravestones. (How impractical am I in my fantasies... I would never ever walk in heels in Paris... again!)

There's this cute website called Girls Guide to Paris (http://girlsguidetoparis.com/) and I highly recommend any of you who are in love with Paris like I am to check it out. You know like when you're having a bad day and anything Parisian could come into your life and cheer you up, just throw on some Jacques Brel and browse this site. And follow them on Twitter while you're at it!

xx

Chiuso per Ferie

2011-08-18T15:13:00.000-04:00

here we go again. Ferragosto was Monday but since there was so much going on I didnt make any formal announcements. (not like I needed to but I like to so.... deal!)
Anyways, like my Italian brothers and sisters, I'm going to take a mental break from blogging for the rest of the month. It's too hot to blog anyway.
Just a few things... first, I'm working on something that I've been dreaming about for years now and for the first time trying really hard to make come to fruition. I just need a little more pushing and a little less procrastination. So not having to think about what I want to say on my blog should free up some mental space.
Maybe once I return after Labor day, I will have some things in place. At the very least some ideas in place.

Second of all.... I just want to put out there, in your minds (reader) or in the collective ether that surrounds us all... wouldn't it be fabulous in real life if we could take time off from our jobs/schedules between 15th August and the day after Labor Day. That's a full three weeks of being closed for business!
For some reason I mention that and picture myself at a beach club in Turkey....

Third and last... everyone enjoy the rest of your summer. Please come back to me with fab summer vacation stories : )

xx
alla prossima

Play by the Rules

2011-08-18T14:59:00.002-04:00

This morning I dropped my parents off at JFK. About an hour or so later, my mom called me to say that she got through security with a 5oz bottle of sunscreen.

The last I heard, the rule was 3oz for liquids and gels. In fact, here is the link to the rule: http://www.tsa.gov/311/

I didn't think it was "suggested". I thought it was steadfast.

I bring this up because I personally have gotten out of JFK with any number of things that I shouldn't have in my pockets or bags. I know people who have done the same. But getting back into JFK, all over the country I've had items confiscated from me that I should have checked or thrown out in the first place. (I'd been pulled to the side over a box of twinkies for christ sakes... ) I was kind of annoyed when she told me. Here I am constantly traveling with about 18 bottles full of who knows what stuffed into who knows how many clear bags... and the TSA at the airport doesn't even care, and wont stop me and won't confiscate my things.

My comfort level aside... how is anyone at JFK protecting anyone in this world or this country by not enforcing this rule completely?

Anyone else have the same issue?

p.s. I'm fairly certain my mom did not put anything in a clear bag before she left the house...

Complete Mockery of Diplomacy

2011-08-11T19:27:00.000-04:00

I have a little story to tell. A frustrating tale about a consulate that ends happily (this morning). I'll start by saying that this consulate's website was down for over a month. Which is important to the story in that they tell you all the time to "check the website for information".

Let's go back two Thursdays.

July 28:
I was asked by my boss to go to the consulate ( I'm not going to say which one because that would just be wrong) for two things. 1. Have a visa application processed 2. Have a document authenticated. I was not supposed to be in the office that day but I went anyway ( even after getting home at 2:30 am from NJ). I get there (and let me state for the record that in the past four summers under my boss' employ, I have been there at least once a summer) and the line is short... maybe about seven people ahead of me. I thought it would be cake and go down in history as the easiest time I've ever had in that building. I get to the window and one of the agents tells me that I'm missing the apostille from the NY state secretary. Ok. No biggie. She told me where to go get it and I left. Along the way I realised that just the week before, the consulate issued a new visa form which was to be downloaded on their website. I took a look at the form I had in my hand and realising it the old one, that I was not going to kill two birds with one stone that day.
So I left. I returned to the office to let the others know that we've hit a snag. Then I went from the office over to the State secretary's office to get the apostille attached to the documents. Problem solved.

July 29:
I went back to the consulate and this time the line was to be expected, just about out the door and so I waited for about an hour or so. I started rereading "The Alchemist" so it wasn't too big of a deal. I get to the window and the woman asks me "Where are the copies of the document?" (This is the same woman from the day before who made 0 mention of bringing copies). Well I don't have them. She instructed me to go make copies of the documents and then come back. So I went back to the office and photocopied both documents ( at about 30 pages/document) then went back to the consulate (which is nowhere remotely near my office) in a cab. The traffic heading there was so bad, the driver let me out three crosstown blocks away and i was forced to walk. I get back to the consulate and wait again in line, get again to the woman and she refuses to accept my documents because they are not stapled together. (They were not stapled to begin with... something she could have told me to do when I went to make the copies.) So at that point, I lost my patience at the realization that I was losing precious hours with this nonsense.
As you, reader, may or may not know, with many agencies in order to have a document processed so it can be picked up the next day, it has to be submitted before a specific time. I was already past that time. I begged this woman to please make an exception as it was the very last day that the consulate would be issuing same day pickups. She told me that if I could have everything back to her before 1:30 then she would put it through. I left again and went to the FedEx a few blocks away, begged them for a stapler, stapled the documents and went back. I got to her window at exactly 1:30. She looked at the documents and told me that the documents "look like they have been re stapled. the staples are in the wrong place. the apostille is supposed to be in front of the notarized page etc... "

At that point, I went off. I'm surprised that I was not escorted out and promptly arrested. Without calling her any names, I let her know that she was wasting my time and my companies money. I asked her if she could just tell me what was needed so that I can make one more trip and get this done. Of course, she didn't. (She seemed to be reciting some answers that they are supposed to give to people who ask too many questions). I went back to the office and that was that.

August 1: I had a meeting at 9am which was a nice break from having to be in that hellhole. But then, all you know what broke through when we were asked to make changes to the contract. Good thing I didn't go back to the consulate that day. But it was ok because we had the apostille.

August 2: Or so I thought. We made so many changes that it had to be re notarized. That was done and that meant that I needed to go back to the State Sec.

August 4: Went to the State Sec office and waited a really long time. Long enough in fact that I was not able to get to the consulate on the same day.

August 5: Went back to the consulate. Waited in line: Read the Alchemist. Got to the window and she decided that she didn't want the apostille on the notarized page. Funny because that's what she wanted last week. The only saving grace was that she gave me an appointment so i could skip the line. Left the consulate really annoyed. Went back to the office and called it a day.

::: Who is still reading??? are you keeping count of how many times i went to these places?!?!? :::

August 8: Went to the State Sec first thing in the morning and got in and out. Went straight up to the consulate and it was jam packed! Of course, the woman who gave me the appointment was not there. But after a solid hour and a half wait, I got to the window, ready to get things done. The woman turned out to be there and she came to the window and took about 3 or 4 minutes to go over everything line by line and then rejected the docs. I had no energy or will to even fight. I left. Went back to the office and lo and behold, my boss was there and decided to pull me into a meeting to go over the docs. Thank goodness he did because it turned out that I had a wrong copy of the documents the whole time. I thought the changes were made but they weren't. The only sad part was that because of this, we had to go through the entire notary, county, state process all over again.

August 9: I force my coworker to go to the consulate as I have zero will or desire to go. I even told bossman, I'm not going back. Obviously I'm ineffective. and he agreed (Um..... yeah.... hmmmm). So my coworker (who was born in the country that this consulate represents) went and they still didn't accept the documents apparently because the signature and seal was cut off on certain pages in the copies. In a frenzy, she came back to office, I recopied everything and sent her back with a half hour in which to get there. I refused to answer the phone for the rest of the day. I prepared myself for more excuses... and then at about 3:30... a call comes in that I sucked it up and answered.

It was my coworker. They took the docs. They would be ready on Thursday.

I felt like Andy Dufresne at the end of Shawshank Redemption. I didn't care that I didn't personally do what I should have... I'm just glad that it got done. Like crawling for miles in a river of waste to come out triumphant at the end.

I come out of this ordeal feeling really sour about international relations and diplomacy. Service agents think they are above common sense and humility. They are supposed to be helpful and point the uninformed in the right direction, not create outrageous new roadblocks time and time again. Problems that could have been avoided had I just been told the correct procedure the first time. It's a shame because they are AMBASSADORS. Just like you and me are ambassadors when we travel to other countries. We represent our culture, our nation and our heritage. So, behaving nonsensically and wasting peoples' time, as inconsequential it may be in the long run, really hurts the image of your country and your people. Even if only one person is put through her paces, it only takes ONE person to have a negative experience that could potentially lead to ruination of ideals and understandings. Racism, bigotry and intolerance start in situations just like and similar to this one. Imagine what can be said to children, especially children of the ethnicity which this consulate represents. Imagine the havoc that could be wreaked in the ethnic enclaves this community has created in this city. Imagine how someone of a lesser tolerant mind than mine could have reacted to this frustrating situation?

I'm glad this ordeal is over. But for those of you who are still reading... I'm sure you might have wondered what ever happened with the visa application. You guessed it... I'm due at least two more trips to the consulate.

Have Mercy.

xx
alla prossima

Random Chatter about Airfare

2011-07-26T14:35:00.000-04:00

As loyal as I am to Delta Airlines, a recent e mail i received from them had me raising an eyebrow. Europe Fall sales have been announced from various US cities and they are a head scratcher.

BOS to LHR = $299
MIA to LHR = $299
JFK to LHR = $319

What's up with that??? Perhaps I'm naive but I think it might be counterproductive on the airline's part to offer a deal like this from not one but two second cities and not a major hub like NYC. Even though it's only $20 and truth be told $20 is not much when you are already paying $300 but still. The number itself doesn't make it seem like a "deal".

BOS to CDG =$349

RT that's just under $800 for flight alone which is really no kind of deal whatsoever but believe you me, a flight to CDG from JFK even on a deal would be at least $50-100 more RT. Would it be more efficient to take the Chinatown bus up to Logan for a couple of bucks just if one really wants to go to Paris for less? I guess that depends on how badly one certain someone might want to go.

JFK to NCE = $429
Now, in that same vein... how badly might I want to go to Paris that I could fly to Nice direct and take a train up to the City of Light. OR. the hell with it, just stay in Nice.

I sort of think these prices are unfair to those of us in the NYC area. But, if you think anything about the airlines or the FAA is fair, read this article. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/airline-tax-break-wont-trickle-down-to-fliers-2011-07-25?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Anyone have thoughts on this?!

xx
alla prossima

Popularity Adjacent

2011-07-25T12:37:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was talking to my friend about getting away from it all. We were near JFK Airport and I mentioned that there isn't one place of the world I don't want to see, just places I'd rather see before I see others. I don't know how we got on the topic of Vienna but my friend mentioned that she wanted to go to Austria. I thought about it and said I think that Austria is probably a really great place to go because it's off most people's radar.
I said to her that it seems to me that with countries that share a border or close proximity, one country is usually over rated (or over done because everyone has been there) and the other country is a hidden gem. I say this I've been to two such countries and I know that more of them exist. Spain is ok.... just ok... even if you have never been there you feel sort of been there done that... but Portugal feels unique and brand new. Exciting. Almost everyone I know has been to the Netherlands and tells me that it's ok... but none of these people have been to Belgium which is a fascinating country with... (ok just read any of the dozen or so posts i have written on Belgium). So why wouldn't Austria be amazing? It's probably a more personal version of Germany with better food and a culture just as rich.
Lately i've been entertaining the idea of traveling to Uruguay, more specifically Montevideo and Punta del Este. Looking at Montevideo on a map made me realize just exactly how close it is to Buenos Aires. I've never been to BsAs but just about 8 out of every 10 people that I know have been. So that puts it in the over done category. It's so popular... I'm certain it's a lovely city but it's so popular among American tourists whereas Montevideo is not. With a small population and being a small country, it's probably one of the gems of South America that people don't really get to see because of its more popular sister situated just across the water.
I know there are tons of these types of pairings all over the world when two countries share a border and a common language. The US and Canada? Italy and Switzerland? Panama and Colombia? Australia and New Zealand? Russia and all of it's former soviet states?? Any others.

Before I forget, I said all of that to point out an article in the Times about Guimarães in Portugal. You can find it here. http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/travel/guimaraes-becoming-a-cultural-center-of-portugal.html?ref=travel

xx
alla prossima

Where I'm staying in Montevideo*

2011-07-22T16:00:00.000-04:00

http://donhotel.com.uy/

Read a review of it in the NY Times here : http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/travel/hotel-review-don-hotel-in-montevideo-uruguay.html?smid=tw-nytimestravel&seid=auto

a bientot

*no I have no current plans to go to Uruguay. I just want to go there someday SO badly....

Mc Awesome

2011-07-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

I really like the opportunity to just TRY McDonald's in other countries. My favorite thing by far is the curry sauce. I don't think I've seen anything more exotic than beer on tap served at their restaurants in any place that I've been (I'm kind of bummed I didn't get to have Mickeys in Spain. They probably have everything there made out of pork).

Anyways, check this link of local McDonald's fare from all over the globe! I wonder if any of these still carries the McDLT....

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/94251

a bientot

Paying the Price

2011-07-19T17:01:00.000-04:00

At the moment, living in NYC, I find it really difficult to have not only competing interests but also interests that are "not the norm". I've been thinking about this for a few weeks now and have come to the conclusion that the things I am interested are a cultural hodgepodge that I'm starting to think is doing me more harm than good.
One of the things I have been actively doing for the past few months (the better part of this year so far) is taking samba classes. Before I get into this I just want to say that I am not yet ready to dance at Carnival but, I am 1. really happy to be dancing again and 2. really eager to get better at samba. I'm not great by any means but I'm getting better and I feel like I'm getting better. As far as i'm concerned that is a main component to real learning--confidence!

Where is the harmful part? Ok, before I actually took my first class, I searched for weeks for a school that would have a class in the Rio style samba that I always wanted to learn ( by always I mean for the past 15 years). It was SO hard to find the right school and the right teacher but I finally did. In NYC, who would think that samba lessons would be that difficult to find.

I can't say it's been a happy experience ever since. I'm happy that I can do a basic step and before this gets misconstrued, I have an amazeballs teacher I'm really happy to learn from. The problem is... the school that runs these classes sucks (in my opinion). Majorly disorganized. Just to give a brief example, an e-mail was sent out about joining a recital team giving instructions on how to sign up for it before a pre-designated date (and how to pay $300 for it as well). But once one actually went to the site to sign up for it, no corresponding link, tab or otherwise was available to this end. Now, the designated date in which to sign up for this team happened to fall on a Saturday of a holiday weekend. I call on the Thursday before and spoke to someone in their office who was zero help. The person I spoke to basically said that she had no idea what I was talking about.

Without going into any further detail and putting anyone on blast, I have to say that I hate situations like this. If your job, livelihood and future of your business depend on people partaking in services you have to offer, then you might want to get your act together and assist interested people when they come a ' knocking. Otherwise, you lose all credibility.(not to mention business) & I lose all patience and interest in what you have to offer.

Why am I mentioning all of this? Because I'm so disgusted with this situation that I've been looking for another teacher and another dance school. I wish that I could say I wanted to learn salsa because there seem to be salsa classes on every corner, but I don't. I am paying the price for my esoteric interests in that now I'm forced to lose out on something that I was really excited about. I'm re-evaluating now. Trying to decide where I want my "samba education" to take me. Initially I wanted it to take me as far as it could (i.e. performance and feathers) but now, I think I should just settle for doing a basic step along with a 8 piece band on a "Brazilian night" in a local bar. Lame yes but I feel as thought my hands are somewhat tied that there is nothing else TO do.

Maybe I should just buy my own feathers.

Anyone have any advice or helpful information on this situation?!

a bientot!

Les Souhaits pour Samedi

2011-07-16T17:34:00.001-04:00

It's been a long time since i've posted on a Saturday. I've had a lot floating about in my head. Safe to say that I feel all over the place.

So my wish, for myself, is that I can locate a runway and figure out where to land.

In the meantime, I saw this travel deal earlier in the week. I guess everyone is in the Harry Potter spirit

http://www.travelzoo.com/from-the-deal-experts/escorted-vacations-for-muggles/

La Fete Nationale du France

2011-07-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know me very well ( or at all) today is my day of the year.

I love Bastille Day. and I have loved it for as long as I can remember.

Because it's the one day of the year that I get to indulge my francophilia without sideways looks from everyone. Wine, yes! Gruyere, Oui! Creme Brulee.... Ouais! Ouais!

So to all my fellow francophiles, my friends and loved ones... and all my mecs and mafs.

Vive la france!!

xx

P.S. Belgian independence is next week so, I even though I had no Lillet today, hopefully next week I will have some Belgian brews to celebrate.

Toros! Toros! Toros!

2011-07-13T18:35:00.000-04:00

I love the bulls. At the same time, I feel sad for them but as I've heard many people in Spain say: The life of a bull in the ring is far better than the life of the cow on your plate.

In any event, these pictures from the San Fermin festival are stunning. Check it out!

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/07/running_wild_san_fermin_festiv.html

The Perfect Guest

2011-07-12T22:00:00.001-04:00

Allow me to get a bit personal here:

Over the past year or so, I have been lucky enough to find myself among friends who have asked me/ allowed me to visit them. Thanks to them, I've been to lots of great places and done things that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. As eternally grateful as I am to most of them, I will admit that I am not the perfect guest. I aspire to be but truth be told, I never know what to do. I don't know the etiquette on the little things like... should i bring my own towel? should I offer to take over their kitchen? I really want to see such and such but they've probably been there a hundred times... should I mention it that I want to go there?

I stumble. I just hope I have not offended anyone but if I did, it was not meant to be malicious.

There is just something I want to say to this affect however. Some things...

Regardless of whether or not the person visiting you has been to your city before, I think the gracious thing to do is ASK YOUR GUEST what he/she wants to do. If someone came to see me in NYC and wanted to go to the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station etc... even though I have been there a multitude of times, I would take them. Why? Because as my guest, you are not only my friend but you are also my guest. I couldn't care less your reasons for WANTING to do something... the fact is, here you are, for a short period of time and if you want to see something in my city... we're doing it!

It is not acceptable to tell someone (after they've told you they didn't get to see the city very much on a previous visit) that: "Oh, you've seen this and you've seen that... that's all there is" (And yes, someone had the nerve to dismiss me like that). I can understand if you DON'T want to see a particular monument for the nineteenth time.. fine... give me a map and proper directions and i'll find it myself and we can meet up later. Of course I want to hang out with you and see things that you want to show me, but I'm not traveling across an ocean so I can *not* see the leaning tower of pisa...the acropolis... parque retiro...the Matterhorn etc...

It's also unacceptable for someone to tell you they want something they have been craving since their last visit and allow him or her to leave without getting it. There is an entire mess of things I crave from other countries.... croque monsieur from Paris, CruzCampo from Spain, peach iced tea from Italy, gyros in Athens... if I were in any of those places and I say... "all I want to eat/drink before I leave is ::blank::"... not to be a princess but please.. do me a favor... and help me attain what I want. I'm not difficult to please at all. I just want a beer/sandwich/tea and that's not too hard. Telling me that it's "not that good" or " not sold in whatever town" is bollocks.

I don't claim to be perfect but I do claim to be considerate. Considerate to the best of my ability. Everyone makes mistakes and that's ok. I would NEVER treat someone who took time out of his or her schedule to come and see me (regardless of the reason) like a second class citizen.... with indifference. The basic idea of friendship should negate any and all feelings of indifference. There is a certain way that I demand to be treated by someone who is willing to call me a friend and I would would expect no less from someone whom I call a friend. There is just a basic bottom that neither should dare hollow out.

Unfortunately, I saw someone recently who made me realise what the real value of friendship is. This person made me realise what I do want and do not want from a friend. This person knew that I left not just unhappy but downright pissed off. Pissed off not just at myself for being wrong about this person but also upset about the fact that I have never felt more disrespected in my life. By Anyone. I've never felt like I mattered less to anyone than I did to this person. This person seemed to regard me less than their beloved pet- which i myself had grown to love in such a short time.

I can go on forever but my point of writing this is just to get some things off my chest. I just want to say to all the people whom were gracious enough to invite me into your homes over the past 13 months, I thank you dearly... (from California to Florida to Brussels and London)
....and to the very last person whom i had the grave misfortune of ever crossing paths with, I feel sad for you. I did the best I could and I know that I was not perfect but you gave me nothing for even trying (i.e. going with the flow). I feel sorry that you are so shallow and so dependent on something so empty and so dead inside that you cannot ever muster the courage to have the same level of respect for me that I have once shown you.

I shall respect you no more

The Anniversary of Once in a Lifetime

2011-07-11T11:50:00.000-04:00

One of the first things I thought about today is that one year ago on this date, World Cup ended for 2010. If you are reading this and don't know me too well, then you might not know that I am a raging football fanatic. I love it almost as much as travel. If someone offered me season tickets for one season to a Chelsea FC game with good seats at The Bridge including relocation to London expenses covered or one year to travel all expenses paid around the world... I would take pause at the offer because both are stellar offers.

One year ago today, Spain won World Cup by the foot of Andres Iniesta against Holland for a 1 nil victory. I had to make the sentence dramatic because the game was dramatic. I admit being tense the entire time. So tense it was painful. (I get that way sometimes over important games). Footie is my crack.

If I have not ever told the story to any of you reading I will tell it now. As god's honest truth, my best friend and I were considering going to Europe for summer vacation. We couldn't afford to go to South Africa like we planned so we decided to pick a country which has the best chance of making it to the Final. I mentioned that Spain might make it because they (at that point) were undefeated (i think) and they were European Champions. I also thought that the Netherlands had a shot but... I can't remember why. So we talked and narrowed it down to vacation either in Spain or in the Netherlands. We didnt pick Holland because Spain seemed like they had a better chance of winning and.... we couldnt think of what to do for two weeks in Holland. So, Spain in July it would be! And we booked our tickets.

In February.

Talk about once in a lifetime.

So this morning i've been looking at this blog http://nuevesiempre.tumblr.com/ and reliving July 11 2010 and remembering all the emotions. It was my first time in Spain and even though Spain is not then (or now) my favorite country... It really was the best part of a stellar summer to have travel and world class football on the same horizon for the first time. I would love to relive that day.... I know I can't but I would love to relive the joy of that experience... the happiness of celebrating with an entire nation.

Brazil 2014.... I'll have my predictions ready in two years. Maybe twice in a lifetime?

alla prossima
xx

Si, parlo italiano molto bene

2011-07-07T13:17:00.000-04:00

Depending on who you talk to about me, I speak Italian very well. I think I speak so-so but I think when it comes to foreign languages, it's the one language that I stumble through the best. I'm not afraid to make mistakes with subject verb agreements or words that I'm not familiar with. I can get around a word I don't know by describing it.... I would be the best partner to have at the Italian version of Taboo. I even admit, my voice changes slightly when I'm speaking Italian... who knows why...

But all things considered, the main problem is that I don't speak it enough and I don't have enough people around me who speak Italian.

A few weeks ago I was hanging some things up to dry and I thought to myself that I needed some clothespins. I couldn't help but to wander in my mind back to the time in Italy when we washed clothes in the bathtub (to this day I have no clue where the laundromat was) and hung them out on the clothesline outside. Then, I realised that I couldn't remember the Italian word for clothespins. After a google search I came up with "mollete" but folks.... I swear on everything.... that is NOT the word I remember using when I wanted someone to pass me the clothespins.

It's so frustrating.

I say all of this to say that I'm going to attempt going to this language group tonight and with any luck, meet someone who speaks enough Italian to converse with me and correct me when I make mistakes or use the wrong tense ( I rarely if ever speak in the conditional in Italian... too much thought involved for me at this point!! ). With any luck, I will find someone who might perhaps know another word for clothespins.

cin-cin
xx

Botswana, Anyone?

2011-06-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

I was reading an article in the Daily News last night about a safari in Botswana. At first, based on the layout of the page, I thought it was an ad for Six Flags (the safari park) but then I bothered to read and saw it was a review of a trip to Botswana.
It's no secret that I'd love to go on safari and might perhaps someday choose to go to Botswana before let's say South Africa or Tanzania. The critic writing the story I have to say surprised me even more because he's usually the music critic of that paper who, if you ask me or my father, hates everything. He seemed to like Botswana.

Maybe it's time for him to switch hats.

In any event two things I learned about the country last night is that it is known to be the flattest country in the world, meaning that just about every view of the horizon will be 180 degrees. *Attention Photographers!*
The second thing is that their government restricts the amount of tourists allowed to enter the country each year. Smart. Definitely helps to preserve the eco system and keep the country from being overrun.

Here is the article. I only wish it were longer and more informative. If you decide not to read the article at least look at that first picture with the baby elephant.
http://www.nydailynews.com/travel/2011/06/24/2011-06-24_out_of_africa_travel_to_botswana_for_a_land_of_beauty_and_wild_beasts.html

On the eve of a milestone

2011-06-11T20:11:00.001-04:00

I'm considering where to go for my 30th birthday. I have some time ahead for all considerations. However, I need to make up my mind sooner than later.
I am considering perhaps a grand farewell to Europe. Europe was my 20's. Hopefully South America will be my 30's.
Of course I'll be back to Europe when friends invite me. But the longing has to stop.
In any event, where Europe is concerned I have two thoughts, 1: South of France 2: Switzerland

And that's where I'm at. Any suggestions, guys?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I need a Gregory Peck Impersonator....

2011-06-04T21:55:00.002-04:00

I just decided that I want to spend three weeks in Rome. Three weeks eating, exploring, shooting, dancing and learning.

Good Point

2011-05-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

Last week I was staying in a friend's apartment and I realised that I never unpacked. Not news, per se because I'm terrible at packing and terrible at unpacking. But for the first time, I paid attention to the fact that I never take my clothes or shoes out of my bag and put them away in a closet or a drawer when I'm away.

I explained to my friend that the reason why I do this is because, as I pack initially, my mind keeps a record of where I placed things in my bag. For example, If I put a bracelet in a suitcase, I know that i put it in a shoe on the bottom left hand side of the bag ( or whatever... I'm not that anal retentive). So if I were to completely unpack everything, I would have to go through that again mentally and it would just about do me in.

Let's add the fact that I'm prone to forget things and I'm prone to the neurosis of thinking I've lost things when I'm at the point of no return ( five minutes from the airport for example) and I just cannot risk unpacking everything and when I'm about to leave, repacking everything five times just because i didn't see my hairbrush anywhere and it's probably at the bottom of the bag.

Ok. enough of me being so neurotic... let me post the question....

Do you guys unpack your knapsacks, backpacks, overnights, valises etc... when you go away or do you live out of a suitcase forced to wander the streets of :: insert city here:: wrinkled and like you've just woken up. Let me know!!

xx

Big Trouble in Little Drawer

2011-04-10T19:56:00.001-04:00

Always within arms reach. At the top of my Misc drawer.

Act Fast!

2011-03-17T21:28:00.001-04:00

This deal, in all truth, is not the best fare I've seen to the Emerald Isle BUT....for the sake of summer, it is cheap fare to Europe. Plus, I imagine once you're there, it's not that expensive to the rest of Europe. Just act quickly....this deal ends March 18th.
Happy St. Patrick's Day, All

Link

2011-03-17T17:38:00.000-04:00

Check out my photoblog on Wordpress: http://delaesmeralda.wordpress.com/

I'll be back writing here once I can get my self sorted and inspired. Thanks for patience.

xx

Ecoutez Wednesday - A Dedication

2011-03-09T17:18:00.000-05:00

Because you are always going to be with me in my heart as you were from the very first moment. <3

Update on my resolution

2011-03-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

I resolved for the New Year that I was going to give myself one year to learn French once and for all.
That was January 1.

By February 4 I was already standing in a Barnes and Noble in Los Angeles chipping away furiously on my facebook app that I was once and for all giving up learning how to speak French. For the main reason being that someone offhandedly commented that my Greek was "not bad". So I thought, the hell with French... I'll go back to Greek.... and Portuguese. Two languages which are much easier and don't give my tongue a concussion when I try to speak!

Loads of people told me not to give up French mainly my friend SG who reminded me that : Anything worth having is worth suffering for. Or was it fighting for? Sticking with? Something of that ilk.

So I thought to myself, I wont be so hasty. I wont cancel my word of the day from Transparent Language, I wont stop listening to RTL2 during my days at work.... I wont even purge my "Le Pop" and "Le Hip Hop" or "Le Lovely" playlists from my itunes. I'll wait it out and eventually my frustration and fury will die down.

Here it is March 2. And I have only learned about four words. Well, I've learned a lot of words. But I've learned not much else. And I'm still a punk because recently I went for Senegalese food with a friend of mine ( who speaks french) and she talked to all the waiters and whomever else around.

Sigh!

I guess that's my update and I have to step up my game. Because i definitely understand a whole lot but, it will do me zero good when I go back to Paris again.

xx

Splash of Inspiration

2011-02-27T10:20:00.002-05:00

I want so badly to go on one of those bedouin treks into the desert. Maybe a short camel drive, sleep under a tent.. go dune surfing.

This slideshow in the the NYT Travel is making me think a lot more about wanting to do just that.

Enjoy these photos from the sands of Oman....

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/02/27/travel/20110227-NEXT.html?scp=1&sq=slideshow%20oman&st=cse

Something I Observed

2011-02-25T15:13:00.000-05:00

In reading the NYT travel section just now I noticed three articles. I noticed them because the first two were all doom and gloom and the last one was like a smack in the face.

The first saying that the unrest in Libya, Egypt and other oil producing countries/oil producing country adjacent regions driving the oil prices higher is affecting tickets costs and making flying less affordable for the average consumer. And that airlines have raised fare times already four times this year. it's not even March. Prices changed only three times in all of 2010.
Here's that article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/business/24fare.html?_r=1&ref=travel

Second article is telling me that rising prices, smaller planes.... fewer routes, fewer planes etc... is going to make flying a nightmare this year and who knows how long into the future. Click here for the link to that story.

Third article comes from the Frugal Traveler whom I usually admire for his well... frugality... but the juxtaposition of his piece next to the two that I linked above... make me want to throw something.
$100 in Paris for the weekend. I know I know, I'm very Paris sensitive... but.. here's the deal.. for the past 5 or 6 years, airfare to Paris has pretty much doubled from the US. Now, If I'm spending $1400 to get to Paris... and presumably another couple hundy on accommodations... am I really going to restrict myself to $100 budget? Am I going to care? SECONDLY.... if I have the $1400 to spend to go to Paris... presumably, I'm well off (i.e. on financially sound footing and want to treat myself to something lovely) and won't care how much I'm spending... right?! Well, that's how I'm thinking of it. Anyway, that article can be found here: http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/travel/20frugal-paris.html?ref=travel

And sidenote on that last one... he DOES have a fantastic itinerary.... I'm just making a point of practicality in conjunction with those other two links above.

xx

American Airlines Fakery?

2011-02-16T21:55:00.001-05:00

I love advertisements. Mostly because I love catching hyperbole, superfluous-ness and all around tricky photo editing...this ad caught my eye. Should I honestly believe that the AA lounge in JFK's terminal 8 has two Eames chairs facing the window? Have any of you been in this lounge? Eames chairs spottings...?? let me know, I'll post a pic if you have one to share!

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Whip it!

2011-02-11T15:36:00.000-05:00

Well, I think I'm finally settled from my most recent whirlwind. less than 72 hours in LA... working no less.

Something I call....The Whiparound!!!

The older I get the less I can deal with the long haul whiparound (Europe for the weekend anyone?!)... and... a redeye to boot.

But all that aside, I had a really great time and enjoyed my very first professional venture outside of NYC. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Returning to NYC, I feel inspired... the typical inspired that I feel whenever I go anywhere but this time it's far more personal. It's nice to actually feel like a professional at something that I think I'm good at but also something I really enjoy. It almost forces me to keep shooting... just have a shooting charette if you will!

Even more than the feeling of accomplishment inspiring me, I listened to a LOT of classic rock out there in LA ( 100.3 The Sound)... and I forget how much music like that really gets me going. The Eagles, Bowie, Zep, Neil Young, Aerosmith, Tom Petty.... Rolling Stones and the ever inspirational Stevie Nicks. I did quite a bit of rocking out and singing to everything that came on the radio.

The more I go out to California, the more I really like it. I won't say it's "calling my name" in a way that other places have but I definitely see it becoming a part of my life in the years to come. Might even be safe to say that my current 3000-4000 mile comfort zone between NYC and PickacityinEurope has been expanded 3000 miles to the West to include Los Angeles.

I'm not sure how much longer I can handle whipping around like that but I better learn to recover quickly.. 7000 miles is a lot to cover!

-xx

p.s. wait until I get to Brazil. Blow the comfort zone wide open!!

Love at First Sight

2011-02-09T00:35:00.000-05:00

Quick run to my beloved Malibu!

Note to Self

2011-02-04T19:48:00.001-05:00

Dear Me, No matter how little time you have before leaving to go somewhere...always, always ...always find the time to get a manicure! Don't think leaving home without one is ok...it is not. It is not ever ok.

Sincerely, in a dry climate with chipping polish.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Weather Permitting

2011-02-01T12:16:00.000-05:00

Hitting the road again later this week. Stay Tuned : )

Out of left field

2011-01-23T17:05:00.000-05:00

Alright readers. You might be sick of me professing my love for several cities across Europe and or swearing up and down that I love all things Brazilian. So I'm going to switch it up.

I came across this article in the NYT just now about Borneo. http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/travel/23borneo.html

WOW. That's about all I can say. Please do yourself a favor and if you don't read the article, please watch the short seven photo slideshow. Now, I'm a girl who likes extremes.. I wear a lot of black and white, my nails are always dark colors or black, I have black hair, i have mostly black shoes, black dresses... etc.. you get the point but I DO love color. I love color in a photo because it instantly draws on in and creates intrigue and warmth and familiarity. So look at the slideshow. Then tell me how beautiful Borneo looks and how inspired you are to go there!

Here is the big question. Would I consider going to Borneo?

The answer my friends is: hell no.

Frankly- and forgive my language- because Orangutans scare the shit out of me. Their babies are really really cute but I can never shake the fact that those babies eventually become full grown Orangutans. So unless I can be guaranteed an Orangutan-free trip to Borneo... I'm afraid that is one of the few countries I can't look forward to going to.... As beautiful and colorful as it certainly looks.

Of course, that's the way I feel now. The future may hold something different for me. So, while I won't say never for now it's a gracious no thanks!

Temptation Strikes Inconveniently

2011-01-19T16:41:00.002-05:00

I just found (thanks to Twitter) a RT to Paris from NYC DIRECT... for $605 on Air France

Then when I arose from the blackout I incurred over this price, I put the request through to see that the added taxes and fees bring the ticket cost to $725.

For the record, that price is the closest I've seen to the miracle Paris fare of 2006. That fare is cheaper by a slim margin than tickets i've bought to Brussels (twice) and Spain.

March 2 to March 14. I am so.. tempted to say... screw it all and spend a week an half in the City of Light.

I will do it alone if I have to.

Unfortunately, this is not the right time for me to traverse the ocean as much as I really and truly think this is an opportunity that if allow to pass me... I will never see the likes of again and will spend all eternity cursing myself for it.

Should I just go?!

It's Paris.

I'm immediately thrown into crisis over this.

Take the guess work out of planning

2011-01-15T18:22:00.000-05:00

The NYT is telling you where to go in 2011! Brilliant

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/travel/09where-to-go.html?ref=travel

If any of you go to any of these lovely places, come tell me all about it. And send me pictures!

xx

The Real Reason why I love Europe...

2011-01-09T17:58:00.002-05:00

Their McDonalds have Curry Sauce. I just found this last one I brought over from Brussels (or Paris??)...two years ago. Eww! Gross, I know. I just threw it out while I was cleaning out my fridge but I had to sing it's praises here! Viva la Curry Sauce!

Takesies- Backsies

2011-01-07T12:54:00.000-05:00

In this post a few weeks ago I was all excited about this early part of winter... just around the solstice where snow has not really fallen and I can really enjoy my favorite season.

I take it back.

I'm already completely over the snow here in NYC and I am beyond ready for a trip to... where did I say? Martinique... The Maldives... Rio de Janeiro. Somewhere with a little warmth, colorful houses and palm trees.

Usually I don't start feeling like this until February but usually, we don't get snow like this so early in the Winter.

Anyway... JFK to GIG here I come....

I wish.

Strange Punishment.

2011-01-06T17:28:00.000-05:00

Foreign transaction fees are a major inconvenience. Why am I being ~~punished~~ nickeled and dimed because I like to travel?

I usually have a system of paying with day to day stuff ( food, taxis etc..) with cash and then souvenirs and entrance fees by credit card. Then I get back and on top of the massive amounts I've spent... I have extra $10-$15 in "fees". To take matters even further, one credit card has a flat conversion fee while the other seems to calculate it based on how much I spent. Guess which card I'm on the verge of getting rid of?

Thumbs down!

I'm about to make everything cash only. Go to Spain... withdraw 1000 euro and call it a damn day. Then end up with ONE fee. Well, two fees, one for the transaction and one for the foreign ATM fee.

Is is dangerous to walk about with 1000 in cash?!

Do any of you have a system/ budget when you travel that ensures you the least amount of "fees" on your bank cards? Share with me. Until I make my first million, I need to watch the bottom line.

Money is not everything and not the most important thing in life but it does need to be controlled.

xx

The Bourne Inspiration

2011-01-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

Recently I decided to sit and watch all three Jason Bourne films back to back. I've been meaning to have my mini Bourne marathon for some time but since the other videos I ordered didn't arrive, I decided to pass the time with old favorites.

I really love these movies for three reasons.

1. I heart Matt Damon. He could play Hamlet as far as I'm concerned and it would be the performance of a lifetime. (hyperbole much?)

2. Espionage films are my thing. Covert ops. fast cars, violence, fake passports....sign. me. up! And the fact that Bourne happens to speak the language of whatever country he happens to be in is super spy!! ( I admit... that makes me want to get off my arse and learn the languages I have to learn. You know, just incase I have to smack someone around with a rolled up magazine in Berlin or escape from an interrogation room in Naples)

3. The films visit the most amazing locales. Paris, Madrid, Zurich, Goa, Marseille, Berlin, Tangier (ohh Tangier!!!!!!), Moscow. It's a dream for a girl like me. Not so much the part about being chased through those places but seeing them on screen filmed at their most beautiful is truly inspiring.

With any bit of luck and perseverance any one of these inspiring places will be on my "to do" list in 2011.

xx happy new year to all of you who read my wanderlustful ramblings everyday. Thanks for reading and I really hope to have more travels and inspirations this year.

Encore une fois

2010-12-31T15:38:00.000-05:00

Here I go again. New Year's Resolutions time. I never stick to them. Not because I like being a failure but because I'm somewhat of a scatterbrain. I've said hundreds of times that it's about time I learn French. For good. *If you don't want to hear about this anymore than stop reading here*

I've been learning for real since 2004. Now, at nearly 2011 I think the little bit of French that I taught myself over the past two years is completely gone from my brain. Like I said, scatterbrain.

Oh my god, when I was in Brussels, I had so many people stop me on the street and talk to me in French and while I was beyond flattered that people actually think I look like I speak French... I mostly just didn't know how to respond. Why?

Because I speak french like a potty mouthed 4 year old and I understand French like a paper gangsta.

I understand that I can't learn a language when I'm not speaking it every day.. listening to the radio is great but that is the reason why I understand when I'm spoken to in French (and I know every song by Gerald dePalmas by heart) but guess what, I need to speak it.

So, that is going to be less my resolution and more my long term goal. I found my list of things in life that I want to do... and learn french is in the top 20 ( also on there is learn Portuguese and learn Spanish but not in the top 20). So, I think... today being the last week in December... I resolve take my "french like a foul mouthed four year old" to "french like a foul mouthed adult" in a years time.

One year. I can do it! Let's hope I don't lose my Italian along the way!

Anyone want to be my French teacher? Comment or e mail me. We'll chat. In French.

Saude! (<---hey, I did say Portuguese is on the list too)

If I Were Savvier part two

2010-12-28T15:02:00.000-05:00

My friend CF told me I should buy this book. I think I will. I think those of you reading who love traveling too should consider purchasing

http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Free-pretty-damn-near/dp/1450567711/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1293475928&sr=8-5

Maybe I'm getting old and fussy or maybe be life is changing but I'm really sick of paying through the nose to see other places and see my friends in other places. Part of my new years resolution/ long term goal for 2011 is to stop paying hundreds of dollars for transatlantic flights.

More on my resolutions later. : )

alla prossima!

Calm before the Snow.

2010-12-23T19:08:00.001-05:00

I'm quirky when it comes to seasons and scents and colors and the things I associate them with. Winter for me that means dark but bold colors, heavy fragrance, fur coats.. Red nail polish and Chanel No.5...it's the beginning of winter when I'm reveling in the cold...before I'm cursing the snow and wishing I was in Martinique...or Northern Brazil or The Maldives.
Happy Winter, Everyone. For now :)

The Second of Many- Rio De Janeiro

2010-12-22T13:18:00.001-05:00

(copyright la esmeralda photography 2010)

So I mentioned that the first time I traveled alone was in 1998. Right ok, great we got it....

I specifically remember a time when my father would buy the Sunday NY Times and up until recently, I would root around in it and come away with the travel section. Even further, specifically remember doing that one weekend and then reading the section in the basement while doing my laundry.

Oh my god. Life. Ruined.

Let me backtrack for a moment and say that this was the same year that I was beginning to get into "soccer", 1998 was a World Cup year... and there was a really brilliant young striker named Ronaldo who had captured the world's attention. The Original Ronaldo. Number 9!

Ok so, there was a really big article on Rio de Janeiro and the stars must have been aligned or lightening must have struck because from that moment and for the next 8- 10 years, all I did was dream about going to Rio de Janeiro.

Making it, Super Top Secret Destination Number Two on my wishlist.

Why Rio? I have a total affinity for just about all things Brazilian. My late night playlists are full of the sounds of Jobim, Astrid, Bebel and Joao Gilberto. I'm pretty much obsessed with the perfect beans and pork combo 'feijoada' and I'm certain that my body craved it so much it forced me out of vegetarianism. I love feathers ::carnaval:: and a samba beat and lets not ever ever ever forget the almighty power of cachaca, lime juice and sugar.

So where to stay where to stay? Since this is unequivocally a dream destination, when It comes to lodging I only hit the top tier. This is Brazil folks, my dream come true, so all stops are herewith considered pulled out. Hotel Fasano in Rio is amazing and gorgeous and no doubt expensive and Hotel Santa Teresa is a former plantation and equally gorgeous with loads of wood elements throughout... what else does one think of when one thinks of Brazil aside from wood (Walnut, Cherry, etc..)

What to do once I'm there aside from hit the beach and sip on some ice cold Skol? First order of business, Samba School. Samba schools from what I understand are groups of people who rehearse their performances for the Carnival every year. Supposedly they are in more... neighborhood areas rather than touristy areas but the energy of the music and the cariocas practicing is electric.

And then I would eat. Yippie! (my favorite part of every destination). There's this place that I found while looking around on the internet called Casa da Feijoada that is just off Ipanema. If you are reading this for the first time you might not know that Feijoada is literally one of my favorite meals of all time. Probably my favorite, actually. I was bummed to hear that in Rio, Feijoada is a dish mostly prepared on Saturdays. I cannot go to Rio and only eat my favorite thing on one night. But Casa da Feijoada has... well... Feijoada.... all the time in many different varieties. So when I'm in Rio and you are looking for me, either stop by here or give them a ring and ask for the girl with yucca and black beans all over her face. Oh. and they serve Caipirinhas.

I'm in trouble.

If Japanese food is more your thing, keep in mind that there is a huge Japanese culture in Rio and it's probably just as easy to get sushi as it is to get pao de queijo. I think I would try it... I'm getting to like Japanese food bit by bit. Check out Madame Butterfly on Ipanema.

There are so so so many attractions in Rio and I can think off the top of my head Corcovado (Christ with outstretched arms), there's the Jardim Botanico...Ipanema Beach... the Zoo, the Xuxa museum... (joking on that last bit. But imagine if there was... the endless halls of thigh high boots and shorty shorts!!). What I'd really love to do is catch some sun on the beach, get down to some dancing in the Leblon district, maybe catch a football game, see some capoiera on the streets (not in a West Side Story way.. but more of a street performance way)

It's sort of hard to sit in front of a monitor and look up all of these lovely things online and write about them having never been. But, I tend to dream big and imagine even bigger. If I had two weeks in Rio I really would love to do all of these things and then none of these things too. There are few places in the world that inspire so much romance and intrigue in me like Rio. So while you, my reader, may have read this and thought "Damnit, she should just go!"... I would love nothing more than to do that but seeing as how it's a destination built up in my thoughts after years and years of wanting, it has to be right. It has to be the right time for me, and Rio. Who knows, I may get there and be sorely disappointed but I sincerely doubt that I will. I know it will be fabulous when the time is right!

until then....I shall keep dreaming!

Brings a Smile to my face.

2010-12-22T11:53:00.000-05:00

Someday, Rio, it will be me and you

Caipirinha in hand.

xxo

If I were a little bit savvier...

2010-12-16T17:41:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent me a link to this story about a guy who is taking the next nine months to travel around the world on only $148.

And here I am hemming and hawing about Geneva in July and tickets being upward of a thousand dollars.

Just has me thinking that if I had my head about me and did the logical thing and received points for the money spend on my everyday purchases, maybe I could go to Switzerland for 8 bucks.

::sidenote:: Did anyone else know that Delta doesn't fly direct to Switzerland?! Big wrench thrown into my plans.

::second sidenote:: If anyone out there can make me savvier in terms of spending and points earned on said spending, leave comments below. leave them anonymously if you must.

In any event, here is the link:
http://gizmodo.com/5710654/how-to-fly-35000-miles-visit-4-continents-9-countries-and-15-cities-for-418

Hecho en Mexico

2010-12-15T20:09:00.003-05:00

Going thru my phone just now and found this Coke picture from Huntington Beach in Cali. We had Mexican food and they of course served Mexican Coca Cola. Sweet sweet Mexican coca cola! Yumm! I think I also had a quesadilla and copious amounts of guacamole. Good times!

Swiss Miss part deux

2010-12-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

I downloaded the Swiss Air app on my phone. Determined to hit Montreux this summer! Stay tuned! #
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Moi Je Joue

2010-12-13T20:07:00.000-05:00

The Miss Dior Cherie commercial got to me tonight and I heard this song "Moi Je Joue" again and forgot that I love it. Me, lover of all things French, lovey dovey and coquettish... forgot about this song.
Perhaps because when I think of Brigitte Bardot I think of her racially charged letters about her hatred of Muslims and I forget that before she was a hateful old woman, she was a smokin hot babe.
I don't understand how one woman loves animals so much but then turns around and spews so much hate. Ah well,
In any event, here's a song from back when she was cool.

What I Love About Lisbon

2010-12-11T15:44:00.000-05:00

(Copyright La Esmeralda Photography 2010)

I had the pleasure to go to Lisbon on business in spring of 09 and let me tell you. I was not prepared for what I was about to experience.

I think in it's proximity to Spain, I was inclined to think that it would have the same robust and hearty feeling that I've heard people say about Spain. ( at that point I had not been to Spain.) So, exiting the airport, the air felt tropical just like in Florida or the Caribbean. There were even palm trees. I instantly thought wow...this place is going to be like a Caribbean-European dream!

Twas not the case.

In the cab ride to the hotel, I remember looking around at the buildings and they definitely had that Caribbean feel. Pink and turquoise and yellow painted buildings, gated windows and entryways. I'm pretty sure at some point I saw no sidewalks on a street. I admit it made me just a tiny bit sad at first. The reason being that it felt post colonial. It reminded me of a time when people traded other people for sugarcane and coffee beans.

As the next few days went on, I walked around Lisbon a bit ( I ended up getting sick while I was there!) and I saw such beautiful structures and fountains... memorials, shops, arcades and that post colonial feeling sort of stuck with me.

Then I started observing people. I observed groups of teenagers- light skinned, dark skinned interacting with one another. I observed groups of women and groups of men of all skin color interacting with one another. I saw dark skinned women with their light skinned husbands and light skinned men with their dark skinned wives and that was the moment i started falling in love with Lisbon.

So often I have been to Europe either alone or with a group and have been an object for people to stare at. I've been with light skinned friends or a boy and people look at me (or us) like I just landed from Jupiter. It doesn't bother me too much anymore but I usually observe when I am in Europe that people of particular skin color tend to hang with other people of that same particular skin color. I never really notice a full spectrum among a group of people (except this one time in Paris there was an Asian kid in a group...) and to see such diversity in Lisbon like it was nothing really really made me smile.

Now back to the post colonial bit. I had a recent conversation with a friend that being in Lisbon felt like being in an attic. Anyone who has been to the West Indies knows the feeling I'm sure... the look of old parliamentary houses, castles, forts and mansions that are over hundreds of years old and feel... abandoned. Left by the wayside. Like all of a sudden, the colonizers had something better to do with their time and forgot about all the structures built in their particular style. Lisbon felt to me like it was once one Grand Dame of a major city and somewhere along the way, someone forgot about it... but the Lisboeta continued with their lives and continued to flourish in spite of it.

AND That's what I LOVE about LISBON.

I love how old it feels. I love how it feels like going through your grandmothers jewelry or flipping through an old photo album... watching a black and white movie. It felt so nostalgic (of what I can't directly pinpoint) and stuck in time. Sort of how I imagine Cuba. There are plenty of old cities in Europe... duh! But one thing I realise is that... a lot of old cities feel like Post WWII and Lisbon feels like Post-Lisbon Earthquake. (which happened in 1755 and in fact LOADS of people I met felt the need to tell me about this centuries old quake). Lisbon is literally one of the most- if not THE most- aesthetically beautiful cities I have ever visited. It all felt very surreal when I was there. How unbelievable was it that everything felt like imagined out of a fairy tale? Out of something which dreams are built upon.....And speaking of building, the architecture in Lisbon is fantastic. There are other cities that have a fair amount of modern and post modern tucked in with the old, the older and the really ancient ( I'm looking at you, Rome) but I didn't notice too much of that in Lisbon and that added to its feeling like everything from the cobbled sidewalks (in which i broke a heel) to the tops of every building had been made and designed with care.

Finally, I think I had one of the best travel moments ever in Lisbon and I love to tell people about this. I STILL am so annoyed that I didn't have my camera ready for this moment but.. well... I was in a car and looking around in I guess what seemed like a shady part of town. We stopped at a traffic light and I looked up at a man passing on the sidewalk. He was a dark skinned man wearing a sweatshirt and pants that were frayed at the bottom in an Incredible Hulk sort of way... sadly he had on one shoe. He was eating something and it was shiny. I looked a little closer thinking he was eating something out of a long piece of aluminum foil and to my surprise, he was eating a fish. He was eating... a fish. To this day I wonder if the fish was cooked or raw. I wonder if there was maybe something else to it. But it was such a moment practically burned in my minds eye. Something about it was so genuine.

Lisbon eu te amo...for feeling like a piece of living and breathing history. For being home to -as a collective whole- the warmest and friendliest unpretentious Europeans Ive ever encountered. I love you for your trollies, and your fado, your port wine and your super sweet coca-cola, your Vasco da Gama bridge, Benfica and the hill I never got to climb off of Avienda Liberdade. If there were one european city with the exclusion of Paris I were to choose to explore forever, it would be Lisbon.

I'd better improve my Portuguese!

-Amor Sempre

What I Love About London

2010-12-09T19:16:00.001-05:00

(Copyright La Esmeralda Photography 2010)

I know for sure that I have touched upon this before but I feel I can be a bit more elaborate seeing as how I was in London not too long ago.

The first time I was in London as a wide eyed teenager in 1998 was at the height of a lot of things. We were still mourning the death of Princess Diana, The Spice Girls ruled the charts and I was away from home for the first time.

The thing I loved about London then is the same thing I love about London now. I love how similar it is to NYC and how completely different it is at the same time.

When I was there a few weeks ago, aside from the fact that I had no clue where I was going, I felt completely at ease. Perhaps because I arrived there from a city where I had to think extra hard just to understand everything around me, my brain WANTED to work hard but found that it didn't have to... and was really grateful for the break.

I love it when I can go to a city and feel relaxed, eased in. part of the crowd with minimal effort. I'm used to the pace, used to the dress code, used to the language, used to the shops, used to the food....

Not used to traffic coming from the right... but that's easily over come.

used to reading a train map, used to the music, used to the sport, the drinks served round pub.

I don't say this to suggest that London and New York are twin cities. They are similar and the lifestyles of New Yorkers and Londoners are incredibly similar in all of the things I have mentioned but what makes me love London is how visible it's layers of history are in comparison with it's modern flair. When I went to London the first time there was no Millennium Bridge and no London Eye. So naturally the first thing (and perhaps only touristy thing) I wanted to do was ride on the London Eye. I thought it was a very cool juxtaposition of this Ferris wheel right on the Thames with the houses of Parliament as a backdrop. Brilliant. Well done, London. (Uhh... can we get a New York Eye on the East River?!?!?!?). I love how London is so laid back and so dressed up at the same time. It's a city with it's hat on and how even the small things seem so fancy!

I had the pleasure of having Tea Time with my friend in London a few weeks ago and I have to say, it was an experience to top many I've had in life. Simple enough but quite the layered endeavor complete with a bottle of what I like to think of as "thanksgiving dinner in liquid form". (It was gross...) but I loved how something one might think of as so traditionally English was in set in one of the most modern hotel brands in the world.

I suppose what I actually love about London is in how blissfully contradictory it is and how on one hand it feels like another world and on the other feels like the right place to be. It's both extremely accessible and members only. It's standing on ceremony and the bawdiest joke ever told. Does that make sense? It's like taking any experience you've ever had and putting a little extra sparkle on it. And it sparkles because it's LONDON!

London sparkles and I love it!

Life is just a little bit better with London.

P.S. I cannot cannot cannot forget to mention that my very heart and soul and darlings of Fulham Road, Chelsea F.C. are a London team and I've been 12 years strong loyal supporter. (can't help but to drop a little football on here now and again)

Until the next city!

-Love Always

What I love about Paris

2010-12-08T18:27:00.002-05:00

(photo copyright LaEsmeralda Photography 2010)

I have a lot of time to think lately. I started thinking over the weekend that although I travel fairly often, I don't travel as much as I would like, nor to as many destinations I would like. I, ladies and gentleman am a ~~fraud~~ repeat offender. With the exception of just a handful of cities, I have been to every major city in Western Europe at least twice.
With this little gem of understanding in front of me, I got to thinking what is it about these repeats that keeps bringing me back. What is it that gets into my soul and my spirit in that I absolutely have to return, for a moment or at a moment's notice, just for another quick fix.
I thought what I would do, to keep me writing, is to talk about the cities I love for once, and not just the cities I wish I could go to ( I'm looking at you, Zurich).
Forgive me but I thought I would talk about Paris first because frankly, I can never get enough of Paris, I never stop thinking about Paris, or dreaming of Paris...and french food, and Pernod and.. well, you see where this has the potential of going.

People often ask me what it is about Paris that has my pupils forming the shapes of little hearts.

Truthfully, I wish the answer was simple. But there are just so many many things that round out a whole. There are simple pleasures, like crepes being sold on street corners and dining in a restaurant for as long as I desire without being harassed by the waiters. There are complex pleasures like being able to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre or exploring Notre Dame in all of its hi Gothic perfection. There is something in the charm of Paris and I have often thought that if Paris were a person, he/she would be the perfect dinner guest, the perfect first date, the one you bring home to your mom and she just loves him.... or her.

I know that my European friends look at me when I go on and on about Paris and don't really understand it. Not only am I first and foremost a Native New Yorker (and I "should be happy about that", they say) but to them Paris is just around the corner. Perhaps the way I would view Boston or Miami.

There was a time not too long ago when I really thought I could easily live in Paris. While I'm not saying this is no longer the case, it is in fact something that I became increasingly unsure of. Why?
For many reasons but for the sake of this blog, let's just say it's because the mystery of something I hold so close to my heart would vanish. And then what would I have to look forward to? What could I appreciate when street crepes are no longer special, Sacre Coeur becomes an all too familiar backdrop in my daily commute, and I have the really big urge to punch a mime?

Then what?

I think everyone in life needs something to look forward to. Everyone should have that one destination in the world that completely fascinates and bewitches. For me, in that instance, I guess I could just start longing for another city. But it wouldn't be the same because by then I would have been too jaded by the illusions I once had of Paris, now broken.

So, I guess I say all of that to say, as someone who has seldom walked and explored Parisian streets, boulangeries and patissieries I guess the thing I love about Paris the most is that it's a mystery to me. It's always going to be an experience and a learning curve. It has to, in essence, remain the city that I cannot have all to myself because I need a city to dream on.

Which brings me to one final thought.. that thought being Paris as the Romantic City. Look....it's such a cliche that I almost didn't want to mention it. However, when I think of some ultimate romantic moment that could be in my life... the backdrop is instantly Paris, instantly Pont Alexandre, instantly beneath the Arc d'Triomphe blah blah blah. (I think I am poisoned by Hollywood). I'm not going to lie... a romantic trip to Paris does stick out in my mind as "ultimate" but lets call a spade a spade... romance can be found anywhere... and there is nothing romantic about riding the Metro and fumbling with a map and trying to (between me and my other half) understand directions from a French speaker.

.......unless my other half is a French speaker....

but i digress...

I guess what could be romantic, since my world tends to revolve around gastronomy, would be those late evening dinners and a few bottles of wine, and those lounges in the Latin Quarter which even though are loud have some pretty good music going... having that feeling of never wanting to leave exacerbated by the smell of baking bread and kebabs in the 17th. I think I would like that someday but it would have to be with the right person in my life. Because a girl just cant go to a city she considers to right with someone so wrong.

Paris.... je t'aime, for all the inspirations I draw from you daily, for all the aspiring I do because of you, for making me talk to god and consult with the universe at least twice as much as before on your behalf ( Jesus, please let airfare be on sale! Universe... why don't you want me to go to Paris this year?!). I love that you are always on my mind. I love you for the icon of a city and all that you represent -from food to wine to romance. I love you for being so far away and so unattainable, therefore keeping you preserved in my dreams, ambitions and fantasies.

~l'amour toujours.

Germany

2010-12-07T00:03:00.001-05:00

Just got an email blast from Delta re: double miles for travel to Germany before Feb 28, 2011.
Funny, I was just thinking I should give Germany another chance. In spite of the fact that I hate their football team and I'm not head over heels for their beer. German food I think I can get into...and I'm sure there is loads to see there. I dno. I'm on the fence.
Anyone out there been to Germany? Thoughts? #
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Swiss Miss

2010-12-01T23:36:00.001-05:00

Just checked the Montreux Jazz Festival website 2011. Dates July 1- July 16.
It's always a dream of mine to go to this festival. I look at this particular dream...and think.. Why the hell not? If not now then when???
Who's with me?! #
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Just got back?

2010-11-30T20:02:00.000-05:00

So holidays are officially here. I know I have slowed down with the posting. Just call it a bit of holiday blues mixed with "just came from a fantastic holiday" blues... and the cold weather.

I've gotta stop saying I just got back. it's been a few weeks now, jet lag is gone, i've stopped mumbling "pardon-moi" to strangers in my way and i've emptied out my euro wallet... to the tune of 68 Euro and 15 Pounds. *note to self: don't be so friendly with the ATM and then misplace a large bill in your wallet.

What is the statute of limitations on "Just got back?" What are the factors determining it's usage? For me, if I have not spoken to someone in a long time I will tell them " Oh yeah I just got back from London". Even though it was weeks ago. If it's someone who I talk to on a regular basis.... what do I say... I guess I milk it until the jetlag wears off?!

What do you guys think?

-A bientot.

A Lovely Sentiment.

2010-11-28T00:19:00.001-05:00

I spoke to a friend last week. The first thing he said to me was "I'm sorry for Chelsea" (in reference to their recent loss)
It was so very nice and sweet of him to say that to me. I can appreciate when someone cares enough about things I love to offer congrats or consolation.
It was even nicer to get some transatlantic consolation.
Meant a lot to me. If you are reading, thank you. You may not ever realise how happy you made me. :) xx
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The Swing of Things

2010-11-20T17:59:00.000-05:00

I'm having a really weird moment.

I feel like I just got off Space Mountain.

"I wanna go again"

After sitting here all afternoon, gobsmacked and all after yet another Chelsea loss, I admit I started looking up airfare.

To where?

Anywhere. What is wrong with me?!

I'm a drug addict. Travel is my drug.

and I have on Itunes, listening to A-ha and this song popped up. This line that I've always loved and quote occasionally. I feel like this totally right now....

"How can I sleep with your voice in my head? With an ocean between us and room in my bed"

Just a line to symbolize my current restlessness for foreign skies. I just bloody got back... why wont my mind sit still...

the jet lag hasn't even worn off yet....

Where to go

2010-11-20T15:41:00.000-05:00

The hardest part about going away is coming back. A friend of mine told me last night that people tend to get more excited about going away, and returning with stories than actually being on their "vacation".

Truer words are rarely spoken.

I was so wound up about being in Brussels and London but now, in such short a time, I look back on last week like it was ages ago. I'm trying not to think too much about that because I don't want it to get me down... wishing I could fly over "just like that".....

I promise this time to keep my head down and just keep focusing on my next destination.

I promise.

Something Special.

2010-11-17T14:18:00.002-05:00

I can have my sentimental moments. Truth is, I don't remember taking these photos but I do remember who I was with when I took them. My favorite of the three is the Chimay glass because well honestly, I hold the drink and the person who introduced the drink to me quite close to my heart. I wish I could control it but I can't. It's not love or being in love or anything close to that at the moment but I would call it a very strong affection. I hope this person knows that this is how I feel.

Only the Lonely

2010-11-15T04:54:00.000-05:00

Ultimately, I don't mind traveling alone. It's just being alone in an airport which gets to me sometimes. Would be nice to have a constant traveling companion. But in those minutes where everyone is saying goodbye...and a man is carrying a woman's valises, I can't help but to look on in awe and wonder where I can get that too. Maybe I should accept the fact that I'm one of those people who much prefers the company of others.
Am I one of those people? All I know is that I have the next 10 hours to think about it.
Hopefully the inflight movie and music will be a welcomed distraction. I think Inception is on the westbound flights! Finally!
Ohhh totally random... Found $10 at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Actually, my friend found it and hey...I'm coming to America so it worked out :)
Anyways, I'm off so, see u soon United States. Be as nice to me as Europe or else.... -xx-
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Last Night or: New York Resolutions

2010-11-14T17:23:00.001-05:00

So, this is my last night in London and as usual leaving Europe about 5lbs lighter and with loads of determinations to change life of mine in the States. Everyone said to me that I was here for a short time. I was I know. But it was a proper break from routine that I needed. Enough time to breathe, eat, drink...catch up with folks etc. I enjoyed it all but now I have to face a new phase in my life. Not something I wanted to do but I have to.
The first thing I need to do is get back to my focus. I broke it here and it hurts to know that but...I need it back and now that Europe can be temporarily out of my system...I can get back to what is important.
Ok so now that I've opened up about my life...travelwise London has been great. Perfect in fact. The only thing I would change would be my coat! Kept getting in my way....
Oh and I would also change the Chelsea loss today into a win. :) That was a really tough and embarrassing loss. :( #
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MATCH DAY

2010-11-14T08:27:00.001-05:00

Soooooooo excitedddddddd!!!!!!!
Let's go Chelsea!!!
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A word about living out of a suitcase.

2010-11-13T10:56:00.000-05:00

How do some women do it so effortlessly? I just caught my reflection and boy...I look wrecked. Lovely.
Can some of u glamour girls share your tips and tricks to looking ones best on the road? #
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Look who it is in the U.K

2010-11-13T10:09:00.001-05:00

Rainy London town :)

On Her Majesty's...oh you know the rest!

2010-11-12T06:53:00.001-05:00

That's my way of saying I'm in London and while I have not yet been near MI6 perhaps I will stumble upon a spook or two.
Anyways, the weather here is good I.e. Not raining. And I'm about to head into the city.

Can't wait! What will I see there? Any guesses?
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London Calling!

2010-11-11T13:15:00.000-05:00

Well folks, I'm heading to London. On a really hot but really fast train. I should be there in two shakes...but first the train stops in Lille then to St Pancras.
I have to say that I had a fantastic time in Brussels. I cannot say enough great things about it and I know I will be returning for many years to come. I did the things I thought I would do and my friends F and O are the most amazing two people I have had the pleasure to know in a long time and I could never thank them enough for their hospitality.
So what's new? Unfortunately, I have not really eaten today. I had a bit to drink last night from practically everything beer to champagne to wine to more beer. It's a miracle I didn't vomit...but I ate dinner so...I guess that helped. I vaguely remember going to bed around 6:30....and I woke up like...oh...food...no. I couldn't eat anything at all. I can't say I'm that hungry now either...but I could try something I suppose.
Ok so I guess that is that and this train is flying through the night.

Shall I start the count down...3 days until the match of my life!

#
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All in the details

2010-11-11T10:41:00.001-05:00

November 10, 2010

The BX-BXL connection.

2010-11-11T10:40:00.001-05:00

I usually use that phrase in connection with someone I know but this was a true moment I had near the Grand Place. No, I did not try any.

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

A Holy Trinity.

2010-11-11T06:17:00.001-05:00

Postcard from Brussels.

2010-11-10T09:50:00.000-05:00

I cannot say enough how much I love it here. Brussels is the perfect small metropolis with many interesting people. Right now the sun is out and I'm on Louise (probably my favorite European blvd- sorry Champs Elysses!) and the city is lookin gorgeous!
Ok so last night my amazing friends took me for dinner and drinks. And I had mussels...in brussels. The cheesy VanDamme lover in me was so excited! The food lover in me was in heaven. There was also this mini pumpkin soup that was to die for. I wish it was in a big bowl!! The size of an olympic swimming pool. :)
Anyways, what's better than food for me!! Football!!! Standard Liege vs Genk at a sports bar. Standard won. :) I watched standard but let's be real about who I support.... It rhymes with "SchmANDerlecht" ha.ha.ha. Then onto more beer! I didn't drink the same one twice. And let's just say I write this with a slight headache....
But today, I went to the Magritte Museum which did not disappoint. I find his work funny so I was chuckling to myself a bit the whole time.
Before I got there, the sun was out! Now it's back to the Brussels I love...rainy.
Right now I'm eating a ham cheese and pineapple panini. The pineapple is refreshing.
Oh I also forgot to mention that my hair is a rats nest. Oh and also my French sucks but I did catch myself speaking and being understood. The problem is that I have a yankee accent which gives me away and then people speak english to me.
*How am I ever going to learn :) #
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A-mazing.

2010-11-09T15:00:00.001-05:00

I love this town in the rain.

2010-11-09T10:37:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Belgium

2010-11-09T04:21:00.001-05:00

Brussels rocks!:)
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Wheels up!

2010-11-08T19:11:00.001-05:00

Traveling thru an airport should not make one tired. I'm bleeding exhausted after sprinting thru terminal 3. And after having my entire bag unpacked and squeezed and what not.
I yelled at the guy "Don't squeeze the Cakesters!!!!" But my cried went unheard. Cat, forgive me.

Ok. Supposedly getting ready for take off. I'm going to need a massage when I land.

Any takers? Hehe.

Btw, this flight is full. Really???

Hope to blog again when I get to.......
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Early Early

2010-11-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

I just woke up and decided to blog.... That I'm leaving today for my wonderweek in Europe.

It's early and I'm tired. And I just realised that I packed the wrong shoes so I'm getting out of bed to add yet one more thing to my 21" spinner.

Redeye to...... In 12 hours. #
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I want to go to CHILE!

2010-11-07T07:33:00.001-05:00

For many reasons. Mainly, the comida!! And, the pisco.

More Belgian rambling

2010-11-04T11:37:00.000-04:00

Do I talk too much about Belgium? I feel like I do. Or maybe it's because I'm always thinking about food. (As I'm sure I've said before and I will undoubtedly say again... Belgium is the secret crown jewel of gastronomy in Europe. Hands. Down. Forget what you have heard and take it from a food lover.)

Two very brief things and then I promise I won't say a word until I am actually there...

1. The other night I was showing my friend this lil map i printed from a brewery in Brussels that I want to go to. A walking tour map that might be lame but it's something to do. I'm really excited to do it.

2. Looking for breweries I read something about how Belgium produces more varities of beer than there are days of the week. Seeing as how I've tried about a long months worth in the past two years, I thought a GREAT idea would be for me to move to Belgium for a year...and try a different beer everday and blog about it.. Think I could get InBev to sponsor my sebatical? and my subsequent liver transplant.

Ok that's it on Belgium until......

Ecoutez Wednesday

2010-11-03T10:58:00.001-04:00

Do you all know by now that I love Zazie? I admit with my limited french, I don't always know what she's talking about... but I'm resourceful... and I have some kind French speakers whom I can ask (who might tease my hopelessness behind my back) to translate for me.
So, Zazie has this album out called Za7ie. Because there are seven albums in one... each one representing a day of the week. I think they are rolling out over the next few months. Not sure. Again... French is not that good.
But at the momoment, I'm LOVING this song Etre et Avoir. Just the cadence of the song. It's charming. And it's sooo very Zazie. Check it.

Being Held Hostage

2010-10-27T11:41:00.000-04:00

I have an airline credit.

Wonderful.

Someone please tell me what to do with it. Can I use my domestic ticket toward international travel? Should I go somewhere in the US?

I have always wanted to go to San Francisco. Chicago looks like fun.

San Diego? They have a zoo!

Aspen, Colorado. ( then I can finally go on that Ski Weekend I've been whining about for ages.)

How does this work?

Aire de Bardenas in Navarra Spain -Part Two!

2010-10-26T11:01:00.001-04:00

Last night I posted about this hotel in a mad happy rage with a need to tell everyone who reads my blog about it.

I have this love hate with hotels. Part of me hates them and would enjoy never really having to stay in one. Let's face it, they can be gross. But Part of me loves the experience of having all of these amenities that are there when I get there, and I don't have to worry about once I leave. Then there is the part of me that thinks about expense vs necessity. If I am for example in Jamaica, do I NEED to stay at the Goldneye Resort (http://www.goldeneye.com/site/) in Ocho Rios in the lap of luxury or do I just need a clean place to sleep with appropriate amounts of heat/air conditioning and running hot and cold water. I tend to dwell more on the latter as I don't have the money for luxurious amenities.... yet. * ::sidenote:: I would splurge on the Goldeneye only for the 007 fanatic in me but that is really beside the point.

Aire de Bardenas is pricey (about $275/night) and it's off the beaten path ( I read a review on Trip Advisor that it is reminicent of Texas..... not yet sure how to feel about that) but depending on what one is doing in Spain, it might be worth a night or two of completely chillin' out, escaping the pull of the major cities. I have not quite figured out how one might get there. The website has a little map to explain it but i doubt it is as simple as hopping a train from Seville to Malaga or something along those lines. Aire de Bardenas is in the middle of campgrounds... desert.... wilderness. etc.

The pictures in this post were taken from a website called tablethotels.com. Go on, Book your trip now! I dare you : )

Oh one last thing.... additional images and information about the design can be seen on the architects' website: http://www.lopez-rivera.com/proyectos/hotelairedebardenas.html

enjoy the images! ciao for now.

Another reason to go back to Spain

2010-10-25T18:43:00.001-04:00

As if I actually needed one!
I saw this hotel in a design magazine a few months ago and promptly fell in love. The views are amazing and the design is rather unique. I must say, the design in and coming out of Spain is unlike what is being produced in many other countries. Did anyone see the Spain pavilion at Expo in Shanghai? Exactly!!! (It's one of my personal faves)
Cash$money aside, I NEED to stay at Hotel Aire de Bardenas in Navarra, Spain.
More on this later but in the meantime, check it out travelers!

http://www.airedebardenas.com/galeria/
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Test part Deux

2010-10-22T16:07:00.000-04:00

Ok, it worked. I think. Get ready for more posting! Live!
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Test

2010-10-22T16:05:00.000-04:00

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Peeve!

2010-10-22T09:56:00.000-04:00

Something I cannot tolerate is acted out in the following scenario:

me: Yeah, I won't be here next week. I'm going to Mozambique
someone: Mozambique. Wow that's great.
me: Thanks, I'm excited
someone: I want to go someplace. Next time you're gonna have to put me in your suitcase.

::pause::

No, honey. Next time, I can invite you.

If. I want. to travel with you.

Or.

You. Can save your money like I did.

And buy your own ticket.

Why do people say this? Is it to be cute? or to attempt humor?

It isn't really cute. Or Funny.

One minor exception I will grant is if I mention someplace that someone has always wanted to go to.

me: I'm going to Disney World next week
someone: Oh really, wow! I've wanted to go there since I was a kid but my parents could never afford it etc blah blah blah.
me: yeah....
someone: I wish I could go with you. Can you make room in your suitcase?

See. That's different. Not hella better but different. I'm more likely to have some kinda sympathy for you then.

But you should still save your money and buy a ticket if it means that much to you.

I want people to realise their travel dreams. That's all.

A milestone birthday.

2010-10-17T18:32:00.000-04:00

My mom actually suggested that I make a destination party out of my 30th birthday (which I assure you all is quite... some... time... from....now!). It's a splendid idea however... I wouldn't think she would be encouraging of that!

I think that's a great idea. Splendid in fact. Should I start planning this? Where would I even go?

Hong Kong? Istanbul? Zanzibar? Tierra del Fuego? Singapore?

Her suggestion was the San Diego Zoo because I've always wanted to go there. My initial instinct says somewhere I've never been. Someplace I have yet to fall in love with.

A country I will need a visa to enter.

Thoughts?

The Last Time

2010-10-15T10:34:00.001-04:00

The last time I was in London was the only time I was in London. The year was 1998 and I was 15 years old ( whoa... Ok, you guys who are quick with the maths can now figure out my age). It was the first time I was away from home... away from my mom. and most importantly the Spice Girls ruled the charts. We got to the UK via boat from Northern France and after a two hour busride, arrived in London beneath cover of night.
We were only there for three days. 72 hours.

I slept in total about 8 of those 72. What can I say... I was 15. And I used to have this awesome trick.. I would stay up all night until like 4 am.. and then take a shower and put on my clothes for the next day..(except for my shirt... i put on like a little undershirt) and then take a nap. Wake up at 7 ready to go. Yeah... partyin like a rock star! Without the drugs or... booze...

London, at the time was great. Oddly enough, I think that is the first time I can remember feeling like an adult. It's odd because my mum and dad always raised me like a little adult so I always felt/ behaved mature but it was never like this. Like I actually shopped like a maniac in Harrods. Harrods for christ sakes. The biggest development of that trip was that I started drinking coffee... ( I remember coming back to the states and hiding the fact that I drank coffee from my parents. Stoo-piddd) and that was probably a main reason why I had the burst of energy to stay up all night and then rock and roll all day long.

Anyways.. aside from that. I don't remember TOO much about London. I know what I saw ( Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus...) but it's all a blur. I know what I missed ( Marks & Spencer, Covent Garden, Kensington Palace, Wembley Arena, Trafalgar Square etc..) including but not limited to Stamford Bridge--the home of my beloved Chelsea F.C. <--- I didn't become a supporter until later in that year, sadly.

Why am I saying all of this? BECAUSE I"M GOING BACK!!! In a trip that was decided MONTHS ago...It's finally around the corner. And I have every intention to run all around London like some kind of sick Benny Hill sketch to see all the things that I missed 12 years ago. I'm really excited to see my girls and my boys and my boys in blue.... (Chelsea Match!) and most importantly, take photos. And do the London Eye... and see MI6... and... and... and.... party like a rock star! But still... without the drugs... maybe with a lil bitta booze.

London I just love you!

P.S. Any of you guys think there is something I HAVE To do while I am there? Something that has nothing to do with Arsenal!

Not ready for takeoff.

2010-10-12T11:26:00.000-04:00

Ok guys... a little help.

While I may claim to be a sort of travel diva... I am also a chronic overthinker.

I don't want to over think my next few trips.. So... help me...

Tell me... What's crucial? What can I leave behind? Do I need my straightening iron? I have wavy hair!!!

Do I bring body lotion? Buy it? How much product do I need? How much can I go without?

Where can I get solid perfume? You know... the ones in the little tins? I want to smell really nice on the plane. and off the plane. and at the football game.

Advice!!!!! eeeek!

Language really isn't that hard...

2010-10-08T13:16:00.000-04:00

Quite some time ago I learned the word for "auction" in Spanish. No big deal. But I was really proud of it. And how did I learn this word? From a place in the Bronx that had "Subasta de Autos" on the side of the building. I knew this place was an auto auction house and so I put two and two together and yup... learned a new word. The other word I learned recently is the third person singular imperfect indicative of the verb "trabajar"... and where did I learn that verb? On the subway. And yes.... I know verb tenses like that. (dork)

The truth is... I learn a mess of Spanish every day. The problem is... unless I'm asking someone if he/she used to work at an auto auction house, I've in effect, learned nothing.

Unfortunately this is not a one time deal and I definitely do the same thing with French. Except instead of learning what I can from the streets, I learn it in the bathtub. Can I lather, rinse, repeat my hair in French? Oui.... apply conditioner generously? Bien sur! Need a tissue? I got your mouchoirs right here! Gather one and all... I have something french pour tous les types de peau! I can't wait to be in France again so I can tell strangers to feel how soft my skin is or how well conditioned my hair looks.

It occurs to me that I do a lot of things well but don't really master any of them. As in, I speak Italian well but I'm not fluent, I take a photo well.. but I'm not the best photographer, I can dance ballet but I never would have made principal at the New York City Ballet. I'm thinking I should follow my strengths here. It's irksome how limited my skill set can be when, if I could only focus, I'd have many more resources at hand. Rather... i need to take a class to learn any one of the six things I mentioned above or....

What I dno? What's the other option? Tell me.