Paris!

Hello, again, everyone!

         As I promised, I'm back to continue my September overview! I was planning on posting this earlier, but, alas, I got sick (like every fall). So, here we are! After returning home from the Amalfi Coast, and by "after", I mean literally two days after, it was time for one of my most anticipated trips of the semester…my week in PARIS. Now, don't get me wrong, I was very excited, but between my lack of sleep and the pressure to pick out outfits up to Parisian standards, I was a little apprehensive, as well. I'm going to be honest, I hadn't heard very good things about the city: it's not as pretty as it's hyped to be, the people are rude, blah blah blah. So, as curious as I was, I didn't want to set my expectations too high. But, let me just say, Paris proved me completely wrong.

         Our trip began with wrangling the hoards of us fashion students through the airports, which is always a fun adventure. And, as is per usual with my life, I was one of the only students to get stuck sitting with random people, and in a middle seat. Now, as I fly to and from school back home, I'm very accustomed to sitting with strange people, so I didn't mind. However, I was trying to use the flight to get some design sketching done for the massive project we had due upon our return, only to discover that the chick next to me really liked to watch me draw. Like, she was in no way subtle about it. And it made me uncomfortable. But I survived.

        Upon our arrival in Paris, we checked into our super awesome hostel, which I would totally recommend to any young traveler on a budget (St. Christopher's…I'm pretty sure they are a sort of chain around Europe, but this one was killer). It was staffed by a young, hip, largely British crowd with a really chill taste in music and interior decoration. And, there's a bar and restaurant downstairs, at which I ate multiple delicious falafel wraps. Once we all checked in, a group of us booked it to see the Eiffel Tower light up. This involved my first experience on a metro, which I would get VERY used to throughout the week. I felt like a new, exciting, easily-navigatable, and sometimes sketchy world had been opened up to me, and it was awesome. Once we got to the Eiffel tower and I saw it light up in person, I cried a little bit. Not like full sobs, but a tear or two in my eyes. It was unbelievable to actually be standing in front of something you've seen in pictures so many times and only dreamed of seeing. And then I ate a Nutella crepe. 

         The next day, we took a morning boat tour around Paris, and then headed to the Champs Elysee (it sounds so sophisticated in French…because it is) for a taste of the world we all dream of working in, but can in no way afford! We spent the day walking through designer stores; Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, YSL, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Dior. It was overwhelming and awe-inspiring, and I loved every minute of it. Seeing stores that epitomize success in the fashion industry gave me such incentive to keep working hard, and was so inspiring to me. Also inspiring to me was the gold-plated Lamborghini parked outside. The amount of wealth I witnessed that day was unlike anything I've ever seen, and I felt SO unbelievably out of my league. Like, if you want to be humbled, take a nice stroll down that street wearing H&M like I did. The only true success I achieved was eating at this super cute cafe and befriending the Chanel door guy. We then saw an exhibition on vintage 40's and 50's Parisian fashion, which I LOVED. The day came to an end with our nightly Eiffel Tower watching and another crepe (I'm watching my figure).

        This is getting pretty long, so I'm going to try to summarize the next days as best I can! The day after our designer shopping extravaganza, we had the incredible privilege of attending Premiere Vision (that has accent marks on it but I don't know how to do it on my computer). Premiere Vision is the world's largest trade show, to which designers, major and small, from all over the world, send their best people to view and purchase fabric for collections. It was AMAZING. I don't think I've ever touched so much fabric. After, we attended a draping demonstration of the Gres technique (as in Madame Gres…also has an accent that I don't know how to put on) at the Paris American Academy, which was an amazing experience.

          Our final full day consisted of the Centre Pompidou, also known as the Musee National d'Art Moderne, a random tattoo history museum, an absolutely awesome trend forecasting presentation at Trend Union, and…my favorite…THE Louvre. Yes, I saw the Mona Lisa, and yes, I took multiple selflies with her. My brain took in so much awesome art that day that I went into Art Nerd Overdrive, and it was great. We ended the day with a sentimental last trip to the Eiffel at night, and popped some champagne in celebration of a great trip. The next day we spent doing some final shopping and wandering before catching the depressing flight back home.

        Overall, this trip to Paris was one of the most memorable and meaningful trips I've taken these past two months. The opportunities we received to learn while there were unbelievable, and I'm so thankful to the school and faculty for allowing us do so. I also learned my first lesson about letting go of preconceived notions of people and cultures while abroad. I came to Paris expecting, rude, stuck up people, but was received with nothing but kindness and the utmost politeness. For me, it really drove home the point that if you make an effort to connect with a person's culture, they will receive you so much better, which is a lesson we learn so much over here. I speak horrible French, and probably butchered everything I attempted to say, but experienced no rudeness in return. Don't get me wrong, there are probably lots of rude people in Paris; there are rude people everywhere. However, I personally think that the people that give Parisians that reputation are the ones making no effort to understand them. I absolutely fell in love with everything about the city: the people, the architecture, the hustle and bustle. I was very sad to leave, but, as one of my professors said casually, "You're working in fashion, this won't be your only time in Paris". I hope more than anything that's true, and I can't wait to return! xoxo

          

Amalfi Coast

Hey, again!

      I thought I would start out my summary of my September adventures with the first trip I took, which was a fantastic tour of the Amalfi Coast! This trip was, by far, the most beautiful experience I've had since being in Europe. It was absolutely breathtaking. While words can't do it any type of justice, I'll do my best!

      The trip began with a 6-hour bus ride on Thursday, September 11th, out of Florence to our hostel in Sorrento. Even though it was nighttime while were driving, seeing the mountains lit up by the little towns on the side was super cool. When we arrived in Sorrento, you could see the entire side of the mountain lit up, reflecting out over the sea. It was then that I realized I wasn't in Florence anymore! We arrived at our hostel and checked in; it was a cute outdoorsy place with separate little cabins. We got some sleep there and prepared for the next day!

      In the morning, we took an absolutely stunning bus ride to Positano, perhaps THE poster child for the Amalfi coast. If you're wondering if you've seen it, Google it and I guarantee you'll have seen at least one girl you know share something related to it on social media (for us ladies, it's all over Pinterest). There we spent the day relaxing on the beach, swimming in the Mediterranean, and taking boat rides in the sun. The only down side of my day was mastering the art of running out of the sea before the waves hit the beach, an art that took me a hot minute to figure out. The beaches where made of small rocks, which are sometimes hard to get your balance on in the wavy water. One instance involved me stumbling in knee-deep water just in time for a massive wave to literally flatten me across the rocks. If it hadn't happened to numerous other people already, I would've been embarrassed, but I just owned it and crawled the rest of the way up. I also had a brief case of seasickness on the choppy boat trip, but kept it together and enjoyed the stunning views around me. Then, I ate Pringles and thanked God that the ground beneath me wasn't moving.

     We finished out the first day with the bus trip back to Sorrento, where we showered the salt off our skin (there was literally salt all up in our arm hair) and rallied for a night on the town. On a brief side note, I now know why there are virtually no overweight Italians on the Amalfi Coast…I think I climbed  around 700,000 stairs throughout the course of the weekend. The villages are actually built into the sides of the cliffs. So, if I had any guilt about anything I ate, I sweated it out in matter of the 30 minute walk back to the bus. But no amount of sun-and-stair-related-tiredness could keep us from enjoying our night out in the precious seaside town of Sorrento. We went as a group to an all-you-can-eat dinner for 20 euro at this awesome restaurant overlooking the coast. Let me just say, when Italians tell you "all you can eat", do not question that they mean it (this includes wine). Our meal included salad, bread, pasta, and pizza. The minute we finished one plate of pasta, they brought out another…and another…and another…and then 5 pizzas, and then another bottle of wine. By 11 o'clock, we had gained two pants sizes and were decently tipsy, and happily headed out to a local bar for awhile before crawling into bed.

Here are pics from the day Positano: 

      The next day, it was off to Capri, the birthplace of Capri pants and Capri Sun juice pouches. I stuffed my pasta-bloated body into my high-waisted swimsuit (a lifesaver) and boarded the ferry to the island. Arriving in the harbor was absolutely stunning, and I was instantly ready for another day in the sun. The guides offered the option between some beach time and a boat ride or a hike around the island, so naturally we all opted for the beach time. After exploring for a little and trying to find some sunscreen, we hopped back on two nice boats they had for us. We spent the day circling the island,  stopping to jump in the sea, and even a quick snorkel! I was in absolute heaven. I remember looking around and having one of those moments where you can't believe that what you're looking at is real because it's so beautiful and perfect. I am so thankful to have had those experiences. I finished out the afternoon by getting off the boat and heading to the beach, laying out my towel and just napping in the Mediterranean sun for a few hours before we headed back to Sorrento. That evening, a lot of us were so tired that we stayed in and went to bed early, but not before going to the BEST kabob stand EVER. Here's the link to the website, literally just go gaze at the pics and envision my experience: http://www.kebabsorrento.com/gallery/ . Here are some pics from my day in Capri:

       Our final day was one of my favs, being a huge history nerd. Behold, we went to Pompeii!! We boarded a train there with lots of old British people who were equally excited as I was, which made me question my idea of fun a little…but hey, it's POMPEII, guys. We spent the day touring the site, which was mind boggling and awesome. To be in something that old and historically relevant was unbelievably cool, and if you ever have the chance to see it, I would 100% recommend it. We saw everything from residential houses, the forum, bath houses, to casts of people frozen in time exactly how they died in the eruption. I bought a cute little mini urn from a street vendor, ate a sandwich and lemon ice, and caught the train back, where I happened to sit by another girl from Minnesota. She talked my ear off about the Gopher hockey team, so our friendship was short-lived (hometown pride, sorry, sister). Once I arrived back in Sorrento, it was time for all of us to pick our backpacks up from the hostel and return to Florence, with awesome tans. It was a fabulous way to start out the month, and was for sure a trip I will remember as long as I live! Here are some pictures from Pompeii to wrap up the post!

September Overview

Hello, everyone!

         I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've written! September was an absolutely INSANE month for me; I barely had time to sleep, let alone keep up-to-date with social media! Between traveling every single weekend and working on a major project for my studio class (yes, contrary to popular belief, I do still attend school), I felt like I unpacked and repacked every three days. I eventually just began leaving things in my suitcase! However, as October starts, I have three weeks to recollect myself before I leave for a study tour in London! So, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to update everyone on what I've been up to! I'll break it down into separate posts about my major trips: the Amalfi Coast,  Paris, Munich, and Milan! Feel free to read none of them, a few, or all of them if you are interested! They were all absolutely amazing experiences, and I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoy writing about them!

Thanks guys!
xoxo