Top o' the morning, to ye



Green and Guinness....definitely describe Ireland well! Well, there actually is more to Ireland than just green and Guinness, like beautiful Blarney's Castle in Cork:

...and the English Market:

...well, Guinness is actually a pretty big deal:

We did plenty of other fun things. Tried soda bread, shepherd's pie, and had a lot of salmon (never got around to an Irish breakfast or black pudding, though), got served free icewater at restaurants, and met some awesome Irish people. One of my favorite weekends in Europe yet.

It was a great weekend in Ireland and a fun few days back in Florence, Tomorrow I'm off to London!

ciao, belle

xo

Italian Fashion Post #2

Time to talk about accessories!

Accessories can really dress up an outfit. Whether it's a necklace, a scarf, or the perfect pair of shoes, the accessories can define an outfit, make or break an outfit, and take a plain and boring outfit into something much more interesting.

Sunglasses, scarves, and belts are what I've been seeing the most in Italy lately.

The most common pair of sunglasses I've been seeing around Italy are the Ray-Ban aviators with the gold frames and black lenses. I like the mystery these shades add to an emsemble:

The summer scarf is another accessory that's been all over Italy. Even on the most scorching summer days, I'll find at least a couple women wearing the prettiest summer scarves. Lightweight and colorful, these have the power to totally transform an outfit.

This one from Topshop is similar to the scarves I've been seeing around:

Classic belts are another staple that the women wear with anything and everything that you can belt. Since Italy is known for its fine leather goods, brown leather belts are everywhere - especially Gucci and Hermes ones. Get a similar look with this belt without breaking the bank:

This is making me want to go shopping...

xo

PS- Ireland post coming soon

The Weekly Ten

1. Europe. Enough said.
2. Pensione lunches four days a week - always looking forward to pasta and chicken after class.
3. Castles - real, traditional castles with watch towers and a dungeon and a big dining room. Yes, I'm talking about the Blarney Castle in Cork, Ireland!
4. Saw an American tabloid - apparently Taylor Swift is dating the blonde kid from Glee? Cute!
5. Still haven't found pure, Nutella gelato. I had the best Nutella gelato in Rome, and I haven't found one without coffee/yougurt/mousse/etc mixed in since then. I'm gonna go nuts! It was that good and I need to find some before I leave.
6. Free water, wine, bread, Limoncello, and hats at the restaurant we went to for dinner tonight.
7. So You Think You Can Dance withdrawals. I know the season started and I cannot wait to watch it when I get back! A friend at GIF is friends with this awesome dancer who made it to Vegas for the show...dancers: if you haven't watched her audition already, you need to do so now.
8. I miss dance! Can't wait to get back into the swing of things. Finally stretched today after a run and it was so refreshing.
9. Anyone else watch the season finale of Gossip Girl? I was able to watch it here and...the whole Chuck/Blair/prince thing...what do you think about that situation?!
10. So excited for London this weekend...and to go to the real Topshop!

Adventures In...Italy: Part 3 - Florentine Weekend

Well, I am not of fan of Pisa. Didn't see the Leaning Tower, don't care to see the Leaning Tower. Because the Pisa airport found an "ancient not exploded world war II bomb" and cancelled my flight to Barcelona at the last minute. The one place I wanted to go other than Italy was Spain...four of us got left behind when 15 of our other friends made it there from the Milan airport.

I never want to go to Pisa again.

Yes, I realize that it is not Pisa's fault, just the situation happened there, but still. I'll be the first one to admit that I'm stubborn.

However, I did get to actually experience Florence for the weekend, which was nice. We walked around near the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio and also went to the Gelato Festival. Avocado gelato? Red wine gelato? Coffee and Nutella gelato? Sushi and rice gelato? Yep, it was all there.

The next day we took a day trip to Siena. It was beautiful. We went up to the Panorama and had a gorgeous view of the whole city (see the photo at the top). I definitely recommend going to Siena.

This weekend, since Barcelona sadly didn't happen, I decided last minute to go to Ireland for the weekend! Going to Cork, Limerick, and Dublin. All I know about Ireland is greenery and Guinness. Which will make it all the more exciting to visit. We're flying out of Milan (yay), and flying back into Pisa (how ironic....)

Here's to another great week! Post to come when I get back. Maybe I'll have a picture with a leprechaun. Just kidding. Maybe. Haha.

xo

Adventures In...Italy: Part 2 - Island Edition

Yes, the picture I took above is real. And yes, the water on Elba Island is actually that blue!

Last weekend was so much fun. It was so relaxing, which was much-needed after getting used to jet lag, classes, and being on the go all the time. We stayed in a cute little hotel right on the beach, with lovely views of the Mediterannean.

The little gelato/panini shop you can see in the photo above had some of the best paninis! I've eaten SO many paninis since I've been in Italy. There were 3 gelato shops literally right outside the hotel. I swear, gelato shops are to Italy as Starbucks are to Seattle. (Still haven't seen a Starbucks here by the way...)

We also took a day in Portoferrario which is along the northern coast of the island. It was so beautiful. The water was this gorgeous aqua blue that I thought was only reserved for postcards. It was the best background for all the hustle and bustle of the city. There were more tourists there, and even more gelato. There was this really good smelling Acqua dell'Elba perfume that I almost got because it smelled so clean and island-y.

We also found this awesome restaurant right next to the hotel called Rendez-Vous. We had to get a picture with the owner - he was a boss. I only ate there twice but some went there four times. It was that good. It had great pizza, pasta, salad, and crepes...

...and yummy pina colatas. :)

Overall, it was a great weekend. Until we got stuck at the Piombino train station because of the train strike. Almost had to stay overnight...but we luckily found our way back after an exhausting few hours of running around to different stations and waiting. It's all about the adventure though, right?!

until next time my lovelies,

"a-ciao-bye-bye"

xo