5/9/09
We are home!
We (and our luggage) arrived back late last night !
We had intended to blog each night or at least every other night, but after a full day
of explorations, both of us were just too tired!
Our body clock right now is registering 11pm Bulgarian time, so after being up 26 hours with our flight home..we are fighting to stay awake this afternoon!
The last 24 days have been fabulous!
If anyone is leaving soon to Greece, Turkey or Bulgaria and has questions that need to an immediate response..just send us an email..otherwise pictures, stories, tips, etc. etc. will begin appearing in the next couple of days!
Buon Viaggio!
Karen and John
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4/21/09
Greetings from Istanbul!
We arrived on 4/16 and having been going from sunrise to sunset! We had hoped to blog
each day, but our energy is drained by the time we return to the hotel. We absolutely LOVE this city! In 2 days we head to Cappadocia! We will provide a detailed trip report upon our return....
John and I have taken copious notes of our time here for both the land and cruise traveller!!!
We've bargained heavily in the Bazaars, tasted the best in Lokrums and Baklavas.
We've embraced strolling with a simit and had an immersion course on aspects of Islam.
Our eyes have widened and our chins have dropped at the beauty this city has to offer!
Stay tuned for so much more!
Tomorrow we head over to the Asia side of Istanbul..a new continent for us!
Karen
4/11/2009
Hi Everyone!
A couple of months ago I was simultaneously reading a book I received at Christmas called
The One Hundred...A guide to the pieces every stylish woman should own by Nina Garcia
AND the latest Marie Claire magazine..
and there they were!
Nina Garcia has listed them as a must to own and Marie Claire
Instantly, I was transported back to
While I’m not a stylista, I do make it a point as I travel the world, to search out local fashions and stock up! You just never know when you will have a chance to shop authentically again, once you return to the States.
The fashion statement I spotted……
Espadrilles
Some pretty famous people throughout history have worn Espadrilles
Here’s a few you will recognize….
Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy, Catherine Deneuve, Caroline de Monaco, Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, Sophia Loren, Her Majesty Sophia, Queen of Spain.
The individual who was influential in modern day design was Yves Saint Laurent!
He envisioned the wedge heel and that inspired the designs you see from Michael Kors,
Ralph Lauren, and cheap flea market versions.
For my history buffs…the oldest known Espadrille is located in a museum
in
Now, in my quest of finding Espadrilles I searched the web quite a bit…
I wasn’t interested in a designer shoe with inflated prices manufactured far from
Authenticity is what I wanted, shopping at the source is what I call it!
And I found it
I would like to share with you Espadrilles,
A wonderful company! The website is what intrigued me at first,
and then when I sent the owner an email, his response really warmed my heart.
Diego Arnedo is passionate about sharing the history, culture, eco–friendliness and of course the STYLES of his espadrilles !
He was a treasure trove of information, while providing excellent customer service!
and the best part……..
All of the Espadrilles he carries are
He answered all of my questions and gave me directions on placing the order which can be done through Paypal. He is located in
at this time. While I searched for other companies, they were located in
me to buy many pairs of various styles for the same cost as one pair elsewhere and that also includes any that you might find at Macy’s or Nordstrom’s.
Once my transaction took place, I received them within a week!
It was quicker than my last few orders from Bobbi Brown and
both which are located in the
The website is full of wonderful information on the history of Espadrilles, a video
showing how the village Grandma’s create a pair of Espadrilles.
following the traditions that have been handed down to each generation for thousands of years and of course his fabulous collection of Espadrilles in a variety of styles and colors.
Ordering online was quite easy..
Espadrille from
LIBRERIA ESPANOLA
3811
THUY
1138 BERNARD OUEST
SOL DE ESPANA
550 LAKE SHORE
SOULIER
As you know from past blogs, I love supporting small business owners.
For me.... the drive, passion and creativity each small business owner has is inspirational!
So take the time to check out Espadrilles, Spain at your Feet!
Hasta Luego!
Karen
PS…In light of all the Royal Caribbean review issues…I want to remind all our readers
We are not paid to play; we don’t accept advertising, bribes, etc. If we like it and
we think you will like it, then we share it!
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3/17/2009 Here is an interesting video on the opening night of the exhibit!
Happy St. Patricks Day!
We both have Irish in us, our ancestors lived in the next county over from each other in Ireland..a small world indeed! and to celebrate our heritage the last reading at our wedding was the Irish Blessing!
On with the BIG blog for you....
This past weekend John and I went to "the city" also known as San Francisco.
As I mentioned a couple of months ago, we purchased a year membership to our Fine Art Museums...The De Young and The Legion of Honor.
The exhibit at The Legion of Honor we visited was Faberge, Tiffany and Lalique. It was EXQUISITE! I will be blogging more about that in the next couple of days. We then headed over to The DeYoung for the Yves Saint Laurent Exhibition. This is the only showing of this kind in the United States and it will be at the DeYoung until April 5th, 2009. If you are able to visit San Francisco...it is phenomenal. The intricate and beautiful craftsmanship of couture
is amazing. The album below does NOT do the pieces justice. While the medium might not be painting or sculpture, when it is observed up close ..you can see for yourself why it is consider a work of art and incredibly expensive compared to an off the rack item.
If you would like to learn more about this show, you can visit the DeYoung website
The pictures below are not mine.
No photograpy or video was allowed in the exhibit and I was respectful of that.
These were press releases I came across......
The other day when I was venting my annoyance about my car destroyer to my mom, she did what all Moms do and said....Well, at least you aren't THESE PEOPLE and showed me this sad, sad story...
Just the cliff notes for you, since all online newspapers have archived it and I need to pay to access it!
The traveling family parked their car in an airport parking lot, car was broken into, garage door opener was snagged, along with the car registration that had the traveling family's address on it. While Traveling Family was resting and relaxing ..the car burglars had now broken into their home...cleared the house out, found the keys to the Mercedes parked in the garage and took that too!
Okay Mom, mission accomplished..I don't feel so frustrated anymore!
So, just a simple security tip for you...
unplug your garage door opener when you leave on an extended vacation..
whether your car is left in a pay to park arrangement OR in your own driveway
I also wanted to share with you this GREAT website that lists
WORLDWIDE Emergency Service Numbers
For those of you that have wondered what happens when you cross the equator and then our week ended today with our typhoid and tetanus shots being updated!
for the 1st time, I added a few of my pictures from the ceremony, along with my certificate in the Karen's Cruise Corner section of our website! Enjoy!
and my final item for you today is a little laughter..
It's the Southwest Flight Attendant that raps the entire spiel they give..it's quite hilarious..
I'm going to embedd part 1 here and then just follow it for the 4 parts. The last part is the arrival information at their destination. It is worth your time..I promise!
A hui hou!
K.
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3/6/2009
Buenos Noches!
If you are a regular reader, you will notice that I had to archive the blog again!
If you aren't a regular reader ...
Feel free to check out the pages above, as there's still interesting info in each area!
Did you notice the stat counter on homepage?
Last Friday, less than a year since we first created this travel journal we surpassed 20,000 visits!!!!! We never expected this!
Well, it's been a crazy week...
It began with my car being broken into...which has given me inspiration on a upcoming blog for you!
Apparently, my 2000 Honda Civic is a GOLD MINE for parts! Yes that's the door panel
that was removed and STRIPPED..so far over a $1,000 worth of damage..
But no worries we have insurance..we'll be discussing the process at a later date..which all of you should know whether you are at home or even worse on a road trip!
In the Health and Safety section of the journal are links to the various health organizations to help you determine whether or not you will need shots too!
Yes, painful on so many levels...
BUT we do believe in Limoncello as the best kind of medicine!
After all, isn't that what lemons are for?
Just in case you haven't seen our Limoncello page here it is...
I've got quite a few things to share with you...
The 2009 Entertainment Book is now 50% off. This is such a great item to invest in to help with your budget ~ whether you're in your local area or if you plan any domestic trips this year ~this includes Hawaii too!
Do you know what Australia, Argentina, The Netherlands, Canada, France and the USA all have in common?
It's the Global Greeter Network.
A fantastic organization....where locals give freely of their time to show you around their city!
To find a particpating city, you can go to the destination area of their website!
John reminded me that I haven't done a weekend adventure in awhile...
So, I thought I would share with you our pictures from when we visited the
San Jose Fire Department's History display that they have painstakingly preserved!
If you would like to find out more about the San Jose Fire Museum, the link will provide you with all sorts of fascinating information!
The album below is dedicated to our favorite nephew Evan!
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Ciao for now! K.
