My European Adventure {Part 5}

Our next stop was in Mykonos, Greece. We were weary as we hadn't had a great experience in Athens, but as soon as we joined our tour we fell in love with this beautiful island. The water was gorgeous. Crystal clear water and white sandy beaches lined the island. We went on a tour to a monastery, and looking back on it we wish we would have skipped the tour and just went to the beach instead. But, we were able to do some sightseeing and eat some local food. I tried Ouzo for the first (and last) time. It tasted like licorice and felt like fire going down my throat. We had lamb meatballs and yogurt sauce. It was heavenly.

Super simple outfit. Lane Bryant jeans. Old Navy Cardigan. Fitflops. Super comfy and cute.

Beware of the ouzo.

That night it was smart casual and I wore skinny jeans, a forever 21 tank top, an Old Navy Cardigan, and some TJ Max heels. These are the cutest heels ever. I get tons of compliments and they are actually pretty comfortable.

My European Adventure {Part 4}

On the fourth tour day we ported in Piraeus, Turkey. We then took a tour up to Ephesus. I was looking forward to this tour because I had read about Paul preaching to the Ephesians in Ephesus and I was excited to be able to stand where he stood. What was really cool was that parts of Ephesus are still being excavated so we were able to see them digging up and reconstructing the land there. I tried to maintain a conservative outfit that day as I knew that not only were we going to what I considered a holy area but it was also a muslim country and I didn't want to cause a stir by flashing the girls around (which turned out that I was fussing for nothing because although it is a muslim country, the women are not very conservative).
After our tour they took us to this rug factory, roughly the size of an IKEA, where we were able to see how they take the silk from the worms and hand weave the rugs. These rugs were gorgeous. They looked like they belonged in a palace. They took us to this back room where these workers are whipping out these carpets and spinning them in the air and it was really fun. They served us a turkish treat which is apple tea and it was so good. Then, at the end of the presentation the workers leave and in zooms all of the salesmen. It was as though each salesman was assigned to a family in the room. This guy was trying to sell me this $20,000 rug and I was just like not only do I not have the money to pay for that rug, but even if I did I could never justify paying so much money for something I'm putting my feet on. So we ask where the exit was and we're trying to leave and it's like this huge maze. We're going room to room on the way to the exit and each room is a different shop where salesmen are trying to sell us stuff and we can't find the exit and I was just like, well they drugged us with the apple tea. This is the plot of a scary movie and I am going to die here. It's going to happen. Obviously we made it out all right and it's hilarious now, but at the time I thought that my parents were going to get a call that their daughter was missing in Turkey. Other than the very demanding salesmen, Turkey was awesome. It's such a beautiful country. You are able to bargain while shopping and I love bargaining because my grandma taught me how and I think it's so much fun. The Turkish men are VERY forward and albeit very flattering to me, my aunt was getting upset that her young niece was being approached by older men. Like I said, I thought it was flattering. Creepy, but flattering.

                              Library of Celcius

The top is a lucky thrift store find and the skirt is a maxi I found at Nordstrom's rack and it has POCKETS. WHAT. You guys don't understand how excited I was to find this skirt (and it's black twin  that I also bought).

The theater Paul Preached in.

My European Adventure {Part 3}

Our third part of call was Athens, Greece. We took a great tour in the Acropolis and we were able to see the original Olympic stadium. After the tour we decided to stay in Athens for a bit longer instead of heading right to the ship. From all of the hype that Athens gets it was kind of disappointing. It reminded me of a much dirtier Los Angeles (which is saying something if you've been to L.A.). People were invading our space, trying to force us into buying whatever souvenir they were selling. We decided to head back to the ship right after we had lunch (which was actually quite delicious). But we didn't let it spoil our day. We had an awesome time tanning for a few hours on the pool deck and losing money in the casino on board.(:

Kept it casual for this day. It was quite hot and I knew that there was going to be a lot of walking. I was lucky enough to have this greekesque top and stylish toms.

Lamb kebab. Tzatziki sauce. Pita. Heaven.

My European Adventure {Part 2}

On the third day of our vacation, we said goodbye to Barcelona and joined our ship. We spent that day and the one after at sea and then finally arrived in our first port of call, Villefranche, France located in Cannes. We took a tour through Nice and Eze and just took in the breathtaking beauty of these cities. These towns looked as though they came straight out of a fairytale with their brightly colored buildings and the sea that must have had twenty different shades of blue. And the food. Oh my gosh the crepes. The croissants. The macarons. We ate everything with no guilt whatsoever because considering how hot it was and how much we walked, we earned it. Oh, and we were on vacation.

My amazing Aunt Karen (Nini)

I love how the mismatched colored buildings just look like they belong together. It works.

GAHHH. So beautiful

I was lucky to find this adorable hat that actually fits my head. People in my family are plagued with the curse of looking great in hats, yet having incredibly large heads and rarely finding hats that fit.

This skirt was from Nordstrom's Rack and I love it because not only does it camouflage imperfections, but it's also really light and flowy. The top is from Old Navy. I have a newfound appreciation for the color coral. I love it. This picture was taken at the top of the beautiful city, Eze.

My European Adventure {Part 1}

Recently I got back from the trip of a lifetime. For my high school graduation my wonderful aunt took me on a Mediterranean cruise. I have always had the need to travel, but this trip fiercened my wanderlust and I cannot wait to see more of the world.
Once our first day of travel finally arrived, Nini and I made the trek to the airport with our overly-packed luggage (minimalism is not my strong suit), our jealous family members who would be dropping us off, and our passports in tow. (Can I just take a second to say that I believe that people who take your passport photo make it their life's duty to make you look horrible in that picture?) Roughly fourteen hours later we arrived in our cruise's departure city: Barcelona. Barcelona was absolutely awesome. The city is drenched in culture and history. With it's busy streets and bustling city life it reminded me of a cleaner, classier L.A. We were able to stay two nights in Barcelona prior to our cruise. The day we arrived we slept from two in the afternoon to eleven at night. Jet lag is killer. We spent our only full day touring the city on one of those super touristy double decker buses. They may be incredibly embarrassing, but they are awesome. We would not have been able to see as much as we did if we didn't suck it up and climb on board. We saw architectural masterpieces such as La Sagrada Familia designed by Antonio Gaudi. I was able to use my average Spanish speaking skills to communicate with the locals. That was exhilarating. (I can't wait to further my Spanish speaking capabilities in college.)

La Sagrada Familia

The crop top is from Target and the skirt is from Old Navy. I have recently become obsessed with maxi skirts. I love them. They are crotchless yoga pants and they are amazing. The sandals are fit flops. I swear by these sandals. They are the most comfortable footwear ever. And they come with super cute designs.

THE TILE WORK. Spanish tile work leaves me in awe. So beautiful.

If you have never had churros con chocolate you need to hop on a plane and go to Spain. Or like, make it yourself. It is so good. Like mouthwateringly amazing. The chocolate part is like this thick hot cocoa that is so rich and the churros are so light and crispy. It was beautiful. 

I would go back to Barcelona in a heartbeat. The city is so vibrant. The food is delicious. The views are gorgeous. And the men aren't too shabby either.