I'm so exhausted that the thought of writing a post about our trip just seems overwhelming right now. I've got to be honest---I need a vacation after our vacation!
Firstly---I want to thank whoever left me the comment to bring a journal and write down my thoughts about our trip each night. I forgot to bring the journal, but I used hotel paper to write my notes at night and I am SO thankful I did that because it really did help me remember specific memories and observations. So thank you to whoever suggested that---I HIGHLY recommend jotting down notes when you travel somewhere. It doesn't have to be a journal entry---mine were all point form notes that were quick and simple.
Where to start? Gosh, there's so much to say, so many pictures to share. I'll have to categorize my posts because there's just too much to pack into one post. I will say this though---we had an amazing time in both Paris and London---but we loved London just a bit more and wish we would have budgeted more days there. Now we have a great excuse to go back!
I thought it might be helpful to write a post on my packing and what I wish I had brought and what I could have lived without.
Firstly---I want to thank whoever left me the comment to bring a journal and write down my thoughts about our trip each night. I forgot to bring the journal, but I used hotel paper to write my notes at night and I am SO thankful I did that because it really did help me remember specific memories and observations. So thank you to whoever suggested that---I HIGHLY recommend jotting down notes when you travel somewhere. It doesn't have to be a journal entry---mine were all point form notes that were quick and simple.
Where to start? Gosh, there's so much to say, so many pictures to share. I'll have to categorize my posts because there's just too much to pack into one post. I will say this though---we had an amazing time in both Paris and London---but we loved London just a bit more and wish we would have budgeted more days there. Now we have a great excuse to go back!
I thought it might be helpful to write a post on my packing and what I wish I had brought and what I could have lived without.
As you can tell, the Michael Kors jacket that I bought last minute, was an absolutely must-have for the frigid Paris temperatures. Oh, and of course, I always managed to find a Starbucks. It's like a shining beacon of hope in any city. Yep, that's a true Starbucks addict talking right there!
What I'm glad I brought:
- All of my boots---I wore the cognac boots, the Hunter wellies and the UGGS all of the time. I'm thrilled I didn't bring any heels or other shoes because they never would have been worn.
- Black clothes (and lots of them!) I wore black everyday. It was easy and looked chic at night when we went out for dinner.
- Tights--- I can't be more thankful for Lulu Lemon's wunder under tights---I wore them everyday (layered over 2 pairs of cheaper tights) for the entire Paris portion of the trip. I loved that because they are so stretchy and comfy I never felt uncomfortable when we walked ALL DAY long.
- My own soap---I know it sounds silly, but I use Dove sensitive skin bar soap and love it---it doesn't irritate my skin and I'm glad we brought a bar to use on our trip.
- Velcro rollers--- believe it or not ladies, I didn't bring a flat iron, curling iron OR a hairdryer on our trip. I took my chances and was blessed with a glorious hair dryer in my hotel room that was almost as good as the one I have at home (almost). I just did a blowout with my round brush, set my hair in velcro rollers as usual, and voi-la, my hair was pretty decent (uh, except when I wore a hat all day and my hair got massive knots in it).
- My GAP skinny jeans---those were my London staples---wore them everyday we were there.
What I wish I had brought:
- Mousse. I cannot emphasize this enough. Mousse mousse mousse. I didn't pack mousse because I was all "ohhh I won't need it I'll just do a blowout without it." Here's a little secret ladies---it turns out, mousse it a key ingredient to keeping your hair from gettting greasy. Let me explain. I always use mousse before a blowout. It helps to create volume at the root and gives hair a little hold. I only apply it to my roots. So in Paris I didn't use mousse and the next day my hair was already limp and greasy. It was like I had different hair or something. It was odd. Let's just say I bought some mousse at a drugstore the next day. It's a must-have for my hair type.
- Nail polish/remover. I know this sounds awful, but my nails just go so gross on this trip and I wish I could have just repainted them and cut them and stuff. It was okay though because I always wore gloves. Nail polish was super pricey in Paris so I just passed (yep, even the drugstore stuff was like $6.50 euro minimum)
- A hairdryer---our London hotel for some odd reason didn't have a hairdyrer---it was no biggie because I didn't have to wash my hair there (I washed it the night before we traveled there) but I hated not being able to heat my eyelash curler like usual (yes, I know).
What I packed and didn't need at all:
- Dressy clothes---I didn't wear any of my dressy clothes, including the blazer I thought would be a go-to item... I rocked the black Target tunic sweater everywhere---it was chic and worked for both day and night.
I hope that's helpful. Overall I was happy with what I packed and I have to be honest and just admit that I re-wore a lot of my clothes (I layered clean tees and tanks underneath sweaters I wore more often).
I was underwhelmed at the way people dressed in Paris. I think I had it all built up in my mind that it was going to be a fashion show everywhere I looked. When it comes to fashion---the girls in London take the cake. London was like a fashion show everywhere I looked, and it was incredible. More on that in a coming entry.
I'll leave you with some additional pics from our trip:
I was underwhelmed at the way people dressed in Paris. I think I had it all built up in my mind that it was going to be a fashion show everywhere I looked. When it comes to fashion---the girls in London take the cake. London was like a fashion show everywhere I looked, and it was incredible. More on that in a coming entry.
I'll leave you with some additional pics from our trip:
I was always always always bundled up!
The view from our hotel room and our hot pink modern Paris hotel room
(a coincidence, I swear!)
That's all I've got for now...more to come, of course! I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday and that everyone's 2011 is off to an amazing start!
xoxo,
Veronika.
Veronika.