St. Tropez baby!
Next stop: South of France.
When Diego and I got into Nice we took a bus to our first stop Cannes and stayed at Le Florian. We went to dinner at Le Festival overlooking the ocean and had the most succulent and delicious prawns and oysters you could imagine. My French love affair with food was official. But of course for those prices I wouldn’t expect less!
The next day we woke up bright and early to enjoy our day in Cannes. Not… we slept in and got to the beach at 2:30pm. Since it was so late the beach boy gave us a 140 euro bed for 25 euros each! We sipped on cocktails and worked on our Sud de France tan.
Later we went for an evening jog and then to dinner at Baoli, an absolutely $tunning restaurant that turns into a club at night (which we of course went to, under the influence of some definitely not-so-cheap champagne!).
Welcome to St. Tropez!!!!
AKA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2FRFhS7QY
A video of us admiring yachts in St. Tropez: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8paGJ9Afm1w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
The next day we woke up early to catch a yacht, but even though we called ahead to make a reservation the bitchy lady wouldn’t let us get on the waitlist so we had to take a private jet instead (jk, in my dreams). After an intense argument she told Diego “S’il vous plait fuck off,” so we walked for twenty minutes in the midday heat with his and my 5 month study abroad luggage and “Mary Poppins” bag (Diego has dubbed it that name because I somehow fit everything and anything in there… it’s also a pain in the ass to carry around) that Diego wants to burn in the fire because he, being a gentleman, has had to/offered to carry around everywhere. What would I do without him? We FINALLY took a train to St. Raphael, and then a bus to Les Issambres, where we were staying at a Bed and Breakfast for the next two nights. Diego had a book that listed colorful and complete descriptions of thousands of Bed and Breakfast places in France. I thought that book would be our bible, but decided otherwise when the place we booked for St. tropez turned out to be in town 30 km away from Les Issambres. Which meant that when we wanted to go clubbing we couldn’t catch a boat back home in time because the last one left at 11:45pm, aaannnddd clubs don’t even open till midnight. But I’ll get to that issue later.
We ended up having to take a 20-minute boat ride to and from St. Tropez, which was fine by me because the ride was absolutely gorgeous! Although it was a bummer when we found some pretty and available hotels on site in St. Tropez.
The first day in St Tropez was gorgeous. We ate at a seaside café called Hysteria, which is next to V.I.P. Room, a super hot celeb club in St. Tropez. Then I got a hot new swimsuit at a place called Pan de Sucre (my fav bathing suit shop there!) and went to Makeup For Ever to get some awesome liquid eyeliner in sparkly deep blue and sparkly deep purple (I’ve been wearing them every day). Diego got some for his lil sis too. He also got nice swimsuits from the hot brands Villebriquan and Sundeck. I have to admit, he’s a good straight shopping buddy and gives great advice. Again, how lucky am I? Whilst exploring the quite small and now familiar town of St. Tropez, we found a cool plaza and each had a whole pizza at an AMAZING pizza place (I was really in a pizza mood). The cheese was incredible. Basically, every bite of food in France is an orgasm in your mouth. Then we walked, bellies full, back to the boat and zipped off back to Les Issambres. The boat was going full speed, and because Diego insisted we sit outside in the back of the boat, I was cold as fuck the whole journey home. And then, after I survived the boat race home we had to trudge up the curvy mountain road to get back to our lovely little abode at the end of the street. But I didn’t mind walking- I wanted to burn off those pizza calories!
On our second day, Diego and I decide to wake up early to make the most of our last day there, but I was the only one who succeeded. Diego kept waking me up during the night because he apparently heard animal noises and some other crazy things. Uh huh… But even though I didn’t get much sleep I woke up bright and early to get my gratis delicious breakfast upstairs and enjoy the morning. The view from the Villa Tricoli Bed and Breakfast dining room is splendid. Sitting atop a hill, it overlooks the dense mash of green foliage among beautiful French vacation villas and the sparkling glimmer of the famous Meditteranean Sea. In fact, I kinda felt like I was in Malibu on a clear day with sunny skies and a refreshing breeze, except for oh you know the fact that I was in the South of France. I drank my tea and had a healthy breakfast then went downstairs to bring some food to a still sleeping-like-a-baby Diego. But by the time I whipped his tired ass out of bed, the noon boat to St. Tropez had left so we chilled around the kinda boring but pretty town of Issambres while we waited for the next boat. Upon arrival, I marched straight to Pan de Sucre to get another sexy bikini. I couldn’t help myself; it was time I got new ones because I had too many photos with my old ones, which I still love, and hey, I’m in St. Tropez, b**ch! I only buy clothes if they’re a rating of “10” and I loved these bikinis. Plus, Diego gave a big nod of approval. Done deal.
Then we went to Nikki Beach. Awwww yeeeaahh. This place was awesome and although it wasn’t too crowded because it’s not high season anymore, everywhere you looked you still saw an abundance of beautiful people. I was in model central. Come to think of it, most of the people in St. Tropez were really good-looking. And rich. With yachts. And money. And more yachts. And although this place is filled with rich bitches, I actually like it more than Cannes (which is very snobby) because the buildings and atmosphere of St. Tropez have a more historical and quaint but classy feel. You know when you feel comfortable and just have a good gut feeling about a person or place? Well, I just loved it here (and I’m not a rich bitch…). Anyway, at Nikki Beach we ordered some Beef Carpaccio and sushi and managed to forgo our pool boy’s insistence that we buy a 140 euro mug of cocktail to share. Yeah, no thanks, I’m satisfied with my “cheap” glass of Sex on the Beach, sir. Then we made friends with a group of friends: two guys named Michael and Tom and three girls named Jordanne, Camilla, and Amy from the island of Malta.
All of them had studied abroad in England and have British accents. The girls recognized Diego from 90210 and Pretty Little Liars and introduced themselves. They were cool and we decided to go for drinks then clubbing later on that night. Diego and I left Nikki Beach and went for pizza again. I just wanted a salad but Diego persuaded me to get another pizza so I’d have a lot of energy for the rest of the night.
We lost track of time and missed our boat back to Les Issambres that we were supposed to take in order to shower and get ready, therefore eating that whole pizza made me feel like a blob because we didn’t go clubbing after all. But we made the most of our situation and went for drinks with our Maltese friends anyway. But, because Diego was in swim shorts (I had a nicer outfit on over my bikini), the fancy shmancy restaurant kicked him out mid-cocktail. Lol. So we searched some clothing shops next door to see if he could buy some pants to wear out and he was thisclose to buying some girl capris that maybe could have doubled as guy capris. Emphasis on the maybe. All the good guy shops around were closed so I almost peed in my pants from laughing so hard when he tried on the girl ones because he was seriously considering buying them. But there was no way in hell that was gonna happen because I wouldn’t be able to take him seriously for the rest of the night if he did so… so we decided on an ultimatum to stay another night in St. Tropez (we’d have to skip going to Monaco, oh well) so that we could experience the V.I.P. Room with our friends the next night. Then we took the next boat back and made the long trek home to prepare for the next day.
I ate breakfast by my solemn self again the next morning because my sleepy friend couldn’t get out of bed, but thank god we made it out of there by checkout and made the noon boat to my new favorite city. But to be fair, I’m not a morning person either… I just wanted the free breakfast and to get up n’ at’em. We met our friends for lunch at Hysteria once we got to St. Tropez. By the way, it is kinda true what they say about the French being rude. I didn’t really find it that way in Paris (maybe because they are so used to tourists?), but there were some rude waiters in the South of France. Whatever. Diego used his charm on them and it wasn’t too bad. He is the perfect travel partner; fun, cool, and a gentleman complete with charm and wit. Then we went to a private beach called Manoa (yay- our Maltese friends had a car so we didn’t have to taxi it there) and we spent the whole day laying out and catching up on our Vitamin D. I couldn’t say I’d been to the South of France and left without a tan, so I was happy when I saw some bronzed results. Also, we were next to a naked beach, so I felt like I was back at Black’s Beach in home sweet San Diego. But I decided to fantasize and focus on my eighth Sookie Stackhouse novel instead, which I finished by sunset. Love love love!
And I saw a BIG black dick! AND LOOOOOOOVED it yummm yuuuummmm… (Diego wrote that…)
Because we were staying with our Maltese friends that night, we all got ready for the night at their hotel rooms. We went for dinner at a nice restaurant called L’Octave in a not too crowded corner of one of the plazas. Between the seven of us, we ate in true St. Tropez style and dropped a significant couple hundred bucks on drinks and food, and the owner even brought us magnum bottle of Sex on the Beach. Several shots later, we all proceeded to the dance floor and Diego took over the live entertainment’s podium and belted some classics like Hey Jude and Superstition. He was amazing and everyone’s jaw dropped when he started to sing. But I was his biggest fan!
Then, it was party time. We finally made it to V.I.P. Room at about 1am; the night was young. The club wasn’t that big but it was sick. The DJ was epic and lights brought me back to some good times that I’ve had at EDC etc. ;) But really, the DJ was jammin’ and I loved his mixes and tunes because like awesome music should, I felt all throughout my body and proceeded to break it down on the dance floor. There was a big turntable surrounding his set and I was up there in awe of him (he was cute too!) while dancing the night away. We stayed till about 5am. My feet were numb from dancing in heels and Diego was bummed that the young blonde French girl (his weakness) he was talking to all night was getting married next week; we were both looking forward to passing out in bed. Which we did when we got back, but not comfortably because we both had to manage to fit in one uncomfortable twin cot. We woke up with stiff backs but ya do what you gotta do.
The next day, we parted ways with our Maltese amis and were on our way to Gorges du Verdon. We only had a vague idea of how to get there, but by miracle we managed to get every bus one after the other right on time to get where we needed to be. We ended up in a village called Aups, where I thought the owner of the Bed and Breakfast we were going to stay in would pick us up. But because of the language barrier (I know enough French to get by but miscommunication still happens), our instructions were wrong and we ended up settling in Aups for the night. To tell you the truth I didn’t mind and neither did Diego because we were so exhausted and appreciated the calm serenity of this town in the French countryside. He reminded me this was the adventure I wanted. We had started out this trip with loose plans to not be afraid to stay in an area for a little longer if we wanted to (and we did in Paris and St. Tropez), and to be open for adventure. We didn’t even book hotel rooms till the day before or of (we were lucky with that too). So I was satisfied we accomplished just that! We went the Le Provencal restaurant downstairs, which was the best in town. Diego went up to a woman to ask for a table, but she ended up being a regular woman and not a hostess… oops. But it was fate because she was Canadian and spoke English and we began talking. Her British husband then came over and we all started talking. Because neither Diego nor I are 21 (but I was going to be in ONE week) we could not rent a car and drive through the South of France, and we heard that it would be almost impossible to tour the Gourges du Verdon without a car. So I tactfully explained this to the woman, who then told her husband our predicament, and then they offered to give us a tour of the Gorges!! This was their vacation/semi-permanent home and they were glad to share it with us. We decided to meet at 11am.
We ordered escargot for appetizers and the most delicious canard (duck) ever. Ever since I had Francoise’s delectable chocolate mousse during shabat, I have not only been obsessed with anything culinary that is French, but I have also been yearning for chocolate mousse. I used to not like mousse; her’s was that good. That night we met another Francoise, our waitress. She was a sweet older lady that looked like she could be a cool grandma or a sweet older next-door neighbor. She took an affinity to us and we exchanged e-mails and she asked to join her for a café the next morning at 10am. The people in this town are so nice!! We went from having no idea what we got ourselves into, to having a full day’s schedule tomorrow, all within a friendly hour during dinner.
By the time I got sleepy head up we were a little late to meet Francoise, but I caught her at the market and we all sat down for a café. This woman was so freakin’ adorable and sweet.
After a good chat and pictures, Diego and I headed over to the hotel to meet up with Rob and Lynne to start our exciting adventure!
The Gorges du Verdon is breathtaking. We were so appreciative that this couple gave us a tour out of the kindness of their hearts. I mean, can you see those gorgeous blue hues? Dayum! It was foggy as we started our descent into the abyss of the Gorges, but we could still see how fantastic these majestic mountains were. By the late afternoon the sun had burned up the fog and the day was clearer. We treated the couple to lunch overlooking the stunning views and then proceeded to admire the beauty of Gorges. But seriously, have you ever seen water look so magical?:
After our lovely tour, Rob and Lynne brought us to their gem of a cottage in the hills. They spend half their time in this France home and the other half in their orignal home in England. We got so caught up in good company and conversation that we almost missed our train back to Nice! They drove us all the way to the station and Diego and I got on the train within half a second of the doors closing! Like, we couldn’t even hug our new friends goodbye; they literally had to throw our luggage in after us haha. But we talked to them on the phone afterward and got to say our goodbyes then.
It was our last night in France! Our long but successful adventure in France had finally come to end. I was off to study abroad in Barcelona for the next four months, and Diego was off to Paris to see our French family for 3 days and then back to LA. We spent our last night resting up in Nice and reminiscing our journey. What a fantastic and unforgettable time we had had! We lived the life, awww yeaahhh. It’s not easy to spend so many days with someone, yet Diego and I were able to dominate France through thick and thin. Love you, best friend! I cannot wait for our next adventure together… especially now that we are both 21. Let the good times roll baby! You only live once!
mwah, xoxoxoxo
Lara
Video from Prague
I had not heard from Diego in couple days and yet he was supposed to be flying all the way to Paris to meet me?! I could hardly believe it when I heard the knock on my door. But there he was: luggage, tousled plane hair, that smirk I love and all. I was so relieved and happy and excited for our adventure.
I thought he’d want to nap at least a little, but no, he was just as antsy as I was to take France by storm. Our plan was to enjoy Paris for a couple nights then head to our main destination: the South of France. We wanted to rent a car while we were down south so after eating we went on a wild goose chase in search of an AVIS (the first one was closed because of a fire, wtf, and the second was across town). When we finally reached our destination the AVIS employee was incredibly rude and aloof and basically solidified the French stereotype. We ended up talking to another man at the store and when Diego realized this man’s native language was Spanish we were in good hands because Spanish is his first language too. I just listened and bobbed my head. Sorry I’m an American AVIS man, geez. My French doesn’t suck that badly! (I even got an A+ in it one quarter.) Unfortunately, the whole car rental idea fell through because we had to be at least 21 to rent a car. And even though I was turning 21 in a week the mofo wouldn’t let us rent a car! Whatever. We’d just have to use, sigh, public transportation.
Then we went to go meet some girls that Diego met on his flight from Miami to Paris. They recognized him from 90210 and said they could show us around. One girl’s named was Candice and the other Noy. They were so much fun! Leave it to Diego to find the coolest girls in Paris. We went to Charlot, Trochadero, and Crepe at Le Coq. The views of the city and the food we ate were fabulous; I am consistently amazed by this country. They also taught us a couple phrases like “t’es la!” and “tio.”
We all decided to meet up later and Diego and I headed back to the hotel where I worked on my tumblr and Diego ptfo’d and snored like a motherf*****r. We were both so exhausted that we ended up not going out.
The next day we met Candice at her house. We had planned on going to the Orsay Museum but instead Candice and her mom gave us a magnificent tour of Paris where we got to take fantastic photos and become great friends.
Savoring some yummy macaroons
We even ate at Les Deux Maggots, which is famous for former patrons including intellectuals like Jean-Paul Sartre, young writers such as Ernest Hemingway, and even painters like Pablo Picasso. Paris was becoming cooler for me by the minute. It’s always better when you know the locals! Candice and her family were really cool. In the twenty-four hours that I knew her I already knew that she’d be a lifelong friend. That evening we drove just outside Paris and had a shabat dinner with some of her family friends. I had not been to a shabat dinner in forever but always enjoy them. I love Jewish families! And this one was particularly awesome. The mom, Francoise, was a pilates instructor and was full of life, youth, and laughter. Her daughter, Ariella, was a mother of three and breathtakingly beautiful inside and out. The rest of the men were also fun company, but the women made the night! And Diego did too of course. Francoise made the BEST food and we honestly felt SO at home and part of the family. It was as if we had known each other for years and couldn’t keep smiles off our faces. On the way back we stopped off for a 2 am snack at a crepe stand. I was full, but I couldn’t resist; Candice put coconut in hers and it was delicious!
The next day, even with both our blackberry alarms going off, we managed to snooze them a couple times, dismiss them, and sleep in a couple hours. Clearly, Diego and I are bad influences on each other. We finally got up, packed, left hotel, and went to Candice’s to bring our luggage there because they convinced us to stay in Paris another night an offered for us to stay at their place. How sweet! Candice, Noy, Diego, and I went to the Orsay Museum and saw the beautiful impressionist art that it had to offer. When we left and it was raining so we had some photo fun while waiting FOREVER for a taxi. Later we did a little more exploring and went to Carrette café, Victor Hugo’s house, then Candice’s brother Greg picked us up and we went to the most amazing Italian restaurant I have been to. It was called Pizza Positano and it might have been the most amazing food I have ever consumed. And you’d only know this place if you were a local! But surriouslyyy BEST food EVER.
After, we walked around and had some photo fun by a fountain. :)
Then we went back to Candice’s, tummies delightfully full, and got ready to go out clubbing. Our song of the trip was Cinema by Benny Bennassi (http://youtu.be/u-KqDVNowKU); I was obsessed with that song months ago, and still love listening to it, but with everyone singing it I finally needed a break from it! Haha. We went to the hippest club in town called Bagatelle. It was fun, classy, and exclusive but of course we got in. We had a blast but also effed up our shoes (don’t ask) and I wished they played more dance/house (or even EuroPop) music (although I took advantage of what I had to work with and went up on stage with Noy).
We went to a kickback afterward and Diego and I experienced some proper French kisses from some Parisiennes that night. ;) Needless to say, we got back super late and all four of us had a sleepover in Candice’s bed. Poor Diego had to put up with us girls and slept across the bottom of the bed, but poor me had no leg room. We recalled all our good times and then drifted off into sleep.
Naturally, we overslept our alarms again (can you say hangover?) and Diego and I missed our expen$ive first-class trains to Nice so we had to book last minute flights (which we should have booked in the first place because they turned out to be cheaper than the train). Oh well, when in Europe- you do what you gotta do. Candice and Greg drove us to the airport. Her charming brother even went into the airport with us and sweet-talked some ladies who worked there into getting us through security lines faster. Then we reluctantly said goodbye to our beloved French family. We knew we would see them again. Diego decided to come back for a couple days after I flew to Spain and Candice flew to LA to visit Diego soon after. I am planning on going back to Paris in the beginning of December to see her.
We were so lucky to have met Candice and her family and friends. Meeting locals that become lifelong friends is what most travelers hope to accomplish and we met the best of the best. I already have a love affair with the language, but now I truly love France and all it has to offer!
Then off we were to the playground of the gods: the South of France. How would it compare to our amazing Paris experience?!
you know you love me,
Larita xoxo
I’ve been bad and have had these Paris posts in my drafts since August and was too busy/lazy to finish them! Needless to say, of course you can expect me to reveal that Paris is beautiful and amazing and tres chic, comme moi. C’est parfait. ;)
This was the last stop with my family! We had been so on the go that I was basically on autotune and just going along with the flow. Rush around the most amazing cities in the world in 2 days each? Ok. Wake up at 6am? Fine, even though no sleep doesn’t agree with my eyes or temper. After leaving Amsterdam at the crack of dawn (story of my life the past couple weeks) we arrived in Paris. We started roam the city as soon as we got there. We started out on the Seine River, and explored little alleys and arrondisements. The city is so expansive! I’d be a little lost girl without a map because there are 20 arrondisements in Paris, which are basically mini districts, each with their own city hall. Paris is divided in halves between the Rive Gauche and Rive Droite (the left and right sides of the Seine river). The left side is generally regarded as more hip and artsy because it is where dozens of members of the artistic community like Picasso, Henri Matisse, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemmingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald spent their time painting, writing, philosophizing etc. (Which reminds me, if you haven’t seen the movie Midnight in Paris, go see it! It’s a fantastic movie by Woody Allen.) The right side is home to the famous Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomph, and Tour Eiffel. It is also the more residential side. Imagine going for a nice morning jog and passing by the Eiffel Tower on the way home. Yeah… I did that.
The architecture in Paris is stunning (of course, it’s Europe). I like that everything is in walking distance. I love how in most places in Europe you don’t need a car; LA is sooo spread out that it is impossible to get anywhere without one. Around sunset, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower.
My brothers and I raced up to the first, then second level, much to my mother, who doesn’t like heights at all’s, dismay. It was the best workout that I had had in days, actually weeks because I hadn’t had time/had been too lazy to take the time and run. The fact that France has the best food ever also didn’t help my situation. Oh well. We ate dinner for a good hour or so on the second level (the middle) of the Tour Eiffel at sunset and it was such a breathtaking view! Dining with my loved ones whilst overlooking the stunning city of Paris is a moment I will never forget. The image will stay in my memory like an antique panoramic picture of Paris, complete with dazzling lights and a sunset that burns through the photo and makes you feel as if you were there. As some rain began to mist down from the clouds, and my mother and I sipped our wine and my brothers drank their beers, it finally dawned on me that these two days would be the last time I’d see them in a couple months. No doubt about it, I was I was excited for Barcelona, but it was weird how in the next 48 hours they would be jetting back to the US without me. But it’s ok, Diego was coming to save me from lonely misery in Paris (as if that were possible in Paris).
The next day we strolled through Paris parks, famous streets, and the Notre Dame to get to the Louvre. But we only went in and out to see main things like the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo sculptures. I could have willingly spent hours in there letting my imagination and rudimentary art history education run away with me; I love art in all its fine beauty! I forced my family to let me spend a little more time exploring even though Max wanted to leave and my mom wanted to see the rest of Paris. Ryan was down with my cause. Imagine that, your daughter begging you to let her have more time in the Louvre. If I’m not a perfect angel, I don’t know who is. And for the record, everyone told me that the Mona Lisa was tiny and that there was high security around it and hour long lines to see it. So when I went to go find it I half expected a conglomeration of fanatic tourists and families, caution tape, lasers, bulletproof glass, la policia, the works. But, alas, I was able to walk easily right up to the famous painting (which, to clarify, is a pretty fair sized portrait) through a manageable crowd and snap some photos.
After the Louvre we took a cab around town to see places like the Sacre Cour church and ended at my favorite area in Paris, Montmartre, which is in arrondisement 18 in the Rive Droite. We wandered around the artsy and fun town (where many of Paris’ young adults live) and my mom found a sweet little French restaurant to have dinner at and order escargots at so that we could feel like true Parisiennes.
Then we did some more exploring and ended up in a plaza with dozens of artists and my brothers and I got oil paintings done of ourselves! People kept crowding around mine and giving me a thumbs up, so I felt pretty popular and was making my best Zoolander face. (Jk, I tried to look like a delicate and pretty princess). Mine and Max’s turned out great! But Ryan’s… lolol, let’s just say that he wasn’t too happy when his artist “messed up” his manly jaw line and made him look like a 14 year old. After that, we saw the Moulin Rouge, took a cab around town to the Arc de Triomphe, and then finally went back to the hotel.
My bros and I made the most of our last night by bonding, and we all stayed up late even though they had a 5am wake up call. Max was as hilarious as ever. His faces and witty comments (even if they are sometimes puns at moi), crack me up to the point where my stomach hurts. I guess being with him is a pretty great ab workout. He’s witty as hell. I love both my bros so much, even if they are ruthless and attack me with tickle fights and crude humor. I was nostalgic already.
My family departed for their long journey home after a 5am wake up call. I was so tired that I all could do was accept the fact that they were leaving me in Paris all alone, oh la la. They had to go back early because Max started school the NEXT day. Ew. Sorry Max, you had to leave Europe, take a 10-hour flight back to the US, then go to school? Ha ha, sucka! Jk, at least the time difference made you want to wake up nice and early!
Then I had two days by myself, where I relaxed, did laundry, read my Sookie books, and basically lived the life of a Parisienne. I COULD NOT WAIT FOR DIEGO TO ARRIVE!!!!!
Bisous,
Lara
Prague is hands down the most beautiful city I have ever been to in my entire globe-trotting life. And thanks again mom, for finding an absolute gem of a hotel! We stayed in the Aria Hotel, which was cool because very room is themed to a different type of music. Thank god, I mean sadly, my sweet brothers had to have a separate lair from my mom and I. But any tension my family was experiencing from no sleep and being together 24/7 dissapated once we stepped into the breathtaking streets of Prague. We forgave our woes, drank some coffee to perk up the tired cranks in us, and couldn’t help but gape at the gorgeous and monumental buildings, bridges, towers, and castles all around us.
So touristy
Every single building in the city of Prague is beautiful, and the colors around the city give it a regal feel. It was raining when we got there, but not wanting to waste time in this beautiful city, we braved the rain and performed our duty as doting tourist. We first made our way over to the Jewish Quarter, which put life into perspective because not only were there thousands of tombstones (that looked ancient), but also there were hundreds of thousands of names neatly painted in cursive on the inside of the temple of people from that area who died in the Holocaust.
My mature brothers paying their respects
As we parted from the Jewish Quarter, so did the rain from the sky and we were able to experience a stunning sunny Prague. Even though we just left England, we then managed to find the only pub in Prague and had lunch there. Unfortunately for the hotel umbrellas we borrowed, my brothers decided to put them to good use as swords and they didn’t survive the journey home. I’m sure they’ll show up eventually at the end the river and/or in random trees.
We ate dinner by the expansive Prague river at sunset, an unforgettable and breathtaking view!!
After dinner we explored the streets of Prague and found a precious bookstore. Although this shop didn’t look big, it, as if by magic, had literally had every book I asked or looked for. It even had my Sookie Stackhouse novels! I bought Game of Thrones, even though I have already watched the entire season on HBO. I’ve heard the book is amazing and hey, I love a good book!
The next day we had déjà-vu and hired a driver to take us to the Czech countryside. Not only was this driver was hot, but also he a Mercedes (then again so does every other taxi driver and their mother in countries close to Germany). My mom told him he could stay with us if he ever came to California, and I did not protest one bit. He took us to some extraordinary caves (some people used to make counterfeit money in parts of it!) and we went on a guided tour. Of course, in the caves, we were in a group of Czech people and the guide only knew Czech so my mom played British narrator with the information pamphlet she was given. My brothers decided it would be more entertaining to act like cavemen and terrorize me at every chance they got. Lucky me.
Then we visited a cute town and the Karlstejn castle in Prague that only men used be allowed in (psshhh).
A VIDEO I took of the cute town: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26Dl2RJOoG4
Then we saw Lake AMERICA:
And finally we went back to my palace:
Apparently I’m too adventurous and curious for my own good, because I got separated from my family (aka I got lost/didn’t want to wait for them) and ended up leaving my castle walls to experience life among the commoners/find my way back to the hotel. I acted as if I knew where I was going so that I didn’t get any uninvited attention, and surprisingly I had no problem finding my way back to the Aria, where I enjoyed some alone time until my family came back and Max chastised me for wandering off. Oops.
Prague is known for its music and theater, so naturally we were dragged to a play. It was called Aspects of Alice (pertaining to Alice in Wonderland), was in a black light theater, and was very intriguing! It was not a literal transcription for the stage, but it took up the story where Alice ceases to be a little girl anymore and experiences the wonderful moments of growing up: first love, an awakening adulthood and awareness of life, laughter and tears, joy and sadness. And all this against the background of Old Prague, its architectural jewels and its rich historical associations, but also Prague as the crossroads of Christian and Jewish culture. Because it was in a black light theater the colors were awesome, and I thought the play represented Alice on an acid trip or something (there were even clowns, people were suspended in the air doing twirls, nudity, and fantasies of Alice with a handsome young man, etc), but when the play was finished I realized that it had a much, much deeper meaning pertaining to Jews and Christians. Alice was a young innocent Jewish girl and the young Arian man she fell in love with was a Christian, and their love could never be because the blending of their different backgrounds was a recipe for disaster during their time. This play was the perfect end to my Prague experience because it opened my eyes to the real history that this city holds. I highly recommend it if you ever go there.
Prochain arrêt, Paris!!!
xoxo L
Amsterdaayyummm!! Is pretty freakin’ cool. We finally moved on to the hotel part of our trip, and oh boy was Hotel Pulitzer all I could have dreamed of and more. I I thought my mom said it was an old whore house (anything’s possible in Amsterdam), but lamely it turned out to be an old ore house right by the river that runs through the city. It’s probably better that way anyway. But seriously this room was probably my favorite hotel room I’ve ever stayed in because I liked the rustic feel of it and it had two levels, and to get to the top level you had to take a cool staircase. My bros took the top level (only fair cuz I got the cool top room in Wittering), which was more like a converted attic room. It was pure bliss napping in their heavenly bed while listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops against the window as they descended from the moody sky. And speaking of bliss, the bathroom floors were heated. Why had I not heard of this brilliant invention before Craig’s cottage plans?! My mom used to heat up towels for us in the dryer for after we got out of the shower (“toasties”), but this just takes after-shower comfort to another level. I vant and I vill get when I’m rich and famous vone day.
Walking around Amsterdam was kind of like meandering through a deserted Disneyland. It wasn’t very crowded (probably a good thing, but it still felt weird) but every building and tree was charming and perfectly placed to create that essential European vibe that people seek and appreciate.
At night it took us an hour of trotting around Amsterdam to find the restaurant Cau that our hotel recommended, much to my mother’s dismay. At this point we were free from having to be on our best behavior in front of family and friends, so the claws came out when we were frustrated. Wanting to avoid the Wrath of the Mother, Ryan and I escaped to find the best medicine that Amsterdam had to offer while she and Max ate some appetizers at the restaurant. We said we’d be back in 15 minutes… it turned out to be more, and we came back as smug and thankful toward the gods of Amsterdam as possible. As if I haven’t been in enough food comas, that night anything was possible. ;)
After a delicious dinner (that Ryan not so smoothly scarfed down; I tried to be less obvious), we ventured down to the Red Light District to see stripppassss!! I tried to sneak a picture of one prostitute but the sassy biatch flipped me off and closed her curtain. Meow. I did manage to take a pic of the street though:
All of the girls were really really hot and Ryan and Max were in lust. It seemed like the girls each had a role/theme to their rooms and costumes, or lack thereof. If we didn’t pay close attention to Ryan he may have disappeared behind one of those curtains of no return. It was an interesting and thought-provoking little walk though. What a life, how do women get into that? I wondered what every girl’s story was, where they were from, how many STDs they had, were any of them sex addicts that enjoyed it, were they students or mothers paying bills- some looked like MILFs, what gross losers they had to deal with, the usual thoughts as you walk down an alley of sluts. I even saw a gross nerd loser go into one of the rooms… he looked like a 40 year old virgin… time for sexy time! Apparently, the windows the girls whore themselves out in belong to the apartments above, and they pay owners a couple hundred dollars a night to reserve their spot to meet Prince Charming. That means depending on how many windows an apartment has, owners can make $2,000 a night. ChA ChInG!! And there are a lot of windows and alleys filled with these lovely ladies. I wonder how much this helps Amsterdam’s economy.
The next day we hired a driver to get us out of Amsterdam and to show us around the Holland countryside. Sorry mom, there was no way we were taking that 8:00am bus tour, private driver = better. ;) I forgot what this driver’s name was but he was a hoot. His facade was a cheerful as his belly and had a gruff voice and a chortling laugh. Mr. Cheerful took us to sample Holland cheeses (YUMMM!!!) and to see how they were made. Old cheeses start to have that aged rich taste when they around five years old. After they are mixed and molded, the cheeses are covered with a special wax lamination (you know those fun small circle cheeses you get at the market with the red waxy stuff around them that you have to peel off?) and are left out to age. No refrigeration is required and they can be eaten at any time, but the longer the wait the better the outcome. ;)
Then we learned how clogs were made. Wooden shoes are not very comfortable. You’ll never catch me wearing clogs, except this once:
Notice how my little brothers (Ryan 18, Max 14, moi… 20) are taller than me -_-
After we learned this essential information, we went to a sea-side town called Edam-Volendam, and I got to play in the North Sea (aka where the vilf of my life, Eric Northman, grew up).
Then we saw WINDMILLS! To be honest, I was a completely ignorant American as far as knowing the purpose of windmills before this visit, and if you are too then let me enlighten you: Holland is a couple meters under sea level, so some genius invented the windmill (which can also double as a home) to scoop up the water and drain the flooded areas (now they just use great big dams), and all the Holland people lived happily ever after, clogs, cheese and all.
A little waterboy I found outside the windmill.
The line for the Anne Frank museum was hours long and unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to visit it. But we did have a bonding family dinner instead. And after dinner Ryan, Max, and I did some more bonding over some indica sativa. When in Amsterdam!
Next stop Prague!
You know you love me,
L
When Your Brother Steals Your Camera (‘m trying to figure out how to add a video… will post here soon)
Damn, the Sookie Stackhouse novels are addicting. I have been reading them and being a full-time tourist instead of updating… but Kimya has inspired me to stop reading for the night and write instead. :) Miss you girl!
Chalfont St. Giles was a wonderful journey to the rich (both scenically and estately) English country-side. One cannot go to England without visiting the countryside. Well, you can, but that would be a waste of a plane ticket! It’s like coming to SoCal and going to LA but not Disneyland; the countryside is a must, and it’s priceless, unlike Disneyland. Milton’s Head (across from the infamous John Milton’s cottage) became our go-to restaurant and we became neighborhood friends with the staff. One bartender had the most adorable puppy ever! I have an exceptional soft spot for puppies (who doesn’t?), so innocent and small, they can get anything they want from me. On Saturday night we all went for dinner at Milton’s, including some of Craig’s friends. While my brothers and I waited outside playing Never Have I Ever (Ryan and I’s fingers went down like dominoes compared to Max’s), the adults were inside flocked merrily around the bar.
Ryan and I at Milton’s Head
At dinner, my mom got in a tiff with a friend about smoking. My mom and her boss Michael J. Piuze had recently settled the bigge$t $ingle verdict against Phillip Morris, and this guy told my mom she was an “ambulance chaser” (rude!), causing a silly argument that I had to break up. Drunk adults and a too sober me = a hopeless cause in which I end up being the wise referee. Then we bar hopped down to a pub, where my mum got into another uh, discussion, with some other smokers. She was on a roll.
Oy vey. I love and respect my mom to death and all but she was d.a.f. sooo I couldn’t take her seriously and even ended up talking to this one sassy smoker for the rest of the night… who cooked us all a delectable proper English breakfast the following morning (props to Lara) and offered for me to stay with her and her family in Provence when I’ll be traveling in the South of France with one of my best friends next week. Sweeet! When we got back home, my mom, Craig, and I stayed up late (again) because he was trying to set me up with his ex’s gorgeous, British, model hunk of a son. I happily obliged and was more than willing to mediate texts and pics to make this date happen. The next day, we ventured back to Milton’s Head to have lunch with my mom’s old school friend and her family. I loved the daughters, but one them brought her boyfriend who was really cool until he turned into a pompous douche for trying to quiz me on my American and European history (I confess I’m only bitter because I failed at a couple significant questions- but hey, that high schooler had just learned that shiz, not fair). Then, we visited Craig’s cottage that he is renovating (heated bathroom floors, omg, and all). My mother and I even peeked into a neighbor’s house that was deserted (Craig said the housing record said no one had lived there in years so he was thinking of buying it and renovating it too), but my mom and I found that this was so not the case. From the overgrown weeds, furniture, mail on the floor, and dishes laying around in the kitchen, someone either went on a very long vacation and forgot to clean up… or something very sketchy was goin’ down. I hands down decided upon sketchy when in the backyard I saw a man-made hill with a large piece of opaque tarp draped over where there should have been a door to cover what looked like a recently used workshop. Needless to say we speedily and most unstealthily bolted back to my brothers and Craig, told him it wasn’t quite deserted, and that was that.
Next stop was Craig’s friend Heidi’s home (the one who lives next door to Milton’s cottage) and her place was absolutely as charming, British, and modern as she is. It was like designers from Pottery Barn furniture and Free People clothing banded together to design the most picaresque dream cottage and garden. That was our last stop in Chalfont because then we were off on the train to Wimbledon again.
When we finally got there I also finally got to see Daniel, Ella’s equally charming twin brother (here’s your shout out!). We all went for dinner at a delicious pizza place and had fun trying to make our serious waitress smile until she finally cracked a subtle smirk. She was happy when we asked her advice on her favorite dessert and then ordered it. She basically loved us by the end of the night and we knew her on a first name basis. That Maria.
Ella and I at dinner
The next day my family and I, Elayne, and her partner John ventured across the ever-lush English countryside to Wittering, so that we could stay at their beach home. I got carsick, which hardly happens, but ended up falling asleep on Ryan for most if the drive- a mixture of not wanting to stop reading my Sookie novels, windy roads, and driving on the wrong side of the road can do that to a girl. But once we arrived at Wittering the sea was a splendid sight and their home was lovely! I won the desperate battle between Max and I for the top room with the daybed overlooking the sea (it’s the “sea,” not “ocean” there). For dinner we went to an adorable restaurant called Samphire, and chatted about everything from stepping out of your comfort zone to gain experiences that give you character, to John’s grandpa who actually went down with the Titanic. Before we left we wrote a witty and funny poem in the memory book on our table; it was a cumulative effort and the waiters and the American chef who came over to chat loved it. That restaurant was the kind of cutesy yet classy neighborhood restaurant that you will never forget, and will undoubtedly go to if you ever bring your kids back to that place. I fell asleep that night on my top floor, dreaming vicariously of the adventures of my favorite heroine, Sookie, whilst smelling the cool ocean breeze and appreciating the lull and sway of the sound of the waves. The next day we all went for a pleasant jog and a refreshing dip in the frothy sea before heading back to Ella and Daniel back in Wimbledon.
The boys and I at Samphire
It was our last night in England! We had a two-in-one celebration because we also celebrated my birthday (September 10- don’t forget!). We had a delicious home cooked meal and my mom surprised me with a gorgeous silver Tiffany & Co. bangle that says “I Love you” all around. Aww. <3
Have I mentioned that my brothers, ESPECIALLY Max, are uber mischievous?? Everything they do I just can’t write down because it is constant and you have to be there. For example, let’s just say I was confused who was playing footsies with me at the dinner table that night (good thing I ignored the feet). Max has also taken some funny videos- I’ll try to post them… “What happens when your little brother steals your camera.” By now there are probably 5 episodes.
After dinner I went over a South of France itinerary with Daniel, who had recently done that trip. Ahhhhh I’m soooo excited!!!!!
xoxo L
Ps- It was interesting to find that people in England are more against pot than the people I know in CA. And speaking of illegal substances… next stop Amsterdam!
