Ciao all,
Just an update on what I've been doing for the past month, as
I know I've been MIA. Following me can be like the childhood game “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” because nobody ever knows where I’ll be or what i'll do next- not even me. This is going to be another mega-post to get everybody caught up on what I've seen, who I've met, and what I've done. Trust me, it’s been a whirlwind of adventures.
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| Drinking a cappuccino de vanille, walking around Lyon, and doing a little bit of shopping in France. |
I’ll be sure to do city guides on all of these locations
within the upcoming weeks, so keep an eye out!
First Destination: Florence, Italy
As some may know, and some may not, I spent the last two
weeks of April traveling Italy and France for my birthday. I started the
weekend off in Florence, which was a bad idea because it was Easter break.
What was that I said about not traveling to cities on holidays or during festivals again? Oh yeah, well I forgot that when I booked my trip.
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| Florence, Italy |
What was that I said about not traveling to cities on holidays or during festivals again? Oh yeah, well I forgot that when I booked my trip.
Florence was beyond
crowded. It was Easter holiday, and this country takes holidays very seriously. I’m
not a fan of huge crowds of tourists. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a city girl
through and through. I can’t imagine myself living anywhere aside from London,
Paris, Milan, or New York five years from now. However, I enjoy being around people... Just not tourists.
Walking slowly? Great, but some of us have places to be… and
could you try not to randomly stop every five seconds in the middle of the
street, and avoid walking in rows so long that nobody else can pass you on the sidewalk?
Thanks!
Florence is amazing for leather, but I was saving my shopping
money for Paris.
Second Destination: Milano, Italy
After Florence, my stepdad (who was visiting me for the week)
and I headed over to Milan to attend an opera. We dressed to the 9s and attended Les Troyens at La Scala, and then ate a birthday dinner at Biffi’s in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Dinner was delicious. Thankfully, my stepdad paid for the meal because it cost almost as much as a new IPhone would cost me. Best birthday dinner I’ve
had to date? You bet.
We spent an entire day drinking wine at an outdoor restaurant in front of the Duomo and soaked in the crisp spring air before heading on over to Lyon, France.
We spent an entire day drinking wine at an outdoor restaurant in front of the Duomo and soaked in the crisp spring air before heading on over to Lyon, France.
Third Destination: Lyon, France
I was in France! Something about that always excites me, even
though I've been before (Monaco and the French Riviera). However, I was still counting down the days to Paris.
Lyon was beautiful, but had more of a ‘small-town’ feel. I would compare Lyon to Torino in that sense. It is by no means a big city. However, I picked up a couple cute journals and once again… got something to drink al fresco to enjoy the nice day.
And then…. PARIS!
Lyon was beautiful, but had more of a ‘small-town’ feel. I would compare Lyon to Torino in that sense. It is by no means a big city. However, I picked up a couple cute journals and once again… got something to drink al fresco to enjoy the nice day.
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| A gorgeous little flower French flower shop I wandered into, my lookalike of the day and eternal role model- Audrey Hepburn, and a cute Boulangerie in France. |
And then…. PARIS!
Forth Destination: Paris, France
Paris was amazing! One of my new favorite cities.
A rainy day in Paris is better than a sunny day somewhere else.
I stopped by Ladurée about five times. I wish I were kidding, but once a day you would find me in Ladurée.
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| Here's your proof if you don't believe me... walking home after my first visit to Ladurée! |
I picked up gifts for all of my friends at some of the specialty stores. I bought five (or six, who knows) kinds of luxury tea at Mariage Frères, and swung into one of my personal European favorites L'Occitane for some lotion and bath products. Of course Intimissimi is always on the list, even if I there are store locations are all over Italy.
We went out to eat every night and, surprise surprise, I tried duck… and I liked it. (I know, right?! Me... Liking duck!) It was actually delicious. I fell in love with the idea of owning a vespa.
I saw just about every museum and every single tourist spot on the list. After all, anybody who knows me knows I’m a history, culture, and art fanatic.
Musée d'Orsay was my favorite spot, predominately because of their collection of Impressionist paintings. I got to see some of my favorite Renoirs again that I haven’t seen since they were on display in Italy back in January.
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| Posing by La Seine |
I saw just about every museum and every single tourist spot on the list. After all, anybody who knows me knows I’m a history, culture, and art fanatic.
Musée d'Orsay was my favorite spot, predominately because of their collection of Impressionist paintings. I got to see some of my favorite Renoirs again that I haven’t seen since they were on display in Italy back in January.
We went to the Musée de l'Orangerie and saw Monet's panorama room, which was breathtaking to see in person. It was the most serene room I have ever been in... and then, it was back to Torino for the next few weeks!
Final Destination: Torino, Italy
In Torino, I've spent most of my time working, playing piano,
studying languages (French, Russian, Italian), going to the gym, and reading
books. Things got old pretty quickly though. I needed to mix them up, and I
needed a good change. I started feeling really homesick, and I started to feel
like I had too much spare time on my hands.
Everybody has always advised me to “take time to relax or I would burn myself out” because i've always enjoyed being involved in multiple things at once. I'm usually always on the go, and always trying new things, and people keep telling me not to "spread myself too thin." What I've recently realized about myself after listening to the advice of others is that I’m happiest when I’m always on the go… not when I’m “relaxing”.
I would rather be hopping from train to plane, on my way to a meeting or an unexplored city, than sitting around reading a book at the beach. I know it sounds crazy, but we all have to do what makes us the happiest.
I hate feeling like I've wasted even a moment of my life. So… I got bored doing what I felt was not a good use of my time. I was sad. I let myself be homesick, because I had nothing else to do but to study and think about home (and eat gelato). I didn’t know what to do about which university I want to attend this upcoming year, or for how long I wanted to study abroad.
What about internships? What about my free time?
Everything was so unsure, and I had no idea what I wanted.
What did I do? I asked myself questions. I think so often we ask others these questions, but we never take a moment to ask ourselves what we want and whether or not we're happy. It’s important to make sure you’re asking yourself whether or not your actions represent the life you want to create for yourself. I think it helps you stay on track. I sat down and figured out what exactly makes me happy, and what I’m passionate about. I burned the midnight oil and figured out what I wanted. I asked myself if I actually was happy, and what I could do to change it if I wasn't.
Everybody has always advised me to “take time to relax or I would burn myself out” because i've always enjoyed being involved in multiple things at once. I'm usually always on the go, and always trying new things, and people keep telling me not to "spread myself too thin." What I've recently realized about myself after listening to the advice of others is that I’m happiest when I’m always on the go… not when I’m “relaxing”.
I would rather be hopping from train to plane, on my way to a meeting or an unexplored city, than sitting around reading a book at the beach. I know it sounds crazy, but we all have to do what makes us the happiest.
I hate feeling like I've wasted even a moment of my life. So… I got bored doing what I felt was not a good use of my time. I was sad. I let myself be homesick, because I had nothing else to do but to study and think about home (and eat gelato). I didn’t know what to do about which university I want to attend this upcoming year, or for how long I wanted to study abroad.
What about internships? What about my free time?
Everything was so unsure, and I had no idea what I wanted.
What did I do? I asked myself questions. I think so often we ask others these questions, but we never take a moment to ask ourselves what we want and whether or not we're happy. It’s important to make sure you’re asking yourself whether or not your actions represent the life you want to create for yourself. I think it helps you stay on track. I sat down and figured out what exactly makes me happy, and what I’m passionate about. I burned the midnight oil and figured out what I wanted. I asked myself if I actually was happy, and what I could do to change it if I wasn't.
How could I get involved? What did I miss? What are my motives? Who do I want to be? What do I value? What scares me?
After I did deep self-reflecting, I made a plan.
I realized I love running...
So I found local running groups and looked up upcoming runs in Italy (see my article on the Nike WeOwn the Night Milano 10k in My Little Black Book Magazine).
So I found local running groups and looked up upcoming runs in Italy (see my article on the Nike WeOwn the Night Milano 10k in My Little Black Book Magazine).
I realized I love social media and writing...
So I emailed up-and-coming magazines for internships. I quickly found one as a social media and features writer intern for My Little Black Book Magazine, and I couldn't be happier. The magazine began last November and is still in it's early stages, but I have been working with the team for a week and i'm very excited about where we hope it's going to go. I took on a lot of tasks during my first week there, but it’s been a great use of my time and I love having a lot of responsibility.
So I emailed up-and-coming magazines for internships. I quickly found one as a social media and features writer intern for My Little Black Book Magazine, and I couldn't be happier. The magazine began last November and is still in it's early stages, but I have been working with the team for a week and i'm very excited about where we hope it's going to go. I took on a lot of tasks during my first week there, but it’s been a great use of my time and I love having a lot of responsibility.
I realized I value staying in shape...
So I've started going to the gym and drinking 2 liters of water every day. Even if it’s only for an hour, this has significantly impacted my overall health and happiness.
So I've started going to the gym and drinking 2 liters of water every day. Even if it’s only for an hour, this has significantly impacted my overall health and happiness.
I realized I need sleep...
So I made a goal to aim for 7-8 hours a night but to always get 6 hours minimum. This is huge for me, because my life motto has always been ‘sleep one hour less to live one hour more.’ I learned that emotions, concentration, and productivity are actually all linked directly to sleep, as is health and weight gain. I've seen nothing but positive effects since I've made this change.
So I made a goal to aim for 7-8 hours a night but to always get 6 hours minimum. This is huge for me, because my life motto has always been ‘sleep one hour less to live one hour more.’ I learned that emotions, concentration, and productivity are actually all linked directly to sleep, as is health and weight gain. I've seen nothing but positive effects since I've made this change.
I realized I love traveling...
So I've been planning some exciting trips for this upcoming summer.
So I've been planning some exciting trips for this upcoming summer.
And then, I realized that if I’m going to write for a virtual
magazine, I might as well continue writing for my blog as well. I started my
blog as a way to document my travels and my thoughts on fashion, culture, goals
and life.
So that just about catches everybody up to today. It’s
Saturday, and I’m sitting in the living room listening to Michael Bublé and
preparing some articles for the week ahead. Stay tuned! Be sure to check out
what I've written for My Little Black Book magazine- all of the links will be
included in the next post.
A dopo,
Morgan XX
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