Athens at a Glance

Hi my friends, 

Today was our first full day in Athens and it consisted of a little fighting, just as sisters would do, going out and finding a wedding dress for my bride to be bestie at the Pronovias sample sale, touring the ancient city of Athens and finding me a winter jacket!!  A successful day if I must say so myself!!  Tonight we are trying to keep our waists slim as there is a wedding coming up soon, so we found this organic restauranunt with amazing prices and amazing food!  This day has renewed our faith in Athens as when we arrived our hotel wasn't ready at 530pm and Kristina frantically tried to use the internet as it is pretty slow for about 5 hours with no success.  

Who knows what the day will bring us tomorrow as there is more to see and buy here! 

Have a great day!

Just when I thought Paris was my favourite...

I came to Nice.  Turquoise water and 20 degree weather in November, YES PLEASE!

Hi My Friends,
I apologize for the delay on my blog post, I have come down with a really bad cold and my brain hasn't been too foggy to be my funny usual self.

I can't even begin to explain how beautiful Nice, France is, this French Riviera city is a must see!

After a loooong day of travelling from Paris and missing our flight, we finally made it to Nice and it was love at first sight!  The turquoise water caught my eye right away and I felt like I was in a dream. We were in Nice and I couldn't wait to see it all!

Our first night was spent relaxing as we had booked a tour for the next day and our travel had been horrible.  We found an amazing bakery, picked up some groceries and headed back to our hotel room to relax and watch our favourite movie, Pretty Women!

The next morning, not knowing what to expect from the tour we had booked, we dressed in our runners and tank tops for a day in the beautiful sun. We made our way to the lobby and outside where we were greeted outside by our tour guide, Guy Alfonsi, who personally gives private tours, excursions and transfers all year round.   Because of the low season we were the only ones on the tour for the morning, which was nice.  We were able to get to know each other as we drove through the west of the Riviera to Cannes.  Guy was able to show us places that a mass touring company could not and we felt comfortable and safe with him.  He is truly is the BEST tour guide Nice and the French Riviera has to offer, he was so knowledgable and patient and took us up and down the French Rivieria with ease.  From Cannes to Monaco, with his friendly demeanour he showed us all the places we would never have seen and some breathtaking hidden Gems.  If you ever go to Nice, contact Guy and book a tour with him, you won't be disappointed.  Kristina and I were not wowed with Monaco as most but were with a small village Eze.  This small medieval village is famous for its beauty and charm so rich in history which exists today with it's cobblestone roadways and buildings.  Propped at the top of a mountain, the view of the sea is impeccable. Of course we needed to find the bathroom and what we stumbled upon could never be expected.
 The most amazing, calming, beautiful view I have, we have, ever seen. 
So instead of touring this little village we decided to relax in the sunshine and treat ourselves to a drink, no matter the cost.  LOL.  Let me tell you, it was the most delicious mojito I have ever had as it should be for 20 euros (30 Canadian dollars).  Yep a jaw dropping price but for a once in a lifetime experience, Priceless.





After an amazing day of touring Guy dropped us off at the entrance to the old city, where Kristina kept saying, once again, how much she loved the old city.  We walked through the old city with all its cafes and little shops hidden throughout the millions of streets and alleys.  Believe me, one could get lost here and spend a lot of money but we found some good finds and the best gnocchi I have ever had!

This leg of our trip was meant to be relaxing so we slept in and didn't start our day until noon the next day, which is very hard for Kristina to do, but she did it and I'm proud of her.  After enjoying the lounge chairs at the pool, we got dressed and took the bus to the old city and walked around buying trinkets and gifts for our friends and families back home.  We ended our trip in Nice with a picnic on the beach that Kristina was dying to have.  The picnic consisted of wine, brie and bread and our ipads so I could write my blog.  We headed back to the hotel room when I saw a rat on the beach and almost ran off screaming!  We then packed up for our next destination; Barcelona!

The only downfall of Nice was our hotel room and hotel location.  We stayed at the Radisson Blu hotel which was located on the other side of the beach.  None of their rooms have air-conditioning during the off season, which at 20-22 degrees each day, makes for a very warm sleep and the rooms definitely need an update.  This hotel charged a lot with receiving a little and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.  Choose something more central if you want beach front.  I hope our stay in Barcelona is a lot nicer!

Barcelona here we come!!

Have a great day my friends!

J'Adore Euro Disney eh Paris

Bonjour Mes Amis,

Yes, I am picking up the language quite well! Bonjour and Merci is about the extent of it lol.  And before I continue to write, the eh in my title is a play on words because I am Canadian and we say eh a lot!

I write this blog to you from the beach as Kristina wanted to venture down at night and watch the waves and planes take off!  A beautiful sight from right outside our hotel in Nice.

We spent a whole week in Paris and it still wasn't enough time to see all the museums and famous landmarks that the city has to offer! If you are planning on going to Paris and seeing everything in one trip that may be impossible, as so much detail is in each place that you will spend more time than you think and if you plan too long of a trip you will get sick of the rude Parisians that inhabit the city.  

Paris in itself is amazing, the Eiffel Tower should be on everyone's bucket list! We bought tickets to the top and the views of the city are magnifique, it truly takes your breath away!  Another favourite on our list was the Garnier L'Opera House (see our fun pictures below) it is beyond beautiful inside with all the details in every crevasse of the building and home to famous ballets, operas and more!  We then toured the city of Paris by foot yep bring your most comfortable shoes as I now need a foot transplant!  And we lucked out on weather with the sun beating down on us every moment for the first few days!  Our last day in the city of Paris before moving onto Disney, was spent shopping, where I purchased my first Louis Vuitton with the support and encouragement of Kristina! 

We then headed to our hotel right by Disneyland, Val D'Elysees.  This is the perfect hotel for Disneyland as it is located right by the train station and a HUGE mall and outlet mall (now we're talking).  The staff there were friendly and helpful and stored our bags as our room wasn't ready when we arrived.  We then proceeded on the free shuttle to Disney.  Kristina and I were like little kids again so excited to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse and go on all the rides! (Check out the pictures below) We booked our tickets online so we wouldn't have to wait in any lines, which there weren't any.  In fact there were no lineups at all the whole two days we were there, our maximum wait was 5 minutes for each ride which allowed us to enjoy every single ride the park has to offer.  We started with Space Mountain which I was so excited about and Kristina, well she yelled at me the whole time and came off looking like a ghost.  But she was a trooper and went on every single ride with me except the Aerosmith Roller Coaster, which was okay with me!  Euro Disney was a blast and I am pretty sure I bought the place out.  We were lucky we went during the slow season, right in between Halloween and Christmas, and I would highly recommend anyone going to any Disney park to choose a time when it's the low season, it's worth it!  Also you need at least two days to do the parks, as there is two and if you have kidlets, they will wear our fast! Euro Disney was a great experience and everyone at the park was friendly and helpful and loved talking to us Canadians.  We were even told to audition for casting roles, ie princesses etc.  lol could you picture that?!! Lol lol, me hopping around the park singing? well okay maybe it would fit.

Our next stop is Nice and my sneak peak for you all that it is amazing, beyond belief.

Bonne journee mes amis!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for up to the minute pictures of my trip @ohsolindsay

If you plan on visiting Paris a few things to note: Buy your tickets online for everything first and take the bus or train everywhere.  There were huge lineups for all the museums and exhibits but the option to buy online for reserved tickets is the same price so I highly recommend it!   Paris is a busy city and the traffic is insane as people stop whenever and where ever they like, so I suggest bus and train everywhere, even to the airport as our shuttle took us over three hours and we missed our flight! Lesson learned.

Beautiful Berlin

On my way to Berlin:

I splurged on my trip and upgraded my seat and it was definitely worth it!  I was in the plane for a 9 hour jaunt over to Amsterdam and the extra leg room and slightly wider seat made all the difference!  I flew with KLM and was impressed with their friendliness and perks that come complimentary with my flight.  I sat down to a pillow and blanket on my seat, a hot towel when the flight commenced, a drink and dinner (all alcoholic beverages are free), free new released movies, lights off, a hot towel before breakfast, and a hot breakfast!  I would recommend KLM for any long distance flight.
My layover was in Amsterdam, which is where I bought my first two Starbucks mugs, was easy to navigate as Amsterdam is an English friendly city.  From here I hopped on the KLM city hopper plane, which is a little older and smaller, but all you need for the 1 hour flight to Berlin.


Day 1:

Berlin is so pretty, the buildings are so old and historic and the streets are lined with cobblestone sidewalks.  It is exactly what I pictured in my head of Germany; keeping in mind I have only seen Berlin thus far.  My bestie, Kristina, and her fiancee, Konrad, have been so welcoming and it has been a lot of fun to be around both of them.

 

Today Kristina and I toured the city a little.  Obviously wanting to hit a Starbucks up.  Kristina has a map of all the Starbucks in Berlin and that is why she is one of my best friends!  It took us 45 minutes to get there, but walking through the beautiful streets of Berlin, I didn't mind.  On our walk to we walked through beautiful Tiergarten located in the centre of Berlin, passed by the historic Reichstag, which houses the German federal parliament, making our way to Brandenburger Gate, which is were the Berlin wall once used to be.  A 3.5 meter high and 3 meter thick wall that separated east Berlin from West Berlin, which was finally torn down on November 9th, 1989.  Being immersed in such a historical country is amazing, everywhere you turn there is a story!
We then took the train (S-bahn U-bahn) to the electronics store to find a sim card for my phone, HA, we still haven't figured out how to use it outside the apartment, all in due time.  And then we headed over to Kristina's Mother-In-Law's house for some coffee and to pick up a bike.  As you can see from the above pictures, bike riding didn't go to well for me!  I begged and pleaded with Kristina and told her I didn't know how to ride a bike, but she didn't believe and no one does. EVER.  So now, I hold this picture as proof, that I cannot ride a bike.  After the wonderful bike ride we came home and napped.  Now I keep saying that I'm not jet lagged and that I would be tired even if I was home but I think I have to face the truth that it is indeed jet lag.  I am tired.  When 2pm hits here I'm exhausted and it takes all my being to keep on going, so taking a nap helps and then I sleep through the night.  Only a few more days and I think I will have it covered.

Day 2:

Today we went shopping and man did we shop, 6 hours had come and gone before we made our way home!  It's 6pm here and it feels like midnight, but I think because I didn't take a nap I am even more exhausted.  Or it could be after a full day of walking everywhere we had to climb up 5 flights of stairs to get home.  That's right, Kristina's apartment doesn't have an elevator, so each day we climb 5 flights of daunting stairs!  A good cardio workout for the day!  In a city so rich in history I am definitely getting my exercise in with all the walking we do!
It is definitely a different world over here and I must say that Canadians really, truly are the friendliest people because a lot of the people here are rude.  They stare you up and down when you walk by, they don't help you in the stores, and most, when asked a question sigh as if it's a huge inconvenience, this makes me miss home.  I like friendly people and I am scared to think what the rest of my trip will be like in terms of friendliness as I have heard Paris isn't too friendly either.  Oh well kindness doesn't hurt me so I will be as kind as possible.  AND BONUS, Konrad speaks French so I don't need to worry about butchering the French language in France

Tomorrow we are off to conquer the multiple lists Kristina has going for us and visit the East-Side Gallery, so stay tuned my friends!

Haben Sie einen großen Tag meine Freunde
(Have a great day my friends)

Where In The World Is... #ohsolindsay

The rumors are true my friends, Oh So Lindsay is leaving Canada for two months and exploring the all Europe has to offer!  I am taking a leap of faith in myself and have quit my job in search of this new wonderful experience.

I am meeting my bestie in Berlin, where she currently lives with her fiancee and the three of us will travel to Paris staying in Montmarte.  We will be there for one week enjoying the sights AND going to Euro Disney!  From Paris, we will travel through France into the South and on our way to the next destination, which is unknown at this time.  We hope to have enough time to see Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia and then back to Germany to experience everything it has to offer and Christmas!  And I will hopefully get to see some relatives!

You may not know this about me but This Girl Loves Christmas and Germany is the best place for this Christmas gal with amazing Christmas markets throughout the whole country, I am in for a real treat, my suitcases will be packed to the brim with goodies for good little girls and boys :)

Follow #ohsolindsay as I will be tagging every and all pictures
Add me to your instagram (ohsolindsay), twitter (@ohsolindsay), and facebook (ohsolindsay) to follow me day to day! 
And of course on my blog (Oh So Lindsay) where I will be sharing this amazing trip in detail, from where I stay to where I eat and the sights I see!

And be sure to follow my friend Little Miss Mama, the hotest, hipest, lifestyle, fashion and Mom blogger around.  She has the best fashion sense and always shares her thoughts, crafts and ideas with everyone, don't miss out!  And she may just have some updates on me (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

The adventure begins October 20th, 2013!

You Only Live Once!