trendy ancient

I just got to the scenic and historic little Italian town of Ravenna, and the mosaics I saw in the churches and chapels here are just astounding. As I was looking at those beautiful images, I thought to myself, why can't mosaics be fashionable once again?

Firstly, a few pictures of the beautiful mosaics of Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna.

Here are just a few ideas:

1. shoes

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2. nails

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3. jewelry

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I'm sure there are tons more ideas--use your imagination and let us know what you came up with! 

xx

Vanessa :]

top ten tuesday: top 10 things I loved about Paris

I just had an ah-mazing week in Paris, and this post is kind of a sum-up of what I did (and loved!) :D

1.Point zéro

Point zero, like its name, is the starting point of not only the entire Paris but the entire France! All places in France are measured according to point zéro, this small, common-looking golden plate. It’s said that if you make a wish standing upon the star in the center of the plate, your wish will come true! (So of course I made one.)

2. Ladurée

Founded in 1862, ladurée offers fine dining and delicate desserts. The macarons there never fail to attract a line, especially the one on champs-élysées. When I was there I tried some summer special flavors, such as mint. The macaron itself was an icy blue, and the mint tasted cool yet with a hint of sweetness. (More simply put - I was in heaven.)

3.Sainte chapelle

This lesser known attraction is on ile de la cite, by the seine, not far from notre dame. The magnificent Rayonnant Gothic chapel features beautiful stained glass windows so tall that you mistake them for walls. Definitely worth a visit!

4. Panthéon

Based on the more famous Pantheon in Rome, the Pantheon of Paris is home to many famous people who have made extraordinary contributions to France during their lifetimes. In the crypt of the Pantheon you can find the graves of Voltaire, Victor Hugo, the Curies, among many others.

5.Champs-élysées

Need I say more? Dazzling array of stores + lovely cafes + the arc of triumph = perfect place for a casual stroll

6. métro

For some reason I find the Paris subway to be endlessly entertaining. The various subway lines take you to many places, including the suburban areas. In addition to the conveniency, I just love the musicians hopping on and off the trains and people-watching on the platform. 

7. Louvre

For art lovers, this is truly and absolutely heaven. Here you can see artworks from all time periods and all over the world! Moreover, the restaurant there (Angelina) is fantastic - they do serve a fine seafood risotto.

8. Towers of notre dame

Almost everyone know of the notre dame (and yes, it is just breathtaking). However, not that many people know that you can climb up to the towers of this ancient cathedral. There is usually a line, but the view up there is beautiful, plus you’ll get a chance to look at the architecture (the chimeries!) more closely.

9. 58 tour eiffel

A picnic-chic restaurant located on the first level of the Eiffel Tower, 58 tour eiffel offers quick (and good!) hunger fixes. A glass of champagne to accompany the killer view from the eiffel tower? Yes please!

10. Café des deux moulins

This cutesy cafe is where part of the famed french film Amelie is shot. The cafe is still kept the same way as in the film, so people who loved the film will definitely find this place interesting. There are some film posters and props on display in the cafe (don’t forget to check in the famous bathroom!). A few steps away is the carousel and the Sacre Coeur Cathedral which were also featured in the film.

If you ever get a chance to visit this enchanting city, be sure to try out at least a couple of those mentioned above!
happy Tuesday!
xx
Vanessa :]

Top Ten Tuesday: top 10 things I'm looking forward to in Europe

Since I will be embarking on my long journey to Europe in 5 days, I thought it's about time to post my top 10 list of things I can't wait to do and see in Europe! :)

1. drink champaign on the plane

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Did you know? Air France is the only airline in the world that offers free in-flight champaign. No way I'm passing up this lovely bonus!

2. see the wall of love (le mur des je t'aime) in Montmartre, Paris

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On the hill of Montmartre, there is this wall full of "I love you"s--what's more romantic than that? Definitely a must-see. Maybe one day I will get to write my very own "je t'aime" there too!

3. eat lots of macarons

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From the long post about macarons that I wrote a while ago, I believe my passion for these delicacies is pretty obvious... yum.

4. Climb up to the dome of Florence Cathedral

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Duomo's dome is spectacular not only from the inside but also from the outside! By climbing up to the dome one will be able to marvel at its special double-shell design more closely.

5. see the mosaics in San Vitale

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The picture above is a mosaic in this Early Christian into Byzantine church that depicts the emperor Justinian and his attendants. It's one of the most exquisite mosaics, being made as early as it was, in the 6th century!

6. eat pizza

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When in Rome...eat pizza!

7. Make a wish by Fontana di Trevi

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and make a wish! It's said that if one throws three coins into the fountain one wishes to stay in Rome forever!

8. eat lots of gelato

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need I say more?

9. Visit Mozart's grave

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It's not actually Mozart's grave, because no one really knows where the great musician was buried. But this beautiful place in Vienna forever holds a piece of his soul.

10. take a boat trip on the Danube

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My best friend who lives in Europe suggested that a boat trip on the Danube would be just gorgeous. After seeing some pictures on Google Image, oh my, I am so in!

xx
Vanessa :]

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Things I love about India

Last week I didn't get to write about India (but Sara did get to write this awesome post), so today I'm gonna wrap up this long top 10 list and be done let you know all about India!

Alright... last two things!

9. the weather

Actually, I'm lying a little bit here... the weather is literally 100 degrees every day...so calling it love is not as adequate as if I say love-hate relationship. Because, indeed, I love-hated the weather in India, especially in Kerala, the more Southern province we went to. 

Why I loved the weather: because it's so hot! And it's amazing to jump into the pool or just, enter an air-coned room. It's really lovely that way. And another complimentary bonus that comes with the heat is the burning sun. Boy, did I get a very nice tan while I was there.

10. I'm not cheating because I absolutely have to repeat I HAVE TO REPEAT: THE FOOD!!!!!

Seriously, the food is ah-mazing!! There are just so many different Indian cuisines that I can't pick one thing to call my favorite, but but bbbbut, Indian food is so savory and yummy and makes my mouth water at the thought of it. 

Top Ten Tuesday: (top) 10 things I love about India PART II

This is the official PART II of my India travel blog post. For PART I refer to here. In PART I I talked about the food, the scenery, and the culture. Now, I realize they are very broad terms, so this time I'm going to be a little bit more specific in my "love"s.

Alright, here we go:

4. the train

 One week into the trip, we travelled from Karnataka to Kerala (even more down South). It was a nine-hour train ride, on the train in the photo above. We got seats in economy class with AC, which is really nice for a regular Indian person. The people who were riding in our car all looked somewhat knowledgable, and some of them were working on laptops during the ride (while I dozed off...because the train left at 5 in the morning).

 The train ride was nine hours (loooooong, I know). In between cars there was this open area where people could take a smoke, or just chill. And of course, I did only the latter. The view was absolutely killer. As we got more and more South, the flat-ish landscapes began to yield to rocky mountains. The sky was a vast, endless blue thing that looked full of magic, and the dirt ground beneath us was just moving so fast, as the train emitted soothing rhythmic sounds, tkt, tkt, tktttttt.

While on the train, I met a really cool old man who talked to me about yoga and how being young is just so wonderful because we as young people get to live fully in the moment (I will talk more about that in PART III, I promise). It was an eye-opening (ear-opening?) conversation indeed.

5. the hike

 While we were staying in the mountains at Periyar Tiger Reserve, we went on a two-hour hike on a nature trail. A local guide, a middle aged man who seemed to know all about plants and animals and could talk about it for hours on end, accompanied us, so I had the fortune and pleasure to discover some amazing things about the ecosystem in India. 

 While we were walking amongst the trees (and I made the stupid mistake of wearing shorts in the tickly long greass and freaking Sperry's can you believe it) the guide pointed out random wild animals to us along the walk. We saw some pretty amazing BIG GIANT WHITE SQUIRRELS FOR EXAMPLE. (okay I need to calm down. Calm down Vanessa.)

(Look at this giant of a tree, isn't it ah-mazing?)

6. The coffee

Okay I'm lame I didn't take any pictures of the lovely coffee I had while in India. But just to feast your eyes, I decided to upload a picture of a beautiful blossoming fried egg (yes, I said blossoming. WUT).

BUT STILL. The coffee was really good. I don't know what it is about it, maybe it's the Indian water, or the way they prepare it (which, unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see), it just tastes different from American coffee (which is usually, I'm sorry, crap, anyways). The Indian coffee I had at Kochi tasted slightly burned, almost a little charcoal-y, even. With just a little bit of milk and sugar, it is heaven.

7. The currency

Do I sound like I'm running out of things to say? Actually, quite the opposite. But I decided to talk about the Indian money because they look really cool! Again, I don't usually take pictures of me holding a bunch of bills, (and even if I do I would feel super duper weird uploading them here...) But Indian money has Ghandi's head on it! It is very nice-looking (and the large bills slightly VERY confusing).

8. The saree

I mean, just look at it, isn't it so exotically beautiful?? My friend got a saree that is magenta, with blue skirt and underpants and golden lining all over the fabric. She is seriously thinking of wearing it to prom. Certainly nobody would wear the same dress! :P

Alright. That's it for today! I still have so much more to say though! Sadly, only 3 more "love"s to spare. I will make sure those three are some awesome three's next Tuesday :)

Namaste.

Vanessa :]

Top Ten Tuesday: (top) 10 things I love about India PART I

Okay, finally I'm over jetlag, and my suitcase is unpacked, my India trip officially over. (Too bad school has officially begun too. But das okay.)

So, ready? Top Ten Tuesday! Buckle yourselves in and come along for the ride! Cuz I'm doing a mega Top Ten post about my India trip. Due to the large amount of photos and text, I'm going to divi it up into 3 posts total. Today I'm only talking about 3 things.

Alright, here goes:

(The numbers assigned to the items don't have any relevance to my preference; I love all of these things about India!)

1. the food

Of course, food always comes first. At least for me. I'm such a foodie :P

In India, the staple food is Indian bread (naan, roti, etc), curry (usually vegetable-based, such as paneer curry), stew (lamb stew, pork stew, but no beef), and rice (lamb/egg/veggie/chicken/pork biryani). In Kochi, which is a beach town/major fishing port, I had the luck to try some seafood-based India food, such as the fish curry in the picture above. 

I also loved the tropical fruits, so fresh and sweet. Papayas are my favorite, and pineapples come as a close second. In India, they have really cool sodas too. My favorite is fresh lime soda, which consists of about 10ml freshly squeezed lime juice, some cane syrup, and regular club soda. They also had ginger lime soda at a lot of places we went to; I tried it once and holy smokes, it was the tangiest thing I've ever tried.

Desserts are also fantastic. My favorite would be pancakes with dried coconut and almonds, drizzled with honey. Ooh, or fig and honey ice cream... and mango and chocolate samosas... okay I'm just a pig. Oh well.

(our hotel in Kochi, the dining area on the waterfront)

2. scenery

Seriously, India is probably one of the most breathtaking places I've ever been to in my life (given I've been lucky enough to visit much of Asia, a fair amount of places in Europe, and all over the Americas). Still, India has some serious killer view to offer.

3. Culture

While in India, we went to volunteer at a school, where the kids taught me some Indian dance moves; we went to a festival dedicated to Krishna, and also a traditional Indian performance about a mythological tale. Each experience was overwhelming in all senses, enriching me in my cultural awareness.

 Okay. That took a while. If you're still reading, bravo. I'm glad I did a good job entertaining you. Now, I need to say bye. School's calling (this is written during my off period, which isn't at all that long). I'll be back next Tuesday, though, with more amazing bits of India!

Namaste.
Vanessa :]