Insane activity in Toronto

I thought I would write a brief entry about the insane weather we had yesterday in Toronto.

Yesterday I was suffering with a migraine and lying on the couch when shortly after 1:40 in the after the couch started rocking back and forth. At first I thought I was just dizzy from the headache but then realized when I stood up it wasn't me it was the entire house. An Earthquake in Toronto? Really? I must admit I was a bit frightened. I had never felt an earthquake before, and although it caused no damage here in Toronto it was still a bit scary.

After I had calmed myself down I turned the TV on to watch the news coverage of the earthquake, when a weather alert popped on the screen. Tornado warnings. Although the GTA isn't a stranger to tornados the fact we had an earthquake and a tornado in the same day is a bit crazy. Mother earth is telling us something! Luckily Toronto wasn't hit by the tornado, although we had some heavy rain early morning today. Unfortunately cottage country just north of the GTA was hit. Poor Midland. The hardest hit was a trailer park in the small town. Here's some photos of the devastation.

photo credit to the Globe and Mail

Paris Day 2

Second day in Paris.

We started our morning by walking by Les Invalides. To think that Napeoleon is actually entombed there is remarkable. It's hard for me to imagine these historical figures as "real" people. When I stepped into many of the buildings in Paris my imagination took over and suddenly I could envision men in wigs and women in big dresses.

Next we continued walking towards the Eiffel Tower. Although a beautiful sight I was more impressed with the other buildings in the city. I've been to Paris once before so perhaps the shock and awe value was lost. However, Matt had never been and we need to head to the top to share a romantic moment. You can't be in paris and not share a kiss at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Later in the evening we decided to take part in "happy hour" in the Latin Quater. Cheap drinks in Paris, you can't ask for anything better. Every drink I ordered was incredibly strong and three drinks later was a little tipsy trying to keep my balance on the cobblestone streets. We needed something to fill our bellies other than alcohol so we decided on a banana nutella crepe.

I have never been a fan of nutella until the moment I bit into that crepe. My god... who knew there was such a heavenly dessert out there. The crepe didn't last long. Drool over this photo.

Peace and Love.

Paris My 23rd Birthday

We arrived in at Gare du Nord in Paris late morning on my 23rd Birthday. The sun was shining and we were greeted by the unbelievable sights of the city of love. Our first stop was our hotel. Hotel de Sevres located in the heart of the left bank, Saint Germain offered a beautiful stay close to the Metro and walking distance to many of the historical sights that are the heart of Paris.

After dropping off our bags to the front desk we went straight to Monteparnasse Tower that allows you to travel to the rooftop (56 floor) to witness a 360 degree view of the city. It was a great opportunity to snap some scenic photos admire the city from above. I preferred the view from this tower than the Eiffel tower since we could get landscape photos with the Eiffel Tower in them.

After taking hundreds of photos at the top of Monteparnasse we went back down to street level to enjoy lunch at a vendor selling only sandwiches made out of the best french bread around. Both Matt and I enjoyed a chicken sandwich will sitting on some stools placed outside the bakery and people watched. Just looking at the photo gets me drooling.

After lunch we headed towards Notre Dame and the Louvre, both buildings offer a tremendous beauty with their detailed architecture and history. Matt and I decided not to venture into the Louvre, due to a tight budget while we were away, but I can promise you next time I am in Paris I will make an effort to visit.

The rest of our day consisted on lying on the grass behind the louvre (how romantic), drinking Kronenbourg on cafe patios and eating crepes. I couldn't of asked for a better way to spend my birthday. It was absolutely a dream come true.

St.Albans & London

For the next chapter in Matt and my trip we stopped in St.Albans for lunch with my Great Uncle John and his lovely wife Beryl. St.Albans is phenomenal. Winding village streets, trendy restaurants and beautiful old architecture. No complaints while we spent our afternoon here.

John took us to a Moroccan restaurant for lunch where I had a yummy salad and Matt had chicken and couscous. Joining for the luncheon was my parents, and my uncle Matthew with his doll of a girlfriend Tanja.

After lunch John marched us through the city to see the sites. My favourite being St.Albans Cathedral.

After our tour John and Matthew took us to the train station to see us off to London. I balled my eyes out at the station once they left. I don't have the opportunity to see my overseas family very often and I was already missing them.

A short train ride later we arrived at St.Pancras Station in London and walked to The Crestfield Hotel. Keep in mind, Matt and I were looking for a budget hotel near the train station and not luxury, but I would still not recommend this gross hole in the wall to anyone. But it was a place to sleep. See the photo below for the size of the room.

Matt and I didn't do much in London this night. We were still tired from the wedding the night before and had to wake up early for the EuroStar to Paris in the morning. We ordered a pizza, bought some mini bottles of wine and some sweets and called it a night.

Stay tuned for the next entry where I tell you about our three days in paradise, I mean Paris, for my 23rd Birthday.

Lots of love!

Okay so I couldn't wait to share this with you all.

TOPSHOP IS COMING TO TORONTO!!! Words can't describe how excited I am.

Here's the article

June Wedding

Welcome to my first blog post. I decided since I have been unemployed now for 9 months that I would share what I do on all my spare time.

Last Thursday I returned home from a week long trip to England and France. The first stop on the trip was to Deddington Oxfordshire in the UK. I was there for my Uncle David's wedding to the lovely Trina. The village was beautiful and we stayed in this gorgeous B&B called Earl's Farm.

The wedding was amazing. Everything I would want in a wedding for myself. It was a fairly small ceremony and reception, only 90 people, which was perfect since it was only family and close friends. It felt so personal and intimate. The ceremony was held at the Church of St.Peter and St.Paul, which was built in the 13th century. Everything about the church was old, in a good way. The smell, the lighting, the minister. It really felt like I was travelling back in time.

The reception was held a short drive away at a restaurant called the Mason Arms. It was an outdoor reception that looked out onto the english country during sunset. Breathtaking! When my family and I arrived it looked like a scene out of a movie. Women and men dressed to the nine's, barefooted drinking champagne and Pims (which I first discovered on this trip). If you haven't had the pleasure of drinking a glass of Pims you need to go out to the liquor and buy some. You prepare it with lemonade and fresh fruit, cucumber and mint. It's absolutely delicous and you could easily have too much without realizing it.

Now about what I wore. I was dressed in my mum's DVF wrap dress that I loooove with a pair of peep toe black shoes from Aldo. The other lovely lady in the photo is my mum, in her fabulous hat and Audrey Hepburn inspired dress.

Well that's the end of the Deddington chapter of our trip. Tomorrow I will share what went on in St.Albans and London.

Lots of love!