Davos, Switzerland

Davos was so much fun!

There was not much snow but I did enjoy the one day of skiing. Next time, I also want to try snowshoeing. I laughed so hard as I was going between snowball fights with my family and building a snowman. Davos was magical.

Davos, I’ll be back!

Ciao for now!

London 2015

This was a short trip to London. I feel like I spent most of my time at rare and antique bookstores and Harrods. Even though it was very crowded, I liked the walk through the Christmas sections of Harrods. I did manage to make it to an art exhibit for a couple of hours but it was not long enough.

Next stop Switzerland.

Ciao for now!

Fall Break part 2: Miami

This trip to Miami Beach was very busy. I did not even have time to go jet skiing. I was surprised at how much further along the Miami Design District is. I remember when the Design District was basically empty.  I also went out to Bal Harbor for the day, I love looking at the fish and turtles there.

I went to a Miami Heat basketball game. The Heat won! Prior to the game I bought a custom jersey, I received high fives during the game while I was wearing it.

I spent a day in Boca Raton to visit friends. I had a lot of fun and a nice Cuban meal. I really like the Cubano from Versailles and since I didn’t have time to go there in Miami, I settled with the location at the airport which is also really good.

Ciao for now!

Fall Break part 1: Phoenix

Phoenix is perfection! No matter where I go, there is no place like the place I still call home. I had fun going to a high school football game, carving a pumpkin for Halloween and baking sweet potato pies.

Ciao for now!

Maui

Maui was the last stop for this summer vacation. I spent most of my time surfing and swimming in the ocean. I did manage to do one ATV ride up the West Maui Mountains, of course topping it off with pineapple and sliding down a hill in to the reservoir. Hula Pie is delicious, I think I had one just about every day. I also played a lot of golf this trip to Maui and received new clubs.

Ciao for now!

Seattle

It was nice to see my family. In Seattle it is always fun to walk along the pier and go to Anthony’s for a delicious meal, there were several navy ships in port. I usually go to the Crab Pot restaurant at the pier but it was closed due to construction so I went to the Bellevue location and it was wonderful as well. 
Ciao for now!

Phoenix in the Summer

It is great to be home again and see family and old friends. I tried boxing for the first time, it was a great workout. I liked it so much I went every other day. I also played golf several days, it was fabulous!
Ciao for now!

Miami Beach 2015

Miami Beach was the first stop for the United States part of my vacation. It was nice because I was able to continue to practice my Portuguese. After all of the lessons, it was nice to just relax at the beach and jet ski. I found an escape room to do in Miami Beach. The first challenge was to find the escape room business but after entering it was a fun experience.

Ciao for now!

Prague for the Weekend

I spent the weekend in Prague. This was my first time to the Czech Republic. I enjoyed the walking tour and seeing all of the historical sites. I had a hard time choosing the perfect painting to take a souvenir for my time in Prague but I finally found a beautiful painting of the bridge and castle. I hope to come back again soon.

Ciao for now!

Lisbon, Portugal

Olá, como está?

I was in Lisbon for two weeks, duas semanas, doing intensive Portuguese lessons. I spent 8 hours a day studying and then practiced some more in the evening. Even though I did study a lot, I was able to enjoy the city. I had a great time in the Estufa Fria, which is a large greenhouse garden. The Estufa Fria was a great escape from the heat. On Saturday, we went to Belém and had the famous pastel de Belém. They were as good as described. While in Belém, we walked along to see the Belém Tower. 

It was awesome to see a piece of history up close. For the 4^th of July, we went aboard the USS Fort McHenry that just happened to be docked in Lisbon. That was a great way to celebrate Independence Day!

I managed to go to an Escape Room in Lisbon. This one was very creepy and a lot of fun.

Ciao for now!

Paris Fashion Week

This is my first time attending Fashion Week. Paris was packed and so was my schedule. We were guests of Berluti, part of LVMH and it was a wonderful and busy experience.

I was lucky to have a day to go to the Champagne Region. There I toured a small Krug vineyard. For lunch we went to a Michelin star restaurant, L’Assiette Champenoise, it was delicious.

Ciao for now!

Glasgow

I started my summer in Glasgow, Scotland. Compared to Singapore, it was very cold and I am glad that I packed sweaters for June. It was nice to take a couple of days to relax and just wander around the city. I went to my very first Escape Room. It was based in a laboratory where you have to figure out all of the clues in 60 minutes to be able to unlock the door. It was a lot of fun! On the final night in Glasgow, I went to the Taylor Swift 1989 concert and had a blast!

Ciao for now! 

Easter in Florence

Florence for Easter means a lot of chocolate! There were huge chocolate sculptures and mini chocolate eggs all over the hotel.I love the winter garden room inside the hotel. It has a fabulous chandelier. Even though I have been to Florence before, I still enjoy doing the historical tours because every time I learn something a little different. Last time I was in Florence, I went to this great pizzeria but I was unable to remember the name so I tried a bunch of different pizzerias trying to find my favorite one from the last trip. No luck but I still had some great pizza.

Ciao for now!

Rome 2015

Rome is a beautiful city. The Colosseum never gets old. I love going to the Spanish steps and just seeing all of the people. We had a nice lunch with a friend just off of the Spanish steps. It was fun to go back to the same restaurant where we spent New Year’s a few years ago, La Terrazza Dell'Eden. The food was delicious, view of Rome was amazing and I laughed a lot as we remembered ringing in 2013.

Ciao for now!

Kauai

A relaxing week in Kauai with the family was just what I needed. I had so much fun just lounging on the beach and poolside. I went horseback riding and spent one afternoon on a farm. I love animals!

Ciao for now!

Vienna for Christmas and New Year

This is the second Christmas that I have spent in Vienna. This year it was a lot warmer than usual. My trip was filled with Christmas markets and just exploring the city. My favorite restaurant from this trip was The District at the Ritz Carlton. 

In the spirit of Christmas, I read Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.  The Hotel Imperial did a wonderful job decorating a Christmas tree for our room.

The highlight of this trip was New Year’s Eve! I went to the Hofburg Palace for the Silvester Ball. This was a black tie event that even had the presentation of debutantes! I am so glad that I took waltz lessons a few days before. It was a magical evening!

Ciao for now!