Category Archives: london

how i traveled to five major cities in 18 hours

and not just 5 cities – five major cities in four countries!

number-5-pinata

on my way to Spain in March i ran into some trouble. for one, there was a massive overnight snowstorm on the East Coast that waylaid everything. at first, this actually seemed to be a good thing as i underestimated time to clear off my car and drive the snowy roads of Massachusetts. i was terribly relieved to find out my flight was delayed. once i got settled at the airport, however, it became evident it was going to be so delayed that i would miss my connection in NYC direct to Barcelona. (now you see where i’m going with this, right?!)

once in NYC i was told i was being re-routed now through London. GREAT! Heathrow. the roughest security on earth. plus, i brought my €’s not my £’s for the airport. moving on. what about my bag?! i was told some kind of airline mumbo-jumbo term for “we’ll call and tell them you’re changing carriers and to pull your bag”. fingers crossed i ever see that bag again…

photo 1-17

what’s this? Lola wasn’t supposed to be over this land mass!!

so off i go from NYC to London. once i land in London and make my to the next security check point (UGH) they won’t let me continue on. WHY? there’s no way i’ll make my next connection. SO…go stand in another airline ticket line. get told there are no more directs on their carrier and you’re switching to another and being routed through Amsterdam!! SERIOUSLY…goodbye luggage.

now faced with extra time at Heathrow and no Pounds to speak of i had to use my credit card. luckily, a while ago i had taken the time to compare credit cards i currently held with others out there and now have one that is accepted worldwide with NO foreign transactions fees. Lola wouldn’t have to go hungry at Heathrow.

i spy wooden shoe key chains & bottle openers. i must be at the Amsterdam airport?!?!

i spy wooden shoe key chains & bottle openers. i must be at the Amsterdam airport?!?!

the remainder of the flights were glitch free. i met a nice man on the flight to Amsterdam, made my final leg to Barcelona and arrived there only 8 hours later than anticipated. during this whole debacle i was coming up with a contingency plan for the bag situation. you see, i made a rookie travel mistake and only had the clothes i was wearing with me…no spare set in case of delayed/lost baggage.

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cute dress from El Corte Ingles – disaster averted!

well you can be sure, after 3 different carrier changes and flying through all those massive airports that my bag DID NOT arrive with me. CONTINGENCY PLAN springs into action. i had been madly tweeting with Barcelona friends and was tipped off where to go for one-stop shopping. basically, as soon as i claimed my luggage lost i had approximately 2 hours to shop and get ready before heading out for dinner!! i wasn’t about to miss going out on Saturday in Barcelona at a trendy restaurant and cool late night club. Thankfully El Corte Ingles came to my rescue and i could find a cute dress, top for the next day, a pair of sandals for both days & some new underwear pretty efficiently. AND even with my lack of Spanish and the staff’s lack of English, somehow they were able to tell me to go get a discount card so tourists don’t pay the VAT tax. Gracias!

fun top a la El Corte Ingles - gracias!

fun top a la El Corte Ingles – gracias!

i still need to claim my purchases with the last carrier so i can be reimbursed! UGH – PAPERWORK. the only thing that makes it all less painful is that i used points from my reward credit card to purchase the flight so it’s not like i’m out TONS of money. 

PS – i had a super fun Saturday night out in my new outfit in BARCA & my bag did turn up 24 hours later. it apparently had a great night out in the UK!

 

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Filed under airlines, barcelona, london, new york, travel

thank you, děkuji, grazie, gracias, merci beaucoup!

dear Europe: thank you for one of the best months of my life!

please accept my long overdue thank you for hosting me last month for 30 lovely days. it will go down as one of the best trips of my life! i have so many i wish to show my gratitude to, so please bare with me while i do my best to remember those who went above and beyond to make my month so incredible.

go with oh cities

1) Go with Oh for the perfect apartments in Prague, Florence, Rome, Barcelona & Paris

marionette

2) Truhlar Marionety for the wonderful 4 hour lesson in making your own marionette with the master himself Pavel

pubcrawl

3) Pub Crawl Prague for the fun tour of bars & clubs

dinner at Four Seasons Prague

4) Four Seasons Prague for the delightful dinner at CottoCrudo

shopping in milan

5) Melanie Payge for the amazing behind the scenes shopping tour of Milan & bubbly company at the Four Seasons Milan Barolo dinner

barolo wine dinner

6) Four Seasons Milan for the gorgeous room & divine VIP white truffle & Barolo wine dinner

chef vito four seasons florence

7) Four Season Florence for the princess treatment by both Luca, Italian Barman of the Year & Vito, genius Executive Chef

il fontanaro cooking class

8) Walks of Italy & Il Fontanaro for the memorable cooking class & stay at a Tuscan Farm House in Paciano

rome food tour

9) Walks of Italy for the behind the ropes tour of the Vatican, the mouthwatering food tour of Rome & the day trip to Orvieto in Umbria

orvieto

10) Chef Lorenzo for the custom made lunch & educational tours of a cheese & olive oil factory

pompeii, vesuvius, naples

11) Walks of Italy for the fascinating discovery tour of Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius & the Naples National Archeological Museum

positano - amalfi coast

12) Walks of Italy for the entertaining tour of the gorgeous Amalfi coast

flamenco lessons

13) Go with Oh for the oh-so-fun flamenco lessons at Flamenco Barcelona to indulge me

cocktails at Eclipse

14) W Barcelona for the tasty lunch at Wave & cocktails at hip lounge Eclipse

photo shoot with Eduardo Frances

15) Go with Oh for the fabulous photo shoot with photographer extraordinaire, Eduardo Frances

thanksgiving in Barcelona

16) Sara & Arno and the Go with Oh staff for the fun multi-culti Thanksgiving celebration

dinner at W Paris Arola

17) W Paris for the awesome tour of your property & the “spark” design explanation as well as the outstanding dinner at Arola

how to become a Parisian in an hour

18) Go with Oh for the hilarious “How to Become a Parisian in one Hour” show

parisian tattoo

19) Abraxas for the parfait tattoo to always remember Paris by as if i could forget

burgundy wine tasting

20) Caveau de Chassagne-Montrachet for the delicious wine tasting in Burgundy

lunch at Four Seasons Paris

21) Four Seasons George V Paris for the restful retreat & most indulgent lunch of my lifetime at Le Cinq

Lionel Richie

22) Lionel Richie & Co for the unforgettable Friday evening dinner in St. Germain Paris

Henley-on-Thames

23) Mr. & Mrs. O Around the World for the warmest welcome to Henley-on-Thames with a holiday party & lovely friends

Four Seasons London Park Lane

24) Four Seasons London at Park Lane for the stunning suite & Rolls Royce ride, Amaranto for the delicious dinner & cocktails tasting, the spa for the best massage yet AND the entire property for the best staff ever encountered

Jeff Leatham

25) The incredibly talented Artistic Director for the Four Seasons George V Paris,  Jeff Leatham, who wows the world with his floral designs but made time for a chat with me

kevin at Louis Vuitton

26) Kevin, Louis Vuitton personal shopper to the rich & famous, for the fantastic history lesson behind the LV brand

52 martinis

27) Miss 52 Martinis for a quick cocktail tour of Harry’s Bar, an old haunt of Hemingway’s, on a busy Tuesday night in Paris

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST

lola & leah

28) Leah Travels thank you for being the best travel partner in crime i could ever EVER imagine. our month of adventures will bring us a lifetime of laughter!

XO – lola

 

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Filed under barcelona, europe, france, italy, london, paris, prague, spain, travel

i’m a winner & you can be a winner too!

oui, i’m a winner & i’m tickled pink

sante lola – you are heading back to tres fantastique PARIS!

WHY? because i’m a winner of a FANTASTIC PRIZE even though i didn’t actually win! how is that possible, you ask?! well…

Go with Oh is putting on their TRES FAB Blogger Competition again and i suggest you join in the fun of attempting to win one of their amazing prizes. there are loads of winning opportunities through Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter contests as well!

i can honestly say that last April was one great ride during Go with Oh’s Spring Blogger Contest. between writing a creative piece about what i would do in Paris if i won the contest to promoting it in every way i could think of – it definitely kept my life lively AND got me dreaming about all things Paris! (who couldn’t l’amour daydreaming about that!)

i got a sidekick for photo stunts to promote my entry – lil french can can lola

plus, there were extra unexpected bennies too. like introducing me to a whole lot of other talented travel writers AND growing my own audience on my social media platforms. if you are really clever – like someone i know 😉 – you will partner up with an amazing writer and strike a deal to help each other. you may recall, i didn’t actually WIN this contest yet somehow i’m still getting the prize of a month’s accommodations for free through Go with Oh! may i suggest that you be SMART, WITTY & CREATIVE in your entry, your promotion & in your alliances! HAHA

give me 5 lil lola! we did it…we are headed back to Paris!

keep in touch, s’il vous plait, while i’m on my Eurotour with Leah Travels from November 6 though December 5. we’ll be in Prague, all over Italy, Barcelona, PARIS & London. you can enter the Twitter Bonanza Contest & give us city tips or photo dares.

you see, i’m a WINNER & you could be a winner too! wishing you the BEST OF LUCK on your blog post entries, tweets, Facebook posts, Instragrams, Pinterest boards, etc.

XO – lola

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Filed under europe, italy, london, paris, prague, travel

Europe’s most iconic landmarks

where i’ve been + where i’m returning!

LOLA – an icon in the making

lola loves iconic things! like famous fashion designers, old school actors, even the classic iconic cocktail. i think you know i’d like to be a bit of an icon myself! and then there’s Europe, home to breathtaking views, magical cities and some of the most iconic attractions throughout the globe. a European adventure would not be complete without a trip to one or all of these magnificent historical sites. i’ll be blazing a trail through Europe next month & will see quite a few of these famous iconic landmarks once again! *EXCITED*

Eiffel Tower – France

found in the city of love, Paris is home to the iconic Eiffel Tower. cruising down the city’s famous river Seine, travelers are lost in awe of the true beauty of this manmade structure. LOLA’S FAVORITE…brings a tear to my eye!

Stonehenge – England

the historical landmark of Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world. truly a sight to be seen, this enormous stone structure dates back to 2600BC, when construction first began. this is one sight lola hasn’t seen!!

Cologne Cathedral – Germany

one of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe, the Cologne Cathedral is a spectacular Roman Catholic Church. with building beginning in 1248, this historical structure displays breathtaking gothic architecture. it’s been many years but this landmark is gorge!

Grand Place – Belgium

representing the centre point of Brussels, the Grand Palace is truly a spectacular site. one of the most memorable landmarks, for travelers to Europe, the Grand Palace houses the breathtaking town hall and various other important buildings in Brussels. never been to Belgium – must go, MUST GO!

Colosseum – Italy

located in the historical city of Rome, the Colosseum is one of the most visited landmarks in Europe. commemorating the barbaric history of the country, the ruins of the Colosseum remain as a reminder of what life was once like. flights to Rome, combined with tour packages of the Colosseum, can be found for a very reasonable price. it is awe-inspiring for sure! i’m going on a special tour of the Colosseum when in Rome – CAN’T WAIT!!

The Louvre – France

one of the most famed art galleries in the world, the Louvre attracts millions of visitors each year. home to the brilliant works of the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, amongst numerous others, this is one landmark that should not be missed. been there, done that. BUT will be doing again…LOLA-STYLE! stay tuned people.

St Mark’s Basilica – Italy

representing a period of the most brilliant architecture of all time, St Mark’s Basilica is visited by devout followers, history buffs and everyone in between. LOVE this square in Venice – even if it hosts the largest pigeon population in the world!

Buckingham Palace – England

this London landmark is home to the Royal Monarch and the primary place of official royal proceedings. while travelers are unable to enter this prestigious landmark, photo opportunities are aplenty. dear Queen Elizabeth, lola is still waiting for her royal invite!

Acropolis of Athens – Greece

the most well-known acropolis around the world, the Acropolis of Athens is perched atop a staggering cliff and is home to the remnants of several historical structures, including the famous Parthenon. LOVE! this was one of my MUST SEE sites of my lifetime. so happy i’ve seen it with my own eyes & walked those historical paths.

Brandenburg Gate – Germany

once a city gate, the reconstructed Brandenburg Gate is now a valuable insight into the history of Germany. situated in the city of Berlin, the gate is now one of the most famous landmarks throughout all of Europe. it is a beautiful gate. it’s almost as if you can feel all the history alive around you as you go through it!

which of these iconic landmarks have you visited?

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Filed under europe, france, italy, london, paris, rome, travel

i spy eye candy! – London

in honor of our original “mother country” and Independence Day – this week where in the world is lola? picked the EYE CANDY topic of LONDON! here’s hoping there are a few other anglophiles who will enjoy this too! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN & GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

LONDON BRIDGE ISN’T FALLING DOWN – MY FAIR LADY!

i’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy – a Yankee Doodle, do or die. a real live niece of my uncle Sam’s – born on the Fourth of July. i’ve got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart – he’s my Yankee Doodle joy. Yankee Doodle came to London – just to ride the ponies i am a Yankee Doodle gal!

LONDON CALLING – i can’t wait to get back! what do you love about London? what eye candy might you like to have a ‘spot of’ next? don’t forget to let me know.

cheerio – lola

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Filed under eye candy, london, travel