June 14, 2011 · 8:20 am

pre-race – Woodstock, VT

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the covered bridges

i arrived in vermont the day  before the Covered Bridges Half Marathon and had a scenic drive along the route i’d be running the next morning. the funny thing about CBHM is that you run past a couple of covered bridges but only actually run through one! (the first one above on the left) it was a good idea to familiarize myself with the run & the infamous 8th mile hill!

the drive took us to the beginning of the run – suicide six ski area. next, we decided to tour around Woodstock & “carbo-load” with a local brew at Bentley’s. Bentley’s is a well known watering hole in Woodstock & guess what…we weren’t the only runners there having pre-race beers!

long trail belgian white beer - YUM!

some other finds in Woodstock were:

37 central street – an adorable clothing store where they carried a lot of a judith march designs. very cute dresses!

elliott newman – a jewelry store also located on central street that had some beautiful items made by jewelry designer – anna beck. i really loved that wide gold cuff!!

after making some new race friends at Bentley’s, we headed back to our headquarters – what i dubbed the “running gals shack” when i checked us in on facebook. (mind you, our accommodations hardly resembled a shack but were more like a chalet!) there, we met up with the rest of our posse for a pre-race girls dinner. post-dinner it was early to bed & early to rise for the race.

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June 10, 2011 · 2:24 pm

BON VOYAGE: parting thoughts on St. Barts

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while St. Barts can be a relatively quiet island, you can find the party scene here & there or just create your own party. we managed to witness & participate in one party scene while lounging at Nikki Beach. another place to “party” is ti st. barth. unfortunately our plans to go to ti st. barth coincided with our Nikki Beach afternoon and that was just too much partying for one single day! c’est la vie – next time!

my final PRO for villa renting would be the ability to have your own little party whenever you please. it was fun to have a pool party, dinner party & dance party many of the evenings spent at our villa. (sorry mr. fisherman neighbor if our music was too loud!!)

for more scoop on what’s happening while visiting St. Barts check out stbartslive.com or pick up a copy of le tam tam.

some tunes you may want to add to your playlist that were popular on SBH radio: ride wit me by nelly, memories by david guetta, we no speak americano by yolanda be cool AND i’m from russia by dzham

AU REVOIR St. Barts! i J’ADORE you always!!!

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· 10:40 am

BUY: ooo la la shopping

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scenes from gustavia – what you’ll see on your shopping spree

you probably don’t need me to tell you that shopping on St. Barts is great. you can deduce this because a)it’s French and the French love their fashion & b)it IS St. Barts which means everything is casual yet TRES CHIC! after all, SBH was named one of the “world’s 10 best shopping destinations” by Forbes. you’ll find the biggest selection in gustavia or in st. jean.

i will impart some things i came across AND will stress one important TIP that is NOT TO MISS…

TRIP TIPS –

OUCH talk about breaking the bank! St. Barts shopping can take big toll on your funds with all of the fancy designer shops and YES it’s also expensive due to the strength of the euro vs. the US dollar BUT you do have an advantage traveling in May or the summer months because of the sales the stores offer. many were marking down their merchandise 40-50% off when i was there. after the money exchange conversion this is really about 25% off, but saving something is better than nothing – right?! keep in mind many of these items will be full price elsewhere in the world where they are just coming into season.

OK prepare/defend yourself…SBH shopping is really tempting. to help you research your “purchase must-haves”, pick up those glossy island magazines (like chic st. barth, discover saint barthélemy, hello-stbarth) that you see at the airport or seaport upon arrival. at the very least it will familiarize you with some places you may need to check out, or help organize your plan of attack. you may also get lucky enough to witness an impromptu fashion show to entice an “i can’t live without that” purchase as we did during our lunch at hotel isle de france (great store there FYI).

i’m a big fan of finding local & unique things while traveling so that when i wear, see or use my travel purchases i think of the special place it came from. thus, i would HIGHLY recommend items from Ligne St. Barth – a local company that organically grows, manufactures & sells oils, lotions & other beauty essentials right there on the lovely island of SBH herself. i L.O.V.E. the coco sunscreen oil and swear its SPF is better than most even though it says 2% plus it’s completely practical & smells exactly like summertime should. (ps – they were also having a sale on much of their line)

other must-haves might be:

a quintessential souvenir island t-shirt from either pati de st. barth or saint barth attitude. pati de st. barth has been credited with creating the square st. barth’s logo that’s become a famous symbol around the world for the island. i have one of these tee’s and i love it. i did not manage to get a new ‘saint barth attitude’ tee and i’m not happy about it…it goes on the shopping list for next time for sure!

vanita rosa – only on SBH or in Paris – talk about boho-hip…i found the coolest linen tunic that’s adorned with just the right amount of lace here. it’s the kind of thing that i could wear as a cover up or with jeans, shorts, a skirt or even as a dress – it’s THAT versatile! completely worth the money (especially at half off) and probably will be the most coveted thing in my closet that i wear this summer.

pop st. barth – a precious little boutique right on rue de la republique in gustavia – pop st. barth carried dresses and tops that were in such lovely island colors. everything was beautiful and on sale. the designer/owner was so friendly and encouraged us to try things we might not ordinarily try on our own.

my gorgeous tahitian & australian pearl necklace – custom made & oh so versatile

now for my TRIP TIP not to be overlooked…if you’ve been to St. Barts you probably noticed another item that seems to be EVERYWHERE – the gorgeous sea pearl necklaces made on leather cording. i have been coveting one of these babies since last year. bijoux de la mer has a storefront in gustavia and has truly incredible things available for a small fortune. other islanders have caught on to this craze and have begun to create their own designs. ie -hotel isle de france has someone privately making jewelry for them. here’s my fantastic source – St Barth Treasures – designs by Ted Deltour. i was introduced to Ted through Pierre – thanks, yet again, Pierre! i met with Ted, picked out my pearls & style of necklace and then he made it for me for at least 1/2 the price of other retailers. Ted even met us at Nikki Beach to hand deliver my new fabulous purchase. i love the necklace Ted – you are an amazing artist! (post a comment to get Ted’s contact information – website coming soon)

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June 7, 2011 · 8:27 am

EAT: St. Barts fine dining and everything in between

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St. Barts is known for its notoriously delicious gourmet fare, so of course the next entry has to be about my food experiences throughout the island.  for a great write-up on St. Barts dining, check out “which caribbean island is right for you” on independenttraveler.com. tell me – are you really surprised?

for more up-to-the-moment SBH restaurant ideas & specials of the day – check out stbartslive.com or follow them on twitter

BON APPÉTIT!

morning coffee & croissants

this picture doesn’t do the croissants any justice! it was heavenly to arrive at our St. Barts villa on the first day to a fridge stocked with french jam, coffee & fixings, soda, water & carib – thank you Pierre! as i’ve mentioned before, Pierre came each morning to the villa with fresh croissants and baguettes & made us our coffee. this was our breakfast every day – and why not – it was fantastic & included as part of our villa package. LOVED this!

Le Select

if you’ve been to SBH you know that Le Select is a staple on the island. it is, after all, where jimmy buffet got his inspiration for ‘cheeseburger in paradise’. how true! Le Select is right in gustavia & offers quick counter service that’s VERY affordable for St. Barts (money saving tip). we ate there a couple of times & would definitely recommend it even if just so you could say you had your own cheeseburger in paradise.

other places worth the mention:

le sereno’s  Restaurant des Pêcheurs – beautiful & serene – i chose le risotto aux st jacques grillées (risotto with grilled scallops, leeks & asparagus). doesn’t it sound even more delicious in french?

Maya’s – on everyone’s list of favorites for dining on St. Barts, Maya’s was warm, welcoming & wonderful. their menu changes daily – i had a fish trio including wahoo – which was fabulous. the view over gustavia harbor isn’t too shabby either!

hotel isle de france’s Case de L’Isle – what could be better than an alfresco lunch on the beach – especially if the beach is anse des flamands on St. Barts? yummy rum punches and club sandwiches were the order of the day – delish!

Harbour Saladerie – set in an “outside” room at the water’s edge of gustavia’s harbor – this was a perfect dinner of flatbread-style pizza. maybe it doesn’t sound terribly french or fancy, but the pizza was outstanding and a nice change from richer french fare. it was also very reasonably priced.

Nikki Beach lunch & cocktails

my favorite meal of the whole trip was at Nikki Beach. just look at that wahoo with curry sauce – YUM! and then there are those out-of-this-world rum punches i mentioned before. set right on le plage de st. jean – the food was awesome and the view even better. remember this is the place to see and be seen!

TRIP TIPS – how to eat on St. Barts for less? eat in a couple of nights (again, yea villa!). we found that the supermarché (grocery store) by the airport had the biggest, best & least expensive selection of food. they stay open until 7-7:30 so you can pick up your supplies on the way home from your day at the beach. Pierre picked up fresh fish for us one day so we could cook Caribbean fish tacos SBH-style!

another tip is to eat your hors d’oeuvres at home before you go out for dinner. OMG we found the most divine cumin cheese!!!

also buy some wine, beer & booze at supermarché and start off with a cocktail or two home before you head out. Pierre bought us some amazing french wines at le cave de saint-barths. a votre sante!

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June 3, 2011 · 2:58 pm

Early June – and i'm off…to the race – Quechee, VT

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[twitter-follow screen_name= ‘loladimarco’]

yes, this year is dedicated to travels here, there and everywhere…and, yes, i claim to be a purveyor of fun…BUT this one i’m working for! is it too late to “un” register? lola – may you run like the wind (or in reality like a gentle breeze that’s faster than a 13 minute mile otherwise they won’t assist you alongside the road)!

sweet kicks - at least look the part! RUN GIRL RUN!

i’m off to run/jog the 20th anniversary of the covered bridges half marathon or CBHM. they say it’s the “best 13.1 miles in New England”. i’m ABSOLUTELY NOT trying to toot any horn here but i’ve never run a half marathon. i’ll let you know how it goes! in the meantime, read up if you like. covered bridges actual run – YIKES!

of course you can probably guess this is also wrapped around a girls weekend & why not?! shouldn’t having fun be a part of your fitness goals too? in my opinion, it’s really the only way to do it. where will your fitness goals take you this year? i say it’s the perfect opportunity to plan a “break for your body betterment” in soooo many ways. email me if you need help with ideas on planning your perfect fitness getaway or creating a list of pros on why you should JUST DO IT! that’s not NIKE’s tag line for nothin’.

adventure/fitness travel may be the next big thing read : get ready for your best fitness vacation ever – outside magazine’s 2011 travel hotlist highlights 2 fitness gurus tying together travel & exercise!

i’ll be reporting back on woodstock & quechee, vermont as well. let’s see what i can find, learn & who i meet along the way – if i’m still able to walk that is! let the race begin!

PS – at the request of some – here’s a sampling of the playlist!

Flo Rida: who dat girl?, turn around (5,4,3,2,1), where them girls at?

Chris Brown: Yeah 3X & beautiful people

Ke$ha: blow &  we r who we r

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