#amazefesteurope – Firenze fever

Title Feeling like my Roman holiday wasn’t all that glamorous, I popped on the train and headed to Florence.  Florence was the one place that everyone said I would love.  It’s beautiful, the shopping is great, and they are known for their cheap leather.  Well, my friends, they were right.

I arrived in Florence via the Frecciarossa high-speed train that gave me beautiful views of the Italian countryside.  The train ride was honestly probably one of the highlights for me being in Italy.  The ride lasts about an hour and a half but it really does fly by (literally and figuratively).

I chose to stay at PLUS Florence, which has the highest reviews for a hostel on Trip Advisor (which is HUGE in Europe by the way).  PLUS Florence is located about a 10-minute walk from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella train station.  PLUS, like The Generator is a boutique hostel chain with multiple locations throughout Europe.  This one didn’t even feel like a hostel to me.  I stayed in a six-person female dorm, but it wasn’t full on either of the nights I was there. The pink room was also huge and had a bathroom and a separate room for the shower.  There was also a little table and a large mirror for doing your makeup (always a plus in my books).  The hostel also had a pool, fitness facilities, a Turkish bath, a restaurant and bar on-site, and more.  I would say PLUS was definitely more of a hotel, rather than hostel.  The only thing negative I would say about it is that there were tons of youth tour groups, so you would have kids yelling and running up and down the halls late into the night and early in the morning.  They would also crowd the lobby and just outside the hostel during the morning hours.  With that being said, by the time I reached Florence, I pretty much lost all my Canadian niceness and would just shove the kids out of the way.  Rates start at 16 euro a night and I highly recommend this hostel.

Ponte Vecchio Inside the ponte vecchio View Me Outside the Pitti Palace Alright, so the thing to know about Florence is that it’s quite small. There are lots of things to see and do in the city and luckily they are all quite close to one another.  The first day I walked by the Duomo, which is a massive church right in the centre of the city.  From there, I went to see the Ponte Vecchio, which is such an iconic bridge in Florence that houses shop after shop of beautiful jewelry.  Keep walking past the Ponte Vecchio and you will reach the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens, which I didn’t feel like paying to get in (by that point I was over seeing all the touristy things, I just wanted to shop), but if you have read Dan Brown’s Inferno, they play a huge role in the novel.

Luisa Roma Luisa Roma Storefront

Florence, to me was all about the shopping.  The major shopping destinations are located right near the Duomo and include all the usual stores like H&M, Zara, Prada, Gucci, you name it. They also have two department stores, Coin and La Rinascente. The store I loved the most was LUISAVIAROMA, which carried items that were a bit out of my price range, but the pieces were just gorgeous to look at, plus the store itself is so esthetically trendy and modern.  For those who want leather, hit up the San Lorenzo market, which is located near PLUS Florence.  I bought my mom three leather bags, all of which were under 30 euro (hopefully they are real leather :p), I also got other little items, like a shirt for my brother and a scarf for myself.  The trick with these guys is to walk away.  They will quote you a price and the longer you sit there being like “I dunno…” the more they will lower it. Also, most of the carts have similar items, so if you see a bag you like at one stand, walk to another and negotiate the price. I also got some free items because I would just talk with the people.  The sellers in Florence were a lot more laid back then the other places I visited.

Prada outlet Prada and countryside Dior shops Goodies

The key to the best shopping in Florence actually exists just outside the city. I took the shuttle bus from the SITA bus station beside SMN station to The Mall, a luxury outlet about 40 minutes outside Florence.  A roundtrip ticket costs 10 euro and is well worth the cost if you are planning on doing some shopping.  Also, it was nice to see more of Florence, including the more modern areas, as well as the Italian countryside.

If you like designer items like me, this is the mecca.  This place sounds like an urban legend, umm a Valentino outlet?  A giant Prada store with discounted items?  It can’t be true right?  Wrong.  The Mall is like any other outlet we have here in North America, except you will find stores like Valentino, YSL, Prada, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Pucci, Balenciaga, etc.  Basically, I went crazy.  Some of the prices were still too expensive for me, but I ended up walking away with some crazy good deals. I don’t buy magnets, I buy Prada. I got a pair of nude Valentino pumps for 150.50 euros, regular 750 euros (over $1,100 Canadian), a pair of Prada aviators for 120 euros (regular $398 USD), a pair of Prada flip flops for 75 euros (regular $430 USD), and a YSL belt for 36 euro (regular $475 USD).  Also, if you spend over a certain amount of money in a store and you aren’t from the European Union, you can claim the VAT tax back, which I did in Prada and got 24 euro back (this is a little bit of a process though, you need to go to the office on site, where they give you the money right away.  At the airport where you are leaving the continent from – in my case London Heathrow – make sure you show the items to customs and get them to stamp the form, which you then pop in the mail).  If you are in Florence, I highly recommend checking out the outlet mall, there are good deals to be found there, the items are from past seasons, but honestly, the styles that I got are timeless. Also, one more thing, those on the hunt for Valentino Rockstuds (like I was), the only ones they had at the Valentino outlet were the flats and they must have been made from snakeskin because they were 500 euro.  If you are interested in a YSL clutch, the YSL outlet had various colours available in patent leather for less than retail price (they were in the 400 euro range from what I can remember). They also had a nice selection of YSL Arty rings for 150 or 130 euros.  As for the Prada Saffiano Tote, the massive Prada outlet at The Mall (there’s also another one, Space Prada, located somewhere else outside Florence) didn’t have that item either.  With that being said, they had tons or other cute styles, as well as Miu Miu.

Me at the top of the duomo Sunset Looking View selfie

After my trip from The Mall, I did as every other tourist does in Florence, and that is climb the Duomo. By this point, I was over seeing the insides of cathedrals, but the real draw is climbing the cupola, all 463 steps up.  My brother previously visited Florence four years ago and said it was a must to climb to the top, so I paid the 10 euro and made headway up the stairs.  Okay, so I thought the climb would be a breeze since I workout five to six days a week and teach fitness classes.  I was super into it upon starting but once you reach the halfway point, where the climb is a lot more narrow, it gets challenging.  By the time you reach the top you will be huffing and puffing and possibly sweating.  I, luckily, did the climb near closing time so there weren’t a lot of people in the stairwell, which I really recommend because it gets tight in there.  If you are claustrophobic or have asthma or heart problems, I would skip this.  There was this one American lady who was yelling at her husband because she didn’t know she would have to climb all the way up and she had asthma.  Once you reach the top, the views of Florence are gorgeous and you forget how challenging the climb was.  The way down is a lot better (and faster), however, some of the stairs go in circles so I did experience a little bit of vertigo.

Duomo Jesus photo Side of Duomo Square Carousel Carousel at night

Overall, I really enjoyed Florence and found it a lot more chill than Rome.  Yes, there were tons of tourists and people selling you stuff, but I found it a lot more enjoyable than the hustle and bustle of Roma.  Also, the fact that it was smaller, but still presented a nice variety of touristy things and shopping is always a plus.  Oh, and let’s not forget the shopping ;).

Have you been to Florence?

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#amazefesteurope – Ciao Roma!

Title My next adventure on my two-week European holiday took me to Italy.  When I was originally planning my vacation, I knew I wanted to do London one weekend and then Paris the next.  I was unsure on where to go in those five days in between.  Amsterdam?  Barcelona?  Rather than go to two countries, I chose to just travel to Italia, as one, I love Italian food, two, I could travel to multiple places in the country, and three, it’s Italy, hello!

The two destinations I chose were Rome and Florence.  I chose to do three days in Rome and then the final two in Florence.  I hopped on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow and arrived at Rome’s Fiumincino Airport two hours later, all at a cost of C$130 (flying in Europe is so cheap).

I chose to stay at The Yellow hostel, located at Via Palestro 44, about a five minute walk from Rome’s Termini Station.  When booking my hostels for my trip, I chose to look for ones that had a boutique feel, Rome didn’t really offer anything of that sort, so I chose to go with The Yellow as it seemed to be one of the more popular ones and it was cheap (rates start at 12 euros).  I actually really liked The Yellow, the beds were comfy, my roommates were really nice (I was in a four-person female dorm) and there were bathrooms and showers in the room.  The on-site bar was a nice place to meet people as well (I met these guys from Belgium that I hung out with every night, as well as a group of New Yorkers the first night), although drinks were a little on the pricier side.  The area the hostel is in is nice, however, Rome’s Termini Station is a bit dodgy at night.  I went with two of the New Yorkers to the McDonald’s beside the station at around 11 p.m. the night I got there and there was a man with blood on his shirt yelling and the security officer was gonna beat him with a stick.  During the day though, it was fine. Type Vatican City Foundatin Me on fountain Sistine Chapel Globe Pope Statue

Alright, so here’s the deal with Rome.  I’m glad I went, but I wouldn’t go back.  Rome is seriously the most touristy place I have ever been to.  I go to Vegas every year and always stay on the strip, London was basically all tourists, but Rome was like Disneyland on crack (I’ve never been to Disneyland, but it seems like it would extremely touristy).  I saw all the major attractions like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (one ticket covers all three attractions. The line is the longest at the Colosseum, I stood in line for maybe 20 minutes, whereas when I walked across the street to Palatine Hill there was no line), the Spanish Steps, Vatican City (I actually chatted with this really nice – and cute- priest in training from the U.S. for like half an hour), the Sistine Chapel (Maximus Tours has a really affordable Vatican City tour), the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain (which I didn’t even toss a coin into because I didn’t want to come back), all of which looks fascinating and romantic on TV.  In reality, it’s a crazy amount of people and tour groups, and people coming up to you trying to sell you the most random things.  The walls around Vatican City and outside the Colosseum are filled with people selling magnets, sunglasses, t-shirts, these jelly things you throw on the ground and make a noise, water bottles, you name it.  It’s also filled with tour groups.  The area around the Trevi Fountain is literally just shop after shop selling Rome stuff (I heart Rome t-shirts, Pope Francis postcards, etc.) and in between those shops are restaurants where when you walk by they shove menus in your face.  I had a really Italian moment at a restaurant where I sat outside, ate lasagna with a 1/4 litre of wine and a guy on an accordion playing the theme from The Godfather.   After he was done, he then went up to every table asking for tips.

To me, the best part of Rome was the food.  I’m pretty sure I had pizza and gelato for every meal.  There is literally a pizzeria on every block and there are multiple ones.  The quick and easy ones are great as you walk in, choose from their selection and then they cut it with scissors, weigh it, then give it to you.  Much different than North American pizza places.  There was a pizza place on the corner of Via Palestro right near The Yellow that had cheap, good pizza, so if you stay there, check it out. I can’t remember the name, but it’s literally on the corner.

As for the shopping, there are two main streets, Via Corso and Via Condotti, both of which I wasn’t impressed by.  They had H&M, Zara, Sephora, and a lot of the luxury labels, but to be honest I think the only thing I bought in Rome was a palette for my bestie Jess from Sephora (it was a “Sephora <3 Roma” palette) and a one euro magnet for my mom.  Rome is all about the sightseeing, which I feel is greatly tarnished by the mass amounts of tour groups and the people selling you random things that have nothing to do with Rome.

Building Trevi Fountain People at the Trevi Fountain Colosseum Inside the colosseum View of Palatine Hill Roman script

Another thing that I didn’t like were the streets.  I had a very difficult time getting around the city.  Thankfully I found out that you can use Google Maps even if you aren’t connected to the Internet (just make sure you have the map preloaded, the blue dot works by GPS).  I kept my iPhone in airplane mode with the WiFi switched on (yes, that’s a thing), so I relied solely on WiFi, which compared to London, there weren’t that many hotspots to get me connected.  For instance, I would be on one road but then I would get to a roundabout with seven different roads and I had no clue which one to take.  I got lost on more than one occasion, including once in the middle of the night on St. Patrick’s Day after I got separated from the people I was with after we went to an Irish pub (I somehow ended up by the river, baffling my new hostel friends on how I got there).

Overall, I’m glad I went there and got to experience all the culture and historical places. Yes, I realize reading this back, I paint Rome is a negative light.  I’m glad I went there and got to see all the history behind the city (and check it off my travel list if you will), but I don’t think I would go back.  With that being said,  I was travelling alone, and I feel that if I were to ever return, I would want to go with another person.  Italy, to me, is a great place to travel if you are with someone.

Enjoy the photos!

Old building at Palatine Hill Seagull Old stuff Pantheon Sign at the Pantheon Spanish Steps Gelato Sephora

Umm can we just talk about this for a second?  McDonald's, what are "creamy stars"?

Umm can we just talk about this for a second? McDonald’s, what are “creamy stars”?

Have you been to Rome? 

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Moisture surge! Lady Speed Stick Nutra-Skin

Title With the polar vortex finally coming to an end, it’s time to bring back some moisture to your skin.  Winnipeg was hit with a really bad winter this year (I’m talking -50 degrees C), so my skin took a beating.  I had to moisturize every night before I went to bed because my skin was something similar to a cactus (not really, but you know what I mean).  To make matters even worse, I work out at least five days a week and teach a fitness class, so I’m constantly sweating and needing moisture in my skin.

Since deodorant is a must for any fitness enthusiast, I was so excited to learn that Lady Speed Stick came out with a new deodorant.  Nutra-Skin with Vitamin E, available in both a stick (45 gram) and roll-on (50 ml) format, provides trusted 24-hour protection and is enriched with moisturizers to soothe dry skin.  The formula contains over 30 per cent skin-conditioning agents, has extra-effective wetness protection, and nourishes your sensitive underarm area.

Speed Stick

I actually never realized how dry underarms could be, but when I actually thought about what they go through on a weekly basis – dry air, irregular shaving, and tons of tight knits – moisture to that area is just as important as your hands, feet, cuticles, etc.

Lady Speed Stick Nutra-Skin is available for a suggested retail price of $2.99 and is available at major retailers across Canada. In addition to providing unparalleled moisture, it also smells fab (seriously, I’m not a fan of that standard “powder fresh” scent, this one smells great!).  Also, there is a special promo going on with Snap Saves, head on over to snapsaves.com/ladyspeedsticknutraskin to get cash back on your purchase!

Sponsored post. This post was sponsored by Lady Speed Stick to share information on the new Lady Speed Stick* Nutra-SkinTM/MC with vitamin E. 

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