// NOLITAN //
I took a taxi from JFK to Manhattan, all the while fearing for my life, and landed in the lobby of the über cool Nolitan Hotel. After checking in, I was asked if I’d like a glass of champagne – to which I replied, ‘YESSSS.’ So there I was: squeezed onto the balcony of my hotel room overlooking a busy street, sipping on champagne and taking in the deafening (but glorious) sound of New York City traffic.
Perfection.
I crawled onto the bed after exploring the wonders of the balcony and discovered that the sheets were the most indescribably soft things my skin had ever encountered. Honestly, they were amazing. I think the fibers were laced with cotton candy. That night we ventured around the corner to a little restaurant called Bread, as recommended by the hotel staff. It was delicious. Granted, my husband’s eggplant parmigiana was way better than the meatballs I had… but still, it was well worth the visit.
The next morning we were feeling ambitious and full of life so decided to head down the street to 24 Hour Fitness where we engaged in a little early morning workout. On the way back, we stopped by The Butcher’s Daughter for a little detoxifying juice. Much to my shock the little baby set me back $10 but, I’ve got to say, it was the best juice of my life.
Afterwards we headed out in search of food. I was craving eggs royale and after much wandering we finally stumbled into Cafe Select. It wasn’t until we had already been seated that we noticed the bircher muesli on the menu and the Zurich themed posters on the wall… how, on earth, had we managed to come all the way from Switzerland and wind up in a Swiss themed restaurant on our first morning in New York? Oh well. The food was good and we enjoyed hissing over the hilarious exaggerated accents of the people at the table next to us. Post-breakfast we borrowed some bikes from the hotel (yes, they lend out bikes – so good) and we headed towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Through Chinatown we went and I promise I only screeched from fear of death once. It was an incredibly long and sweaty endeavour but the ride was, without a doubt, my favourite part of the entire trip to the city. If you’re ever in town, man-up and ride a bike around. Just beware of impending traffic. There is obviously a lot of it.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Little Italy. I’ve only been to New York a handful of times but I’ve got to say this was my favourite area of the city I’ve ever stayed in. There are loads of awesome shops and restaurants to explore. The best part is that it doesn’t feel too touristy at all and amazingly it isn’t that crowded. Also, if you happen to be in the area and need a sugar rush you can always pop into the Little Cupcake Bakeshop on Prince Street for some yummy treats…
// DISNEYLAND PARIS //
Cover me in bubble wrap and stick me in a box… I want to be shipped back to Disney.
Some people like to launch into a philosophical discussion at the mere mention of Disney’s descent onto Europe. Would France have been a better place had Mickey and his theme park stuck to the sunny shores of the US? Personally, I’d rather wear Minnie Mouse ears, eat pink food and ride on the teacups all day long than worry about those things. I literally could have stayed in that sunny park forever.
Photos taken at Disneyland Paris.
VENCE: A VISUAL DIARY...
I'm currently stretching my legs in a flat in southern France. I arrived here on Saturday to perfectly clear blue skies and I couldn't be happier. The winter in Zurich has been so long - it feels impossibly good to feel the sun on my skin again. Yesterday we headed out into the town of Vence. It was perfect to wander around the old cobbled streets and take in the weekend atmosphere. There's only one problem that I'm currently facing: French coffee. We sat down at a lovely little outdoor cafe in a square and ordered two cappuccinos. When they came out, instead of foam, there were huge dollops of thick whipped cream on top. Is this normal? I need to figure out what sort of coffee to order here. I'm not hardcore enough to just order an espresso, I need something with a bit of milk and, ideally, some foam. What do I order guys? Tomorrow we're heading into Antibes, hopefully I'll have better luck.
SECHSELÄUTEN: THE BURNING SNOWMAN...
Everything is better when you add fresh flowers...
On Monday afternoon the streets of central Zurich were taken over by a parade of the guilds - complete with old-fashioned outfits, marching bands, lots of beer, plus old men throwing candy and fish (?!). Apparently it's the sort of cheesy traditional event that you should only go to once but, quite honestly, I love it. The weather has been RUBBISH recently and, even though it was freezing and raining, it was totally inspirational to see the entire city covered in flowers. There's a strange exchange of flowers between people in the parade and people watching... it eventually ends with handfuls of gorgeous floral arrangements being handed out to any kid that shouts loud enough at the person passing by - next year I'm bringing a fog horn.
They might be old-fashioned costumes but I loved seeing all the outfits in the parade. There were some amazing hats and the shoes with buckles reminded me of the Miu Miu AW12 collection (yumm - buckle bows). Loads of people wore necklaces with big pretzels attached to the end... I'm thinking this is something I should start including in my daily look.
Ah yes, that's some Swiss beer with a flower and next to it is the böögg. The böögg is a snowman that's been stuffed with explosives. Bizarre, right? Everyone gathers around and watches as a fire gradually moves up towards the snowman, waiting for the head to explode. #TotesBizarre - the faster it explodes the better the summer is meant to be. This year it took 12 minutes and 7 seconds - not too bad.
Come on summer, I'm ready for you.
on being scammed.
Experience thus far points towards Swiss people having a high charm-factor score. The passport control officer even offered up visa advice while warmly welcoming us into the country... as opposed to the British who, I swear, assume you're a terrorist smuggling drugs up your bum regardless of how sweet you might be. Ran into a dodgy situation yesterday afternoon though when a 'letting agency' tried to score 500 SEK in cash off of us in exchange for... well, we're still trying to figure out what we were meant to get from the agreement. Catastrophe avoided though. We bolted out of that place and headed for the hills, where we had lattes, rode a tram, and gazed at the skyline (snow covered Alps included). Zurich is more beautiful and enticing than imagined it would be... now, if only we could find a place to live.
tallboys, hotdogs & stockholm...
