A Weekend Getaway to Amsterdam & Brussels | Travel Photo Diary

Hello lovely reader! Happy 2019! With the New Year happening, I have been doing a lot of looking back, in order to help understand what I want going into 2019. I have also been doing a fair amount of organizing, whether it be my room, my calendars, or my computer, I always like to make sure I have my "stuff" together for a fresh start. While organizing my computer and looking back at my previous travels, I found a group of photos from a weekend trip that I took with some friends to Amsterdam and Brussels. I wanted to share them now as I know this is the time when many people will start to creating their 2019 Travel Goals and also many people will be leaving to Study Abroad!

Starting with Amsterdam, my biggest tip for this quaint city is to just wander. There are so many idyllic spots along the canals for gorgeous (& insta-worthy photo-ops). It's so peaceful and definitely has a very different feel to another city that I've visited, much more relaxed. 

After having breakfast one morning my friends and I found an open market full of clothes, souvenirs, bakery sweets, flowers, and the delicious and iconic, stroopwafel.  

Have to get one of course.

Inspiring street art on the side of buildings, a easy reminder to look up and around, you never know what you might miss!

Even though it's about as "touristy" as you can get, an "I amsterdam" photo-op is a must! It's also right next to the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum as well as a really pretty little fountain.

Lovely canal houses, each with their own personality.

If you have time, I would highly recommend visiting the Anne Frank House. There is typically quite a long line, but it does move fairly quickly and is worth the wait. To be able to walk through the house was a very surreal and at times moving experience. It really gave me a new perspective and understanding of who Anne Frank was. Very very powerful experience!

Now onto Brussels, a must see spot is the Grand Place de Brussels. A town square surrounded by gorgeous architecture that is just as striking during the day as it is at night. The intricacy of the gilded buildings is so impressive and stunning!

Also have to hit up a clear tourist trap for some Belgian frites. In case you didn't know, French Fries are not actually French so when in Belgium, the the birth place of fries, you've got to try!

Definitely recommend heading back to the Grand Place de Brussels in the evening to see all of the buildings lit up!

The indulgences continue, Belgian chocolate, need I say more? The smell that hits you when you walk into these gorgeous chocolate shops is like getting dunked into Willie Wonka's chocolate river! Often times there are samples being shared and the shop workers are extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions you may have about their decadent creations!

Belgian waffles are also everywhere along the streets and of course a must try. No guilt to be had after walking around all day!

If you want to take a break from the city, the Atomium is a nice day trip. Originally constructed for the 1958 World's Fair this structure is now a museum and you are able to go up inside it. If you aren't into heights, there are surrounding parks and benches which make for great people watching and relaxing...

While enjoying your final belgian waffle of the trip!

Have you been the either of these place before? Any tips for future travelers? Xx

The Marvelous Met & Sweet Serendipity | New York Photo Diary

Hello lovely reader and welcome to the last installment of my "New York Photo Diary" posts! You can check out the previous three posts here, but I must say that "part 4" which encompasses the last day of my trip was one of the most amazing things I've ever gotten to do which was visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Not only was that a moment in itself seeing as it is so grand and iconic but I also got to visit the "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" exhibit which was beyond incredible. If you ever have the chance to visit this exhibit you absolutely must! I even read the other day that due to the high attendance, The Met has extended the viewing through Labor Day, September 5th. As someone who studies fashion and throughly enjoys learning about it and the history, to be able to see these garments up close and their craftsmanship and details was unbelievable. One moment you are looking at a Chanel suit from the 60's the next moment, a Christian Dior dress from the 50's and then you round a corner and see the extremely modern-esque creations of Issey Miyake. There were different galleries with various themes such as embroidery, feathers, pleating, and leather work. Then within the galleries were pieces made by hand (Manus) and by machine (Machina) which as the point of the exhibit, to display handmade and machine made garments. It truly is a fashion lovers dream come true and for me personally it made me that much more proud and excited that this is the world that I am going to be working in one day. I took tons of pictures at the exhibit and tried to pick ones for this post that would allow you to be able to see the variety of styles that the exhibit includes. I also included a picture that states the purpose of the exhibit which is worth reading to better understand the images.
 

 

After all the fashionable excitement, we went to Treadwell Park for dinner. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was really fun. It was jam packed full of people meeting after work at the bar and having dinner, even playing some ping pong. The seating is all picnic tables so you share with people which actually worked out well for us. My friends and I sat with two lovely women who we chatted to about living in New York. I had the bratwurst with warm potato salad and it was really good. As you can tell by the picture, the setting and serving style is very aesthetically pleasing.  

After dinner we headed over to Serendipity 3 to finish off our NYC trip properly and have some outrageous dessert. We had to wait a little while just because the place is quite small but it was so worth it. We ordered a Cinnamon Fun Sundae and the Forbidden Broadway Sundae, both certainly lived up to the hype and it was the perfect way to end an amazing trip.

I mean come on!

So thus concludes my NYC Photo Diary. It was a fabulous trip and I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I got up to! Also, if you are interested in fashion but unable to make it to The Met, their website has a really nice page filled with information, pictures, and videos of the exhibit that I would recommend taking a look at. Have you been to NYC? What are some of your favorite spots? Xx

Reflecting on Life & Relaxing in Central Park | New York Photo Diary

Hey lovely reader! I can officially say that this is part 3 out of 4 for my "New York Photo Diary" posts. If you haven't seen the first two, "Chelsea, Cupcakes, and Challis" and "Gossip Girl, Gyros, & Great Food" go check them out after having a scroll through today's post! These pictures are from some of the last few days of the trip and include visiting the 9/11 Memorial, the Flatiron District, and Central Park. 

On this day, we visited the 9/11 Memorial which was a very surreal experience. It definitely made me take a moment and reflect on how fortunate I am. While there and seeing all the names I couldn't help but think about how there were so many other people there visiting and how to me, I don't know any of the people listed but how someone who is standing right next to me may know that name that lies in front of them. My thoughts and prayers are forever with everyone who was affected on that day. We had also planned on going inside and seeing the museum but unfortunately they stop entrance to the museum at 6pm. So fair warning, even if you have bought your tickets in advance, they will not let anyone in past six. It was a shame that we didn't get to go in, but the memorial in itself was definitely a moment I will never forget. 

Flatiron Building

The last day, we dedicated to Central Park which is huge! It is far more spread out than I imagined. This was one of my favorite days because the weather was gorgeous and we were able to just relax and explore the park, have some lunch, and really take it all in. 

We had lunch at this adorably chic restaurant just off the Great Lawn called "Le Pain Quotidien". The food was delicious and so photogenic. 

Felt so Americana eating my Bombpop in the middle of Central Park

Shout out to the dog walkers who were everywhere

Gorgeous rooftop view.

Have you been to Central Park? Have a favorite spot? Xx