Been there: Milford Sound, NZ

In 2007 I set off for a six month adventure to NZ, Australia and Fiji. Milford Sound was one of the highlights of the trip, and the Contiki tour I was on spent the night on a cruise here. Being from Canada, it takes a lot for other countries to impress me with nature. I can honestly say that New Zealand gives Canada a run for its money.

Can You Take the Plunge?

 

For those who know me, it will come as no surprise that I'm an adrenaline junkie. From skydiving in New Zealand to doing a total of three separate bungee jumps in two days, I love the rush of adventure. The above video features one of the largest rope swings in the entire world, located in Moab, Utah. It doesn't look like the setup is tourist-friendly as of yet, but after a few lessons from the professionals, I'd be willing to take the risk.

Video source via Gadling 

Parisian Layovers

One of the best parts about the flight over to Croatia is that we have a ten hour layover in Paris. I can think of worse places to be stranded for a day, and my significant other and I intend to make the most of this short visit. Having both visited this amazing city before, the plan is to a) find a typical Parisian cafe and eat until satisfied, or b) grab a bottle of wine and chill by the Eiffel tower French-style. Either way, the visit will be a great start to our two-week trip.

Croatia Planning

Hvar

Rovinj

Dubrovnik

My boyfriend and I are heading to Croatia in June. Here are three places on the must-see list. Any other suggestions? 

Toronto Bound

On Sunday, after only 5 and a half hours on the Megabus from Montreal, I finally arrived in the city that I will now call home...for the time being anyway. Yesterday I said goodbye to the city that was the site of much debauchery and general shenanigans to start fresh in Toronto. This does not mean to say that I am planning to bring an end to these endeavors but my new internship at Trend Hunter Magazine may cause a few restrictions on the timing of this drinking. However I did find out today that as part of our internship, the mandatory Friday meetings involve testing a new type of beer each week. Things could be worse.

New York New York

I can now happily say that I have checked off yet another must-see place on my travel bucket list. The bank account may be a little worse for wear, but I have no regrets. Here's a quick recap of the 5 day exhibition in no precise order:

Shake Shack- the best burgers you will ever eat. Period.
Clinton Street Bakery - worth the hour and a half wait.
Greenhouse Nightclub - pretending like you actually belong in the VIP section.
Times Square - where advertising can sufficiently suffice for sunlight
Robin Williams - the best part of "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo." I am now fully aware of how much commercial, money grabbing crap there actually is on Broadway.
Central Park - nothing like watching little league baseball while surrounded by towering high rises.
Eatery - by far the most creative menu I have ever seen at a restaurant.
Lower East Side - if I ever managed to live in NY, this is where I would set up shop.
Brooklyn Bridge - only half an hour to walk across with a great view of Manhattan.
Little Italy - walking down Mulberry Street where The Godfather was filmed.
Chinatown - where we came across the best sign EVER: "Only One Damn Dolla, Holla!" Pure marketing genius.
The Company - although NY is one amazing city, being there with KF made it that much better. Just watch that volatile nose of yours :) xox

Easter Antics Part II

"I wear my sunglasses at night"




If I was to use one song to describe my experiences in Italy, Cory Hart's 1980's retro hit would be it. Granted, I am selling the country a little short considering it was definitely one if the highlights of my travels, but when it comes to Italian men, overbearing flirtation is not the only thing they're famous for. Trying to find an Italian man on a night out sans sunglasses is like searching for comfort and quiet on a flight with ryanair - an ultimately futile endeavor.

Some might say that it makes perfect sense for these men to walk around, eyes covered in order to disguise wandering eyes from the attractive female species. However, in a country such as Italy where blatant catcalling is as common as tourists at the Colosseum, the act of wearing the damn things seems completely redundant. Although the reasoning may be completely illogical, the actual act of walking around in shades without sunlight is far trickier than I imagined. Trying to immerse ourselves in the surrounding culture, my friends and I attempted to "be Italian" and kept those 10 dollar knockoffs firmly in place for the not so better half of one day. One missed metro stop, a dozen questionably focused photos, and a near bail on a flight of stairs later, we decided to leave this act to the experts.

Ridiculous or not, it takes a bit of practice to wear sunglasses at night and Italian men have this down to a tee. Maybe this is why they are so forward - with the potential of eye contact erased they are helplessly forced to revert to more forceful measures. Whatever the reason, these guys know how to rock the Pradas and function far better than a curious backpacker. But hey, at least I tried.