Taormina Villa (Sicily Travel Journal Pt. 1)

Hi Friends,

Back from vacation now, wahhhh!  Had an amazing time exploring Sicily the past two weeks though and thought I would share an outfit and a few photos from the trip.  These were all taken on the grounds of a beautiful villa hotel next to an apartment we were renting in Taormina.  It looked so pretty at dusk it was like a fairytale.

Anyway, back to the real world now.  I am about to crawl in bed and its not even 7pm yet, but an 8 hour time difference will do that to you!  Work should be interesting in the morning... What have you guys been up to?!
xo Hannah

Venice (Italy Travel Journal Pt7)

Since I am about to leave for my next adventure this weekend, I thought I best FINALLY wrap up my previous travel photos from Italy.  And I've got to say,  Venice may have been my favorite place of all (though I think it may be a tie with Positano).  Let's just say I'm a pretty big sucker for water and pretty colorful buildings, which both places share, though they are very different!

Dressed like a hobo trying to stay warm and dry.

Evening gondola service. 

Nighttime market 

Striped and ready to row! 

The view from the bedroom window of our apartment! 

Apartment view 2. 

A gull friend on the rialto bridge. 

Meeting up with my friend Diane, whom I studied abroad with in Mexico in 2007! 

One of my favorite shots from the whole time.  Pops of color on a dreary day. 

Twinkling lights invite you in from the rain. 

 The Rialto Bridge 

Pretty Chairs 

Rainy day boats. 

 Me! 

Mom and Dad! 

Pink Street Lights

PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA!

Mom and dad, dancing in the rain to an orchestra!

I know that was a LOT more photos than I usually post and my apologies if that killed your computer speed, but I just could not narrow it down!  Venice was two days of exploring in the rain with my camera, with intermissions for pizza and wine.  Does it get any better?!  Hope you enjoyed the last of my Italy photos!

xo Hannah

When in Rome

Hi guys!  I'm back with another few snaps of my Italy trip last month, this time from Rome!  

Inside the Colosseum. 

Outside the Colosseum

Mom & Dad Strolling.

In Piazza Navona

The fountain of the four rivers

I loved their pretty hair!

Sightseeing from the top of a hop and hop off bus.

All the scooters all the time.

R and I near the entrance of the colosseum.

Anyway, posting will probably continue to be a bit sporadic until after the holiday season, as life and work are kind of kicking my butt right now!  I am so sorry I haven't been keeping up with your blogs either, I really do miss reading and catching up with you all, I just haven't had the time lately.  Hope you guys are having a wonderful start to the holiday season!

xo Hannah 

Travel Log with JennifHsieh

Hi guys! I am super excited to bring to you the fifth and final edition of my travel series of guest posts on the blog called Travel Log!  While I am in Italy traveling without a laptop, I have invited a few of my favorite blogging gals who also have been bitten by the wanderlust bug to share some of their favorite travel experiences with you guys!  So please welcome Jen of JennifHsieh who will be sharing her beautiful trip to Turkey with you guys!

Oh, hey there. My name is Jen and I run a little blog over at JennifHsieh  where I document my personal style and ramble on about little moments about my life. I'm currently living in New York City and working as a production manager within a social media company. Also, I can never say no to a good plate of hot wings. 

What is a favorite or most interesting trip that you've taken and when did you go?

My favorite trip that I've taken within the past few years was to visit my boyfriend in Turkey (he was teaching abroad there for 10 months a few years back). I've always wanted to go to Istanbul but it was even better since it was kind of like a mini-reunion to break up those 10 months into two parts. Leaving was definitely beyond hard though. 

What specific areas did you go to while there?

The two of us spent a few days in Istanbul to ring in the New Year and then traveled to Malatya, the town he was living/teaching in, located in the eastern half of the country. 

For someone else thinking about traveling here, what were your top 2-3 favorite things that you did while there? 

I'm going to focus strictly on Istanbul, since Malatya is not much of a tourist city at all. My favorite things that I did was definitely (1) staying at a hostel instead of a hotel (it gave you a better sense of community and you were more likely to meet friendly strangers), (2) taking the ferry to visit the Asian side of the city, and (3) just enjoying some Turkish tea while playing late night games of backgammon. Oh, and of course the Blue Mosque. Absolutely stunning. 

What do you like to wear while traveling? Any tips for looking cute but still being comfortable and mobile for a day of exploring?  If you have a favorite outfit or two that you wore while there I'd love to see!

Turkey is a bit more conservative and it gets really cold in the winter months. For the most part I stuck to comfortable walking shoes and long pants (using colored pants to spice up my looks). If I did wear dresses or skirts I made sure to pair them with thick tights to cover up my legs. A big tip is to always bring a scarf with you; they come in handy when you visit mosques to cover your head out of respect (mainly for women). And socks, in case you have to take off your shoes. 

Discovering new foods is one of my favorite parts about traveling! What was the best thing you ate while there?  Is this something that the area is known for?

Although there are a million typical things (like the kebabs and the baklava), I have to say my three favorite foods were more off the beaten "tourist" path. To drink, there was nothing more refreshing than freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. To snack on, grabbing a "wet hamburger" was absolutely perfection, even though the name wasn't too appetizing. So cheap and easy to eat on the go. Finally, to eat, I couldn't get enough of the fish sandwiches that you could get underneath the Galata bridge. Incredible and I miss it every day. 

Lastly, What is your favorite memory from the trip?

Jeremy and I celebrated the New Year at our hostel since they were hosting a mini-celebration right on their roof top and we thought it would be a great way to meet some new people. We ended up celebrating up a storm with a handful of people from all around the world (not to mention a ton of cute European guys) and drunkenly running outside (without my heels on) to catch the fireworks over the Galata Bridge, only about 10 blocks away. So magical and so reckless. 

Thank you so much for posting Jen! Your photos and stories are beautiful!

Travel Log with Floral Prints and Common Sense

I am super excited to bring to you the fourth edition of a new travel series on the blog called Travel Log!  While I am in Italy traveling without a laptop, I have invited a few of my favorite blogging gals who also have been bitten by the wanderlust bug to share some of their favorite travel experiences with you guys!  So please welcome Rachel of Floral Prints and Common Sense, who will be sharing her beautiful trip to Italy with you guys!

Hi everyone! My name is Rachel and I'm excited to be guest posting on Hannah's blog! I'm an illustrator with a personal style blog. I'm super jealous that she's traipsing around Italy right now, I'm certain she's having a great time!

What is a favorite or most interesting trip that you've taken and when did you go?

I've only been out of the country once, last spring, and I went to Italy just like Hannah! My boyfriend's family was stationed there, so they kindly let us stay with them for a month. It's beautiful there.

What specific areas did you go to while there?

We visited Venice, Rome, Florence, and Milan, as well as some smaller towns like Verona, Bolzano, Asiago, and Vincenza. We saw Venice, Rome and Florence all in a sort of backpacking trip, with our friends one week; rode the train, stayed in hostels, the whole deal!

For someone else thinking about traveling here, what were your top 2-3 favorite things that you did while there? 

Venice was my favorite city. It's not called the most beautiful city on earth for nothing! We took a little boat tour of some surrounding islands and saw a beautiful church full of byzantine art, and watched the glass blowers in action. I also really enjoyed seeing the Vatican Museum.

What do you like to wear while traveling? Any tips for looking cute but still being comfortable and mobile for a day of exploring?  If you have a favorite outfit or two that you wore while there I'd love to see!

I tried to pack some of my most versatile things for my trip. I recommend comfy midi skirts and tennis shoes. I spent the entire month in my converse! Also a pair of sunglasses and an umbrella are important! I can definitely say that you should prepare for the unexpected while abroad. When we were backpacking, we had to buy tickets last minute, navigate the alleyways of Venice (thank God my boyfriend had wifi), and we had our key break in the door to our hostel, haha!

Discovering new foods is one of my favorite parts about traveling! What was the best thing you ate while there?  Is this something that the area is known for?

I ate pizza in Italy almost exclusively. We were on a budget and pasta dishes were a lot more expensive than the 5-6 euro pizzas every town had! But most of them were really delicious, and HUGE. But hands down, gelato is the best thing to eat in Italy. I stopped at least once a day! Frutti di bosco (fruits of the forest, aka berry) was my favorite flavor :)

7.  Lastly, What is your favorite memory from the trip?

The most beautiful sights I saw were actually on a drive from Vicenza to Asiago. We drove up a mountain and the whole time I was in awe. It was like the hills are alive with the sound of music out my window. I'll never forget that drive!

Thanks so much Rachel!  I absolutely loved seeing your beautiful photos from Italy and I'm excited to see how it compares to my own experience here!