Back to the Motherland

I am beyond elated to say that I am returning to the motherland. Europe. (I think of France as the ultimate mothership, calling me home. No, I am not French.) Long story short, my boyfriend and I decided to take a big "dream trip," so we put six dream trips in a hat. They were:

- Spain

- Ireland and Scotland

- Switzerland and South of France

- Prague, Budapest, and Vienna

- Vietnam

- Belgium and Sweden

But Switzerland and France won. Hoorah!

We are researching what we want to do and see, and I'd love any advice you have!

Tickets are booked. We are going in early October over my 29th birthday. We fly into Zurich, traveling westward (probably by train). He wants to ski one day - I am not the best skier, but I'd love to give it a go. Then we are getting a car and touring the French Riviera (Cannes, Marseille, St. Tropez) and Provence before hopping a train up to Paris for two nights and heading home. (Seriously, this won't feel real until I'm actually there.)

I've been browsing hotels and AirBNB and tourism sites, but I love advice from people who have been! We have such limited time everywhere.

Realistically probably 2-3 days in Switzerland, 4-5 in the South of France, and 2 in Paris. 

Help! What cities and sites (and wineries) are must sees? 

Here are a few things I've discovered:

Chateau de Massillan in Provence, a Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotel

 

Then there's this hotel also in Provence I found on Jetsetter. Fancaypants.

This attic apartment in Paris via AirBNB

Definitely want to put my adventure cap on and explore Gorges du Verdon in Provence:

In Switzerland, we want to see/ski(?) the Matterhorn:

and grab dinner at the Aescher Hotel restaurant:

Also heard great things about Lucerne, mainly from Liz.

So many options!

Neither of us have been to Switzerland or the South of France and it seems like every city and village is worth seeing so we are at a loss of how best to attack this! 

Help!

Fashion for Europe: The Only Packing List You'll Ever Need

Let me adjust my Fashion Blogger cap for a second. Try it on for size... Ahh there we go.

Now, a solid dose of outfit photos from my adventures in Europe.

Save for the pink-elbow patch shirt I bought in Paris, I wore black almost the entire time. Black pants or jeans, black or white v-necks, and a jacket. Mix and match over and over again.

Here are a few of the staples I lived in due to comfort and versatility.

Target jacket (the best $30 I ever spent) | Gerard Deral hat (bought in Paris) | Henry and Belle ankle zip skinnies (as comfy as yoga pants, not even kidding) | Nila Anthony shoulder bag | Two Penny Blue leather trim blazer (i leave it unbuttoned) | Alli Marie booties (never even broke these in and wore them all day long, days at a time)

See the rest of our packing for Europe made easy list over on The Everygirl! Complete with tips and specific product suggestions.

photos by Danielle Moss

I wish...

... it's not another six years before I make it back to Europe. I can't express how happy that continent makes me. All of it. European culture, the architecture, the food, the history, and the languages... it is my happy place (with Paris at the epicenter of said happiness).

We will be doing full recaps of our travels on The Everygirl sometime within the next two weeks so stay tuned for those. I'll be sure to post links as soon as it happens. Danielle took so many insanely beautiful photos with her fancy camera; I did my best with my baby Nikon. I keep telling her she ought to sell some of her photos as prints. Fingers crossed I can convince her. I know I want some for my own place. Just wait and see!

So we are back from Europe, jetlagged, with a mountain of work to do. Sorry for the silence the past ten days! My laptop died the first day I was there and my charger blew the fuse, killing the charger altogether.

In other news: Biscuit has a sale going on to celebrate their one year anniversary - 20% off site-wide! Congrats to Bailey and the team! And here on Live Creating Yourself, I have an exciting giveaway tomorrow!

Ciao!