Germany

One of my friends is going on a business trip to Munich, and that made me start thinking of my trip there. During my semester abroad I went to Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin over my spring break. Not really expecting much, I was blown away by how much I enjoyed Germany. I was only in Frankfurt for one day, and it was raining for most of it. Still I managed to wander around a bit just to get the feel for the city. It is a beautiful city especially down by the water. The architecture is a mixture between new modern such as this shopping mall with the giant holes through it.

and old traditional.


Then in Munich I visited the world famous Hofbrauhaus. You are served by beer girls dressed in traditional outfits and serenaded by a lively band of men in tights. By the time you finish your liter of beer, trust me you will find Munich to be a very fun city...

This is also the home of the Glockenspiel. The most anti climactic musical experience there is.

Finally came Berlin. Berlin was by far my favorite city of the three as it reminded me the most of New York. I went bike riding through the streets and parks, had a tour of the remains of the Berlin Wall and experienced some of the craziest nightlife of my life.

Spa Castle

Over this Valentines Weekend, I went to Spa Castle with my sisters. Spa Castle is an amazing oasis of saunas, steam rooms and pools of hot and cold water.

It is located in Queens, New York and is an amazing place to spend a cold winter day. My sisters and I were there for over 5 hours and could easily have stayed longer.
There are numerous saunas, most of them shaped like mosaic covered caves and even an ice room to cool down in between.

There are massages and scrubs available and rooms with massage chairs just for sleeping. There is a food court, a Korean restaurant and even a starbucks.
If you are looking for a great way to pass the winter by, I strongly encourage a day at spa castle. You will leave feeling relaxed, stretched and stress free.

Burberry, life of an intern

I am currently interning for Burberry as a wholesale intern in the women's non apparel department. I love my internship there and am proud to be a part of such a classic and traditional brand. Although I am working in the accessories department, I was never much of an accessories girl. I would throw on a watch and usually call it a day. My style was more simple and understated, usually out of convenience. However interning at Burberry has changed all that. They manage to take one little pattern, the Burberry Check and turn it into hundreds of different designs. It is part of my job to identify all the different styles of the check and be able to name them on the spot. There is Nova, Haymarket, Mega Check, Giant Check, Reversible, Vintage check, Beat check etc. Every season they create new checks and new variations. It astounds me how the designers keep the brand so classic, and yet it never feels old or repetitive with the same pattern being used. As an accessories intern I work with soft goods such as scarves, ponchos, and hats,and hard goods such as handbags, belts and small leather goods including wallets and gloves.

Most of the work in wholesale is done on excel, and is made up of creating and reviewing different lists. We have to keep track of every sample and make sure they are selling properly and at the right price, so we are always tracking and monitoring their progress in our account stores. Another part of my job involves market week. After every fashion week we hold a market week in our offices (usually lasting a little over a week) where all of our buyers come to preview the collection and place an order for their stores. I sit in on these buy meetings and listen and assist. During the meetings, usually run by an account executive, most of the products are displayed and talked about. It was in this way that I learned just how many types of scarves there could be, and in how many ways you could where one. There are different lengths and widths and colors of course, but then there are the different fabrics, and the reversible patterns and the crinkle check styles and the gauze check style etc. Looking at all of the different styles and options made me want to start accessorizing my look more. If Burberry can make a whole lifestyle out of one check, then surely I can add a little bit of color to my own look as well.

Florence, study abroad mecca

During the spring semester of my junior year of college I did a study abroad program with NYU in Florence, Italy. It was the best 5 months of my life and I made amazing friends there. Florence itself is overrun with American study abroad students, which can get a little annoying. Most people don't go there to only meet Americans... But once you get past all the students and the thousands of tourists crammed into this tiny city you really start to feel the charm of La Bella Vita. The winding streets open up into magnificent piazzas filled with statues, fountains and carousels of all things. In Florence the smaller the better, and one of the best restaurants there Trattoria Mario, was so small that they would sometimes seat you at the same table as strangers. By the end of the meal you would be the best of friends and make plans to meet up sometime soon. It was the most relaxed I think I have ever been, and I can't seem to remember ever feeling stressed out about anything during those 5 months. The Italian way of life suited me just fine and I enjoyed reading a book in one of the many outdoor cafes while sipping a glass of wine and eating the lightest cheesecake I have ever tasted. Italy seems to have the art of living life down to a science. They know the important things (food, wine and good company) and the things that one does only to survive (work). It was a magical 5 months, and I will share more of my Italian adventures soon.

Thai food

How can I begin to describe the food in Thailand? To start with, I will say that I did try the street food, and I did get food poisoning. However with the food poisoning still in my system I kept trying all the local foods, because they were that good. I literally could not stop eating! It also helped that Sophie, my friend and amazing tourguide would run to a food cart every five blocks and return with a bag full of some new treat and insisted that I try it.



One of my favorites was a mini crepe filled with egg cream and shavings on top that I think were actually shrimp flavored. I had mini thai donuts, fried bananas, deep fried beef with sticky rice and Thai apples (which I believe are called cherry apples).

Thailand was also the first country to witness me trying seafood. I am normally a VERY picky eater, but how could I resist a fish that had been killed literally one minute before being served to me? It was the freshest fish I have ever eaten and the sea food was actually very good. By the end of the trip I was trying fried squid eggs like a pro.


The pad thai was obviously amazing, filled with new flavors that I had never before tasted and I was introduced to the hotpot; a giant pot where you combine vegetables, meat and noodles in a delicious broth.
Every day brought new tastes and flavors that really brought all of the sights and sounds of the city together.

Koh Samed, the island

During my two weeks in Thailand, I went to the island of Koh Samed. This island is only accessible by boat, and I took a speed boat to get there. This boat was so fast, it felt like we spent more time in the air than on the actual water. If you did not hold on, there was a good chance that you might fall out of the boat.

Once we reached the island we went to check into our bungalow. The main mode of transportation on this island is a truck taxi service. They have pickup trucks with narrow wooden planks built in the back to sit on. Like the boat ride, you have to hold on for dear life or you will be thrown from the back of the truck. Koh Samed was one of my favorite parts of my Thailand trip. While I was on this island I got to eat at one of the most amazing restaurants, Ploy Samed. To get to this restaurant you have to go to a boat dock. There you will see a sign that tells you to ring the bell for a boat to pick you up.

Once you ring the bell, a boat is sent to you on a wire. You get in the boat and they pull you out to the restaurant which is in the middle of the water.

Every table in this restaurant has a hole beneath it so your feet are dangling over the water. You can see the fish swim by and feed them while you are eating. The waiters told us that every once in a while, people see a shark swim by too. It was an amazing island, one that I recommend everyone to visit.

Thailand, cont.

Back to my Thailand adventures...
After visiting the beach town of Hua-Hin (according to Sophie the Thai version of the Hamptons) I was taken to visit one of the old summer palaces of the Royal Family. The palace is now a museum for the public and I can't understand why. It is one of the most beautiful homes I have ever been to, completely exposed to the warm air and painted pale blue and yellow. Before entering any palace or temple in Thailand you have to be completely covered. Since I was not, they provided me and anyone else with bare legs, arms or shoulders with large pillowcases to wrap around ourselves. At first I felt like a crazy bag lady, but by the end of my visit I didn't want to return the wraps! The fabric flowed nicely all around the body, and the bottom piece could be wrapped into a skirt or pants. They came in yellow, to match the palace and in purple to symbolize the royal family. Walking around in these large pieces of fabric, I felt a little more connected to the people who used to live here and actually wished for a moment that we could all walk around in pillowcases...