THE NOT SO BLONDE TRAVEL

As a kid, you always hear your parents say: "don't trust strangers." Especially strangers offering candy or ice cream ...  Then you grow up, and sure enough, you will still hear that saying from time to time. But when you  travel solo around the world, who else are you supposed to trust? Who else are you supposed to ask to take a picture of you with the beautiful scenery or the colorful monument or the 15th century castle? STRANGERS. Had I known I was going to write this blog, I would have kept more of those epic shots where half my head was missing, or half the monument was missing or even sometimes the entire monument, and in some cases, where no photo was taken at all, even though I thoroughly explained to the stranger holding the camera where to press to take a photo. But thankfully given how much I travel, I found a recent fail from Ireland that I hadn't deleted yet. And my awesome virtual friends from Girls Love Travel  have sent me some as well. If yo...

I usually don’t have long titles like this, but this was chosen by one of the main protagonists in the story and, unfortunately for my ego and pride, it does describe the situation pretty well.  See I am the foodie. I almost always pick the restaurants my friends and I go to, and in my defense, I usually pick pretty good spots, whether its a hole in the wall kind of place or a Michelin star restaurant.  I sometimes even pick what everyone is eating - no I am not a control freak - I just love to share and try a million different flavors.  So naturally, when my boyfriend and I go for dinner, I do the same to him, and for the most part, he has been really cool about it. Unless it is raw onion or truffle oil, he will try anything.  But on Valentine’s Day of all days, he did not budge when I tried to choose for him.  I don’t remember word for word what I said, but it was definitely along the lines of: “you don’t go to a fancy place to order simp...

A few nights ago, my lemon meringue pie disappeared, and as a result, I had to go in search of another dessert before calling it a night …  See I don’t believe in skipping dessert without a valid reason.  My boyfriend got all excited and said it was time for me to try the proper way of eating chocolate chip cookies. But before I go on, here is some background story. I love cookies and I love chocolate, however I am not a big fan of chocolate chip cookies. I know this makes no sense, I can’t explain it, and my boyfriend almost had a meltdown when I broke that news to him, but that’s just the way it is.  However, being open-minded, I accepted to try his version of chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps he knew something I didn’t. Turns out you gotta dip the cookie in milk and then eat it.  Again ‘cause I am open-minded, I went for it. I let him dip it - apparently timing is very important - and when he deemed the cookie to be ready, he handed it to me. I...

Cooking and eating are two big passions of mine. I joke, but really it is true, that it is cheaper to take me shopping than it is to take me out to dinner.  I am the "appetizer, main course and dessert" kind of girl. Two desserts if I can get away with it. So in a perfect world, I would date a chef, but since there is no dating app to find the perfect chef boyfriend, a guy who can cook is good enough for me. Matter of fact, a guy just trying to cook is enough to make me half fall in love and start imagining the names of our future kids. So when this guy suggested he made dinner at his place for me, I just couldn't refuse. Of course, I had an escape plan in case he was a serial killer, but I had to give it a try. What if he was the one?  But within 5 minutes of arriving, I knew there would be no happily forever for us.  First off the table wasn't set. No placemat, no silverware, and no napkins. Really? So after munching on the opened bag of ...

A few days ago, while on skype with my parents, I had an interesting conversation about how to find a husband with my married cousin, not that I am looking, but that is, apparently, irrelevant. What is relevant is that she is married and needs me to get married so our kids can be the same age and grow up together.   So step 1 is marrying me and for that to happen, she said I had to stop jumping from one island to another because I was not going to find a husband on the beach. I am not sure why I couldn't. I am pretty sure  people that go to the beach get married too.  But she was adamant. She said I had seen enough of the world and had to go to bars and restaurants to meet a man with a job. I guess guys on the beach don't have jobs.  So in a nutshell, for me to end up happily married, I needed to stop doing the stuff I love aka exploring the world and going on spontaneous trips with my girlfriends. Sounds miserable, no?  But then again I am ...

Not too long ago, a cute 21 year-old asked me out. And by asked me out, I mean he asked me to be boyfriend girlfriend. He was cute, but I am 27 and don't really want to be thinking babies in 3 years when he is in Ibiza discovering what life is about before 25 --> partying.  This was basically what he said: no crazy declaration, just honesty  And yes even though I turned him down anyways, I was highly impressed by his boldness. Especially compared to most 30 year-olds who are scared of even calling a date a date ... 30 year-olds want to see you, hang out with you, "talk" with you, but oh my, don't use the D word in front of them, they will start running. Yes I said the D word, not the B word or the L word. If you use those words, they might pass out or have a heart attack. Seriously, what does "talking" even mean? It is even worse than hanging out, whatever that means. what goes through my mind when a guy asks me to hang out :-)  So ...

I have already said this before: food + me = true love. I have also said before that I hated NYC because I was an outdoorsy kind of girl. I trekked and camped my way through Peru to get to Machu Picchu, I horseback rode through the mountains in Patagonia, I rode elephants in northern Thailand, I scuba dove in Cozumel ... So how come I fell in love with NYC? The parks ... Playing volley ball at the Chelsea Pier Park, watching an outdoor movie at Bryant Park, enjoying a picnic at Central Park, it's all the stuff that turned me into a happy city girl, it's all the stuff that made all the cement around it worth it. However, getting my boyfriend to do any of it with me was a bit of a challenge. Thankfully Charlotte was there with me. We both sucked at volley ball, but it didn't stop us. So what if we were bad? It only made it more fun. For us anyways. Unfortunately no volley ball at Holland Park, no outdoor movie screenings, and no Charlotte - would have been a bit self...

London I wanted to love you. I wanted you to be fun, and I especially wanted to prove my boyfriend wrong. But it seems that it is not going to be possible. You do have a lot to offer, don't get me wrong. The picturesque and colorful mews, the abundance of flowers all over your buildings, the fruit and vegetable markets all along Portobello Road, the cute little antique shops, and the beautiful Holland Park. Yes Hyde Park is cool too, but I really love the little Japanese Pond at Holland Park. But when the sun goes down, what I am supposed to do? I am only 26, I have needs. I need to be able to have a drink in a cool bar, but I was denied entry  in both bars I have tried to go to on Saturday night. Neither were full and I was not underdressed, I promise, but I am not a member. So I was not allowed. And of course the only way to be a member is to have a member write you a letter of recommendation. How am I supposed to be recommended by anybody? I don't know anyone. I...

My cousin just got engaged last week and I know she loves her ring because not only is it gorgeous, but especially because she chose it. Every little detail concerning the ring was her choice, so I was a bit surprised she wasn't wearing it when we woke up together on Sunday, the morning after she had gotten engaged. When I mentioned the lack of ring on her finger, she shrugged my concern off with two - very lame - excuses: "it's Sunday" and "I am tired." I had to laugh at both excuses, and of course the writer in me saw a great opportunity for a post. How many girls do not like their engagement ring and wear it anyways? How many girls have the guts to say they don't like it? And especially what happens next? Does the guy just exchange the ring or does the engagement end right there 'cause the guy's ego is hurt ... The official answer of what to do when you don't like the ring is "keep the ring, it's a sign of his love, nothing...