Milan Fashion Week!

I've always dreamed off attending a fashion week, afterall i did just graduate university with a major in Fashion. So of course with Milan being only a two hour train ride from Torino I couldn't resist going along and indulging as a fashion spectator. My friend and I went down for a day with no idea what to expect or a plan of action. When we arrived we could fell the atmosphere of the city had changed from when we were last there. The energy was exciting as you could see the black Mercedes Benz with the fashion week logo, along with lots of italian super cars, darting about the city. After finding an information point we decided to go to the Missoni show and take street style photos. Once again we weren't quite sure what to expect, I didn't want to get my hopes up but I wanted to get photos of the Vogue editors and some of my favourite bloggers. We got there quite early and were chilling on a park bench outside chatting when all of a sudden Andre Leon Tally walks up and sits a bench down from us. I obviously freak out a little on the inside and was dying to ask for a photo but was far to intimidated to approach him. However after about ten minuets of him just hanging out on the bench I worked up enough courage to take his photo. He was really polite to me, which reinforces my belief that people who work in fashion are rude is just a stereotype! It was just after this that the mayhem started as the fashion 'It' crowd started to arrive. I was casually snapping a few people who looked cool when I saw Anna Della Russo appear like the fashion god she is from the crowd. Not long after this the other Anna showed up, yes Anna Wintour! I was standing on the sidelines of her paparazzi mob hoping to get a good photo when all of a sudden she changes direction and heads straight my way. I keep kicking my self that I didn't get a good photo of her but fear kicked in where her mob started running backwards in my direction. I took flight and when I was out of the mobs way it was too late and I missed my photo up. But thats okay because I lucked out by meeting my three favourite Australian Bloggers, Nicole Warne, Zanita Morgan and Jess Stein. I was most excited to meet Jess as I have followed her blog religiously for almost three years now. I love how she manages to combine my two biggest passions in life fashion and travel! I was so happy I got to meet and take photos of so many inspirational people. Here to hopping that next time I'm at a fashion week I'm invited to the shows as well! A girl can dream! xx

Barcelona

I took a very impromptu trip to Barcelona in the first week of September. I had just got back to my friends home in Northern Italy after a whirlwind two week tour around Europe. I freaked out about the looming winter and decided I need to rebel and enjoy some sun and as I knew some friends were in Barcelona I booked a ticket and was off before I knew it. Well actually there was a slight hiccup in getting there as a series of misfortunate events lead to me missing my bus to the airport. Luckily I was already checked in, had my boarding pass and only carry on luggage! Knowing there wasn't another bus for two hours I desperately rang my friend who came to the rescue with his motorcycle. Yep, me and my carry on suite case got strapped on to the back of his bike and we were hurtling along an Italian autostrada at a mind boggling speed. I got to the airport as my flight was boarding and legged it through security and the terminal, I doubt it was even five minuets after I jumped off the bike I was seated on the plane and up in the air.  When I landed in Barcelona I was still a bit frazzled and in disbelief that I made it! And boy oh boy the crazy morning I had was well worth it as I instantly fell in love with Barcelona. I've always said my perfect city would be a place with history and culture that was located on a beach and Barcelona ticked all of those boxes and then some! I had the most amazing time eating tapas and drinking sangria with friends, marvelling in Gaudi's architecture, lazing around on the beach, exploring La Boqueria markets and getting my very own flower shaped gelato! I loved my small taste of Spain so much that I can't wait to go back and explore more of the beautiful country! 

Amsterdam

Ah Amsterdam, I know a lot of people who rave about how much they love this city and after my brief visit I count myself among them! Amsterdam is notorious for it's red light district and coffee shops but really it has so much more going for it than sex and drugs. It surprised me how contained that part of the city was just a few condensed blocks of mayhem then you find yourself walking along stunningly beautiful and peaceful streets. Of corse, whilst I was in town I went on a bicycle tour and as it was a Sunday morning our tour guide joking said that everyone was either at church or hungover. All puns aside he was right nobody was around! We practically had the streets to ourselves which was an incredible experience and quite a relief considering the amount of bikes usually zooming around the city. We road past the Iamsterdam sign, Anne Frank house, A beautiful old windmill and of corse we cruised around the canals. On route back to the bike shop a few of us spied a cafe around the corner serving huge coffee and avocado and we made a b line straight for it after the tour ended. I'm not sure if this is a commonly know fact but Australians love to brunch! When travelling the thing I miss home the most is breakfast. Ah, I'd kill for a skinny latte, bacon served pouched eggs and smashed avocado. I may be biased but nobody dose breakfast like we do! After our slice of home, I decide to split from the group as they had a tour booked and I just wanted to explore. I was so glad I went off and had my own adventure as I found a wonderful flower market winding along a canal and indulged a little retail therapy. Later on that day when I caught back up with everyone and was telling them about my day one of the other girls was a bit disappointed as like me she didn't want to do the tour the others were doing but went along for the company. I think that is my biggest hot tip for travelling, don't be afraid to go off and have your own adventure! It is your holiday and you should spend your time seeing and doing what you like and hey the downtime is refreshing especially when your with a big group. 

Berlin

Berlin is one of those places that just oozes coolness, I really wish I had enough time to get off the beaten track and pretend I was a local for a while! It reminded me of Melbourne back home in Australia, a place where I also like to pretend I'm a local, the way they embrace graffiti as art and not vandalism. The Berlin wall as you can no doubt tell by the hundreds of photos I took of it completely and utterly captivated me. I love how the political history is turned into art and put it on show for everyone to see and be reminded of the past to ensure history won't be repeated. Even the memorials are artistic and beautiful in their own eerie way. The Holocaust Memorial really moved you as the large concrete pilers brought home an overwhelming sense of loneliness among a mass of uniformity. Our guide told us that the memorial was a place built to reflect upon the war and that you could sit and take it all in. After a very powerful morning spent learning about a very bleak time in modern history it felt really great to lie back on the grass besides the river and just watch the clouds go by.