Books: Helping Us Survive the Holidays

Hello, fellow travelers!

During the holidays, one may find oneself in need of some entertainment or relief from a family like the Griswolds. 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Many of us find ourselves on a long flight back home or off to a vacation in a far away land. So, the question is how do we entertain ourselves? Personally, I find curling up with a good book is the best way to pass time.

Soon to be B and I!

Books Worth Reading:

• 50 Shades Trilogy: $27.75 
• FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: "When college student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating.  The unworldly Ana realizes she wants this man, and Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian’s secrets and explores her own desires."
• FIFTY SHADES DARKER: "Daunted by Christian’s dark secrets and singular tastes, Ana has broken off their relationship to start a new career. But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and while Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Ana is forced to make the most important decision of her life."

• FIFTY SHADES FREED: "Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to turn Ana’s deepest fears into reality."
• Lolita: $10.85 (I am currently reading this one.)
• "Awe and exhiliration--along with heartbreak and mordant wit--abound in Lolita, Nabokov's most famous and controversial novel, which tells the story of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America. Most of all, it is a meditation on love--love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation."
• A Walk in the Woods: $7.99 (I am currently reading this one as well.)
• "The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in)."
• Me Talk Pretty One Day: $10.87
• "A recent transplant to Paris, humorist David Sedaris, bestselling author of "Naked", presents a collection of his strongest work yet, including the title story about his hilarious attempt to learn French. A number one national bestseller now in paperback."
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy: $35.51
• "All across America, readers are talking about Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novels, set in Sweden and featuring Lisbeth Salander—'one of the most original and memorable heroines to surface in a recent thriller' (The New York Times). The trilogy is an international sensation that will grab you and keep you 'reading with eyes wide open' (San Francisco Chronicle). '[It] is intricately plotted, lavishly detailed but written with a breakneck pace and verve' (The Independent, U.K.), but 'be warned: the trilogy is seriously addictive.' (The Guardian, U.K.)."
• Anna Karenina: $12.24 (I plan to read this on my way to Germany!)

• "Described by William Faulkner as the best novel ever written and by Fyodor Dostoevsky as “flawless,” Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness."
• "While previous versions have softened the robust, and sometimes shocking, quality of Tolstoy's writing, Pevear and Volokhonsky  have produced a translation true to his powerful voice. This authoritative edition, which received the PEN Translation Prize and was an Oprah Book Club™ selection, also includes an illuminating introduction and explanatory notes. Beautiful, vigorous, and eminently readable, this Anna Karenina will be the definitive text for fans of the film and generations to come."
• Tigers in Red Weather: $17.15 (I'm intrigued by this book and will read it soon.)

• "Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha's Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their 'real lives': Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, about to return from the war.
  
  Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena's husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena--with their children, Daisy and Ed--try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same.
  
  Brilliantly told from five points of view, with a magical elegance and suspenseful dark longing, Tigers in Red Weather is an unforgettable debut novel from a writer of extraordinary insight and accomplishment."

Budget Friendly Route:

• Head to your local library to rent!
• Borrow from friends and family members who already own them.
• Go check out a used book store!
• Head to your local Salvation Army for cheap books!
• Ask Santa to bring you books for Christmas ;)

Check back soon for Christmas present ideas!

Happy reading!

Hallo, Deutschland!

Hallo, liebe Kolleginnen und Abenteurer!

The New Year is creeping closer and that means I have discovered where my next adventure will be. Within a few weeks, I will be grabbing my passport and jetsetting to my next adventure.


Drum roll please....

My next adventure with B will be in Berlin! I'm excited that I will be heading out of the country for a week after Christmas.

Berlin: A Quick Look

• Berlin is known to be founded in the 13th Century, but I have read that it may be older than researchers previously thought. 
• Berlin is NINE times bigger than Paris! 
• I have heard that Berlin is like New York City....never sleeps!
• Berlin is so big that it is divided into districts.
• Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
• Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
• Lichtenberg
• Marzahn-Hellersdorf
• Mitte
• I believe this is the district I will be staying in.
• Neukolln
• Pankow
• Reinickendorf
• Spandau
• Steglitz-Zehlendorf
• Tempelhof-Schoneberg
• Treptow-Kopenick
• Berlin is filled with so much history!
• Hitler occupied Berlin.
• There was a concentration camp located outside of the city in Sachsenhausen.
• WWII left Berlin in ruins.
• Berlin Wall ("Iron Curtain") was a barrier separating East and West Berlin.
• Existed from 1961-1990
• However, I hear that part of the Berlin Wall still exists.

Places To See:

• Funkturm Berlin
• Best views of western Berlin's landmarks, such as Charlottenburg Palace and AVUS.
• Museum Island
• Literally, just a bunch of museums that showcase coins, medals, religious iconography, and sculptures.
• Berlin Zoo
• Was restored after WWII and now houses over 14,000 animals. It is said to be one of the most impressive zoos in Europe. I'm hoping to go see Bao Bao the giant panda!
• Holocaust Memorial
• Said to be a "harrowing and truly powerful experience." 
• Brandenburg Gate
• One of the city's most recognizable landmarks that was built in 1791 and restored after WWII. Today, it symbolizes "Germany's rebirth as a unified state."

• Possible Sights

German Phrases

English	Deutsch
yes / no	ja / nein (yah/nine)
please/thanks	bitte/danke (BIT-tuh/DAHN-kuh)
You're welcome.	Bitte. (BIT-tuh)
You're welcome. (for a favor)	Gern geschehen. (ghern guh-SHAY-un)
Excuse me!	Entschuldigen Sie! (ent-SHOOL-de-gen zee)
Where's the restroom/toilet?	Wo ist die Toilette? (vo ist dee toy-LET-uh)
left / right	links / rechts (linx/rechts)
downstairs / upstairs	unten / oben (oonten/oben)
Hello!/Good day!	Guten Tag! (GOO-ten tahk)
Good-bye!	Auf Wiedersehen! (owf VEE-der-zane)
Good morning!	Guten Morgen! (GOO-ten morgen)
Good night!	Gute Nacht! (GOO-tuh nahdt)
My name is...	Ich heisse... (ich HYE-suh)
I am...	Ich bin... (ich bin)
Do you have...?	Haben Sie...? (HAH-ben zee)
a room	ein Zimmer (eye-n TSIM-air)
a rental car	ein Mietwagen (eye-n MEET-vahgen)
a bank	eine Bank (eye-nuh bahnk)
the police	die Polizei (dee po-lit-ZYE)
the train station	der Bahnhof (dare BAHN-hof)
the airport	der Flughafen (dare FLOOG-hafen)

• Or go pick up a copy of Rick Steve's German Phase Book & Dictionary: $8.95

Look back soon for my packing list for a winter climate and books worth traveling with. Oh, and come back after Christmas for a review of Berlin!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Six Things: Welcome Nature's New Palette

Hello, my fellow bloggers!

Today, I decided I would mix it up a little bit. I have anxiously been awaiting fall because I love watching the leaves change. Oh, and I love sitting outside drinking a delicious caramel apple cider!

However, instead of boring you with text and descriptions of things, I am actually going to list 6 things you may want to consider trying to welcome fall. Enjoy!

Fall Fashion

Anne Klein: $109.00 (Head to DSW for ~$15 off!)
*Just bought them today and am super excited to wear them!

A Fun New Read

Cupcakes and Cashmere by Emily Schuman: $12.36 at Amazon.com

Check Out Another Blog

Emily's Blog: Cupcakes and Cashmere

A Chair Worth Reading A Book In

Pottery Barn: $1,699.00

A Gift For Your Nose 

Bath & Body Works: $19.50
I absolutely love this scent! 

A Drink to Warm You Up

Starbucks: Caramel Apple Spice: ~$3

Enjoy the last bit of summer before the nights become cool and nature changes her palette.

6 Things to Leave at Home While Traveling

Welcome back, fellow travelers!

6 Things to Leave at Home While Traveling:

1.) Fanny pack: They may be useful, but they are quite bulky and unflattering.

• Opt for: A money belt or a neck wallet. They run from about $12-30. Also, this will provide you with safety because you won't stand out as a tourist.

Eagle Creek All Terrain Money Belt: $20

2.) Sandals with socks: They make you look very touristy and quite silly....unless you are in Japan, leave them at home!

• Opt for: Ballet flats or sneakers. Personally, I love Bobs because they are flat, flexible, and comfortable.

Sketchers Bobs: $30-45

3.) Heels: Ladies, I know they are cute and stylish, but unless you are in Paris, keep them at home.

• Opt for: A cute pair of ballet flats. If you want to be fashionable, try a pair of snake skin Michael Kors flats.

Michael Kors Odette Flat: $185

4.) Convertible pants: While these pants seem like the perfect travel accessory they are also the worst. The     pants will make you look touristy. So, unless you are going to Africa on a safari trip, leave them.

• Opt for: Pack multiple options, such as a pair of shorts and pants.

5.) Luggage: It is nice to wheel around your clothes, makeup, and shoes, but in all honesty, it it inconvenient.

• Opt for: A backpack because they are easier to lug around. 

Deuter Aircontact 65 + 10 Pack: $269

6.) IPad: Quite useful, but leave this expensive piece at home.

• Opt for: A good 'ol book. Books are cheap and the more use they get, the more beautiful they look. IPads are not only expensive, but easily destroyed by the sand, ocean, weight, etc. Stick with the classic book.

The Amazon Journal: $25-40

"The most important thing always to have with me in my case is a book: no companion is likely to be richer, stranger, more alive, and more eager to be intimate. Pens and notebooks, of course. Pieces of America to give away. A Lonely Planet guide to get angry with and bitterly repudiate. More novels and biographies for eight-hour waits.

I think I spend more time thinking about what I don't want to take with me: assumptions, IPods, cameras, plans, friends (in most cases), laptops, headphones, suntan lotion, resumes, expectations."

- Pico Iyer

**Quote is from The TAO of Travel by Paul Theroux

What do you think is better to leave at home while traveling?

"Illness is caused by a lack of understanding"

Hello, fellow travelers!

The other day, I read an excerpt from a book and I had this feeling of guilt wash over me. I suppose it was because I love to travel, but before that day, I never really thought of the effects it had on other cultures.

The Ladakhi 

Do you think you know the effects? Well, there is a common Ladakhi saying, “Even if you know, it’s better to ask another.” What I am trying to say is, it is time for the book of the month!

Book: Ancient Futures: Lessons From Ladakh For a Globalized World

Author: Helena Norberg-Hodge

Price: $9.89 at Amazon

Description: “The swiftly evolving socioeconomic life of Ladakh, whose people struggle to balance growth and technology with cultural values, offers crucial lessons in sustainable development. This gripping portrait of the western Himalayan land known as “Little Tibet” moves from the author’s first visit to idyllic, nonindustrial Ladakh in 1974 to the present, tracking profound changes as the region was opened to foreign tourists, Western goods and technologies, and pressures for economic growth. These changes in turn brought generational conflict, unemployment, inflation, environmental damage, and threats to the traditional way of life.

The Ladakhi Culture

Appalled by these negative impacts, the author helped establish the Ladakh Project (later renamed the International Society for Ecology and Culture) to seek sustainable solutions that preserve cultural integrity and environmental health, while addressing the Ladakhis’ hunger for modernization. This model undertaking effectively combines educational programs for all social levels with the design, demonstration, and promotion of appropriate technologies such as solar heating and small-scale hydro power.

Examining how modernization changes the way people live and think, Norberg-Hodge challenges us to redefine our concepts of “development” and “progress.” Above all, Ancient Futures stresses the need to carry traditional wisdom into the future—our urgent task as a global community.”

Not convinced yet? Think about this quote from the book…

 “At one village I witnessed a trekking group armed with cameras, bon bons, and pens, virtually attacking the villagers. Dressed in fluorescent greens, reds, and blues, they poked their cameras in unsuspecting faces without a word and then moved on to their next victim.”

For more information on the Ladakhi:

• Peaceful Societies
• Ladakhi Culture
• The Ladakh Project

**All quotes are from the book.

Happy reading!

Wanderlust

Hello, fellow bloggers! 


As you may know, I am infected with wanderlust. I constantly dream of far away lands and adventures that may be awaiting me. Unfortunately, I can only get treated for my wanderlust a few times a year due to school, family, and money. 


I feel that some of you may be suffering from this infection that consumes your mind, body, and soul. So, I recently stumbled upon an antidote. Are you curious to know what could possibly help cure your wanderlust that does not involve leaving your hometown? 


Okay, I will tell you the secret antidote. I stumbled upon this wonderful book that takes you to far away lands. The book is called Wanderlust: A Love Affair With Five Continents by Elisabeth Eaves. Now, now don't lose interest just yet! The antidote can be found under Travel/Memoir for $16.95 new or $7.83 used on Amazon. I suggest you hurry up and get your hands on this book because once you do, you will never want to put it down. Okay, I understand you need more information.


Book Description:


"Spanning 15 years of travel, beginning when she is a sophomore in college, Wanderlust documents Elisabeth Eaves’s insatiable hunger for the rush of the unfamiliar and the experience of encountering new people and cultures. Young and independent, she crisscrosses five continents and chases the exotic, both in culture and in romance. In the jungles of Papua New Guinea, she loses herself—literally—to an Australian tour guide; in Cairo, she reconnects with her high school sweetheart, only to discover the beginning of a pattern that will characterize her life over the long-term: while long-distance relationships work well for her, traditional relationships do not.


Wanderlust, however, is more than a chronological conquest of men and countries: at its core, it’s a journey of self-discovery. In the course of her travels, Eaves finds herself and the sense of home she’s been lacking since childhood—and she sheds light on a growing culture of young women who have the freedom and inclination to define their own, increasingly global, lifestyles, unfettered by traditional roles and conventions of past generations of women."

Critics:

"Wanderlust delivers the goods up front-motorcycles and sex and stories of places that smell nothing like your cafeteria- and then pulls off something trickier. Elisabeth Eaves shoes here that our attempts to find a different better self through travel can be immensely entertaining, but we are always already moving. Wanderlust brilliantly, carefully maps how active the heart is, even at a standstill."  -Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorker

Amazing Quote:

"Travel is like adultery: one is always tempted to be unfaithful to one's own country. To have imagination is inevitably to be dissatisfied with where you live...in our wanderlust, we are lovers looking for consummation."

Did you read it? If so, what did you think of Wanderlust? 

"So this is love. So this is what makes life divine. I'm all aglow..."

During a woman's life, she is often found questioning the aspect of relationships, love, and even what Walt Disney gave us as children...fairytales. Here is to all the women searching for their prince charming...

What type of love are women looking for?

Carrie and Big

Well, in my opinion, Carrie, from the hit series Sex and the City, said it the best...

"I'm looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love."

Girls grow up with fairytales. Can you blame us for wanting a man to rescue us when we are a "damsel in distress?" Disney provided us with the silly, yet beautiful stories of finding love. Unlike Romeo & Juliet, women want a happy ending not a tragic ending. Women want to ride off into the sunset with prince charming. 

Sleeping Beauty

Still not getting it? Well, simply put, women want to be rescued. I'm sure many girls will scorn me for saying that, but think about it. Whether you want to be rescued by a man, a dog, or your best friend, you still want to have that fantasy fulfilled. And there is nothing wrong with that.

How do women find their prince?

• Dating sites
• Happy hour
• School
• My Mom always says, "you will find your true love in college or graduate school."
• Random places: 
• Dog parks
• Home Depot
• Starbucks
• Hey, maybe even riding the airplane if you are an avid traveler!

Sometimes, women look for their prince and sometimes, he finds them.

My opinion?

B and I

Well, I believe relationships and love are complicated. Also, I believe that there is a prince charming for every little princess born into this world. Yet, I believe that women have to kiss a lot of frogs before they find him. And when you do find him, it will be a rough ride on the carriage through life. Love is not easy, but it is the fairytale you are looking for. Keep an open mind and stay strong, love will find you. 

What happens when love is found and becomes complicated?

Well, you definitely found it if it is complicated. Work at it everyday and remember the wise words of CoCo Chanel, "As long as you know most men are like children, you know everything."

Perhaps, you don't like what CoCo said. What about what Audrey Hepburn said?

Breakfast at Tiffany's

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."

Have you lost faith and need some reminding?

Watch:

• The Notebook
• The Last Song
• The Little Mermaid (my favorite!)
• Hercules
• Well, any Disney movie
• The Ugly Truth
• Sex and The City 1&2
• Breakfast at Tiffany's (another favorite!)
• Gone With The Wind (my grandparents saw this on their first date!)

Read: 

• The Wedding: Nicholas Sparks
• Twilight Series: Stephenie Meyer
• Pride & Prejudice: Jane Austen
• Gone With the Wind: Margaret Mitchell

Have you found your prince and are ready for marriage? Check out this fun blog that is filled with clever ideas for save-the-date invitations!

Have you found your prince? Share your story with us!

A Journey Through Time

Time Travel: traveling through time to the past or future

When I was about 10 years old, I remember sitting on the floor watching a black and white film at my Grandpa’s house. I can easily say that this may have been the beginning of my dreams to time travel. The crazy thing is that I can actually travel through time and so can you! Let me guess, you think time travel is a crazy science fiction thing, right? Well, I am here to tell you that you may not be able to travel into the future, but you can travel into the past.

4 Ways to Time Travel:

1.  Movies: Old films provide a window into the past. A few of my favorite films to watch are: The Seven Year Itch, My Fair Lady, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. However, if you are not into old films, then you can try watching Paris at Midnight or The Notebook.
2. Music: I achieve time travel quite often by listening to old music and occasionally having a glass of wine by the fireplace. A few of my favorites that you can check out are Bing Crosby or Cab Calloway.
3. Books: I absolutely love to read during my free time or while waiting for a class to start. A few great authors to check out are Fitzgerald and Hemingway.
4. Art: You can surf the web or go to a gallery and check out art by Picasso, Warhol, Monet, and Dali. If you are interested in time traveling through art, then D.C. has an art exhibit in honor of  Andy Warhol (Click the link for details!).

What is your favorite way to time travel?