Throwback Thursday: Venice, Italy

Because we're travel-obsessed (and because we love reminiscing about our study abroad experiences) we've decided to jump on the Throwback Thursday bandwagon. We'll take turns giving you a look at our adventures abroad. First up: Venice, Italy

It's one of the most beautiful places I've been, so brace yourself for lots of pictures.

This is our first view of the city...not too shabby

Basilica di San Marco

Roaming the streets and alleyways- not for the claustrophobic

We had heard the gondola rides are actually a tourist trap, but the way I see it you don't go to Venice without riding on a gondola, so that's exactly what we did. 

We were pretty disappointed when our gondolier informed us that serenading was not part of his job description, so Dean Martin seemed like the next best choice.

Shayda's new bf?

Cece is trying to lure the hated pigeons into her trap. She really doesn't like them.

I was in love with this old, weathered window, so naturally I made Katie pose in front of it...and then took a million more pics.

With my study abroad group we only had a day trip to the magical city, but luckily I was able to go back for a few days when my parents came to visit.

Riding in style in our water taxi.

Not a bad spot to have lunch

Apparently six weeks didn't help me much with menu translation.

This is Harry's Bar, it has tons of history and is a little bit secretive- they don't allow photography inside. It's supposedly the birthplace of the Bellini, the delicious Italian concoction of champagne and peach juice. I'm a huge Bellini fan so I had to make sure to try it here. It was everything I hoped for. Hopefully I don't get in trouble for blowing their cover with this pic ;)

I'll leave you with my favorite pic from Venice. This is looking out from the Bridge of Sighs, the famous passageway that connects the palace to the prison. The bridge got its name because this was the last view the prisoners would get before being taken to their cells.

XO,

Lo

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The Perfect Peach

So I hear it is really trendy to drink wine and paint. In an effort to be one of those really cool people (I'm nerdier than I look), I decided to tap into my inner watercolor extraordinaire. Now I had to do without the wine for two reasons. First, I drank it all prior to this personal paint party. Second, if I had been drinking wine I don't think any paint would have made it on the canvas. It was a good thought in theory.

Basically in summary good ole looney tune, earless Vincent Van Gogh has got nothin' on me...okay fine that is a blatant lie. I am pretty sure if I was a painting prodigy I would have discovered that by now. I wasn't actually trying to watercolor my way into his ballpark. I was drawing inspiration from the great Lilly Pulitzer. Everyone of the brand's prints are painted by truly talented and sober individuals. The art bursts with color and screams sweet summertime! 

If you give the slightest hoot, here is my Tuesday night project from beginning to end. Sidenote: although it would appear that I'm not the worst artist in the world, the picture documentation does not honestly display how long this took me...which by the way was 3ish hours. Clearly not winning in efficiency.

Beware it's a lot of pictures of just me...

First, I draw what I am going to paint.

Then I mix the colors. I have no clue what the heck I'm doing. Aren't red and yellow supposed to make orange?

As good as it is going to get

Here we go

The first peach is well...a real peach

Do not disturb the artist

Paintin' some leaves

So close amigos

Have to hide my pencil marks. Sign of a less than legit painter. painteress?

My thinker pose

Wa la!

Adding it to the collection...

Now you know what I do on Tuesday nights. I may travel a lot but weekdays are pretty chill. Sorry if this caused you to doze off. I have sympathy for you.

XOXO,

Bee

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Zionsville

Here's another peek at my recent Indianapolis weekend. We explored the charming little burb of Zionsville. This, along with the IMA, is something that I don't normally take the time to visit in my Indy trips. Its brick paved Main Street lined with boutiques and restaurants will keep me coming back for sure.

Nothing makes me happy quite like a wall of colorful scarves.

I was pretty enamored with this little church, particularly the gingerbread trim and the stained glass windows.

 This book store also doubles as a travel agency. The book store was closed but the travel agent was nice enough to let us meander through the books for a few minutes. I wanted to stay a few hours.

 Tucked in the back of the store was this little room dedicated to a local artist. I love all the colorful floral prints.

Everything I'm sportin' has been in my closet for a bit, but I did my best to find look alikes.

Dress- h&m (similar look here) Vest- Forever 21 (similar here) Bag- Kate Spade

Lesley Jane had some great vintage inspired dresses and interesting store fixtures. 

Lunchtime at Cobblestone Grill started with a caprese stack that used a really yummy aged balsamic vinegar.

I went for the duck tacos because they sounded like an interesting flavor combo: blackberry salsa, avocado, and goat cheese. They were savory and super delicious.

 The little patio all to ourselves!

For dinner we went to Rick's Cafe Boatyard, an Indianapolis staple set right on Eagle Creek Reservoir. It's like a little piece of New England in Indiana.

I had the Summer Goat Cheese Salad made with prosciutto, strawberries, olive oil, and pistachio encrusted goat cheese. Yes, goat cheese again. I kinda love it. 

I spent most of my time there running around the huge deck taking pictures and trying to fight off the gloomy weather.

Maxi dress- Jessica Simpson (similar here) Shoes- Prabal Gurung for Target (similar styles here) Bracelet- J. Crew

XO,
Lo

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