So it’s been 9 days of social distancing; here are 5 bad ideas that I am going to caution you against doing. But who are we kidding, you’re probably making your way through this list as we speak? Good luck you bad ass rebel!
Top 5 Bad Ideas
Bad Idea #1
There is something about being held up in your home that makes you want to cook; which is great right? You’ll make those homemade energy balls/bars that Buffy from the gym’s been bragging about; yes you’ve been meaning to make those for weeks, but you just didn’t have the time.
You now have all kinds of time, but who are we kidding; you aren’t going to be rolling oats and gluten free flour to make protein balls. No, you’re making a double batch of chocolate chip cookies! And some of you are eating the dough straight out of the bowl….am I right?
I got creative and made spring time chocolate chip cookies; they are just like regular cookies, but fancier! Obviously.
Bad Idea #2
Do not Dye or cut your own hair during a global pandemic!! The urge for a makeover is just going to get stronger as the weeks go bye; you must resist!! Your brain will start messing with you; sending you false messages like; you got this!! And how hard could it be?? Repeat after me; you don’t got this and it’s really, really hard!!
Also try to avoid dying your own hair pink on a Friday night; it’s not as cute on Saturday morning…so I’ve heard.
Hats will be our best friends in the weeks to come! I have lots, message me if you need to borrow one.
Bad Idea #3
Cleaning and organizing is bad idea #3; now this sounds like the perfect activity while stuck home right? In theory it’s a great idea depending on your approach. Do not take everything out of your closet all at once, because half way through your spring cleaning you’re going to need a nap and when you wake up, you aren’t going to be as motivated as you were just a few hours earlier.
What will happen next can go two ways; the first will be to leave mounds of clothing on your bed and walk away. For the next three days you will move the clothes from your bed to the floor at bedtime and then from the floor back onto the bed in the morning. Or you will just take the mounds of clothes and shove them back into your closet and close the door quickly; pouff! Problem solved.
Bad Idea #4
We all know that we shouldn’t drunk text; well the same is true with online shopping while bored. Yes, online shopping will give you an instant surge of endorphins, that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy. But that buzz will quickly fade once you start doing the math.
And honestly who’s going to see those four pairs of cute new shoes..OK, six cute new pairs while you are socially distancing?
Do you know what? I am changing my mind, this may not be such a bad idea? Those 8 pairs of new shoes will bring you joy while stuck in your house for the next few weeks. Keep them and wear them with pride!! I am taking #4 off the bad list; this is an awesome idea! Do it!!
Bad Idea #5
So you maxed out your credit cards on day 6; you’ve just finished your box of wine and you’re thinking that now would be a great time to drunk texted your ex!! Just to say hi or hey, if you’re a guy. Don’t do it!! Abort!!!
Yes, there’s something about a global pandemic that makes you yearn for connection with others; and really how bad was he/she??
Repeat after me; they aren’t your friend, they broke up with you via messenger and only reach out to you when they need something from you!! Go bake a double fudge chocolate cake or go trim your bangs; you got this!! Or hey! I think you need another half dozen new pairs of shoes!! Look how empty your closet is!
Good luck on avoiding these bad ideas; a great idea is to stay in touch with friends and family. We are all going to need each other as the weeks go bye. Stay safe and try to see the funny side of things when at all possible.
muah!!! Big virtual hug to all of you!!
Liette
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I thought that while we are socially distancing ourselves, we could make plans for spring together; which in Atlantic Canada happens…mmm, mid June ish? Kidding, it’s more like the first week of June, still kidding, sort of.
I love color, it makes me happy; and in these uncertain times, I feel we need to focus and surround ourselves with things that are bright and cheery.
I feel that we all have a fav color that brings us joy. If you’re not sure what your current fav is? Take a look at your home and your wardrobe and see if there’s one color that stands out more than the others?
At the moment I am grooving on green. Ha! I bet you thought that I was going to say I pink? I do love pink, but I’ve been gravitating towards green for awhile.
I think that green is a perfect way to jazz up your life this spring. But hey, you can do yellow or whatever color speaks to you?
In this post I’ll show you how I am using green to cheer myself up; full disclosure, it may leave you green with envy? 🤢
Some green pics from my travels. The green car is from a trip to Paris. I think I need to get it framed! The green couch was a funky restaurant in London; I saw the couch through the window and decided we needed to eat there. On my last trip to Vancouver I was surrounded by the most amazing shades of green!! 💚
For years I’ve been on the lookout for a green couch and I finally found one!! It wasn’t super expensive; I got it at IKEA a few years ago and I am still in love with it!! I’ve also seen it featured in a few magazines; that’s enough proof for me that I have excellent taste!!
Some may be freaked out at the thought of having such a bold colored couch? But take a look at your current living room. I bet most of you have very neutral walls and furnishings? So why not go bold with one big piece of furniture? Or you can play it safe and pick a bold accent color in the form of pillows or other? Whatever you’re comfortable with.
My green couch pops against my neutral walls, curtains and flooring. I do have a few pink pillows, green and pink look awesome together!
Now I am not a professional decorator, but I pretend to be one, in my mind, lol.
And in my make believe imaginary decorating life, I felt that I needed to add a few pops of green throughout my home to make it all make sense; make sense??
My kitchen, dining and living room are one open space; I have a huge green feather circle hanging over my dining room table area. It’s an African headpiece; obviously it’s not authentic, I bought it in Vegas. It makes me soooo happy!
And I have a big green glass ball that I have in my dining room. It’s just decorative, but these types of glass balls were used as fishing buoys back in the day. And yes those are pink bunny ears on my giraffe, it’s almost Easter; I felt it was appropriate.
My bedroom in Las Vegas had a green accent wall. It was the exact same color as my couch; and I loved it so much that I think I am going to paint my Moncton bedroom wall the same color. That way I’ll have a few pops of green throughout my apartment without everything being too matchy matchy.
What I love about this color is that it looked dark and moody at night, but bright and cheery in the daytime. I am currently searching through my boxes trying to find the paint chip, I know I saved it.
This was my green wall in Las Vegas, it was also a great backdrop for pictures! And a close up of my green feather wall hanging.
A great none expensive way to freshen up your kitchen, this spring or summer, is to fill a bowl with limes, lemons or oranges. They look pretty and they smell good!
Now that our homes are all springy; let’s spruce up our closets.
I’ve been looking for a green coat for a long time and I finally found one on my last trip to Providence, RI at Zara’s. The weather is finally getting mild enough to wear it; not that anyone will see me wearing it, since we are all hiding out in our homes. But this too shall pass, eventually…oh please let it pass!!!
This is the first coat or jacket that I’ve bought in decades that isn’t black. My spring fashion goal is to expand my horizons a bit.
I am now on the hunt for a pair of green shoes. I love these, but they are only available in the UK; the hunt continues!!
I hope you enjoyed this light and fluffy green post that included a splash of decorating and fashion? If you didn’t enjoy it, at least you read it all the way to the end!! lol, so thanks for seeing it through; nobody likes a quitter!
muah!
Liette
Behind the scenes!
So what does one do when stuck inside the house while socially distancing? Have your nephew take lime pics of you of course! Duh! Someone asked me if my feature image was faked? Nope, my head was really surrounded by limes.
I love being creative and I sort of want people to see my feature blog post imagine and think; WTF is she up to now? And then they are forced to read my post out of sheer curiosity!! Lol
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How to not be “that guy” while flying and in airports.
In addition to being a frequent flyer; I also have lots of friends who are constantly flying all over the place. Let us guide you so that you’re not “that guy” in the airport or on the airplane; you know, “that guy”, who is so annoying, everyone secretly wishes he/she would trip and fall on his over sized carry on bag.
(Please note that my use of “that guy” is a unisex).
photo by me!! Cool eh! I love taking pics of fluffy clouds.
Don’t be “that guy” tip #1
Don’t be “that guy” who’s absolutely clueless while going through security and slows everything down. You know “that guy” who’s not paying attention; who doesn’t take off his/her shoes or belt until they are told to, even though they see everyone in front of them doing so.
Or “that guy“ who needs 5 binds and has his stuff all over the place. Hey!! “That guy”!! Pay attention, listen and keep your security game tight!!!
Don’t be “that guy” tip #2
Don’t be “that guy” who decides that he/she is going to stand on the airport conveyor walking belt instead of walking; and not only are they just standing there, but they stand in the middle so that no one can pass them.
Listen “that guy”; you may not be in a hurry or have an almost impossible connection to make; good for you!! But others do and we need to truck it, so move!!!
For those who need a little rest, just stand to the right side and people will pass you without secretly wanting to hit you upside the head…thank you!
Don’t be “that guy” tip #3
Don’t be that guy who tries to guilt trip other passengers into switching seats in order to sit next to their lover.
Here’s the rule, you may ask someone to switch seats for an equal seat; but don’t try to give me an aisle seat if I am sitting in a window seat. And don’t even think about asking to switch an aisle or window for a middle seat. And be nice when asking; your bad planning isn’t anyone else’s responsibility to fix!
That being said; don’t be that “other guy” who isn’t accommodating to parents with small children or elderly people. Don’t be “that guy” tip #4
This next one is controversial; but I am going for it! Just because your seat can recline doesn’t mean you should recline it. We all know that the airlines are cramming in as many seats as possible; our personal space on flights are getting ridiculously tiny. Don’t be an ass and recline your seat in the lap of the person behind you. This has recently happened to me and I was “that other guy” who kept shoving her water bottle in the seat pocket in front of her; in turn poking “that guy” in the spin….not sorry!!!
The only acceptable exception is I’d you’re flying at night.
My seat mate had to have one leg in my space and one leg in the aisle because “this guy” needed to recline!!!🤬
Don’t be “that guy” tip #5
This next one applies to a bunch of people, so calling them “those guys”. Don’t be “those guys” who when they start the boarding process by zones rush to line up right away; when it’s not their turn.
If you’re in zone 5 and they are boarding zone 1 and 2, don’t line up!! It’s not your turn!! This happens all the time; the other day my zone was called and I am standing behind people only to realize that the line wasn’t moving forward, because their zones hadn’t been called yet; yet there they were all lined up, blocking the way for others, like me, from getting through. Pleas stop being “those guys”!!
Don’t be “that guy” tip #6
Don’t be “that guy” who seems surprised when their over sized bag doesn’t fit in the overhead compartment. We know that you know it’s was never going to fit; so drop the act. And it doesn’t matter how many times you push and shove it, it’s not going to fit so give up already; you’re holding up the line! Suffer through the next few hours with that huge bag in the small space allotted for your feet. I hope you used the next few hours to contemplate the consequences of your life decisions, lol.
I don’t like carrying on my bag, but I can when I need to. Paris for 9 days with one little white bag!!
Don’t be “that guy” tip #7
Don’t be “that guy” who’s rude to the flight attendants; this is never acceptable!! They can’t control the weather, they aren’t to blame for mechanical issues or any other delays. They show up to work their shifts and have to deal with a lot of cranky and smelly, yes smelly, flyers.
Their main job isn’t to get you coffee it’s to keep you safe; so pay attention, make eye contact and hey; why don’t you smile at them and greet them with a hello and leave them with a goodbye or a thank you?
Photo from a friend of mine who’s an actual flight attendant; be nice!
I could go on and was planning on sharing 10 tips, but I am going to pause here so we can reflect and practice the 7; don’t be “that guy” tips above. Plus I am getting myself worked up, so I need to take a break!! Lol. But this is not the end; there will be a part two!!
And if you’re thinking; man Liette’s a cranky traveler! I am not…most of the time. Traveling for work and traveling when on vacation are two very different things. Business travelers tend to be more focused and in a hurry to get home after a week away.
Thank you so much for reading. I am getting lots of new readers; thanks to those who share my posts via Facebook! And if you haven’t yet subscribed to receive my blog, please do below!
I am just a girl who is sharing her thoughts in, hopefully, an entertaining way. And by girl, I mean, middle aged woman; and by middle aged, I mean, I am middle aged if I plan on living to be 100!! Pfff…it could happen, lol
thank you, merci!!!
muah!
Liette
Photo by @radiantphotography
Don’t be “that guy” bonus tip!
Please if you aren’t feeling well, don’t fly!! Trust me, you don’t want to be “that guy” sneezing or coughing on a plane these days!!
This guy coughed from Boston to Toronto on my flight a few days ago. Let’s just say he got death stares from most of the passengers aboard.
As a native New Brunswicker, I don’t think so, but I have to admit that there are some freaky things going on here.
We have a hill that pulls your car uphill; we have a river that changes direction every 8 hours. And we have tides so low that you can walk on the ocean’s floor; if those things aren’t weird, than I don’t know what is?
Here are a few wonderfully weird things to do and see in New Brunswick! Because let’s face it, normal is boring!!
#1 Super Oddball Cool thing to do in New Brunswick – Sleep in a castle!
Growing up I’ve always wanted to live in a castle; to be honest I still do.
How many Canadian cities can brag about having a giant castle in the center of their city? And how many of those can you spend the night in?? Soooo…I don’t know the answer to either of those questions; these are rhetorical questions, obviously! My point is, that there probably aren’t that many?!
I do know of a castle that you can sleep in and it’s right here in New Brunswick! Castle Manor, in Moncton, rents out rooms via Airbnb. Sleeping in a castle is our first awesomely weird thing to do in NB.
Fun fact; when I was a little girl I believed that the Friendly Giant and Rusty lived in Castle Manor. I suspect one of my older cousins told me that fun fake fact and I whole heartily believed them…for a long time.
If you don’t know who the Friendly Giant is? I feel bad for you; it was just the best children’s television program ever! It ran in Canada from 1958 to 1985; think Mr Rogers, but as a giant with a giraffe and a rooster as his side kicks; oh and he played the recorder…oh and every episode ended with a cow jumping over the moon; why? Why not! Look up, waaaay up and google it! Ok, I digress…back to sleeping in castles.
I am not going to lie, after decades of driving past Castle Manor, I was soooo excited to have the opportunity to go in and check it out.
It’s been completely renovated and it’s beautiful!! They have 13 units that you can rent; each comes with a full kitchen, washer, dryer; everything you will need while traveling and more! Each unit has it’s own unique layout and they have done their best to incorporate and keep historic structural pieces.
I wish I had realized that these were available to rent when I was traveling back from Las Vegas on a regular basis last year. These are perfect for business travelers or families on vacation.
The penthouse suite is gorgeous!!! I could see myself living here; with my crown of course!
Many of the units have exposed stone walls; they have kept the original staircases and stain glass; no expense was spared!
Please note that the rooms don’t come with crowns, so you’ll need to bring your own.
Now can you spend the night in a Castle without a crown? Yes, of course you can; don’t be silly. But should you? My answer is no; my mother always told me to go big or stay home. And if wearing a crown isn’t appropriate in a castle then where can one wear a crown?? And honestly if you’re going to do oddball fabulous things, then be a fabulous oddball while doing them, for goodness sake.
Now did I go a bit too far with my crown pics? Yes, of course I did; that’s just how I roll! 👸
#2 Super Oddball Cool thing to do in New Brunswick – Chill out with a gang of alpacas
Have you tried goat yoga? FYI don’t wear your best Lululemons, the goats will poop all over them! Goats are so 2019; Alpacas are way cooler!
Seriously alpacas are having a moment at the moment, which is great timing because hanging with a gang of alpacas is our second awesomely fabulous thing to do in NB.
I recruited two of my cousins to help me with this visit. They are crazy…I mean they are crazy animal lovers; so I thought they would love being up close and personal with a gang of alpacas and I was right!
We visited Petitmore Alpacas in Harcourt, NB and you really need to visit them too! I must say that the hour we spent with the owners, Janet, Bart and their family of alpacas filled our hearts with joy; and I am not even being dramatic!! We had smiles on our faces the whole time.
We fell in love with Charlie and Ruthy, two of their females with big personalities. We got to feed them lots of apples and it turns out alpacas love taking selfies! Who knew??
Above, Charlie and I discovering that we go to the same hairdresser for our highlights, lol!!
As if spending the afternoon with a farm full of alpacas wasn’t fun enough; guess what else you can do there? Shop!!! They have the softest and the most amazing, hand made, hats, socks and more! This is your opportunity to shop local!!!
Here we are showing off our new tuques! We also placed an order for matching ones; you can buy off the rack or place a custom order. To be honest, it was an excuse to go back in the spring! Crazy cousins, from left to right; Brigitte, Liette and Tantan, aka Tania.
Please follow Petitmore Alpacas on Facebook @Petitmorealpacas and check out their hours of operation. During the winter months they are only open by appointment; but will be opening with all the bells and whistles in late spring ish. And if the rumors are true, there maybe as many of 6 new baby alpacas come this spring! #3 Super Oddball Cool thing to do in New Brunswick – Ice Caves
Do you struggle to find fun activities to do with your kids or your posse during the winter? You could go for a regular walk in the woods; or you could explore Midland’s ice caves.
The caves are actual waterfalls that have completely frozen up. Someone breaks two holes in the ice to make an entrance and and exit and voilà, ice caves! You can walk behind the frozen falls, making it feel like a cave.
This outing includes:
– A bit of cardio: That first 30 min or so are uphill; I liked that the uphill part was right at the beginning. It’s mostly a slow incline so it’s not so bad. I was feeling the burn by the time I made it to the top though.
– A relaxing, breathtaking and beautiful walk in the woods: The walk through the woods was so relaxing and the smell of fresh air was so invigorating! Man I love NB!!
Here’s a tip; dress in layers. The uphill portion was a bit windy and cold, but once you get in the woods you’re sheltered from the wind so it gets hot!!
– An adrenaline rush for all the adrenaline junkies out there: Depending on the weather, the hill leading down to the caves can be slick and icy?
Remember that once you get down, you need to eventually get back up! There are ropes that you can use to pull yourself back up.
As soon as I got down, I started contemplating how the hell I was going to get back up; and by contemplating, I mean worrying. I ended up going with the bear technique; which is climbing on your hands and knees. I followed a family; the mother kept saying; stay low and crawl like a bear. I figured if those directives were good enough for her kids, they were good enough for me!! I just feel in line with them; ok, I butted in the line between her kids and the dad. Making it back up the hill was enough adrenaline for me.
Metal spikes on your boots wouldn’t be a horrible ideas… just saying.
In order to get into the caves, you need to crawl up to the entrance; most ended up sliding in on their bellies or getting pulled in; neither were graceful in case you were wondering.
And to get out you needed to slide down a solid ice slide. A fresh layer of snow would have made the conditions less icy and less dangerous.
The odd look on my face in the pic below is me making the decision that I wasn’t crawling in there!! This is my; “yeah, no!” face.
The line to get into the cave was a bit long; it was very entertaining to watch people figure out what their cave entrance strategy was going to be? Everyone waiting in line were very supportive and encouraging of each other. What I love about Canadians is that we can respectfully make fun of perfect strangers in such a way that no one gets offended; so waiting in line was my favorite part…well it was fun once I decided I wouldn’t be going in. I just pictured myself falling on my face in front of everyone; but it turns out my brother didn’t get the scardy cat gene, so he was ready and psyched to check it out.
While I was people watching the only two people who made it in and out with a bit of dignity and grace were some 5 or 6 year old boy, who was obviously high on sugar or hyper active? And my brother, who turns out is very graceful and gazelle like.
– The perfect backdrop for next year’s family Christmas cards: It didn’t matter where you stood, the backdrop was beautiful! And the lighting in the woods in the afternoon is magical, no filters in the pic below.
– It’s also a dog lover’s paradise; which is similar to a Gangsters Paradise. Not sure how many of my readers will get that reference? Lol.
Our journey back was a bit longer than it needed to be due to the fact that we needed to stop and pet every dog we encountered on our way down the hill.
#4 Super Oddball Cool thing to do in NB – Learn a new language!
As if being the only officially bilingual province in Canada wasn’t cool enough; we’ve invented a third; it’s called Chiac.
It’s a combo of English words mixed in with a French base. It’s pretty easy to master once you get the hang of it; example: chu right fatigué. Translation; I am so tired. You can pretty much replace the French word, tellement, which means very, with the English word, right and you’re half way there. You can also replace “I”, which is “je” in French with “ej” or “chu”; and congratulations! You’re speaking Chiac!
Now I’ll get you to the intermediated level; ready? OMG y’était right tannant au party hier soir! Le party était right lame, anyways, on la ditché. Translation; he was such a pain in the ass at the party last night that we ditched him.
I love these Chiac t-shirts, they are from @dowdstreetstudio, check them out on Insta.
Two words that Acadians love to use are; tannant, which means pain in the ass and picasse, which means cranky. So if you are in the region and someone calls you tannant or face picasse, it’s not a compliment.
Your last lesson will get you through the most important part of your day; ordering your coffee at Tim’s. Here we go; ej prendra un large double double svp.
So is New Brunswick weird?? Maybe so? But only in the most amazingly fabulous way!! Find yourself a few like minded weirdos and get out there and explore!!
Hey, do you know of any fun, weird things to do in NB?? If so, please let me know.
Thank you for reading and please share!!!
muah!
Liette (your favorite NB weirdo)
Bonus funny facts and outtakes
The picture below looked like a lovely shot of the frozen falls and the people waiting for their turns. Until I noticed something a bit disturbing; check out the arrow; it looks like the legs of a dead woman. She was actually not dead, but being pulled into the cave, lol. See I wasn’t lying when I said that there was no graceful way in!!
Brigitte and I considered getting these at Petitmore Alpaca Farm, but decided on something a little less….extra.
Another, behind the scenes secret; turns out alpacas can be a bit skittish, so it’s good to use your inside, quiet, voice. I kept having to remind Brigitte of this, but the alpacas were just too cute and she had a hard time controlling her excitement. She also wanted to take one home with her; and by one, I mean like 5!
I was looking for a side hustle that I could tie into my blog and that would highlight my natural talent; but first I needed to figure out what my natural talent was?
After a bit of soul searching I found it; it’s shopping!! One of my friends once said; “chu une femme à cadeaux”; which translates to; I am a woman who loves gifts. I too love gifts; getting and giving.
I’ve discovered over the years that a lot of people dread the act of gift buying, because they feel pressure to find that “perfect” gift; and it ruins the whole gifting experience for them. That’s so sad.
Well I am here to help…you’re welcome! Here’s how it works; you email me at: liette@oui-liette.org and tell me who the lucky lady or man is that will be getting a gift. I’ll send you a very none scientific quiz to fill out; don’t worry it’s short, funny and easy. It will give me an insight into who I am buying for, so that we can get them a thoughtful and personal gift. I can also make it the prettiest looking package ever!!
The more lead time the better. The more time will allow me to find the best deals and bang for your bucks.
I’ll be shopping locally, globally and online!
I am officially open for business! The next big event coming our way will be Mother’s Day; I’ll have a few pre-set gift ideas as starting points.
In addition to individual gifts, I can also help with party favors; parties are sort of my jam.
Thanks for reading!! Email me for any shopping questions; liette@oui-liette.org
This Valentine’s I am feeling a darker, moodier vibe. It maybe because I am back in Eastern Canada where the days are shorter, darker and colder? But I love it! I love curling up on my couch watching the snow fall; that’s probably one of the only thing you can’t do in Las Vegas?
For this Valentine’s Day, my challenge and wish to all of you is to love your life! And to fall in love with yourself! Ok, that maybe easier said than done?
I am finding that the art of loving your life is to not compare yours to others. Everyone, no matter how rosy and happy they look, is struggling with something. Life is hard!! That’s a fact that we tend to forget. But nothing worth having is easy, so appreciate what you have when you have it!
One of my favorite “loving my life” tricks is to find people who make me laugh and to spend as much time with them as possible; bribery works for me, but hey, you do you, lol. My other trick is to do ridiculously stupid and fun things; preferably with the same people who make you laugh.
As I get older, I really have zero fucks as to what others think of me or my shenanigans. If you think that wearing a crown when you visit Buckingham Palace is dumb; well that’s your prorogative, but we obviously can’t be friends, lol.
It’s been my experience that my fondest memories are the ones where I let lose and was a bit extra with the people I love.
I wish all of you a heartfelt, lovely, ridiculous Valentine’s Day! If it doesn’t fill your heart with joy, don’t do it…well unless it’s your job; and who are we kidding, you need to make money. Ok, new plan, is it doesn’t fill your heart with joy, come up with a new plan! Then stop doing it.
muah!!!
Liette
P.S. – some of my crazy cousins are coming over tomorrow; we’ll be decorating Valentine cupcakes, but with a twist! Check out my Facebook page: oui-liette, for pics of our cupcake night.
Lost in London – The fine art of finding more while lost.
My day job consists of organizing and planning things; so one might assume that when I travel everything needs to be all planned out?
That’s actually not the case at all. I don’t like trips that are too structured; I do enjoy an organized tour or two, but I also love exploring freestyle. Getting lost in side streets is the best way to experience a new city.
On my recent trip to London; I was reminded, more than a few times, that I have a horrible sense of direction, lol.
In my defense, I’m lazy; when roaming with others I like to let them take the lead. Always being “the boss” can be exhausting! During my off time, I like to give up control and let others figure out where the hell we are and how the hell we’re going to get to where we’re going.
When I am alone I do make a point to pay more attention to my surroundings and I google map stuff. But there’s a freedom to not knowing exactly where you are. Instead of going from point A to point B; look around and pop into anyplace that look interesting.
Vintage Louis Vuitton cases, chocolats in Harrod’s and and fancy white swans; so much to see!
My favorite travel days are when I have a general idea of what I want to do and see, but I’m free to roam and explore. I love just happening upon things.
I also love when you tell your travel companions; hey let’s buy crowns and wear them to Buckingham Palace and their first reaction is yes!! Let’s!
Who you’re traveling with can make or break your trip. Just because you’re great friends with someone doesn’t automatically mean you will be great travel buddies…just saying.
After our palace visit, my fellow royals and I made our way to towards SoHo. There are so many different areas with cool shopping and dining options; it’s impossible to see them all. So pick one or two areas to get lost in.
My exploring partner and I. We eventually took off our crowns. 👸👸🏼
I can be difficult to roam freely in a large group; hey, not everyone has the same interests, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Once in SoHo we quickly discovered that finding a lunch place that appealed to all six of us would be almost impossible.
One of us, probably me, decided we should split up. And instead of being offended, the rest of the group seemed relived. It’s perfectly fine to break up into smaller groups or to venture out alone and meet up later.
I partnered up with Alex and I’m pretty certain that our four other colleagues thought that we would get lost the moment we split; Alex is also directionally challenged.
We spent the afternoon popping in and out of funky places. Some of our colleagues prefer to read the full menu posted on the door before deciding if a restaurant is suitable or not, which is perfectly fine.
Alex and I took a different approach; our lunch venue was selected because they had funky green couches and shiny chandeliers. Once seated we knew we had made the right choice when we saw that they had a section on their menu dedicated to boozy hot chocolates.
After lunch we shopped in super cute boutiques; it was a fabulous afternoon. And guess what? We made it back to the hotel all by ourselves, crowns and shopping bags in hand!
I hope you enjoyed my London adventures; my next trip is San Diego. I will try to pencil in a day or afternoon to get lost there too.
I challenge you to get lost somewhere; and guess what? You don’t even need to leave your hometown. I am certain that there are places that you drive by all the time that you’ve been meaning check out. Take an hour and be a tourist in your own town!! Get lost!!
Cheerio, muah!
Liette
I know a lot of my readers like to see my oddball purchases. I do love all those tacky touristy shops! Here are my finds from my Lost in London afternoon.
I got a few postcards for my blog board, tacky red double decker salt and pepper shakers; I had bought a pair of these a few years ago for my then bf, now have my own. And some colorful macaroons from Harrod’s.
On every trip I get a print or post cards that I frame. I love having reminders of where I have been hanging on my walls. I bought this print, see above, it spoke to me! 💋
The two pics below were cards that I bought in a stationary shop on my last trip to London. The frames were cheap, but the finished look is fancy! I love them.
To see what my latest London prints and cards will look like framed, follow me on Facebook at @oui-liette. I am going to do a mix of store bought frames and custom framing.
