Goddess of.. Just The Beginning!

I have yet to update you on my AMAZING trip to France & Portugal! Paris really was just the beginning of an incredible adventure.

After my 2-day stay in Paris and my reunion with Nick, I headed to Strasbourg to meet with Andrea (of @FranceHappened) for a few days.

She greeted me at the train station, hosted me at her place and dedicated two days to showing me a wonderful time in Strasbourg! We walked all over the place, saw all the major attractions, ate great food and lots of pastries :) I had an amazing time and look forward to showing her a great time in My City when she visits (sooner rather than later, Andy? :D).

My only regret? Not being in Strasbourg right now to see the Christmas Markets :) But at least I ate some of the traditional cookies "bredeles".. and I didn't have to withstand the winter cold!

Holiday smooches, XOXO

Goddess of.. Romantic Moments!

The ballet finished on time, at 9:45pm. My heart was racing at the thought of seeing Nick for the first time in months. Three months, lots of emails and Skype conversations had led me to this very moment, in Paris.

People were still clapping away when I quietly exited my theater box. I was the first one to leave, that may have been a tad impolite (on premiere night) but I had someone waiting outside for me. Someone I hadn't seen in months. So I walked out of the opera house during the 3rd standing ovation.. my heels clicking on the marble floors. My legs were shaky and the stairs seemed to go on forever.

I finally stepped out of the opera house and.. more stairs. So I focused on not breaking my neck, and when I lifted my head up to see if I could spot Nick anywhere... he came running up the stairs, straight at me!

{What follows may make you sick to your stomach, because it was straight out of a movie. 

And even romantic comedies are not THAT good.}

He picked me up, we hugged, we kissed (clumsily at first because of the excitement) and we didn't let go for 10 minutes. I was shaking, I was giggling. We were kissing so incredibly passionately, it was probably too much PDA, even for Paris, ze City of Love. But honestly, when you haven't kissed someone you really want to kiss in 3 months... it comes out a little strong when you do finally get your hands on them.

At that point, other people were starting to exit the Opera house as well.. and 15 minutes later, I realized there may have been a few people looking. "Oh well, too bad", I thought to myself. When we stopped kissing, we hadn't even said "Hi" to each other yet. We couldn't let go of hugging just yet. He asked, still shaking "Sooooo oo how was the ballet?" and I just told him to "Shut up" and proceeded to continue making out with him for 10 more minutes.

We eventually left the opera house and he had borrowed his roommate's car to come to Paris. The car was double-parked in front of the opera house (a very busy spot of the city) for 20-25 minutes before he told me that he came by car. Once again, we thought "Oh well, too bad". We drove around, found an indoor parking and walked back to my apartment for the night.

We shared wine and macarons (from La Durée, so good!) together while watching a bit of tv.. and it was a perfect evening, finally together. The following morning, we had brunch on a little Parisian terrace at Café du Centre, sitting side by side, hugging & holding hands. The food was exceptionally good.. and the company? Even better.

Goddess of.. The Best Vacation Ever!

Oh bloggies, words will never be enough to describe what a dream come true this vacation was.

Flying to Paris on my own: Short & sweet, and exciting as hell! I was pretty proud to make all these dreams come true for myself.. and knowing I did it without (financial) help from anybody, was priceless. Arriving upon Paris, the view was incredible: The sun was rising, there was fog covering the city and just the tip of the Eiffel tower poking out of the clouds. A true sign of the amazingness to come!

My apartment in Paris

1st day in Paris: I got to my rented apartment and it was wonderful! The host greeted me with an espresso and we chatted for a bit. I grilled him with a few questions about Paris, sights to see, etc. His place was exactly as pictured: modern, clean and well located!

I took a nap and then, went on to visit the Pont des Arts (The bridge where people tie "love locks" and I saw Zac Efron!), the Louvre Museum (incredible!), the Jardin des Tuileries (gardens by the Seine river), walked to La Durée to buy macarons (they were delicious, worth the 30-min wait!) and headed back to my apartment to change before the Ballet (and my reunion with Nick).

The ballet was incredible, about 30 female and 20 male dancers, in gorgeous costumes by Christian Lacroix (indian inspiration, russian inspiration, classic tutus, modern kind of cirque-du-soleil costumes, etc). The Garnier Opera house itself is something to see and the 6-people boxes in the theater are very luxurious (red velvet on the walls, a lounge chaise, make-up mirror, etc.).

Of course, I tried my best to focus on the present but my mind wandered at the thought of being reunited with Nick in about 2 hours. I looked at my watch repeatedly. I had e-mailed him when I arrived in Paris and he said he'd wait for me on the steps of the Opera house at 9:30pm. My heart was racing but I kept a calm exterior.

Goddess of.. Jetting Off to France!

The day has arrived, I'm leaving tonight on a jet plane! *Cue nervous laughter*

First time flying by myself and I'm going across the pond.. which has left me feeling nervous. Not so much for the flight but for all the possible "unforseens" that go along with travelling to a place you don't really know yet.

I wish my momma was coming with me, she always knows what to do in any given situation. She's my security blanket, you know?

To me, this feels like another step towards become a woman. The kind of woman my mother is.

Free, independent, self-sufficient, well-rounded woman.


It's exciting, it's terrifying and it'll change me -- which is exactly why I'm doing this.

Countdown: Leaving today!

Goddess of.. New Boots, New Dress, New Shoes!

Preparing for an upcoming trip always makes me want to change my whole wardrobe because nothing ever seems good enough for the TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

However, I love to travel and I wanna do it as often as possible.. which is why I can't change everything every time. This time, I've decided to get a few new pieces and I thought I'd share them with you.

First purchase, a pair of Nine West boots for the France portion of my trip.. where it will probably be a little chilly. I wanted comfortable (for walking) booties with heels and since that's hard to find, I opted for wedges which are about halfway between flats and heels in my opinion. Taa-daaaah!

Nine West Peekaboo Wedge Booties

Second purchase, I wanted a dress for the night that Nick & I will be going to Vila Joya, the 2-Michelin-Star restaurant in Portugal. I wanted something that would take me outside my usual comfort zone, preferably very sexy but still classy. I opted for a black Zara dress, open back and lace. It doesn't look like it in the pictures, but it's pretty va-va-voom on me (you know, because mamma's got curves ;) and all). After booking my ticket for the opening night of the ballet in Paris, I decided I will wear the dress for that event as well (with tights and a black blazer). 

Zara Trafaluc Lace dress

I bought these funky tights that have a faux tigh highs with garter belt. They're totally opaque which is great and warm :) for my night on the town in Paris. Couldn't find a better image, sadly.

Sisi black & white garter tights

Last purchase (but not least!), I was hoping to find some sexy heels to go with that dress (and to class up any other dress I might wear to dinner in Portugal). I went in to Steve Madden looking for the UNITYY heels or something similar.. and was surprised to learn that Steve Madden now sells Betsey Johnson shoes! And I decided to go for a pair of peeptoe Betsey Johnsons:

Betsey Johnson Caseyy Peeptoe

Shopping for this trip definitely wasn't cheap (Nine West Booties, $170; Zara Dress, $70; Sisi tights, $10; Betsey Johnson Heels, $115) but I'm glad I got more expensive shoes this time around (as opposed to what I usually spend on shoes). I've been wearing the booties this week and so far, they are extremely comfortable and easy to walk in. And that, ladies, is money well spent in my book.


Countdown: 5 days

Half of my suitcase is already packed.. so exciting!
Nick & I set up our romantic rendez-vous in Paris, after the ballet in front of Opéra Garnier. *sighs*

Ciao bloggies,

Goddess of.. My Parisian Fantasy!

Your dreams? My dreams? Our reality.

Or something to that effect, I think John Lennon actually said : "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."

I've been dreaming of Paris for years. As a child, I went to Paris a few times.. I was very lucky to travel a lot with my parents when I was younger. For years, Paris has been my dream city. I have a (un)healthy obsession with the Eiffel tower, striped clothing (marinières à la J-P. Gauthier), macarons and countless other typically-french or Parisian things.

On my upcoming trip, I have 2 days in Paris upon arrival. Mainly to deal with jet-lag and make sure I'll be top shape when I get to Andrea (of @FranceHappened) in Strasbourg, 2 days later!

Simply three things on my to-do list :

• Visit Le Louvre (the only big attraction I haven't visited).
• Eat macarons from La Durée or Fauchon (or both). 
• Attend the opening night of a ballet at Palais Garnier  (w/ costumes by Christian Lacroix).

And then, I was talking to Nick last week:

him: "So you're arriving in Paris on the 22nd?"
me: "Yes, around 9am I think.."
him: "Okay, because I'll meet up with you after your ballet :)"
me: "Oh wow, really? You're not gonna be swamped with school?"
him: "I can take saturday night off. I originally wanted to go to the ballet with you but you said you bought the last ticket before it sold out :("
me: "My god, you're so sweet! I didn't think of inviting you since I know you have 4 exams in the following days.. but that's amazing!"

* And then I blushed like a little girl *

me: "I'm looking forward to seeing you :D"
him: "Me too :D and we can go to that bar you wanted to go to afterwards"
me: "Yay!"

So I guess I'll be seeing him sooner than I thought! Did I mention how excited I am?

Countdown: 10 days


Just to clarify, that's a countdown to my trip.. not to the end of my dry-spell. Although... ;)



P.S. If you like Paris too, reading this will be like porn for you:
http://fathomaway.com/postcards/romance/my-parisian-fantasy/

Goddess of.. Pinch me, I'm dreaming!

Wow.

That one word hardly sums it up. I am one step closer to this incredible trip, exactly one month from today, I will be in Paris. Can you believe it? I sure can't.

Pinch me, for I am surely dreaming. 

Monday, I booked my first-class train ticket to visit Andrea (@francehappened) in Strasbourg!

Monday, Nick made reservations for us at the Vila Joya Restaurant, the ONLY two Michelin Star restaurant in Portugal (which offers an exclusive and intimate fine dining experience overlooking the Algarve coast). It was HIS idea.. I die. This deserves a new dress.. possibly new shoes too.

Today, I booked an oceanview room at the Memmo Baleeira in Sagres, Portugal for Nick and I!

Also, I'm trying to set-up a surprise for him when we get to the hotel. I'm trying to coordinate to have them prepare turn-down service and a bottle of champagne waiting for us in our room upon arrival.. we'll see if I can make it happen (since we're arrive at the hotel around 1:30am :S).

Cheers,

Goddess of.. I'm Going to Portugal & France! + Giveaway Winner

It's a done deal, girlfriends. The boy (we'll call him Nick) booked our plane tickets to Portugal yesterday and this morning, I booked my flight to Paris. Such exciting (yet terrifiying) adventures, don't you think?


The Skeptic in me still doubts that this is happening but the Romantic in me is researching the best beaches, romantic hotels, fun bars & gourmet restaurants. I've only taken one vacation with a boy in my lifetime: my ex Miguel and I went to Florida in 2007. It was fun & exciting with a side of bickering. But this time, it's completely different.

Everything is new and exciting. I've spent very little time with this guy, yet we like each other a lot and want to get to know one another. Sure, this could be a disaster (says the Skeptic) but it could also be a vacation I'll never forget & the start of a great story, the kind you only see in the movies (says the Romantic).

It could also be somewhere half-way in the middle, neither mind-blowing nor totally disastrous (says the Realist). We'll see :) only time will tell. But either way, I'll get to visit Portugal & France!

Also, I CANNOT WAIT to meet Andrea of @FranceHappened, it feels like it's gonna be one of those love at first sight stories.. because let's face it, she's incredible!


I leave you with an excerpt of adorableness from the boy: 

Nick: Ummmm how light do you usually travel lol? I need to know if you'll need checked bags.
Me: I wanna travel light but I don't know if I can fit absolutely everything in a single carry-on. Maybe, if I put everything in my suitcase and just hold my passport/boarding pass in my hand? Could be doable.

Another e-mail later...

Nick: So we're booked for Portugal! I got us 1 checked bag each (I think I can manage without hehe, the second one is just in case you go a *little* overboard ! :P )

Oh wow, it's cute how he knows me (or all women). The extra luggage will be awesome and I'm glad I didn't have to ask. He's taken initiative with every step of this booking process and I love that!

And now, for the Eden Fantasys Giveaway Draw

*Drum roll*

The lucky winner is:

Send me an e-mail at aritza.goddess@gmail.com and we will contact you to give you your prize!

Goddess of.. Grand Gestures: Romantic or Foolish?

Remember a few weeks ago, when I said (see post):

"ROMANTIC -- I met a gentleman through online dating two weeks ago. We really hit it off. There's just one thing.. I met him exactly 2 days before he was moving away to Europe & Asia for the next 10 months. We've been keeping in touch through e-mail but it sucks. I'm thinking of going on vacation to Europe, maybe in October.. and who knows, we may meet up somewhere. Could be über romantic :)"

Well, him and I are still e-mailing back and forth. We also Skype about once a week. Honestly, I'm surprised we're still pen pals.. I was expecting him to get bored of this or to simply lose interest. But he hasn't and I haven't either. The first time we talked on Skype, I was talking about wanting to take a vacation in October at some point.

 He mentioned I should go to Paris, meet up with him and we could go somewhere together. I thought that was really nice but wasn't banking too much on it. Wednesday night, we made another appointment to talk on Skype. After chatting for about an hour, he brought it up again: "So you know when we talked about you maybe coming to visit in October?".

I paused, held my breath and braced myself for disappointing news. I figured the following words would probably be something along the lines of "Turns out, I can't get away from school" or "Sorry, I planned something else".. but instead he surprised me: "I was thinking it'd be really nice if we could go to Portugal or the south of Spain".

I breathed out, I was excited, I said: "Wow, that'd be awesome!". Which was probably the understatement of the century but whatever, I was playing it cool. I told him I'd look up flights to Portugal on Thursday.. and report my findings. So Thursday, we discussed travel dates & time. Last night, when I got home, I uncovered a missed message from him on my computer, dated from Wednesday night after our chat: "There's no way to describe how much I would like to kiss you good night right now. Sweet dreams :)".

It was really sweet, because he hasn't mentioned anything about kissing me or missing me.. we talk and we're just kind of pen-pal friends. So I thought it was really cute that he didn't tell me during our chat but rather wrote it afterwards.

Today I asked for vacation days at work.Vacations days were just approved by my boss. I'm good to go. E-mailed the boy to tell him.

I'm excited, I'm terrified. I'm going to France and to Portugal? With a boy? Oh my god.

And the very pretty cherry on top? I might get to meet up with gal-pal Andrea from @France Happened!