Our first stop in our two week tour of Spain and it was a bit of a shock for me. After spending close to two months in Italy, you get used to seeing very old buildings and infrastructure, but Barcelona is a very modern city and very different from Italy. But a good different, I just needed to adjust to a completely new culture.
We spent 4 nights/5 days there and had a lot of fun. We rented an apartment away from the tourist area and spent a lot of time walking around in some of the different areas and relaxing. Arnold really wanted to go to a show in one of those old theatres so we bought tickets to what we thought would be an older man playing guitar (according to the posters we saw), but ended up seeing a Spanish rock show. LOL But it was really cool and great to see (plus the theatre the show in was amazing). Their fans were awesome and LOVIN' the show - especially this guy who must have been their number one fan. We also did a stroll along the beach and wow, we definitely aren't in Canada anymore - I didn't realize people suntanned naked on the beach - like full on naked on a public beach. All of the sudden topless tanning doesn't seem so bad - I think it should be mandatory that bottoms be kept on (yes, we saw a man that had no shorts on).
Arnold and I both think that who ever did the city planning for that city is a genius, we love the layout and they have a great Metro system. In the area were were in, all of the blocks were octagon shape vs square. I'm not sure if it makes driving difficult, but we thought it was fantastic (we saw an aeriel picture of it and it looked so cool - google it and see what I mean).
All in all, Barcelona was great - we are spending one more night there before we leave and I am definitely looking forward to heading back there.
Love Melissa and Arnold
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Florence, A Blue Hair Tour, and a French Canadian
Have lots to catch up on - here is a bit about our last couple of days in Italy
Florence is such a beautiful city, but really, I think anywhere you go in Italy will be amazing. It is a great country - I never had the desire to go to Italy before, but now I can't wait to go back and was completely shocked by how much I love it there. We spent most of our time in Florence walking around the tourist areas or else in a cafe people watching and sipping on Prosecco. I think Arnold said it is his favorite city in Italy - I still can't decide, I think Rome is still my fav, but mostly because of sight seeing there and maybe not because of the actual city vibe? Hard to say. Either way, it was really, really nice, we even ended up adding on another night there because we were enjoying our time there - almost wish we had another day to see everything else we missed.
Because we were short on time, we signed up for one of those day tours so we could see Siena, San Gimignano and more of the Tuscany landscape. So yes, we were in one of those groups that had about 50 people following behind a tour guide that got transported around in a big bus. It was pretty funny - I never thought I would do one of those tours, but here we were in a group of 50 retired people. I think we were the youngest couple there by a long shot (and there were only two other young people in the group, but they were with their parents) but it was actually pretty good and a great way to see some sights for a cheap price. Tuscany is a great region and the cities around Florence are stunning (very, very beautiful). I could definitely spend a lot more time there and hopefully we get a chance to go back to that area and see it over a longer period of time vs one day. Plus I want to do a better wine tour of the area LOL.
Since we have left Canada, I have only met two other Canadians. They were young girls living in Arusha doing some volunteer work- so it's been rare. Wel,l on our Blue Hair tour a lady started talking to us and asked us where we were from - after we told her we were Canadians she got very excited and told us she was from Montreal. Sweet! Another Canadian - it's nice meeting other Canadians abroad. Anyway, we must have been chatting with her for about 6 minutes and out of no where she told us that she thought it would be a good idea if Quebec separated from Canada. Ummmm what?!?!? Did she really just say that to us, 5 minutes after meeting us. Hahah, it was hilarious. That was the first time I have ever met someone that actually wanted to separate from Canada. Thankfully that awkward conversation was interrupted by our tour guide - haha
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Ooh and I should mention this because its pretty funny - even though we were the youngest couple in the tour group, I think we were the only ones who couldn't stay awake on the bus ride LOL. As soon as we would step onto the bus we would both pass out haha - NO one else around us was sleeping - they were all "ooh'ing and aaah'ing" over the country side and here we are sleeping. You would think it would be the other way around haha...
Florence is such a beautiful city, but really, I think anywhere you go in Italy will be amazing. It is a great country - I never had the desire to go to Italy before, but now I can't wait to go back and was completely shocked by how much I love it there. We spent most of our time in Florence walking around the tourist areas or else in a cafe people watching and sipping on Prosecco. I think Arnold said it is his favorite city in Italy - I still can't decide, I think Rome is still my fav, but mostly because of sight seeing there and maybe not because of the actual city vibe? Hard to say. Either way, it was really, really nice, we even ended up adding on another night there because we were enjoying our time there - almost wish we had another day to see everything else we missed.
Because we were short on time, we signed up for one of those day tours so we could see Siena, San Gimignano and more of the Tuscany landscape. So yes, we were in one of those groups that had about 50 people following behind a tour guide that got transported around in a big bus. It was pretty funny - I never thought I would do one of those tours, but here we were in a group of 50 retired people. I think we were the youngest couple there by a long shot (and there were only two other young people in the group, but they were with their parents) but it was actually pretty good and a great way to see some sights for a cheap price. Tuscany is a great region and the cities around Florence are stunning (very, very beautiful). I could definitely spend a lot more time there and hopefully we get a chance to go back to that area and see it over a longer period of time vs one day. Plus I want to do a better wine tour of the area LOL.
Since we have left Canada, I have only met two other Canadians. They were young girls living in Arusha doing some volunteer work- so it's been rare. Wel,l on our Blue Hair tour a lady started talking to us and asked us where we were from - after we told her we were Canadians she got very excited and told us she was from Montreal. Sweet! Another Canadian - it's nice meeting other Canadians abroad. Anyway, we must have been chatting with her for about 6 minutes and out of no where she told us that she thought it would be a good idea if Quebec separated from Canada. Ummmm what?!?!? Did she really just say that to us, 5 minutes after meeting us. Hahah, it was hilarious. That was the first time I have ever met someone that actually wanted to separate from Canada. Thankfully that awkward conversation was interrupted by our tour guide - haha
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Ooh and I should mention this because its pretty funny - even though we were the youngest couple in the tour group, I think we were the only ones who couldn't stay awake on the bus ride LOL. As soon as we would step onto the bus we would both pass out haha - NO one else around us was sleeping - they were all "ooh'ing and aaah'ing" over the country side and here we are sleeping. You would think it would be the other way around haha...
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Pictures for Aemilia Sandals
So here are a couple of pictures of my sandal making experience ... just so you get a bit of an idea of my life in Capri .... makes me miss my little life in Capri and getting to make sandals every day :)
Enjoy!!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Aemilia Sandals ...
Just as a forewarning - this is going to be a long blog post, but I think its worth the read ;)
Ever since I was a little kid I had a thing for shoes - I'm not sure where I got it from, but I have just always loved shoes. My mother even told me a story about when I was very little, that I had the most shoes in the house. Funny story (or maybe not so funny depending on who is reading this) whenever I move, I was always go through my closet and get rid of the stuff I don't wear anymore. So of course I was packing up my closet and going through everything and noticed that I had way too many shoes - I did a quick count and well, umm, as it turned out, I had 50 pairs of shoes in my closet haha.... So yes, I have some sort of addiction.
Last year while we were away in New York, I came across this pop up sandal shop in a department store and bought a custom pair of sandals. I thought it was pretty amazing to buy a pair of sandals that were custom made for my foot and that I got to pick what style and color I wanted. After looking into a bit more and doing a bit of research, I became even more interested in it and it was something that I wanted to get involved in. Never did I ever expect it to work out and/or that it would actually happen, but I kept thinking about it none the less.
When we started planning our trip, one of the places that I wanted to go to was Capri - the city where the custom made sandals originated from. It was always in the back of my mind, but the plan had always been to live in Paris for 2-3 months and then continue on with our journey. Never did I think that I would actually live in Capri and/or have the opportunity that I did. By a fluke chance, we stumbled upon a shoe making shop on one of the side streets in Capri - after working up a bit of courage, I asked the man if he would teach me how to make sandals. Without even hesitating, he agreed to teach me - ummm, what? Did I hear that right - he said yes. After months of dreaming of this opportunity it was actually going to happen. We returned to Capri the following week, found a flat to rent and I started my cobbling training.
For 5 weeks I learnt how to make sandals from (in my opinion) one of the best sandal makers in the Amalfi Region. My mentor has been making sandals for the past 40 years and is the third generation of shoe makers. His family has been in the sandal making business for the past 95 years - first starting with his grandfather and continuing generation after generation. His grandfather made sandals for Royalty from all over Europe, his dad made sandals for Jackie Kennedy and Enzo has made sandals for a countless number of celebrities - one of his regular customers is Fiona Swarovski. I spent all of my time in his little shoe shop learning everything I possible could and just soaking in the Italian lifestyle. I first learnt how all of the styles were made and took all the notes that I could. Then I was allowed to start practicing what I had learnt and try my hand at sandal making. Much to our surprise, I was a very fast learner and picked up the skill pretty fast (he even asked if I had worked with my hands before doing stuff like this) - I think my mentor was both excited and proud of my sandal making. Every day I would head to "work" and learn all about leather, soles and shoe making (okay and a lot about Italian food haha). I would sit behind his desk and make shoes while he watched and told me stories about his life.
I will always cherish those moments and feel pretty lucky to have been given such an amazing opportunity. People around town started asking me if I was the one "making sandals". (It's a pretty small town and word gets around fast). Enzo can make a pair of sandals in about 7 minutes, I on the other hand take about 50 minutes haha... It is amazing watching him work. By the time Arnold got back to Capri, I had already been cobbling for a month and he was pretty surprised by my progress. I even made him a pair of shoes :)
So I am now a full fledge shoe cobbler and I think that it only adds fuel to my shoe addiction (Yes, I got to make myself sandals as well). Now I look at all the ladies wearing sandals and think about how they are made and the fit of the shoe haha. Enzo also put me in touch with a supplier, so I spent a morning in Napoli meeting with them to talk about different types of straps I need and to make sure they could make the correct type of soles for me. My first order of supplies will arrive in Canada shortly after we are back from our trip. The logo is currently in the works and after it has been finalized we are going to start working on a website. I am very, very excited about my new project and even more excited about the chance to do something that I am really passionate about it.
So yes, that is what I was doing in Capri for so long and that is why Arnold went back home for as long as he did. He would have been bored to tears had he stayed there for the whole time, while I was busy learning how to make sandals. I was more then happy to give up my dream to live in Paris if it meant that I was going to spend 5 weeks in Capri doing what I did.
And that is the story and the start of Aemilia Sandals
Hope you guys liked the story and it was worth the read (I'm trying to post pics of the sandals so you get a bit of an idea of what they look like) :)
Love Melissa
Ever since I was a little kid I had a thing for shoes - I'm not sure where I got it from, but I have just always loved shoes. My mother even told me a story about when I was very little, that I had the most shoes in the house. Funny story (or maybe not so funny depending on who is reading this) whenever I move, I was always go through my closet and get rid of the stuff I don't wear anymore. So of course I was packing up my closet and going through everything and noticed that I had way too many shoes - I did a quick count and well, umm, as it turned out, I had 50 pairs of shoes in my closet haha.... So yes, I have some sort of addiction.
Last year while we were away in New York, I came across this pop up sandal shop in a department store and bought a custom pair of sandals. I thought it was pretty amazing to buy a pair of sandals that were custom made for my foot and that I got to pick what style and color I wanted. After looking into a bit more and doing a bit of research, I became even more interested in it and it was something that I wanted to get involved in. Never did I ever expect it to work out and/or that it would actually happen, but I kept thinking about it none the less.
When we started planning our trip, one of the places that I wanted to go to was Capri - the city where the custom made sandals originated from. It was always in the back of my mind, but the plan had always been to live in Paris for 2-3 months and then continue on with our journey. Never did I think that I would actually live in Capri and/or have the opportunity that I did. By a fluke chance, we stumbled upon a shoe making shop on one of the side streets in Capri - after working up a bit of courage, I asked the man if he would teach me how to make sandals. Without even hesitating, he agreed to teach me - ummm, what? Did I hear that right - he said yes. After months of dreaming of this opportunity it was actually going to happen. We returned to Capri the following week, found a flat to rent and I started my cobbling training.
For 5 weeks I learnt how to make sandals from (in my opinion) one of the best sandal makers in the Amalfi Region. My mentor has been making sandals for the past 40 years and is the third generation of shoe makers. His family has been in the sandal making business for the past 95 years - first starting with his grandfather and continuing generation after generation. His grandfather made sandals for Royalty from all over Europe, his dad made sandals for Jackie Kennedy and Enzo has made sandals for a countless number of celebrities - one of his regular customers is Fiona Swarovski. I spent all of my time in his little shoe shop learning everything I possible could and just soaking in the Italian lifestyle. I first learnt how all of the styles were made and took all the notes that I could. Then I was allowed to start practicing what I had learnt and try my hand at sandal making. Much to our surprise, I was a very fast learner and picked up the skill pretty fast (he even asked if I had worked with my hands before doing stuff like this) - I think my mentor was both excited and proud of my sandal making. Every day I would head to "work" and learn all about leather, soles and shoe making (okay and a lot about Italian food haha). I would sit behind his desk and make shoes while he watched and told me stories about his life.
I will always cherish those moments and feel pretty lucky to have been given such an amazing opportunity. People around town started asking me if I was the one "making sandals". (It's a pretty small town and word gets around fast). Enzo can make a pair of sandals in about 7 minutes, I on the other hand take about 50 minutes haha... It is amazing watching him work. By the time Arnold got back to Capri, I had already been cobbling for a month and he was pretty surprised by my progress. I even made him a pair of shoes :)
So I am now a full fledge shoe cobbler and I think that it only adds fuel to my shoe addiction (Yes, I got to make myself sandals as well). Now I look at all the ladies wearing sandals and think about how they are made and the fit of the shoe haha. Enzo also put me in touch with a supplier, so I spent a morning in Napoli meeting with them to talk about different types of straps I need and to make sure they could make the correct type of soles for me. My first order of supplies will arrive in Canada shortly after we are back from our trip. The logo is currently in the works and after it has been finalized we are going to start working on a website. I am very, very excited about my new project and even more excited about the chance to do something that I am really passionate about it.
So yes, that is what I was doing in Capri for so long and that is why Arnold went back home for as long as he did. He would have been bored to tears had he stayed there for the whole time, while I was busy learning how to make sandals. I was more then happy to give up my dream to live in Paris if it meant that I was going to spend 5 weeks in Capri doing what I did.
And that is the story and the start of Aemilia Sandals
Hope you guys liked the story and it was worth the read (I'm trying to post pics of the sandals so you get a bit of an idea of what they look like) :)
Love Melissa
Monday, May 23, 2011
A Story about my backpack ...
Arnold has pointed out to me that when I am wearing my backpack people will stare and sometimes laugh. I also get A LOT of comments from taxi drivers and from the front desk staff when we check into Hotels. My backpack might be just a bit on the big side haha - but just a bit. But I think that its just the style of the actual backpack that makes it look worse then what it is. The bottom part of my pack ends at my butt (maybe in the middle?) and the top is higher then my head by 4 inches - so from the back, I think it pretty much
looks like my backpack has legs. Seeing how I am a bit on the smaller side, people really stare. I think the older couples are trying to figure out how I am able to carry this thing and feel bad for me haha - but it isn't too bad, just gets heavy after wearing it for too long. And really, its my fault that its so big - so therefor my problem (But Arnold is so sweet and helps me carry stuff).
While I was packing my bag back up when we were leaving Capri, I noticed that I had a lot of stuff haha. Don't tell Arnold this, but I think I have about 13 different tank tops, 4 pairs of shorts, 6 pairs of pants/jeans/tights, a couple t-shirts and a TON of other clothing items haha - maybe that is why I was so happy with my clothing choices, I have lots to choose from. My shoe count has also gone up to 8 somehow :S ooh boy ... haha, I know, that's really bad, but I couldn't help it. But at the end of the day, it's not my clothes that make my bag heavy, its my toiletries/medicine bag. I seriously need to figure out a way
to downsize some of that stuff - that is my goal now. To get my bag to weigh less. I think in total (between my backpack, purse and small backpack) I'm carrying around pretty much half of my body weight. We might be shipping some stuff back to Canada once we get to Spain LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Sorry for the delay in blog posts - I couldn't get wifi on my PC and I write all of my posts on my PC and then post them on the blog - so therefore I couldn't get any of the posts off without having to re-type them all. I will update you guys on our time in Florence and life in Spain so far. Hope all is well. (a couple new posts below this one)
Since you guys all liked the suspense last time - I have another blog post coming soon that I think some people will find intersting - just finishing it up (its been hard to write). And no, no fun celebrities... haha
looks like my backpack has legs. Seeing how I am a bit on the smaller side, people really stare. I think the older couples are trying to figure out how I am able to carry this thing and feel bad for me haha - but it isn't too bad, just gets heavy after wearing it for too long. And really, its my fault that its so big - so therefor my problem (But Arnold is so sweet and helps me carry stuff).
While I was packing my bag back up when we were leaving Capri, I noticed that I had a lot of stuff haha. Don't tell Arnold this, but I think I have about 13 different tank tops, 4 pairs of shorts, 6 pairs of pants/jeans/tights, a couple t-shirts and a TON of other clothing items haha - maybe that is why I was so happy with my clothing choices, I have lots to choose from. My shoe count has also gone up to 8 somehow :S ooh boy ... haha, I know, that's really bad, but I couldn't help it. But at the end of the day, it's not my clothes that make my bag heavy, its my toiletries/medicine bag. I seriously need to figure out a way
to downsize some of that stuff - that is my goal now. To get my bag to weigh less. I think in total (between my backpack, purse and small backpack) I'm carrying around pretty much half of my body weight. We might be shipping some stuff back to Canada once we get to Spain LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
PS. Sorry for the delay in blog posts - I couldn't get wifi on my PC and I write all of my posts on my PC and then post them on the blog - so therefore I couldn't get any of the posts off without having to re-type them all. I will update you guys on our time in Florence and life in Spain so far. Hope all is well. (a couple new posts below this one)
Since you guys all liked the suspense last time - I have another blog post coming soon that I think some people will find intersting - just finishing it up (its been hard to write). And no, no fun celebrities... haha
Massages outside of North America
While living in Calgary, I have to get frequent massages due to my back - I am pretty lucky to have one of the best massage therapists around (as well as an amazing Acupuncture person). I used to go for a massage about every 3 weeks (or I would try to) and definitely have been spoiled by amazing treatments. I normally don't go for a massage outside of Calgary unless we are on holiday because I'm so picky now and think that
the ones I get by my therapist are the best. But because we are away for a long period of time, I have had to go for a couple because of my headaches. And, here is the thing that I have noticed about massages outside of North America. They just aren't the same - and when I say the "same" I don't mean by quality, but more so by discretion used. Since leaving, I have had a total of 4 massages - two in Africa and now two in Italy.
And well with all four, I have left shaking my head - not because they were bad, but because they were so strange. People outside of NA do not use discretion - anything goes. They don't really care about covering your body parts as they do back home and act like its no big thing. Normally when you have to change from laying on your stomach to your back they create a curtain for you so that you can roll over without exposing your bits, but here, that doesn't happen.
At first, I was a bit unnerved by that fact, but I have just come to accept that it's normal and you just have to roll with it. Karley and I had quite the massage experience in Thailand and I think every since then, I have come to realize that when I go for a massage outside of NA, I can't expect the same privacy
that I get back home. Like I said, the massage part is still really good, but its just different then what I am used to getting back home. haha I'm going for a massage in the next couple of days, so I guess we will see how this one turns out. LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
the ones I get by my therapist are the best. But because we are away for a long period of time, I have had to go for a couple because of my headaches. And, here is the thing that I have noticed about massages outside of North America. They just aren't the same - and when I say the "same" I don't mean by quality, but more so by discretion used. Since leaving, I have had a total of 4 massages - two in Africa and now two in Italy.
And well with all four, I have left shaking my head - not because they were bad, but because they were so strange. People outside of NA do not use discretion - anything goes. They don't really care about covering your body parts as they do back home and act like its no big thing. Normally when you have to change from laying on your stomach to your back they create a curtain for you so that you can roll over without exposing your bits, but here, that doesn't happen.
At first, I was a bit unnerved by that fact, but I have just come to accept that it's normal and you just have to roll with it. Karley and I had quite the massage experience in Thailand and I think every since then, I have come to realize that when I go for a massage outside of NA, I can't expect the same privacy
that I get back home. Like I said, the massage part is still really good, but its just different then what I am used to getting back home. haha I'm going for a massage in the next couple of days, so I guess we will see how this one turns out. LOL
Love Melissa and Arnold
The Black Market
I actually didn't even know that the black market in Italy existed until I read about it in a Lonely Planet book. And when I say black market, I am talking more so about business owners not claiming all of their daily sales for the government. Not the shady Mafia black market dealing with drugs and currency stuff. Apparently, Italy would have the fourth largest economies if it wasn't for the black market - pretty much any time you
don't get a receipt with a purchase you can guarantee that the sale is being pocketed and not recorded in order to save on taxes. (That is what I have read anyways). So it is actually pretty interesting to see (now that we know about it) and it can be very annoying at the same time.
Here is my story on why it is so annoying - I went into this store while we were in Sorrento in order to get some supplies for myself and one of the things that I needed was pretty important - I was in a bit of a panic because I had to catch the bus, most shops were closed at that point (siesta hour)- so I didn't have time to shop around. Anyways, I waited for this shop to open and found what I needed. When I went to the till I was charged 17 Euro - 17 Euro for THREE basic supplies. I sort of did a quick calculation in my head and thought that I guess that it could be reasonable, but because I was in a panic and feeling desperate, I paid
the lady even though I was really shocked by the price. At the time I was too flustered to notice the small things and should have just walked away, but I too naive to think that I would get ripped off in Italy at a proper store. (It was the first time I had to buy toiletries in Europe and just thought it was a bit more expensive then what I was used to). It wasn't until after I got home that I read about the black market and the scams here. I should have known better when she didn't ring in the items and gave me change from her purse even though the cash register had a bunch of change in it.
So the lady saw that I was a tourist, didn't speak the language and took advantage of me - haha I totally got the mazunga pricing. I was so mad about it that I wanted to go back and tell the lady a piece of my mind, but Arnold talked me out of it. I went into a different store the next day and saw that everything I had just bought for 17 Euro would have actually been half the price. LOL But you live and learn - I have no problem now to walk away if I don't like something and what to watch out for. Filthy scam artists, I tell you.
Love Melissa and Arnold
don't get a receipt with a purchase you can guarantee that the sale is being pocketed and not recorded in order to save on taxes. (That is what I have read anyways). So it is actually pretty interesting to see (now that we know about it) and it can be very annoying at the same time.
Here is my story on why it is so annoying - I went into this store while we were in Sorrento in order to get some supplies for myself and one of the things that I needed was pretty important - I was in a bit of a panic because I had to catch the bus, most shops were closed at that point (siesta hour)- so I didn't have time to shop around. Anyways, I waited for this shop to open and found what I needed. When I went to the till I was charged 17 Euro - 17 Euro for THREE basic supplies. I sort of did a quick calculation in my head and thought that I guess that it could be reasonable, but because I was in a panic and feeling desperate, I paid
the lady even though I was really shocked by the price. At the time I was too flustered to notice the small things and should have just walked away, but I too naive to think that I would get ripped off in Italy at a proper store. (It was the first time I had to buy toiletries in Europe and just thought it was a bit more expensive then what I was used to). It wasn't until after I got home that I read about the black market and the scams here. I should have known better when she didn't ring in the items and gave me change from her purse even though the cash register had a bunch of change in it.
So the lady saw that I was a tourist, didn't speak the language and took advantage of me - haha I totally got the mazunga pricing. I was so mad about it that I wanted to go back and tell the lady a piece of my mind, but Arnold talked me out of it. I went into a different store the next day and saw that everything I had just bought for 17 Euro would have actually been half the price. LOL But you live and learn - I have no problem now to walk away if I don't like something and what to watch out for. Filthy scam artists, I tell you.
Love Melissa and Arnold
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