Stores that carry "FIRE" season clothing

[Member123]

 

Miami!

 

OK. I had to re-educate myself about how to post pictures! Wow; it's been a while since I've done this. I think that I need to learn some photo software program, like Lightbox, or something so that I can make my pictures a little better. I did have fun with my camera; but of course, being behind the camera means that you aren't really taking pictures of yourself! So, I have some interesting pictures to share, but more along the lines of atmosphere and other people.

 

So, I did the upload of this first picture and then I'll spend some time this afternoon loading up the pictures that I want to share so that the time between posts won't be for.ever.and.ever. I will say in advance that I didn't do the spectacular job that Anita did with her pictodiary; maybe she can give me some pictodiary lessons before the next trip! But, I will stumble along and do the best I can.

 

As you know we were leaving from Ft Lauderdale and sailing on the Oasis TransAtlantic. Why were we in Miami? Good question. Has a lot to do with some miscommunication with friends, so we tried to make the most of it by having a Miami weekend. It was interesting. I thought it would be a lot more fun than it turned out to be in that I thought that it would be liberating to actually have a car in Miami and be more flexible with our transportation. OMG. A car in Miami is not fun! It is miserable to find a parking space and carries with it a pretty hefty parking fee. Would not do it again, but I'm getting ahead of my story.

 

So, let me backtrack a bit....

 

But, first, this picture is taken at the Bal Harbour Mall, an absolutely stunning outdoor mall.

 

It's HOT in Miami. Oh, So. Hot! My hair absolutely looks a fright in humidity. It was pretty difficult to remain cool and calm in all that Miami heat. And, it's so interesting to have you EARTH ladies talking about eye makeup as I post this picture. My features feel so flat in this picture. Makeup and humidity? Wow, I need a lesson in how to get that right. I do have what I would call my Natural Makeup Face, which is simply a neutral eyeshadow (almost a why bother color), mascara, tinted moisturizer over a ton of sunscreen, and lip gloss. I really want to rethink this look.

 

What's fun though is that the purple color is a perfect FIRE. My chest area and my face look so nice and even. My arms and legs don't even look splotchy! Good job, don't you think?!?

 

This is a sweet, sweet skirt that was redesigned by my most favorite designer, our own Anita! You've seen a version of this skirt before; when she first made it for me it was a much longer length, almost brushing my leg at the lowest bulge of the calf muscle. With weight loss, Anita took out a bunch of fabric in the circumference of the skirt and brought it up to a more flattering length on the leg; she also added a hidden interior pocket that is the perfect size for a SeaPass card. OMG. This skirt is one of two that I brought on the cruise that Anita generously added to my wardrobe; these skirts were the best on the cruise. What a wonderful, easy throw on for all those sea days. But, again... I'm getting ahead of myself. Oh! And the most perfect undergarment? Pettipants! From Vermont Country Store. Absolutely. Perfect!

 

Toenails: Pompeii Purple by OPI. Nails: Teat the Cows Come Home by OPI.

 

As you ladies know, I brought my manicure kit with me. I'll let you all know if it was worth the weight.

 

So, here we go....

 

I'll be back soon, as soon as I get organized. Well... sorted. I love that word! By the way, I took all my Style Statement questions with me... and didn't even think once about answering any of the questions. Turns out that I don't do a lot of introspective thinking on a vacation. But, when I got home, I did see the question about words we like... sorted... that's a word that I really like.

 

Talk soon. :D

Edited October 13, 2014 by Member123
hit the Submit button too soon!

[aoknkentucky]

Yea!!! Pam, I. LOVE! The purple top. It's exactly the color I've searched desperately for my son's upcoming wedding. It's been called orchid, magenta, blackberry (maybe), and red-violet so far on my returned purchases. Do you remember what color your top was called? Big woot-woot to Anita for the skirt redo. Excellent length, yes?

 

So glad to "see" you. I'll try to work on re-educating myself about posting pictures so when you have finished taking us across the Atlantic, I'll be ready to take everyone to North Carolina. I'll have to dig up Anita's old notes about how to post. But you have plenty of time to tell your story. Today was my first day back to work and I'll start the day tomorrow with only 47 emails that need my attention. I got a lot accomished today.

[Member123]

Debbie, I wish that I could tell you that the purple color was this season, but I literally bought that top as one of my first purchases, years ago. I remember that it was from TheLimited store, and I can even recall the shopping incident.

 

I was doing an education run through the mall; as in, I was in the mall with my color card from Curt, trying to figure out what was what and if I could see the temperature of various colors. Never mind whether they were bright or not, at that point. I was standing OUTSIDE the door of the entrance into TheLimited store and those tops were hanging on the wall in one of those store displays where the clerk has to go with a tool and get the rack down in order to pull an item off, kwim? From OUTSIDE the store, I could tell that color was definitely bright. Remember the days from old when Anita would talk about shopping on the internet and having a color jump off the page at you? Well, this color jumped off the display at me. So, the debate, in my mind, was what temperature? I tried on the top and could tell right away, even with the store lighting, that it looked great for my skin tone. So, it came home with me.

 

The top is actually a bit too big for me, but the color is so great and I feel so good in it, I simply can't get rid of it. TheLimited is one of those stores (like Cache) that doesn't really provide a descriptive name for its color; I think the name was simply "Purple." I have started writing down the names of some of the colors, especially from stores like Chico's who have descriptive color names, but I wasn't doing that when I purchased that particular top.

 

I'm sorry. :(

[Member123]

Does anyone else have frustrating friends in their life who are really fun to be with but a bit exasperating because they are.... well... not reliable when it comes to follow through with plans? We do. These friends have backed out of plans to go to Las Vegas (I changed my birthday weekend celebration to accommodate their travel dates and then they backed out!), New Orleans (at least I didn't change any of my plans for restaurants and lodging because we were celebrating an anniversary), and Miami (OMG! I booked a PREPAID, NON-refundable, NON-transferable extra 3 nights in order to accommodate their plans and they backed out with the lamest excuse that you can imagine). So, here I am with 3 nights lodging at the Sofitel Miami. Even though the nights were non-transferable I decided to contact the Reservations Manager at the hotel and asked him if he could transfer the booking to the weekend before our Oasis TransAtlantic. Thought it was a good idea. He was so accommodating! Yes, he transferred our reservation. Now, our problem was a departure from Ft Lauderdale and a hotel in Miami. In case you are wondering... no... I don't think we've learned our lesson. We just backed out (maybe) of a cruise to the Med next year and they are MAD at US! Go figure. I'm wondering if there's something in my Style Statement that will help me with this problem that I seem to have. :confused:

 

OK. So, Southwest goes to Ft Lauderdale but, even though they are my first choice in domestic flight, the schedule was awful. So, I booked with USAirways. Would you believe that the merger between UsAir and American Airlines affected my travel plans? The flight that I booked changed from an early evening arrival to an almost midnight arrival. When they notified me of the change and asked if this was acceptable, I requested a change to an American flight that arrived in Miami. The booking agent told me that she needed a supervisor's approval to do that because I was changing the air carrier; she left me on hold and then returned and said that she couldn't find a supervisor so she was just going to accommodate my request. Yeah for a generous person. Sofitel has airport pickup, so we were looking pretty good for the weekend.

 

The Sofitel is a nice hotel; it's not in the heart of Miami by any means. I was having so much trouble finding an easy way to get to Ft Lauderdale on Monday. So my DH chimed in with his two cents and found us a really good price on a rental car, from Avis. So, the plan became to be picked up by an airport shuttle on Friday night; to be taken back to the airport on Saturday morning to pick up our rental car; to drop off the rental car at the Ft Lauderdale airport on Monday. This gave us a weekend in Miami, with easy transportation. It wasn't really that much of a problem. The parking fee at the Sofitel was only $9/day. And it was EZ in/out from the self-parking area. We were pleasantly surprised to find out on Monday that Avis has a FREE shuttle to the pier. So, even though my DH didn't really enjoy the Miami driving as much as I thought he might, it really proved to be OK.

 

Miami traffic? Ugh. Miami parking? Nightmarish. Being in Miami when you don't really want to be there? Well, who wants to be where they don't really want to be? But, we made the most of it.

 

What were my problems? The humidity and my hair! OMG.

 

I have never used a flat iron on my hair before. At my salon appointment before this trip, I brought in a picture (usually do) of a hair style that I thought was easy maintenance, etc. Turns out that the only way that particular look could be achieved was through the use of a flat iron. My hair stylist asked me if I had ever used one? No. So, he showed me the "look" and, wow, I loved it! So here comes the big debate? Do I buy a flat iron and take it with me? Do I have enough time to even learn how to use it? (I'm not very coordinated when it comes to styling my hair!) The decision was that I wouldn't get involved with trying this new skill on my vacation so I postponed the purchase. Yes, I'm going to go buy one soon. I think my hair would have greatly benefited from it. My hair just gets bigger and bigger and bigger when I'm in humidity. Just more and more unruly. Ugh. Anyone have experience with a flat iron that they can share with me?

 

I'm going to stop this preview and come back with some Miami pictures.

[snuggles]

:cool:OH, Pam, I'm just giddy looking at you!!! (and it's in a wonderfully good way!) Such a great combo! I have a top similar to yours and have looked all over for fabric for a skirt..not to be found around here! Great job Anita!

Anxiously awaiting more!

And I dispise humid weather. My hair becomes plastered to my head in tight little ringlets. Sometimes it frizzes so badly I won't even go out of air conditioned room without a hat on which makes my head more hot and sweat more! What's a girl to do?:(

We have friends like that. Change plans in mid stream. I finally got the the point I told her we weren't going to plan any more tirps, etc. because they were so unreliable. We enjoy being around them, just not with them. She got a little huffy, but said she understood. We still see them, just don't PLAN anything with them.

Edited October 15, 2014 by snuggles

[Member123]

Here we go. It's Friday, the first Travel. Day. And we all know what that means.

 

It's a matter of getting to the East Coast time zone from Arizona, a travel that means a 3-hour difference at this time of year since AZ doesn't pitch hours back and forth for Daylight Savings Time. You'd think this would make it easier but, dang nab it, I can never seem to figure out what time it is for all you people observing the daylight savings switch. At any rate, it's difficult when you're not sleepy and the clock says it's midnight. Makes for a rough few days of adjustment.

 

So, here we are. We are the last people in a really beautiful restaurant at the Sofitel. So, no real "buzz" from other tables; just my DH and I enjoying our wine. We had a lovely meal. Very tasty.

 

 

I'm wearing one of those comfy tees that aren't the BEST color for me. The humidity hasn't hit me hard, yet. I don't know why the camera didn't pick up a bit of eye makeup on me? Really?!? Just how much makeup do you have to wear before the camera can see it? I know the EARTH ladies are discussing that right now. Their discussion made me a bit self-conscious about my lack of eye definition. Thank you, ladies. This is something that I'm going to experiment with in the near future. Just one of many to-dos that have made it to a list after this trip.

 

I had a few missions for the time in Miami. I wanted to experiment with my camera. I wanted to find the Ruffle Dress from Tango Mango! I wanted to take some pictures of places that I found to be attractive, because I love the Miami style of home decor. I did experiment with my camera. The Tango Mango dress was nowhere to be found. (and it was just too sticky hot to be motivated to try on anything... anything at all...).

 

So. Let's take a look at just a few pictures that give you an idea of why I think Miami is so beautiful. The first one is at the open air mall. I took this picture for Kim. I was playing with my zoom capability. But, isn't he amazing?!? Uh... he?... she?...

 

 

There is a restaurant called My Name is Dolores, But You Can Call Me Lolita. We ate there on a previous Miami trip. With a name like that... don't you just have to go and at least get a fruity cocktail? Some pictures of decor that I think are beautiful.

 

 

 

On Sunday, we decided to visit Coral Gables. I have such a fun memory from there! It's a beautiful area and I stumbled onto the most gorgeous Tea Room, ever.

 

 

This is a Living Wall. It's stunning. I just ran into the place to take a quick picture. There was a cute couple snuggling on a bench across from this Living Wall. I engaged them in conversation, just a quick back and forth. When I was leaving... I don't know what prompted me... I just turned around and looked at them and said that they would make me so happy if I could see them kiss. So, they did! And, it wasn't just a little peck on the cheek, either! I should have made them do it again and taken their picture so I could share with you all. Anyway, just a fun memory.

 

That's Miami.

 

As you know, we are traveling with a duffel carryon and one checked suitcase. We left the checked suitcase packed, just removed the formal clothes insert and hung that up in the closet. So for Miami, I had very limited wardrobe choices. Two tops. One pair of capris, worn on the plane. One skirt. All my shoes because they were packed in the duffel. If memory serves, I wore the same outfit for my embarkation day as the one I wore to the mall.

 

So, next up ... Oasis of the Seas.

[Anita Latte]

I remember when I asked for help at the makeup counter for my wedding makeup that I was told in no uncertain terms that I would have to wear a lot more than I normally would think to because of the picture taking. So I think there is a difference between wearing makeup that you would wear on a regular day and makeup that you would wear for picture taking...

 

That said...I think you look fabulous! Your skin looks awesome! Who needs makeup when your skin looks that good?

 

I love your blue nails...so easy to see with the wine glass! (And I want those mashed potatoes too! YUM!)

 

That black and white dining room looks wonderful. I can't see all the different furnishings in there, but I can see at least 3 different chair styles. Maybe that combined with the rich floor...and the greenery that stands out so much...makes that room seem pretty inviting for being a black and white room...

 

I think you need to figure out how to design your own fun tee-shirt like that. We need to get you a great base and then get some fabric paints, or something, so that you can have the fun, but more in your color. That one isn't bad though...and I don't know if that yellow on the shirt is warm or cool, but having it there...I think that helps.

 

Linda...that fabric isn't really fashion fabric. Well...it's a 100% cotton fabric...and it's very thin...very lightweight. Like handkerchief thin. I'm not sure if it was originally intended for clothing... Mom and I have been making these skirts for years. They have evolved over time, but they started because Mom was having such a hard time finding appropriate clothing for Arizona when she first moved there, specifically, a more smart casual but good for extremely hot weather. So we started with boring neutrals so that she could wear them with a lot of different things...and then over the years, I found more and more fun fabrics. One year, this fabric was in my store and it came in all different color combinations...and it just turned out that so many of THAT year's skirts are perfect for wearing with fire colors. They are the simplest thing in the world...elastic waistband. Hem.

 

I haven't seen these photos yet either so I'm eagerly waiting to see them too!!

[Joby]

This is fun, Pam. Oh, how we all love pictodiaries:D You look great in the FIRE purple, it's one of my favorite FIRE colors too. Thanks for the photo and thought. Glad you are using and practicing with your new camera. It's always a learning curve with new "stuff", at least for me.

 

Continue on please......

[Member123]

It is so disappointing to read Margaret's post about the Coral for This Season being cool! Watch out, ladies. Coral is such a fabulous color for us; it can be one of the brighter colors that we can find... bright without being so in-your-face bright that it feels like you could never manage to work with it. In reviewing the Oasis pictures, I just have a lot of coral. So, I'm posting a few representative pictures of my wardrobe.

 

This I can tell you. When you are on a ship for 10 straight sea days, you find out a lot about yourself. When you have so much food available to you... all the time... easy to get... you find out exactly what you really love to eat... for breakfast... for lunch. Dinner usually had a bit more variety in my diet. For breakfast, as it turns out, I love a good bowl of oatmeal. Who knew that would happen? I thought I was an out-and-out eggs girl; but... no. For lunch, Oasis had the most delicious soup choices! And the best prepared salads. That became my lunch of choice. We had some amazing meals for dinner; the MDR was really good (better than I remember Royal Caribbean being, actually). We ate at three specialty restaurants: Giovanni's, Chops Grille, and 150 Central Park. I would go to any of these again, in a heartbeat. I can tell you that we had amazing meals in Barcelona and Paris, and I would put our Chops Grille and 150 Central Park meal on the list of being one of the BEST meals of the trip. That's saying something.

 

Wardrobe choices. Stuff and bother. OK. When you are on a ship for 10 straight sea days, your wardrobe becomes a bit of a pain, to be honest. It's because of the activities that are available to you on the ship. Picture this. Wake up. Want to get a cup of coffee. Need to dress appropriately to be seen by others. Coffee mission accomplished. See that you have several choices of things to do: lecturers to attend, dance lessons to attend, strong desire to lounge by pool, lunch, exercise, getting ready for cocktails, dinner, late night dancing. If you are going to dress appropriately for everything, you'd be changing your clothes so many times a day that it would be ridiculous. So, you try to make an outfit work in multiple ways. This is darn hard to do.

 

So.... what I fell in love with on the ship in the wardrobe category? I've already mentioned my Anita skirt... so handy with its lightweight fabric and elastic waistband and SeaPass pocket! So comfortable. Second favorite item?!? My Athleta swim dress! OMG. Perfect comfort level and appropriate for pool lounging, dance lessons... AND... if I threw on my rash guard? Absolutely perfect for going to any interior space and attending a lecture, grabbing a bite to eat, etc. So, this is now my mission... to find appropriate rash guards for the Athleta swim dress collection that I have.

 

Make Up. More of a problem, actually. I used a sunscreen from Clarins that goes on more like a moisturizer than that ghost face that can happen with really good sunscreen. I thought I would be happy with the tinted moisturizer (Laura Mercier for me) and then the Chanel foundation for night. For me, it felt like I was fussing with myself all the time! As it turns out, I don't really enjoy messing with make up, multiple times a day! I had to do something for my skin because we had really good weather which meant that I had to pay attention to skin protection. Well, I'm educated enough to know that you need sunscreen, really, all year long. Some of the worst burns can come on a cloudy day, actually. Anyway.... it was enough of a big deal for me that I spent some time in Paris trying to find a foundation that would also work as a skin care product. I was successful, but it was pretty pricey. I'll see if I made the right decision to splurge on this product, as time goes on.

 

 

Same top with capris. Wore this type of combo on days when I was going to be more active with dance lessons (learned a Ballywood routine... so FUN.. and learned to dance Jamaican... uh... so sexy, but we all gave the reggae band members good belly laughs, I tell you... )...

 

 

Swim dress with rash guard combo. EZ and comfortable!

 

[Member123]

Evening Outfits.

 

Again, I went for comfort. I packed four pairs of pants; two were neutral and two were patterned. I had several tops from which to choose. I'll explain more after I post these pictures. Just a few for a feeling of what I wore to dinner in the evening.

 

Smart Casual type of dress night.

 

 

Sparkly top, formal night.

 

 

One of our more extraordinary nights. We ate at Giovanni's Table, outside. The area is simply beautiful, especially at night. Central Park is like nothing else on any ship I've ever traveled. During the day, they pipe in a soundtrack with chirping birds that sounds very realistic; at night, they pipe in a soundtrack with crickets. It sounds a bit corny, but it really is quite amazing at the effect the sound has on the tension in your body.... it just melts away. On this particular night, I have to tell you... the Oasis is so big!... there was just the slightest of breezes and my DH commented on how amazingly calm we were. I went to get a cocktail from the bar (because I was using a coupon that had been loaded onto my SeaPass card) and was informed that we were actually undergoing a medical evacuation, which was the reason for the complete calm of the ship... we were stopped. We were close enough to Bermuda that the patient could be transported by helicopter; so, one of the ship's doctors evacuated with the patient and then returned. We were stopped for a few hours; we heard nothing. No helicopter noise; absolutely nothing. If we hadn't been told, we would never have known. When we started up again, the breeze just kicked up a bit, but the movement was so gentle... amazing. Story happy ending, the patient was reported stable and in good condition later on in the cruise.

 

[Member123]

So, thoughts and questions.

 

Do you ladies change your outfits multiple times during a cruise sea day? On port days, I have one dress change... usually. I get dressed for the port excursion and then (might) come back and change for the evening. I will definitely change if it's a formal night and might just change shoes and/or a top if it's smart casual or casual, depending upon what type of shore day experience I had.

 

Do you tend to limit yourself to one type of activity during a sea day? For example, if you feel like lounging by the pool is that the day's primary activity so you just have to throw on a coverup to grab something to eat, etc? Or, do you tend to have multiple different types of activities during the day that necessitate wardrobe changes?

 

Do you have a day time face and then a party face with makeup choices? Are you fussing with makeup multiple times a day?

 

Our one port day was Malaga, Spain!

 

 

 

So, as you can tell, I packed lightly. As did my DH. We had one moment where we were "concerned" about our wardrobe packing, and that was due to an unfortunate situation at the Aqua Theater during the Oasis of Dreams show. The Aqua Theater is at the back of the ship, and the smokestacks are Right. There. During the show, suddenly, people all around started brushing off their clothes and shaking their heads in the weirdest way. Oh no! Soot was flying... really, really flying... and getting over everyone in our seat section. DH's pants and polo shirt was covered, and he brushed at it and streaked it... oh, so not good. I stood up and shimmied and that was a better technique! Still, there was soot on my chest and down my top. I kid you not, and I don't exaggerate how much soot we were dealing with.

 

After the show, there was a huge, huge line at Guest Relations. Everyone was there for a laundry voucher. I managed to catch the attention of a manager in the area and became a spokesperson for the group. He gave us all a laundry voucher. I was just nervous to use it. I know what the laundry is like on board ship. I just couldn't bear the thought of my Athleta swim dress coming back a rumpled, wrinkled mess.... and my DH had on a pair of pants that were a staple to his wardrobe and his favorite Polo color.

 

The sink in the stateroom was about the size of a thimble. Literally. It held just enough water to scoop up a handful for washing your face. What do do? What to do? I came up with such a brilliant solution that I just have to share. By the way, I told people on board what to do and they didn't and complained about the effort of trying to wash clothes in the sink! Let me tell you my brilliant solution! I got dressed in my DH's pants and shirt... stepped into the shower... got myself and clothes as wet as could be with the handheld wand shower thingy... soaped the clothes all up... rinsed myself off with the handheld wand shower thingy... shimmied and pushed the water out of the clothes with a hand press... put the towels out on the balcony table... air dried the shirt by laying it out flat on the towel... BRILLIANT! Did the same with my swim dress. Clothes dried beautifully and were soot free! They gave us a $40 credit on our SeaPass account. I don't know if they did that because we didn't turn in a laundry voucher? Whatever. No harm done.

[Sailor_Sally]

The swim dress with rash guard is a great idea . Do Althea's swim dresses have underpants or do you have to purchase them separately ?

[aoknkentucky]

Thanks, Pam, for the purple top explanation. I think it’s amazing how different the purple top shows on my monitor in the different pictures it’s in. Kinda reminds me of long ago when I was trying to post all my green tops and have the ladies here help me decide what was FIRE and what was not. Different lighting and backgrounds and all that, right? Any ways, I like you in that top, whatever its IRL color.

 

Friends? What DO you call people that are more than acquaintances, but not quite what I consider friend category? Associates or contacts, maybe? I’m waaaay too straight-shooting to allow that to happen more than once, I’m afraid. Really. I’m glad you made the most of your time in Miami, though.

 

I really, really like your hair style. Sharing my experience with a flat iron might not be the best help for you since it is something relatively new for me and my hair is thinner now than it was before my last surgery. It hasn’t returned to the thick, baby fine, stick straight hair that I had a few years ago. Now it’s just baby fine, stick straight hair so I turn the heat setting dial lower and very quickly run a flat iron through sections of my hair, curling it under on the very ends. Very easy. Much easier to use than a curling iron, IMHO. I always thought I couldn’t possibly benefit from a flat iron when my hair was as straight as it is, but it puts a finish on it that you can’t get with just a hairdryer. And, I don’t burn my head and hands like I usually managed to do with a curling iron. So not only am I the lone dark FIRE of the group, I guess I’m the only one with non-frizzy hair too, huh?

 

I like the living wall very much. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make a smaller version of herbs in the kitchen to use for cooking? Just snip, snip and throw it in the pot? I can’t grow cactus, so I personally couldn’t do such a thing. Just another great idea…..

 

So, the 100% cotton fabric skirt—thin, very light weight, but does it still need to be ironed, i.e. wrinkles easily, since it is 100% cotton? I simply MUST dig out my old Singer and get busy. Heck, I’ve probably got material somewhere that would work if it hasn’t dry-rotted by now. I just love this idea and the pocket idea is brilliant. I think I’d like both the regular side seam pockets and the baby waistband pocket on mine. I’ll put it on my Crafts I’m Going to Work On When I Have Time List. Yeah, right.

 

Pam, you asked about ship wardrobe choices. On sea days, I usually wear some version of what I wore the night before unless the night before was Dress Up Night. I tried one trip to take non-committal skirts and tops (neither too terribly dressy or too casual) so that if I decided to read a book sitting inside or outside, I didn’t feel inappropriately dressed. It worked rather successfully. As I’ve already shared before, one of my favorite outfits is the cover-up set I use of zip-front rash guard cardi and skirt made of board short material. The one I have is a little short, so I plan to get a men’s board short and remake it into another skirt. Yeah, see List mentioned above. LOL

 

I especially like the way my monitor showed the last picture of your swim dress and rash guard. Love. Love. Love that color. The soot clean-up story? Too funny. I don’t mind washing out thing or two and have learned to lay my wet item on a towel, overlap extra towel material over top of item, then jelly roll it and twist gently. SOOO much water comes out that, depending upon the fabric, it is almost dry, and how great is a $40 credit!?! So, I very much admire the frugality of it all.

 

Thanks for taking us on your cruise. You ARE going to take us to Paris too, right? Don’t just leave us over there in Spain! Here’s waving back to you, Pam!

[Anita Latte]

Debbie...I'll let Mom answer her opinions on wrinkling, since she is the one that actually deals with the skirts...

 

But let me tell you, if you are ever serious about making your own...Mom vetoed the pockets in the side seams. Originally, we were going to add pockets there with an invisible zipper closure...a couple of concerns...would the pocket stay put? Or would it flop around? If I designed it so that it would stay put more...would you be able to see it through this particular thin material? So we nixed the side pockets and opted for the small pocket that hangs in the waist band.

 

I made that pocket out of this material:

 

http://www.joann.com/performance-fabric-power-mesh-tango-red-/zprd_10655256a.html#q=mesh&start=35

 

We got the idea for one of the Athleta performance hoodies I have. It has a zippered pocket in the small of the back...the material that makes the pocket is this performance mesh. The material is very stretchy. I edged the top of the pocket with the self material of the skirt, which holds the top of the pocket in a slightly stretched out state...and the rest of the pocket kind of stretches out when you put your key card in it. That edge makes the opening easy to deal with.

 

Mom...I love the picture of you posing in the garden!

 

And your clothes washing shower is absolutely BRILLIANT! I'm so proud!

 

Posting here...remember this website:

 

http://www.girls4sport.net/womens-rashguard-shirts-s/185.htm

 

They can have such a variety in rashguards...depends on the season. Just one to keep a watch on for new arrivals...I don't think anything currently offered are the colors you are looking for.

[aoknkentucky]

Thanks for the JoAnn site, Anita. At 59" wide, that would make lots and lots of pockets! My reason for side pockets was to carry lipstick and such. I wouldn't carry valuables, but I guess it might look wonky if the material was super sheer though.

 

http://www.landsend.com/products/womens-aquaterra-short-sleeve-zip-front-rash-guard/id_258166

 

is the lime rashguard that I bought this year, it's still available and it's on sale in a few select sizes and colors! I thought it was a good FIRE green, but then, I'm easily persuaded too. YMMV There was also a multi color floral, but I wasn't sure that the colors were quite right. DD finds it necessary to pull me away from the multi floral prints. Can we say Debbie's scarves????? --Debbie

[Member123]

Debbie! Thank you. That is a perfect color to go with the green Athleta swim dress (that Kim also owns). I'm just a little worried about the sizing; I bought an M in Athleta so I'm concerned about stuffing myself into an S. I'll keep this store on my radar and watch to see if they get more inventory in that color.

 

@SailorSally. Athleta swim dresses do not have undergarments with them, so in that sense they really aren't a real "swim" dress (for modesty you wouldn't really want to actually swim in them). They are made from swimsuit material so they are very quick dry. They are perfect for those shore excursions where you really aren't going to go neck deep in water, but you might want to stroll along a beach. I don't swim, so when I go to a place like Nachi Cocum, you'll find me getting into the water maybe mid-thigh, getting out and stretching on a lounger with a yummy tasty cocktail. They are perfect for lounging poolside, etc. I usually wear bikini bottoms, if I think that I'm going to get a bit wet... or normal underwear with them.

 

Before we leave Oasis of the Seas. Well, we visited Malaga and then had another sea day before getting to Barcelona, after all. Mainly for Laurie, I just wanted to talk a bit about being on Oasis.

 

I was a little apprehensive about it, to be honest with you. My DH wanted to sail onboard Oasis way... way... more than I did. I thought it was going to be too many people, too crowded. My favorite Royal Caribbean ships are the Radiance Class; I love everyone of those that I've sailed on: Jewel, Serenade, Radiance herself. I can't imagine a more perfect class of ship to make you feel like you're cruising, such a connection with the ocean. I'm really not that fond of the promenade-centered ships, finding them to be so focused on the interior of the ship that you lose sight of where you are.

 

Plus. The Oasis is still at a high price point for ocean view balcony staterooms. To keep this cruise more affordable and allow us the land portion of our vacation, we booked into a Central Park balcony stateroom. I was a little apprehensive about that as well.

 

Are you familiar with the term vis-a-vis? Literally, it's a French term for certain dwellings with windows placed in such a fashion that the literal translation of the phrase is something like "you see me; I see you." That is what it is like to occupy a Central Park balcony. I thought I might have to endure that situation, for the sake of Paris!

 

So, here are my thoughts.

 

First of all, I loved this cruise so much that I'm seriously thinking about taking the Allure to her dry dock next year, in April. That says a lot, right there.

 

The stateroom was a bit on the smaller side, to be honest. I wasn't really that bothered about the privacy issues on the balcony. I still had my balcony moments, where I sat there and sipped on a coffee or a glass of wine. Yes, I wore my robe out there. Really? I wasn't embarrassed by any lack of modesty or decorum, doing that. Nobody really bothered me. And, a benefit to our location was that we could open up the sliding doors and really enjoy some entertainment that was going on pool side, like the raggae band in the afternoons. Yes, we had to be aware that we would silhouette at night, so we had to pull the curtains (heavy drape part) together if we were getting dressed or I was using the vanity area. Other than that, the stateroom and its location were perfectly fine.

 

The entertainment on board is absolutely extraordinary. The food was so good; everything from the soups that I've already mentioned to the specialty restaurants to just eating in the MDR. Laurie, be aware that the Oasis is changing its eating to Dynamic Dining. I believe that this means that there will be no more formal nights on board. I know that there is a formal restaurant where you can dress up if you love to do that; but, formal night as a ship wide event is leaving the Oasis, Anthem, Quantum, Allure... I don't know if Royal Caribbean is taking the concept fleet wide, or not. Just something to consider. You may already know all about this.

 

As far as crowding goes, I really didn't experience a problem. Yes, the 60s dance party was packed! But, it was just so much fun. This is the first cruise that I've taken (and I've been on four TransAtlantics) where the Daily Planner had so many pages that there was a separate Evening Planner included. There was so much to do on this ship that, even with 11 sea days altogether, we didn't do everything that we could have done! There was so much opportunity for being entertained by others all the way to finding those serene spaces where you could just sit and gaze at the ocean. And, even though the ship does have more of an interior focus, you can find those spots where it's just you and the sea. This ship is beautiful.

 

I know there are tons of pictures of the Oasis and Allure. Tons of reviews. Tons of opinions. Tons of analysis on the Oasis dry dock changes. From being on the Oasis, my opinion is that the dry dock changes won't really affect the enjoyable experience of being on the ship.

 

If you have any specific questions or concerns, please ask me. I'll give you my honest opinion.

 

When I stepped foot onto the Oasis and entered the promenade area, I immediately thought that I was correct in thinking that the ship wouldn't appeal so much for me. I thought that I wouldn't really like to do a "family" cruise on this class of ship because I would never be able to FIND anyone! That part is true; you can't possibly just go searching for someone and have the slightest hope of actually finding them. But, I've changed my mind about the appropriateness of it being a family cruise ship; I think it would be a spectacular week. We'd just have to be really good about our meeting places and times! Oasis really grew on me; I grew to love various places onboard. Unique places that you just won't find on other ships, like Central Park, the jogging/walking track, the Solarium Bistro area, the Solarium itself. Just wonderful.

 

I saw the ocean in a state that I've never seen. Granted, there are people who have a much longer cruise history than I do. But, I saw the ocean looking just like a glass service, reflecting the sky... not a ripple in sight... not a whitecap. I finally understood all those sailor poems, like the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Here's the phrase to which I'm referring:

 

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.

 

I know we're all familiar with the look of the ocean... in the moonlight, so strikingly beautiful. Even in a storm, those black thunderclouds and the gray look of the water. With gentle, lapping motion as we see the white caps of the waves. But, still.... glass like.... I had never experienced this before. It was eerie. And beautiful.

 

 

I wish this picture did it more justice.

[MJC]

Pam Pam PAM! It's so fun to read about your cruise.

 

You are SO RIGHT about makeup for real life and makeup for pictures being two very different things. :)

[Member123]

Off the Ship.

 

And here's where all the pre-planning and research starts being put to the test.

 

Everyone is familiar with the cruise lines desire to get you OFF the ship. Such an emotional letdown when compared to the day of embarkation, isn't it? I've learned, through the years, to pay particular attention to this day so that the post-cruise blues don't set in even before hitting the gangway (in the past, post-cruise blues have been known to set in when I've packed my suitcase the day before!)...

 

This is our third time in Barcelona. The first time was part of a TransAtlantic cruise and Barcelona was a port day, in 2010. On that cruise, I thought that we would go to Sagrada Familia and then walk around a bit. Whoa. When we arrived at Sagrada Familia, the lines to buy tickets were so incredibly long that DH and I knew we would only be able to do that ONE thing if we waited in line for the hours that it would take for entry. So we decided that we would forego this one attraction and walk around Barcelona on a DIY-mission to see everything we could. We are walkers; let me tell you, we walked for hours that day and meandered through areas of Barcelona that other people on board were amazed we'd seen.

 

The second time in Barcelona was just a few months later, in 2011. That time we had traveled to Barcelona on a TransAtlantic, were spending one night, and boarding Voyager of the Seas to cruise from Barcelona to Venice. This was a BIG birthday celebration for me, entering another decade! Good grief. The MOST important item on our to-do list on that trip was Sagrada Familia. I had purchased tickets online and we were going. Amazing. We spent hours at Sagrada Familia and our hearts were uplifted. It is stunningly beautiful and very spiritual. It's an experience to be treasured.

 

So, THIS time in Barcelona, we are spending a week. We are going to get a true feeling for what it means to be in Barcelona and hope to shed our tourist feelings. No, that didn't happen; we still felt like tourists. I think you must have to stay in a suburb area (or something) to truly shed the tourist mantle. Anyway, we loved our stay; we will return (obviously) as Barcelona is a true hub for a lot of cruise lines and a port-of-call on many European itineraries. Not a problem; we have highlights that we would love to see again!

 

So, back to the story line. Off the Ship. Barcelona Port Authority is very organized and no nonsense. They monitor the arrival and departure of the taxis, and they have a very orderly methodology for acquiring a taxi for you. We walked off with our suitcases; no, we didn't do Express Departure. We had a leisurely breakfast. We packed up toiletries and night clothes, and just departed the ship when we felt like we needed to make them happy by leaving. We entered the taxi line and were on our way to our hotel within 20 minutes. EZ.

 

I had some "leftover" Euros so no anxiety about paying the taxi fare. We had an uneventful ride to our hotel, Hotel 1898, just off La Rambla. Entered a familiar lobby, because we'd stayed there before. Were greeted warmly and told that we'd been "upgraded." I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't think that I would have a shot at being upgraded because of staying there for a week. We were told that the room wasn't ready (we didn't expect it to be as it was quite early) so we deposited the suitcases with valet and off we went to begin our Barcelona experience!

 

OK. I had done research about our hotel location. I knew that we were very close to the Barcelona market, La Boqueria. From my research, I thought that we would probably be grabbing a few breakfasts, and maybe a lunch or two, at this market. I knew there were tapas bars and juice bars there, so we decided to check it out as a possibility.

 

 

Extreme Chaos. If you think walking along Las Ramblas is an experience, wait until you enter La Boqueria. It is crammed with people, moving quickly, and then stopping suddenly. These aren't tourists as much as they are Barcelona's people doing their daily or weekly shopping; women with those push/pull carts that hold a bag of groceries.

 

 

The produce was beautiful. Everything you can imagine was available; fresh squeezed juices and premade smoothies. Cold and Hot Tapas with counters in front of the vendor where you could stand and have a bite to eat. Wine and beer bars. The floor was sticky; the place was noisy; this was not a place where I would be able to ease into my morning. The thought of having breakfast here went right out of my mind; not happening. Plan B.

 

 

Whoa. There's something about this that.... I just.. can't... OK. I come from a farming family; my "people" are from Texas and were cotton farmers. I have memories of "going to the farm" for big, family gatherings where chickens were killed that morning for dinner that evening. I may have witnessed a thing or two that I want to forget; I'm just not that keen on identifying my food; I don't like to be served whole fish on my plate, for example. La Boqueria is full of this type of food display; I don't think I need to go into more graphic detail; you get the idea. DH was fascinated by the hoof on the leg.

 

Me? Hey, take a look at the sandals on the cute girl in the dress. This is the footwear that I saw all over Barcelona. Flat sandals. Straps that secure the shoe on your feet. Very practical.

 

Thank goodness I had scoped out a tapas bar for lunch. Off we went to the Metro.

[Member123]

OK.

 

It happened.

 

Everyone who has researched Barcelona knows that just about the first thing you stumble across are all the dire warnings to watch out for pickpockets and to watch out for the scams that are so prevalent. One of the scams is the "help" that is given to you in buying a Metro ticket. What happens is that the "helpful" person assists you with your Metro purchase and (a) has a "friend" who is helping himself/herself to your personal possessions as you are involved with the "helpful" person or (b) demands payment for the assistance that has been given to you. When I stepped up to the Metro kiosk, a "helpful" hand reached out and started pushing buttons for me. I cancelled the transaction and just looked at him and said "go away." He shrugged and left. End of story.

 

I knew to buy the T-10 Metro ticket for DH and myself. This gives us 10 Metro rides for the cheapest fare. I had scoped out our destination, Bambarol Restaurant. It's only open for lunch on Saturday! Reservations essential. I was ready for a great experience, but a little apprehensive because of a number of things: (a) first time on the Barcelona Metro, (b) were the directions good? easy to find?, © would my credit card work? (I had extra Euros just in case), (d) would my DH like the food?, (e) would I like the food?

 

I had a wonderful email exchange with Bambarol, before our arrival.

 

To Bambarol:

Request reservation for 2 diners on Saturday, 13-09-2014 at 14.00, for lunch. Gracias.

 

From Bambarol:

Hello Miss Pam

first of all thank you for contacting with Bambarol.

Ok, we confirm a table for 2 people, on Saturday 13th September, at 14:00.

Please, reply to confirm.

Please, we need a contact number and area code.

Please, the day before send a mail o call at: +34 932 50 70 74

Muchas gracias,

Giuseppe

 

Getting to the restaurant was EZ. The Metro is actually extremely easy to navigate; the street directions were good. With my reservations, I tried to get a time where we wouldn't be the first customers in the place as I wanted to experience the "buzz" of a restaurant that is busy, kwim? Unfortunately, we seldom managed that because we always seemed to be a tad bit early for our reserved time since we allowed sufficient time to become "lost" and still make it to the restaurant of our reservation. This was the case here as well.

 

 

Uh. Oh.

 

 

Not to worry. An English translation was immediately brought to our table. We engaged in conversation about the wines of the area, and we ordered a Spanish Sauvignon Blanc. I was unaware that Spain even produced a Sauvignon Blanc! It was mighty tasty and I'm irritated that I didn't get a good picture of the label. We each had a glass and at 3.50Euro it was quite a delicious bargain.

 

 

Happy. Happy. OK. You KNOW what I'm wearing, right? I mean... our suitcases are still with the valet at the hotel. I need to be comfortable. It's very warm in Barcelona today! So....

 

 

LOL. Thank goodness I had my rash guard cause the a/c was pumping! Such deliciousness....

 

 

Just a few of the dishes we had. If we can maintain this level of dining, we will be happy, happy campers this week! This was our introduction to the world of Spanish tapas. If we... WHEN we return to Barcelona, we will definitely make this a food destination, if possible.

 

Oh. I forgot to mention. We were the only tourists there for lunch. They were most interested in how I had found their restaurant and what attracted me to them. They gave me a complementary limoncello as a "thank you" for dining with them; such a wonderful experience. Lovely memory.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Member123

[Member123]

And by now, our room should be ready. So we get back on the Metro and make our way back to our suitcases and our home away from home for a week.

 

 

 

It's time to get unpacked and settled in. After getting ourselves situated, we go out for a walk around and just experience Barcelona. Lots of memories. Get ourselves oriented with our location. Head out to a quick dinner at a restaurant in the Gothic Quarter. The interesting thing about our dinner there is that we were one table among many tables of tourists... the difference being that we were the only tourist table speaking English as a first language. The English being spoken was with a French, German, Italian, and Spanish accent. Highly entertaining to listen and watch the tables around us.

 

Early morning. Mid day. Afternoon. Evening. Las Ramblas always looks like this.

 

 

Tomorrow.... searched out a chocolate breakfast for DH.

[Member123]

Hi, everybody. Today is laundry day!

 

But first. Breakfast. For me, breakfast is a bit of a challenge when traveling. It's not that I'm necessarily a picky or a fussy eater; it's that I'm not an adventurous eater when it comes to breakfast. AND, the most important item, for me, is that first cup of coffee.

 

So.... a problem reared its little, bitty but very important head! As it turns out, we had an electric kettle in the room and the cutest, tiniest little coffee cups. I also had a selection of good tea and terrible, powdered coffee in a packet. Not to worry cause I knew that there was a Starbucks right next door! OK, here's a tip: don't expect to buy American products in Europe, even from a franchise-type store. My plan was to go to Starbucks and buy some Via Ready Brew coffee. I thought I could limp along with that, no problem. Failing being able to buy the Via Ready Brew, I thought my backup plan would be to buy some of those little cans of Espresso... pretty tasty. Would have been a great plan if they even knew what I was talking about at Starbucks! Talk about a language barrier!?! They had no idea what I was trying to describe to them; they'd never heard of such a thing! "We're sorry; you are in a Starbucks store. We have Starbucks products." I truly couldn't tolerate the powdered coffee available at the hotel, so I brewed some pretty powerful tea for the first sip of the day! Which, I have to be honest, made me want a cup of coffee.

 

See the chocolate colored door at the far side of the plaza? If it reminds you of chocolate, well.... it's a chocolatier!

 

 

See the impressive hot chocolate making machine?

 

 

My DH should be in chocolate heaven; he seriously loves chocolate. I don't think there is anyone in the world who loves chocolate more than he loves chocolate. My mission: to provide my DH with a wonderful, chocolate breakfast. Oops. I wish that I'd known what I was doing.

 

 

Here's the deal. You've never encountered such thick, gooey, intense chocolate. I knew that the Spanish love their chocolate really thick, but I had no idea that it was almost as thick as fudge. I thought that the addition of the creme would be a delicious touch, but it only made the eating (note that I said "eating" not "drinking") of this chocolate just that much more difficult! Before I could stop him, my DH had tried to incorporate the creme INTO the chocolate and made quite a bit of a mess.

 

My mission for me: coffee! Oops. Again, I wish that I'd known how to order what I really wanted. I think I got an espresso that he topped up with some hot milk. It was tasty... it was SMALL... Sorry about the picture; I decided to take this picture after I'd already had a bite of croissant. Which, also, isn't anything like a French croissant; this is heavy, by comparison. Much chewier; still flavorful.

 

 

Oh Man! Messy, messy, messy!

 

 

I watched some lovely young women EAT their hot chocolate. Seriously. The technique is... (a) you scoop a tiny bit of creme up with your tiny, little spoon that has been provided and eat it... (b) you move the creme away from the top of the chocolate, kind of to the side of the cup, after you've cleared a space by daintily eating a bit of that luscious creme... © you dip your spoon into the hot chocolate and eat that tasty bite that you've retrieved... (d) occasionally, you get just a little bit of chocolate onto your spoon and add a little bit of creme to it and eat them together! This technique allows you to enjoy your chocolate AND enjoy your creme. I guess this technique must be taught to you when you're quite young and impressionable. The point is: this hot chocolate must be eaten; you cannot drink it.

 

We needed to take a walk and shake off this breakfast experience. We were also procrastinating the laundry. Of course! It's Sunday! Let's get movin'.

[Member123]

Here we go a wandering... many, many plazas.

 

We stumbled onto/into an art fair. So interesting! So many talented people in the world, don't you think? I have to admit that I was tempted by a few pieces.

 

 

I just had to ZOOM in to capture this particular artist's vision. My DH named this piece: THE ORIGINAL TREE HUGGER.

 

 

And than I found some Barcelona fashion. I will just post some pictures so that we can discuss what we see here! EARTH Ladies, does this speak to you? Gosh, I love it!

 

 

And, this!

 

 

Great combination. I saw this style quite often... bright pants with a patterned top and neutral jacket.

 

[Member123]

A Universal Language. Such an argument people can have about a utopian "universal language." There's an argument that it should be English. There's an argument that it COULD be math! I would argue... it's FASHION. I was taking pictures outside of a store that had designer labels printed on its glass. A woman observed me and smiled. I asked her if she spoke English? She shook her head, "no." So, I pointed at a mannequin and said, "Prada." She gave me an enthusiastic hug! See! She KNEW what I was talking about!! Omigosh. There were some high-end stores in Barcelona!

 

Also, Zara. On the chicisimo site, over and over and over again the ladies will list Zara as the store for their tops, skirts, pants, shoes. Got to actually see Zara. I get it.

 

Debbie, here you go.

 

 

And just because... well.. I can't help myself!

 

 

So, now we're hungry. And all that chocolate has worn off my DH. And, I'm feeling the need for a bit of protein after my carb breakfast. Next up... brunch.

[Anita Latte]

Mom...I love the way you are taking us along on your trip! This is so much fun to read...I really love looking at the pictures of the people all over.

 

But first...wow. Your hotel room in Barcelona looks REALLY nice. It looks huge for a European hotel room. That bathroom is very pretty...how did you hang up the towels? Or did you? You know how I'm having issues with bath hardware in this rental. They did so much work and replaced so much...and then, it's like they just forgot about all the hardware for dealing with towels. I see the thing above the toilet for the folded towels...did that have a bar on it for hanging too? I'm just curious because it could help me with ideas...did we already talk about this though?

 

I've noticed at least two men with cross body bags in the street photos...that's interesting. And at least two men wearing their back packs backwards... Overall Barcelona looks really casual!

 

Loving the bright pants type outfit... You could do that already, right? Don't you have some bright capris? I'm telling you...we should make some fun patterned knit tops for you...figuring out the great FIRE neutral might be a challenge. Especially going into the cool season... I could see doing that for us EARTH ladies with pants colored in rust, forest green, a dull orange, brick red...not sure about mustard yellow pants...oooo, a good plum color would be nice. And of course, we could easily pair that with a deep chocolate brown jacket. I wonder if the chocolate brown jacket would be too dark for FIRE ladies? IDK.

 

I like that slim pant style...doesn't seem too tight. I like the idea of it skimming the legs, not going in too tight at the knees or the ankles...I need that straight look in slim legs...not the super fitted. Super fitted isn't as flattering. But wearing boot cut these days feels very dated to me now...

 

I like the draped yellow shirt under the biker jacket...a lot. I like that juxtaposition of feminine and tough.

 

I like the concept of the belted vest over the sexy dress. That is a form fitting, curve showing off kind of dress, isn't it? Talk about a sexy silhouette... I don't know that I love the fur...personally...I saw some furry casual vests and things in REI recently...and I did like that, a lot. The way the vest has those lapels...I think this style would give a great silhouette to a lot of body types...even my straight one.

 

Love the art...love the tree hugger title by Dad.

 

Somehow, I never pictured humorous graphic tees in Europe? That Woody one is very funny.

 

I love every single one of the outfits with the scarves. A LOT. I'm taking notes on how the jean jacket one has a long beaded necklace AND the scarf up high and bunched up. It's difficult to say, but that looks like two layered shirts...the under one peeking out at the bottom. Those are cargo pants...

 

So I have a pair of fun olive green cargo pants (they are currently too small) and a jean jacket that is similar. I could totally put together this look, if I could fit into those pants. I wonder if I could pull it off with my recent cargo capris that DO fit? Hmmm. And I love that big ole bag!

 

The sweater outfit has the same thing with the beaded necklace and a scarf. This is so great to see because I really appreciate the help of a longer necklace to break up the space above the bust, if I have a higher neckline. My busty friends know exactly what I'm talking about. But if you get that scarf to hang in the same way to try to break up the space, it usually isn't very flattering because of all the volume...it does need to be wound higher up...otherwise, the girls just get more and more prominent in a negative way...I'm really appreciating this manikins.

 

The little skirt outfit is nice, but is probably my least favorite... For fall...what kind of shoes would you wear? Probably ballet flats...and those just don't look good on me...besides being a hard style for my foot shape. The boots would have to be just right because this is a very feminine look... I don't think I could deal with that tight scarf though. I do like that look on others... I think some of the scarves Debbie gave me would lend themselves well to this look though. You know those longer rectangles, Debbie? I think I could wind them around twice and tie a knot with the ends sticking out. Wouldn't be a solid color...would be a pattern.

 

I have several skirts that I had picked up in Goodwill with the idea of altering them...this might be a good little skirt to go for... I do love the combination of the mustard and that kind of muddy colored cardigan... And noticing that the scarf is just a pop of color...it goes without matching.

 

I need to play a bit with my outfits again now that we have changed seasons. We are definitely getting cooler here. And I have come to realize that I reach repeated for the same combos. I go for the familiar, so I need to have a plan in advance so that an outfit feels familiar...I'm not an on-the-fly decide this goes with that kind of girl.

[Member123]

I would have to say that Barcelona, overall, appears to be a very, very casual environment. I became fascinated with the footwear. For personal reasons, actually, I was very interested in what type of shoes the ladies were wearing. Although I saw some sandals that I thought would be doable and fit into my style (it'll be so GREAT when I find out what that might be!)... most of the shoes just weren't that supportive. There were a lot of flip-flops, etc. and, despite all that information that Europeans don't wear "sneakers," a lot of sneaker-type shoes were worn. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a position to see a lot of "dressing up," by the ladies. It was just super, super casual everywhere we went. Lots of tops and jeans. Lots of mid-thigh dresses with (as you guessed, Anita) ballet flats. Lots of bare midriffs. Nothing much for me to grab onto and think that I could duplicate... for me.

 

There's a statistical joke that is meant to illustrate how quoting statistics can be misleading. The joke goes something like this: what happens when Bill Gates enters a bar? The answer is: everyone's net worth increases by $10 million, or more.

 

Here's my statistical joke: what happens when my DH and I enter a brunch location in Barcelona, early afternoon? Answer: everyone's age increases by decades, or more!

 

So funny! Look at these pictures. Notice all the head holding! There's a graphic T-shirt that you will see over and over and over again, in Barcelona. It states: Keep Calm and Party Hard.

 

 

 

This is such a fun restaurant, Milk Bar & Bistro. It's owned by an Irish couple. When we arrived, we asked for a table for "2 persons." This is how they always responded to me when I asked if there was availability for any restaurant where we didn't have a reservation. "Do you need for 2 persons?" So, I just started asking that way. We were told that we couldn't be seated by ourselves, but that we could be seated if we would share a table. Sure! That would be great! He looked very surprised. I wonder how many Americans leave a restaurant if they're told they have to share a table? No cruisers would do that! Right?!? Anyway, sharing a table was fun! Their brunch has a name: it's called "the Recovery Brunch" on the menu.

 

The head holding young man at the table next to us and his companion left pretty quickly after we arrived. They didn't say anything to us, but were replaced by a couple of young men who were eager to have a conversation with us when they found out we were Americans. We had a very entertaining exchange; they are University students. They've visited Miami and were not impressed. The biggest problem that they faced was our lack of public transportation. I asked them if they liked South Beach, and I got an enthusiastic positive response. LOL.

 

I have to share our Brunch with you... because it was just so darn good! This restaurant has the funniest decor, based on Alice in Wonderland as a major theme and interspersed with old movie (black/white days) trivia. Just tickled my fancy; as you ladies know, I have a funny bone.

 

DH's choice was Eggs Benedict. It's interesting how they prepared this traditional dish. It was quite yummy.

 

 

But, my dish took the prize! OMG. This was so good. They called it a Monte Cristo. Basically, they prepared this as a sandwich, using what amounts to French Toast as the bread part. The filling is a ham with melted cheese. And, they gave blackberry jam as a spread for the whole thing. Just crazy good.