Vintage Luggage Tags

Found these vintage luggage tags link through my sister. Brings back lots of happy memories! If only I didn’t throw everything away when I moved to Europe.

Vintage luggage tags are my new obsession!

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By Chris Bonds

Being an enthusiast of great architecture as well as a history buff, I have developed a fascination, with European cathedrals. My wife has never quite shared my passion, but since she adores traveling and shopping, we have a perfect arrangement. Our special time of the year is Easter, for the religious significance of the day, and also because we were married on Easter. This year our journey took us to Paris, a city that is known throughout the world as a cultural mecca with a gorgeous architectural heritage.

Soon after we arrived in the City of Lights, we couldn’t wait to visit one of the most famous cathedrals in the world, the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Accommodations in Paris were abundant, we opted to stay at the Franklin Roosevelt Hotel, which was a stone’s throw from the Champs-Elysees. This was a bit of an indulgence, but the casino inside the hotel was all of the justification that I needed.

Notre Dame, Paris by Peter Rivera

The Notre Dame cathedral was everything that I expected and more. The entrance to the cathedral was highlighted by a magnificent sculpture of ‘Adam and Eve and the Serpent’. The bell ‘Emmanuel’, which is located in the South Tower, weighs 13 metric tons (over 28,000 pounds) and the sculpture of the Virgin Mary, which is known as the Virgin of Paris, was just a few of the sights that make Notre Dame one of the most impressive cathedrals in the world.

The most memorable trip by far, was our very first Easter outing three years ago. We went to the ‘Eternal City’ of Rome where we checked into the stunning Aldrovandi Palace. We had initially set out to enjoy all the wonders that Rome had to offer – the Sistine Chapel was to be the highlight for me. Little did we know at the time that this chapel would incite such emotion and begin a life-long tradition.

The sensation that took hold of me as I viewed the works of Michelangelo, seeing the actual artistic quality and mesmerizing beauty of his famous ceiling, had a profound effect on both my wife and I. We were left utterly speechless viewing the frescoes, which depicted the ancestors of Christ. My personal favourite, and arguably the most famous, was an apex containing a scene from the Genesis: The Creation of Adam.

In order to appreciate the beauty and the magnitude of artistry, you would have to see it for yourself. It is a vision that will forever keep a place in my heart. Our continued love for these colossal pieces of history has us already planning for next Easter!

Chris Bonds is a consultant for HotelTravel – a leading international online travel information and hotel reservations service offering discounted hotel rates in top destinations world wide. Visit http://www.hoteltravel.com for additional travel information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Bonds

http://EzineArticles.com/?Cathedrals-Of-Europe&id=809533

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Health tips to remember when you’re preparing for your next trip.

You’ve waited with excitement for months before going on vacation. And, as luck would have it, you’re not feeling good —sneezing, wheezing, runny nose… blame it on the new environment? That’s what I used to do.

Even the vacation pictures took evidence of my health condition. Watery eyes, dry lips, red nose. Well, not all my pictures looked like that. When I couldn’t stand it, I took medicine with steroids.

Not anymore! I’ve stopped taking loads of medicines and opted for a healthier lifestyle. When you’re going on vacation, you don’t change your health habits on the day of departure. This should happen even before you leave. Here are a few health tips:

1. Always have a bottle of water with you. This keeps you from getting dehydrated. Without it, it’s easy to just grab a soda and all that sugar isn’t good for you while you travel.

Vegetable salad

2. Eat breakfast! You’re on vacation, no need to eat and run. Relax and enjoy a leisurely and healthy breakfast for a change. If you’re staying at a hotel, check out what they have to offer. These days, some hotels offer a “healthy breakfast section”.

3. Stay off the junk food, take an apple instead, or some other easy to carry fruit or nuts. Or when facing Temptation Island (this is the dessert table at a restaurant), go for the fruit! I am hoping that the pastry craving would have died down after you’ve eaten the fruit.

If not, go ahead and break the rules, just take a bite or two and really savor the moment.

4. Don’t starve yourself. When you do, you tend to eat more than what your body needs. Take time for light meals or healthy in-between snacks.

Enjoying mussels in Brussels!

5. Try some local food. When in Rome, eat what the Romans eat . Tasting new dishes and flavors adds to the total travel experience. Although, stick to cooked foods. This might not be the right time to try raw oysters or fish.

6. Do your feet a favor: wear comfortable shoes. When they do feel overworked at the end of a day of walking, sooth them in a hot bath and a relaxing massage. If you’re doing a lot of walking, this isn’t the time to wear those fashion boots!

7. Take your health supplements first thing in the morning. This is on the top of my list of health tips. I take Algine Plus. These seaweed tablets provide you with loads of energy to enjoy the trip from start to finish.

What are your travel tips for staying healthy? I’d love to hear from other women who love to travel.

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One of the first things women ask me during their Europe travel is what “ladies room” is in various European languages. We always have a fun time practicing these words:

• Dutch: WC (pronounce “vay-say”)
• French: toilet (pronounced “twalet”)
• German: toiletten
• Italian: la toilette/ il bagno
• Spanish: el baño

Of course, the easiest thing to do is search for the familiar toilet signs. When one is in dire need for a toilet, those familiar signs seem to disappear! So, the next best thing is to ask. Europeans can be quite helpful especially when they see that you make an effort in learning the language.

Sign language can be a little bit embarrassing to do but it helps!

Alright, just in case you asked for the ladies room and you’ve done a charade of all the possible ways to say “ladies room” in sign language, and you were told that there isn’t a toilet around, what now?

No need to panic. There’s Go Girl to the rescue… Because life’s greatest adventure shouldn’t be finding a bathroom. LOL

Girls, you’ll be able to pee standing up! (pardon my language, ahem). Sometimes, I sneak into the men’s room when the ladies room is close to overflowing. Thing is, public men’s room can be terribly ……… (fill in the blanks). And in Europe, the toilets are sometimes shared by both men and women. So this silicon gadget can be really handy and easy to use!

Check out this video on Go Girl!

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Leaning tower of Pisa dome pendant by Nostalgems

The leaning tower of Pisa remains to be one the most visited landmarks in Italy. Could it be because us women are as resilient as the tower? That no matter what the situation, we remain standing?

I’m a big fan of Nostalgems and found this Leaning tower of Pisa vintage pendant. Perfect to wear as you go about planning that Italian vacation or a great handmade memento of the time you spent there. Wow, this would look great hanging on your very own half skirt wall decor!

Take a close look: a vintage image of the tower is encapsulated inside a vintage clear disc (used as watch covers) and set on a vintage brass coin catcher.

Measurements: Pendant is 18mm. Length of chain is 16.5in/42.cm. The chain can be shortened to your desired length. Please mention this in advance.

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Pretty up this half skirt with your travel souvenirs and mementos

Look what I found! The cutest little half skirt wall decor to pretty up a blank wall! I’m sure you’ve got a box filled with tiny travel souvenirs you just don’t have the heart to throw away. Well, keep them far away from the trash can! hang them up instead. Rina Ward of Nostalgems is the creator of this limited decor. She writes:

“I’ve collected these ethereal pieces of fabric that resemble ‘half skirts’ and wondered what I could do with them. Sprinkled with little seed beads, embroidered and embellished with hanging fabric leaves in autumn tones, I thought it would make a statement wall decor / inspiration board that will showcase your favorite finds.”

So, what’s there to hang? Remember those restaurant napkins, museum ticket stubs, postcards, memorable keychains, tiny dolls, favorite photographs, portions of maps of your fave cities you’ve kept? Just arrange them nicely on your fave or empty wall at home.

Everytime you pass it, give thanks for such wonderful times and look forward to your next adventure. Check out the half skirt wall decor of Nostalgems now.

Measurements: Length is 41.5in/105cm. Widest width (lower part) is 26in/66cm. Vintage wooden hanger is included so it will be all ready to hang.

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Jewelry travel organizer, unwrapped by FallingStarLane

A jewelry travel organizer made so pretty, it will remind you to keep your jewelry properly when you’re out traveling. I’ve learned my lesson, I used to just dump my necklace, watch and rings in the hotel ash tray (a clean one but yet an ashtray!!) until I left my Paris hotel for the airport in a big rush.

I left behind my jewelry and the best pair of pumps I’ve ever owned. Sigh.

I also traveled with a woman who decided to bring her very expensive jewels as her travel companions (her husband tagged along). Every night and every morning was the same thing. She’d knock on my door in a panic, saying that her jewels were missing! Turns out her husband kept on changing the hiding spot for her rubies and diamonds. (I still wonder why she had to bring these along). Alright, her hubby was helpful, but he was also very forgetful! They were getting ready to make a scene at the lobby of the hotel about the missing ruby but stopped when hubby dearest slipped on his shoe. Nestled in it was the  missing ruby.

Since then, I’ve reminded other women I travel with to keep their pretty jewels in a safe place and in a bag just before going to bed. That way, just in case they have to check out, or leave the hotel or villa, everything is intact. And please keep the truly expensive jewels at home. They will survive without you while you see the world.

I found this adorable jewelry travel organizer by FallingStarLane on etsy! I was thinking of making one, but since this has been beautifully made, I thought I’ll just recommend this to others.

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