Oh Canada.

 Other moments from my Canadian adventures included:

Cabana Pool Bar in the docs of Toronto allows you to be right by the water of Lake Ontario and enjoy the stunning Toronto skyline. It is a perfect venue to dance the afternoon away by the pool à la Las Vegas. I wore my high sling-back wedges and a chiffon cover up, which I converted into a skirt for the day, and my black high-waisted bikini from American Apparel to create a more classic, sophisticated flare. It was such a great day, sipping mojitos and enjoying great company.

Spending time with the funniest, sarcastic, most wonderful friend you could ever have:

Spending time with my life-long friend and soul mate Kathleen:

And for one last final hooray I enjoyed my beautiful family’s company when we went out for a delicious Indian meal, which I had been craving since the day I arrived. I finally got to enjoy some delicious curry dishes and spend my last night with the family whom I will miss so much, but who support me in everything I do:

It was such a lovely trip; one that made this summer unforgettable but now I’m off to my beautiful home in Sicily to spend the rest of the sunny months by the beach, looking out at the sea, waiting for my man to return back to me! Till Sicily!

xo Nicola

Moment By Moment We Create Our Life Adventures

Going to Cuba, I initially had low expectations after hearing people’s general comments about the island. I was therefore pleasantly surprised: staying in the beautiful 5 star hotel Iberostar, eating the yummy food at the buffet and lying by the warm, crystal clear ocean. Between the old-timer cars, the music that consumes you, and the laid-back charisma, the island had me at Mojito! Here are some more pics from my other island adventures...

  

We spent an afternoon visiting a Cuban farm, enjoying the warm family hospitality, eating fresh fruit off the trees, learning to make Mojitos, and dancing Salsa in the lush Cuban countryside... 

 Can you tell what type of tree this is ? 

Being of German heritage I could not miss out on the World Cup 2014! What a fun, boisterous and bonding experience it was to enjoy the games in the hotel sport’s bar with my family and a happy group of fans. We cheered on our team and celebrated their win when they became World Champions!! Deutschland!!

The beach was beautiful, sipping Mojitos by the ocean and tanning only as much as a German girl can... 

   

                                                                                    

These are the books I dove into while on vacation: something for every mood - Girl Boss when I was feeling ambitious, White Girl Problems for a light fun read, Cuba whilst exploring and reading up on its history, and The Great Gatsby for a delectable taste of the classics. 

Well, that was it from Cuba! I hope you enjoyed my posts that summarized this lovely 2 week discovery...

 See you back in Toronto... 

xo Nicola

There Is Something To Be Said For The Pure Joy Of Dressing Up And Going Out, Of Being Young And Alive In The City

Oh Canada, how I have missed you! It was so good to be home: “you really don’t know what you got till its gone” and that’s what I realized more and more as the time passed when I was gone. I made a long list of places, food and experiences I wanted to go to, taste, smell and see. I had the overpowering desire to jut stand in the middle of the beautiful city, the place where I found my back bone, Toronto and just look up: where all you see is a glimpse of sky and skyscrapers around just hugging you. I wanted to go to Starbucks and stand in line to order my non-fat caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso and have them miss spell my name on that iconic cup. I wanted to wake up and sit at the breakfast table with my family. I wanted to sit on the patio and girl talk with my friends. Or have sing along musicals with my best friend Trevor. Or taste the foods of the world that are only a dial away. These are all things and more that you realize you are so used to but will miss so much, when they are no longer available to you.  So trust me: I made sure upon setting foot in Canada to get going on conquering this list of things to do.

First things first: a Starbucks coffee… and why not get dressed up for your errands. I never miss an opportunity of creating a cute new outfit to wear. Like this one here: just high-waisted jeans, cable knit crop top sweater with nautical accessories to make it more summery.

        

I also had to go downtown right away for brunch since Italians believe that one espresso or three is a good enough breakfast for anyone, when they don’t know what they’re missing: an amazing breakfast lunch special that will start any day  off with a smile. So I took my sister to Insomnia on Bloor, where they have the best homefries around and did I mention the French toast, which is to “die for”, where you will find heaven in just one bite Then we proceeded to walk the shops of Bloor and Yorkville to parooze the vintage shops and buy those delicious macaroons from Morocco! And what better way to celebrate a girls’ day out on he town with a fun patterned pair of pants (which I sewed myself) with big accessories to match.

 I also took the time to catch up with my oldest and  “bestest” friends and my family, whom I had missed so much. I took every opportunity there was, when I wasn’t busy cooking, helping around the house, or exercising at hot yoga to spend a nice lunch or dinner with them. Here you can see some fun pictures from a pool party with Bbq that I hosted at my parents’ house.  I made my own guacamole, salsa, mango chutney, quinoa burgers and hamburgers for everyone to enjoy! It just tastes better when it’s homemade.

I then met my friend Jenn for lunch at Gusto, where we got to catch up and take her adorable little Morkie Monty for a walk. Where I took the opportunity to wear a wrap dress I had sewn many years ago but still great for a nice lunch pairing it with nice earrings or just to throw it on to go to the beach.

  

         

But best of all was the patio at el Catrin (in the Distillery District), which is amazing (the best in the city), I have to say, not to mention the Mexican food and pitcher of Mojitos and Kathleen’s company: all in all a fabulous experience! But to top it off, just before I left for Cuba I spent a night with Jenn and Trevor and Kathleen at a Spice Girl cover band concert. You can’t go wrong with that! It was soo much fun dancing to all the classics as Trevor twirled me threw me around the dance floor. I had such a good time! …and of course I had to wear my self -made jeans with leather details to this event, because what else could be better to wear on a night out dancing on the town.

Well, that pretty much concludes the first part of my Canadian adventure! 

Now I’m headed to Cuba ….Ciao till then! 

xo Nicola 

PS. All pants and dress were created and designed by me #shameless