February 25, 2017 - Tanya's Winter Wonderland Tour - Day 20 - Venice, Italy

Elisa' Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 47 DAYS
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Shopping for London

Greetings from Long Island!

Yes, I'm on the East End today with my girlies.  

Another day of riding today and although the day started off cloudy, foggy and gray, it's progressively getting nicer. 

The temps are lovely - nearly 60 degrees already.

​I remember last year at this time - the same February school vacation - it was FREEZING!!

Me and Punkin tailgating at the barn (c) travelincousins.com

We got an early start today - leaving Nassau County and getting on the road.  As usual, we stopped for some eats for the ride out and enjoyed music and laughs.  I was surprised that there was a bit of traffic, but we still made excellent time - 45 minutes!!

As you may have noticed, Tanya is in Venice for her second day.  So Jealous Cuz!! I am truly living vicariously through you!!

Please check out her account of her day yesterday, what she is up to today and of course, the glorious photos!!!

That said, I am pleased to state that I made some good progress this week with travel bookings for my trip to London in April for Gianna's 13th birthday celebration.

I'm just about done with all of them and so I'm on to the next task -- DECIDING WHAT TO PACK!!

How we cousins love to figure out what to wear on our beloved trips and pack accordingly.

Before I met Tanya, I was not as anal as I am now about filling my suitcase.  My "little" cuz's system rubbed off on me a bit - she actually plans a specific outfit for each day in advance; labels it and voila, there is no thought process during the trip.

It also allows for great coordination of colors for the all-important photos by "planning" the outfits for fellow travelers.  

So, on that note, I started to plan out my outfits for my 10 trip days, which also includes the two days we will spend flying.

The little quote above says exactly how I used to approach the endeavor of packing.  But, with planning out outfits (even with a few contingencies  for unexpected weather), is still more efficient by thinking "outfits" rather than separate clothing.

And so, my process has begun!!!

Here's how I begin the process for each trip:

1) What is the weather going to be?
I checked for the usual weather conditions for London during mid-April and the temps are usually a high of 55 degrees and a low of 43 degrees.

Therefore, we are talking, leggings, boots, t-shirts layered with a sweater, and a lightweight jacket and/or puffer vest as a general rule for daily wear.

2) What are weather conditions?
In London, there is always a chance of rain, so an umbrella is a necessity and a jacket with a hood.  Perhaps a  baseball cap to avoid unruly hair!

I'm also thinking a pair of stylish rain boots and a cute trench coat.

3) Casual, Dress-Up or Both?
This trip will be mostly walking, enjoying great afternoon tea and casual sightseeing.

However, I do have three of the 10 days that will be a bit special:
* Theatre:  We will be attending a matinee and while I know people are super casual these days at the theatre, I still like to look a bit nicer than usual.

Therefore, a skirt and tights for our show and pre-theatre luncheon!

* Easter Sunday: We have a special Celebratory Afternoon Tea scheduled for Easter Sunday, so I will most definitely want to look a bit more "done" than any other ordinary day.

As a result, either another skirt or a casual dress with tights.

* Day in Paris: The girlies and I will be training it to Paris for one day and then spending the night with an early morning return to London.

You can bet, I will want to be in my best "Parisian Look" for our day at the Eiffel Tower and eating our way through the City of Lights!!

I'll be wearing something cute (but comfortable) this day, to stand out from my usual colors and style while in London!! I'm thinking BLUE!!

4) Accessories
No doubt, I will be bringing a few hats, scarves and gloves with me to finish off my outfits.

As far as handbags...well, a comfy cross-over and my trusty TUMI, lightweight backpack for the extras we will need to bring around with us (granola bars, bottled water, walking map, camera, souvenirs we pick up along the way.

And that folks is my packing plan.

HOWEVER, THAT LEAVES ME WITH MY NEXT STEP...SHOPPING FOR THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE ON MY LIST BUT AS YET IN MY POSSESSION!!

How true right!

So, being that it's Saturday and I'm oh so near Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, take a guess what I'll be doing while the girls are riding...

Yup - picking up a few items for my upcoming trip.

So, far I have a few things on my list:
* 2-3 cute sweaters
* A Puffer Vest
* Black walking boots (to go with leggings, jeans and skirts)
* Any cute accessories (I'm thinking scarves!! and maybe a sweet savvy hat!)

I wouldn't mind a new short trench/rain coat either.

So, on that note, I really should be heading over to see what's on sale today!

I have my coupons in hand, a few VISA gift cards as well that I received as Christmas gifts and my enthusiasm!  What more does a girl need for a day of shopping!!

I'll let you know how it goes in tomorrow's blog!!

Have a great Saturday!!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
​VENICE, ITALY

Carnival in Venice 

Greetings from Venezia!

We're here, we made it and it's Carnival time - boy oh boy, all the costumed individuals walking the streets it's all a bit surreal.

We arrived here from Cortina yesterday.

​And yesterday btw I happened to straighten my hair, well as luck would have it or Murphy's Law would have it of course on the day I would go through the trouble of straightening my hair, it would snow in Cortina and rain in Venice. 

Go figure. It's kinda like getting your car washed - you're just asking for it to rain. 

Yup pretty much the entire trip we've had pretty great weather - blue skies is generally what I'm referring to...with the exception of when we couldn't ski in Kitzbuhel due to what else but rain! 

Ugh why couldn't it be snow - but oh well.

(c) travelincousins.com

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I've got nothing to complain about (aside from Dominic losing his brand new jacket on the flight from Montreal to Geneva - I told you I obsess and I can't let stupid stuff like that just go...but oh well) I CAN'T COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE!

We are here and it's another gorgeous day, yesterday was fabulous - sure my hair got a bit frizzy - but what can ya do?! Still fabulous!!

Canals, bridges and inevitably getting lost. We enjoyed strolling the streets, browsing the stores and seeing some sights. Not to mention eating.

​Remember Italy = food and eating. 

And today we are off to the islands...

Murano & Burano here we come! 

Have a great one and catch ya back here tomorrow,
-T

(c) travelincousins.com