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5 Facts About Wimbledon

June 30, 2011 by

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I will be the first to admit that I am not a tennis fan. However, seeing as this week/weekend is the 125th year that the grand slam tennis tournament is being played at Wimbledon (located in Merton, England) it’s hard not to be a little excited.

In honor of this age-old sporting tradition, here are a few clever facts about the event….

5 Facts About Wimbledon

  1. King George VI (Colin Firth’s character in The King’s Speech) played in the 1926 Wimbledon championships while he was still the Duke of York. He lost in the first round.
  2. The 19 courts at Wimbledon are all made of real grass – 100% rye grass to be exact. During the championship, the courts are mown, rolled and relined each day, and showered with 3,000 gallons of water.
  3. The trophy for the men’s singles has a pineapple design on the top.
  4. Strawberries and cream is one of the traditional symbols of the championships. They are freshly picked each day from the “Garden of England” and are served throughout the tournament.
  5. Ladies’ singles finals will be held on Saturday, July 2, while Men’s singles finals will be held on Sunday, July 3. View more key dates for Wimbledon.

Ciao!

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Finding France Wherever You Go

June 27, 2011 by

Whenever I travel, I make it a point to eat in quaint bistros, cafes, and coffee shops – really anything reminiscent of the lovely restaurants in Spain, France, and Italy. This weekend, I happened to be in Las Vegas for all of 24 hours, which was both very exciting and exhausting at the same time. My saving grace for this whirlwind overnight was staying at the Venetian, where I had many Italian- and French-themed restaurants at my disposal.

Upon my arrival, I met my team for a quick breakfast at a beautiful outdoor French cafe – Bouchon. We sat outside near the gorgeous Italian-Riveria pool, eating our breakfast and listening to the sounds of the fountains. Breakfast was, of course, a selection of French pastries – scones, cheese danish, and the most decadent strawberry croissant I’ve ever tasted, topped off with a rich vanilla latte.

For one hour, I felt as far away from Vegas as I could be. Then, as fast as you can say Voila, I heard the sound of slot machines and was transported back to reality.

C’est la vie.

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5 Packing Tips for Traveling Light

June 23, 2011 by

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I often take quick, 1-3 night trips for business. On these trips, as with most trips, I try to pack in the most efficient way that I can, taking the smallest suitcase that I can. This prevents me from overpacking and possibly saving money by not having to check a bag. However, this can be challenging when you’re packing business clothes for the daytime and more casual clothes for night.

If you’ve ever been in this situation – whether it be an overnight business meeting or a weekend minibreak – here are a few tips to help you prepare for your trip. Although I practice all of these tips, I can’t take the credit for actually penning these gems. Lucky magazine recently published an article on 10 ways to maximize packing using a mini suitcase (small carryon). Here are the five that I can vouch for as a frequent traveler…

5 Ways to Maximize a Carryon Suitcase

  1. Avoid underpacking – Similar to when you overpack and stuff all your clothes together, packing too few things can cause your items to shift around during travel, which can lead to broken items or wrikled clothes.
  2. Ban the bulk – If you can’t avoid packing bulky items altogether, wear your bulkiest item(s) on the plane. This could be anything from a much needed jacket, sweatshirt, or sweater, or your chunkier shoes that just won’t fit in your bag. Save the dainty, smaller heels for the suitcase.
  3. Use wide open spaces – Openings in shoes are great places to stuff small pouches of jewelry, toiletries, socks, or other small items.On your return trip, you can stick small souvenirs in these openings as well.
  4. Roll with it – Instead of folding jeans, t-shirts, and camis, roll them to prevent creases.
  5. Focused fashion – When deciding what to wear, focus on one main color scheme – such as a neutral black, brown, or beige. For instance, if you’re color is black, select black and/or taupe pants, black shoes or sandals, and then fill out your wardrobe with colorful tops.

Want other travel tips? Read about the benefits of downsizing your travel purse and how to travel Bistro Chic style!

Ciao!

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Royal Ascot Celebrates 300th Year

June 20, 2011 by

This weekend marked the 300th year of a major sporting event in England – Royal Ascot. Founded by Queen Anne in 1711, Royal Ascot is the most popular flat horse racing event in England. As you may know, I’ve written about my fascination with Britain’s Royal Ascot in previous posts – the glamour, the fancy dress, and, oh yes, the horses! Although I think the horses are beautiful, the real reason for my interest lies with the attendees and what they are wearing, particularly on their heads.

Although I’m not actually able to attend Royal Ascot each year, I still manage to celebrate this key British event in my own way. I simply create  my own Royal Ascot by attending my local racetrack. The racetrack and concourse are  lovely and the attendees, although not Royals, are certainly quite interesting in their own right.

When I attend the races, I peruse the crowd for creative dresses and hats. The trend this year seemed to follow one of three patterns 1) big brimmed, 2) black and white, and/or 3) bold colors. There was also a trend for the hat wearers to showoff bare shoulders and long straight hair under their hats. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing this trend in large-brimmed hats and long straight hair is somehow related to the recent excitement surrounding William and Kate.

Didn’t get to Royal Ascot this year? You can still view the full fashion coverage from 2011 – as well as the fashions over the last 300 years.

 

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Top 10 French Baby Names

June 16, 2011 by
 

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When I was a little girl, I had at least 5 Jennifers, Angelas, and Matthews in my class at any given time, which was rather boring and quite confusing at times. So anything beyond these typical names sounded intriguing and slightly exotic.

It was also during this time where I thought that most French children were named either Pierre or Jacques for boys, or Madeleine and Simone for girls. Many years later, I realized that those stereotypical names grew out of books that I read or movies that I saw. Today, you can still find your share of Madeleines and Jacques in France, however more modern names seem to have replaced the classics. Just take a look at the most popular French baby names in the last few years….

Top 10 French Baby Names

Girl’s Names

  1. Emma
  2. Léa
  3. Clara
  4. Chloe
  5. Inés
  6. Jade
  7. Manon
  8. Sarah
  9. Lola
  10. Camille

Boy’s Names

  1. Lucas
  2. Enzo
  3. Nathan
  4. Mathis
  5. Louis
  6. Raphaël
  7. Gabriel
  8. Yanis
  9. Hugo
  10. Thomas

 

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