I'm in Switzerland!

Well technically I've been in Switzerland since Wednesday evening. How ARE you all? I hope you enjoyed Kim's and Lauren's posts this week, they are rock stars!

I don't have much time to give you an update, but thought some eye candy from Zug would do. Yesterday we spent the day in Zug, a small town/city outside of Zurich (where we are staying) so Shaun could work and I could sightsee. And by sightsee, I mean sit, eat, read, and take in the unbelievable scenery!

Gorgeous town of Zug

The way coffee should be drank...with an entire glass of steamed milk added!

Hedwig, what are you doing here

Breakfast of champions

Is there a better way to spend an afternoon?

Today I'm off in search of many bars of chocolate and to explore the gorgeous city of Zurich. I'm already in love and sad that tomorrow our trip will come to a close! How is your Friday treating you? Any weekend plans?

What I'm Wearing in Europe

In 2 short days I'll be leaving on a jet plane.

I am getting so excited. You are probably tired of hearing me talk about it, but that is what's going on with me. No food, just travel plans. I haven't even cooked anything in like a week since we are trying to eat up whatever we have in the kitchen in advance of being away for 7 days. Meanwhile, I wanted to share how I'm choosing what to wear on the trip and some other tips for getting ready for travel!

Get your list on. My inner nerd is sooooo happy right now. Not only did I make a full packing list, but I also made a list of what types of clothing I would want/need for each day of the trip. For example, I will be sightseeing everyday but Shaun made some fancy dinner reservations for a few nights. Of course, I will want to change into something a little nicer. This then informed the packing list.

Get shopping. I'm not advocating breaking the bank, but chances are that you might not have exactly what you want, clothing-wise. This is where the packing list comes in. Especially if you are going for a certain 'look' on the trip. My plan was to be comfortable yet fashionable, and definitely able to mix and match my clothing so that I have lots of options on the trip. I went to Nordstrom Rack and made out like a bandit. I combined a few pairs of shorts with 5 or 6 tops. I love to be a minimalist while traveling, while still getting to have options. My motto was comfy yet effortlessly fab.

My mom also picked up a couple of skirts and tops for me at the J. Crew outlet.

I also plan to bring jeans in case it's cooler. As for 'dressy' items, I always go with black. It always looks good, can be layered in different ways and doesn't show too many wrinkles. My favorite item? The romper!

I got a similar-looking (but extremely less expensive) romper at the Rack. I can wear this with my red flats (the only fancy shoes I'm bringing), a cardigan and a pretty necklace and I'm set for a night on the town. I also plan to pick up a black jersey dress that can be worn belted.

Plan your footwear. I'm only bringing 3 pairs of very versatile shoes. For everyday walking and sightseeing, I purchased a brand new pair of TOMS that will go with all of my outfits (actually, I picked these out first, which I highly recommend!) and are super comfortable to boot!

For a fancier shoe, I'm bringing my comfortable red flats. They will pack easily and make all of my black dresses and rompers 'pop' in the evening hours.

Lastly, I am bringing my running shoes since I do still plan to exercise while I'm away! Especially since I'll be on my own for a lot of the trip. I have no excuses :)

Accessorize. I picked up a couple of new necklaces at Forever 21 which can be easily worn with most of my outfits to dress them up a bit. Oh and did I mention that I hardly broke the bank with these purchases?

Layer. The last item for dressing in Europe is to layer! I'm bringing a few cardigans, my circle scarves and perhaps one or two long sleeve shirts that I can wear in a pinch if it's chilly in the evening.

So there you have it. How I'm getting my dress on while I'm traveling. How do you plan your clothing for travel? Are you a minimalist? Or do you like to have options?

Gone South

Tonight I took a little trip down south. Down south to Atlanta for a little work trip. Unfortunately it's not any warmer down here than up north. I kicked off my trip with a little beer 'n books at the airport bar while I waited for the plane. I was just finishing up Naked Heat (it's the novel from the show Castle...anyone? Pure cheese, but pure fabulousness) on the Kindle, so it was nice to have some time to unwind before cramming onto the tiny Delta flight!

 

Once we landed in Atlanta (on time!), I headed over to MARTA, the local subway system to get to my hotel. I could have hopped in a cab, but I always like taking public transportation. It makes me feel like I'm learning even more about the city I'm visiting. Plus, my feeling is that if I can navigate the NYC subway system, I'm ready to take on the world!

And I have. Here's my sister Kimberly and me hopping a subway in Budapest when Shaun and I visited her in Eastern Europe in '07. We liked to pretend we were super touristy (which we were) and took mostly thumbs up pics throughout the trip!

Once I got to the hotel, I picked up dinner in the hotel cafe. Apparently this is what $13.00 gets you at an Atlanta hotel:

 

New York City where are you at a time like this? Luckily when Shaun joins me down here tomorrow night, we have big plans to sample some real Southern cuisine! Spoiler alert: There will be fried chicken and peach cobbler. I'm all about sampling local delights to see how it's done right! Just sayin'.

So that's part one of my little Atlanta getaway. Tomorrow I'm at a trade show all day and then the fried chicken will commence. So what about you? Do you like to sample local cuisine? How about the local transportation?