Brandy Melville: 2016 February Italy Trip Shopping!

Spent the afternoon contemplating whether I should go for the Brandy garage sale in Milan next week LOL. It sounds really tempting but transport is going to cost €60 return and accoms I could get it for about €20 so that would be €80 ... Sounds reasonable but considering the purpose to be just shopping, not really. I've already been to Milan like, 6 times so there's really nothing more I absolutely need to see plus weather isn't superb ... I just don't want to have to pay €80 to attend a sale with no expectations of what there's going to be!!

But anyway, in order to convince myself that it's not a worthwhile trip and that I already own way too much Brandy I decided to compile my buys from February's Italy trip! I've not blogged about Venice yet either - should get to it soon before I forget. This time round my trip was from Strasbourg - Milan - Rome - Florence - Venice - Milan - Strasbourg, so I went to the stores in Rome, Florence and Milan again. The same stores that I've already been, so everything was pretty much the same ... except the stuff on the racks of course. Especially the last chance rack omg. And also for Rome and Florence YL was with me so we were Brandy shopping buddies! Woop woop :)

Milano

I only had 5 hours for my transit so after having lunch with Lizzie there wasn't much time. We were at the Duomo so went to the Duomo store first but nothing much there, so I decided to make my way to the Via Statuto store since it was geographically closer to the Lampugnano bus stop (kind of). Didn't find much there either but I got a Reyna top in burgundy and a gold necklace!

Brandy Melville Reyna Top in Burgundy

Roma

In Rome YL and I went to the same 2 stores that I went the last time. The one on Via Del Corso is the biggest store in Rome and it was there that one of the girls told us that Brandy actually originated in Rome!! And there was also at least 2 stores in every zone (I'm supposing the municipals) but the rest were too far ... I only bought a black highneck velvet dress in Rome and a silver crystal stone necklace. The dress is one of the Italy exclusive items so they don't have it online and I don't have a photo of it, but it's quite a nice LBD though I think I already have enough LBDs ...

Firenze

Bought a lot of stuff in Florence. 9 items for €109! They had a sale rack omg the sale rack is absolutely amazing. I bought 2 striped Tori tops (one plain and one with the alien patch), 2 Mason Tops (one striped and one orange with the alien patch), a striped Kaitlyn top, an olive green Nathalie tank, a navy Abi knit sweater, a pale blue Betty sweater and a denim pouch with the alien patch. Super happy with the buys woop woop! Okay pictures are nice so:

Brandy Melville Tori Top in Stripes

Brandy Melville Mason Top in Stripes

Brandy Melville Kaitlyn Top

Brandy Melville Nathalie Knit Tank in Olive Green

Brandy Melville Abi Knit Sweater in Navy

Brandy Melville Betty Sweater in Pale Blue

Venezia

There was no Brandy store in Venice unfortunately :( A bit of a funny story here I actually managed to google an address - I think it must've been a very old address or something - in Mestre, went there, and it turned out to be ......... a hair salon. LOL. But weather in Venice was very nice and I bought some Murano glass pendants :D I think the nearest store to Venice is in Padova but was a bit out of the way to go.

Milano (again)

Milan round 2 was much better. LOL. I was initially supposed to stay 2 days in Milan and take a day trip to Genova on Saturday but decided to come back earlier one day so I cancelled the Genova trip. My bus was then at 4.45pm on Saturday instead of Sunday, so I had Saturday to shop. I had the 24h Urban Transport day pass this time, so taking the metro around was a lot quicker. Went to the store at San Giovanni first since I didn't manage to go the last time, but there wasn't anything new and no more sales so didn't get anything. Then went to the Duomo store, but they closed off the whole basement floor that day cause they were shifting around stuff I think so didn't feel like shopping around much there. But the Via Statuto store was great!! They had a whole bunch of stuff on last chance so I tried on a lot of stuff and bought most of them. Really wanted a nutmeg sweater but it was the last one and there was a massive hole at the front so didn't get it. Also regret passing on the Bite Me Cherry black sweater ah it was so cute but didn't think I would wear it very often. I bought 8 pieces of clothing there and 2 necklaces for €134 total, which was not bad considering I got 2 sweaters. Also I found the button-up corduroy skirts for only €15!!! I was meaning to get those the last time but they didn't have black in the store, and now there's a new navy colour too but both colours were on sale! And they were the last pieces ahaha I think there was another one in black but size M. It fitted more comfortably but was really baggy so I still went for the S. Anyway here are some of the stuff I bought!

Brandy Melville Joanne Tank in Olive Green

Brandy Melville Harriet Turtleneck Top in Black

(This is one of my favourite tops - wore it to the concert last night!)

Brandy Melville Gracie Knit Sweater in Light Blue

Brandy Melville Gracie Knit Sweater in Olive Green

Brandy Melville Klum Corduroy Skirt in Black

Brandy Melville Klum Corduroy Skirt in Navy

Brandy Melville Gwen Sweater in Blush Pink

Brandy Melville Leia Sweater in Burgundy

I had a hard time differentiating if the sweaters that I own are the Leia sweaters or the Ollie sweaters because they look so similar in the pictures, but decided that they were probably Leia's because the Ollie's tend to be of a thinner material. They also tend to snag easier because of the material. I was really tempted by the Ollie sweaters (and still am) especially the blue and pink ones but decided that I probably won't wear them as often for fear of snagging them. But I might still get them if I ever find them at a good price!

So that concludes my shopping for February - wish there would be one for March too LOL but am now thinking it's highly unlikely that I'm going to go cause it's just not worth it spending €80 just to go to the sale when I could probably get like a bunch of stuff with that amount on the usual sale racks. I've also been to Milan so many times, so I can't really use the excuse of "travelling and exploring" since it's unlikely that I'm gonna have time to see anywhere else LOL. And the sale stuff are probably gonna be from the winter collection but I prefer the summer collection so much more! And also it's going to be in the Via Statuto store and I think I've already bought enough stuff there and didn't see anything else that I really really want at the moment ......... Omg just trying to convince myself not to go LOL okay but I will go if by some miracle or other I can find cheaper transport there for like €10 like the last time or something LOL.

In other news I also got featured on Instagram by Brandy Melville Italy yesterday!!! Super happy and honoured, it came as a surprise really cause I got the notification that their account liked my photo and the next thing I knew ......... They tagged me in a photo. OMG. I feel like it was a major #achievementunlocked moment LOL. But still yes I'm super happy woop woop!
The post can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BCktCGVyyNa/

Brandy Melville: 2016 January Italy Trip Shopping!

A GUIDE TO SHOPPING BRANDY MELVILLE IN ITALY

Got back to Strasbourg last Sunday and have been super busy this whole week! Had 16 hours of classes from Monday - Wednesday and was really tired but I wanted to blog about my shopping hauls before I forget LOL.

So as I've been blogging throughout the trip, I went to Italy from 1-10 January. It was the perfect way to start off the new year hahaha and I've basically been to all the main Brandy stores in Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milan, which is not a bad accomplishment really. January is also the beginning of sales in Italy!! So it was perfect timing really, minus the bad weather ...

[Omg I started the post on 14 Jan actually but only continuing now which is like 24 Feb LOLLOL been soooooo busy!!!]

So anyway, I wanted to post my shopping hauls from Italy!!

Roma

I arrived in Rome on 1 January, and went to the one at Via del Corso in the evening but it was too late and the store had already closed. Went to the store on Via Cola di Rienzo the next day with the 2 guys who had to sit on the steps and wait for me while I tried on clothes LOL. Also went back to the Via del Corso store that day to check out the store hehe. Didn't buy anything in Rome because it was just the beginning of my trip and I didn't want to have to carry the clothes to the rest of the cities that I was visiting. Actually meant to visit a 3rd store that's near the Villa Borghese on 3 Jan but unfortunately it doesn't open on Sundays, and the rest of the stores in Rome were too far out from city centre so I only went to a total of 2 in Rome ...

Store at Via del Corso

#Brandyselfie at the Via Cola di Rienzo store

Firenze

Left Rome for Florence on the morning of 4 Jan. My hotel in Florence was actually pretty near one of the Brandy stores (reasons why I booked that hotel lol) but we took a day trip to Pisa so only got back to Florence in the evening. But I still managed to visit the store near my hotel on the way back that day! It's pretty big and has a ground floor and a basement. Didn't buy anything cause the guys were with me so didn't want to keep them waiting, but I went back the next morning and spent like 2 hours there LOL. I bought a total of 6 items, which includes 5 tops and 1 dress!!

I bought a May Top in stripes, a white Mason Top, a grey speckled Genevie Top, an orange Nadine Top, the Margie Make My Day Top and a burgundy Laurel Dress. These were all on sale so total damage for 6 items = €69 HEHEHEHE.

The stuff were so heavy and I had to carry them up while climbing to Piazza Michelangelo ... NO REGRETS THOUGH HAHAHA. Also went to visit the other store near the city centre later that day, but didn't buy anything cause the store is quite small, like literally maybe just 2 rooms?

Bologna

Left Florence for Bologna on 6th Jan evening and arrived about 7pm so didn't go out in the evening. Went to the only Brandy store the next day. Bologna was part of my solo travels so I had the liberty to stay as long as I liked in the store. And the staff were so friendly!! They spoke english too. I was asking one of the guys if they would have sales in Milan as well (it was during sale period or saldi in Italy that time) and they seemed really amused.

Bologna store during sales

#Brandyselfie at the Bologna store

This is the exclusive Brandy Bologna paper bag.

I have to say, the sales were actually pretty decent. I bought a total of 3 items from the Bologna store, but they're all the exclusive Italian items so no stock images and don't think they can be found on the USA site. I bought a white button down shirt and a pair of jeans on the first day, then went back again on the second day and bought a lattice front dress in red. And they were all half price!!! So the jeans were really worth it cause it was only €29 when normally it would cost like at least €50 ... And the Bologna store has their own paper bags!! With the address printed on it hehehe and also the store interior was really really nice like they had these lacy ombre decos and stuff ... I would say it's one of my favourite stores! Total spent in Bologna = €58.50

Milano

Left Bologna for Milan on 9th morning. Checked into the hotel, went to meet M for breakfast and then basically spent the rest of the day shopping LOL. There are 3 stores in Milan and I've been to 2 but there was one at Via San Giovanni sul Muro that I didn't go the previous time when I went for Expo because it's closed on Sundays! I actually don't remember the order that I went in, but I definitely went to the one at Via Statuto and Via S. Giovanni twice LOL. So I think I went to the one at San Giovanni first since I didn't go the previous time. This store actually sells like home deco and stuff which are super cute! And I found the Kiara tank in paisley print there from summer!!! And the black floral Jacky dress too. But since it was the first store I didn't buy anything cause I didn't know what else I was gonna find in the other stores. Went to the Statuto store next because the two are really near each other, like they're literally on opposite sides of Castello Sforzesco hahaha. I bought a red striped Luana there because it was on sale for only €10. Then went to the store near the Duomo. The sales were quite crazy there lol they had many jeans for €15, but the quality wasn't really good like the material was super thin so they probably really just produced it for sale at €15 I guess? But I bought a formal shirt there for half price as well as the Armelle skirt for only €10?! They had a lot of other skirts and stuff on sale too but most were damaged :( Also bought 3 necklaces!!! Some accessories were on sale so necklaces were going for €3, bracelets for €2 and rings and earrings for €1.

After having seen all 3 stores I went back to San Giovanni store and couldn't resist buying the Kiara tank and Jacky dress even though they weren't on sale but the prints were from summer and I've been searching for the paisley print for ages! Then went back to the Statuto store and got the Klum Corduroy Skirt in burgundy and the Rosa Sweatpants in olive green. The Klum skirt is actually the same as the Bruce / Sena Skirt just that it has an inner elastic band at the waist which actually makes it more comfortable lol. Wanted to get it in black too but the store didn't have it and by the time I went back to the Duomo store it was already closed ... Total spent in Milan = €140.60

Stuff I bought in Milan, necklaces not shown

So that concluded my January Italy Brandy shopping trip!! Total damage = €267.60 for 19 items which I honestly think is not bad lol considering that it includes a pair of jeans too. Very very pleased with my buys!!

Left Milan at 7am the next day (10th Jan) to take the train to Basel then Strasbourg so no shopping then obviously. But it was a Sunday anyway so nvm!!

Store Addresses:

Rome: (There's supposed to be 6 on Google Maps but I only went to 2 ...)

- Via del Corso, 435, 00187 Roma, Italie - Open 1100-2000 everyday. This is apparently the biggest store in Rome! It's along the shopping street near the Spanish Steps.

- Via Cola di Rienzo, 136, 00197, Roma, Italie - Open 1030-2000 from Monday to Saturday, 1100-2000 on Sunday. This store is near the Vatican City.

Florence: (2 stores)

- Via Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 172, 50129 Firenze, Italie - Open 1000-1930 from Monday to Saturday, 1530-1930 on Sunday, but they close for siesta on weekdays from 1400-1530. This is the bigger store in Florence.

- Via Porta Rossa, 48r, Firenze, Italie - Open 1000-1930 from Monday to Saturday, 1530-1930 on Sunday, but they close for siesta on weekdays from 1400-1530. This is the store at the city centre.

Bologna: (1 store)

- Via Guglielmo Oberdan, 6/b, Bologna, Italie - I forgot to check the opening hours but think it's open until 2000 everyday and they probably open from 1000 or 1030. I THINK.

Milan: (3 stores)

- Via S. Giovanni sul Muro, 18, 20121 Milano, Italie - Open 1500-1900 on Monday, 1030-1900 from Tuesday to Saturday, closed on Sunday. This is the store with the homeware.

- Via Statuto, 16, 20121 Milano, Italie - Open 1030-1930 from Monday to Saturday, closed on Sunday.

- Piazza Cesare Beccaria, 5, 20122 Milano, Italie - Open 1030-1930 from Monday to Saturday, 1130-1900 on Sunday. This is the store near the Duomo, also the biggest store in Milan - it has 3 floors!

Decided to rename my post "A guide to shopping Brandy Melville in Italy" LOL. Gonna be updating on my February Italy (and Brandy) trip soon when I have time!!

February Italy Trip: Rome - Florence

16 February Tuesday:

Booked tickets for Vatican Museums the night before for the 11am slot so we could afford to set off slightly later than the day before. Meant to see the Palatino but we were confused and didn't realise that the Palatino and the Roman Forum used the same entrance so of course having already entered the Roman Forum our tickets weren't valid for a second entry. But it turned out to be a good thing as it took us one hour to walk to Vatican!! So had we stayed we would've been late for the 11am slot. 

The queue for the Vatican Museums were really crazy omg it was never-ending. We had to pay €4 extra for the online booking but given our lack of time it turned out to be the right thing to do. The museum was really huge and there was a recommended route (and also a shorter route) so we took the longer route. Lots of statues and ancient Egyptian stuff which was quite cool and I also really loved the architecture of the museum! We didn't have time to see everything in detail - it's so huge I don't think I would be able to finish seeing everything even if I had a week, but was pretty cool though I don't think I would go back again anytime soon as the tickets are not cheap and it's permanently super crowded.

We spent about 2.5 hours in the museum then went for lunch at this restaurant called Bella Napoli near Vatican found from Google maps again. Finally got a tomato-based pasta again but it was the thicker noodles (shucks I forgot the name) and also got desert - zuppa inglese which is basically a sponge cake with custard and liqueur (I tasted rum). It was really good and I would've liked to have another but was a bit full and we had a bus to catch. Took the metro back to the hotel to pick up our luggages before heading to the Tiburtina bus stop to take our €1 bus to Florence!

Anyway the hotel we were staying at is called Casa Cleo and it was really nice! Well not as fancy as Hotel Bled from the last time but honestly would never have been able to afford Hotel Bled if not for the Expedia mess-up lol. But this hotel was really nice too, YL booked it and it's more of a home-run hotel in an apartment building. Realised that Italy has a lot of these apartment-turned-hotel kind of things haha. We had a double room with a private external bathroom (meaning the toilet was down the corridor but it was just for us) and the people were really nice! Room was very clean and we were actually able to check-on early and they also helped us to print out Vatican tickets haha oh and one thing is most of the tickets in Italy require you to bring a hard copy. But anyway the location was good too except for the flights of stairs we had to climb to get to the 3rd floor (didn't know how to use the lift) and I wouldn't mind staying again!

The bus took about 3 hours and we arrived in Florence slightly before 8pm. Everything was closed by then and we were quite tired so decided to just go for dinner and then go back to rest. Took us a while to find our B&B because Google maps showed the location to be on the other side of the street but this elderly couple saw us and were really nice to ask what number we were looking for. The lady asked "Qual'è numero" and thank goodness for basic Italian knowledge I was able to understand and reply "venti-cinque" so she led us to the correct door!

Dropped out stuff down then walked towards to the city centre for dinner. YL's Friend had recommended a place called Trattoria ZàZà but it was really full and had a long queue by the time we arrived so we just searched for other restaurants near it and ended up going to another one called Osteria Pepo which was just a few units away. We both got a soup each and shared a steak which was quite good but nothing much special I think ... The soup was really thick more like a stew and not sure if it's just a different style but oh well!! Went back to the B&B after that.

February Italy Trip: Rome Day 2

15 February Monday:

YL had pre-booked tickets online for the Colosseum for 15 Feb so we had an early 8am start :D By the way will totally recommended booking the tickets online in advance because the queue is absolutely crazy!!! We arrived slightly past 9am so went to collect tickets for the 0930 time slot. Was really glad that we went early because the crowds started coming in around 10am but by then we were more or less done. The tours are quite expensive especially if you want to see the arena so we didn't go and just walked around by ourselves. There were lots of exhibits but being not really history people we only briefly read the descriptions ... But anyway the Colosseum is HUGE and we were lucky to have sunny blue sky weather that morning!!!

Walked around the long road with all the ruins after that and then decided to go to the Roman Forum as our tickets included entry for that and the Palatino too - so actually it's cheaper to book online because we paid €16 in all for the Colosseum and Roman Forum/Palatino (which we later discovered had the same entrance) and normally the Roman Forum alone would've costed €12. Walked around a bit in the Roman Forum and went to climb up the hill for the panoramic view :) After that we went for lunch at this restaurant that I found on Google Maps called La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali. It had good reviews so we decided to give it a try and was not disappointed! I had chicken in truffle sauce which was really good and also a change from the usual pasta and pizza, while YL ordered a pasta and a seafood platter which consisted of prawns and calamari. Apparently the seafood isn't in season now so they used the frozen ones (it's stated on the menu). I also ordered dessert - white chocolate soufflé which was the most amazing thing I've ever tasted!!! Am honestly willing to go back just for the dessert again omg!!

Walked around more after that and saw the Altare della Patria but by then it was starting to get a bit cloudy and drizzled a bit. Also went to the Pantheon (we confused that with the Palatino) then Ponte Sant Anges and Vatican City! The queue for Vatican City was crazy so we decided to visit the Castel Sant'Angelo instead. Unfortunately the reduced price only applies for EU citizens and they only do student fares for selected degrees so we paid the full adult fare. Was quite nice exploring the castle and we concluded the tour with an amazing panoramic view of Rome at sunset with the silhouette of the Vatican Basilica!

Decided that we had done enough cultural activities for the day so we went to shop at the Brandy on Via Cola di Rienzo instead LOL. I didn't buy anything for once while YL was the one who bought stuff haha. We had made a dinner reservation at this restaurant called Le Cave near Piazza di Sant'Ignazio because we'd passed by during the walking tour the day before and happened to see some English football players (?? VIP for all I know) going for dinner there with a lot of security so we reckoned it should be good. We both got pasta - I ordered carbonara while YL got a tomato-based one. I found the carbonara to be quite salty and regretted not getting a tomato-based one too. They also had this strange blown-up cracker (biscuit/pastry/crust???) appetiser which was quite cool hahaha. No more gelato was too full after dinner so we just went back straight to the hotel and that was all for day 2 in Rome!

February Italy Trip: Rome Day 1

Blogging on the bus from Rome to Florence now! Been so busy for the past 3 days in Rome so haven't had the time to update, and I realise I only ever blog when I'm travelling lol. But anyway this is the €1 bus ride from Rome to Florence thanks to Flixbus' promotion hehehe super worth deal cause usually it's €9 by bus or by train but only if you book super in advance!!

14 Feb Sunday:

Met Yilin at the hotel, checked in, showered (couldn't shower at the hostel the night before cause no hot water and flooded), then we went out. The location of our hotel was great cause it was really near Cavour metro, so it only took us about 20 min to walk to the Colosseum area. First stop as always was the Trevi Fountain! Surprisingly there was lesser people than the last time when I went in January. Then we went for lunch at L'Archetto again, which has the BEST PASTA IN ROME ever. I've been craving it since the last time! Ordered the Pasticciati again, but service wasn't as great as last time probably because it was during peak lunch timing. 

After lunch we went to get gelato from the same store - Gelateria Valentino - again and I was wondering if the store owner recognised me LOL but he smiled at us!! And gave me a slightly bigger scoop hehehe. Walked around the shopping street then went to climb the Spanish Steps! Then we went to Brandy Melville at Via del Corso LOL. Spent a while in there and I bought a black velvet dress which was on sale for €10 while YL got a top and a burgundy jumper. We also went to a few more stores like Subdued and Double Agent which all seem to have the same style as Brandy but not as nice material. Then we came across this super nice store called Sophie Charlotte which is also kind of similar to Brandy style but they had cute stuff!! YL bought a dress and I got a pencil case with cactus print on it. They had the cutest pencil cases that says "Sophie" or "Charlotte" which imo makes great gifts HAHA I wish they had it in my name too.

YL had booked a free walking tour at about 1730h so we walked towards the Spanish Steps where the meeting point was. Was a bit late cause we had to go to the toilet and the tour guide seemed a bit annoyed when we arrived slightly before 1730 but the meeting time was supposed to be 1720 for registration. But the guy was really good!!! It's called "New Rome Free Tour" and the tour lasts 2 hours. Our guide was called Stefano and he spoke really good English and had an absolutely great sense of humour HAHA and now we know how to be proper Romans LOL. Anyway will highly recommend but I think this needs pre-booking online!! 

We ended the tour at 1930 at the Trevi Fountain and after that we went to a place called Pizza Ciro for dinner which was a restaurant that we passed by during the tour. Stefano had recommended it to us so we decided to give it a try and have some pizza after having pasta for lunch. It was not bad but the serving portions were huge!!! I don't really know how to compare pizza but I think I prefer the softer ones ...

Got another gelato after dinner - went for lemon sorbet and mixed berries this time. The owners were so amused to see us go back!! I told the guy I went like so many times in January but he didn't seem to remember. Nonetheless he saw us taking photos so offered to take one for us then this random stranger man entered the gelateria and offered to take a photo of all of us but we ended up with a mass selfie instead HAHA. Walked back to the hotel after that and that concludes day 1!!

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Oops only actually just posted this on the bus back to Milan LOL but gonna type my other posts now too!!

Italy Round 2: the 19-hour journey from Strasbourg to Rome

Spent the whole of yesterday on the bus! Well almost. But now I'm sitting in a random room in the hotel that we booked waiting for YL to arrive so doing a quick post while waiting!

My bus in Strasbourg departed at 5.15AM on Saturday. Was glad that Lizzie was heading to Rome too so we were bus partners!! We took Flixbus and it was really crowded so we had to find separate seats until like Freiburg or something then many people got off including the lady who was sitting next to me, so I asked Lizzie to come over to the front. It's so weird that it's actually a Germany - Switzerland line but they stop in Strasbourg which is like the only France stop?? But anyway yeah, slept on the bus but kept waking up when it stopped at Basel and Zurich. And I finally found the toilet on the bus omg!!! It was clean but the smell was awful so didn't really want to use it much but at least now I know where it is LOL it's actually like right by the rear exit of the bus but you have to turn the knob and I waited for ages thinking someone was inside when it was empty. But at least there's one, was so awful the last time when I had to hold for hours ......... So we sat in the bus for like maybe 7 hours?? There was no stops between Zurich and Milan but the view in Switzerland was absolutely amazing!!! So much snow woop woop! And we arrived in Milan much earlier like about 12nn instead of 12.45pm so that was great.

Lizzie and I got off the bus and we rushed to find a proper toilet LOL but alas we had to pay 50c for it at the station. Bought metro tickets and got off at the Duomo and weather was great! Super sunny and blue skies and there was some major celebrations going on because there were lots of kids in fancy dress costumes throwing confetti around but I had no idea what it was for. Also got reminded of Big Bang Theory when Sheldon says the singular form of confetti is confetto to which Amy replies why would you ever use the singular form LOL okay random but I found it funny haha. Anyway Lizzie and I went for lunch at this place called Pizza Pane e Companatico near the Duomo. The pasta was cheap and I had an Americano while Lizzie had a juice so was not a bad lunch. Lizzie had a train to catch at 3pm so by the time we finished it was about 2pm so she made her way to Centrale while I went to Brandy. 

The sales have unfortunately more or less ended :( Also found this amazingly HUGE Zara and Mango hahaha I need office clothes ... Like just on Friday I bought this really nice navy blazer from Mango at Rivetoile gah I don't know why I didn't go see the sales earlier!! Brandy wasn't having much sales and I regret not buying the Klum skirt when it was 10% off but hopefully can find it in Rome or Florence!! Didn't buy anything at the Duomo Brandy but went to the one at Via Statuto and bought a long sleeve top in burgundy (it looks like the Breanne top but I don't think it is) and a necklace! Meant to go to the other store at San Giovanni too but it was already 4pm by then and didn't want to risk missing my bus so decided to forgo it and made my way to Lampugnano instead.

Caught the bus in good time and (thankfully) found the toilet for the single decker buses too LOL. We had to stop halfway somewhere near Bologna and was so confusing cause the driver only spoke Italian and the people around me only spoke German omg I missed French-speaking places and generally the feeling of knowing the language of the place. But the driver was really nice and he used Google voice translate to translate for us (I didn't know there was such a function!!!) so basically we had to stop the bus and it will leave again at 2020h. Went to the convenience store and bought some Loackers to eat HAHA. The rest of the journey was pretty smooth after that and I had data so at least had some form of entertainment but holy moly I'd spent 14 hours on buses yesterday and including my 5-hour transit that would add up to a 19-hour journey which is even longer than going back to SG LOL?!? But tbh it was so cheap (think €11) and there probably wouldn't be any other alternatives even close to that price so yeah ...

Arrived in Rome at 12 midnight, also earlier than our scheduled time of 1225h so was great. Was glad that I've already been to Rome so knew how the metro works and all so managed to make my way from Tiburtina bus stop to Termini quite easily. I'd made a reservation for a hostel and also made another stupid mistake of not checking reviews until after I'd booked ... Was actually reading reviews on the bus lol and hoping that it wouldn't be as bad as it had sounded.

The hostel that I booked was called Two Ducks Hostel. Something that I also realised about Italy is that hostels / hotels almost never have buildings of their own LOL. It wasn't hard to find but was difficult trying to figure out which apartment the hostel was in. So I went up to the 5th floor where the reception was then there was a guy there who checked in for me and then led me to another building. I'd reserved a bed in a "6-bed female dorm" and he said that all the female rooms were in the other building so okay. It was about 5 min from the main building but we went up and he showed me my room which turned out to be a 4-bed room with only 2 other girls there who were already asleep which is actually better LOL. But it was a really basic room and was only €8 + €3.50 city tax per night (a bit expensive for that standard really) so €11.50 and couldn't really expect much. I was so budget!!! But the toilet wasn't great, was really flooded and wet and smelled and no hot water :( Bed was okay, I took the lower bunk of a double decker bed but saw reviews about bed bugs so didn't change into my sleeping clothes just in case ...

Woke up at 8am when one of the girls got up but stayed in bed until 10am HAHA was so tired out from the bus journey! One girl had already left but there was another girl so we talked a bit. She's from Poland and studying here and I told her it was my first time in a hostel so she looked really surprised then told me I look really young like 17 years old LOL. Then I packed my stuff and walked to the other hotel that YL booked and waiting for her here now as I type! 

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Okay she's just arrived so we're leaving now!

Rome: Day 3

Eating my takeaway pasta in the hotel now and I swear it's so good?!?! I bought 2 slices of pizza from the same shop too on my way back and they were good too I think better than yesterday's dinner at the restaurant HAHA. Funny how one of my best meals in Rome was just from a random shop.

Anyway today was a relatively chill day! It's the two guys' last day in Rome so we didn't have much planned. I woke up really late at 10 and missed the hotel breakfast cause I thought it was until 11, but the lady was so nice she still let me in to get food so I just thought I'd bring the food to my room to eat so I won't mess up a table but then she gave me a proper tray to put everything on and also asked if I wanted drinks! So I had a nice quick breakfast in my room. Also asked if it's possible for me to get a takeaway breakfast tomorrow as my train is really early, and they said they'd prepare a box for me so I shall wait and see!

Met the guys at 12 at Termini to take the metro to see Villa Torlonia which was 2 stops away, but it turned out to be slightly disappointing as there wasn't much and the weather in winter isn't that great. Decided to walk over to Villa Borghese which was a lot prettier but sadly we didn't have much time there as the guys had a train to catch. We walked to the Spanish Steps from Villa Borghese and I wanted to go up the steps but the guys didn't have time so we went for the gelato instead. Had another gelato back at Gelateria Valentino and got smoothie flavours this time - strawberry and banana! The shop people were really nice and they recognised us from yesterday!! I kept wondering about the honey flavour gelato that Andrew recommended but then realised it was actually another gelato shop just round the corner - Gelato di San Crispino. The prices are slightly more expensive and I'm not that much of a fan of cream flavours anyway and also didn't want to ruin the lovely fruity aftertaste of the strawberry and banana gelato so didn't try it. Might probably come back the next time!!

The guys had to leave after that so after I said bye to them I went back to the Spanish Steps. Turned out to be the right choice cause the view up there was absolutely amazing! I went up the steps of Fraternita Monastica Delle Sorelle Di Gerusalemme to get a better view of the city and it was so beautiful. When I first went up there was no one there except for a sporty couple doing leg lifts (??? The one where you hold onto something and lift your legs 90 degrees perpendicular) against the scenery and they asked me to take photos of them together. In return I also asked them to take photos of me HAHA and it's true based on experience photos by strangers usually turn out the best ... Stayed a bit more but more people were starting to come so it was harder to get a better photo. Then this other couple was taking photos of each other then they wanted to take one together by selfie-ing so I offered to help them and in return they asked if I wanted a photo too! So of course I said yes (never rejecting photo opportunities) and by then the sky had cleared up already so the photos turned out really nice except for the poor lighting of the iPhone 5 camera but never mind :D Finally experiencing the thrills of solo-tripping!! Haha but it was fun having the company of Uncle H and S around LOL.

Walked back to the metro and took to San Giovanni since it's near the hotel anyway but not much. Saw a glimpse of the sunset it was pink I should've stayed longer at the Spanish Steps haha!! Then walked back and got the pasta and pizza takeaway on the way back. Btw the shop is called Pizza e Kebab on Via Emanuele Filiberto near San Giovanni Metro. The owner was really nice and he asked me where I'm from so I said Singapore, then he asked if he could take a selfie with me cause he wanted a selfie with a Singaporean LOL. But yes the pizza was so good hahaha and just finishing the pasta now!!

Going to sleep soon and need to pack oh man leaving Rome tomorrow! I've only visited 2 out of 5 Brandy stores here and my timing is so bad because the sales in Rome start on 5 Jan Tuesday but I'm leaving tomorrow gah I have no luck with these!!

Rome: Day 2

Brief update on day 2 of 2016 in Rome (trying to post more and also record stuff down in case I forget). Had breakfast in hotel (which was not bad really!!!), then went to meet GQ's friend S who just arrived at Termini. We all went back to their hostel to put down stuff then walked in the general direction of Vatican City. Passed by the Colosseum on the way and took lots of photos in daylight but it kept drizzling!! Also very amused by the street sellers because it rained this morning and suddenly everyone had umbrellas and ponchos to sell instead of the selfie sticks it's as if they have some massive warehouse nearby or something ... Then when the rain stopped they all looked really disappointed or rather almost angry! After the Colosseum we passed by Piazza Venezia again and stopped at a gelato shop. Welcome back to the land of €2 gelatos!! Well that was actually €2.50 but it was good!! I had mixed berries and mango flavours :D 

We crossed the bridge to the other side of the river where Vatican City is and took lots of photos by the river with the Castel Sant'Angelo as the backdrop HAHA. Then finally arrived in Vatican City and it was so crowded omg. The sky started to clear up a bit by then so it was nice! But the queue for the holy door was too long and we arrived pretty late so the museum was closed. Wanted to see the garden but you need to make reservations for those apparently so we just took some photos with the Swiss Army at the entrance. They were really nice actually and one of them always smiled so slightly when people take photos of him!!

After Vatican City I made the 2 guys Coke with me to Brandy HAHAHA we walked along the main shopping street though. Didn't buy anything otherwise I'd have to lug them around the rest of the trip!! Also went to the other Brandy near the Trevi fountain and went to see the fountain again too. Still super lots of people even though it was raining. Had dinner at this rather nice place called Osteria - I liked their pizza more but Peter the spaghetti at L'Archetto! Also had 2 cones of gelato after dinner HAHA crazy but it was SO GOOD, it's called Gelateria Valentino and it's near the Trevi Fountain! I had the Ferraro Rocher (called Love Me) with tiramisu first then a more fruity combination of melon and mango. And the people were so nice!! Defo wanna go back again HAHAHA. Andrew also recommended a gelato place near the fountain with honey flavour but Idk if it was the same one so gonna have to find out .........

Really tired now so gonna sleep!!!

2016 Day 1/366: Rome!

Finally chilling on my double bed in my hotel now :D Was such a hectic and epic day omg! My travel adventures are seriously UNBELIEVABLE. Omg.

Anyway the day started out pretty okay, slept really early (could hear the fireworks but too tired to get up), woke up at 4am and left at 5.20am to catch the National Express coach for Stansted Airport. Arrived slightly before 7am, did everything really quickly like security and all then went to the duty free shops :D Bought some stuff from Accessorize, then walked past Ted Baker and couldn't resist taking a look at the sale stuff ... Was really tempted by the pink Melana bag, they had only one left and I'd been eyeing the Isabow in baby pink since October and this one was really similar if not even nicer than the Isabow cause it doesn't have the bow which is a bit extra. But I didn't want to spend money so early into 2016 LOL. So I went to the Starbucks (last Starbucks since Italy and Strasbourg don't have!!) and got a chai tea latte and sat there while waiting for my boarding gate to show. But I kept thinking of the bag omg. Waited for an hour then realised I had to go to the gate alr so I went back to Ted Baker again to ask for returns policy and all and it was also the last bag in pink ......... And I gave in. OMG. Then I rushed to the gate with all my shopping bags LOL. And my duffel bag was alr freaking heavy ........ Way to start my trip LOLLOL.

Got to the gate and one of the Ryanair staff was selling bus tickets from airport to city centre so I bought one, then the guy behind me bought too but he didn't have small change so I exchanged 2 €10 notes for his €20 note. Then we started talking and he's from SG too LOL small world anyway he's called GQ so we decided to tour around together today cause he was also alone. Boarded the flight afterwards, had an aisle seat at first but the row opposite me was empty so I just asked the flight steward if I could st there instead and he said it was okay so I had a whole row to myself again!! Super shiok hehe :D Flying in daytime has its perks too especially the amazing view of the Alps!!

Landed in Rome, waited quite a long time for the bus so it was already 1430 by the toe we arrived in the city centre. Three was having internet problems and I couldn't get data for the whole afternoon argh. Checked into my hotel, wifi wasn't working either so no internet basically but the room was huge and I also had my own toilet PLUS a huge DOUBLE BALCONY. But I just put down my stuff and went out again cause I was supposed to meet GQ at Barberini at 1600. The metro was pretty easy to navigate but it's €1.50 per ride!!

Met GQ at Berberini Metro, went to see the Fontana di Trevi first but it was so crowded omg. Then we walked to the Altare della Patria and towards the Colosseum. Saw so many ruins on the way it was quite fascinating but now I'm also just looking at Google maps and thinking it'll never be possible to finish seeing all the tourist attractions here by the end of this trip hahaha omg. Anyway by then the sun was setting already so lighting was poor but the Colosseum looked so cool at night!!

Walked a bit more then we were both really hungry so searched a bit and found this place called L'Archetto near us that serves pasta and pizza. I was craving pasta so much haha. It turned out to be a really good decision LOL cause the prices were pretty decent and they had so many different flavours of pasta and pizza!!! We both got a pasta each then shared a pizza and tiramisu for dessert. But the pasta was SO SO GOOD I honestly wouldn't mind going back there again to eat if not for the fact that I wanna try other restaurants in Rome too!!

After dinner we walked towards the river Fiume Tevere then ended up on Ponte Sant'Angelo that leads to Castel Sant'Angelo. A cool thing is that the garden surrounding the castle is shaped like a star just like the Kastellet in Cooenhagen so I would really want to see that!! We didn't go in as it was closed already. Then walked back to the Metro, took a few photos of the Fontana di Tritone at Piazza Barberini then I took the metro to go back to the hotel.

Then this was the epic part. I honestly don't know if I was damn suay or damn lucky but I'm loving my current hotel so I would say the latter LOL. Remember how the wifi in my room wasn't working?? So I entered the hotel, went to the reception area to ask about the wifi and then the lady at the reception (think she's the manager according to a cert on the wall) told me the hotel was going to be closed from tomorrow onwards, when my reservation was for the next 3 days. I was literally like WHAT on the spot cause I'd booked through Expedia and there was absolutely no notification of this AT ALL. And that would explain why the wifi and elevators weren't working. Apparently the hotel had informed Expedia 5 days ago, so we called Expedia and turns out there was broken communication between the Expedia and Expedia UK team. But I was just panicking cause where would I go lol omg?? Of all the stuff that've happened I'd least expected this trip to go wrong cause it was a freaking hotel booking. So they told me I could stay for the night and pay €25 but I'd already paid through Expedia for the whole booking!! Anyway the Expedia UK team went to check and they had someone from the reallocations team to talk to me but the line was so muffled so I was really confused and freaking out. After many rounds of repetition (cause I couldn't hear properly) they finally found me a room at another hotel 5 min away so they would change my whole reservation to that for no additional fees (had to confirm this many times but hoping I won't get some surprise charge on my card uh). So I thought that was the end. By then the lady manager had left and it was only this other guy at the reception so I was gonna ask if I could just get my stuff since I was moving out already. THEN HE TOLD ME I STILL HAD TO PAY THE €25?!?! By then I was literally about to cry cause after so much trouble and distress they can't just demand more money when I'm not even staying there. And ever since the Milan scam incident I've just been really paranoid about Italy in general T_T And I was also really scared that they wouldn't let me leave cause the man seemed really scary and intimidating and he said I had to pay cause they already prepared the room for me and all but I never even touched anything except to put my stuff there. Somehow I told him I'm going to go up and get the stuff and move out NOW then I went up and quickly packed all my stuff, was lucky that I didn't unpack! I was also a bit worried that it could all be a scam so was quite cautious to check my important stuff were all there. Grabbed my bags, went downstairs to hand my key then the man seemed to have a change of attitude suddenly so I cautiously asked again about the €25 one night fee then he said he spoke to the lady or something and that all is sorted. So I could finally leave! He also asked if I got everything and seemed to be much nicer at the end but I was still in a state of shock so I just kept saying thank you then left. What a night!!

Walked to the new hotel which thankfully wasn't too far and actually turned out to be nearer to the metro LOL. Managed to check-in properly (the other hotel didn't even ask for my passport when I checked-in in the afternoon??) but the fax confirmation from Expedia hadn't arrived yet so I was worried I would have to wait even more since it was already close to midnight by then. But luckily it was all okay, still got my double room and this new hotel looks so much more luxurious actually! The double room is amazing, slightly smaller than the other one but really looks great with golden sheets and all LOL. Toilet is also super clean and I have a balcony too!! With a swing but it was too dark so I'll check it out tomorrow. But I guess it all turned out well in the end, even though I'm still in a state of shock over the turn of events I don't believe my luck with travelling seriously I mean what are the odds is such things happening LOL. But yeah, hope all goes well and I'll be monitoring my bank acc to make sure no surprise charges appear or whatsoever. Will update!!

Really need to sleep now hahaha wanna catch sunrise tomorrow and make the most of daylight hours but weather forecast seems like it's gonna rain the whole day noooooo please :( But once again, what a way to begin 2016!!