Tuesday, September 18, 2012

St Tropez - MY Las Vegas Olympia tan in a bottle test drive

Thursday September 27th Myself and my INCREDIBLE Team of athletes and fitness models  who make up MAGNUM NUTRACEUCTICALS  (found on FB here)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Magnum-Nutraceuticals/117881678294129

Will be landing in LAS VEGAS for the highly awaited OLYMPIA 2012 EXPO and COMPETITION.

People train their entire lives for this event, and although I am not competing, I am coming in with the team representing the BEST OF THE BEST in supplements and driven athletes and we are here to look and play the part.

I have been training by butt off, and saying no to food that I REALLY want to say yes to sometimes... Including that glass of Riesling on those summer nights...... And I am stoked and ready to represent MYSELF and MY TEAM.

In order to feel complete, and let's be honest here you guys.... Men and Women alike, feel better with a nice golden glow.

ST TROPEZ is BRAND new to the CHATTERS MAYFAIR  http://www.facebook.com/ChattersMayfairMall MALL salon and so I picked my bottle up to try.

This is the ONLY tanner I will be using while in Vegas doing photo shoots, Expo work and well... all things VEGAS..... Its CRUCIAL that I look and feel at my best....

I will be home October 1, and will be bringing with me my personal feedback on this beauty!!
FINGERS CROSSED!!!
~Ky

I've been home from Vegas now for a few weeks, and must apologize for my delayed update on St Tropez self tanning experience.

So I put TWO layers on, one on Monday night and one on Tuesday night as I was leaving Wednesday. I would have liked to have done a third coat, but felt very natural and bronze with the TWO.
It's funny, once I arrived in Vegas and we all began unloading our suitcases, it was quite clear that ST TROPEZ is the top choice for the  female Magnum Fitness Models, as EVERY GIRL had brought their own bottle.
This was GREAT because I left mine in the car, in BC.

My color was VERY even, and natural looking, which was exactly what I was going for, and so my overall opinion of the product is positive!!

I will continue to use St Tropez for any photo shoots or promotional events to ensure a clean even pretty glow:)

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Time to turn back within

Today I received a parcel in the mail, and in it was a bracelet that I had ordered online late at night about a month ago.....
"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. so love the people who treat you right. forget about the ones who don't.believe everything happens for a reason.if you get a second chance, grab it <3"

If I'm being honest, which Id like to be...... I can admit that with my best intentions in living a judgement free, honest, loving life, I fail sometimes.

I go in and out of my personal awareness, consciousness and phases of calmness, and as of late I have felt very OUT.

I was asked the other day by someone very dear to me if I was happy.....
"OF COURSE IM HAPPY!!"

But am I AS happy as I could be?

No

I have been happier..... much.
Now Im not unhappy, I'm not depressed....not even slightly, if you know me, I think this is clear.....BUT

When I stop and backtrack my happy train track, I know that the happiest I felt was when I was practicing regular yoga, reading positive inspiring literature, writing daily gratitudes, blogging and learning regularly and spending time with my dearest friends.

What has been different ?? Why do I feel so sererapted from this place of wholesome???


~ LIFE ~
 Nothing out of the norm
Nothing that I shouldn't be doing
Nothing that I can stop

I am blessed to have FELT how incredible feels and now I am able to catch on quickly as I fall away from that.

Feeling happy from your soul to your words, from deep within to your outward actions, is such a wonderful place to live and I want back in!!!


I'm writing this post to simply remind you of where you are, where you possibly have been and where you possibly want to be.

I'm writing this also to share the feeling of 'slipping in life a bit', 'falling off track' and create the space to move back into consciousness.

Life will get busy, and sometimes take over your every thought...... This is reality.

What is so great about that is when you wake up, when you open your eyes, and say hello to the day, You get the chance to make a choice.

What are you focusing on today?
What do you WANT to do today?
What emotion do you WANT to feel?
Do you want to give and receive love today?
Do you want to create happiness for yourself and others today?

All sorts of opportunity sits with you in these first few moments, it's up to you as to what you do with the rest of the day.

Do the things that bring you internal happiness and those around you will reap nothing but the amazing benefits :)

~XO
Ky




Thursday, May 31, 2012

MAGNUM LOVE (Pudding recipe)

Oh man.... It's been a while since I have updated this blog with a new recipe..... ( I'm sorry:( )

Here's why....

I'm spending time building up my new site www.bodyripped.net  as well as continuing to work closely with my incredible Sponsor Company MAGNUM NUTRACEUTICALS, and the recipes are going to these pages instead of here.

Over time I likely will move solely over to these sites, so please just follow along with the fun and development that is my life :)

HOWEVER, I have a delicious new recipe up on my Magnum Athlete page....

CRAVING CHOCOLATE????
Aren't we always craving chocolate  lol

http://www.hardmagnum.com/blog/kyla-gagnon/fresh-mint-chocolate-pudding

Short and to the point......

Try it, love it and let me know
:)
~Xo
Ky

Thursday, May 17, 2012

26 days Later we leave Italy

We sadly had to leave Sicily on Monday morning....

I think it's safe to say that the two places that stole our hearts were Venice and Siracusa, and so to leave one for the other isn't THAT bad :)

We caught the 6:50 am flight to Venice and although our extra weight cost us a small limb, the rest of the day seemed to go completely in our direction, in every way.

We caught the bus into town, where we were dropped off at Piazelle Roma to catch the water bus to our hotel.

The line up for the water bus was HUGE.... a 45 minute wait ( which for a water bus in Venice is a long wait)
HOWEVER, we misread the bus number and OUR line was about 4 people long, and on we went, bypassing the 45 minute wait.

When the water bus stopped at our stop, we began our trek through the streets for our hotel that we booked last minute from Sicily.

The bus dropped us off at a beautiful canal front hotel where we were going to stop in for directions until we realized that this was OUR HOTEL.
And what a hotel it was!!

The 4 star Pesaro Palace had a canal front courtyard housing big comfortable sheer draped lounge chairs just welcoming you with a glass of wine.
So what we thought would take us a few hours took us under 45 minutes, and we were free to roam the city we first fell in love with all over again.
We came across a beautifully designed and displayed specialty coffee shop on our walk, and so we stopped for our frequent cafe', or espresso shot as we know them.

We found our pre dinner stop for wine and an appy under the Rialto Bridge. We came here earlier in our trip but left our camera at the hotel for some bizarre reason, and so our intention was to dine here again WITH our camera....



We sat and enjoyed our wine with our feet literally 2 feet from the water. We watched the sun lower behind the city and moved on to our next destination, unknown but we were up for anything:)


We also visited I Rusteghi on our last Venice visit, and loved the place.
Giovanni, the owner and Somalia gives you a one over and picks your wine for you, and its the BEST of Italy, promised!!

From here we were recommended the best dinner in Venice for our next night.
A place called Oliva Nera, owned by Giovannis cousin, and also a place where the LOCALS frequent, and for reasons we learned are WELL UNDERSTOOD.
( more on that later)


We did the tourist thing the next day visiting the St Marks Bascilica which we missed last time, and WOW are we ever glad we got in today.

Awe struck the entire time, we walked around the inside, and up to the terrace for a full view of the square and through into the Doge Palace next door which was equally mind blowing.
Gold plated EVERYTHING

Life size horse statues- DREW ME IN

Original art.... INSANE


We toured the Palace slightly faster than most, as all we really wanted to see were the old prisons the criminals were kept in, but along the way we were again, in total AWE of the absolutely incredible workmanship of the building, architecture and art of the interior. 

Every political descion and discussion took place in this building and it was very clearly designed for a King.


Weapons from 810 AD





Being in the building where over a thousand years ago, prisoners were dragged through these hallways into their final destination was intense...

You can still see where the men carved pictures and words into the walls during their last days.

From here we spent the rest of our day just wandering and shopping.......

9 purses later, we were done.

I'm dead serious, I bought 9 purses.

We headed to the highly recommended Oliva Nera for an early dinner, and let me tell you......... We were NOT disappointed.

The owners, a husband and wife team very clearly LOVE their job and it shows in their customer service, which if you have been to Europe you know this is hard to come by.

Our food was utterly perfect and our dessert was even better....... This was a hand printed dessert menu drawn by the Owner Dino. He did such a great job that we ordered two desserts with of course the paired dessert wine. ( GREAT CHOICE ON OUR PART)

The last night in Italy was yet another perfect night in life.

We will return ~
Xo


Sicily.... "They'll make you fat in Sicily"

This quote was something I heard multiple times leading up to our visit to the south. If I'm being honest, I was kind of excited about that:)

The food in Italy has been wonderful, fresh seafood, fresh homemade pasta, fresh tomato based sauces everywhere, but something about the thought of Sicilian dishes made my heart happy.

Our quick flight got us in at 9 am and we were settled in Julia and Cicco's home by 11.
The sun was shining and had been now quite intensely for about a week. Our tan had begun, but Julia didn't waste anytime inside, she packed up the van and we all headed to the beach near their friend Jenky's 'villa'.
We spent a good part of 3 hours soaking up the sun before everyone arrived home from work to begin the festivities of cooking.

It was around 9 pm when everyone finally arrived and dinner was served around 11, again, something completely different than what we are used to, but well worth the wait.
This was also the night We experienced our first SICILIAN CANNOLI.

DEAR LORD.........
THANK YOU FOR CANNOLI
AMEN~

Shortly after dinner was demolished we headed home to bed, prepping ourselves for another long day at the beach.

Today was the day we celebrated Julia's 28th birthday, once again at Jenky's as his 'villa' is the place to be....and it is:)
We spent again a good 3-5 hours relaxing in the sun at the most beautiful hidden beach in Siracusa, before heading back to Jenky's to meet the gang.

Julia and I did yoga on the waters edge while the sun began to settle and the boys were kind enough to bring us wine down as we finished..... Is that wrong?????

The thing I love about Italy and her people... OK one of the many things I love, is that everything surrounding food is a team effort, and so as people began to arrive for the party, everyone began preparing the food together.

We had bruschetta being prepared by Eva, Cicco built the CousCous and the tuna and vegetable tajine, Kevin, Julia and I made the tomato and mozzarella salad, Jenky created another Moroccan infused tajine while multiple other dishes were being brought and displayed for us to devour.

We had families with babies, and young children burning around on bikes, we had dogs everywhere, and love was in every inch of this home.


The craziness faded around 11, and we were in bed by midnight, as we had yet ANOTHER beach day ahead of us.

The next morning, the house was as clean as the day before, no sign of a party, and so we packed up and found our beach for the day.
Today the scenery was more beautiful than any day previous........Are you questioning me??????

We arrived home to Cicco and Julia's around 6 pm and Kevin snuck in for a nap while Julia and I walked around the old and stunningly beautiful town she lives in Ortigia, stopping for a glass of wine to watch the sun set.
This moment is something I wished I had a camera for, but this was the ONE time I left it home.

Our 4th day in Sicily was a lazy one which at this point was well needed. Julia and I started the morning with a workout and then it was a day of slow strolling, dropping off and picking up laundry, coffee and laying around.
strolling through Ortigia

Fresh market in Ortigia


 In the later afternoon Kevin and I walked up to the Greek history archaeological park and took in some OLLLLLLLLLLLLD history


THE oldest recorded road, ever
We woke up this morning slightly earlier than the other mornings, 8:30am.
I headed straight outside for my workout, and by the time I came back inside Kevin was coming down from our loft bedroom and we were ready to indulge in our MAGNUM Quattro and Greens shake and our fresh strawberry, kiwi and banana salad, it's not 9:45 am.

After breakfast we waiting for Julia to end her last online English class that she teaches and we headed out to a nearby kayak spot.
Julia had been there 4 years previous, so things had changed slightly. The area of course was beautiful, but the woman in charge seemed to forget to inform us that the river had been almost buried in some spots with fallen trees, branches and algae.

We pushed and paddled our way through each obstacle until we reached a bridge that 4 years ago was something that Julia paddled underneath, but today the water sat too low and we were blocked by a cement landing that took up the width of the river.
We laughed, turned around and paddled the 45 minutes back to the start line, pulled our soaking wet selves out of the kayaks and headed home for lunch.

After lunch Kevin and I walked into Ortigia, which continues to impress me with the beautiful aging buildings, sea wall and narrow streets. We wandered around, filmed another workout in yet ANOTHER breathtaking location, grabbed a nibble to eat and slowly made our way home to meet Julia and Cicco to begin prepping dinner.


We woke up just before 9 and immediately headed out for a run around the exact route we walked yesterday. It was early enough that no body was up yet and the streets were quiet.
There were a few restaurant owners shaking out table clothes and prepping their patios for the morning rush of coffee drinkers and the morning market crew opening up their crates of fresh fruit and vegetables  rustled in the side streets.
After our run and a bit of breakfast Julia, Kevin and I loaded up the van for a mini road trip to the nearby town of Noto where we had a beach basically to ourselves for 3.5 hours. 
Along the way we stopped to pick fresh lemons, oranges and another cute little fruit that we can not remember the name of.... 
Have you ever picked fresh lemons or oranges off the tree and just ate them???

It was beautiful and they tastes to amazing, juicy and organic.

We finished our sun bathing in the actual town which is known famously for their baroque architecture, and granita which is a slushy type desert.
We each had the almond, which is literally ice, sugar and almond milk turned into a slushy treat... WOW
I also tried the cafe flavour and it was just fresh espresso, sugar and ice.... also WOW:)


We ended the night with Cicco out for dinner at a friend of theirs family restaurant on the water. You know the friends who want to spoil you and your out of town guests with all the best and most interesting items on the menu? 

That happened last night........

Needless to say we all sent ourselves to bed OVERFULL of food and wine, tummies sore from laughter....another perfect holiday night.......

The last few days spent in the land that resembles Heaven on Earth were spent with friends, food and beaches before making our way back up north to Venice for our last 2 nights.




Saturday, May 12, 2012

ISLANDS OF HEAVEN


ISCHIA ISLAND


A 40 minute ferry ride from the less than picturesque city of Naples (Napoli) and we arrived in the lovely beach side town of Ischia. 

A quick 5 minute walk and we were at our hotel, that we lucked out with a last minute online booking the day before. Villa Maria welcomed us right in and helped with suggestions for some dinner recommendations.

Ischia is an island of 46 sq km in total, but a 'town' area of 1 boardwalk strip of restaurants along the harbour where sailboats and small yachts are parked with sun soaked bikini clad girls and clearly wealthy families wear their popped collared polo shirts, over the shoulder sweaters neatly tied at the neck and perfectly pleated knee length shorts with matching boat shoes strutted their stuff.

We had some delicious water front meals here in restaurants with the proud owners flaunting the fresh catch of the day in stunning displays of fish heads in the ice display, as well as a few early morning beach workouts and a day of sun soaking on the paid for lounge chairs.

We also spent the good part of an afternoon at the Nembogo (spelling?) which is a beautifully designed mineral spa oasis along the sea edge with a total of 39 different pools, hot springs and mineral spas. Unfortunately we chose a day where the weather was not on our side, and after a facial, massage and a quick walk around and 2 hot spring visits, we were headed back in to town, for another yummy dinner.
Two relaxing and beautiful nights in Ischia and we were off to our next island of luxury...... CAPRI~
Haven't been???????

GO

CAPRI ISLAND


Well if we felt 'poor' in Ischia among the popped collared polo shirt wearing yachters, we felt like trailer trash in Capri. Having said that, nobody made us feel an inch out of place, and in fact we loved it here. Asides from the $10EU espresso / americano and the $50 Eu salad, small pasta and 2 glasses of house wine, we could have stayed here for the rest of our trip.

The town is set from sea level to mountain top, with stunning views of the turquoise water, and limestone cliff edges. The hotels and homes look like pictures of Greece, and the shops boast names such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tods, D&G to name a few.

We took a private boat tour around the island in hopes that our driver Marchella could sneak us into the famous Blue Grotta, but the sea was not on our side, with water too rough to fit a boat in today.
The 2 hour private boat tour took us along the sea edge as we basked in the sun on the bow of the sweet little boat, being told to completely relax and enjoy.

Marchella took us as deep into multiple hidden caves amongst the cliff edge, each with glowing green reflective sheens from the gorgeous water. We were so close to the caves edge we could reach out and touch the walls..... So incredible. He also showed us the massive cliff side mansion where Georgio Armani spends his summers over looking the glorious green blue waters as He masters up his next collection.
We didn't plan our island vacation very well in accordance to our flight to Sicily and our flight left early enough in the morning that we would miss the ferry back to the mainland airport, and so we actually had to lose a night of luxury in our Capri 4 star, for a night closer to the airport in Naples.
This was a sad moment when we realized we would have to leave this incredible mountain top grace land, but it had to be done.

We hopped in a cab once we ferried over to the mainland, and cringed as our driver took us through what we immediately referred to as the GHETTO of Italy. 
Thank God we were inside the cab, because outside was NOT welcoming.
Somehow we pulled up to our hotel and to our surprise we were in a diamond in the rough of Naples, in a 4 star $60 Eu hotel booked once again last minute online.

We spent a quick night here and were at the airport by 7 am the next morning for Sicily, where we would spend the next 7+ days with our wonderful friends Julia and Cicco.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

The city of ROMA


ROMA~ 

A city with big hopes and big expectations left us slightly ....well... bummed.

YES the sights we saw were incredible. d
The Vatican Museum and the Sisteenth Chapel set next to The Basilica, where the Pope spoke just moments after we entered, was absolutely breathtaking. To imagine that hundreds of years ago.....someone hand painted and designed the whole museum and all of the slight details through the 4 km of hallway and numerous engulfing rooms. Each room had something special and impressive to offer, however none more impressive than the infamous Sisteenth Chapel.

You see pictures, you see film, and you imagine what it looks like. It looks much the same as the dreams you have but much much more beautiful and enchanting.


40,000 visitors on this day, as it was the one FREE Sunday of the month, and our admission didn't come easy.

We arrived around 10 am with a $10Eu cab ride. The moment we stepped out of the cab we had a sweet Australian woman selling us on a tour. 
Yes the tour would cost $25 Eu each but you will bypass the line up( which at this point was about 1 mile long in the dead of heat. Being a free day, the crowds were larger than usual. We were to meet her back at the stand at 11 am, and our tour would begin.

At exactly 10:50 we arrived back after a sand which and espresso, and no body was there to greet us...... 15 minutes later, no one, 20, 30minutes... still no one. We gave up and began a walk down the never ending line of patiently waiting tourists and faithful Catholics, towards what seemed like eternity.
After about ten random tour salespeople along the way we finally said yes to the one guy who seemed legit and professional.

He took us into a small office space where about 20 other English speaking eager tourists awaited out guide Thomas to take us on our journey of the Sisteenth Chapel for $50 Eu a pair.

When Thomas finally gathered us all and began his tour with each of us sporting a hot pink strap holding a walkey talkey style handset, we had 1 hour until the gates closed.
What we all assumed was a professional guided tour ended up being a tour that in order to get in we had to as a group of 20-25 people, budge in line, and fight off the angry tourists who had at this point for surely waited at least 2-3 hours to hold their spot near the front of the line.

A few of our tour left, with disgust and fear of attack , and the small group of us remained, waiting for our dream tour.
The chapel closed at 2, and we snuck in JUST as the gates closed at noon, so we had a beautiful and busy 2 hour tour of the Vatican Museum, and I think at the end of the day we are both glad to have toughed out the less than professional tour guide.

The sooner we got out of the over crowded museum, the faster we could sit down and eat......
1 iced tea, 1 fruit salad, 5 meatballs and 1 small pizza later our bill came to $47 Eu.... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This was for sure our most expensive eating experience yet, and we made sure to tell our waiter. Not that it was his fault, but we were in a small diner style place that had no reason to charge that amount. We were hot and tired and clearly took it out on him, poor guy..... He shrugged it off and said ,"It's Italy”

As soon as we got back to our hotel we slipped our runners on and headed out to the next adventure, being the Roman Colosseum. We were risking it but attempting the popular location in the middle of the day on a long weekend, but it was now or sneaking it in the am before our train ride, which seemed less than ideal.

Miraculously we walked right in.

The events that took place in this Colosseum are mind blowing, and even more so when you are standing in the middle of it.

People surrounding you snapping photos, didn't even slow down the speed of your brain trying to comprehend the history in which you were standing in.

We stayed about 45 minutes and headed out for a snack and some street cruising.

Aside from the 2 sights we saw, Rome really lacked love and enchantment for us. We felt as if we were in Vancouver but dirtier, with a few older buildings. We were both happy to head to the train station first thing in the morning for the southern end of the country.... 
NAPLES and the Islands of Ischia and Capri~

Tuesday, May 8, 2012


Tuscany Land, 
LUCCA

Our first stop in Tuscany is the sweet little town of Lucca, where we rented bicycles and road around the 4 km loop atop of the wall surrounding the old city. The path was wide enough for 2 or 3 lanes of vehicle traffic and was dedicated strictly to cyclists and pedestrians. The path was lined on both sides with flawless draping greenery of all sorts as well as perfectly situated benches for families and lovers to stop for a picnic or perhaps an espresso.
After our bike ride we wandered the streets looking for our lunch spot, which we found among the non stop purse shops that I had to be dragged out of constantly.
I wanted one of everything, and could NOT make up my mind. I still haven't made up my mind, these purses are incredible. The leather is perfect, the colours are perfect.... each purse is PERFECT.


After lunch, we headed slightly south to Pisa...we had some towers to climb.

PISA and her Leaning Tower

A city with very strict driving limitations to tourists. Do NOT pass the restricted lines or you will be fined $150 Eu. We passed, briefly, but we passed....... just waiting for a bill in the mail.
Found parking, walked into the over populated University town centre which housed the Leaning Tower and her neighboring cathedrals.

We bought our ticket for the tower climb of 294 slightly slippery and very slanted marble steps, waited for our turn which was an hour (not too bad considering the amount of people hanging around)
While we waited, I found a warm patch of green grass to lay on while Kev found some fresh grapes, banana and my favorite treat of the trip so far...... fresh COCONUT.

This has now become my mission in every town and at every street vendor.....the fresh coconut displayed with clear fresh water just dripping over the slices. Nothing looks more inviting and nothing thus far has tasted to good.

Florence...... and her beauty

Oh man, we thought Monterosso was hard to find, Florence almost caused one of us to get out and walk.

We followed the signs and yet again, remained lost. At the bitter end of our attempts, just before quitting and heading to the next town, we accidentally found the heart of Florence. Isn't it funny how life just gives you what you need when you need it?
So, OK we found the city, now for parking and hotel.... this was for sure our next challenge.
Much like Pisa, Florence has a very strict driving restriction for non residents, and much like our last experience.... we drove through it. Quickly realizing we shouldn't have, we turned around, parked and walked into the first hotel we saw, and it was STUNNING and available. 
For just one night and for only $150 Eu. ( at this moment we would have spent MUCH MORE)

Tossed our bags in our RIDICULOUS room ( think nicest Westin room ever.... with a view of a cathedral in Florence..... this is us) had a quick shower, dressed up pretty for the night and began our trek through the new prettiness that was our next town.

We walked for about an hour, enjoying the sunset and beautiful architect the old city had to share with us, and settled with a small alley restaurant for a late dinner.
This is one thing I have struggled a bit getting used to is the difference in time from North America. Mind you my lifestyle doesn't allow me to eat at 9 or 10 pm, perhaps some people do, and this would be normal for them.

Regardless, We are on vacation and if a late dinner is the hardest thing I have to deal with.... I think I'm doing alright.

After dinner we continued our wander and came upon what so far has been the MOST mind blowing piece of architectural creation yet..... to us anyway.
*Please note that this photo does NOTHING... and I mean NOTHING to how the detail*

We woke up the next morning and headed out for a run down the canal of Florence, where we passed 4 bridges, so at every bridge we lunged to the center ( These are BIG bridges hahahah and so lunging completely over them was a little daunting)
We completed 300 lunges and 30 minutes of running before a yummy breakfast and our last stroll through the city which took us up the  414 steps of the bell tower NEXT to this incredible cathedral ( You see the line up for the cathedral was likely 3 hours in the heat)
The tower we climbed us behind Kevin to the right in the above photo......
We built up an appetite doing this massive climb and so we grabbed a quick lunch before heading off to our next destination....... ROMA.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Italy days 4-7


Italy Day 4-7
Leaving the literally PERFECTLY romantic and inspiring city of Venice, we made our way out of the city into Verona, the setting of Romeo and his Juliet.
We arrived just before lunch time, parked on the cute little streets inside the beautiful and clearly ancient city walls and began our brief affair with Verona.

We could have stayed all day, and most likely a few days here, especially if we wanted to really see it all, but instead we stayed a few hours and walked up a never ending set of old stone steps to what seemed like the top of the world. We walked up these steps that were guarded by the most beautiful floral trees and hidden little door ways to this beautiful look out scanning the full city of Verona, including the famous outdoor Opera house, that sadly was closed until August.
After spending some time soaking in theses fabulous views we walked back down and found the closest Risorante to fill our happy bellies for the long road ahead.
Kevin experienced his first ever Italian Pizza today, and what would be a 'slice' at home, you all know, was a FULL pizza here, for the same price:)
I of course settled with a salad:)
( Now I may or may not have helped finish the basket of bread...may or may not have;)

We began our drive and our new relationship with TOLL BOOTHS.... Thinking that a car rental would save us money in the long run has been a clear mistake, and this is where we begin to learn this.
First toll booth was in Italian, obviously, and we had really no idea what to do, and so we drove right through.
You see the cars here are pretty small, we're in a Fiat Punto and its slightly larger than a mini cooper. We managed to sneak around the toll bar and speed away.
THIS however cost us $57 Eu at the next gate.... which we have yet to pay. Every time you pass into a new region, or city you have to pay at the toll booth, which makes sense, and is fine.
There are SO MANY regions and cities to go through in this country, it feels like you are paying every hour.

Monterosso, Cinque Terre

What could have been a 3-5 hour drive to the cliff side town of Monterosso in the Cinque Terre, turned into an almost 8 hour travel day due to having NO CLUE where we were going hahahaha.
Yes I can laugh now, but I assure you there was little laughing today from either Kevin or myself.
You see there was a horrible flood October 2011 that ruined the two northern Terre's (towns) of the Cinque Terre, and because of that, the coastal road were closed.
Now the parts of the roads that WERE open, we drove, because the signs all remained up pointing to Moneterosso ( our destination) and so on we went.
This road was of a bikers dream, or perhaps that of a sports car lover ( thinking of my Dad right now) switch backs and steep narrow cliff hanging paths just wide enough for a car for miles. When I say miles..... I mean miles long enough to take us 2 hours away from where we wanted to be.
When the sun began to fade and our check in time cut off drew near, we pulled over and made the phone call, that neither of us wanted to make.
When the woman answered the phone on Monterosso responded to where we were with a “Oh Noooooo” in Italian, I knew that we far from where we wanted to be, and this meant back tracking those last 2 hours of mountainous roads.
I would agree that there are plenty of worse places to be lost, but when you've been driving for 8 hours already, its night time, your hungry, very lost and struggling to not pee yourself, this felt like the WORST.
Just after 9 pm we landed safely and happily in the gorgeously lit up sea side town of Monterosso and with great joy found we had what was to date, the best hotel yet!
Top floor with wooden shutters that opened into the town square and roaring ocean, a comfortable bed and full bathroom... .Our hearts were happy, and our bellies HUNGRY.
We threw our bags down and found the closest restaurant, which ended up being highly recommended by Rick Steeves. Our dinner was wonderful, the wine tasted like gold at this point, and the bed felt like a pile of clouds after a long day on the road.

We woke up around 8:30 the next morning and enjoyed what was also the best breakfast offered to us by our hotels so far. Fresh fruit, juices, granola and yogurt ( of course the fresh sweet bread rolls with Nutella flirted with us, but we continue to ignore her teases)
Nutella is EVERYWHERE in this country....... I'm serious, EVERYWHERE!

We decided to try the popular hike to the next town, Vernazza. This is the other town that was upset by the flood last year, but the path has recently been re-opened to walkers, just not the road for drivers.
We quite clearly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with this hike, and thankfully we had proper shoes on, and layers to remove if needed.
The weather was on and off beating sun and sprinkling rain for the 3 km hike through the PHENOMENAL coastal hike. The signs suggest the hike will take 90 minutes, I'm pleased to say Kevin and I hoofed it in 65.
The whole time, all I could think about was the upcoming Tough Mudder race that we are doing, and after that hike, I think we could do it with our hands tied behind our backs:)
The hike was a mixture of foot wide paths straight up, rock steps also straight up, beautifully created stone arched bridges over canyons, waterfalls and panoramic views of the coastal towns to no end.
Perfectly positioned half way through the expedition was the sweetest Italian woman squeezing fresh lemonade from the human head sized lemons that grow locally through the hills. The cost was $1Eu per cup, and each cup used about 3-4 lemons, about 1/4C sugar (which WAS optional thank God) and topped with water......The perfect combination of sweet and sour, and on we went.

When we did finally arrive at the decent of the hike into the stunning but devastated town of Vernazza, we pointed out our lunch location at the tip top of an ancient watch tower that sat a good 20m above the town. There were vivid scenes of the flood path as we walked down into town with one house torn straight through the center. Where there once was a family kitchen and living room, now sat a few pictures hanging crooked on the wall, a rug on the floor, one chair and the beginning of a kitchen counter next to where the land stole the home. You just prayed that no one was cooking at that moment, because the kitchen was torn away from the home in what I assume was mere seconds.

Taking a moment to pay our respects to the families who were effected, we remained quiet for a minute while we took it all in.
When we made our climb up the steep stairwell to the watch tower top dining area, again we were blessed with a view that took our breath away.
Here we had what up until that point, and perhaps STILL.... the best pasta of the trip.

After hiking intensely for the 65 minutes and then immediately sitting for an hour to eat, we had the leg shakes so bad that the thought of attempting the same walk home, was more than we could comprehend , and so we took the $2 Eu train ride back to our home.
The days and nights have began blending in together, and so these stories may be slightly mis matched, I apologize.
We spent the next day enjoying the whole area, as we took the train down to the furthest south town in the Cinque Terre, Riggamiore. This town sits so perfectly into the mountain side, you'd think it was a painting. In fact all of these fascinating towns resemble artwork. This is a town that if you are wanting to work the glutes, you will book your hotel at the top of the town, as you have to walk everywhere. Think San Fransisco on crack lol. Hills so steep you have to really phsyc yourself up with each step.
I loved it! We only did lunch here however, not a lot of energy at this point in our trip. The amount of walking and hills and stairs over the last week has been much more intense to the body than either of us imagined. Its FABULOUS mind you, our legs are sore everyday, but it has drained our energy to a low low level.
Our last morning in Monterosso, is of course the most beautiful. The sun has come out in full force and is tempting us to stay just one more day. Instead, I wake up early to have a beautiful and quiet workout on the sun beaten water front before grabbing breakfast, espresso and hitting the road, with our sunglasses and map to the Tuscany.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Our First 3 Days In Italy


Our first THREE days in Italy

Love hit HARD for both of us when we arrived in the city of Venice (7 hours late, due to a cancelled flight). This is a place that pictures, paintings nor movies do justice. Very close mind you, they taunt you with its beauty, romance and sheer history and mystery, but until you actually step onto the narrow crooked brick 'streets' and cross the hundreds of bridges you will never feel what we felt.

The first night, we arrived at 7:30 local time which was then 28 hours from when we initially left Victoria. We checked into our cute B&B and I promptly got in my first workout out front in the courtyard of the nearby cafe's and bakeries. A few people walked by, a few locals opened their second and third story windows to chat with those walking by, but nobody seemed to look twice at the crazy Canadians filming a workout.
*This WOD will soon be posted to www.bodyripped.net*

From here we headed out to find some dinner. We took about ten steps from our front door, rounded a corner and found a quaint canal front restaurant where we shared a bread, Kevin a cold beer and I a glass of the house white.

This was what we were waiting for..... ITALY, we love you

We spent the next few hours wandering the beautiful ess curves and L shaped alley ways through Venice, stopping at random cafe's for the odd espresso on the go.
Shoppers have late night access to some stores, but there doesn't seem to be a steady 'close' time amongst the city. And so we shopped....

When we finally made our way back to the room, Kevin was asleep before his head even hit the pillow, and I for some reason stayed awake for what felt like all night.
I must have been over tired?

I nodded off once in a while, to then re awake and I couldn't stop myself from fantasizing of what USED to be.
What was our little B&B hundreds of years ago when the city was young? Was there ghosts sleeping with us??
Likely thought..... Thus... Kyla couldn't sleep ~
We had all the best intentions of waking up on our 'first day' to another workout at 8 am, and head out for a traditional breakfast... Or if I could help it, Oatmeal and fruit..... I'll let you assume the answer to that!

We slept WAY in and awoke at ten to eleven, in a sort of panic. Jumped out of bed, brushed our teeth, washed faces, threw clothes on and headed out ......in the rain. Thankfully I had brought my LULU LEMON rain coat and Kev had an umbrella:)
We found a sweet little spot for breakfast while the rain slowed down and of course both enjoyed another espresso.

We continued where we left off the night before with just wandering the streets hand in hand with nothing but joy and no time to fight with. No cell phones, no plans, no stress.

We popped into a shop and within 2 minutes the light rain had turned to HAIL!
Yes HAIL!! lol.... We joined with the crowd outside who promptly huddled under an onning of a nearby store for the few moments that the hail lasted and we were on our way again.....

We found our way to San Marco Square, by complete accident, but celebrated with a high five and a completely acceptable PDA smooch, THIS was our original goal... San Marco Square.

We stood in the centre of the GIANT square and looked up... way up... to the tip of the famous Tower... ( You'd think I'd know the name hahahah. We're driving... at 150 km/hr I'll have you know....I'll find it later)
We jumped in line for the elevator, hoping it was stairs actually... THAT would have been the WOD, but no such luck, and onto the elevator.

60 meters up to the top and to a view that took your breath away.


We hopped a water bus and cruised around the canal, finding little nooks and crannies that would likely go unseen if you remained on land.
After what seemed like a full day of walking and sightseeing, we headed home, where I snuck in a workout ( un filmed) and Kev read up on the Lonely Planet Italy. Quick shower/ bath and we were heading back out to be romanced by the city over dinner.
When I say 'shower/bath I am referring to the bizarre set up we had in our B&B. Now Im sure they are very common in Europe, but for us North Americans, we are used to a shower OR a bath.... there is a tub here, with a removable shower head, sitting next to the taps, so to shower, you must SIT in the tub and shower yourself with the shower head.

Anyway, back to dinner....We have officially fallen into European time, and its nearing 6 pm so we stop for a glass of wine and snack, dinner can wait... we have all night.

The Lonely Planet had marked a restaurant near the Rialto district as THEIR pick, “I Rusteghi”. This was reason enough for us to begin a mad hunt for the EXTREMELY WELL HIDDEN hidden gem, where the owner and Somalia Giovanni will look you up and down and hand pick your wine while you nibble on the tapas, some of the best of the city so says the book.

Well we found it, with NO help from local businesses, hahah it was like the address didn’t exist. I Rusteghi was down some dark back alley ways and around a corner and through a weird low ceiling hallway type alley. All of a sudden the room opened up to a roofless open courtyard type area with a tiny bar that sat perhaps 8 people tightly.

Well Giovanni offered his choice in wine, and YES it was delicious, but there were no tapas or food to be seen, and so we enjoyed our wine and headed back out looking for our dinner.

While we were on out water bus trip today we had passed this incredibly quaint on the water under the Rialto bridge restaurant that looked so perfect I could squeeze it.
Well we somehow walked right to it and promptly were seated within a foot of the water with what was our best meal yet.

We shared the Seafood Risotto and the house wine... Ok ok and Tirimasu for our first treat!

We left dinner about an hour and a half later, glowing and happy, again with no place to go, no time restraint, and madly in love with the city of Venice.

We awoke the next day at a decent hour of 8:45 and promptly headed out for a run. Clearly Monday mornings are busier than Sundays, which allowed us to master our weaving manoeuvres. Forty minutes later we arrive back home and I challenged Kev to a Push up Tabata workout. I was dying, He claims he was fine...whatever! Tabata kicks anyones ass, He must have been cheating;)
From here we got ready for the day and did what we've learned to do best.....Stroll and enjoy doing not much.
We hopped the water bus again and made out way around all the islands, stopping only at Murano, where we had been told is fabulous. Glass blowing and cafe's to keep you busy all day. Well we took a left when we hopped off the boat and the excitement was do our dismay to the right. Oops.
We managed to get lost in the industrial island before getting bummed and jumping on the bus back. It was then that we say the island how it SHOULD be seen, but we were already on our way home...... Next time.
We finished the day with a quiet dinner at a Ma and Pa type place, where I managed to find a delicious vegetable soup and Kevin an equally tasty chicken over roasted potato. In bed by 10 for a long day ahead.....

Today we are driving.

We have had a slightly less romantic start to the day.....

POURING with rain, my Toms shoes are puddles, literally puddles and Kevin’s new Pumas are much the same.
The umbrella has been wind blown and broken in half, the car rental needs a printed off voucher.
This was news to us.
Our pick up time for the rental was 10 am, it is now 9:30, we're early, it's safe this way!!
No printer at the rental office, and barely any english and so we head back out into the rain in the direction we THINK He's sent us in in search for a printer or internet cafe of sort.

We pound through the downpour, with no umbrella and pools in our shoes to the train station down the canal, NO PRINTER and NO HELP.
I sit my bitter but down in the station while kevin braves the rain in search of a printer in a city where technology is the last thing on anyones mind.

No luck here, and our only thought now is to try our B&B front desk for their printer.
CLOSED until 11:00, its now 10:15 and we are half an hour into the search and late for our pick up.
We find a BestWestern and miraculously they have a free computer and printer (which Im sure was for those staying at the hotel, but nobody asked)
When we got there there was a young couple sitting on the stool taking what at that moment seemed like FOR EVERRRRRRRRR ughhhhhhhhh and 2 couples later and a WHOLE lot of deep breathing from me, it was our turn.

It took all of 45 seconds and we were printed off and on our way, back to the rental office.

We got squared away and into our adorable FiAT an hour late but alas we were DRY. It's 6 hours later and my Toms are still wet!

Anyone who knows me well, and I am thinking of a small handful of you, KNOW how miserable I was during this event and how poor Kevin was obviously taking the brunt of it... OF COURSE it was his fault...lol

You'd think that once we were in a dry safe vehicle all would be well, WELLLLL have any of you tried driving in ITALY?
I'll leave it at that... it's taken me a few hours to cool down and that leaves us to now.

We just left Verona....on our way to Moneterosso in the Cinque terre.. WOW, talk about historic beauty Verona is. There are so many stories to go with this city but our hour visit just left us wanting more.....
I'm ok with that.