/ TravelBella

Hi all! I’m heading to Vegas for the rest of the week to see my brother. We are treating MamaBella, who hasn’t been on a vacation out of Texas in 10 years. Vegas was one of the first vacations Dad wanted to take her on so we are doing it for him. My youngest Brother will also join us on Thursday so it will be just the four of us. Cannot wait but 3:30 a.m. will come very quick tomorrow.

Here’s are my planned outfits for this trip. I had it finalized in my Stylebook a few days ago and then found THE.MOST.AMAZING.LEATHER.TEE. at Lucky Brand. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to be on-trend with Leather this year so I was being very picky. I tried on the Leather Tee from Banana and it was too long and a bit snug in the chest. Today, walking around making returns (so I can have more shopping money for Vegas!) I found this Tee.

The color is called “Ocean Depth” but it is a beautiful Teal color. The leather is supple and soft. I tried on a Medium and it fit well to a little loose. I tried on the Small and it seemed to be mis-sized. The length was at least 2-3 inches shorter and pulled all over the chest. I stayed with the Medium. Slouchy Leather Tee in a beautiful color…YES PLEASE!
It was also on sale from $199 to $149. AND!!! it was also 50% off! I double-checked on that one with the SA and then cursed like a sailor in my head. Yippee! LOL!
So, having bought this tee I had to re-do my outfits and re-pack. Below is the final packing list for 3 full days in Vegas. 
Travel Days – Wednesday and Saturday
J Crew Gingham Top, Citizens of Humanity Dylan Jeans, Converse Shoreline
Anthro Tee, CoH Dylan Jeans (hope they don’t smell by then!), Converse Shorline

During the Day…Thursday, Friday
J Crew Sequin Scoopneck Tee, Andie Chinos in Navy, Cece Flat in Navy

J Crew High Line Tee, Tuxedo Andie Chinos, Cece Flats

Evening…Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Lucky Brand Leather Tee, J Crew Cafe’ Capri in Tile Jacquard, Janey Flats and KS Clutch

JC Jenna Cardigan, Banana Republic Lace Cami, JC Lace Mini Skirt, Janey Flats, KS Clutch

Lucky Brand Leather Tee, JC Fluted Skirt, Janey Flats, KS Clutch

And an extra outfit that can be either Day or Night…
J Crew Kiss Kiss Tee, Fluted Mini, Printed Janey, Madewell Denim Shirt, KS Clutch

As long as the Fluted Mini is not too smoky-smelling I will try to use it at least twice. Same with the Leather Tee. I also threw in another silk top from Anthro to go with the jeans, Fluted Skirt or Tuxedo Andie Chinos. And I will shop with MamaBella one day. I also took a pair of black heels but may pull those out before tomorrow. I think the Janey Flats will be perfect each evening. I was lucky enough to get them on a pop-back last week. 
Have a Great Week! I’ll have another “1 Item, 3 Ways” with an Anthro Top this weekend. Also, follow me on Instagram because even though “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas”, I will be posting my outfits!
~Also, say the title of the post as Napoleon Dynamite would!
/ TravelBella

Before I forget I wanted to post some of the outfits I wore on vacation. I took a carry-on only and had to fit everything I was taking in it and it had to weigh less than 20-22 kgs. Below is what I took, or something similar to it. The only thing I did not wear was the striped Cotton-Linen Perfect Shirt and a Loft tee I took. Everything else was used at least twice.

How’s that for Re-Mixing? Twelve articles of clothing, not including swim, and I re-mixed it to death!

Midsummer Maxi Dress in Raj Paisley – This is what I wore on the plane there. I have on my Birkenstock’s and had my navy cardigan and jean jacket with me for the plane.

Pink Jersey Top, Anthropologie Go Anywhere Skirt, Birks- Our only day in Madrid.

Splendid jersey top in Red, Old Navy Jersey Skirt in Black ($15!!!), JC Factory Scarf in Gallerista Print, Birks – Rome Day 1, This was pretty much my uniform for the whole trip. I just mixed and matched the tops with the two jersey skirts.

JC Cotton Tee in White, JC Jardin Maxi Skirt in Morning Aqua, Birks – I am so happy I bought this skirt. Another perfect item for the trip.

Jersey Tee in Navy, Jardin Maxi Skirt (barely visible), Factory Scarf, Soludos in Navy Stripe (not seen) – I wore this on the flight from Rome to Bari. Perfect and comfortable.

Midsummer Maxi Dress, Factory Scarf, Soludos in Navy Stripe – This was our first full day in Vico del Gargano. We were able to catch a great market in town that day and finished up with a delicious dinner.

Casbah Print Swimsuit – I also found the Casbah Tunic from the Factory Store and brought it along.

Red Jersey tee, Go Anywhere Skirt, Birks – This was worn to dinner after our beach day. Again, perfect and comfortable.

Though I don’t have a picture of it I did wear the Old Navy Maxi Dress twice with my Birks and the Soludos. I took the Chambray Soludos and originally had them on for our flight from Rome to Bari but they tore so I changed out of them when I got my bag. I did exchange them for another pair. They are perfect for the Raj Maxi Dress.
I was happy everything I had fit in my bag, my Missoni for Target wheelie carry-on, and if you don’t count a bikini, I didn’t forget anything, unlike Husband and The Boy. Husband took only two pairs of boxers and The Boy forgot sleeping clothes and swim trunks. He slept in my tees I took and we found trunks for him at the Nike in the Rome airport. We were able to wash clothes in Vico del Gargano twice and now I have several piles waiting for me to do here at home. That’s probably the only thing I hate about traveling – the unpacking and washing.As far as Fashion in Europe, I saw lots of printed skinny jeans on women, mainly floral prints. But the men, especially the Italian men, were so simple but chic. The uniform seemed to be dark jeans, a striped oxford and blue blazer with blue or black leather shoes. I also saw men in colored jeans (light purple, red, light blue!). But the Blue Blazer look was on every man, every age, especially on our flight to Bari, which is an Industrial area. I think the older men looked more handsome than the younger. And if they weren’t wearing blazers they were wearing Polo shirts with the collar popped. Everywhere!

I did have three J Crew sightings of as well. In Madrid I saw a woman wearing the Dolores Dress in Peacock Paisley, and in Rome, the Villa Dress in Stripe and the Ribbon Front Bow Top.

Have a Great day!

/ TravelBella

We flew from Madrid to Rome on Easy Jet without any issues. We took the Express train to Termini station and walked a few blocks to our hotel, Welrome.

Rome has so much to see you can’t do it all, no matter how much time you have. We had time for dinner, suggested by our hotel host, and to walk around for a little while before calling it a night. The following day we bought a two-day pass for the 110 Bus, which is a red, double-decker bus, with the top open. It tours through the city and has stops at the bigger sight-seeing places – The Colesium, The Trevi Fountain, The Vatican and St. Peter’s and The Spanish Steps. We were given disposable headphones and plugged in to the audio on the bus that described the places we were seeing.
Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain.
Then we were off to The Colesium.
We then walked to the San Pietro in Vincoli Basilica, where there was Moses carved by Michaelangelo. There also just happened to be a random original Raphael painting in the tiny gift shop. My camera battery ran out just as I was going to take a picture. And that made me a little sad as our last stop was the Spanish Steps, which was a great people watching place.
The next day we went to The Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. (The Boy is in a J Crew Irish Linen Shirt.)
We saw the Vittorio Emanuel Monument during our bus ride the day before and The Boy wanted to check it out. It was truly cool. It holds the tomb of The Unknown Soldier, always guarded by Carabinieri, and the Eternal Flame burns there as well. You can pay to take an elevator ride to the very top for an amazing panoramic view of Rome.
St. Peter’s is in the background on the right.
My favorite picture of The Boy, with The Colesium in the background.
We had a great time in Rome but were ready to relax and “live” in a smaller place, away from the hustle-and-bustle of the big city. Off to Vico del Gargano in the morning.
Ciao!

/ TravelBella

After having a delicious chocolate croissant, cappuccino, and fresh orange juice for breakfast we were ready for a long day of touring Madrid.

The Triton Fountain…we stayed half a block up from here.
Bull Fight – We were attending a bull fight that evening and our server from La Mucca the night before suggested doing a tour of the plaza/arena so we understood what went on during the event. I won’t go into detail but I will say it was an interesting experience and something I’m glad we did. The “costumes” the Matadors and Picadors wear are beautiful. The Matadors have to be in shape because the outfits are so tight they leave nothing to the imagination. They need to have great butts too!
The Plaza del Toros
One of the statues outside the arena
Inside the arena
The Royal Box…sadly this stayed empty the night we attended.
The arrival of the Matadors.
Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid – This was the highlight of Madrid for The Boy. The only thing that would have topped it would have been going to a game in the stadium. There are several self-guided tours daily through the stadium, down to the players seats and into one of the dressing areas.
One happy boy teenager
While searching for the ticket place to pick up our bull fight tickets we accidentally found ourselves in the high-end shopping district, or my version of Heaven. YSL, Prada, Max Mara, Michael Kors were among the few stores I saw. To top it off there was some street art that was nothing but decorated shoes! They lined the streets, up and down several blocks. I took as many pictures as I could of them.
How gorgeous is this Prada dress?
After a full day we were ready for bed. We were headed to Rome in the morning. For the day we bought a single day metro pass and took that every where. It was much easier than trying to figure out which bus to take or have the expense of taking a cab. We took the Express bus to and from the airport.
Ciao! Off to Rome in the morning!
/ TravelBella

As much as you may want your travels, especially abroad, to go smoothly you should expect a hiccup to your plans. After getting through airport security within 5 minutes, I should have been prepared for a problem. Our flights were originally from Austin to Charlotte to Madrid, with an expected arrival time around 7 a.m. Unfortunately, our plane landed on time in Austin but with a hydraulic issue! The mechanic tried his best to fix the issue so no one missed their connecting flight in Charlotte, NC but was unable to do so.

While still in Austin, we were re-booked from Charlotte to Frankfurt (!) to Madrid. I prepared myself for little sleep and a long travel day. But, I forgot to prep The Boy. Oops. He was antsy and anxious and didn’t sleep at all making for a very tired, grumpy teenager who was also STARVING.
I lived in Germany over 30 years ago and when we arrived I searched my brain to remember what I could of the language. Luckily the greetings and please and thank you came quickly. Another delay, albeit slight, and we were finally off to Madrid.
After arriving almost 10 hours after our original arrival time we were only able to muster up enough energy to find a place to eat and take a walk after dinner. We ended up passing on the Flamenco show as we were exhausted.
Where we stayed…
Cute Flamenco shoes were above the bed on the wall. Each room has different shoes.
Where we ate the first night. We could have eaten the appetizer plate alone and been full but we ordered a pizza as well.
More shoes – I found a Flamenco shoe store while walking around the first evening.
That was our Day 1-ish. I’m just happy we arrived safely to our destination.