Wanderlust – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

International January 24, 2016

Melbourne (Part II)

We packed up our bags on Sunday morning and left Melbourne, heading north to Sydney. Of course, I booked our flight leaving from the Melbourne – Avalon airport, which, to my knowledge, was the only/right one. When we arrived at the airport on Sunday, I discovered there were actually two airports in Melbourne, and we were at the wrong one. Whoops! Thank goodness the Melbourne-Sydney route is the highest trafficked one on the planet, and we were able to get on a new flight with a small change fee. Whoops!

The last few days in Melbourne were absolutely perfect. We got to spend time with the Pattens, watch tennis, and eat some amazing food. I am definitely going on a juice cleanse when I return to Texas!

On Friday, we had coffee at The Beatt Cafe, then ate lunch next door at Mammoth. The chef is known for her creativity, evidenced by the lobster donut burger that Sasha scarfed down. My muesli was absolutely delicious too. After eating, we took a taxi to go back to the Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open, while Greg babysat Isla (and later, Ailie, Lauren and Hayley joined too). We got to see Maria and Roger play again (both winning), then Sasha stayed to watch his idol, Novak Djokovic, while I headed back to the house to put Isla to bed and catch up with Hayley, who had been in Sydney all week for work. We ate vegan chili, drank delicious elderflower gin and tonics and talked about a million fond memories from their time in Texas.

We went to The Prahan Market on Saturday morning, bought flowers, fruit, an acai bowl from Health Bowl Cafe and drank delicious Jasper Coffee. After Isla woke up from her nap, we headed to the Fitzroy area to see the rainbow sidewalk and eat lunch at Jimmy Grants. Afterwards, we downed some delicious (and fascinating) liquid nitrogen-frozen gelato at N2 Extreme Gelato. While wandering in the area, we went into Gorman and also got vegan cupcakes from Merry Cupcakes. At the house, Greg and Hayley made the most incredible two layer cheese board, filled with crackers, French cheeses, grapes, figs, dips, and savory chocolate. It was seriously my dream come true – that’s why there are four photos below. I am so inspired and will definitely be making my own boards when we get home.

We were so sad to leave on Sunday. The Pattens spoiled us rotten, and we are already missing their hospitality! Happiest 21st birthday to Ailie!

Expect a Sydney post soon! Off to explore right now. xo

Personal July 27, 2015

Week in Review

Happy Monday, y’all! The last four-or-so days have been a complete whirlwind, with us packing up and traveling back to Houston from Durango after being gone for a month (Isla and I, flying and Sasha, driving) and then hitting the ground running with photo shoots on Saturday night (just hours after landing) and again on Sunday (for Jessica’s blog – Feather Thread). I’m doing a sneak peek of some of Jess’ photos below, as they are absolutely my favorite we’ve done so far. I have a hippie-inspired styled shoot tonight with five other talented ladies/friends’ involvement, and I am anxious for 7:15pm to roll around for us to get started.

Some of the highlights from the past week (other than taking a much needed ‘blogcation’) include:

Seeing my parents and Sasha’s mom after being gone for a long time! I know they were all way more enthused about seeing Isla, but I’ll pretend it was equal love for all! Ha.
Getting picked up at the airport by my very best friend, McKenzie. She met us in the baggage claim area and I could have hugged her all day long. She also made my favorite vegan dessert and had it in a cooler in the car. Yup, she’s perfect.
Making multiple trips to the Durango Rec Center, sliding down the slides at least 50 times with Isla and hearing Sasha brag about being the “fastest person ever to go down the big slide” (which is clearly made for 13 year olds).
Going on multiple bike rides with Isla along the Animas River – we even stopped one day and let Isla wade around. She is a champ, because it was so cold I couldn’t even last ten seconds. I adore the photos of her holding onto her Tata’s hands. They melt my heart!
Eating at every single one of our favorite restaurants in Durango before heading back to Texas – Himalayan Kitchen, Cyprus Cafe, Fired Up, Carver’s, Cream Bean Berry and Eolus. Best meals and drinks! I am going to miss each place a lot.
Lots and lots of swinging at the park. Isla is addicted, and I’m obsessed with her squeals of joy, so it’s a win-win activity!
Trying the Animas Brewing Company and having my first glass of wine from a can. And y’all, it was so good. The company is called The Infinite Monkey Theorem, and if you can get your hands on a can, I recommend it.
Getting a package in the mail from Bookroo – I cannot wait to share details about this cool company/concept this week!

How was your week?? Get up to anything fun?

Personal June 12, 2015

Tips for Traveling with a Baby

We recently got back from a 10 day trip to France and Russia, and when I tell people we brought our almost one year old, they’re shocked. Everyone wants to know how traveling with a baby went, and honestly, it wasn’t bad at all. I think that a sightseeing type of trip is probably easier with an infant (versus a beach), as she spent a lot of time snoozing in her stroller while we toured the city. We typically woke up, ate breakfast, walked a mile or two to a museum, church, site, etc. and she would nap while we were there, then we’d go to a park and she would play, then eat lunch, then another tourist activity (and nap), followed by another park then dinner and bedtime. Isla was very well behaved so long as we stuck to this routine! The hardest part of the vacation was definitely the flight to Paris (with a layover in Frankfurt), but I learned my lessons and the return trip was much better. I’m sharing some of my travel tips today so hopefully you don’t have to learn the hard way!

Rent an apartment versus staying in a hotel, if possible. If it’s more convenient to stay at the latter, then look for a hotel with a decent suite rate. We stayed in a suite at the Hotel Novotel St. Petersburg, which was so nice because we could put Isla down in her room, then spend the rest of the evening in our room and not worry about waking her up. I’ve also read that you can have them sleep in the bathroom, but that seems like a challenge to me. We rented an apartment with Airbnb in Paris, and had the best experience! Look for one with two rooms and a kitchen and ideally, a washing machine too (buy these Purex 3-in-1 sheets if you have one!)! Also, check to see if there is an elevator, and if not, how many stairs do you need to climb! I forgot to check, and we lucked out on only climbing two sets (which was still a lot!).

City Guide June 2, 2015

Paris City Guide

Four perfect days in Paris. Ahh, is it even possible to accomplish all you want to see in such a short period of time? Ideally, anyone going to the City of Lights would have weeks on end to stroll through this gorgeous city, but knowing that isn’t the case for many, I’ve decided to write a four day itinerary (longer than most of my other City Guides). During these 96 hours, I’ve included nearly all of the must see places you’ve seen in movies and heard about since you were little, like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, etc. I also added smaller gems, like L’Orangerie and the Place des Vosges. You can see everything on a map here – I’ve also embedded it at the bottom of this post.

If you’ve been to Paris and think I’m missing some wonderful restaurants or sites, please let me know! I’d love to try new places when we visit next. Also, if you have any specific questions about this itinerary, please email me!

Bon voyage!

Day 1

Start your morning off early with breakfast and coffee at Les Deux Magots in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres area.
Walk by La Duree and stop in for a few famous macaroons on your way to the Louvre (cross over Pont du Carrousel) – the line may be long, but it’s worth it in order to see some of the most famous pieces of art in the world (the Mona Lisa may be underwhelming, but it’s still cool to see!).
If you’re hungry after walking around the massive halls of the Louvre, walk to lunch at nearby Cafe Marly or Claus (recommended by a friend who lives in Paris).
Stroll through the Jardins des Tuileries, and stop in at L’Orangerie for the most awe-inspiring Monets you’ve ever seen – this is one of my favorite museums in the world.

International June 1, 2015

Final Days in Russia

We landed in Houston yesterday after traveling for 18 hours from St. Petersburg to Frankfurt back home. The two flights we took on our trip back to Texas were infinitely better than the ones going to Europe, as Isla slept much longer (thanks to Frozen being played on repeat) and I didn’t get sick. Isla will probably be battling jet lag for a few days, as I think it’s much easier for adults to acclimate than it is for babies. I cannot (repeat: cannot) believe that we will be celebrating her first birthday on Thursday and throwing her a confetti-themed party on Saturday. It makes me want to cry, so let’s not talk about it for now.

The last two days in Russia were spent doing something I’m normally not the best at on a site-seeing vacation: relaxing. We saw a few historical monuments (but did so leisurely), and it wasn’t on purpose. It wasn’t until the eleventh hour that we realized our planned day-trip cannot work because the palace is closed for a private event, so we decided to seize the opportunity to leisurely stroll through the city, eat our favorite frozen yogurt, drink our favorite cocktails (to go) and eat at our favorite restaurants. I am going to publish a detailed St. Petersburg travel guide to add to my City Guide collection, and I cannot wait to share all of the must-sees of this gorgeous Russian city.

Some of the highlights from our last two days in the city included:

Going to Vasilyevsky Island and taking our first family photo of the trip next to the Stock Exchange and Rostal Columns on the Strelka.
Eating lunch at Restoran, which seriously looked like a Restoration Hardware catalog and I was gushing over the decor the entire time we were there – the food was delicious too!
Walking around the Peter and Paul Fortress, including the beach area and the famous cathedral.
Playing with Isla in Alexandrovsky Park, where she made the longest walks we’ve ever seen – this shocked us, as her walking progress had halted since we got to Europe. She had one epic tumble at the end, and we called it quits for the day.
Getting frozen yogurt for the third time at Egurti (please see the Russian name for this to better understand our constant confusion!).
Eating at Leica, Cafe Idiot and Furtuk (again – love it!) – the food in St. Petersburg was phenomenal. I am starting BBG immediately.
Visiting the beautiful Kazan Cathedral, which was holding a service, so we lit candles, walked around and quietly left.
Exploring a Russian grocery store (Stockmann) – we bought lots of dried mango and granola bars, both which were delicious. It’s quite interesting not being able to read food packaging whatsoever.

Sasha and I recapped our trip during the long journey home yesterday, and we made a lot of wonderful memories over the last 10 days. We laughed and laughed when we both had Isla’s new obsession with waving to everyone at the top of our lists. She would literally wave incessantly at every single person in a cafe until they waved back. It was the funniest thing. Europe really brought out her friendly side.

What are your thoughts? Would you ever visit St. Petersburg? Where is the favorite place you’ve ever visited?