China Part II: Shanghai

And our China journey continues!!! For the second part of our China adventures we flew to Shanghai. Shanghai is more modern than Beijing, definitely less polluted and you will run into twice as many English speakers (thankfully!). Here are the highlights and to dos!

1. The Bund  - This was the first stop on our adventure. This is a river walk along the Huangpu River, and is one of the most famous tourist spots in Shanghai so prepare yourself for crowds of people! As you can see in some of the first few pictures, there is a great view of the Pudong and the Pearl Tower. 

2. Lingering (Liuyuan) Garden - this is a beautiful Chinese garden in the city of Suzhou that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The garden is located just out side of the city of Suzhou. If you're in Suzhou, it's a must do! It is also one of the 4 most famous gardens in China.

3. Silk Spinning Factory - This was unexpectedly a very interesting stop in our itinerary. Surprisingly Suzhou is the silk capital of china and actually the source of silks for many international designers. The tour provides you with an overview of the whole life a silkworm! Then you will see how the people produce silk with the old style machine, and the making process of hand made silk quilt. 

4. West Lake- Marco Polo called Hangzhou the most enchanting city in the world. This charm is most evident in the West Lake (also known as Xihu) area which effectively functions as the center of Hangzhou. The lake is huge and we took a boat tour around it. The West Lake is one of the famous China attractions and is actually pictured on one of the Chinese bills. 

5. Dragon Well - Just south of the West Lake is the beautiful, lush, green Dragon Well Lonjing Green Tea Village.  It is filled with many teahouses that serve Chinese Green Tea. The villagers pic the tea leaves by hand in the fields. You can bet we brought back several bags of both green and white tea!

Keep Portland Weird!

You never realize how truly "beautiful" America the Beautiful is until you actually go and see it.  Work had slowed down and last weekend we decided to take a Friday off and go up to the Pacific NorthWest since we've never been there. 

We spent the first part of the weekend in Portland, which is a 2.5 hour drive south from Seattle. The best way to describe Portland is weird - that's what everyone says. None the less it is definitely a charming cute town. We went to a delicious brunch place and a few cute coffee shops. The coffee there is amazing!! And of course you must try the famous Vodoo Donut shop - don't be intimidated by the long line outside the door, it really does go by fast as everyone says.  The donuts are delicious!!

There are tons of beautiful waterfalls and trails all outside of Portland, unfortunately we only had time for one. About a 35 minute drive west of Portland is a beautiful waterfall called Multnomah Falls (see pictures below). The drive to get there is along a beautiful scenic road through the Columbia River Gorge. There a bunch of viewpoints and stop along the way - be sure to stop at them, it will be worth it!

Portland also have a beautiful Japanese Garden and Rose garden that are a must do! The Portland Japanese Garden is a traditional Japanese garden occupying 5.5 acres. It is soo beautiful and serene! Just a cross the road is the Porltand Rose Garden and it's FREE! There are over 7,000 rose plants of approximately 550 varieties. It literally felt like walking through a rose heaven, every type and shade of rose was there. 

If you're planning any trips to Portland in the near future, let us know if you have any questions!

~xoxo, VB Sisters

NOLA Minute

Sometimes all you need is a weekend and a cheap plane ticket for a great mini-vacation! Last weekend we had an amazzing time in New Orleans. A few months back we decided to go and check out this city, since we have never been. We found the cheap flights and took advantage of them. We arrived to NOLA on Saturday morning a little before noon and took a cab from the airport straight to the french quarter (25 min/$30 ride). Here is where our adventure begins!!

Prior to coming we definitely did our fair share of research. Since we were going to be here for only about a day, we wanted to make the best of it and make sure that we got to see everything we wanted. For the most part of we found that the two main things to do in New Orleans is to eat and drink. We did just that - a food/drink tour of NOLA! When in New Orleans, here are the foods they are famous for and you should try:

1. Beignets!! These are amaazing - I could eat about 10 of them! they are basically mini fried doughnuts covered in powdered sugar (there is a picture of them below). The famous place to get these is at Cafe du Monde 

2.  Gumbo - this is a typical Louisiana Creole dish that consists primarily of a strongly flavored stock, okra, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoning vegetables. Gumbo is a must when in NOLA and we went to The Gumbo Pot to get some! 

3. Alligator on a stick! Despite what you're first thoughts may be - this is actually one of the most delicious foods i ever tried! We headed over to the French Market to try ours. 

4. Jambalaya - one of the traditional ride dishes of New Orleans. This dish consists of chicken, sausage, seafood and a bold flavor and spice. In one word - delicious! Stop by Coops Place to try some amaazing jambalaya

5. Oysters, oysters and more oysters! If you're a fan of oysters - this is the place for you! Even if you're not - I encourage you to live on the edge and try some fried oysters! You can get them just about on every corner of the French Quarter. We tried some at Corner Oyster House. They were delicious and we had a great time people watching along the street!

Over all, the trip was a great success! Even though we didn't get much sleep we definitely saw a lot (and ate a lot too :)) Bourbon Street and Frenchmen Street were alive all night long with live jazz music and entertainment. Traveling abroad has made me realize that America has a ton of great places to offer as well and sometimes all you need is a cheap plane ticket and a weekend!

~~xoxo Vita É Belle sisters Dominika, Ola + Ania

SHORTS: Old Navy // SHIRT: Old Navy // NECKLACE: J.Crew Factory //  SANDALS: DV by Dolce Vita // SUNGLASSES: Dolce & Gabbana