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31.3.14

Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Last weekend we ventured 20 minutes outside of Leeds to the cities of Harrogate and Ripley. The most beautiful English countryside filled the space between the two cities, farms and luscious green hills full of roaming horses and sheep. It's seriously breathtaking in the North. Pictured above is Ripley castle, the feature of the quaint, small town of Ripley. Which also boasts the ice cream parlour claiming to have the best ice cream in the world, I will say it's the best tasting soft serve I've ever had! Seriously delicious! 
Above: Free range at it's finest 
 I'm hoping to continue exploring more of our new country to share with all of you!!
Jacket: H&M // Gold foil tee: Primark // Shorts: Thrifted in Portland, Oregon // Bag: Coach

29.3.14

Weekend Wear in David Beckham Bodywear by H&M


It's finally the weekend and that means lots of book reading, market shopping (fresh British food anyone?), wide heels (because when am I not wearing heels?), and comfy clothes.... like my David Beckham exclusive tee and my husbands cords. You see, I had an "aha" moment the other day whilst doing laundry. With only having the time to wash my husbands clothes, I was without my comfy pair of trousers before heading out the door for weekend errands. So I decided to try his on... because why not?! Lo and behold, they stayed on thanks to my hips and looked great with my favorite pair of heels (just don't tell him I said that). I've never been one to where "boyfriend fit" jeans but my husbands cords were the perfect color of grey and are incredibly slouchy allowing an almost pyjama feel. Now I understand the over sized trousers epidemic! And so this outfit came alive,  with a super soft cotton tee from the newest David Beckham collection my weekend attire was born. Throwing on a skinny heel to balance the bulkiness of his trousers we were out the door!
Can we take a moment to talk about the newest David Beckham collection that launched on Superbowl Sunday?! Because it's incredibly comfy, and possibly only for the guys as I cannot find the link for the ladies on H&M but regardless, if jeans can be unisex, clearly lounge wear can be as well!! This tee was sent to me form H&M and not available for purchase, but you can find his collection here! Cheers to the weekend!
Cords: H&M (c/o) // Tee: David Beckham Bodywear (c/o) // Heels: Carlos Santana (old)




24.3.14

Spring Floral Skirt by Coast

The matching purple and pink floral Dolita skirt and cami from Coast is my favorite "uniform" for Spring thus far. Paired with this sheer button up blouse for a little coverage and my favorite yellow satin bow heel from Zara, I was ready for a day out! 
 Spring is finally arriving here in England! We have sunshine and flowers but frigid temperatures, in fact, while we were taking these photos it started to hail!! The sun was still shining but hail was falling, so odd! 

21.3.14

10 Travel Tips on How to Vacation Best in Rome

Jade Rose's Top 10 Travel Tips for the Best Vacation in Rome. 
1. Have a person of contact before landing. This requires planning ahead, which leads me to tip #2.
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2. Accommodation: Stay in a local's home through a website like Airbnb. It saves on money and the individual may act as a "free" tour guide. This allows you the opportunity to live like a local and experience the hidden secrets of Rome. Our host was the friendliest and funniest!
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3. Food (1 of 2): I suggest not eating at restaurants surrounding high profile tourist landmarks. Locals will advise the same for many reasons. These restaurants are overpriced, not as tasty and generally not as fresh or independently owned. Find restaurants (given as a suggestion from your host) that will allow you to truly experience the flavors of Rome. Then keep going back and supporting them! We loved how delicious and money saving these smaller, independently owned restaurants were. Plus, they love it when you return (obviously, but it gets better). We went to a restaurant three days in a row: dinner one day, dessert the next, and just wine the day after that. The owners recognized us, had built a repertoire with us and ended up giving us free wine and dessert. Plus, it was beautifully located in a quaint neighborhood (my favorite, Trastevere).
Bakeries are another must for breakfast, snack, and overall goodness. Our local baker provided both my husband and I food for two meals (freshly made that morning—pizza or lasagna, anyone?!) plus snacks at a collective 20 euros. That is amazing! 
3. Food (2 of 2): Markets!! Take advantage of the local markets. These can be found hidden on streets outside of main Rome. Luckily, our apartment was situated just above one of these markets. Every morning the vendors set up early with their finest produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods, and every day household items. It feels great to support the local neighborhoods whilst enjoying fresh food. You are also at an advantage when it comes to budget, if you're on a tight budget (like us) you will find comfort in the extremely low price points of the markets. Where else will you find a delicious bag of fresh fruit for a euro?!
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4. Learn the public transportation system—buses and trains are running constantly—and grab a map of the metro and save on money! Or, rent a bicycle and discover secret alley ways of Rome (unseen from that of a tour bus). It gives your walking feet a rest and allows for some much needed exercise after all the pizza and pasta. Taxis (like most cities) are a hefty price tag.
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5. Plan your sightseeing according to the weather. If you are going in the summer, this won't be as much of an issue, but going to Rome in the winter months means you need to be prepared for the rain. A rainy day (or the day after you get sun burned in the summer) is a perfect time to visit the Vatican or an indoor museum, which leads me to tip #6.
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6. You must visit the Vatican!! The basilica is free, but the museum which leads to the Sistine Chapel costs a few euros. It's worth it to buy that ticket in advance as you get to skip the long line upon arrival. It doesn't matter your religion; the artwork from Raphael, Michelangelo, and Dali will blow your mind. You don't need to be an art enthusiast to appreciate talent that has yet to be rivaled. It is seriously inspiring. It's an emotion
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7. Cash, unless you are buying a ticket at a museum, expect to pay cash for everything, especially since you will be at family owned operations—they don't take Visa ;)
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8. On wine; oh(!) the wine. Spicy, bold, rich, and delicious. You can get incredible wine for an incredibly low price. Our favorite was the house wine that almost all of the restaurants offer; it is delicious and cheap. Ironically, they laugh when we exclaim how delicious it is. If you're feeling fancy and have the budget to do so, you can go on a wine tasting tour outside of the city!
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9. The Pope: I know I've already spoken of The Vatican in #6, but did I mention that on Wednesday mornings you can see The Pope speak in person? For free? Many will say you need a ticket, but they let us in without tickets. In fact, the guards never even asked. Get there an hour early as it can get packed! 
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10. Appia Antica: My final tip is a must see. Rent a bike and spend the day riding the Appia Antica. There are so many beautiful sights down the ancient Roman road that you would miss if you took a tour bus. It was my very favorite day of our entire trip. It's quite the bumpy ride at times, and great exercise, but SO worth it!
(From a basilica in Rome)
Now, it's time to book your flight!! Any questions? Feel free to email me! JadeRoseBlog (at) gmail.com
Photos and content are copyright, Jade Rose Blog 2013. 

18.3.14

Travel in Style with a Zara Kaftan

As you've noticed from my Rome outfits here, here and here, dress was the theme. A dress is easy to pack as it takes up little room, is lightweight, and is super comfy to wear whilst traveling. Easily accessorized or transformed into a different look, I only packed 4 dresses for 9 days of travel. Brill. This Kaftan is from last summer at Zara. The very Roman inspired gold plated headpiece is from Lady Evelyn.
 We're definitely missing Rome, but have finally finished up our travel tips and will be featuring them soon! Don't you want to visit Rome cheaply and live like the locals?!

17.3.14

Via Appia Antica

The most naturally beautiful area of Rome, Via Appia Antica. The ancient Roman road which has seen the likes of Bible authors and thousands upon thousands of people is the prettiest wonder I could have seen in Rome. This day we chose to rent bikes and get out of the hustle and bustle of touristy Rome, it was only a 15 minute bike ride before we realized we were riding down the famous road. Eventually making our way to Catacombs and then a castle and more ancient ruins. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Necklace via Lady Evelyn. Shift dress from Mango.

15.3.14

Travel in Style: Roman Holiday part 2

I had a lovely post written out and then Blogger decided to freeze and delete it. So this will be short and sweet. I wore this Mango shift dress to the Vatican with opaque tights, it was both comfortable and fitting for the beautiful renaissance art we walked through. Super easy to pack with my limited carry on. In case you missed part 1, you can view it here.  The vatican and the museum were absolutely breathtaking. My favorite part being the Raphael Rooms. Oh, and seeing the Pope... 
 The Vatican is a must-see. The only exhibit we paid for while in Rome, every euro was worth it!

12.3.14

Roman Holiday: Travel in Style

I only brought 4 dresses to Rome and a pair of jeans with a v-neck tee for 9 days of vacation. That means I had to rework the dresses in multiple ways, one day I wore one of the shorter dresses as a shirt, tucking it into my jeans and throwing on my jacket. Here is outfit 1, traveling in style does not mean you need to sacrifice comfort. Maxi dresses are the best way to stay modest in a foreign country, comfortable for walking around, and cute for those who care about looking good in all of the pictures you take while vacationing. I found this dress at Zara's most recent sale, they only had one left and it just so happened to be my size. You don't have to sacrifice comfort for style while on vacation!
Check out my more specific post on what to Pack for Italy!!
Is Rome a city you want to visit? How do you stay stylish whilst traveling? 
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