Mariah Milano European Travel Blog

[Mariahxxx]

Hey guys...I have chronicled my recent trip to Europe with commentary and photos and had a lot of requests to post it here. So, here ya go

Ok, I'm going to do this in sections by city. I went to England, France, Switzerland, Florence and Venice Italy and Holland so I have different sections of my trip.

So here is the first stop on my trip
London, England: I flew Air France to London Heathrow on February 7 and arrived at noon UK time which is 5 hours ahead of east coast time here in the US. Needless to say I was dead tired when I got there after an 8 hour flight. My seat on the plane was so cool....it laid out flat into a bed and had it's own entertainment system and this thing to put your feet in so it feels like a blanket...but what was REALLY cool was that this curtain wrapped around and made it into a little tent! Very cozy and with a few glasses of champagne and some great food...I chose Air France because I had a great experience last year and their food is amazing! They carved leg of lamb on a silver serving cart at your seat!

When I got to London I was surprised at how small the airport was. My driver met me and he had the seriously strong cockney accent which I love! He was really funny and took me on a little tour of the area. I stayed south of the city in Surrey in a town called Shepperton which I loved. My hotel was right on the River Thames so it was a lovely view which you can see here:

When I was going over my trip itinerary an email came through asking me if I would be interested in coming to London to be in the Catwoman parody for Bluebird films. I hadn't thought of going to London but as soon as I got the email I jumped on it. They booked me for 3 scenes in the movie so I added 5 days in London to my trip!

Here are a few photos from the shoot with my new friends who I miss so much already and can't wait to see again in May!!!!!

Stacey Lacey who I did 2 scenes with!

me with Bluebird's kick ass makeup artist Helen!

just out of makeup and getting ready to get freaky in an orgy!

I went into the city a couple of times and had dinner in Picadilly Circus at this amazing South Indian restaurant that was the BEST I have ever had. One thing that surprised me in London is how early things close. Not so much the pubs but the stores! I wanted to get some shopping in but I took the train from Shepperton and got there around 7pm and everything was closing at 8 so I didn't have a lot of time. I loved the energy of the city! I was upset that I didn't take more photos but my battery was dead and the voltage converter I bought didn't work so I only got these:

The River Thames in the heart of London as I was walking from the Waterloo Station to Picadilly

and this one of the London Eye which was beautiful at night!

So after shooting for 2 days for Bluebird I took another day to enjoy the city which I love! I can't wait to come back and spend more time here with my new friends and see the rest of the city! I was trying to catch up with my girl Kerry Louise but our schedules got in the way but next time it's on! I have a feeling I'll be in trouble! lol
I loved England and the people I met were awesome. My new friends Helen and Stacey and Charlie and of course Mr Paul Chaplin! After 5 days in the UK I was headed to the airport to fly to Paris. I was lucky enough to get the same driver from the car service that drove me to Bluebird the first day and he was so funny and sweet! He knew who I was and all about Bluebird so we had a really funny conversation on the way to Heathrow and we have been in touch since.

So I got to the airport and nearly missed my flight to Paris because I was at the wrong gate and British Airways doesn't fuck around so I had to run to the gate lol I sat next to a businessman from Dubai and he kept staring at me because I had my ipod bumping Tupac and I was really happy that the flight is only an hour lol I'm sure he was happy too!

Next Destination: Paris!

 

[Mariahxxx]

Paris, France
February 2011

Hey there...ok here's part 2 of my travel blog! Today I'm updating Paris. I flew British Airways to Paris arriving at 10pm on a Friday night. My friend Moneigneur Mike and his girlsfriend Joyce picked me up at the airport. Mike's a French rapper signed with Universal France and one of the nicest people I have ever met! I had never met his girlfriend Joyce so I was curious how she would be...jealous or bitchy etc... but she was so cute and so sweet and barely spoke any English! She understood it more and he translated between us. here is a pic of the 2 of them!

his site is www.MonseigneurMike-City.com You will recognize someone on the front page I think (wink)

We dropped my bags at my hotel and went to grab some dinner. We ate at this really cool spot on the Oberkempf Blvd which is right near my hotel in the Bastille. After dinner we walked along the Seine and saw the Notre Dame and the opera house which were both amazing! here's a shot of Notre Dame at night

Mike freaked me out and ordered steak tartare at dinner and I tried it and almost threw up lol the texture was TERRIBLE! raw hamburger with a raw egg on top? fuck that! lol yet he won't try escargot or oysters lol

the next day they picked me up and took me to Versaille which was one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. here are a few pics of the art in the chateau and also of the 3 of us and the outside.
this is the front of the chateaux - can you imagine, that is 100% solid gold? the people were starving but the royalty lived here with solid gold everything! no wonder they were all beheaded!

this is me taking that pic lol

this is Marie Antoinette's summer cottage! She was beheaded right outside! This is where she lived when she made the very famous quote "Well, let them eat cake" in regards to the starving unhappy people in her kingdom when she was told that they couldn't afford bread.

this is the King's bedroom which was just amazing!

this is the grand hall

this is the main foyer which was so beautiful!

here is a window pic of the gardens which was breath taking.

That night we ate at Chez Robert et Louise which was awesome! It's a really small traditional French restaurant in the la Marais district. My battery was long dead by the time we got there so no pics but if you're in Paris you HAVE to have dinner there! They cook everything on the fireplace in the center of the restaurant and their specialty is the Cote de Boeuf with roasted potatoes. You will have a full conversation with your food it's so fucking good!
The next night we went to the Pigalle which is a REALLY wild part of Paris and went to the Moulin Rouge which was amazing. No cameras allowed but we did sit outside at a street cafe and have some drinks and watch the wild life walking by. Here are a couple of pics

here's one of me flashing my tits lol they didn't even know! lol

here's a pic from my last night in Paris. I had a GREAT time and can't wait to return!

when you go to Paris make sure you checkout the hotel where I stayed Le Pavillon de la Reine. the rooms are amazing and the concierge Renee is awesome!

Next Stop: Geneva, Switzerland

 

[Mariahxxx]

Geneva Switzerland
February 2011
Ok so after 5 days in Paris I was headed to Switzerland for the first time. I had always wanted to go and made sure when I planned this trip that I spent a few days here to see it, and also to take the train from Paris to see the countryside along the way. I was not disappointed! I left the Gare de Lyon in Paris around noon headed for Lyon to change trains and then onto Geneva. I had originally planned to spend a few days in Lyon but I decided that Geneva would be better and save Lyon for next time. I booked the trains so that I had a few hours at the Lyon station to head out for lunch and see a little of the city which was really beautiful. I found out that Lyon is in the top 10 most innovative cities in the world! Who woulda thunk it?

here's a pic of me in the Lyon station waiting for my connection to Geneva

The train was really great. It was comfortable and the dining car was great. I had a great bottle of Mouton Cadet Bordeaux which I have bought in the states but is a local wine and so much better when you drink it over there! lol

On the train in the dining car I had a surprisingly great croque monsieur which is translated to english "Mr. Crunchy" and is one of my favorite things in the world! I make it at home but of course the gruyère in the US doesn't come close to the good stuff in France! How fucking GREAT does that look?

After my bottle of wine and sandwich I laid down and read my kindle for a bit until I dozed off and my friend said she couldn't resist to snap a pic of me sleeping! lol

After a nice nap I woke up as we were going 190mph through the mountains and passing these amazing little villages as we entered Switzerland. I wish there would have been more snow but it was still amazing.

when I got to the train station in Geneva I was amazed by how pristine the city was. It was literally spotless and so beautiful! Everyone there speaks French but a Swiss version so it was not unfamiliar after 5 days in Paris. I once again had to exchange currency first from the British Pound in England then to Euro in France and now to the Swiss franc which is very close in exchange to the Euro.

One thing I will say about Switzerland is that it is ridiculously expensive. I don't mean New York city expensive, I mean outrageously expensive. For example, 2 cheeseburgers, 2 fries and 2 diet cokes at a place similar to a Ruby Tuesday or Red Robin was $78 US! 5 minutes in a taxi on our way to dinner was $40 US!! Like I said, outrageously expensive. It was explained that they refused to change their currency to the Euro for the same reason they keep their costs astronomical, because they don't want to be overcrowded and they don't want their country ruined. If that's true, then I can respect that.

I stayed at the Eastwest Hotel which is fucking amazing! The room was really great and very modern with everything you could possibly want. It was comfortable and and stylish. The lobby was really beautiful with fireplaces and since it's a boutique hotel and not a large chain the service was great. breakfast was perfect and I wish I had photos of the room but I just didn't take any You can click here to checkout their site to see it for yourself

here I am on the day I left headed to Italy in front of the hotel.

across from the train station was this really cool Swiss / German / French restaurant where I killed an hour before I boarded to leave for Italy. They had great bratwurst with mustard and of course, great beer!

well that's it for Geneva! I boarded the train and headed to Tuscany which will be my next blog entry so stay tuned!

 

[Mariahxxx]

Florence, Tuscany Italy

This was probably my favorite part of the trip for one because I had never been to Tuscany before and it was so beautiful. The Italian people are fucking rude as hell until you actually are speaking to them lol I had eyes rolled at me more than any time in my life! This lady sat across from me on the train from Milan to Florence and since we were facing each other you would think she would at least be friendly HA! I smiled at her like 10 times and she just glared at me! lol she was so nosey too! lol

anyway, I spent 2 hours in Milan and then two hours in Bologna and both are such beautiful cities but they both reminded me of big US cities which was disappointing. But once i got to Florence I was in love! Such a beautiful place and not a big city at all in comparison to Rome or Paris.
here's a photo of the street where my hotel was located, which was right near the Duomo and the David which I'll get to in a minute.

it was right near the university so there were students everywhere. Syracuse has an exchange program there and students go to Florence for a semester which would be so awesome!

My first day there I spent walking around and seeing the things you have to see in Florence. the first was the Duomo. So beautiful and old and even though it was raining there was just this elegance to the city.

after that was the David by Michaelangelo that was breathtaking. The perfect proportion and the enormous size was so amazing. It stands over 17 feet tall and was finished in 1504. You aren't supposed to take photos but I snuck a couple

I have never been into museums but the David gallery was awesome and it really gave me a new appreciation for art and sculpture and how crazy it is that this was all done hundreds of years before electricity was invented.

on my second day in Tuscany I did a day trip to Chianti to a vineyard that was so awesome. I took some pics from the car and then my battery died I was so pissed! I brought my good camera but didn't know that the battery didn't charge all night!!! The damn voltage converters suck! I relied on my cell but the battery in the blackberry sucks balls! So here's what I got:

the wines were so great! I was never a fan of Chianti and always considered it just a table wine but wow, this was some of the best wine I've ever had!
we spent the day at the vineyard sampling wines and they had a chef prepare a 4 course traditional Tuscan meal that was fucking outrageous! They had this ribbon pasta that I had never had before that was delicious, with different types of bruschette that were to die for and so beautiful!

how fucking great does that look?
I spent 4 days in Florence and cannot wait to go back. Next time I want to spend more time in the other regions of Tuscany as well.

Next stop: Venice, Italy!

 

[Supafly]

That is a great read, and it's nice to get to know you better!

Iam sure your next days around Europe will be as fun as the ones you wrote about

Keep those pix comin ^^

 

[Mariahxxx]

Venice Italy
February 2011

Ok this post features Venice, Italy. I thought it was a really beautiful place but in my opinion way too touristy. It was packed with tourists everywhere you looked and to me it just ruined it. Also the idea of everything being accessible by water is very cool it really sucks when you have luggage and have to haul it half a mile from the water taxi to the airport they didn't have porters or anything and it's fucking FAR to the terminal from the water taxi stand.

But you can really appreciate the city and how old everything is and it's one of a kind for sure. Will I go back? No. I've seen it and don't need to see it again. I was there for 4 days and that was plenty.
ok here are some pics

this is what you see right when you exit the train station which was really cool. I knew it was built on the water, but not quite to this extent!

this is on the water taxi

this was taken from the water taxi on the water taxi on the way to my hotel

this is a really pretty building in the courtyard by my hotel!

out shopping and site seeing!

this was just a really cool photo I snapped

this was a really lovely courtyard leading to a little hotel with a bakery that had the best Canoli in Venice!

a Venice canal with a gondola. very pretty and very romantic!

a photo of my room. I stayed at the Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo which was fucking amazing!

another of the canal but with me in it this time!

a cute one of me out shopping there are no cars, just alleys and narrow little streets. very pretty, but again, over run with tourists

it was the first week of carnivale so there were masks and costumes everywhere. Some were beautiful...I bought a couple for a shoot I have in mind

ok well that's it for Venice. Overall a disappointment but still a beautiful historic city that I'm glad I visited. I won't be back more than likely as there are so many other beautiful cities in Italy I look forward to exploring first. But a city everyone should see, even if just for a day trip. 2 hours by train from most of the larger cities makes it easy and then you could be one of the tourists wandering around with a map trying not to get lost lol

Next stop: Amsterdam Holland!

 

[bigwarmload]

Very nice thanks for sharing. I didn't read all the text so forgive me if this is already mentioned but is this your first trip to Europe? Congrats on the pics of David, did you get yelled at when doing that, they have so many people watching for cameras its ridiculous. Even worse in the Sistine Chapel. Switzerland is beautiful I would love to go back there as well.

PS: Your new to me, what a cutie you are. EDIT: your delicious.

 

[Mariahxxx]

Amsterdam, Holland
February 2011

Here are the details and photos from my trip to Amsterdam.

I stayed at the Citizen M hotel and it was fucking amazing! When you walk in there is no front desk or reception area, you do it on a computer yourself. Then the lobby is huge with tvs and this self service restaurant and bar. What was really cool was they had a big table that had about 20 iMac computers for guests to use with printers and everything. It was VERY modern and cool. I couldn't wait to see the room! Well modern isn't even the right word...checkout the pics!

this is the shower! it's called a rain shower because the water falls like rainwater from the ceiling, not a shower head. you slide the doors around you to close it. the toilet is the same!

you can also see that the bed is a king that is fitted right in the window that looked out over the city. there was mood lighting too that had every setting from club to romantic to daylight and moonlight. very very cool!

here I am on the train going out to meet Roald and Petra!!!

We met at the Amsterdam Central station and I have to tell you Roald is fucking SEXY in person!! I'm NOT kidding! I kept telling him and Petra keeps telling me to stop feeding his ego! lol But I can't help it! Adorable!!!

and here we are at a bar in the redlight district

and me and the sexy ass Roald!

and here are some pics from when we were walking around the redlight district. it was crazy that all these girls were right there in the window with their bed right there and everything! I had heard about it but was blown away when I saw it!

After a total of 22 days I flew home from Amsterdam and have to say it was one of the best trips of my life. I keep hearing from people that most people never get to go to any of the places I went and I did it all in one trip! I've been more than blessed and need to count my blessings more often. I had a great time and met new friends and ate some amazing foods and saw things that I will remember for the rest of my life.
I hope you enjoyed the travel blog and that I inspired you to travel to Europe yourself.

When we are born we naturally become a part of the world. As we grow and have experiences we naturally expand our horizons and want to see more. Then when we travel not only are we a part of the world, the world becomes a part of us.
Thanks and stay tuned for more updates and new stuff on it's way!

xoxo
Mariah

 

[Mariahxxx]

This was my third trip to Europe. I went to Spain and Amsterdam last February then to Paris and the Burgundy Region and the South of France last June and loved it. It was my first time in Switzerland and also Italy and England.

I already have my flights to return to the UK and France in May!

 

[bigwarmload]

That's great. Traveling is wonderful, I wish you many more beautiful travels. Maybe time to consider the 22 country EuroRail Pass . I love going by train and seeing the country sides. Thanks again for sharing looks like a wonderful trip you had.

 

[Mariahxxx]

Thanks!
I just told someone that writing the travel blog gave me a chance to relive the great parts of this wonderful trip and leave out the tired feet and luggage and jetlag and early mornings oh, and the weight gain from the fucking incredible food and wine! lol

I read once that when we are born we become a part of the world but when we travel and see other cultures and ways of life the world becomes a part of us. Interesting though eh?

For my trip in May I am renting a car and driving around France but not England. that right side is waaaaaay too crazy for me! The train is ok but it's exhausting.

thanks again!

 

[Kobra]

you should've took me on your trip with you lol

 

[bigwarmload]

Yes the food is worth the trip alone isn't it.

I read once that when we are born we become a part of the world but when we travel and see other cultures and ways of life the world becomes a part of us. Interesting though eh?

I think that is certainly true. Other cultures and countries each have unique qualities and can be vastly different. Thus these stark differences leave a lasting impression upon us. It also widens our views towards others and lets us understand other peoples cultures and lives outside of our own confines. Along with a greater appreciation for other cultures and our own as well. These things especially become true when you immerse yourself into the culture itself and venture outside the normal tourist tendencies. Then you truly experience the culture on a localized level and fall in love with it.

Traveling is wonderful, bad thing is once you start you don't want to stop and you long for those places as they become a piece of you and your memories and experiences. Especially places as beautiful as Europe and the countries and places you have been.

 

[larss]

Looks like you had a really great time. I loved Firenze when I was there a 18 months or so ago with my wife. The weather was fantastic as we were there in the summer, and the food is amazing.

 

[Mariahxxx]

yes for sure. Firenze was so amazing. The people were great and so friendly and the food was outstanding. The meal in Chianti was probably the best of my life. The coffee was fucking great and I'm not even a coffee drinker!

I have a new motto in my life "Always a Traveler; Never a Tourist"

I had a great time and this next trip is going to be to spend more time seeing London then a week in wine country in France. Then in the fall I want to spend 10 or 12 days in Tuscany driving around staying at Inn's and eating local foods and drinking great wine

thanks for the feedback and I hope you all enjoy the blog

 

[tartanterrier]

Great times

 

[sayvara]

this is Marie Antoinette's summer cottage! She was beheaded right outside! This is where she lived when she made the very famous quote "Well, let them eat cake" in regards to the starving unhappy people in her kingdom when she was told that they couldn't afford bread.

Been there!!

And she never said "Let them eat cake..." it's a complete myth.

/S

 

[enndaley]

Around the world, right?

 

[SpexyAshleigh]

Amazing pics! Looks and sounds like you had an amazing time!

 

[CunningStunts]

Great pics, looks like an awesome trip... I'm jealous!