A Night at the Piazza

DSCN7583

Hi friends – this past week, my husband and I went to see the musical The Light In The Piazza at the South Coast Repertory. It was a wonderful performance and we had a nice evening! It was nice to get dressed up to go to the theatre and the Opening Night After Party. The play took place in a setting in Florence, Italy.

In the program, there was a post card insert that asked “What’s Your Most Memorable Travel Experience?” Attendees could fill the post card on the reverse side and post it on a special board located in the lobby of the theatre. It got me thinking about some of the trips I have taken….and in this case, due to the city where the play took place, it reminded me of my trips to Florence. It reminded me of the dinners and evenings I spent during “Nights at the Piazza – in Florence!”

The first trip to Florence was with my friend Lizeth, it was in the fall and traveled in Europe for two weeks. We visited London, Venice, Florence, and Rome. We took the train from Venice to Rome, such a scenic ride. We spent a few days in Florence, visited the sights, historic buildings, and museums. We must have eaten a gelato every day, yum! It was a nice trip, with my good friend! At the time of the trip, Lizeth was and continues to be one of my closest friends. Sometimes we reminisce about the trip with fond memories!

The second visit to Florence, was with my friend Charisse. We had been on a long trip over three weeks, during the spring, in various countries in Europe. It was an organized tour, so I was a bit hesitant initially, but was pleasantly surprised that we had a very nice vacation. I learned quite a bit on that tour since there was a guide with us at all times and all the visits to museums included a guide. We saw so many cities! We spent a few days in Florence. On one of the evenings, Charisse and I separated from the tour group and had a dinner at a cute restaurant in a piazza. We had such a pleasant evening, with wine, bread (with olive oil & vinegar to dip in), pizza, pasta, and good conversation! There was also musicians performing! Every time I visit a city for the second time, I see it in a different way. Usually, I’ll avoid the touristy activities and opt to walk around and explore the city, sit on a bench for some people watching, go shopping, and perhaps visit some secondary attractions I missed the first time.

Both of these trips left me with fond memories! They were memorable travel experiences!

What’s your most memorable travel experience? And, why? Do you have a favorite vacation destination?

Hugs,

Paola

DSCN7622 DSCN7567

It was nice to dress up for a”date night” with my husband for an evening at the theatre.

DSCN7626 DSCN7631

The program included a few pages of the historic sites in Florence, beautiful! These pictures brought back memories of my trips to Florence.

DSCN7569

DSCN7570 DSCN7573

We enjoyed some good wine, Italian food, & conversations at the Opening Night After Party at Antonello Ristorante located close to the theatre!

A few pics from my trips to Europe with Lizeth & Charisse:

412534_3809980801390_621959680_o

In London with Lizeth, afterwards we headed to Venice, then Florence, and ended our vacation in Rome.

24939_1403461490320_6279142_n

24939_1403436529696_780723_n

24939_1403440329791_7778513_n 24939_1403442129836_6888959_n

24939_1403451050059_6965741_n

24939_1403455930181_1895490_n

With Charisse – at the Swiss Alps, visiting London, attending Moulin Rouge in Paris, and arriving in Venice. And, of course, had to include a pic of the famous David, in Florence.

You may also like:

1278174_332987320171679_1384166255_o

Porsche Museum – Germany

1115943_314775668659511_1052658999_o

My Weekend In Photos: Visiting San Francisco

 

My Week In Photos

Hi friends,

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. My hubby had business trips, which throws me off my routine at home. But, my mom has been visiting and it has been nice to spend time with her. Here are a few pics from the past two weeks, hope you like them!

What have you been up to these past two weeks?

Hugs,

Paola

mccafe shoot pic 1

I shot a commercial for McDonald’s McCafe promotion. This is about the fourth McDonald’s commercial I appear in. It was a fun shoot and we had a few good laughs during the production of the commercial. I feel fortunate to work with such a wonderful and talented team of videographers, producers, and editors. And, I got to drink the coffee, it was delicious! BTW, the editor commented on my blue nail polish, he noticed it was different from the colors I usually wear.

fashion valley

1521593_378717978931946_516084636_n

Over the MLK weekend my hubby and I were organizing some stuff at home and he needed some items from The Container Store. While he was at that store, I was able to do some quick shopping at Macy’s in Fashion Valley mall.

menu calexico

chips salsa calexico

On the MLK holiday (Monday), we made a day trip to Mexicali to visit my mom, grandmother, and aunt. On our way back home, we stopped by Rosa’s, a Mexican food restaurant, in Calexico for an early dinner.

love your heart pic 2

I continue working on the Live Well San Diego program and we shot the spots for the Love Your Heart campaign (I am the producer on the project). We shot them at the fire station downtown, the Fire Chief and a spokesperson from the County appeared in the promo with Claudia LLausas, our Azteca anchor/reporter.

mom andrew

I’ve enjoyed time with mom – she’s visiting us and staying at our home. It’s been nice to catch up with her.

andrew paola

My nephew also visited us! I love this little boy so much!!!

wine bottles martha dinner martha robert martha robert bday paola

We went to Robert Rojano’s birthday dinner in Jamul. My friend Martha organized a nice dinner, with a Spanish theme. There were tapas, sangria, Spanish wines, and paella. She is so detailed and creative, she is a gracious host and did a beautiful job with all the decorations.

photo-6

I recorded a commercial for The Real Pirates Exhibit – opening at the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park. The exhibit looks interesting and I am looking forward to seeing it!

photo-3

That same morning, I hosted an interview for the Live Well San Diego – Love Your Heart Day campaign. I’m pictured here with Barbara Jimenez, the spokesperson for the County, and Daynara Castillo, board member of the American Heart Association-San Diego Chapter.

photo

On one of our walks, Lola and I stopped by The Headquarters at Seaport District, the new shopping area downtown. The shops are cute, they are a good option if you are looking for unique gifts for birthdays or other occasions (as well as clothing,  home decor, or books). There are eighteen shops and five restaurants – some offer outside seating, which is nice in Southern California.

DSCN7593

I stopped by Carlsbad Premium Outlets and found these amazing Nine West deep blue shooties!! This was my find of the week!

579081_384152111721866_62774613_n

My hubby was out of town on business and I joined him for the last day. We went to dinner at Ten (Asian cuisine) and I enjoyed this delicious sushi! It was a special treat since I hadn’t eaten sushi in a while, probably about  month….or more!

DSCN7622

A friend of my husband’s invited us to see The Light In The Piazza, a musical, at the South Coast Repertory.

DSCN7569

DSCN7573

It was opening night for the musical and there was an After Party at a restaurant close by….we enjoyed some wine, Italian hors’dourves, and good conversation.

You may also like:

paola pic taking pic with phone, taken my Susie Woodruff at el torito 8-23-13

My Week In Photos