DocDivaTraveller: December 2017

Soaking under the Tuscan sun...the viallge of Montefioralle and vineyards in the background...

Our second day in Florence was for the Tuscan countryside. I had always dreamt picnicking in the Italian countryside. I mean the countryside spelt tall stone mansions and long pine trees and of course with vineyards all around. I was really looking forward to experiencing the Italian village life. The only flipside was that we did not know where to go!

Early in the morning we went to the bus stop. The nearest district was Chianti. We asked the person at the ticket counter a bus ticket to somewhere in Chianti. He said Chianti is a very big region. I needed to specify where in Chianti. Then I again said that we wanted to visit some medieval village in Chianti, where should we go. He again repeated that Chianti is a very big region, I need to specify where to go so that he can give us the ticket to that place. Greve was the nearest big town in Chianti (the only name we knew of) and we bought bus tickets to that place. Hubs had plans of renting a scooter in Greve and then taking me all around the region. Suddenly we remembered that he had left his licence in my jewellery box. We again made our way to Alfredo's house and came back running helter skelter so as not to miss our bus.

We reached Greve in an hour. The sun was blaring. We were the only ones at the bus stop. Clueless, what to do next. We walked over to the nearest winery to ask instructions about a scooter rental (if any). Thankfully there was a rental ten minutes from there. We started walking. I was already loving the quite, stony and sunny surroundings. What I did not like was what happened inside the rental.

Its not a secret what kind of struggle we had with my husband's Hindi driving licence in Greece. We had a tough time convincing them but had finally succeeded. You can read the sob story here. Sadly in Italy we were unable to convince them. The lady straightaway said a big NO. Crestfallen, we came out of the shop.

Now we had two options. Either we rent an electric bike (in which I did not have any confidence) or go walking. The second option won. We slowly started climbing the slopes. After our hikes in Cinque Terre, I did not have much power left in my legs. I was angry and sad both. I had high hopes of exploring the Chianti region. We both went on a non speaking mode for the next fifteen minutes. Finally I was so overjoyed by the beauty of my surroundings that I broke my silence and asked hubs to take pictures :) End of our war and beginning of our adventure.

Olives everywhere!

Skirt: From Turkey

Top: From Goa

Sunnies: from Turkey

Purse: Jabong.com

Necklace: CN Direct.com

12/29/2017 90 comments

Its holiday season and you should definitely take full advantage of it! A Kidznia, India's best indoor activity theme park for kids, they have got a special treat for all our munchkins!

Gingerbread houses, stencil decorations on sandwiches, Bulb poke trees and more - this Christmas, it's all about having fun with your loved ones through exciting activities to spread the cheer and create merry memories!

Highlights of the Christmas Celebrations at KidZania

 Delhi NCR

1. Gingerbread House -

Come together with your family and deck the Gingerbread House with Christmassy ornaments. After that, make it your photo-ops arena and capture these wonderful memories with your loved ones!

2. Dumb Charades Cooking Contest

Test your secret signal skills with your little ones! The kids will choose from simple ingredients and will enact those items/recipe and you have to conjure the dish up on the basis of that! Exciting, right? Well, it will definitely be so!

3. Cycle and Light Up!

Bring out your speed skills by lighting up two Christmas trees whose fairy lights will be connected to your cycling talent! The more you peddle, the more lights come onn! You definitely don't want to give this one a miss!

4. Candle decoration

Let's see how you decorate THE ONE!

You will be given only one candle - the task is to decorate it in the most unique way possible! Up for a challenge? Well, this one will tickle your grey cells for sure.

5. Culinary School Activities

Decorate sandwiches with icing sugar through beautiful shapes like stars, reindeer, snowman, Christmas trees and more.

You can also showcase your icing skills by decking the Gingerbread men and cupcakes with frosting nozzles!

6. Poke Tree and Snowman

Be as innovative as you can and design a Snowman or Christmas Tree with a whole lot of colourful buttons!

Details of the event:

What: Christmas Celebrations at KidZania Delhi NCR

Where:

Near TGIP Mall, Gate no. 11, A-2, Entertainment City, Sec 38A Noida, India 201301

When: 20th Dec to 14th Jan

Cost: Kids: Rs.950/- onwards

Adults: Rs.500/- onwards

Website:

http://delhincr.kidzania.com

So rush to Kidzania with your kids for an unforgettable Christmas!

12/29/2017 No comments

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of us all? I guess we all need mirrors whether a male or a female. However, the ''obsession'' seems to be particularly with women. The reason is very simple. They need to do make up, touch up and of course a little bit of narcissism exists in everyone. But there is a valid reason too. They have so much going on with their bodies that they need to keep a tab on everything. Earlier I thought of doing a makeup mirrors review. But then decided to elucidate the uses of a mirror. Now, apart from make up, what are the things that can be monitored with a mirror?

Open Pores: As we tend to age, our pores began to be larger and remain open for longer. Its necessary to use a toner or astringent regularly. The three cardinal steps should be followed all the time ie cleansing, toning, moisturising. These steps are particularly important during nighttime as its the longest resting period for the skin. Open pores are best examined with a magnifying mirror.

Ageing skin: How can you find out whether your skin is ageing or not?Simple: There are mainly seven signs: Dark spots, fine lines, sagging skin, dryness, lack of lustre, patches and open pores. Well its better to start taking care of them before they become irreversible! I suggest starting anti ageing regimen from 30s or before if you have given birth. Of course the first signs can be easily spotted with a mirror. So its important that you examine your face closely once in awhile.

Premature Greying of hair: Nowadays its not uncommon to spot grey hair at an early age of 25. The reasons are very simple: Stress, pollution, junk food, too much hair styling with chemicals etc etc. However a single grey strand does not mean the end of the world. Once you spot your first grey hair, you can put a hold to that. Homeopathic treatment works wonders. Also improving your lifestyle will help you put a hold to premature greying. Again you need a good quality mirror for that.

For any other women related queries, I love looking up at Check Pregnancy.

I could go on and on about the uses of mirrors but I decided to stop here. However the cardinal question is what kind of mirror should you use? Again, every mirror has a different use. But if you have the money, then definitely go for a professional mirror with lights. The bright lights bring out the slightest of flaws and you can never be duped. Not only perfect for make up but also for spotting the flaws of your skin. Also for dressing up purposes, opt for a full length mirror. For close examination purposes, a magnifying mirror is a must. Not to forget, the portable ones are perfect for on the go.

So what all mirrors do you own or would love to? Let me know!

12/28/2017 3 comments

Christmas just got over...How fast did it go? Well for me or any busy lady whatsoever, I bet it was blink and miss. We wait for this day for the whole year, just as December approaches, our preparations speed up. We hurriedly buy gifts, clean up our houses, get dressed, invite friends over and go to their place and just like that, the real day passes away in a jiffy! We try to get dressed in our chicest of clothes. And now as Christmas is over, what's on your mind? New Year Party....Yay!

Since Christmas and New Year parties are so close to each other (of course, they have to be!) we often try to go for completely different looks so that all our pictures don't look the same! So its quite a challenge changing our looks within a few days. Want to know how? Read on!

The easiest way to change someone's look is to opt for a completely new hairstyle. Now the question is we can't change the length or texture of our hair in a jiffy. Or can we? The answer is a big Yes! Opt for hair bundles! Here are a few hairstyles that are party appropriate!

Straight Weave: For curly haired girls like me, this is the easiest way. Since people are used to seeing me in messy waves, a clean, straight look gives me an instant makeover! These bundles are made of Brazilian Hair and are affordable and most versatile. You can style them in any way you want or bleach them or even colour them!

Loose Wave: Personally this is my favourite hairstyle for all. I mean razor straight hair looks a tad too much for fun loving persons like me. This looks like a carefree hairstyle, which I totally endorse! These Brazilian hair bundles are made of 100% human hair. These are very affordable and very easy to style which looks very natural. Also the texture is very soft and smooth.

Kinky Straight Weave: This hairstyle has gained maximum popularity in the last few years. This style can change your appearance in a jiffy! This is an affordable style which is very natural looking. Machine double weft has been applied on the products to prevent hair shedding.

So which hairstyle are you going to opt for the New Year?

12/27/2017 2 comments

I think people are obsessed with sunsets in general. We tend to associate every place with its famous sunset. But why not sunrise? If a place has got a pretty sunset then its opposite side would have a gorgeous sunrise too! People rave about the sunset in Santorini. What they don't know is that on the East coast of Santorini, the sunrise is equally spectacular. If not had been my husband''s intelligence, we too have missed the sunrise in Perissa!

Also read the spectacular sunrise in Perissa, Santorini!

Maybe there is a reason. Sunrises are much harder to witness. I mean who wants to wake up before the break of dawn and that too on a vacation? Having said that I am not a morning person and neither my husband is. But when it comes to sunrise, we can brave any amount of discomfort!

On our first day in Florence, we had watched a magnificent sunset at the Piazzale Michelangelo. The square is huge but the crowd was larger. It was a very chaotic ambiance. However watching the sun go down with so many people is an experience in itself. We had loved every bit of it in Santorini. Seems champagne is synonymous with sunsets for Europeans. However we could not click satisfactory pictures because the zoom lens could not be used with so many people hovering!

The Santa Croce Basilica

The Michelangalo square offers a 360 degree view of the entire city of Florence. My husband suggested that the sunrise would be equally mesmerising here. The next day we were headed to see the Tuscan countryside. So we decided it for our last morning in Firenze.

The Duomo in its full glory!

On our third day (like every other day) the unexpected happened. We got up at around 5 am and could leave the house at half past five. The Piazza was around one hour walk from our place. That meant missing the sunrise. However the optimist in me pushed us to continue the chase.

Florence is incomplete without these sculptures by Michelangelo!

The streets were almost empty. I mean who is crazy to be up that early? We spotted only joggers. Then the inevitable happened. In the lure of taking a shortcut, we missed an important turn and got lost! The more we kept on walking, the farther we moved away from our destination! Damn! The sun rose and we were still walking with no signs of the right route in sight.

Thanks to the Canadian couple we got such a beautiful pic!

After I believe one hour of walking, we took a bus and reached the Piazza. Oh my God! Is it the same place where we came a couple of days back? We could not believe it..it was absolutely empty! Apart from us there were just another couple. They were from Canada and we took turns in clicking each other.

A bird's eye view of Florence...The Arno river with series of bridges on it!

The view was mind boggling. The Duomo could be seen right beside us. The vibe was beautiful. Amidst the running we had forgotten how chilly the morning was. The entire city of Florence charmed us. All the running and climbing hundreds of stairs to reach the Piazza was worth!

After about half an hour, we started our way back. We had our train to Venice and we did not want any more drama! I think we had our fair share in the morning :D

The beautiful Arno river and the famous Ponte Vecchio in the backdrop....on our way back.

Zodiac signs strewn across the floor and a sun dial

12/15/2017 5 comments

If there is any state in India that is synonymous with quality garments then its Gujarat! And if anywhere particular in Gujarat, then its the city of Surat! So when a fashion house hails from Surat, we know that its is going to be the prefect amalgamation of genuineness, style and quality! Recently I came across G3+ Fashion Surat and I was fazed by the beautiful designs and variety they have on their website!

G3+ Fashion houses apparels for all the members of the family. From exclusive ethnic wear for mean and women to cute traditional pieces for boys and girls, they have them all. Also they have high end brands for casual wear. They have an exhaustive collection of wedding wear like lahanga cholis, sherwanis, engagement sarees etc. But that's not all. They have come up with a very unique concept of shopping: Video shopping.

When it comes to online shopping, what's is the number one dilemma that you face? For me it's the discrepancy between the actual product and the photograph. Often it happens that the color turns out to be different than that in the picture. And I am sure I am not the only one. So g3 plus came out with a very unique concept. The joy of video shopping! Yes you heard it write. You can shop over Skype or FaceTime. You just book an appointment for video shopping and then you get a personal shopper dedicated for the same. You can browse all the products through the camera and hence there is no way that you would be mistaken.

With wedding season in full swing, all we want is to buy for the ocassion. Either we are getting hitched ourselves, or we belong to the family in which the wedding is taking place or we are close friends of the bride/groom! In short, we are on the constant lookout for the perfect traditional outfit.

Speaking of weddings, engagements and receptions, what is the biggest fashion lesson that you learnt from the gorgeous Virushka wedding? Wear a saree on your engagement! Yes, gowns are so passe. We should always stick to our traditions during wedding ceremonies and an elegant saree is a testimonial to that.

G3+ has a mesmerising collection of ethnic sarees that are perfect for special ocassions like weddings, receptions, engagements, festivals as well as casual and work wear. The type of fabrics are wide too ranging from georgette, silk, printed, half and half sarees, premium sarees, etc etc. The price range is as wide..from 500 INR to above 14999 INR. So on one of the most important days of your life ie engagement, select a perfect saree from G3+.

So how to shop for the perfect engagement saree? Through video shopping!

Book an appointment on the website. Select your convenient date and time and enter your Skype or FaceTime ID. The orders are usually dispatched after 48 hours.

What is so special about G3+ Video Shopping Service?

The Mega store now provides a special personalised assistance to customers by connection on live video call to assist them with their special product requirements, with the advantage to explore the whole store by sitting back at their own locations.

You can View Live Latest G3+ Store Sarees, Salwar Kameez, Lehenga, Kurtis, Gowns, Kurta Suits, Pathani suits, Sherwani, Indowesterns, Girls Ethnic and Casual Wear and More.

The specialized team of G3+ Video Shopping assists on Skype or Facetime with a fixed appointment time to give 100 percent assistance to their customer, on which they have to say, it feels very easy to guide and take them on the tour of our store and help them get the products required by them.

The service has so far been one of the easiest and most convenient manner for shoppers to keep shopping through this new service:
Customer builds trust factor, sees product on video conference and knows what to expect when products are delivered without color, fabric and quality differences than on website images.
Can choose to see more options from different floors without any hassle just by sitting behind the device.
As a chance to shop from latest new arrivals and exclusive designer couture which is only available at out store.
Our specialised G3+ Live team takes the matter into personal hand from assisting the video call, engaging with customer, measurements for customization, follow ups and much more until the customer happily gets the product in the hands.

So when would you like to try out Video Shopping?

12/14/2017 5 comments

Gone are the days when children used to come to us when they had a doubt. Today, the solution to every problem of their's is very simple...they resort to the web. The vast ocean of internet is very easily available to them in the form of tablets, phones and computers. But what they don't understand that the internet is an unrefined place. Often or most of the times they are misguided by the web and they end up doing blunders. So it is our prime duty to guide the children in the right path.

Nothing is more powerful than cinema. And with good cinema, we can imbibe values and knowledge which no book can do. Cinema is the most entertaining of all medium and hence has the greatest impact on the kids' minds. Therefore its imperative that we show meaningful cinema to them. And by them I mean all the kids out in this country...especially the underprivileged ones. To support this cause, Smile Foundation came out with the Third edition of SIFFCY, Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth 2017.

The chief guest was Bollywood Queen Raveena Tandon, the ambassador of Smile Foundation. This non profit organisation works for about 600,000 children and families. Till now it has produced about 60 films, with strong messages for the children. SIFFCY is a week long annual film festival which is taking place at the Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi. Its a great platform to showcase meaningful cinema to the children and youth, with strong messages. These cinema not only bring a positive change in the society but also support emerging film makers who in turn would make more such meaningful movies.

Along with Ms Raveena Tandon, there were present eminent filmakers from Germany, Israel, Canada and Czech Republic. Movies from all over the world are being showed in this festival. The entry is free! So lets take our children and show them some meaningful cinema which promise to change the world for the better!

Coming to the outfit, my look is from Zaful.com Winter is officially here and we all are happier! I of course needed something warm yet stylish and this jacket could not be better! How cute is the colour? Also my eternal favourite is going to be these Manolo look alike pumps!

Jacket: Zaful.com

Purse: Zaful.com

Capri Pants: Zaful.com

Pumps: Rosegal.com

Lip Colour: MAC Impassioned

12/13/2017 11 comments

Continuing our Bali travel blog. Whenever I thought of the Indonesian island, this temple floated in front of my eyes. This temple is symbolic of this volacanic island. Not only the travel companies advertise Bali with this temple but the Balinese government is obsessed with this landmark too. This is proven by the fact that their 50000 currency note displays this beautiful structure. No doubt, this is the most beautiful temple of Bali.

However I had hardly seen it's pictures in my Indian friends albums. No doubt Instagram is overflowing with this temple, but I guess Indian travel agents deliverately skip this place. The reason is very simple. It's too far from the city center.

This temple, with which I was most fascinated and was a mandate on our list, is known as Pura Ulun Danu Beratan. Since we were staying in Ubud, it was really far and off route from rest of the sightseeing places. But I made myself clear to my navigator ie the husband that in no way I am missing this temple.

We started really early in the morning, 5 30 to be precise. It took around 2 hours on bike to reach there. The temple is situated on the volcanic Beratan lake in the Bedugul region. It's a hilly area and hence the temperature is significantly lower than the plains. In the morning, we were shivering during the bike ride.

The entry was quite expensive as compared to the other temples. However, later on I found out that the entry fees to the Tanah Lot Temple is the most expensive entry fee.

The temple has a huge complex. Since we visited Bali on the Gulangan Festival day, everything was more beautiful. All the people were dressed up in beautiful traditional attire with trays of offerings for God. Also all the streets were adorned with huge hanging garland type of decorations which looked very pretty. As soon as we entered, we found everyone was busy for the festivities. Maybe that's why I did not have to wear a sarong! We made our way to the most beautiful part of the temple: the floating temple complex..the shrine beside the lake.

Pura in Balinese means temple. And the word Ulun Danu Beratan means the source of the Lake Beratan. (Danu=Lake). The smooth surface of the lake provides a beautiful reflection of the temple. The mountains in the backdrop and the blue sky and the beautiful gardens all around makes it a postcard like place.

The temple was built in the 17th century for the worship of mainly Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma and also Devi Danu ie the Goddess of the lake. Its history can be traced to the Mengwi kingdom. This is the most beautiful temple of Bali...indeed.