Martine's Lifestyle Blog

The Festival of Lights     Every year in the month of December, the Alexandria Island Park is decorated and lit with thousands of Christmas lights. The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce organizes this amazing lights display every year. Every year, it becomes more beautiful than the last. The Chamber members all have displays representing their company or school. Most members are local businesses in the area. The Festival of Lights starts the 29th November and ends the 31st December, the hours of operation are from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. On December 31st (New Year's Eve) at 6:00 pm, there is a Fireworks display to celebrate the New Year and it also signfies the end of the Festival of Lights until next year.    This year, I took a walk around the park at night and took some pictures of the displays. Here are a few of my favorite picture that I took.         This year was an a...

How to Pack for a Vacation Part 1: Carribean Vacation (2 weeks)   In this blog post, I am going to be talking about Packing for a 2 week vacation in the Carribean. Remember, you can adjust the amount of clothing you need; depending how long your trip is. I will make a list of the essentials you need for a Vacation. Then, I will give you tips on how to save place in your suitcase. Let's get started!!   Packing List   Clothing 3 or 4 pairs of Shorts 5 or 6 Tops 2 or 3 Swimsuits 2 pairs of Sandals 2 or 3 Skirts or Dresses (for Evening) 2 or 3 Pajamas Underwear Bath, Body & Care 100ml bottles of Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Wash Toothpaste (less than 100ml)  and Toothbrush Sunscreen (If you can't find 100ml bottles of sunscreen, you can always transfer some into an empty 100ml bottle or buy some when you're on vacation) After Sun Gel (to prevent and heal sunburns) Shaving Gel and disposable razors Make...

From music to books and more, this blog post is about my favorite things for Fall. I will be talking about my favorite music to listen, books to read and much more. Let's get started! Music My Favorite Song : this fall my favorite song is Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj ! This song has a good beat and is so energetic. My Favorite Album : For my favorite album, this fall i'm going back to last year when One Direction released their album Midnight Memories. I love that there was more of a pop-rock sound in the album, and also that there are beautiful ballads.  My Favorite EP (single) : This fall (and mostly this summer), my favorite EP/ single was Happy Little Pill by Troye Sivan . Troye is an Australian YouTuber who has an amazing talent. Books & Magazines What Would Audrey Do? By: Pamela Keogh This book is about what would Audrey Hepburn do in certain types of situations. Whether if it is for your love life or how to pack for a trip, this book has the ...

My Summer Favorites 2014                 In this blog post, I will be talking about my favorite things from this summer. From great books to good eats and much more. I will talk about some of my favorite books, drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), food, and beauty items.   Books J'adore New York! by: Isabelle Laflèche . This book is an amazing mix of fashion, crime and love. I've read more than few times over the last few years. The character for Catherine is an amazing portrayal of a French woman's journey in America as a corporate lawyer. The story is really inspiring, showing that there are a lot of hard decisions to make in life, work and especially in love. It's the perfect book for women who have love of fashion and crime/law. J'adore Paris! by: Isabelle Laflèche . This book is the sequel to J'adore New York. In this book, Catherine returns to Paris with a new love and a new career...

London & Paris Day 7: Saying ''Au Revoir''   I woke up that morning with a feeling of sadness overcoming me. It was my last day in Paris. I got ready, finished packing, and went down for breakfast. After breakfast, I went back up to my room and grabbed my bags and headed to the front desk.   I headed down to the parking lot to say goodbye to my friends who were staying in Paris for an extension, and we headed off to Gare du Nord. I said more goodbyes to the others who were headed off to Amsterdam or Rome. It was an emotional time, I was finishing the greatest journey of my life. I headed off to take the RER to Charles de Gaulles for my flight. The ride was long, I spent the time going through pictures I took during the trip, and making sure my passport and tickets were in order.   When I got to the airport, I went off to find my terminal, and checked in. Then, I was hungry so I got a snack and a drink from a snack bar. After that, I headed tow...

London & Paris Day 6: A free day in Paris The day began with breakfast in the hotel dining hall with crêpes and Nutella. After, everyone met in the parking lot to get details about the day. We were going to have city drop offs, and later that afternoon, we will all meet at Place de la Concorde and head to Versailles. I chose to get dropped off at Notre Dame. When I got to the beautiful cathedral, I was overwhelmed at how long the line was to get inside. So, instead, I decided to take a few pictures and head towards the nearest Métro station. I decided to go to the Champs-Élysées one more time. I window-shopped from H&M to Sephora to Banana Republic, until it was time to head down to the Place de la Concorde. Getting to Place de la Concorde from the Champs-Élysées is quite a long walk or a short cab ride. I chose to walk because it was such a beautiful day. When I was at Place de la Concorde, I immediately noticed some of my tour mates and joined them. They were l...

London & Paris Day 5: Discovering Paris   On the morning of Day 5, I woke up, got ready, and went downstairs for a traditional French breakfast. It included Crêpes, Croissants and my favorite morning spread: Nutella! After breakfast, we went down to the parking lot and waited for everyone. We headed toward the Eiffel Tower to take picture and a group photo. We were so many of us, we didn't realize it until after we took the picture. After, we had the option of doing a city drop off anywhere; so I went to the Arc de Triomphe. A lot of people wanted to go there so it was our first stop. I stayed with a couple of friends I had become close with. We took pictures in front of the Arc de Triomphe. After that, we headed toward an underground tunnel to get to the Arc. We got in line for our tickets, and headed up where we had to wait in another line to get inside. It wasn't long before we were climbing the steep stairs of the Arc to get to the top. The view from the top was ...

London & Paris - Day 4 From Pounds to Euros    The next morning, we had to get up really early, have a quick bite to eat, gather our bags, and head to the bus. We were all heading to Paris that day. First, we headed to Port of Dover, and left at around 8 am. The journey was long. I was still tired so I dosed off. When I woke up, we were about halfway to Dover. I plugged in my earphones, played some music and read my book (Book of Choice: J'adore New York by Isabelle Laflèche). We arrived at the Port of Dover and had to go through customs. After that, we headed toward the right ferry dock. We stepped off the bus to get some air, and we found out who were going to be our roommates for our stay in Paris. My roommate was a very nice girl from Toronto, Dory. We got along very well and had a lot of fun. A few minutes later, it was time to get on the bus, and head onto the boat. After we found our place to park, we had to wait on the bus until it was safe to...

London & Paris Day 3: Free Day On my third day in London, I had a day of free time. Our tour manager told us they would do city drop offs. I decided to drop off at the House of  Parliament. I took a picture of myself in front of Big Ben. Then, I headed halfway across a nearby bridge and took a picture of the London Eye ( a huge Ferris Wheel that gives you a view of the entire city of London ). Unfortunately, my fear of heights stopped my from going onto the London Eye; instead i opted for the world famous Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Using the Underground, I made my way from Westminster to Baker Street, and went to Madame Tussaud's. I took a lot of pictures of celebrities, comic book characters, and members of the British Royal Family. After the museum, I headed to Knightsbridge to do some window shopping. I ended up at Harvey Nichols, eyeing their amazing products and designer clothing. After, i walked toward Covent Garden for a little snack at a Prêt à Manger. I ...

London & Paris - Day 2 Stonehenge and the town of Bath The next morning, I woke up and got ready, went to have breakfast, and after we all went downstairs and waited for the tour bus. That day, we started off with a city tour of London; after we headed off to Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is famous for its stories of how it was built. I walked around, and took a few pictures. After, I headed to the gift shop and bought this gorgeous sterling silver ring shaped like Stonehenge. I headed back to the bus and waited for my other tour mates. After Stonehenge, we headed off to the town of Bath. On the way, Bri (my amazing tour guide) made up a fun game: it was like speed dating but we were getting to know each other one on one. It was very fun. We got to Bath and had time to discover the wonderful town. I was hungry, so me and Erin (a great friend from the trip),we wandered until we found a restaurant. We went inside ordered our food and he...

  London &  Paris Day 1- Departure   I was ready to go! All packed, all documents in order and my flights and my hotels were confirmed. I was ready to go on my first trip abroad to the wonderful cities of London, UK and Paris, France. It has been my dream since I was a little girl to go to Europe. I will be summarizing what happened on the day that I left for my incredible journey.   It was 5 pm at the Montreal Airport when I arrived to check in  for my flight. I went to give my big suitcase to get it checked an sent off to its luggage cabin. I said goodbye to my family and headed off. After that, I went through security, and claimed that belongings before heading off to find my terminal. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I finally found my terminal, and luckily there was small store where I found some nourishment. I had brought some books to keep me busy and my earphones to listen to my musi...

Exploring Eastern Ontario     Living in Eastern Ontario is quite amazing, but to the people who have never been in Eastern Ontario have never seen such beautiful sceneries and such fun activities. I will be talking about the 2 most popular tourist destinations in Eastern Ontario: Ottawa ( Canada's capital ), and Prince Edward County.   Ottawa   As Canada's capital, there are many things to see and do. Here are some suggestions for events and festivals: BluesFest, Folk music festival, July 1st Canada Day, and Fashion Week. BluesFest is from the 3rd to the 13th of July in LeBreton Flats which is a short walk from Parliament Hill. The line up of artists this year consists of: Lady Gaga, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Tegan and Sara, and other artists. The Folk music festival is set at Hog's Back Park from Sept. 10th to the 14th. The line up this year consists    of some artists like Foster the People, J. Cole, Serena Ryder...

Hi! My name is Martine. This is my first blog entry. This entry is about what I learned on how to stay safe while on my trip to London and Paris. Hope you like it!! Imagine you have booked your first trip abroad (How Exciting!); and then you are thinking 'How am I going to be safe in this country if there are pickpockets? Will I be approached by street vendor? How do I avoid being scammed? I have the answer to all those questions. Pickpockets Here are a few tips that will help you stay safe from pickpockets. Wear a money belt to store your spending money and your passport Use a small purse to carry a small wallet, your cellphone, and your camera Always keep your purse in front of you Always put your cellphone back in your purse; Never your pockets Pickpockets will take advantage of big crowds, dark alleys, and will totally have their eye on someone who is alone. So, always be with a travel buddy or your group. Street vendors Street vendors are v...