| Chic Travels | Customized Fragrance in Prague

| ABOVE | Sniffing different oils to find the right ones to mix | BELOW | A technique used to blend different scents into one by crisscrossing the arms with scents in hand so to determine if that mixture is one you would like before placing it on a perfume bottle.  

| ABOVE | Clearly I found a scent I liked, I ended up doing a combination of no. 16 at fifty percent and no. 20 at fifty percent | BELOW | Different bottle options to chose from depending on your price point.

| ABOVE | It was my husband's turn to pick out his scent | BELOW| His combination was no. 4 at fifty perfect, no. 18 at twenty-five percent and no. 34 at twenty-five percent. 

| ABOVE | Preparing my scent with the two oils I selected no. 20 Lipovy Kvet (Linden Blossom) and Zeppelin (couldn't find the English translation) | BELOW | You can also buy perfumes that have already been mixed by the perfumer. 

This is the last coverage of our weekend trip to Prague back in early May. As we were walking away from the Prague Castle through the stairs that lead to the castle, we stumbled upon this charming little shop that sells customized perfumes/fragrances, it was really a matter of fate as my husband and I had been discussing the idea of finding a place where we can create our own scent. When we stumbled on this shop, we were very excited and had to make the time to stop in and take a look. Needless to say we spend about almost an hour in there trying to create our very own perfume, my husband and I both walked out with scents of our own. My perfume is almost done, I know, that is how much I loved it, it has a soft but rosy smell to it so it is perfect for day time, my husband's is soft but musky and also a day time cologne. The best part of the whole experience is that you can restock your perfume/cologne by ordering it through their online shop. So once I am done with my perfume, I just send them the name of my scent and they will ship it to me, the other great part about it is that they ship worldwide. 

If you are ever in Prague, you have to make a stop at Zámecká Parfumerie, you won't regret the experience.

| Chic Travels | Prague (Part II)

| ABOVE | The stunning St. Vitus Cathedral with it's Gothic Architecture is one of the most important churches in Prague | BELOW | The Italian Embassy (pictured at right) is so grand and impressive. 

| ABOVE | I have been collecting photography of doors for a few years now, and what is most exciting to me now is that I get to photograph and collect my own instead of purchasing them. These were a few of the doors tat I fell completely in love with and can't wait to print them and hang them on my wall. 

| ABOVE | The Prague Castle guards | BELOW | Barney and I taking a break by the stairs that lead to the castle, so much walking we had to pause for a few seconds. 

| ABOVE | Man with his accordion on the famous Charles Bridge, which crosses the Vltava River and built between the 14th and 15th century | BELOW | Prague Castle from the distance, which serves as the official residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic and has seated Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and Presidents of Czechoslovakia since the ninth century. Not to mention is considered the largest ancient castle in the world.

| ABOVE | Europe is famous for having street markets and this one is a permanent fixture with tons of local toys, fruits and souvenirs to fill the heart's of tourists | BELOW | A restaurant across from our hotel that had this old time feel to it.

Prague part II is here, although my plan was to have had it out last week. But after a last minute opportunity to go to Amsterdam came along I didn't get the chance to have this post out before my trip (more on Amsterdam soon, stay tuned). Prague is a beautiful city, with amazing architecture that will leave you dreaming in the clouds of what it most have been like through out the centuries in that city. I love history, and is the reason why I enjoy to travel so much, because every where I go, I go home with something new learnt. I get so giddy learning a piece of history from where ever I am, it makes me feel like a kid. I highly recommend you make a trip to Prague, and possibly linking it with Budapest, which is close by. I had a great time and look forward to possibly making a one day pit stop here again, just because I really want to see the Prague Castle up close, since that was the one thing we couldn't do. Up next this week, a look at my experience customizing my own fragrance in a small and local parfumerie. 

| Chic Travels | Prague (Part I)

| ABOVE | The National Museum Prague | BELOW | view of Wenceslas Square, named after Saint Wenceslas , patron saint of Bohemia is now the main city square.

| ABOVE x BELOW | Gorgeous fairly-tale like horses and carriages, and a peek view of the magnificent Church of Our Lady before Tyn, built on 1256 but had many periods of reconstruction thereafter. All situated in Old Town Square which you see below.

In the beginning of May, my in-laws and us headed east of Germany to Czech Republic, our destination - Prague. It was a mother's day and birthday gift from the husband for my mother-in-law and I, and we were very excited, because as far as I can remember we (particularly my mother-in-law) had been dreaming of going there. Yesterday you saw the road that led us to Prague, today you get to see this beautiful city in Part I of my Chic Travels. Prague, the fourteenth largest city in the European Union and it is also the capital of Bohemia. Bohemia is a historical country of central Europe and for which occupies the western two-thirds of  traditional Czech lands, it was once a Kingdom of the Holy Roman Empire. Czech Republic has a rich history, Prague itself has had several different settlements as early as to 200 BC by Celts, and according to legend the city was founded in the 8th century by Czech duchess and prophetess Libuse and her husband Premysl, who founded the Premyslid Dynasty. There most recent historical events was when Czech Republic became a sovereign state, separating from Slovakia on January 1st, 1993.

Prague is truly stunning, with excellent cuisine and very friendly citizens. Our experience left us with a desire to have more time in this magical city, although it is a perfect long weekend escape. Also, because they do not use the Euro, it makes for a very budget-friendly place to visit. The most delightful of surprises was their cuisine, it is phenomenal, their most popular dishes consist of meat and potatoes or dumplings. In both of our traditional restaurant experiences we had amazing food, but my favorite of the two was recommended by my friend Sandy of Madly Addictive, who told me I had to go to Novomestsky Pivovar. We got very lucky that our hotel was a few minutes away from the restaurant. If you are ever in Prague, it is a must to dine there, the service, ambiance and cuisine was excellent. Stay tuned for next week's part II of Prague and an unexpected experience that I sure was happy to have.

From the Passenger Seat

From the Passenger Seat, a view of the roads that led us to Prague from Frankfurt, this time the in-laws joined us on this road trip. My favorite photos I shot from the passenger seat was the fields of yellow flowers that sprouted every where around Germany during late Spring, they are much more beautiful in person than in photos. It made out journey so much brighter and happier, because who doesn't get happy when looking at fields of yellow flowers? I also have to say that I love the last photo, only because my baby Barney Stinson looks so adorable sleeping with his grandmother. Barney was so exhausted from all the walking he did with us during this trip, he slept most of the ride back home, he was a trooper. 

In case you have missed any of this series, you can take a look at them here, here and live on Instagram.