Bella Sicilia

During Easter week, I visited the island of Sicily; the largest island in the Mediterranean and is the autonomous region of Italy. One of the first things that visitors notice about Sicily is its picturesque countryside.  In my explorations, I stumbled across some beautifully abandoned villas that looked utterly romantic and dramatic on film, but none had more allure than Mount Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano.  During my visit, it was a comforting looming presence in the distance. This was my second visit to Sicily, the first having occurred when I lived in Naples, and it was still just as beautiful as I remembered.

Princess Bea's Wacky Wedding Hat

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenia, 5th and 6th in line to the throne of England, and offsprings of Prince Andrew and former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson (a.k.a. Fergie), caused a post-wedding uproar on their fashionista epic fail of "not so subtle hats" at Prince William and Kate's wedding. Princess Bea's hat in particular, popularly dubbed "the pretzel hat," has reached social networking notoriety based on its 10,000+ Facebook fan following on the page called "Princess Bea's Ridiculous Royal Wedding Hat ." What consequently ensued has been a series of creative photos with said hat appearing on random objects (Heck! Even I gave it a try. LOL) and even on heads of  state (no pun intended) and government officials. It has been all in good fun, and Princess Bea has been smart to strike while the fire was hot by auctioning her infamous hat on e-Bay with proceeds going towards her favorite sponsored charity - UNICEF.  So, if you are in need of a mauve colored pretzel hat, and have $10,000+ in your bank account, be sure to go on e-Bay and bid on THE hat!

Update: Princess Bea's hat sold on e-bay for 81,000 British Pounds (or $130K USD).  Way to go, Bea!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Wales!

Countdown To "THE" Royal Wedding!

So, I sheepishly admit that I am EXCITED about the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Catherine (a.k.a. Kate Middleton). A modern day fairy tale come true. Cinderella marries her Prince Charming! Sigggh... The good thing is that I'll only be an hour behind, so I won't have to get up in the wee hours of the morn!  Don't you just  love their official engagement photo (above)?  It oozes beauty. youthful vitality. happiness.  They're off to a GREAT start! May their union be blessed and true.  I'm sure Diana is smiling down from her heavenly perch. 1 week to go...

Sun. Sicily. Soon!