100 Places Every Woman Should Go in Italy

Araceli Cardenas-Bon

My Book Review About the Carrie Diaries

The Carrie Diaries, Candace Bushnell’s new novel and prequel to Sex and the City hit the shelves last month, on the Manolo Blahnik heels of Sex and the City 2’s May 27th movie release. How convenient. Or, “that’s delicious,” as they say in the NYC.

Decked out in a brown journal-esque cover with CB initials for Candace Bushnell, or perhaps her creative nonfiction alter ego, Carrie Bradshaw, the book cover claims, “Meet Carrie before Sex and the City.” However, having read all 389 pages on the plane this weekend, I beg to differ.

I happen to own the Sex and the City box set containing all six seasons in six different languages only because I was living in Italy in college; it was a perfect way to learn the language of the people—or perhaps just the language of the birds and the bees. Either way, I also happened to learn all about adult Carrie, which does not always coincide with the teenage Carrie depicted in Bushnell’s new book.

The Carrie Diaries features young Carrie Bradshaw, an aspiring writer in high school with two sisters and a loving scientist father—an alumnus of Brown University who leverages his connections to get Carrie accepted to his alma mater. Carrie and her family reside in the wholesome town of Castlebury, Connecticut, where we should be learning about important traits or insights to adult Carrie’s flighty and famous Sex and the City character, but instead learn about a Carrie whose childhood portrays that of a privileged upbinging, more like what one might expect in a book about Charlotte York’s childhood: all three sisters have their own room in their beautiful country home along with their own interests like swim team and prom committee.

Other than the fact that Carrie’s mom died of an unknown illness when Carrie was a young teenager, we learn that Carrie actually had siblings and was not abandoned by her father when she was five like the television series insinuates and like her horrific adult relationships with men would indicate. Additionally, it looks like young Carrie is still a virgin leaving her senior year in high school, while Sex and the City Carrie once claimed she lost it in the 11th grade on a ping pong table (I know, I’m such a fangirl).

You don’t have to study Drama or Psychology to understand how character development works; based on the delightfully troubled character that we all know and love, it’s surprising to me that Carrie Bradshaw’s childhood is so secure and stable in The Carrie Diaries.

But don’t get me wrong all you Sex and the City fans. There are some good things to get a little “Carried away” with while reading this book as Bushnell supports some of the classic aspects of Carrie’s character which, as you know, possesses two opposing views: her fierce feminist ego and the down-to-earth shop-aholic, guy-driven gal about town. My favorite thought-provoking quotes illustrating Carrie Bradshaw include, and feel free to use them at your own convenience as do I, “Oh, I don’t plan to get married. It’s a legalized form of prostitution,” and, the world according to Carrie’s mother, “Every woman ought to have one really good handbag and one really good pair of shoes.” More pearls of wisdom to live by, ladies.

The Carrie Diaries was released on April 27th and is on sale at book stores now. I bought mine for 20% off at Borders, but I’m sure you can find the used version cheaper via Amazon or Kindle. It’s a quick and fun read and perfect for a plane trip or a day at the beach.

Texas: Re-Unveiling a A Gem This Easter

Celebrating holidays is best with close family and friends, and sometimes staying close to home can re-unveil a gem while teaching you a ton about where you’re from. I spent Easter at my Aunt and Uncle’s lake house in Lake Hills, Texas just a 45-minute drive from San Antonio, in northwest Bandera and Medina counties. Lake Hills is at the deeper end of Medina Lake—a man-made oasis covering a surface area of more than 5,426 acres. Since I’ve been a Gal about the Globe, I hadn’t been out there in eight or nine years, and was surprised at the lake’s noticeable changes.

The Lake is surrounded by beautiful trees, limestone rock and is home to largemouth bass, white and hybrid striped bass, channel, blue and flathead catfish, among other species; it’s a great place for fishermen as well as tourism. However, among the marked features of the lake are, of course, the water and its depth. Lake Hills lies at the deeper part of Medina and when I last visited, water levels reached just below the trees, featuring a few mountainous cliffs with large gaps between the water and land, making excellent alcoves to jump off from. However, now the water level is so low—well-below the trees—that the lake looked more like a large canyon; no more alcoves, just open and dangerous jumping off points.

Lake houses were buried too high above the water: where I would’ve typically walked down a flight of steps leading down to a boat dock, I now reached the bottom of the steps to find several feet of limestone rock standing between me and the dock. I was left pondering, “How do I get down to the water with my glass of wine without breaking my glass, or, without breaking me?”

Additionally, long, exposed pipelines that typically run from houses and quickly hide into the lake were visible for some 10-20 feet; I wondered if there would soon be any water left for those pipes to pump, but more importantly, I wondered what else would soon be left of this place in years to come.

I am told, from family and friends, that since I lived in Texas, droughts have become worse—it’s almost normal now—with water levels in lakes, ponds and rivers rising and descending to surprising depths.

Staying close to home this holiday certainly re-unveiled a gem while not only teaching me a ton about where I’m from, but a ton about what has happened since I last lived here and got me thinking, “What else has changed since this Gal about the Globe left?”

More information on Medina Lake: It was originally built around 1912, as an irrigation reservoir for the surrounding counties; it feeds into the Edwards Aquifer and was thought to be the largest aquifer west of the Mississippi at the time. Check out pictures of its original construction, which includes the making of the dam, early postcards and speedboats from the 50s. http://www.edwardsaquifer.net/medina.html

My Destination Wedding In Macedonia, “Pearl of the Balkans”

By Dijana Semovska-Kozarova







Last October, I headed to southeast Europe for my destination wedding in Macedonia—a republic once part of Yugoslavia. In between my wedding planning and organizing, I managed to sneak in some exploring of the country.

Although only the size of the state of Virginia, Macedonia is known as, “The Pearl of the Balkans,” as it is a landlocked country boasting great historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Mother Teresa. While we can trace its origins long before Christ walked the earth, modernly, Macedonia is known for its political struggle with its former republic: it broke free peacefully from Yugoslavia when the Yugoslavian civil war broke out in the early 90’s.

Macedonia is rich in history and culture which can take up an entire book to explain, so I will get right to my experience in Macedonia and its wonderful features so you can explore the country for yourself one day.

My wedding was in the city of Strumica, pronounced Stroom-itsa. With its proximity to Bulgaria and Greece, the region has a mild climate, producing a variety of exotic fruits and vegetables. One of the major lakes in Macedonia resides in Strumica, Lake Dorjan, pronounced Dor-yan. It’s a beach resort for many tourists in the summertime. You will also find pomegranate trees, banana plants, kiwi, and figs in Lake Dorjan, making you feel like you’re on a tropical island; it’s the only region of the country where such plants grow and thrive.

Because of the mild climate and plant life in Strumica, you’ll also find many farmers markets, including a huge one in the city’s new mall, “Global." You can get anything from honey to pistachios to bananas to peppers. You will be amazed at the food here—the country has a lot of eating spots that serve great delights such as, “Tost”(toast), a fun entrée made with flat bread, ham, cheese, mushrooms, stuffed with fries, then pressed in a flat grill and served with mayo. The country is also known for their great Burek (boorek), shops that are open 24 hours a day. A burek is a salty pastry made of layered dough (think filo dough except the dough is made from scratch). It’s stuffed with either feta cheese, meat, or pizza sauce (pizza burek).

If you’re hungry and eat a lot like my wedding party, you’ll be happy to know that the exchange rate in Macedonia for U.S. dollars is great, making the food very inexpensive; you can get a huge slice of burek for only 10 cents in US dollars!

When not at the farmers markets, you’ll want to do what the locals do and head to“Kafice” (kafeechi), also known as “coffeebars.” It’s a popular concept here. A Kafice is a lounge with couches and DJ music open all day and night and serves a variety of cocktails as well as “Nescafe.” And don’t worry, cocktails are inexpensive too! Mixed cocktails go for about $3.50-$4.00 USD. I would love this concept to come to the States one day, especially since there’s no drinking age limit. A Kafic is not quite a bar and it’s not quite a coffee shop, but a blend of both.

Once you’re done lounging on the lake and beach, you’ll want to end your visit with a trek through the outdoors. Macedonia is mountainous, especially Strumica, where Smolare Falls, a forest preserve, features many waterfalls and streams. It’s a great spot for hiking and being at one with nature. For additional cities to visit, check out Bitola and Ohrid (details below). Macedonia may be a small country, but it’s full of rich history and culture, a definite gem in the Balkans.