What comes to mind when you hear February 14th? Is it the day of love and romance; shops filled with hearts, roses, and chocolates; the celebration of a lasting relationship? Flash back to 2005’s Valentine’s Day and you will find a different type of relationship: the friendship of Shiv and Lil.

Meeting at the University of Toronto through a student group, Shiv and Lil ended up working together after graduation. Despite embarking on separate but yet similar paths, they remained close and decided to celebrate their CMA graduation with a trip to Europe. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips (at the very least) that everyone needs to take; one that a lot of their friends have already had the opportunity to experience. With that in mind, Shiv and Lil planned out their journey hoping to accomplish 3 simple goals:

1) Stick to a strict budget of $2500 each. (Not so simple! but it can be done!)
2) Have a blast!
3) Arrive home safely!

Over the course of 10 days, Shiv and Lil will be visiting 8 cities in 3 countries, starting first with Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, then Rome and Milan in Italy, and lastly Nice, Cannes, Marseille, and Paris in France. When it comes to their plans in each city, the ladies are hoping to just wing it! They do have a few must-see places and must-do activities however. In Barcelona, they want to gaze at the unique architecture of Antoni Gaudi, check out Olympic Port (definitely a highlight for Lil), and enjoy some authentic paella and sangria (this one’s for Shiv). And rather than taking in the art and history of Rome and all the fashion of Milan, the ladies simply want to find out if Italian pizza, pasta and gelato really do taste better! In Paris, the ladies hope to catch a show at the Moulin Rouge and visit a few of neighbourhoods such as the Latin Quarter and Montmartre.

Now that we’ve learned about Shiv and Lil’s friendship and all the fun they will be having on their awesome European vacation, let’s find out what’s been going on behind the scenes.