paris is always a good idea.

Lovelies,

Nowhere is more magical than Paris. 

Although I visited Paris in November of 2009, I felt great sense of confidence and excitement entering Paris for a second time. Equipped with four additional years of french floating around in my mind, as well as a year's worth of knowledge from an AP Art History course, I couldn't wait to explore and immerse myself in the culture.

I split my time between exploring the city with Marie, and visiting museums with my parents. During my time with Marie, we communicated in a mix of French and English (occasionally Franglish). Without question, I saw a huge improvement in my communication and listening skills; I even picked up on some trendy french slang! 

Because I spent 10 days in Paris, I was fortunate to see a great a lot of the city. Some of my favorite places included Place de la Vosges (a lively spot for local Parisians), L'île Saint Louis (the smaller and more quaint of the two islands located in the Seine), Rue du Faubourg Sain Honoré (one of the very fashionable streets lined with ateliers and haute couture) and Musée Marmotton (a gem of a museum that holds a great deal of Monet's works). Other favorite memories include trips on the Metro, tea service at Laduree and relaxing in gardens near Notre Dame. 

These photos were taken outside of Le Musée D'Orsay, my favorite museum. I actually visited twice; once with Marie, and once with my mom. On both occasions, I served as their personal tour guide. I really love art, so elaborating on the symbolism of Millet's The Wheat Gatherers or Van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gatchet was a lot of fun.

Not surprisingly, I planned out this outfit months before I left for Paris. The combination of a light silk summer dress and a colorful denim jacket turned out just right; I felt comfortable yet stylish while exploring the city on a humid summer day.

xoxo,

emily

notes on the outfit:

madewell dress, jacket and sandals

j. crew bracelet

dooney and bourke bag

The Tapas Crawl

 Lovelies,

A trip to Spain is simply incomplete without enjoying a few tapas. 

Tapas, also known as Pintxos in Basque, are served from 7 PM to 12 PM, and are meant to be eaten as appetizers; a precursor to a very late dinner. It is not uncommon for locals to "hop" from one tapas bar to another, sampling each bar's specialty as they go. While tapas bars were once seen as small and cheap eateries, they are quickly gaining popularity and recognition in the gastronomic world. 

During my stay in San Sebastian, I knew I had to fully experience this so-called tapas crawl at some point. The city is notorious for hosting a range of exceptional cuisine and dining; there are more Michelin stars in the city per square foot than any other city in the world! (crazy, huh?)

I began my walk towards San Sebastian's old town at around 9 PM. The worn streets, filled with locals and tourists alike, smelled like a mixture of beer and olives. Although I carried a map with me that highlighted the specialties of each tapas bar, I decided it would be more fun to pick the bars at random. With that decision made, I began my crawl.

After entering a few bars, I noticed that each eatery presented their tapas differently. While some bars took the traditional approach to presenting the delicacies, others used marble slabs and an edgy presentation to display their tapas. The pictures above highlight the differences in presentation and construction of different tapas.

Overall, I had a lot of fun experiencing the crawl. I would, however, recommend doing some research before venturing out into the streets. Although it was fun to sample different tapas at random, there were some bars that seemed much more popular than others. 

XOXO,

Em

Moments in Bordeaux

Lovelies,

The Fountain in Place des Quinconces, the largest square in Europe. The square was originally built to prevent rebellion in the city, and served as a military area (complete with cannons!) for a few years 

Café at the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux. I spent some time here, as the café was a wonderful place to people-watch on Place de la Comédie.

Caprese Salad with Gazpacho and Arugula (THIS WAS SO GOOD). The cuisine here was light and fresh; food was flavored mostly with sea salt and small amounts of olive oil. There was also a substantial amount of fish served. I decided to photograph this dish, mainly because I loved the presentation and color of the food.

There were lots of flowers planted near Place de la Comédie; this is just one example of some of the beautiful blooms.

More greenery near Le Grand Theatre de Bordeaux, a neo-classical theatre famous for hosting some of Marius Petipa's first ballets. Some of his more famous works include Don Quixote and The Nutcracker. 

Bikes in front of Grand Hotel de Bordeaux. For brave souls, this is another mode of transportation around the city (Personally, I didn't dare try it).

Rue Sainte-Catherine. This crowded street houses some major fashion retailers (i.e Galleries Lafayette and Zara), as well as some small boutiques. Streets that snake off from this main route hold numerous cafés and gelato shops (my personal favorite gelato? Straciatella.)

Street Style on Rue Sainte-Catherine. Patterned shifts and color-blocked dresses with leather sandals and a vintage handbag seemed to be "la mode de choix" this summer.  I especially liked the vintage watch and eclectic mix of bracelets on the girl with the patterned dress, as well as the toussled waves on both girls. Their hairstyle references Madewell's summer campaign, which you can see here. 

A parked Vespa near Place de la Comédie. Due to the narrow streets and crazy drivers, Vespas are the easiest way to get around the city (I didn't try this type of transportation either....)

The Reflection Pool in front of Place de la Bourse. Every so often, the pool of water would give way to a mist (seen above). It was especially beautiful at night, when colors in the sky would tint the mist and remaining water below.

Jaume Plensa's El Almo del Ebro. In the past, this instillation was featured at the Picasso Museum in Antibes, France.  Plensa's past works include Crown Fountain at Millennium Park in Chicago.

Our next stop in the trip was Bordeaux.  I love these photos because they highlight all the different aspects of the French region, as well as the various colors I noticed while staying in the city. I've included captions explaining each photo more in detail, in case you are interested in knowing more about Bordeaux.

XOXO,

Em

Biarritz Beachin'

Lovelies,

I just returned last night from an eighteen day adventure in Europe! I had a wonderful time and feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to immerse myself in different cultures. From visiting the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to strolling in Monet's water gardens in Giverny, I documented it all. The next eight posts will cover the culture, food and style (of course) of France and Spain.

Our trip began with a few days in the small yet lively coastal town of Biarritz, France, which is located 20 minutes from the Spanish border. There is definitely a Basque influence present in and amongst the region. Identified by their famous wool berets, the Basques speak an entirely different language from both the Spanish and French. Their interesting cuisine and tradition (i.e. fancy calligraphy) influences surrounding areas in north-central Spain and southwestern France.

The town of Biarritz clearly serves as a vacation spot for many French people, most of whom flock to the destination during their vacation periods in August. In the past, the town served as a hot spot for the rich and famous; both Ernest Hemingway and Coco Chanel spent days lounging on the large stretch of beach, or La Grande Plage, at the base of the town. This area is considered to be one of the best to visit in France for surfing.

By midday, shops and cafés along the waterfront are busy and crowded. Men and women flock to stores for fashionable beach apparel, while others decide to spend their afternoon sailing along the coast. Once the sun sets, fireworks illuminate the sky and the town vibrates with activity.

Overall, I really enjoyed the days we spent in Biarritz, mainly because it was an excellent place to be while getting over jet lag. The town was vibrant, but it was easy to feel relaxed here.

XOXO,

Em

Notes on the outfit- 

I noticed that many young women vacationing in Biarritz wore loose cotton shifts and high-bunned their hair; a very carefree look. To emulate their style, I wore my Madewell drop-waist floral dress and Madewell leather sandals.