In southern Italy, just south of Rome we visited a beautiful ‘city on a hill’ with small maze-like side streets made of gorgeous cobblestone. It was like taking a trip back in time. I just love the look of the old architecture and design. (Unfortunately, the name of the city escapes me, but it was in the region of Latina, about an hour outside of Rome, and it was located on a mountain top).
Montmartre is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris. I love the quaint little side streets, the cafes and restaurants, and venturing up the hill past the artists’ square and all of the beautiful shops to the to the backside of Sacre Coeur Cathedral … all the while listening to the classic French music playing in the streets … you know, the melodies we’re all so familiar with from the movies.
‘Tis the season! From December 1st – 24th Milan’s real-life ‘advent calendar’ plays music from its windows in the evening for passing tourists in the piazza Duomo 🙂
Welcome to Milan. Fashion Capital.
“Remember it’s always better to look up” 🙂
“Minimalism is not the lack of something. It’s simply the perfect amount of something.” –Nicholas Burroughs
If you get the chance to go to South Africa, you won’t want to miss visiting the majestic looking Table Mountain, located in Cape Town. Its flat-topped mountain peaks (which resemble a ‘table,’ hence the name) reach over 1,000 meters above sea level. It’s quite an amazing view from the top – and considered one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature (in the world). For the adventurous ones, you can actually spend the day hiking up the mountain, but if you’re like me (somewhat adventurous but not interested in spending an entire day hiking up a mountain), there’s a tram 🙂
Earlier today I was thinking about where I was in the beginning of 2012, the thoughts that were running through my mind, and where I am now, at the end of 2014, and I started reflecting on all of the events (both little and not so little) that have happened over the short two and a half year timeframe. And the thing is, if I look at it like a backwards domino effect, I realized that it all started with one decision. One big decision. The question at hand was, ‘do I resign from my tech job in San Francisco and go on an adventure that I had been craving (and kind of “wing” things for a bit)?’, or ‘do I stay because it’s safe, secure, comfortable and lucrative?’
“Mine was the twilight and the morning. Mine was a world of rooftops and love songs.” – Roman Payne, Rooftop Soliloquy
Friday night I went to sleep completely looking forward to my Saturday morning. Despite that my husband and I were hosting a Thanksgiving dinner later that evening with close friends in Milan (naturally, we had to save it for the weekend since we didn’t have time off during the work week), I had decided that I would spend the morning working on some creative projects, which is one of my favorite things to do when I have a bit of time.
I’m feeling extra in love with the beauty of this quote today. As I’ve moved from USA to France and now Italy over the past few years I’ve realized that my life has become so simplified in terms of “stuff”, but increasingly full of great memories and appreciation. ❤
“Phra Nakhon Khiri” or “Khao Wang” is an old summer palace located in the province of Phetchaburi, Thailand that was built under the reign of King Rama IV (the famous King from the movie The King and I or the modern version Anna and the King). The beautiful structure and decor is a combination of Thai, Chinese and European styles and the final construction was finished in 1858.
Where do we pull inspiration from? Everywhere. Especially nature. I’m in love with this color palette and if it was summer I would probably be inspired to paint something with the soft yellow lemon hue, the refreshing, vibrant pink grapefruit, and the natural tones from the ginger and wood.
I can’t help but stop and admire the intricate details and craftsmanship found in old European architecture. Consider the amount of dedication that went into their artwork, and their long-term vision that was carried out over centuries of time. Simply amazing.
“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” – Marcus Aurelius As I was looking through some photos of a visit to Rome this summer I stumbled on this one of the Colosseum, which I love, particularly because as I was taking it a bird hovered just above it and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. It made me think of the movie Gladiator, with Russell Crowe, one of my all-time favorites. There’s the famous line “What we do in life echoes in eternity” and it’s so powerful. The thing is, it’s never too late to make life count… and there is always the beauty of hope and redemption. 🙂
Delightfully Chaotic 