EASTER WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Easter is a holiday I grew up only celebrating the all-American-commercial type of way. It was a day filled with family and close friends, epic Easter baskets carefully crafted and well thought out by my mom, egg painting and plastic egg filling for the big hunt, Easter candy corn binging and Charlie Brown. One year my sister and I even got Furbies for Easter, which was pretty intense. I have random blurry memories of huge fields in the mountains with tons of kids and someone dressed up in a huge bunny costume. I would wear pastels dresses and Keds and feel so delighted to look under rocks and behind trees for the colorful hidden eggs.

Easter now is something still close to my heart. The tradition part of it has stuck with me, despite having never grown up with the true reason for celebrating Easter (oops). Even when far away from actual family, brunches with girlfriends and now my in-laws have always been added to the agenda. An excuse to whip out all things pastel, treats both savory and sweet, and some good company.

This Easter at the in-laws it was a laid back lunch out in the sunshine, which already was a blessing in itself. It was a weekend of relaxing outside of the city. I had needed some family time. And as you know if you’ve been following my blog for some time, this spot if a paradise in itself. With some beer from the region and epic grub, it was a hearty weekend even topped with a game of Monopoly.

On the gloomiest day in the world this house would still be precious as ever to me, but with the sun rays and colorful camellias, daisies, wisteria and nasturtium, it truly felt like Spring. The only things missing in my book aside from my Colorado family were Jell-O and Brach’s Easter Candy Corn. I hope you all had a magical Easter.

ON GRELOTTE AU PRINTEMPS

Spring is still chilly and gray here. I’ve constantly got the chills. Sunshine, come out to play.

I will admit it’s nice to force ourselves to get out of the house a bit. Do you ever find it hard to just get out and move around on cold days like this?

This particular Sunday we went to explore somewhere I had never been, le Parc de la Villette in Paris’s 19th. The skies were gray, and the parts of the park that we wandered through were more than just silent and far too calm. La Géode‘s reflection of the sky gave it the same shades of gray, and at times I had to squeeze my eyes shut and squint to make out where it was when looking at it from a distance.

When the weather is nice, this park is filled with so much life, but with the cold the structures seemed even more immense and simply empty. It was surreal… and felt abandoned in some ways.

It was a refreshingly chilly stroll.

Stay cozy. Sunshine will be here to stay soon, j’espère.

If you’re looking to stroll through this part of Paris, find my favorite spots in this post on the 19th district.

PELOUSE EN FÊTE

This past Sunday was the first day the grass was open in the parks of Paris.

To celebrate the occasion, Lauren organized a big picnic to anyone who felt like joining in Parc Monceau. She crafted the most adorable sets of cutlery and straws and was quite the host. She decked out the park with vases of flowers, adorable blankets and plates full of yummies. I am anxious to see what she does decoration-wise at the Hive next month.

The sun was shining and it was just the perfect start to Spring. People who knew each other closely and also those who had just met mingled and gobbled down delicious picnic grub together, creating good conversation. Parc Monceau was packed with families, friends and lovers and it made it feel like the nice weather is finally here to stay in Paris. Lauren even introduced us non-Aussies to the joys of pavlova. C’était superbe.

I had the chance to soak up some sun with some of my dear friends Olivia, Steph, Courtney and Anne, but also with some new friends for whom Paris is also a stomping ground, Carin, Edna, Milsters, Ylenia, Gemma, C, and Diane.

I for one, am anxious for more park time. This winter was far too long.

Special thanks to Lauren for hosting and pimping this fabulous affair.

Trois petites choses de vendredi

Spring is starting to show here and there. The sun peeks through the clouds every now and again which is quite satisfying. You can feel the energy around you escalate as the sun pops down some rays. People smile more and glow with happiness.

The highlights of this week for me were new clogs and wandered the 9th district (a.k.a. obsessions #1 and #2: clogs and wandering, by default I was a happy camper). Not to mention the fact that Anne had given me a delicious jam as a housewarming gift a few months back… and I had been meaning to stop by the shop to get some more… and I finally managed to stumble upon it: La Chambre Aux Confitures, on rue des Martyrs. Boy did that make me smile. Jam and honey galore in this little treasure shop. Strawberry and champagne jam…? How can you resist it?!

Another adorable place I had never been to before this week is La Classe. A vintage school-room-themed restaurant and bar (FYI they have amazing happy hour deals !). It’s worth a peek. Sit and enjoy the old maps and adorable déco. My friend Ana raved about it and I was just dying to check it out.

Mykonos, Greece

Welcome to Mykonos, Greece. 5 girls. 1 island during the off season, a hell of a lot of mini-greek-churches, endless ridiculously epic moments.

The Aegan (Mykonos side…) adventure began upon arrival from the Blue Star Ferries from Piraeus port to the lovely New Port of Mykonos Island. It was rainy as the back end of the ferry opened onto the shore, but regardless, the white house on the hills popped out from the mountainsides, and we were picked up and taken to our hotel, Arhontiko Pension (singing Mamma Mia under my breath…)

To start off, I highly suggest renting a car. It cost us $35/day and we drove all around the island to all the random beaches (SUPER PARADISE), the lighthouse on the northern tip facing Tinos, … starbucks (should I be ashamed?) etc.. We had a lunch on the seaside at Ithaki in , the southern part of the island (about a 20 minute drive). The seafood was extraordinary with some Greek white wine and of course Ouzo to finish off the meal. My favorite thing is all of the little churches perked up on the hillsides next to every house. Another reason to get a car, to take pictures of ALL OF THEM.

On the seaside as you enter town (which is all pedestrian by the way) we popped in a restaurant called Kadéva which had divine snacks: Tzatziki, Fava Bean Salad, Spicy Cheese spread, Stuffed Grapeleaves, Mykonian Cheese toasts, Mykonian dried meat bruchetta, etc… Try a glass of Greek Retsina! Roaming round in town is divine, to say the least. It’s like little sets of Grecian dollhouses…..Pop in all the little luxury shops or tourist shops that all cater to the Greek atmosphere. Don’t forget to wander and try to find the Pelican by the seaside and also stop by what the Mykonians call Little Venice to catch a view of the Windmills on the water. Not far from the main water front is a treasure called Manderina, filled with Greek …everything (oils, vinigars, liquor, baklava, olives, honey…). Great for gifts and they even ship worldwide! Try the pistachio baklava, you will probably almost faint it’s so delicious.

Have a traditional Greek meal at Maereio (suggested by our lovely hosts at Arhontiko) When the sun goes down, hit up Jacuzzi and Toro Loco in Mykonos Town. Let’s just say during off season it’s a bit empty, but you’re bound to have an amazing time, especially meeting the locals or running into people you know from Uni (spring break!).

Above all Mykonos is a place of random restless relaxation. Roam the island, wander town, meet the locals, eat TONS of feta… the whole island is a playground. Then again, I can’t imagine it in high season, but for a relaxing spring break it did the trick. For more on Mykonos and some tips for the high things when everything is actually open, check out the 36 Hours In Mykonos by NYTimes.

De quelle planète es-tu?

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