One for the Memory Books

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

After the afternoon rainstorm, the skies opened up with fluffy white clouds and blue skies. I sit back in my reclining chair. The air is perfumed with the scent of the nearby lavender gardens in the Jardin des Tuileries. I look to my right and I see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

It's a moment like this I wish I could push a pause button in my life. It's perfection.

Swedish Summer Homes

One thing I've noticed that a lot of Swedish people have is a summer home. You can't really blame them, they go from an endless darkness winter 8 months of the year to a beautiful, perfect 70 degree summer with endless sunshine. They want to have a place to escape to!

When it's sunny and warm, you can find Swedes outside, doing all kinds of activities. They love to bike, swim, exercise, go boating.... you name it, they're doing it.

I was lucky enough to be able to visit two lovely Summer homes, both perfectly enchanting and set into the wilderness of the South of Sweden. You can find these summer homes dotted all across the landscape. Many families or close friends buy them together so that they're still connected and have a built in social network for dinner parties, beach outings, etc.

Lund, Sweden

Less than 24 hours after arriving in Sweden, I hopped on a train for a 5 hour journey to the southern region of Sweden, known as Skåne (pronounced Sko-nah). I was headed there with Swede so he could go run in a family race as well as attend the crayfish party planned for Saturday.

Train travel is actually quite pleasant over here, the train had free wi-fi, nice cabins that seat 6, and a cafe car that you could have a sit down meal at. As long as I'm facing the direction the train is headed, there's no issues of motion sickness for me. We arrived into the city of Lund and immediately set off to see the famous Lund Cathedral they are so well known for.

Inside the beautiful cathedral, I was taken back by the astounding astronomical clock they have, it was unlike any I've ever seen, so beautifully detailed and intricate. The church itself has been there since construction began in 1202... can you believe that? It's a big part of Danish history since the the region used to belong to Denmark up until 1676.

I've Arrived!

Sorry for the extreme lack of posts... I'm here in Europe... actually I've been here 12 days and have been around Sweden and even off to London and back. Lucky for me, I'm staying here in Stockholm for the next two weeks.

It feels incredible to finally be here after months of planning. It just feels strange knowing that after a few weeks, I won't be going home. At this point, I can't wait until I arrive in France so I have a room, and I won't be living out of my suitcase! Not too much longer now, it looks like I'm arriving on August 31st, two weeks from today!

New Fave!

While I was trying to find a good fig preserves recipe for my friend Melanie, I stumbled upon this wonderful food blogger called "Kiss My Spatula". Not only does she make great food, but the photography is stunning!

She posted this piece about "10 Reasons to Visit Paris in the Winter". Swoon-worthy photographs accompanied by excellent reasons why you should visit!

Click here to check it out!

What am I excited for?

Why am I so excited to move to France?


The Eiffel Tower? Gorgeous markets? The fashion? The language? No, I'm excited to be back to a place where there's fabulous pastries like these. I snapped these at a pâtisserie the last time I was in Paris, back in May of '08.

Buttery, flaky, glossy pastries. Unlike any I've ever had here in the States. Just walking into one of these shops, you inhale the most glorious scent, a combination of vanilla, bread, chocolate, it's completely intoxicating. And the best part of eating these is that you don't have to worry about your waistline, because you do so much walking, it's all compensated for ;)