Month: August 2015

Roaming the Italian countryside – Tuscany

On By ChérineIn Italy, Travel, Tuscany6 Comments

La Bella Toscana

Years ago, I had a dream of taking an extended vacation and traveling through Italy. In preparation for the ideal vacation,  I enrolled in Italian language classes at the college and practiced my newly acquired skills with Italian colleagues. I researched the little towns and the big cities, read all the tourism information I could get my hands on and then; a few weeks prior to booking  my 6 week vacation I was laid off from my job. So the vision of visiting the David, the Colosseum and the Vatican fell by the wayside.

I finally made it to Italy a few years later. And although the trip was not as grandiose, I enjoyed every moment of it. The Tuscan countryside offers some breath taking views and scenery.

Florence
Florence
Near Bagno Vignoni
Near Bagno Vignoni
Outside of Volterra
Outside of Volterra
Pienza
Pienza
San Gimignano
San Gimignano
San Quirico d'Orcia
San Quirico d’Orcia
Piazza del Campo - Siena
Piazza del Campo – Siena
Siena
Somewhere in Tuscany
Somewhere in Tuscany
Street art in Florence
Street art in Florence
Tuscan Church
Tuscan Church
Chiusure
Chiusure
Somewhere in Tuscany
Somewhere in Tuscany

My favourite places – Part 2

On By ChérineIn Lebanon, Travel1 Comment

Lebanon

Watching the demonstrations in Beirut on the news this weekend made me think back to a brilliant time I spent there in 2009 and how things have changed.

Lebanon is a beautiful country, the people welcoming and the food delicious. My mom has always told me that Beirut was called the Paris of the Middle East prior to the civil war from 1975-1991.  And even though the country has seen conflict in the years post the civil war, the Lebanese are a resilient people. I hope that the current unrest is temporary and a hurdle that the country will overcome shortly.

Some of the photographs I took during those 3 marvelous weeks are a true testament to the country’s beauty and resilience.

Baalbek
Baalbek
Batroun
Batroun
Beiteddine
Beiteddine
Jbail (Byblos)
Jbail (Byblos)
Jbail (Byblos)
Jbail (Byblos)
Jbail (Byblos)
Jbail (Byblos)
Downtown Beirut
Downtown Beirut
Raouché
Raouché
View to Jounieh
View to Jounieh
Wheat Field
Wheat Field

Paris, mon amour

On By ChérineIn France, Paris, TravelLeave a comment

What is it about Paris that draws me back over and over? Even today, I am feeling the pull towards the city of lights and pondering an escape for a few days.

Convergent Journey‘s post answered that question for me in part. Paris tugs at the hear strings: I am at home in the city and as the French say  “je suis bien dans ma peau” (content in my own skin).

Walking down the same streets, and even some new ones, the familiarity of the architecture and surroundings is soothing. But there is always a new element: maybe the sunlight  hits the building from a different angle and the image ingrained in my memory changes. This is why I love Paris.

My favourite places – Part 1

On By ChérineIn France, Paris, Travel1 Comment

Paris…

Cole Porter wrote:

I love Paris in the springtime
I love Paris in the fall
I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles
I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles

I love Paris every moment
Every moment of the year
I love Paris
Why, oh, why do I love Paris?

Every time I visit Paris, Cole Porter’s song plays in my mind as if it was the soundtrack to my Parisian adventure. And every time, I fall in love with Paris a little more. So I ask why does Paris have such an effect on me?
  • La Tour Eiffel – I am always in awe of Gustave Eiffel’s contribution to the 1889 World Fair. A trip to Paris is not complete without a pilgrimage to the Eiffel Tower and a thousand and one photographs to immortalize its beauty.

Eiffel Detail - Watermark copy

  • The architecture – Whether you are looking at La Grande Arche de la Défense or buildings in the Haussmanian style, there is always a new detail, a new angle to look at and admire.

20150527_183435

  • The sprawling parks in a large city – Jardin du Luxembourg, Jardin des Tuileries, Bois de Vincennes and many more.

20150527_124214

  • And most importantly – the way I feel in Paris. It is difficult to find the words to explain the feeling other than to say “I am at home in Paris”.

Kitchen Experiments

On By ChérineIn Cooking, Healthy Eating, Kitchen ExperimentsLeave a comment

Some months ago I resolved to change the way I eat. Cooking for one was not enjoyable for me; spending so much time slaving over a stove and then eating over the sink was not quite what I imagined to be delightful.

So now, I make an effort to try new recipes. Once the meal has been prepared and plated, I take a photograph of it and post it on Instagram. It as become a way to be creative and relieve the day’s stresses.

On the menu this evening: Lemon Garlic Butter Cod with Green Beans and Beets.

Lemon Garlic Butter Cod

It was delicious.