All posts filed under: architecture and art

Travel: Day 3 – Cotswolds

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When I was in my late teens I happened to be walking past a street artist at an art festival who had on display photographs or lithographs of the Cotswolds. I stopped and talked to this man for about an hour, mostly discussions about his style of capturing art, and a little about the time he lived in the region. He was an American, and I ended up buying four framed pictures at fifteen US dollars a piece of the most beautiful cottages and street scenes I have ever seen since my days of marveling over perfectly bound European children’s fairytale books. Since then I told myself I would someday go to  ‘Cotswolds’, thinking it was a town. Until this year when I got serious about traveling through the English countryside did I learn that the Cotswolds is not a specific town but rather a number of counties in south central England, in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. That the beauty of the area is its rolling hills, medieval villages, churches and homes built of region specific yellow …

Travel: Day 2 – Bath, Somerset, England

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After my numerous heart attacks, and white knuckles and the urge to throw up at every roundabout craziness known to  (most of) the world as driving on the wrong side of the road, plus  in our case, through the winding countryside roads in rain and high wind getting to Bath from Stratford-Upon-Avon, we finally arrived at ten in the morning and parked our car in the paid parking lot – hoping to grab breakfast and then sightsee about the town. My friend who lives in the ‘said town’ two hours from Stratford, was irritated to say the least, since this was the first time she drove outside of her comfort zone in rain and wind. Let it be known she is a temporary transplant from US to UK. Also note here that the last time I was in Bath was twenty years ago. So you can imagine my surprise seeing a town transformed into a modern version of what I had seen several decades ago. The first change was the added  boutiques and shops along …

Newly Opened Anthropologie Crush

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Last weekend I decided to do some actual mall shopping rather than a few online ones. The hubs and I made a day of it, with our dog in tow, we drove to Stanford Shopping Center to (really check out the new wing plus renovations the mall had undergone in the last year plus) aaaand to do “shopping.” What stood out for me was the two story Anthropologie store that opened, not sure exactly what day, but it was packed more so than any store and here’s the reasons why:

Sunday Morning Conversations – Vol. 1

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I love a slow start to Sundays. You know, the easy roll out of bed, a full on breakfast, and home brewed coffee. A conversation with your partner in life about the to-do list, which all of a sudden you find yourself not caring so much about. 🙂 opting to go for a long walk instead – when the weather is permitting of course otherwise lounging on a couch by the fireplace.  And there you discuss what you’ve found online over the course of the week, which had sparked an interest or two in you – and see his/her reaction and feedback. Kind of like this:

Lake Como – In Two Days

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After my Rome-Florence-Venice portion of the perfect travel I think I have organized for my group is a stop in Como, Italy. We arrived mid-day on Saturday last, and checked into our hotel – only for a few minutes to freshen up and change into our walking shoes. We had to take the funicular up to the highest point in Como to see the spectacular views for only 5.50euro roundtrip. This can’t be missed no matter how long the lines. Dinner followed after that, along with a bottle of wine and the perfect conversations before we turned in. The next day we would spend on the lake, with an all-day pass to visit some of the small towns or villages perched along the heavenly lake. Since we were pressed for time I selected three stops. Menaggio, Varrena and Bellagio. I fell in love with Menagio and considered for the three hours I was there to live in the quant town. Varrena was a stop for lunch and a stroll through the cobblestone village and then a 15 …

Interesting Finds Online – Vol 10

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Finally made it to the country for a few days, where I was shocked to see the moon, the first night. It’s funny how we take things for granted until it isn’t there anymore. In my case, due to the crazy heavy fog in San Francisco, I haven’t seen the moon since early May.  So you can imagine my amazement when I lay in bed Wednesday night and saw the moon shining across my room. Besides that fact, during the very hot hours in the day in this neck of the woods where it’s not smart to be outdoors, I got online (of course) and found these interesting topics:

Boutique Hotel Pick – Castel Fragsburg – Close to Heaven On Earth

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I love the wording on the front page of hotel Castel Fragsburg: The wild romanticism of the South Tyrolean Alps and the sensuous charm of the Mediterranean – the Fragsburg is the meeting point of two seemingly opposite worlds that blend to create an unforgettable style of life. Once I read those words, I was in. I had to click my way to finding what is considered to be as close to heaven on Earth destination wonderfully detailed on the hotel’s website. If you don’t believe me, read on: Nestled on a sun-drenched mountainside high above Merano is South Tyrol’s smallest five-star hotel. Crisp alpine air flows down from above, mingling with the glorious Mediterranean sunshine: This historic hunting lodge combines two apparently incompatible worlds into an art of fine living. And there is much more, you’ll just have to click here to read. To top it off, there are naturally photos which have certainly sealed the deal for me.  Believe me when I say, this one is on my list of luxury destinations bucket …