The five-star luxury hotel Villa Cora in Florence is a perfect boutique hotel I see as the setting for my next novel…or simply a place I can dream about a story. The perfect Byzantine-Florentine decor and setting in one of my most cherished ancient cities – Florence.
As I said before I always end my European vacation in France. Sometimes somewhere in the French Riviera or up north to my most beloved Paris. While in either location, I’ve often pointed out to my hubs the facade of buildings covered and under renovation, admiring the efforts the French make in keeping the neighborhood aesthetically pleasing no matter all the work involved in their renovation projects or even not so much behind the facade. This sort of art – facade painting – I adore and certainly felt the need to share. See the before and after pics here.
I do love history, especially since the information learned helps cope with today’s troubling-troublesome-troubled world. The most important lessons are those detailing that no matter how advanced civilization is, humanity acts the same when faced with issues that threaten its very existence. Sad but true. And that’s all I am going to say about this topic. Except if you happen to be one who appreciates history as much as I do, then by all means this travel article is for you.
Past the London Eye there is this place, or rather, there are these places worth a trip, especially if you’ve been to London and the areas more than once, sightseeing the same – the likes of the Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and even the wax museum of sorts. The discovery begin right… {The source of all photos and article here}
Finally I am back in the city, and even though driving into town I rolled my eyes the second I got a glimpse of the fog and the dreariness, I have to say I couldn’t be happier to be back to some normality. I don’t mind the getaways, but lately I’ve found myself restless while I am away too long, missing the home cooked meals, and the order of things, and even how my skin and hair feels when I make an effort in my daily life, never mind all things writing I do best when I am in my comfort zone at home. Anyway, to cheer my up (I smile) I got online and searched for all things Europe. And here’s what I found interesting:
There are those who understand Paris in the same way that I do. I know you are out there. 🙂 But just in case… For years the hubs had trouble understanding my love for this wonderful city – not so much the romantic aspect of it. But because of the fact, Paris stands for everything a creative mind needs to feel inspired, and from that infuse, be able to create the most magical of things, tapping into emotions within us that we often times have trouble seeing or not see… intentionally. And so I spend a lot of time in my day, researching for all things Paris that I find inspiring and this time around, I discovered Hotel Panache – the decor alone says it all…
Ever since Alice in Wonderland, I’ve imagined all of my travels to be magical, or at least to magical destinations. And although I consider Italy very magical, these places according to BBC Travel take the cake. Unless you can share with us places not mentioned here, worth a mention right here at rawsilkandsaffron.
As a girl in my teens, and later in my twenties, I have to say I was pretty self-conscious about the way I looked, and behaved, admiring mostly actors and models for their beauty, elegance and sense of style. Without realizing at the time, that sort of thing was mostly an image relayed through photography. The real beautiful or elegant women having a sense of style roamed the streets of Europe mostly. It’s in the last decade or so I realized that beauty truly comes from within. Because if you have a beautiful outlook on life, it will show it on your face and in the way you carry yourself. Elegance and sense of style is easily learned, and managed I feel, and most any body interested in betting themselves, can obtain such stature. So, here’s a game I play with friends, sometimes over dinner or a walk in the park. The question we pose to one another is what do you think about this or that person in fashion, certain sophistication or sexy simplicity …
My head is always in the clouds, in a good way, when planning a trip to Europe. And while I work on a draft of where I want to go this year, I stumbled upon this gem since I’ve always wanted to add Lake Garda to my trips to Italy but haven’t had the time. Since this year’s trip is more of a relaxation type rather than sight seeing, 2 nights, three days at the Gran Hotel A Villa Feltrinelli is going to be a must. I’ll let their beautiful online marketing do the talking:
I welcome all visionaries who posses the skill to be forward thinkers – taking a risk to create something out of the norm, unique and unexpected. To leave their mark on society for decades to come. An example is the architect behind the San Francisco MoMA Museum which for the past 3 years has been going through a major renovation, one I have gladly monitored the progress for the past 36 months. I’m serious – I actually walked by the construction zone daily to see it taking shape. And now, the grand opening on May 14, which I am invited to attend. In the meantime, you can read all about MoMA here, and see the photographs I’ve taken (not the aerial) just in case you are as nuts about architecture as I am: I am also excited to report that since this marvel is complete, I am going to shift my focus on the renovation of the convention center/Moscone center just across the street from MoMa. {photo credit of aerial view}
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