Connecticut Wine Trail

I spent the weekend participating in bachelorette festivities with my some of closest friends from high school. Alyson, that gorgeous woman in blue up there, is getting married this October, so we celebrated with dresses and plentiful wine-consumption at an assortment of vineyards in southern coastal Connecticut. I myself did not sample more than a sip or two of a delicious crisp white (ahem, pregnant), but let me tell you, the creamy camembert cheese wrapped in puff pastry and served with salted caramel sauce and poached apples & pears was divine!

For those interested, we went to Chamard Vineyard and Gouveia Vineyard: I'd highly recommend both, although Chamard gains a few bonus points for the gourmet menu, engaging staff, friendly dog visitors and live music.

Cape Cod // July 2015

Lobster for lunch; sunset beach walks; ferry rides to Martha's Vineyard; fireworks; family dinners; hammock lounging; daily ice cream cones; lightening bugs & American flags; beach volleyball; shell collecting; tube-floating in the bay; sunburns & salty hair; drag queens in Provincetown; cranberry-scented soap; burgers, seafood & summer squash on the grill; and buying baby girl's first tiny t-shirt from the General Store...these are a few of my favorite things.

"All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea -- whether to sail or to watch it -- we are going back to where we came from." 

-John F. Kennedy

Barcelona: A Photo Journal

Ah, Barcelona. It's only taken me nine months to get these up. I'm finally motivated to make a printed album of our travel photos from last summer, so voila! At the bottom of the post, I'll include a short list of recommendations. We were in Barcelona for 5 days in June and it was about as close to perfect as you can get. I never expected to feel so inspired by Spain, but something about the colors, the food, the people, the architecture...I could go on and on. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Can't miss sites:

Park Guell (previously blogged here);
Sagrada Família (buy tickets to climb to the top. The views are totally worth it);
The views, live music & evening light shows at Magic Fountain of Montujuic;
La Rambla;
Poble Espanyol (a beautiful open-air museum and village);
La Boquería (the JUICES!);
The Gothic Quarter;
Paella & seafood at a beachside restaurant in Barceloneta (we tried several, but especially loved Can Majo;
Tapas & Sangria anywhere outdoors. :)

There was so much to see and do just by strolling and getting lost. One of my favorite afternoons involved Tiho and I wandering around the Gothic Quarter together, popping in and out of tiny boutiques and cafés. I don't typically buy much in the way of souvenirs while traveling but I couldn't resist purchasing a set of beautiful cobalt blue bowls from a local pottery shop. We've used them almost every day for the past year.

We rented a three-bedroom apartment through Airbnb because we were meeting up with Tiho's parents, brother and his brother's girlfriend. Our apartment came equipped with a kitchen, balcony and laundry and was conveniently located on a side street off La Rambla and walking distance (literally, one block) to La Boquería. I loved this location because of how accessible it was to so many different areas of the city, including the water.

Barcelona, you were so good to us. Until next time!

P.S. Iceland, London, and Paris.

[Photos: June 2014 // Barcelona, Spain]

A Paris Daydream

The annual photo-sorting event where I reminisce about the passing of yet another year and scramble to share memories that never made it to the ole' blog.

Paris was certainly a highlight. Here's to more adventuring in 2015. (And maybe more blogging? I think I forgot how to blog).

[Photos: June 2014 // Paris, France]