A Stroll Through Balboa Park, San Diego

February 24, 2017February 26, 2018Leave a comment

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When we visited San Diego, one of the places I was most excited to visit was Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the United States and is home to 15 museums, the San Diego zoo, and several varieties of gardens. We spent a morning at the zoo and then strolled over to the Spanish Village Art Center. The center was absolutely one of my favorite places we saw in San Diego! It is so full of color and is just so happy!

We walked further into the park to experience some of the park’s architecture. Many of Balboa Park’s buildings were built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, which was meant to celebrate and recognize San Diego’s port of call as the first stop in the United States, after a ship’s passing through the Panama Canal.

The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture is absolutely stunning and incredibly detailed. Prior to the construction of the buildings in Balboa Park, the term Spanish Colonial Revival did not exist; it was coined in San Diego and after the styles utilized on the buildings in Balboa Park. The Spanish Baroque and Islamic and Persian Moorish Revival architecture styles were the inspiration for the now iconic style of architecture which became widely-used and recognizable in the state of California.

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House of Hospitality

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Casa de Balboa

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Lunch with a view

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San Diego Museum of Man

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Botanical Building

City Eats: Churrería Laietana, Barcelona

February 10, 2017February 10, 2017Leave a comment

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I can think of few things in life which are better than stumbling upon hidden gems in a new city. Unassuming, unapologetic, old gems. Like this one. Jason and I discovered Churrería Laietana on a stroll our first morning in Barcelona. We were attempting to navigate and discover the city and almost missed out entirely. Thankfully we stumbled upon the café at just the time we both needed a morning pick-me-up, which inspired us to peruse the menu and stay. The tiny cafe featured a sparse menu and few places to sit, but what it lacked in variety and space it more than made up in taste. There was such an authenticity about the space and the feel of the churrería; watching the churros being piped, fried, drained, and covered in sugar made you feel like you were a part of the whole decadent process. We savored an order of freshly made churros with a cup of thick drinking chocolate, perfect for dipping the delicious bits of fried dough in.

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Signs of Solvang

February 4, 2017Leave a comment

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I have posted about Solvang before, here. While I was getting that post ready for the blog, I realized I should just do a separate post on the amazing signage there. As a marketing major, I am always inspired by good branding.

Many of the buildings in Solvang have façades that were modeled in the “Danish Provincial” style and exhibit the characteristic half-timbered façade. In addition, many of the signs feature windmills, a nod to the four windmills in the village.

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Cropped

January 24, 2017January 24, 2017Leave a comment

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Gap sweater, thrifted Levi’s, Kate Spade bag, German booties, Goorin Bros. fedora, Alex Woo “a” necklace, Waxing Poetic Fleur de Lis necklace, Greenwich Letterpress NYC Coffee Cup pin, & Magnolia Bakery Carrie Cupcake pin.

Although I am typically more of a skinny jeans gal, I have been wanting to try the cropped “mom jean” trend. I totally lucked out and thrifted this pair of Levi’s for $5 the other week. I wore the jeans out on a day of antiquing recently and loved how relaxed and comfortable they were. I paired them with booties for shopping, but I think they would go well with an eye-catching heel for date night.

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City Eats: Café du Monde, New Orleans

January 17, 2017January 16, 2017Leave a comment

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This time of year, I reminisce on time spent in New Orleans. Though our trips to the city have never been during Mardi Gras, we typically order a King Cake from Louisiana during the season and talk about trips past. These particular photos were taken before I even knew how to properly use my camera! Pre-Europe, pre-baby, so early in Jason’s and my marriage. It is amazing to think of all the trips we have taken since; but New Orleans is the first real place we adventured together and Café du Monde, our first foodie experience. NOLA will always hold a special place for the two of us.

Café du Monde is one of those must do experiences when visiting New Orleans. Though there are definitely other places to enjoy café au lait and beignets, Café du Monde has a storied history. Touted as ‘The Original French Market Coffee Stand,” the café has been around since 1862. The café is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The only time the café closes is on Christmas and the occasional hurricane.

Interesting to note: beignets are the state’s official doughnut.

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Travel Log: Florence, Mercado Centrale

January 10, 2017January 8, 20171 Comment

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On our last trip to Florence before moving back to the States, Jason and I spent a morning eating our way through Mercado Centrale. Packed with food and artisan stalls, Mercado Centrale is a covered market located in the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Florence. Jason and I started our trip with a cappuccino and croissant at the café located on the second floor. I loved getting our mornings in Italy started with a cappuccino and pastry, while we took in the surroundings of wherever we happened to be that day. It allowed us the chance to relax and reflect before getting full days worth of touring started.

After consuming our morning meal, we walked back downstairs to check out all of shops and stalls. There was so much fresh fruit, vegetables, pastries, and bread – and of course, pasta, wine, salamis, and fresh cheeses (like our favorite, buffalo mozzarella!!) We sampled bruschetta, cheese, and Italian cookies. We purchased cookies for consumption back in our apartment, pasta and treats to take back home to Germany, and a few gifts for friends.

We ended our morning with a flipping amazing cannoli from Savini (and may have come back and had another for breakfast on a different day) and set out to explore more of our favorite city in Europe.

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Flea Finds: Willowstone

January 3, 2017January 1, 2017Leave a comment

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Jason and I got out and visited one of our favorite antique stores with our sweet friends from Germany when they visited at the end of December. We always leave with something when we visit Willowstone. I really think that Willowstone has something for everyone and every taste.

Jason and I found a funky, beat-up Paris jug that he was able to negotiate a good price for on this trip. We also found a giant spoon for a gift and a metal tree for candles or hanging ornaments on during the holidays next year. The lanterns were great prices and are props for Addison’s first birthday party.

One of the things I love to collect are new pins for adding a splash of color to outfits. This little butterfly is so colorful and I just couldn’t pass it up. I am already looking forward to spring and have been picking things up little by little for the season.

The little American Girl Felicity book might be what I am most excited about! I read the Felicity series when I was a little girl and hope that one day Addison will read them as well. The little book has tiny Felicity paper dolls and different backgrounds on each page. So sweet! We also found some new Little People for Addy. We got her a couple of different Little People sets for Christmas, so we were excited to pick through and find Snow White and 6 dwarfs (we didn’t find Grumpy), a hippo, pilot, and a little toucan. The peacock is for our sweet niece who really loved seeing the peacocks at the zoo here.

I almost always find new books at Willowstone and this time got a couple I have been wanting for a while and then a few others. We also found a sweet little book about balloons for Addy. The illustrations are so wonderful!

The fun coffee mug shaped wall decor is going to add color to our future coffee bar project. We are looking for the perfect piece to use as the bar and haven’t found it yet, but are enjoying the hunt until we do. We’ve seen a couple of pieces that we like that were either too expensive or not exactly the right style. Honestly, the hunt for the perfect piece is usually the most fun anyway.

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Travel Log: Amsterdam

December 20, 2016December 18, 2016Leave a comment

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Jason and I visited Amsterdam toward the very end of our time in Europe and after visiting, discussed how we would have loved to have spent more time exploring The Netherlands. The people were so friendly, the food so wonderful, and the country so beautiful.

While in Amsterdam, we spent most of our time exploring the city by meandering through the small streets and over the bridges on foot. We visited during the spring and it was overcast and rainy much of the time, which only changed how moody the photos were. The city I am convinced would be beautiful and quaint no matter the weather.

Amsterdam has over 400 kilometers of bike paths alone, making it an easy and effective way of getting around the city. I really enjoyed seeing how people chose to showcase their individuality via their chosen bicycles and accessories; some used colorful spoke shapes, some unique horns, and others even faux flora.

The Netherlands is also the birthplace of one of my favorite sweet treats ever, the stroopwafel. To be honest, I am not entirely sure how I survived before discovering this delicious cookie-waffle hybrid. Apparently, stroopwafels were invented in The Netherlands during the late 18th or early 19th century by a baker who began sweetening bakery leftovers with syrup and serving them. Now, stroopwafels are made up of two small waffles cooked on a waffle iron that are then sandwiched together with caramel syrup in between.

There are so many things we miss about Europe, but discovering new places and exploring them is definitely the thing Jason and I miss most.

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City Eats: Metz, Bourguignon

December 1, 2016November 30, 2016Leave a comment

There are so many things I miss about living in Europe. Thankfully, when it comes to food, we’ve been able to find almost all of the things we loved. One thing, however, that we have not found is one of my very favorite desserts, the Mont Blanc.

Jason and I loved visiting Metz, France. We loved Saint-Étienne de Metz, the cathedral in the city, with all its stained glass. We loved seeing all the freshly baked bread sold on the streets. We loved the bustle of the shopping downtown. Perhaps most of all, we loved Bourguignon.

Bourguignon drew us in initially with their gorgeous vitrines. Pâtisseries use vitrines, or glass display cases, to showcase their most gorgeous and intricate pastries and cakes. The Mont Blanc is by far my favorite French pastry. The Mont Blanc is named after the highest mountain in the Alps, as the pastry resembles a snow-capped mountain. The dessert is made of sweetened chestnut puree, meringue, and topped with whipped cream. Though the Mont Blanc was my favorite pastry, everything Bourguignon made looked and tasted delicious. I’m dreaming of the day we can get back to Metz and to Bourguignon.

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

November 22, 2016Leave a comment

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We are slowly checking things off of our Colorado Adventure List. We made it over to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings this fall on the most gorgeous day! The weather was perfect, plants were in bloom, and I enjoyed so much bringing out my ‘good camera,’ and shooting away.

The Manitou Cliff Dwellings are Anasazi Ruins that are between 800 and 1000 years old and were moved from McElmo Canyon, in Southwest Colorado near Mesa Verde. The ruins were moved in the early 1900s in an effort to preserve and protect them.

We were able to enter into parts of the ruins to explore and learn more about how the Anasazi people lived. We also visited the on-site museum which allows you to learn more about the daily life, see artifacts, and view exhibits on the Anasazi.

Colorado is full of so much history and I love that we will be able to experience it and teach Addison about so many different people, places, and things while living here.

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