I heart the South of France - from Eze to Monaco.

I know what people mean when they refer to 'The South of France'; it's more than a beautiful place, it's a feeling.  I fell in love with this land of the purple bougainvillea in a heart beat.  The water is so crystal clear blue and at the end of May when we went, it was perfectly crisp.  We stayed in Eze bord du mer, but you could stay in any number of spots along the coast and be happy...overjoyed, even.  Stay in a place up in the hills if you can, so you can have that quiet away from the beach and get the best that this place has to offer.  You'll need to rent a car, which is quite expensive, but worth it; we went with Hertz from the Nice airport.  Go to Eden at Plage Mala to treat yourself for the day on a sun bed with ice cold rosé- I didn't even like rosé until this trip, but in this region of France it is magnifique!

I heart San Remo.

While vacationing in the South of France, we popped over one Sunday to Italy for lunch- crazy, I know! We headed to the seaside town of San Remo, which was only about an hour from where we were staying in France- Eze Bord Du Mer.  It was amazing to watch the scenery change almost instantaneously as we crossed the border from France to Italy.  France was more manicured, clean and ritzy, whereas in Italy there seemed to be more farmland, clothes on the line, colourful buildings in muted tones; a little rough around the edges, just the way I like it.  We parked along the coast where all the kitsch little beach clubs are set up.  It was a dark and moody day, which I think almost added to the charm. I didn't catch the name of the place with the red and orange umbrellas, but I am aspiring to one day sit up on the little rooftop and look out to the Mediterranean.  I loved the colours of all the signage and the attention to detail- wrought iron gates in the shapes of clouds, sunshine (you'll see this motif a lot along the coast of France as well) and zig zagged waves? A ziga ziga ah! Because it wasn't exactly beach weather

i heart Istanbul.

oh Istanbul, how do I love thee? let me count the ways! i love your colourful little shops, restaurants and hotels. your rooftop terraces delight, as did your sounds and smells. i love your call to prayer, evil eyes, yogurt tubs as flower pots, carpets and textiles galore. i love remembering your crooked little streets; the simple little cafes set up on skinny sidewalks and the scrappy stray kittens that tip-toed along them. i especially love that at the end of a long day exploring your neighbourhoods, my hair would smell like...roasted chestnuts. i will most definitely be back! *click through for more pretty pictures

the colours of Istanbul.

 

honestly, all you need to know is: beautiful Bosphorus b. l. u. e.

Found.

All photos: Nat Geo Found

STOP what you're doing and listen up! National Geographic have a MUST SEE tumblr full of archived images that i only just discovered today. set yourself aside some serious time to take in this magic- wow.wow.wow. 

daydream en Provence.

i'm so glad we stumbled upon this super cute, very bohemian French provencal farmhouse homestay in Provence. hanging out in this quiet little corner of the world, full of rambling wild gardens has been bliss. at least one of us has been quite content to connect with their inner little old lady; sleeping under darned french linen and such. the owners are so lovely and the breakfast is homemade and delicious- the best part is you get to enjoy it in the fresh air amongst all this natural beauty. you can stay here too at Moulin De La Croix (make sure your french is up to scratch when you arrive).