I love Paris in the Springtime!

I’ll think of this magical week in Paris, when tulips were in bloom and there was beauty at every turn, to help me through this bleak Spring Break. Thinking of everyone in Paris who can’t enjoy their beautiful city during this blossoming time of year.

Traintracks and Truffles

PARIS! In late March a girlfriend and I escaped to this beautiful city when our hometown of Edmonton was still covered in snow. Spring was in full bloom and we spent over a week pretending to be Parisians living in my dream apartment in the Marais. Six years ago, Lindsey and I spent six weeks traveling through Europe together and Paris was actually the first city we visited, so it was very special to be able to return with her. I couldn’t have asked to share Paris with anyone else as she appreciated every small bite Paris has to offer and was willing to trek across the city with me to find (fill in the blank) say the perfect macaron.

There was so much beauty to take in, and we spent the week ooing and awwing at Paris’s many marvels and snapping Hipstamatic photos at every turn. Highlights include:…

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Holbox Island – Casa Sandra

Some photos from Holbox Island staying at the wonderfully bohemian yet chic boutique hotel Casa Sandra. We found this hotel on the Mr & Mrs Smith site that handpicks boutique hotels around the world. Owned by a Cuban artist, there isn’t a detail left out from the carefully placed art books to the owner’s own art thoughtfully placed around the property. We stayed in a huge corner ocean-view room of the main building above the restaurant and had a large balcony to enjoy morning coffees and the sounds of the singing birds, swaying palm trees and strong waves of the Gulf of Mexico.

This was definitely a pricier trip than I’m used to, as I usually stay in airbnb finds instead of hotels but we decided to splurge as we only had one week in Mexico and hadn’t seen each other in five months – yes long distance relationships are not easy or cheap. We stayed only 3 nights before heading to El Dorado Seaside in the Riviera Maya which was my first time at an all-inclusive resort. I won’t talk about my dislike of all-inclusives here, but we did enjoy our excursions in the area, one to the Tulum ruins, and the other to Xel-Ha park where we got to swim with dolphins and enjoy the park’s many other water-based activities. Needless to say, this island had a much different feel than tourist Mexico. There are maybe two or three tourist shops on the whole island and no one harasses you. It’s small enough to walk around by foot, barefoot if you like, and remote enough that the mode of transportation is not cars, but golf carts, but even though it is so small and remote, it still has great dining options. The best restaurant on the island is El Chapulim, where there’s no set menu and the chef comes to your table and tells you about the three or four daily specials. Most of the dishes are fresh catches of the day with amazing sides. By far the best meal we had on the island but we didn’t have a bad meal the whole time, even the cheap lobster at a little set-up on the beach with plastic beach chairs was delicious. Another memorable meal was our first night at Casa Sandra. We arrived quite late and got to join in for the end of their weekly Cuban Night. Some photos of our Cuban meal in Mexico can be found at the end of the photo gallery.

I’m sure many of you are much more experienced Mexico travelers, but I’m happy to have been able to experience some of non-tourist Mexico and if you find yourself in the area, Holbox might just surprise you.

Next trip will be Provence and Mallorca this July, so stay tuned! I will be having a photographer’s feast in Provence and will finally fulfill my dream of seeing lavender fields in Provence even though I’ve been to Arles many years before on my first trip to Europe in 2006, but was vehicle-less, not to mention Cannes a few summers before, also vehicle-less. I guess I’ve finally grown up and rent cars on vacations.

Follow me on Instagram: @dstabel

*** To get to and from the island we used Holbox Adventure owned by Jesús Pech, and were very pleased. Return transportation from Cancun airport, including the 2, 2.5 hour journey plus a 20 minute ferry ride and the golf cart that picks you up from the port and delivers you to the hotel, cost $288 US. I won’t forget arriving at Casa Sandra late at night and viewing the beautiful stars from our view on the back of the golf cart. You’ll truly feel you’re away from it all.

El Chapulim

Finding a Farm Paradise in Cornwall

Cornwall. I really can’t believe this place is in England. It’s like going to the beach and the farm all at the same time. My boyfriend & I ended up here one weekend this past July to escape crowded London. His old boss lives out here with her husband and daughter and they now run a small bed & breakfast on their beautiful property in Sancreed, near Penzance. Jutta & David Brown tore down an old cow shed and rebuilt a stone replica that sits on their property so you have your own little home for 70 pounds a night. We arrived late on Friday evening, and the following morning were woken by roosters and not long after sounds of chickens and sheep also were thrown into the cacophony. I looked out the window and saw stunning wild hydrangeas and I thought that I must be looking at a painting.

The trip was far too short, we could have stayed at least a week in this rural paradise. Though in a foreign country, it felt unexpectedly familiar because the sound of sheep waking me up in the mornings reminded me of my childhood, living on 6 acres of land. Jackson too grew up in much different surroundings than London, in a small town in New Zealand so the sound of sheep was also not entirely foreign to him. He also loves horses, hence why he looks like the happiest man on earth in the photos with the horses.

For breakfast Jutta & David left us a fresh loaf of bread, baked by a friend of theirs, eggs from our backyard chickens, and Rodda’s milk, Cornwall’s famous milk – although Cornwallers claim all of their products are the best in Britain! They just might be right. I could have easily just stayed on this property for the full weekend, but there are too many inviting seaside villages and towns and gorgeous beaches to explore. Sennen looks far more like a typical seaside town and is incredibly picturesque and charming but if you visit Porthchapel or Porthcurno beaches you’ll truly think you’re in the Mediterranean. The only difference of course is that the water is freezing, and I mean freezing, cold as it is the Atlantic Ocean after all. But we had gorgeous weather and could still enjoy the beach, but chose to mostly stay out of the water.

We loved everything about Cornwall. Well everything except getting there. I’d recommend taking the overnight sleeper train from Paddington (London) into Penzance and renting a car from there. It took about 6 hours to drive from London and it was my first time driving on “the other side of the road” so needless to say it was quite the adventure. We had an agreement that I do the highway driving while Jackson did the rural driving as I almost caused a potentially serious accident by failing to yield at a roundabout. I now know what the term “give way” means. Jackson now knows to translate this to “yield” for me. I also kept drifting into the other lane as I’m used to the passenger side being on my right and not my left. “Hug the right” was repeated by Jackson too many times. Another phrase that’s he’s since learned to translate for me.

Cornwall, you might just be my retirement plan. But first you’ll have to compete with Provence.

Cornwall’s famous Rodda’s milk.

Our mini home for the weekend.

We had our own private eating area.

Jutta & David’s house.

Daily breakfast. Doesn’t look like much, but it was delicious. I didn’t know eggs could taste like this.

Scene in our backyard.

Sennen

Sennen

Played around with different Hipstamatic filters and can never choose which ones to include.

Surfers braving the cold waters at Sennen Cove.

Typical pub meal.

Porthchapel Beach

Another view of Jutta & David’s beautiful house.

Small parish and cemetery next door to Jutta & David’s.

These hydrangeas were really this colour.

You know you’re in Britain when…

The walk down to Portcurno Beach.

View from Minack Theatre, that can be accessed by a steep climb up from the beach.

View from Minack Theatre.

Livin’ the high life in NYC.

Autumn in New York City. This has always been a dream of mine. Having only been here during the hot, humid summers, I was excited to experience it during a cooler season. This time I stayed on the Lower East Side, in another airbnb find. We were right on the edge of Chinatown so there was always much to observe. Such a great week, but highlights included the 1.6 km long, old freight train track now Highline Park (combined with the foodie paradise Chelsea Market), treks out to nearby Brooklyn, my always favourite Bryant Park tucked behind another favourite the NY Public Library in Midtown, the magnificent Empire State building, and of course theatre, which is what first brought me here almost exactly 10 years ago. I was 21 and booked a trip to NYC to watch musicals, 8 in 10 days! Though The Lion King was impressive, I was touched by the much smaller production of 2012 Tony Award-winning Once, in which you can share a drink on stage with the actors, who also double as the show’s musicians, before the show. But one thing: Jimmy Fallon, we never got to see you, even though we spent basically a day waiting in lines. We still love you but when we come back we expect front row tickets. Deal?

One of my favourite places in NYC, Bryant Park in midtown, tucked behind the New York Public Library.

One of my favourite places in NYC, Bryant Park in midtown, tucked behind the New York Public Library.

“Lunch” in Bryant Park.

Lombardi’s: A NYC pizza institution.

Night out in Brooklyn. Patrizia’s Pizza & Pasta. Recommended by a Brooklyn cop we approached on the street. Not the best meal of my life, but such a fun atmosphere and evening.

An early Happy Birthday.

Eldridge Avenue, our street for the week.

Home Espresso Bar – best coffee in the Lower East Side.

LES

Walking through Soho.

Soho building.

Theatre District.

Wedding in Central Park.

Momofuku Noodle Bar.

fruity cereal (fruity flakes) & marshmallow cookie from Momofuku. Possibly best thing I tasted in NYC. I even tried recreating it: http://aperiodictableblog.com/?p=1273

One more for the road…

Sunday morning skyline from Williamsburg.

Brooklyn Flea.

Canal Street.

Highline Park. Google this. Go here. Amazingness. An old freight train track that’s now a one-mile long “park in the sky.”

Chelsea Market.

Enjoying a coffee roasted from Brooklyn’s Blue Bottle. There’s a booth on the park above the Chelsea Market.

One lobster before heading to the airport.

Ruins can be beautiful.

“I look at the Augusteum, and I think that perhaps my life has not actually been so chaotic, after all. It is merely this world that is chaotic, bringing changes to us all that nobody could have anticipated. The Augusteum warns me not to get attached to any obsolete ideas about who I am, what I represent, whom I belong to, or what function I may once have intended to serve. Yesterday I might have been a glorious monument to somebody, true enough–but tomorrow I could be a fireworks depository. Even in the Eternal City, says the silent Augusteum, one must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation.”

Photos shot with Hipstamatic app for iPhone. Jane lens. Sussex film.

Pont Sant’Angelo leading to Castel Sant’Angelo.

Ancient gates to the city.

Tonnarelli cacio e pepe from @Felice e Testaccio.

Isola Tiberina

Tazza d’Oro

Granita con panna from Tazza d’Oro. Iced espresso topped with whipped cream.

Piazza Navona

Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona.

Lunch at Cul de Sac.

Campo de’Fiori

Pizza from Ghiotonni!! in Trastevere.

View from room in B&B, Un Posto a Roma.

Pantheon

Stuffed zucchini flowers from Armando al Pantheon.

Bucatina all’amatriciana from Armando al Pantheon.

Amazing tuna salad from Ginger Sapori e salute near Park Borghese.

Sometimes I felt like I was in horror movie with tourists. This is Rome. And it’s hot. Like really hot.

Il Caffé Sant’Eustacchio

Just outside my B&B, https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/1055493?locale=en

Cul de Sac

Amazing first meal in Rome at Cul de Sac. Came here regularly as it was a short walk from the B&B.

I was in Rome seven years ago as part of a larger Europe trip that involved a few weeks in Italy, and this year I was drawn back to the Eternal City (perhaps after watching Roman Holiday a few too many times). It’s a charming city, but I’d be lying if I said I loved my time in Rome, a week was too long in the crowds, traffic and heat, but the food is amazing, and seeing the iconic sites and walking through the ancient streets, especially at night, is undeniably thrilling. More than once I was rerouted through the streets by a film crew filming. I’ve always loved what Elizabeth Gilbert had to say about Rome and the Augusteum. (I know the world isn’t short on Eat, Pray, Love references, but what she wrote has always resonated with me). The Augusteum was built by Rome’s first true emperor, Octavian Augustus, to house his remains and though it was once a shining monument, it’s now gated off and closed off to the public after years of basically being ignored. The quote above the photos is from the book and the following is the adapted translation found in the film version. It’s part of a longer letter she writes to David:

Dear David,

…a friend took me to the most amazing place the other day its called, The Augustium. Octavian Augustus built it to house his remains. When the Barbarians came they trashed it along with everything else. The Great Augustus Rome’s first true great emperor. How could he have imagined that Rome, the whole world as far as he was concerned, would one day be in ruins. It’s one of the quietest and loneliest places in Rome. The city has grown up around it over centuries. Feels like a precious wound, like a heartbreak you won’t let go of cause it hurts too good. We all want things to stay the same David. Settle for living in misery because we’re afraid of change. Of things crumbling to ruins. Then I looked around in this place at the chaos its endured. The way its been adapted, burned, pillaged, and found a way to build itself back up again…and I was reassured. Maybe my life hasn’t been so chaotic, it’s just the world that is. And the only real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation. Even in this eternal city. The Augustium showed me that we must always be prepared for endless waves of transformation.

Back in Berlin

Berlin. I already posted on this amazingly cool city last year when I was there with a few close girlfriends. I was lucky to return again this summer and stayed in another great airbnb find – this time not on Oderberger Straße, but just across the park on Gleimstraße, yet another street full of randomly placed patio dining that for me makes up much of Berlin’s greatness. Not as pastel and picturesque as Oderberger, but charming in a slightly grittier way. I spent just over a week, walking and riding my rented bicycle around, taking in the sun and stopping for many coffees, croissants and beers along the way.

Photos shot with Hipstamatic app for iPhone. Jane lens. Dylan film.

Such a dog friendly city.

Cafe seating made out of hay bails? Only in Berlin.

Cafe Engelberg. No German movie star sightings this time, but I spent many lazy mornings, afternoons here.

Berlin zoo in Zoogarten.

Cafe Slörm

Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauerberg: an old brewery that’s now a 25,000 m2 multi-functional arts facility.

Ahhh Oderberger Straße: my favourite street in the world.

Museuminsel. Before a visit to the New Museum to view the busk of Nefertiti.

Strandbar Mitte: one of Berlin’s many, many beach bars.

Ever since I was a child, I couldn’t resist Häagen-Dazs. I stopped at this one a few steps away from the Brandenburger Tor.

Oderquelle

Cafe Krone

Bearpit Karaoke in Mauerpark. Every Sunday afternoon visitors from the massive flea market come here to cheer on wannabe karaoke stars. This particular man was serenading an audience member with Frank Sinatra’s My Way.

Mauerpark

Freischwimmer, a house boat now restaurant.

Right next door to the Freischwimmer in Kreuzberg is the Badeschiff. Google this. I couldn’t take any photos inside, but it’s a floating public swimming pool, made out of the hull of an old shipping vessel, that sits on the Spree River. Amazing views and vibe.

Last meal in Berlin. Brunch at Spreegeld. Pancakes with fried bananas, bacon and fruit.

Cannes

Cannes, France. The original plan was London then Ireland, but when I got a phone call from my summer travel partner Jennifer, telling me that her aunt has a vacation property that we could stay for free in the French Riviera, I thought Ireland could wait – as images of us partying at a swanky beach bar with Leonardo Dicaprio and George Clooney flashed in my head. As always trips never work out the way you anticipate and it turned out that any Leos or Georges we would meet weren’t movie stars but seniors (perhaps former silent film stars) in the senior’s apartment complex we stayed. And how would we have known that our favourite person we’d meet in Cannes was an 80-something tarot-reading lady named Ariette whose incredibly wise words and beautiful spirit touched our souls in ways we’ll never forget. We met her upon arrival as we were having troubles getting the key Jen’s aunt had sent to open up the door to our apartment. After a few failed attempts describing our situation in my terribly broken French we were directed to her as she was the building’s token English speaker and she explained our predicament to the building’s gardien. To thank her for helping us not be homeless in Cannes, we brought her flowers a few days later and a bond was formed. We spent hours sitting in Ariette’s living room trying not to weep, and failing, as she shared with us wisdom from her many years and told us about losing her only son at age 21 due to a heart defect. Probably the two most important things I learned from her is to “not ever let others bring you down, you should always be moving up.” Basically you should be who you are and not let others hold you back from being the person you want to be. (She also warned us to never marry an Italian man as they are cheaters – she’d been married to two. She told us to stick to the Brits. We shook our heads like what she was saying was straight from the maker herself. You want me to marry a man named Benedict? Yes Ariette, I will). And of course we learned not to wait to pursue the life you really want, as life and age will limit you. We all know this of course, but seeing this crippled lady whose mind was completely young but whose body has failed her really knocks some reality into you.

So aside from our time with Ariette, Cannes was a bit isolating, extremely expensive and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t experience our share of French directness (or rudeness), but the beaches were sandy, clean and beautiful and we spent our afternoons lying in the sun, combatting our jetlag. And a few day trips, one to the beautiful Île Sainte-Marguerite (a small island half a mile from Cannes) and one to the charming town of Antibes, were definitely worth the trip. Nice is also a short train ride away, but I’d already been years ago. Definitely worth a visit though. On my next trip to the south of France though, I’ll head up slightly north to the Apt area of Provence or on the coast closer to Spain.

Photos shot by Hipstamatic app for iPhone. I played around with some different combos, but mostly used Watts lens and DC film and my standard food combo, Loftus lens and DC film.

Beautiful Antibes.

Île Sainte-Marguerite, a half mile away from Cannes via boat, is a eucalyptus and pine tree paradise (in contrast to the palm tree-lined sandy shores of Cannes made famous for holding the Man in the Iron Mask in the 17th century.

Decadent Fête at Duchess Bake Shoppe

Is there a better way to spend a Sunday morning, and part of the afternoon, then at Duchess Bake Shoppe in the company of good friends celebrating a milestone birthday and indulging in the following works of edible art? If you live in Edmonton and haven’t yet been to Duchess, do yourself a favour and treat yourself. May I recommend the salted caramel macaron? I never leave without one.

I love Paris in the Springtime!

PARIS! In late March a girlfriend and I escaped to this beautiful city when our hometown of Edmonton was still covered in snow. Spring was in full bloom and we spent over a week pretending to be Parisians living in my dream apartment in the Marais. Six years ago, Lindsey and I spent six weeks traveling through Europe together and Paris was actually the first city we visited, so it was very special to be able to return with her. I couldn’t have asked to share Paris with anyone else as she appreciated every small bite Paris has to offer and was willing to trek across the city with me to find (fill in the blank) say the perfect macaron.

There was so much beauty to take in, and we spent the week ooing and awwing at Paris’s many marvels and snapping Hipstamatic photos at every turn. Highlights include: basking in the sun at the breathtaking Luxembourg Gardens, eating still warm croissants from our neighbourhood bakery, Le Moulin de Rosa, browsing for books at Shakespeare and Company, taking champagne breaks while window shopping at Galeries Lafayatte, and people watching from various cafes. We even managed to take a day trip to Reims, the capital of Champagne, and visit the house of Ruinart.

Photos shot with Hipstamatic app for iPhone. Loftus lens. DC film.

London, thou art the flower of cities all.

London. How have I never been here before? After a week in Berlin, H & I flew over to visit some of her friends and to take in the last few days of the Olympics. Our week was full of amazing sights, experiences and people, such as: Olympic events (rhythmic gymnastics!), Eaton Mess (meringue with ice cream and strawberries), near Colin Firth run-ins in Notting Hill (or so I’d like to think), a private guided tour courtesy of  Hessen’s friends, J & K, of the British Museum (cat mummies!), a free Mr. Brainwash (or is it Bansky?) exhibit, evenings lying in parks overlooking the city, and too many pints at pubs to count. There was more than one day I had a pint before coffee. The pubs oh the pubs. How I miss thee. And the bakeries. London surprised me in many ways. It’s a massive city with a massive amount of things to see and do, while still keeping a residential feel depending on what district you’re in.

Sadly, on my last day of my first week in London, I had my iPhone stolen, along with all of my photos and videos from my summer travels thus far, by a hooded man on a rented Barclay’s bike in Notting Hill. He actually grabbed it from right out of my hand while I was standing on a street corner. The story is a long one, but involves a vigilante taxi driver, some of the nicest police officers I’ve ever encountered, and some James Bond-looking detectives. Thanks to the iPhone tracker they actually arrested the guy a few hours later, but unfortunately didn’t rescue my phone. There’s been some justice in it all though, as I just recently heard that he’s being charged and will have to face a judge as enough evidence was compiled. These shots are ones I took when I was back in London on my own at the end of August after I had bought a new phone. My last day in London was spent at the Notting Hill festival, biggest street festival in Europe. Let’s just say that I underestimated the crowd. Here’s how the day went. I got trapped in a crowd and almost trampled, had a near panic attack, I find a police officer (London police officers are so nice!) who takes me into a pub and gets me a water, I meet new friends who are also having near panic attacks, the pub owner kicks us out, crowd clears out and we end up at a swanky Notting Hill bar partying the afternoon and evening away. From rags to riches in only a few hours.