Quote of the week

"Oh, how sweet it is to pity the fate of an enemy who can no longer threaten us!"

Pierre Corneille

*image borrowed from here

Joie de Vivre!

A 30 minute bus ride outside of Nice there is a wonderful town called Vence in the rolling hills of the South of France. This is where the remaining part of my French family lives. I took the bus to Vence with my mom and met up with my cousin, aunt, and uncle from the states. This was the soul purpose of my trip to France, to spend time with family and visit my great, great Aunt Jany who's house sits high in the hills in Vence overlooking the surrounding cities. The town is breathtaking, a nod to simpler times, with cobblestone streets, rose gardens, and a town square with a farmer's market.

We spent the day with Jany and had a wonderful lunch with a group spanning four generations of our family. Jany is 88 and a force to be reckon with. She is amazing, still feisty, witty, and elegant all at the same time. She doesn't show any sign of slowing down, still so full of life or as my mom says "joie de vivre". It was really inspiring to spend time with her and to have a piece of family that is normally so far away.

PS-I think "joie de vivre" will be my next tattoo, written in a delicate script. A reminder that life is what you make it and the happiest people are those who live for what they love.

Home away from home

The whirlwind jet set tour of my life continues as I head back to Portland this evening. All this traveling has me a little burnt out on stale airplane air and security checks, but at least I have a nice place to rest my head. Here are a few pics of my little home away from home, the Ace hotel and the local area.

The magazine library and Internet lounge at Ace.

My super comfy bed. I am dying to buy one of these moose Portland blankets but they are like $300!

Love the detail at Ace. Look at this cute vintage inspired mailbag they use for laundry.

Custom murals in the rooms. Last time I got a wilderness theme with a little story about "the Portland gentleman".

The mini bar (I mean mini box)!

More murals. This room is so me, it even matched my luggage!

Cute car I spotted in the Pearl.

The mecca of street eats, Portland's famed food carts.

Paris, Cannes, and Nice Polaroids

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, a street flower cart in Nice, a carousel in Paris, and a plane from a carousel in Cannes.

Me and mom: Night out on the Cote d' Azure.

The beatiful buildings on the beach in Nice, Me in Paris with some rental bikes, Me and cousin Jany Jr., and Me and mom on the beach in Cannes.



Here's to vacations and life outside of an office!

European Design Inspiration & Quote of the week

(Here are a few shots I took at a home store in Paris. I just love these. )

The very air in which you live is an inspiration.

William Henry Moody

The 1st round of highlights-Paris

Well, after 3 weeks of jet setting I am back on Cali soil. I am exhausted but so glad I went to Europe with my mom. Paris was inspiring in so many ways. The food was amazing, the culture was rich, the art was impeccable, and the architecture was breath-taking. And on top of it all the people were so stylish, beautiful, and hip that they made the SF hipster look like a dork who's trying too hard. Ah, Paris, I envy you.

Here are a few of the little things I loved in Paris!

1. Crepe carts

2. Lemon and herb dressed Greek salad paired with champagne spiked with raspberry syrup

3. Fresh bake croissants and cafe

4. Random fruit stands

5. Art and history

6. Flea markets and craft fairs

7. My favorite French restaurant in Gare de Lyon, Le Europeen

(and me wearing a striped shirt to feel authentically French)

8. Outdoor cafes at night

9. Quality time with mom.

10. The Eiffel Tower

11. The left bank

12. Carousels