More from Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino

The Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino and Bolivarian Museum is a tranquil oasis in the midst of bustling Santa Marta, Colombia, and a place I would recommend to any visitor. The other day I discussed the older portion of the Quinta, but I would like to take some time to examine the newer part as well.

Above you can see the building that houses the "Country's Altar" located at the end of the Flags Square at the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino. Constructed in 1930, it is the most recent addition to the property and definitely in better shape than the original villa.

Housed within the surrounding marble structures (which were constructed even more recently) is the Bolivarian Museum of Contemporary Art, which has a fine collection of art from all around Latin America. Most of the art has a "Bolivarian" theme and is related to themes of the Spanish conquest, or liberation from colonial rule.

In case you are wondering, the ants you can see on the outside of the building were part of an art installation--not a permanent aspect of the structure! (I accidentally stumbled into a storage room filled with paper-mache ants--kind of creepy! I really don't like bugs--even giant paper bugs!).

Here we can see the top portion of the "Country's Altar," which depicts the ideals on which Colombia was built. Simón Bolívar is shown at the top. The other figures represent justice (left) and work (right).


Another view of the courtyard.



The mural below was painted in 1998 and is located on a wall just outside the courtyard. It depicts various scenes from the life of Simon Bolivar. The mural is probably almost 100 feet wide and recounts numerous episodes from Bolivar's action-packed life. Here we can see the Liberator (seated on horseback) fighting bravely against the Spanish.



All of the countries that were liberated (or partially liberated) by Bolivar donated plaques to commemorate the construction of this monument. Here's a picture of Peru's donation (and of me with Aunt Carmen!).



I really loved seeing all the beautiful colonial architecture at the Quinta, but this newer part was beautiful as well. You could really tell that Santa Marta has invested a lot in making the Quinta de San Pedro a great tourist attraction. Our guide told us that the city of Santa Marta regularly holds benefits and other charity events in the museum and on the grounds. There is definitely a sense of "living history" here!

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta

One of the highlights of our trip to Colombia was seeing the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta (a quinta is sort of a big farm in Spanish). The villa is the site where Simón Bolívar--known in Colombia as the Liberator--lived out his last days. For those of you who are not familiar with Bolívar, he holds a place in Colombian history somewhat akin to George Washington in the United States. The home is actually known as the "Sanctuary of the Motherland," and it has been well-preserved--by Colombian standards. The site is a gem that contains numerous artifacts from Bolívar's time and is definitely a must-see.


A shot of the family at the Villa. From left to right: My Father-in-Law, Fabio, Aunt Carmen, Me and Javier

The original building dates back to the 17th century. Since it was the last place Simón Bolívar lived, it has historical significance for the modern nations he liberated from Spain--Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. The main house is a Bolivarian museum that is worth seeing, though the preservation of many of the items is depressing (as a historian I wanted to cry when I saw such valuable original artifacts left to rot in the tropical heat and humidity).

A shot of the interior courtyard


The estate also houses a sugar mill, which has been more or less dismantled, although the outside of the structure is still lovely. One wonders why the government hasn't provided any funding for a proper restoration of the property, but then, this is Colombia we are talking about after all.



San Pedro Alejandrino Villa is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Be sure to get a guide! Our guide, Manuel, was amazing--he knew all about the history of the villa and gave us lots of time to take pictures, which is always a plus. Overall I was really impressed, despite my disappointment with the museum's lack of attention to historical preservation. Oh well, you can't have everything!

Reminder to Submit Art History Articles

I'm back in Canada! I arrived home on Friday after a long week of replacing my documents. The whole experience was pretty awful, but I guess I'm greatful that the theft happened close enough to my mom's house that I was able to get copies of my birth certificate, etc., so that I could renew my passport. I can't even imagine how hard it would have been if I'd had my passport stolen in a foreign country!

I took it easy this weekend because I was still pretty tired. This afternoon I suddenly realised why I've been feeling a little travel-weary...my husband reminded me that I've been traveling pretty much non-stop since May!

We saw so many amazing things on our trip to Colombia, and in the days and weeks to come, I hope to write several more articles about our travels. I will also be publishing the next edition of The Art History Carnival on August 1st (I was too busy to do an issue this month!). Please submit your blog article for the next edition of the Art History Carnival using our carnival submission form. For more info on submission guidelines, visit this post about the carnival, or check out the first issue of the art history carnival.

I've received a lot of great art history articles already and I look forward to seeing more!


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art history carnival, blog carnival.

Back from Colombia!

My visit to Colombia was such an amazing experience. I was so impressed by the kindness of the people we met while we were there! The fruit was probably the other thing that really wowed me--they have so many different varieties and they are all so delicious and so different!

Javier and I left Colombia on July 4th! Afterwards we spent a couple of lovely days in Miami (my first time in that city). Right now I'm staying with my mom for a few days before heading home to Canada. Washington is so beautiful right now--the weather is amazing (at least for today!).

The photo of the Colombian flag was taken by my husband at the Castillo de San Felipe in Cartagena. I'll tell you more about our visit there later this week!

Playa Blanca, near Rodadero in Santa Marta

The boat trip from Rodadero to La Playa Blanca (the white beach)


Santa Marta rests on Colombia's Caribbean coast and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia, along with Cartagena.

We are actually staying in the small resort town of Rodadero, which is just a few minutes away from Santa Marta. Rodadero is well known for its beach, which is described in tourist literature as "white," which is quite a stretch of the imagination. The sand is grey and rather dirty, but it's conveniently located next to the resorts that line the beach. It's great for sunbathing and taking in the local colour (and eating a wide variety of amazing tropical treats--there are people that march up and down the beach all day selling fruit, drinks, beer (yes, you can swim and drink here in Colombia--though I would not recommend it), massages, hair braiding and the like.

If swimming is what you are into, take the time to go hire a boat to take you to Playa Blanca "white beach" for about 5 dollars (less if you are with a group). No need to reserve a boat ahead of time. If you walk anywhere on the beach in Rodadero, there are dozens of boatmen that will offer to take you to Playa Blanca, which is located on the right hand side of the bay. Or, if you prefer to walk in the sweltering heat, there is a path that will get you to the beach in a half an hour or so (in my opinion, the 5 bucks is well worth it, unless you have a bike).

One of the houses we spied on the way to Playa Blanca



Playa Blanca is much more low key than El Rodadero, although there are still plenty of services available to tourists. You can go snorkeling for hours for 8 dollars (which includes a lesson and transport to the reef). If you have goggles, take them to the beach, even if you aren't snorkeling! You'll want to take a look at some of the beautiful fish under the water.

Once you're tired swimming, there are vendors everywhere along the little beach that will be happy to sell you water, juice or a beer. In addition, there are four restaurants on the tiny beach.

Colombia: First Impressions

I arrived in Baranquilla, Colombia last Thursday after a long flight. One of the first things that struck me was how nice the airport was! It was something I wasn't expecting. (My brother in law later told me that 80% of Colombians have never been on a plane, which helps explain why the airports have such a luxurious atmosphere, but more on that later).

After going through customs (a breeze) and border security (a bit of a pain--they rifle through all of your belongings, but I suppose it's necessary, though I'm not sure exactly what they think I might bring INTO Colombia) we emerged from the air conditioned airport and into the sweltering heat, which was a little bit overwhelming at first (it must have been close to a hundred degrees, and very humid). We met Javier's brother Fabio and his father (also Fabio) at the airport--it was so nice to finally meet them!).

From the airport we could see a bit more of the city of Baranquilla, which like the rest of Colombia, is a city full of contrasts, though the difference between rich and poor is the most striking. Immeadiately outside the airport are rows and rows of extremely meagre dwellings--roofs with the suggestion of walls. The owners sit or stand outside, attempting to sell fruit or souveniers to tourists. One thing I must say is that street vendors here are MUCH less pushy than I've seen in other parts of the world (Paris, for example). All you need to do is say "thanks" and move on. They won't bother you (as a side note though, if you're in a car, it's best to ignore them!).

The ride from Baranquilla to Santa Marta was extremely beautiful at times, and rather depressing at other times. There are a lot of invasiones--what we might call shanty towns--on the hour long drive to Santa Marta. The poverty is extreme, although I was relived to learn that there are schools for all of the kids you can see in these poor neighbourhoods. On the brighter side, we also saw lots of beautiful tropical trees and flowers from the road. The topography was so interesting, and it's amazing how much the land can change during a one hour drive (Baranquilla was humid and more lush, whereas as we approached Santa Marta the landscape became more dry and rocky).



We are actually staying in Rodadero, which is a large suburb of Santa Marta that has grown as a result of tourism. There are a large number of luxury resorts located near the beach, in addition to luxury apartments and numerous tourist-oriented shops. As you can see, our apartment is just a stone's throw from the beach (this photo was taken fromt the window).

Voyage to Colombia

Well, I'm all done with my thesis and I'm flying to Colombia today! This will be my first time there. I've spent so much time writing and researching Colombia, but I have never been there before, so this is really exciting! I can't wait to visit the beaches and eat all that good Colombian food!

On this trip, my husband and I will be visiting the cities of Santa Marta and Cartagena.

Cartagena was once the most important port in the Caribbean, and it has been regaining it's status since last year, when cruise lines started adding the city to their itinerary's. Also, if you're a history buff you might recall that the famed English privateer Sir Francis Drake ransacked Cartagena in 1586. Drake held the city for over a month and managed to collect a ransom of 110,000 ducats (for more on Drake's Caribbean exploits, see this Library of Congress article). The old part of Cartegena dates back to the early 16th century and hasn't changed all that much since Drake's time! It was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. I've been looking forward to seeing Cartagena for some time--I can't wait until I can take my own pictures!



Santa Marta is the oldest city in Colombia, and it's where we'll be spending most of our time. Santa Marta was founded in 1525 by Spanish in conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas (unfortunately, Wikipedia doesn't provide any information about the people who lived in Santa Marta before the Spanish). Santa Marta is one the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia and has great beaches (or so I'm told).



Well, I'll do my best to keep everyone up to date while I'm traveling! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures! (I'll also be doing regular posts).

Limoges Porcelain Painting

On our last morning in Rennes, Monique took my mom and I to see an exhibit of the traditional art of porcelain painting that featured works done by her and her friends. They call themselves "Les Atelliers du Chardon." From what I could tell, painting china is quite popular in France and there are a lot of places that sell plain Limoges china that you can take home and paint (sort of like the ceramic painting places we have in North America, except the work these people produce is much, much finer).

The artwork was extremely high quality. I was particularly impressed by the fine detailing that the artists had used on the porcelain. I didn't get to see their brushes, but they must have been incredibly tiny!

This is Anne Pichon, who organized the exhibit, with one of her pieces. The detail on the ducks is just amazing! It would make a great lamp for someone's study. It's a little masculine for my taste, but the artwork was just lovely. It reminded me of 19th century nature drawings. Anne took her inspiration from the ducks in her garden pond.



This gardenia blossom platter was one of my favourite pieces. The design was so modern and elegant.



Here's a set of hand painted kitchen tiles, also painted by Anne.



Here we are, discussing the importance of handcrafts in Anne's garden!



I was so impressed with the work that these ladies were doing. They are so passionate about art and about taking part in the creation of art objects for their own homes. None of the pieces of art in the exhibit were for sale, although Anne does do commissions. The ladies really just enjoyed designing beautiful one of a kind china for their own homes, which I thought was really neat.

I actually bought a number of unpainted pieces of Limoges porcelain while I was in Rennes (it's actually very inexpensive if you buy the china straight from the factories). It's so beautiful that it doesn't really need to be painted, but now I want to learn!

Visit to Fougères Castle

On our first day in Rennes, Monique and Pierre drove us to a lovely Medieval village of Fougères. Fougères is located near the coast in the northwest corner of France. The village is most famous for the 11th century castle that dominates the landscape.

During the medieval period, Fougères was an important commercial centre that was known for the quality of its shoe making and weaving. In the 19th century, Victor Hugo traveled to the city to find inspiration for his novels.



This picture, taken from the interior of the castle, shows some of the details of the chateau. I was quite surprised by the size of the stones that were used to construct the castle. Most of the other castles I've seen contain are constructed out of much pieces of stone. Our friend Pierre believed that the people who originally constructed the castle used the local stones to construct the castle because there weren't any rock quarries near by, but I haven't found any research done on this. If any one knows, please share!

Oh, and I also loved all the wildflowers growing in the crooks and crannies of the castle walls!



One of the most charming things about Fougères is that the oldest part of the town has been restored to its Medieval splendor. Many of the buildings now house touristy businesses like traditional creperies, where you sit on the patio and enjoy some cider while taking in a view of the castle!

Our Wonderful Host Family in Rennes

Mom with Monique and Pierre



The highlight of my trip to France was definitely the days we spent in Rennes with my mom's friends Monique and Pierre. They were spectacular hosts (Monique is the most amazing cook! I've been more inspired in the kitchen since visiting her!).

In addition to hosting students and friends from around the world in her lovely home, Monique is an artist, writer, and president of a foundation called l'Association des Enfants du Niger, which raises funds to help orphans in Niger. Her partner, Pierre, is a writer and professor of French Literature who has spent the last 30 years traveling to Nigeria each year to teach orphans. They were some of the most incredible people I've ever met, and staying with them really reminded me that people are always the best part of traveling to new places.

Me and Monique



Staying with Monique and Pierre was also a great opportunity to practice my french! I have never spoken so much [bad] french in my life before! It was a great opportunity though.

When we left, Monique presented me with a copy of her charming children's book, Pépère au Niger, which she wrote about her cat Pepper's first visit to Niger!

Finally, here's a picture of me getting to know Caroline, Monique's pet garden turtle (she had half a dozen pet turtles in the garden). I loved the turtles, especially Caroline. Who would have ever thought that a tortoise would have such a great personality! I think they are the perfect pets--they just eat things in the garden--you don't even have to feed them. Plus, according to Monique they stay in the yard. The only problem is that I think they'd probably freeze to death in Edmonton.

Shopping in Paris at La Duree

La Duree's rose macaroons--my favourite flavour!

On Wednesday the 14th my mom and I spent the day shopping for hostess gifts at Printemps and Galleries Lafayette. We were leaving for Rennes the next day to visit some wonderful friends my mom had made on her last trip. In the end, we came back with some AMAZING macaroons from La Duree. They made a great hostess gift--I think Monique was rather pleased, and I think everyone enjoyed eating the cookies!

I have to say that in spite of the jaw dropping cost of La Duree's desserts, they are definitely worth it. Each one is a little work of art! While we were there, we couldn't resist having some tea and cookies! I sampled their celebrated macaroons, while my mom had a spectacular confection--the Ipsahan--created by taking a rose macaroon, filling the center with rose cream and lychees, and decorating the entire thing with fresh raberries. Both were delicious (she graciously let me sample hers!). Mom's dessert was crowned with a fresh rose petal.

For tea I had "Marie Antoinette" tea (of course) and a sampler of four of their mini macaroons--violet cassis, pistachio, lemon and cherry. Each and ever one was a dream, but my favourite was the violet. After all, how often do you get to eat a violet-flavoured desserts? And it was not just interesting, it tasted spectacular and not at all weird. My other favourite was the rose, which my mom had (again, extremely tasty and strangely unstrange). The French seem to love not only having their flowers, but eating them, too--and they have certainly perfected the art!

This picture of us was taken at the La Duree Tea Room at Printemps by our extremely congenial waiter. It's a little blurry, but I'm glad to have it, since you aren't supposed to take pictures at La Duree!(I'm not sure why).



Afterwards we got stuck in a torrential downpour at a charming little cafe. Here you can see the Parisians dashing about madly in an attempt to escape the rain! I was really impressed at how many of them had umbrellas--it has been extremely hot for days and the rain came from nowhere. Parisians are well-prepared for whatever comes their way!



After we got back from Rennes, I decided to get my husband a box of macroons. They seemed like the perfect gift. I wasn't completely sure whether he would really appreciate them or not (after all, he's not a girl and I've never heard a guy gushing about La Duree). We sampled several of the macaroons on thursday and he LOVED them! (Of course, who wouldn't?).

Photo of rose macaroons courtesy of La Duree.

This post has been featured in Heather on Her Travels' Carnival of Europe.

Historic Pottery and Tiles at the Cluny Museum

My first day in Paris I went to the Cluny Museum. If you ever get a chance to go there, it's a must see! If you have any interest in medieval decorative arts, it is heaven. I was particularly impressed with their collection of pottery dating back to the 9th century, many of which were from Iran.

I was instantly struck by the similarities between the tiles in the Cluny and the work of William de Morgan during the late 19th century. I had learned a while ago that Morgan's work was inspired by Iznik (Turkish) and Persian ceramics, but this was the first time that I was able to see his inspiration up close. The similarities are striking!

I just love these two bowls. They are both from 9th century Iran and the colours and design work are just spectacular. I love the brilliant red that has been used in the first bowl. Pictures taken through glass are never very good, but hopefully you can still tell how bright the colours are.



I find the design on the blue bowl quite reminiscent of some of William Morris' artichoke interpretations. Does anyone else agree?



For comparison, this is one of William de Morgan's vases, which utilizes a bright red glaze whose formula was derived from analyzing fragments of medieval pottery from the Middle East.



This tile from 9th century Iran uses a similar style and the bright colours are definitely reminiscent of de Morgan's work.

Decorating in Gothic Revival Style

Today I thought I'd do a feature on Medieval/Gothic interior decorating, with a couple of inspirational pictures from the Cluny Museum and Musee D'Orsay. Fear not! I'm not going to be discussing creepy black interiors or coffin-shaped beds. Remember, Gothic revival style is actually light, bright and inspired by nature.

So how do you capture a hint of the Medieval without looking like Count Dracula was your decorator? Well, William Morris' design work is a great example of Medieval revival done right. But if you'd like to capture some of those Gothic themes without using Morris as your template, here are some ideas.

Use colours inspired by nature. And focus both on colour and texture when choosing decorating fabrics. You want your room to feel luxurious, and beautifully textured fabrics are one of the best ways to do this. Of course, tapestries are the perfect touch, but they can be rather expensive! Also, a little hint: unless you have the great fortune of living in a castle constructed from brick or stone, your walls probably will need some added spice. Wallpaper adds a great touch, but it's easy to overdo. Please, please do not paint faux stones on your walls. It is the ultimate in tacky!

Here are some common medieval motifs that you might want to incorporate into your home: heraldic themes, such as fleur de lys, trellis designs, roses, lions, dragons and stylised crosses. Obviously, if you include all of these elements in one room it might look completely over the top. The key is simplicity--as always, stick by the tried and true William Morris maxim of avoiding everything that you don't "know to be useful or believe to be beautiful"--never ever fill your house with junk just because you think it somehow "goes" with your chosen decorating theme.

Although people always think Gothic style is about darkness, the opposite is true! Innovations in architecture in the early middle ages had allowed people to start allowing more light into their homes and public buildings. Obviously, one of the most popular ways of allowing light into churches was with stained glass. But stained glass windows can actually be used as a great decorating element in your home. You can find beautiful pieces in antique stores that have been removed from old buildings (it's tragic, I know, but you might as well take advantage of it). Light fixtures in wrought iron or pewter also look great in a Gothic revival home. Candelabras can evoke a more dark romantic mood, but if you keep the design light enough, it doesn't have to look depressing. Try to let in as much natural light as possible.

Furniture should be simple and constructed from natural elements. "Blobjects" are obviously a little more difficult to incorporate, though I have seen some very interesting design work that combines ultra modern plastic furniture with Gothic inspired architecture, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you really trust yourself as an interior designer. I saw this beautiful table at the Musee D'Orsay on Sunday. It's very much inspired by the simplicity of medieval furniture styles, but I love the delicate Art Nouveau interpretation.

For the bedroom: again, you will want to keep it simple. In the Middle Ages, most homes used simple pallets or four poster canopy beds. Wrought iron can look nice as well, but don't overdo it--you don't want your inner sanctum to resemble a dungeon (well, let's hope not).

Finally, resist the urge to collect and display tacky bits of medieval accouterments. I saw this box at the Cluny Museum on Saturday and I was so impressed with all of the delicate iron work! It took me a moment to realize that it was not factory produced--it would have taken an artisan ages to finish all of the design work. Obviously, this kind of time commitment would have made the piece extremely valuable--I doubt that people would have had their homes stuffed with trinkets--it simply was impossible, given how labour-intense the manufacture of these objects was. Something to keep in mind next time I'm tempted to buy something trendy!

True, William Morris had a suit of armour in his home, but then again, he was William Morris and could probably get away with it much more easily than you or I. Same goes for swords, etc.

Musee D'Orsay

Paris is amazing--you could visit art exhibits for weeks before you ran out of things to do. On Sunday we went to the Musee D'Orsay, which was absolutely lovely. I didn't get a chance to go there last time and it was at the top of my list. All in all, it's one of my favourite things that I've done in Paris so far. They have a spectacular collection or artwork, including a good number of Symbolist paintings (this category is similar to, and often includes the Pre-Raphaelites). I even actually got to see one of my favourite Sir Edward Burne Jones paintings there, which is pictured below!

One of my favourite paintings at the Musee was actually this one, by Gustav Klimt ("The Kiss" is probably his most famous painting). It's called "Rosiers sous les Arbres" and I just adored it. I believe that I've seen the painting on notecards before, but it is sooo much better in person.

The same also goes for the Monets. If you like Monet, Musee D'Orsay is a great place to go--they have so many, and they're so good! I have to admit that I always considered Monet somewhat bland before. Well, no more! They are absolutely fabulous! I tried taking pictures, but I've decided not to post them, because they seriously don't do justice to the paintings (that sounds so elitist, but it's simply true. It feels like taking a photo of Joshua Bell playing Mozart and calling it a great piece of music...). At any rate, Monet is definitley meant to be seen, not photographed. Which is really too bad, since he is so popular.

One picture I've included anyway is this one by Van Gogh. It's called Fritillaire Couronne Imperiale (1886). I do hope I spelled it right! I just loved it. Van Gogh is another artist that I've decided is just not fair to reproduce in print. There's simply too much texture in his paintings to reproduce them in photos. Ah well! I've done my best!


I hope everyone is having a great week! I'll post more later!

The Last Time I Saw Paris

Well, I'm flying to Paris today! It's going to be a long flight, so I'll have plenty of time to brush up on my French! I've really been looking forward to this trip and I can hardly wait to see Paris.

The last time I saw Paris was the Summer of 2006. I'd just finished my first year at the University of Alberta and I was engaged. I was so excited to see Paris for the first time (but I was a little scared too! What if I didn't like Paris? What if the people were rude, like you always here? I fell in love with the city the minute I walked out of the Metro and saw the city for the first time. This picture captures that moment. Except I can't remember what this fountain is called. Does anyone know? Please, please leave a comment and remind me, all you francophiles.

I often tell people that Paris is like Disneyland for grownups. At least for grownups who love beautiful things. In the core of the city, everything is breathtakingly gorgeous. I could write a sonnet about every bridge! (There's an idea). And the people are charming. I think the myth that Parisians are rude was created by people who love Paris just to keep the city from becoming overcrowded with tourists. I don't think it has worked, but imagine how busy the city would be if everyone knew how nice the people actually are?

When I get to Paris, the first thing I will do (after taking a shower--I will have been traveling for 24 hours!) is have a lovely Parisian breakfast. Perhaps a Pain au Chocolat with cafe au lait. Then I'm off to the Cluny Museum to look at their collection of Medieval art (something I didn't get to do last time).

I will be doing my best to post while I'm in France. I have some posts scheduled just in case I'm too busy having a good time to get to chain myself to a computer. In any event, I will be keeping a diary and taking dozens of photos, so I'll definitely post a daily account of my trip when I get back!

Have an amazing weekend, everyone!

Chateau de Chantilly

My mom took this lovely photo of Chateau de Chantilly a few days ago. Isn't it beautiful? The Chateau rests on a spectacular 7800 hectare estate and is filled with spectacular art treasures. The gardens are amazing and even the stables are palatial!

I'm going to try and drop off my thesis to my readers this morning, so I'm pretty busy, but I'm also trying to create an itinerary of all the places I want to go this trip.

Places I have to go:

Arts and Culture:

The Cluny Museum--I didn't go here last time and I'm just dying to go--they are supposed to have one of the best collections of Medieval art in Europe.

The Louvre--I could never visit this place enough--so much to see!.

Chartres--I've wanted to go there since I was in highschool. I wrote a paper on the great cathedrals of the world as my project in Junior year. Just a short day trip from Paris!

Versailles--I didn't get a chance to visit Versailles before, and it's a must.

Shopping:
Laduree-The famous Parisian bakery. I simply must have one of their celebrated macaroons. Thank you for the suggestion, Nancy!

Hermes--Every time we went past the store last time, it was closed! And since I'm not Oprah, I didn't try to get them to open it for me. I probably don't dare go in with a credit card, but I think even browsing will be satisfying. So many beautiful things!

Longchamp--It's not Hermes, but I love the simple elegance of their handbags. I'm hoping to get one--it will all depend on how well I budget!

Only a few hours till I'm on my way! Yay!

I'm Going to France!

After writing my post on Gothic Architecture I had the most desperate yearning to go back to France. My Mom has been studying in Paris for about a week and I really wanted to go and visit her while she was there.

Well, after some encouragement from my dear husband, I've decided to go! I will be in Paris from May 10th-20th with a few days in the middle to take a side trip to the countryside. I can hardly wait.

I would love some travel advice from you! What is your favourite sight in Paris? I've seen most of the touristy things, so off-the-beaten-path tips would be most welcome. And where should I go outside the city? We went to Strassbourg and Aix-en-Provence last time--I loved both places, but I have to admit that Aix was my favourite. One thing I'd really love to do this time is to visit a winery.

I plan to take tons of pictures and I'll be doing my best to blog the trip. So if there's a place you want to see, tell me to go there!

Now all I need to do is finish my thesis before the trip! Only 20 more pages to go!