Château de Chenonceau

Château de Chenonceau kitchen quarters.

Château de Chenonceau

Château de Chenonceau

Château de Chenonceau - staff quarters.

Sometimes you get so caught up in what you’re doing you can forget about where you’ve been and what you’ve already done. This post is a little bit like that. I often refer to a part of my life as “my past life”, meaning the part of my life that I was married for a brief time and travelling often to France for holiday. It feels so long ago. Seriously like another lifetime, hence why I refer to it that way. However, there was a lot of beauty in this time of my life. Having access to this sort of travel and exploration of another culture was by far the best part. I am forever grateful for this. Whilst travelling through the magnificent Loire Valley, Chateau de Chenonceau was certainly my favourite “Chateau” of what we saw. It felt so ethereal to me, like the kings and queens and brothers and sisters of that era were still there, observing us, while we walked around and marvelled at their old quarters. kitchens, gardens, and passed lives. What I loved about this Chateau was its grandeur without being overly ostentatious. We visited Château Chambord shortly thereafter and although impressive, it did not have the same essence. It did not feel alive with stories and romanticism like Chenonceau did. These photos were taken in the fall of 2012, so although I feel they’re not my best photos, the essence still remains. If you are in Loire Valley and deciding on what Chateaus to visit, make sure to include this one. Château de Chenonceau is a love story not to be missed. ❤️

LW

The BOAT POD

The BoAt Pod is a floating podcast studio in the heart of Little Venice, in West London. Owned and operated by Sophie Callis, a DJ and entrepreneur with deep roots in the London music scene. She is taking her canal boat to the next level with state of the art podcast, radio, and DJ booths available to rent. If you are looking for a unique working environment for your radio show, podcast, or Live stream DJ sets, this is the place! I recently had the chance to experience and capture 📷the BoAt Pod ON AIR 🎙during a session of The Frost Report in collaboration with the BBC for Black History Month with Legendary DJ Jumpin Jack Frost alongside Simon ‘Bassline’ Smith, DJ Brockie, and Tania Maria Lee. You can view the conversation here.

Canal Boats Of Little Venice

Maida Vale, Regent’s Canal.

Beautiful Bike Ride on Regen’ts Canal.

Postcards from Paris

Sacre Coeur, Montmartre.

Strolling in Montmartre.

Notre Dame cathedral at night.

Spying on the neighbours.

Les Invalides.

Les Invalides.

Pierre Herme.

Alain Passard's Arpège restaurant in the prestigious 7th.

Padlocks of love on the Ponts des Arts before they were removed this past summer.

Side street views.

Dinner Breton style at BREIZH Cafe.

Île St Louis, with Notre Dame in the background.

Notre Dame

Gare du Nord.

I can’t believe the last time I was in Paris was December 2015! My sister had just moved to London a month before and I went over from Calgary to spend the holidays with her. My friend Mark and I planned a quick side trip to Paris for two nights. This was the first time staying there in a (small) hotel. I had only ever stayed in airbnb’s, so it was fun to use Mr and Mrs Smith Website to book. Hotel Verneuil was super cute and charming, and since I have stayed there they have done a massive update. This post has been sitting in the archives for so long, and needed to get out! It’s been some time so I am feeling critical on these photos but nonetheless I hope it brings you inspiration to travel again or remind you of fond memories of when you last visited Paris! A lot of people I know do not like Paris at all, but I think that it can be a fun and special place to visit for a short time. Quick trips are the best, as is having a plan. It will help you avoid stress and keep decision making to a minimum so that you can just enjoy the city and soak in the French or should I say PARISIAN culture. Santé! 🥖🧀🍷

This was was my sixth visit to the city of lights. I have managed to come up with some favourite spots over the years, although they are mostly centred in the Saint Germain area. This is a light list as it's always such a balance between trying new places and making time to visit those that you have enjoyed in the past. If you are visiting for the first time however, my advice would be to do your research and carefully choose where you decide to eat. Usually, the classic looking restaurants around any main tourist attraction are to avoid. There are plenty of good websites out there to research some great dining. Two favourites of mine for reference are Le Fooding and The Paris Kitchen. There are also plenty of bloggers/chefs out there with tremendous suggestions on their site. Try Dorie Greenspan (love her French Cookbook), and David Lebovitz. As well as all the classic cooking mags like Epicurious, Food & Wine, Conde Nast Traveller.

Here are a few of my food and drink suggestions for the 6th Arrondisment. All of these are all pretty casual dining but very good.

Avant Comptoir 9 Carrefour de l'Odéon, 75006

Right next door to Yves Camdeborde's Le Comptoir is Avant Comptoir, a spanish style wine and tapas bar with standing room only.

Poilâne & Cuisine de Bar  8 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 +33 1 4548 4249

One of my favourite bakeries to go to when in Paris and great place for a tasty and light lunch. Open faced tartines are the specialty here. Was introduced to this restaurant from this blog post by David Lebovitz. When I was living in SW London over the winter and summer I was over the moon that Poilâne has a London outpost in Belgravia. Chaussons aux pommel tous les jours! 🙃

Fish La Boisonnerie 69 Rue de Seine 75006 +33 1 4354 3469

La Grande Cremerie 8 Rue Grégoire de Tours 75006 +33 1 4326 0909

Organic and natural wine bar serving cheese and charcuterie in a rustic and casual setting.

BREIZH Café Créperie 109 Rue du Vielle Temple, 75003 +33 1 4272 1377

Pierre Hermé 72 Rue de Bonaparte 75006 +33 1 4354 4777

Everyone has their opinion on best patisseries in Paris. And then best macaron. My personal fave is the mosaic macaron with flavours of pistachio, cinnamon, and cherry from Pierre Hermé. If you are not a fan of macarons, do go for the amazing patisseries selection. The canelé I tried from here on my last visit was unreal. So good! You must go here and see just how serious the French take their sweets. :)

Afternoon tea or Apero at Le George V Four Seasons 31 Avenue George V 75008 +33 1 4952 7000

You don't have to spend a fortune staying here to enjoy its incredible luxury. (Although that would be amazing, I must say…) My way of enjoying these incredibly beautiful hotels is to spring for a glass of Champagne in the lounge. Sit and linger with your drink and take it all in. Then maybe order a second! 😉🥂

“Be lit aflame by the magnetic pull of possibility.”

— Victoria Erickson

It’s been a minute… This last post was written June 2018.. Wow.. A lot has happened since then. It’s October 2021. I live in London, UK now. A world wide pandemic happened. (And is still happening). What a shift. What a time. So much uprising, so much hurt, so many questions, not many answers. A whole lot of uncertainty. Total chaos. Thinking back over all of this I can’t even quite believe it.

I have wanted to update this blog for so long but it just has not been a priority. Since deciding to move to London in early 2019, my whole life has been in transition. It’s felt like I can never fully complete a task or a project as everything has been in upheaval. First, all the planning, packing, moving out, visa application, interviews, emotional turbulence, etc. Then the actual moving and figuring out the work situation, the living situation, the what am I doing here situation, the living in a new city situation and how to even attempt going about all of it has been A LOT. Then, why don’t we throw in a nation wide lockdown, (or two or three). London, the city I had moved to six months prior went quiet. It was dead. Nobody on the streets, nobody on the tube, no one, nothing, nada. WTF. So much to process, so much stress, so many highs, so many lows, so many “I don’t knows.”

Now, five months after restrictions have lifted, it does feel as though we are coming full circle. As much as it angers me to see people totally disregarding what we all went through by not continuing to wear masks on public transit, in grocery stores, and at busy event venues, I try to remain positive that we are through the worst of it. I can feel the excitement creeping back in, the thought of possibility, the grandeur, and motivation of it all. Dare I say it but I am fully and completely lit aflame by the magnetic pull of possibility. This quote. It’s so it. I am once again in the moment of what’s next, how will I get there from here, how do I WANT to pay my rent, and how do I want to move onwards from this extremely challenging, crazy, and at odd times paradoxically blissful state. I am still looking for that sense of being settled so that I can fully breathe but if I’ve learned anything at all through this, it’s that I have not chosen a path of settledness. It’s through the upheaval that we learn, that we grow, that we dream new dreams, and think great thoughts. And you know what? It’s starting to feel really good. So from here, we start again.

V I C O E Q U E N S E

View from our Terrace "Capri" suite at Palazzo Murrano.

Murrano Beach Club.

Port of Vico Equense.

Palazzo Murrano Boutique Hotel.

En route to Capri on the Tyrrhenian Sea near Sorrento.

Streets of Sorrento.

Ever since travelling to Italy for the first time so many years ago I have wanted to come back again and again. My sister and I were familiar with the south of Italy from this first visit but we wanted to revisit and have a new experience. We decided on Vico Equense, an off the beaten path small town on the Sorrentine Peninsula after reading about it in this great article.  An Italian friend recommended we stay at the Palazzo Murrano and it didn't disappoint! Such a charming boutique hotel with incredible hospitality and the best breakfast and welcome bubbles. The owners took care of us like we were their daughters, so much so that they were quite concerned when we didn't come home one night as we were partying in Capri! 😄 With only three nights here, we decided to just enjoy the immediate area and utilize the beach club at the hotel for some restful sunning and swimming.👙🌊 If you rent a car, there are a lot more options for day trips as neighbouring Sorrento and Positano especially are a must to visit. 💙