USA

My Favorite Charleston Restaurants

Charleston is no doubt a foodie heaven, which is one of the (many) reasons it takes the cake for my favorite city in the US… and tied with Paris as my favorite in the world. 😉  With absolutely delicious, local restaurants everywhere you turn, sunshine and salty breezes, pastel buildings and palm trees, a happening downtown and three distinct beach towns, Charleston really has my heart! If you didn’t know,  we lived in Charleston before moving to Stuttgart.  We recently spent a week back in the Holy City so I figured I’d round up my favorite restaurants for y’all.  There […]

Switzerland

Cheesy Pit Stop in Gruyères, Switzerland

Don’t you love it when you are pleasantly surprised by something? That’s how I felt when we were driving along our route to ski in Chamonix, France and spotted signs on the highway for a town called Gruyères, Switzerland.  Could it be, a town named after the famed cheese?  The cheese that’s used in gooey fondues, baked on top of delicious French onion soups, and used in the best ham and cheese crepes?  One of my all time favorites? Why yes, that’s exactly what it is. It’s not every day you have this kind of opportunity.  We decided to take advantage of […]

France

Skiing Chamonix

We had a fabulous long weekend skiing in Chamonix Mont Blanc, France.  It was our first time to the famous mountain and we loved it! The Town Chamonix Mont Blanc is an Alpine valley town and has 4 main ski lift areas, spread about 50 minutes end-to-end.  Chamonix overall is a functioning town, which is different than many alpine ski locations we’ve been to that consist mostly of ski chalets.  There is plenty to do for non-skiers from shopping, exploring ice caves, viewing Mont Blanc from the highest platform of the area, at the Anguille du Midi, and even a phenomenal […]

Germany

Expat Life: the Haircut

If you’ve ever lived in a foreign country, you quickly realize that simple things, such as picking up a few items at the grocery store or getting a dress taken in, are not so simple in a foreign language.  Grocery shopping when I first moved to Germany always included my Google translate app in my hand, and trips to the seamstress or tailor included practicing uncommon technical seamstress phrases at home beforehand. It’s not by coincidence that I’ve let my hair grow much longer in Germany than I would have ever let it in the states – it’s not that […]

France

Paris Medieval Tapestries, Carousels, and Sunshine along the Seine

After a fun Friday in Paris, we started Saturday with a delicious breakfast at Dose Rue Mouffetard, complete with the best looking avo toast and a fresh salad for him, yogurt with granola and berries for her, and cappuccinos and fresh pressed juice du jour to share.  If you’re in the 5th, it is an all star breakfast cafe!! We then headed to the Cluny museum, or the Museum of Middle Ages and one of my personal favorites.  It is currently being renovated through 2020 (much more modern now – hopefully the medieval building will be incorporated back in after […]

France

Paris Catacombs, Colorful Streets, and Art Nouveau Dreams

We headed to Paris for a long weekend, something we try to do each year to celebrate our engagement, and this time felt like the perfect mix of relaxation and culture.  The highlights for me included a very Art Nouveau lunch, seeing the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries at the Cluny museum, and soaking up some glorious sunshine along the banks of the Seine on Sunday afternoon. We arrived late Thursday night to our airbnb in the 5th arrondissement and grabbed a quick verre de vin Chablis at le Café Saint Médard before heading to bed.  Friday started with breakfast along Rue […]

Germany

Scenes from the Stuttgart Christmas Market

The Christmas markets have been in full swing here in Germany, and I wanted to capture and share the happiness the markets create.  Twinkling lights, cold nights, warm glühwein, friends old and new catching up, laughter, and cheer.  This is what I think of when I think of the Weihnachtsmarkt. The Stuttgart Marktplatz, Schillerplatz, Schlossplatz and more are lined with wooden huts topped with evergreen branches and twinkling lights.  Each hut sells something unique, from hats and warm socks, to wooden nutcrackers, Christmas ornaments, candles, or even kitchenware. It’s fun to browse the stands, shopping for your loved ones Next […]

Asia, Singapore

An Evening in Singapore

Hello friends!!  I finally want to tell you all about our anniversary trip to South East Asia.  We spent 10 days in Singapore and Bali and wow, what a trip!  We finally were able to explore every day and also  r e l a x .  Southeast Asia really abounds with gorgeous natural beauty, we found the people to be extremely friendly, and the cherry on top is it’s generally cheap by western standards!  But before I share all about our fabulous anniversary week in Bali, I wanted to share our time in Singapore first! SE Asia is a bit […]