Paris

Ode to Odd Børretzen

This one is for my Scandinavian readers. It´s raining in Paris, I have a bit of a hangover and fall seems to be settling in for good. Besides, we´re leaving to Oslo this evening and leaving Paris always makes me sad. It reminded me of a poem by the late Norwegian singer Odd Børretzen and I thought I´d share it with you. It´s so Norwegian and yet so romantic. I simply adore it. We Romanians are so passionate and dramatic and yet I was taken aback by the simplicity of these words. Basically he says that I don´t mind the rain outside as long as your head is on my pillow.

I love Odd Børretzen. We almost attended his concert 3 years ago in Bergen, but it was halfway finished and I had to go to work early the day after, so we dropped it. A couple of years ago he passed away. :-/

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Paris

I´m in Paris and although there´s probably a special kind of sin not to be outside exploring, but inside writing on my blog, I needed to rest my feet at some point, so here we go! Besides, I just shared a bottle of Crémant with Vuong and our host, Tanguy and now I´m perking up with some coffee in bed. Taking into consideration all the amount of walking we´ve done these last 4 days, one would need to be Cat Woman not to need a short break. 😉

Oh, Paris, my heart is bursting out with love for this city! It´s my 7th time here, I think, but I never get enough of it! I usually like a city better the second or third time around anyhow, since I don´t feel the need to do all that sightseeing (that I seldom enjoy anyway). Luckily, we have a one museum per holiday policy, neither of us being especially keen on spending precious time indoors staring at the dead when we can admire the living. So this trip has been great so far. We had lots of time to walk about and admire the city´s heavily draped silhouettes, then sit down for a drink or a bite now and then. Whatever street we crossed, the smell from the corner fruit store would tickle our nostrils. We glared at Parisians, had a glimpse at art galleries, did some shopping- clothes, a scented candle or a brocante treasure. A cup of champagne was mandatory every day and so was something sweet to nibble on.

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Paris: Galerie de Medicis

I´ve been in love with Paris since my first trip here in ´97. I was 17 at the time and my parents had agreed to let me go on a “trip around Europe” with my school on one condition- take my younger brother with me. Needless to say I was quite unhappy with that aspect, but it turned out to be a trip to remember. Details in another post. 😉

We´re in Paris for 6 days and more in love with the city than ever! I don´t know how one can not love Paris. It´s beyond my comprehension. We´re having such a great time, smiling from ear to ear until our feet can´t bear us any more, then we stop for a coffee, a cup of champagne or a bite. But I´ll tell you more about the trip itself in another post.

This one is about Galerie de Medicis, a lovely contemporary gallery in Place des Vosges, in Marais. We past it twice in two different days and I fell in love with it, especially with the artist Jean Paul Donadini. His work appeals to me, maybe due to its  pop art elements, the bold colors and the French cultural references. I seldom feel the need to own an art piece, but the blue painting is something else! I didn´t dare go inside and ask for prices, but maybe I´ll try writing them a mail. What do you think?

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Laurent Chehere

I discovered Laurent Chehere via Lumas, a concept store where you can buy limited edition photography and art at affordable prices. A French photographer born in 1972, he explores  poor Parisian neighborhoods and lifts them up through the themes of cinematographers as Hayao Miyazaki, Wim Wenders, Federico Fellini and Marcel Carné. I want them all!

 

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Summer wear

These are my favorite pieces this summer! I can´t wait to wear them on chilly evenings at the Oslo marina, on hot afternoon strolls to the nearest taverna in Santorini and on pleasant Parisian nights from a French brasserie to a jazzy bar. Come along!

I just bought these beauties from mytheresa.com, they´re from Ancient Greek Sandals and I simply adore them!

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I love Paris in the fall

We´re going to Paris for a week in September! Weee! There´s a trade show my husband is attending and I get to toggle along. I´m soo looking forward to it! All the croisants and the eclairs we can eat, walk till we drop, shop at the best fashion boutiques, attend a jazz concert and drink wine all night! Besides, I need to go to some antique markets this time, plus meet a couple of friends. Ai, ai, ai, la vie en rose!

http://www.purple-papaya-films.com

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France

I´m having a really difficult time adjusting to this uncertain weather, is it spring, is it still winter, which coat do I wear, do I still need gloves and how come it´s so windy!? At least it´s been sunny, it made it so much easier to spend time outside with my Sammy, without needing to force my own hand.

I´ve only just returned from my trip to Romania and I´m going to Lisbon for a few days in May and still the only thing I can think of is travel. And since France is one of my favorite places, thought I´d share some of my travel pictures with you.

Although I adore France, I haven´t seen nearly as much of it as I should have. Paris is the place I always long for and find a reason to return to, both for its magic and its food. In fact those two are quite interconnected since food is one of the main ingredients of magic! And you´ve got to love French food! Oh, my God! The snails, the cheese, the macarons, the rabbit, the onion marmalade, the Tarte Tatin. Yum! I´ve been to Normandy, Corsica and Cote D’Azur and besides beauty, divine food was the second thing they had in common. I need to explore more, I need to see Provence, the Loire Valley and Bretagne. In the mean time, enjoy a trip on my memory lane!

Restaurant in Corsica, France

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Penthouse in the heart of Paris

This is the home of Jacques Leseur, a former art director now working as a garden architect. The studio apartment is 155 m2 in Paris, with a charming garden that would make anybody green with envy. Love its simplicity and the clean choice of decoration.

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Apartment in Oslo

Frogner is one of the most beautiful and fashionable boroughs in Oslo. It´s the place where elder ladies wear silk scarves and manicure and where elderly gentlemen have an impeccable posture and nice camel hair coats. I loved Frogner from the minute I saw it. For me it has some Paris in it, without being able to define what exactly. People say it´s not necessarily a nice place to live because of the slightly arrogant attitude some of its posh residents have, but I love the atmosphere, the lack of heavy traffic and the architecture. I´d probably never get my east-side husband to move in there, but I can dream of it, can´t I?  I found this apartment that has the right frame for a high-end living, the down side is that it costs as much as an entire house elsewhere. It has spacious rooms with lots of light, a killer terrace and a walk-in closet! Good bye clutter! Take a look!

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Jewelry

I´m not a jewelry person. I have a couple of rings and a few bracelets, a string of pearls and a couple of modern necklaces which I almost never wear. From time to time, though, I feel that jewelry is the one statement piece that can lift a whole outfit.

Marion Vidal! I loved her colorful, eclectic jewels from the first time I saw them in a boutique in Bucharest! I can´t refrain myself from saying that the sales persons in that wanna be high end store were awful- regarding me and my man with a mixture of disdain and awe as in “how dare you come into our shop, you mortals?!” Still, I had to have the necklace- perfect round ceramic pearls, one of the “pièces de resistance” of my wardrobe.

Introducing you to her magic world of eye candy!

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