Just inside Montecito, California, adjacent to Santa Barbara is a closely held secret: Lotusland. Although it sounds like a scary Homer’s Odyssey-type amusement park, it actually makes for a fantastic, botanical and artistic afternoon.
Belle Views: Chic Breakdown in Paris
As I was ambling through the Tuileries Gardens one vaguely hot summer afternoon last August (crumb-filled patisserie bag in hand), I was more than delighted to come across this “breakdown” scene smack-dab on the Place de la Concorde. Of course not so delighted for the poor men who were stuck in the sun with their now-defunct car, but delighted that I was having one of those fabulous travel moments that allows us to escape reality for even a split second…and dream.
Belle Views: Cancun of Surprises
I confess I was envisioning a noisy hotel and crowded beaches overrun with screaming children and partying college kids. Reality was anything but that.
Belle Views from Rome: Madonna and the Traffic Light
As usual, Eleonora brings us her own lovely perspective with another one of her unusual photos of Rome (and cool story to go with it!) for this week’s Belle Views.
The Country Escape of Marie Antoinette of France
Every part of Versailles is stunning, but the hamlet is my favorite. The part where I feel I could putter away in the garden and milk cows with a queen of France.
The Alhambra of Granada: Spain’s Most Visited Monument
The Alhambra of Granada is one of the most popular places to visit in Spain and a prime example of the country’s Moorish heritage. Constructed in the mid 14th century, the Alhambra is a vast complex combining fortress, palace and gardens, the hilltop site is home to some truly beautiful architecture. The main attraction, [...]
Rome’s Testaccio Market and Marcello Mastroianni’s Cousin
Grocery shopping in Rome, Italy at the covered Testaccio market means taking home a little piece of the Eternal City every time. And there are two very important figures in the Rome Testaccio market: the Sicilian tomato guy–who before selling you a vine-ripened heirloom or an ox heart will ask you exactly what recipe you’ll [...]
Belle Views: A Treasure Hunt in Helsinki
From architecture to technology, Helsinki has taken the concept of design to a whole new level. Strolling through the streets of its Design District Street, the passion for fresh modern design is evident in every shop window. But it was the lure an open-air flea market loaded with old second-hand collectibles that that captured my [...]
Belle Views: Pimp my Italian Scooter
Remember Roman Holiday? Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn riding shotgun around 1950′s Rome on a Vespa? The classic Italian scooter was (and still is) an Italian two-wheeled icon. The coveted Vespa 50 still reaps fans all over the world. But take the pink Scarabeo portrayed here. Is it not simply magnifico? The Scarabeo (made by [...]
Belle Views: Madrid Memories
During my year in the Spanish capital of Madrid, I saw it all: the human mosaic formed for the 2016 Olympic bid in September, the leaves fall from the trees in autumn, the snowy streets during the January freeze, the Easter parades of figures of the Virgin Mary around the city, the victory parade of [...]
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