Granville Island was an artisanal find in Vancouver. We found out about this creative place from our friends John and Lorraine and their kids Meghan and Mathew with whom we had dinner the night before while vacationing in Vancouver this summer. We were talking and casually asked them where we could find artisanal shops, local goods and farmer’s market type of street or area to roam around in and unanimously got the answer Granville Island! It was obvious this was the place to go for our craving for artisanal faire. The girls and I were excited. We love anything farmer’s market oriented, handmade, and local. Granville Island is a gem of place in Vancouver! Continue reading Granville Island, Vancouver. British Columbia, Canada
Category Archives: Off the Beaten Path
Roses Costes on 239 Rue Saint-Honoré. Paris, France
My daughter Sri and I discovered the most charming florist during our recent visit to Paris this summer. We would walk past this florist every evening on our way to dinner. The tiny florist was breathtakingly beautiful. All they carried were roses. Roses in glorious rich colors. Since we always seemed to walk past the florist late at night on our way to dinner, the shop was always closed. But that didn’t stop me from taking these sensational photos. Continue reading Roses Costes on 239 Rue Saint-Honoré. Paris, France
The Allure of Paris. A Walking Tour of Cafes, Patisseries, Boutiques, and Chocolatiers
For so many years I’ve heard Paris described as the most romantic city in the world. Cafes on every corner, patisseries to please us, boutiques that excite us, and art to delight us. I have to say this is the first time I truly understood the allure of the city. I think it’s because this is the first time we really explored Paris and the art museums in a leisurely manner. Our plan to cover one museum a day and leave the rest of the afternoon open to explore was the perfect itinerary. It gave us an opportunity to take a break from sightseeing and capture the essence of Paris. To truly appreciate the charm that is Paris, one has to walk. How else can one stumble upon the talked about cafes, patisseries, chocolatiers and boutiques? Continue reading The Allure of Paris. A Walking Tour of Cafes, Patisseries, Boutiques, and Chocolatiers
Yoga, Art, Paris. A Mother Daughter Parisian Holiday 💐
Bonjour! J’espère que tu as passé un bon weekend. Hello everybody! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and a relaxing 4th of July week. I had an amazing 4th of July week. My daughter Sri and I spent it in beautiful Paris! A one week holiday in Paris to see beautiful art and practice yoga. Does this sound too good to be true?
Continue reading Yoga, Art, Paris. A Mother Daughter Parisian Holiday 💐
Postcards from Italy
The twins Anjali and Rani returned home from a school trip to Italy last week. It was so good to have them home 🤗. I asked the kids if they were happy to be back, and I got a shrug of the shoulders – “yeah” and a sigh. I guess I would sigh too if I had to come back home from a fabulous vacation with my friends in Italy, and then start my summer job the next day 😒. On this fun Italy trip the kids visited Naples, Florence, Bologna, and Rome. Here is a look at some of the highlights from the twin’s memorable holiday in Italy. Continue reading Postcards from Italy
April in Austin
You’ve heard of April in Paris. How about April in Austin? April in Austin is one spectacular experience. Austin, Texas – the capitol of Texas, home of UT Austin (University of Texas at Austin), the tech center of the South, part of Texas Hill Country, wildflowers everywhere, perfect spring like temperatures, warm friendly people, great food, awesome music, and beautiful scenery, Austin is one gorgeous city in April. Continue reading April in Austin
American Writers Museum. Chicago, Illinois
American Writers Museum in Chicago, Illinois is a totally unique and interactive museum exclusively focused on American writers. To be honest, this museum was a discovery of Anjali who loves to read. Of all the sites to see in Chicago’s visitors guide, her number one request was this one. Boy are we glad we fulfilled her wish because this was the highlight of our trip to Chicago. Totally uniquely American, educational, fun, and full of American literary knowledge, this museum made us all appreciate the great art of writing. Continue reading American Writers Museum. Chicago, Illinois
A Sweet Sixteen Birthday Celebration at Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California
The twins turned sixteen last week. Where do the years go? Ever since the twins became teenagers they have wanted to celebrate their birthdays separately with their own group of friends. Funnily my twins are nothing alike, have absolutely nothing in common except of course their birthday and that they are twins. Continue reading A Sweet Sixteen Birthday Celebration at Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California
A Drive Through Blossom Trail in Fresno County, California
Blossom Trail is an area in Fresno County’s farm land where thousands and thousands of stone fruit trees such as peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots are grown in addition to almond and walnut trees. I’ve wanted to check out Blossom Trail for over two years now. I finally made it out there this past President’s day weekend with the family. What makes this day trip rather unusual is that it’s not made in the summer when the fruits are ripe for the picking but rather in early spring when the fruit trees burst into spectacular blooms. These fruit and nut trees number in the thousands and are all covered in white, mauve, light pink and dark pink blossoms, rivaling any Japanese garden or Washington D.C.’s cherry blossom show. Here is a look at our day trip to Blossom Trail in Fresno County, California. Continue reading A Drive Through Blossom Trail in Fresno County, California
A Company Sales Meeting in Half Moon Bay, California
Living here in Northern California surrounded by so much natural beauty I feel frequently we do take it all for granted. It’s always here, we can go any time, so what’s the rush? But really life takes over and making that trip to the gorgeous beaches or that beautiful fishing village or hiking on those lovely trails very often takes a back seat. Sometimes it is something as simple as my daughter Sri heading off for a company off-site at one of our local beach town venues Half Moon Bay to wake me up from my “taking all this for granted” attitude. Continue reading A Company Sales Meeting in Half Moon Bay, California
