"We are shaped and fashioned by what we love."

new year, new you?

Happy New Year!

I would like to use this post to reflect on 2012, more precisely on how crazy, exciting and absolutely of whirlwind it was. What exactly happend? Well.. I changed jobs, met amazing people, moved accross the pond for three months, travelled throughout Europe, enjoyed new foods, saw seven Christmas Markets (a biggie for me), started cycling, had a photograph in a gallery, sold my first photograph, travelled to New York three times, and started this blog.

Last year went by so fast, with so many events that happened, it seems like it should have spanned over four years instead of just one. But I’m so grateful that I was able to have these different experiences that I wouldn’t change this year for anything. 2012 has showed and taught me so many new things about the world and not to sound like a cliche but life itself, and because of it I cannot wait for what 2013 will bring!
Here is my year in photographs, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

a nothern christmas

This year was our second annual Christmas up north, we went there last year and we had such a great time that we decided to do it all over again. We rented a cottage in Perry Sound, Ontario with family friends and we filled our days with cross-country skiing, hiking, skating, movie watching, hot tubbing and ended most days by staring at the fire. It was a perfect way to spend Christmas with the people you love the most.

**PS this is the last post about Christmas I promise.

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Toronto’s very own christmas market

I’m finaly back home, in Toronto after a 3 month long staycation in Paris. And it feels so good to see my family, my boyfriend, my dog, and all of my friends. To make things even better The Toronto Christmas Market is on this weekend at The Distillery District. I have gone 3 years in a row now with my family and it’s a perfect way of getting into the holiday spirit, with the carolers singing and the chestnuts roasting it’s as if you have gone back in time or stepped into a movie set, either way it’s perfect. Here are some photos that I’ve took in between sipping Toronto’s most famous hot chocolate.

street art in Montmartre

One of my absolutely favorite areas in Paris is Montmartre, currently it’s competiting for 1st place with St Germain de Pres (6th arrondissement). The reason why I like Montmartre so much is because there is always something going on whether it be a busker by Sacre Coeur or a band in a cafe shop, it’s definitely a neighborhood where you can meet interesting people and have a great time. Also, Montmartre is quite special because it has anonymous art everywhere and it’s either hidden or in small spaces where it’s not so easy to spot. I went around the neighborhood yesterday and took some photos of art that I could find, here are some of my favorites…

Also, here are some places to visit while you are in Montmartre
Best Pizza - Pomodoro
Best Cafe - Not sure of the name but it’s right by Abbesses Station, on the left side of the church.
Best Bar - Chez Julien

the war on christmas windows

Every year in December for the holidays, two stores that share the same street; Galaries Lafayette and Printemps have lavishly decorated windows. Because they are so close together and sell (correct me if I’m wrong) the same things I’m sure there is a minor war or in polite terms a competition going on between them. This year the two stores had one major sponsor that did their windows, Dior for Printemps and Louis Vuitton for Lafayette. The clear winner for me was definitely Printemps! Why you may ask? Well instead of hawking their products like Luis Vuitton did, Dior actually took time to create intricate windows that involved a winter motif and had puppets that move to Christmas music. Don’t get me wrong Dior still managed to showcase their products but it was much more subtle and it followed the holiday theme. See for yourself which one you like better..

The little black jacket

There is a really cool exhibition going on in the Grand Palais that’s free but it ends today, so if you are visiting Paris and you happen to stumble upon this blog post, go and see it! It’s called the Le Petite Veste Noire, and you might have heard about the famous subject of this exhibition… it’s a particular piece of clothing that was designed by Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel. In the exhibition there are 109 photographs of models, architects, actors, and creative directors wearing the black jacket in different ways. It was exclusively shot by Karl Lagerfeld and styled by Carine Roitfeld, and if you miss it no big deal there will be 70$ book coming out with all of the photographs.

stuck in a time warp in Bruges

If you want to visit the past specifially the Middle Ages go to Bruges. I went there in late September for a day and a half and it was a perfect weekend gateway. Because of it’s canals, Bruges is often refered to as Venice of the North, but I find that for a small city Bruges definitely stands on it’s own. It’s historic center is a prominent World Heritage site at UNESCO and at one point Bruges used to be a significant port town in Northern Europe. The city is really well preserved, every building is perfect. When you are there it is as if you are walking in Disney Land becuase everything seems so unreal. Here was my itinerary for that weekend.
9am - Train from Gare du Nord, Paris.
12am - arrived in Bruges
1pm - checked into Bed & Breakfast Gallery Yasmine
2pm - climbed up the Belfry Tower
3pm - chocolate time!
3:30pm - Basilica of the Holy Blood (stayed for a service and saw the vile of Jesus Christ’s Blood)
4pm - Renaissance Hall & City Hall
5pm - Church of our Lady (saw Michelangelo’s sculpture of Madonna and child created around 1504)
6pm- boat tour (a must in Bruges)
7pm - waffle time!
9pm- dinner at the oldest pub in Brugge Herberg Vlissinghe dates back to 1515.
Next day
9am - complimentary breakfast at the B&B
11am - St-John’s Hospital Museum (it’s one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe)
1pm - Beguinage (it was originaly built in 1500s for single women and widows, and it’s now home to Benedictine nuns)
3pm - train back to Paris.

lokal time = beer time

I spent one week in Prague with my boyfriend (itinerary to come) and we found the best local bar to grab really good Czech food and great beer. This wonderfull place is called Lokal it’s a modern beer hall that’s known for it’s fresh and crisp Pilsner that’s kept in special beer tanks. We went there three nights in a row with friends and once for lunch and every single time it was perfect. We ordered “butcher’s sausages” which came with fresh horseradish and rye bread and of course we ordered beer. They had the sweetest way to count how many beers your ordered per table, they crossed pints off on the paper, see picture below. Also watch out for the servers who walk around with beer in their hands because as soon as you finish your pint they will place a fresh one on the table!