ItoBlog

Greenhouses in Parc André Citroen

As some may have noticed, I've haven't been posting that much lately. I'm trying to get back in the blog groove but these past days have been pretty hectic. Yasmine's come to visit so we've been spending a lot of quality time together before she heads off for a couple of weeks to the Sudan. We've probably walked a good 30km these past days in and around Paris and we (re)discovered some interesting areas I had completely forgotten about, like the Parc André Citroen. For those who haven't been, it's quite an interesting parc with a very original geometrical layout. The parc has these futuristic greenhouses that are elevated along the outer edge the parc. You should check them out if/when you're in the area. Perfect for winter sunbathing when it's -10C outside!

Weekend in Brittany

I recently came back from a short weekend trip to Brittany with my friend Odile. It was  really nice to "re-discover" the summer holidays à la française. We stayed with her aunts and cousins and it reminded me so much of my childhood summers in rented cottages along the beach. View a short slideshow.

Last night on Rue Sainte-Marthe

I discovered yet another great area in Paris to hang out, have a few beers and eat a cheap hearty meal in a small café with charm and character. I'm talking about the area around Rue Sainte-Marthe (in the 10ième arrondissment). The street sucks you in a time warp and all of a sudden, you're in a Zola novel. In fact, rumour has it that Zola was inspired by this little coutryard and the area's back alleys for his novel L'Assommoire. Watch a short slideshow of last night's stroll.

Hallo aus Erlangen

Greetings from Bavaria. We're visiting a few friends of Yasmine's in beautiful Erlangen located in the south of Germany. This is where Yasmine lived and studied for 5 years.
Our first day ritual every time we come here is to go to the Steinbach Brewerie and gorge on grilled bratwurst and order gallons of their amazing Weizenbier (wheat beer). If you happen to be in the area, don't forget to drop bv.

Yesterday in Berlin

Berlin is arguably the eye-sore capital of Europe. Cranes and scaffolds abound. Concrete everywhere. Walk a few hundred meters and you might very well come across a massive no-man's-land, huge and empty expanses of land that haven't yet been built upon right in the heart of the city. Add to that crappy weather like today and there's good reason to wonder why you didn't book your return ticket sooner. Still, if you scratch the surface a little bit, you'll find Berlin's hidden gems tucked away in Kreuzberg, Mitte and Prinzenlauberg. Check out some pictures taken yesterday.

Afternoon stroll in Berlin

Aaah Berlin! A few pictures I took on a weekend afternoon stroll in Kreuzberg and Prinzlauberg. Berliner's are so chill what a stark contrast from Parisians. I'm dangerously starting to flirt with the idea of moving here with Yasmine once she's done with her PhD...

Back from Barcelona

  View slideshow 
  Originally uploaded by jawxies.

Just got back from a short three day trip in Barcelona. Beautiful as ever, the city really amazes me.Philippe and his girlfriend Maria were in town, they're the two lovebirds in the small slideshow i made of my trip. You'll also notice some Forum pictures. It is quite spooky finding the Forum premises completely empty considering how crazy and packed it was the closing weekend when Yasmine and I were there last September.

Am now in Paris where, hopefully, I will be able to stay put more than two weeks. On the agenda for next week: job hunting!

Back from Sicily

The beauty of Sicily is quiet stunning and I don't think I ate this well in a long time. Here are a few pictures I took over the weekend. And by the way, just to point out the obvious, private planes and yachts aren't...uhhh... my usual mediums of transportation. I was travelling with my sister and her fiancé who invited my mother and I to travel with them. Click here to see the slideshow.

An afternoon stroll in the Retiro

 View slideshow 
  Originally uploaded by jawxies.

One thing i'm really gonna miss when i leave Madrid will be its beautiful Retiro. I happen to live right across the street from it, so quite often, like yesterday afternoon with my mum and sis, I go for strolls right before the sunset, when the lighting is just perfect.

Back from Andalucía

AMAZING! Andalucia is absolutely amazing. I just came back from a 10 day trip in the south of Spain with my mum and we had a truly memorable week-and-a-half in what is I think the country's most beautiful and fascinating regions. We started in Cordoba and then traveled clockwise to Granada, Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Cadiz, Zahara de los Atunes, Tarifa and last but not least, Sevilla. I'm knackered from a lot of travelling by bus and train and from excessive eating and drinking but i'll try to post some pictures of the trip by tonight.