Things I Love Thursdays: afternoon pursuits edition

These are some of my favorite things to do during an afternoon (and which I get to indulge this summer. oh, the beauty of freelance work



1. Baking Bread (or pizza dough) , 2. Lounging at a café with a French novel, 3. TV episode mini-marathons (currently early Gilmore Girls), 4. Piano-playing in an empty house, 5. Taking a Photo Walk, 6. Enjoying sunshine, 7. Blogging

Travel Photo Tuesdays: Colmar

Petite Venise: November 2008

I adored the Northeast corner of France, a region that has gone back and forth between France and Germany (it has been French since WWII). Because of the relatively constant switch of cultures, the Alsace region is well-known for its interesting cultural mix. It's especially fun during the Advent season since the Germans know how to do Christmas, huge trees, lots of garlands, the whole thing. Seeing this picture reminds me of this little excursion, where we prowled the town of Colmar, enjoying a crisp winter morning and savoring the anticipation of Christmas and a little vin chaud. Nothing like a Sunday stroll in France.

Things I Love Thursdays

1. the french 2. going to the movies 3. glamour
4. traveling 5. lavender 6. van gogh's old provence haunts
7. fireworks at disney world 8. coffee 9. cupcakes

travel photo tuesdays: piazza navona

My best birthday so far was last year. I chose to spend my 21st birthday weekend gallivanting about Rome, and it was an amazing time. One of my favorite places was the Piazza Navona. People-watching, street artists, true artists, cafés, many of my favorite things in one place. I loved the place settings and the charm of the whole area. Can't wait to go back and enjoy some more in the near future.

travel photo tuesdays: le 14 juillet

This week's edition of travel photo tuesday is a bit supersized in honor of Bastille Day! For those who don't know the history (or need a little refresher), you can read a little more about it here. It is, as you may guess, a complicated story. But on to the pictures!

cézanne's middle school in aix-en-provence

the eiffel tower (la tour eiffel): as quintessentially french as revolutions


le drapeau à Versailles


the extravagance which prompted the French people to revolt/seize the Bastille and declare their rights as citizens and humans


et finalement, l'arc de triomphe

And bonus video: La Marseillaise, which apparently gave Edith Piaf her big break. I get chills every time I listen to it.


All photos © Jillian Nightingale