After dreaming about this place for years, we finally made it to the famous Amalfi Coast. Located in Southern Italy and declared as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Amalfi is beauty beyond words. It really is a slice of heaven. Positano is probably the most romantic village on the Amalfi Coast with Ravello being the second.

When we went to visit, we decided to stay in Sorrento as it was more central and easy to get to by train from Naples. Sorrento is also just a quick boat ride away from Capri which we also visited. So everyday, we would wake up in the morning, find a little cafe in Sorrento to have our morning espresso & pastry then hop on a bus to take us to Positano, Amalfi & Ravello. We visited these places in a span of 5 days which was nice as we had a full day in Positano to relax and swim at the beach. Aaahhh.. talk about La Dolce Vita! But you also must not miss Ravello. Ravello is situated up on a mountain only 5 km from Amalfi & it is stunning & so romantic.

I’m sure most of you have heard about the hair-raising drive to Amalfi. Well, let me tell ya, I thought I was going to die with every sharp turn the bus driver made. The road is so narrow and winding uphill. I really don’t know how they can drive that way. So Crazy. The view is stunning though so I kept myself busy taking photos the whole way.

The Amalfi Coast should definitely be part of your travel list. Yes, it’s packed with tourists but there’s a reason for why everyone wants to see this part of Italy. It really is worth a visit. And if you do make it there, make sure you come home with a bottle of limoncello. We sure did!

More travel photos to make you want to hop on a plane this summer! I am currently organizing all my photo files from the past years and hence the reason for my travel photo posts. When we travel, we come home with almost 2,000 photos and it’s a shame that they are all hidden in our hard drive or in burnt discs. So in the next while, I’ll be randomly posting some of our travel photos to inspire you and me to go back to them someday. I had forgotten about these photos so it’s nice to visually see them again.

When we visited Barcelona, I was amazed to see the buildings so well preserved. The building facades are so colourfully painted and features such beautiful doors & windows. I was in awe. I can see how proud the citizens are of their history that they make all efforts to preserve them. I was constantly taking photos with each step I made hoping that one day, these patterns & colours will inspire me to create something with them. Such beauty & elegance.

I also have to say how much I love catalonian food. We feasted on paella, pan con tomate (a slice of country bread rubbed with tomato & garlic and drizzled with olive oil), chorizo, gazpacho, bacalao and absolutely enjoyed eating at a Pintxo bar (basque style tapas). We only got to try one pintxo bar and it’s called Irati – SO good!!

We also found a great place to stay at called, Casa Meva. The owners are architects & they did an amazing job with the space. Super highly recommended! The location is great too with a little churros cafe right next door. How convenient is that? Would definitely stay here again.

Before Luna was born, Peter and I did a lot of traveling around Europe and Cinque Terre is one of the places we really fell in love with. Cinque Terre is a fishing village on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of Italy. It is composed of five enchanting villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. These villages are all connected by trains and walking paths – most of it you can’t even get to by car. We visited most of the villages and ate a whole lot of trofie al pesto, a local specialty, and drank the ligurian wine, a slightly fizzy red popular in the region.

Cinque Terre is no longer a secret and can get quite busy in high season. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage status and the residents make all efforts to preserve their land.  Travel tip: there’s a lot of towns that are only a half-hour or less away from Cinque Terre by train. We stayed in Rapallo, a near-by resort town. You probably can’t go too wrong no matter which town or village you’re in. It’s a beautiful area of Italy. Highly recommended. Hope to go back one day.

When the tv is on at home, it’s usually either on the design channel or food channel. I recently watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain in Provence and I couldn’t help but remember the time Peter and I spent there. Provence is truly magical. It’s like re-living one of Cezanne or Van Gogh’s paintings. Being there is like a dream. The faint smell of lavender in the air made me realize that it was not a dream, I really was in Provence.

To truly experience Provence, we rented a car and stayed at a lovely Chambre D’Hote in a typical Provençal village called Eyragues. Our Chambre D’Hote was surrounded by olive trees with a beautiful swimming pool that was owned by a lovely lady who decided to move there from Paris to take over her uncle’s Chambre D’Hote. Eyragues was the perfect village to stay at as we were less than an hour drive to some of the most beautiful villages in Provence like Saint Remy, Le Baux, Gordes, La Fontaine de Vaucluse, Rousillon, Bonnieux & Avignon. We visited all these villages, feasted on Provençal food, drank rosé and kept on telling ourselves that we need to retire here.

I sometimes find myself dreaming of living in Provence and running my own Chambre D’Hote. In my dream, I spend my days wandering around town, sipping pastis or Ricard with my Provençal friends while we exchange recipes and watch men play petanque. The warm sun and distinct smell of lavender surrounds us making everyday a perfect day. Then I would make my own bread & jams to serve my guests for breakfast as they tell me stories of where they’ve been and where they come from. Life moves slowly. People come and go. The sun never leaves the sky. Doesn’t this sound so perfect?

Provence  has a special place in my heart. The people are friendly, food is out of this world and the landscape so beautiful.