A Town and Country Holiday

Typically around this time of year I manage to to take a few days off and plop myself down with a book and a margarita on a beach in Mexico,
because an escape from LA is desperately needed.

This summer, I am opting for something altogether different,
and no, I don't mean taking the entire month of August off, like the Europeans do.
(I wish)

I'm going for a little culture and and a little relaxation
by way of a town and country holiday abroad.

So, after months of procrastination, I finally booked a few days here

and here

and here

and here

Hopefully, I will get a chance to visit this gorgeous place too

And, if the vacation gods are with me, I will have bathing suit weather all the way.

We shall see.

What kind of summer vacation destinations do you prefer, town, country or beach? 



Mid-Summer Musings About Travel

Since it is mid-summer and I have this on my mind

I thought that I would share with you this article from the WSJ

A Hotel Executive on How to Get Good Service

When Mr. James is checking into a hotel, he always makes sure he's nicely dressed. Typically he'll show up in a suit or slacks and a jacket. "If you look the part, you'll tend to get looked after a little bit better," he says.

I tend to agree with this advice as I've found from many years of travelling.  Certainly the better I am dressed, the better I am treated. So for me no shorts, t-shirts or flip flops for travel attire.

This summer I can't get my act together for a trip to the south of France but the gorgeous (and talented in a DIY way) Tabitha has posted about her swanky sojourn at the Eden Roc, Hotel du Cap and more. 

Check out her Bourbon and Pearls blog.

And as for travel attire, do not miss James Andrew's posts about his recent trip through Italy.  I particularly love what he wore to La Sireneuse. He must get incredible service. But I wonder, with all his fabulous clothes, how many suitcases does he travel with. Check out his What is James Wearing blog.

What do you wear when you travel and do you think that it makes any difference at all in how you are treated?

Spain 2009 - Los Arcos de la Frontera

Having tried my hardest to do absolutely nothing to improve myself while on vacation, other than deepening my tan, I ended up picking up this book and actually learning a lot about the history and geography of Spain.
This well written book, It's Not About The Tapas, by English journalist and travel writer Polly Evans, outlined her trip through Spain by bicycle. Not only did this writer perform the utterly incredible feat of travelling from San Sebastian to Barcelona which means cycling across the Pyrenees, she managed to weave an amusing story about historical and modern Spain. In each short chapter she described the villages and cities that she visited in terms of their local geography, culture, cuisine and history, and she did it with a sense of humor.

So in the spirit of learning something new about Spain I took a quick side trip to Los Arcos de la Frontera, one of the famous pueblos blancos of Andalusia.

This tiny town was set high on a hill with beautiful views of the agrarian country side.

Originally under Moorish control, like all of Andalusia, Los Arcos was Christianized in the 13th Century.

But the Moorish influence in architecture was still prevalent, especially in the small verdant atrium's within the oldest part of the village.

The village was quiet and not just because it was getting to siesta time. I saw only a handful of tourists, mostly french and South American. Of course it was obvious that we were the only two American tourists in the town...because who else would be wearing a pink Hawaiian shirt...

In fact I didn't see any American tourists anywhere in this region of Spain.

Did Americans stay home this summer because the dollar is so low against the euro or

did they only travel to the big cities in Europe?

Spain Summer Fun Part 2 in Hot and Happening Madrid

I finally made it to Madrid...what a different vibe after the quiet evenings on the terrace in Provence...pictures to come, bien sur.
Soon back home to blogging and the beladora biz.

At Last - En Vacance

Yeah...it's finally happening
VACATION

So after dealing with the crisis in my closet
due to the fact that I've posted some 900+ times on BHB
and now nothing I own fits
I've had to piece together some sort of vacation wardrobe
so after a year and of half of choosing blogging over jogging
I just have to deal with it

Fortunately, I'm not going to London or Paris
It will be casual all the way
and what I wear just won't matter
on the Costa de la Luz in Southern Spain

OK...it won't be this casual
and the night life isn't going to be anything like this

Instead, there will be quite days on the beach

And early evening walks through the town

And hopefully some time spent in the country

hiking, biking and enjoying Andalusia

And then off to the environs of Aix en Province

Maybe I'll even hike up Mont St. Victoire

Or wander through the town sipping pastis at sidewalk cafes

I will try to step away from the computer for the next two weeks

...let's see if I can do it....

bon, on y va

Eurovision 2009

Eurovsision 2009 winner Alexander Rybeck of Norway

It just wouldn't be right if I didn't share it with you

Style In The City - London Over Paris

From Forbes.com

The World's Most Stylish Cities

Nicola Ruiz
From Berlin to Barcelona, these 10 buzzworthy spots epitomize cool.

Paris has La Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. New York is home to Fifth and Madison avenues. And shoppers need look no further than Via Monte Napoleone in Milan, Italy, for the latest prêt-a-porter.
But none can match London's cosmopolitan vibe. One third of the city's population was born outside Britain; that's 2.3 million Londoners sharing their cultural style, fashion and cuisine. This mix gives tremendous vibrancy to the city, the world's most stylish according to a recent survey.

While Paris came in second, Anholt says it's done less to deserve this elite spot than other cities. With no notable new buildings going up since the Arche de La Defense 20 years ago, and few new crowd-pleasing events of late, Anholt says that Paris, like Rome and Milan, is riding on its reputation.

Riding on its reputation....I love that phrase

(I might add that I am a Francophile...not a Parisophile)

Here's the List

London

Paris

Sydney

New York

Rome

Barcelona

Melbourne

Berlin

Amsterdam

Madrid

I'm OK with the fact that Los Angeles didn't turn up on this list.

It's too crowded here already and we don't need any more people

stylish or not.

And, I'm not sure whether or not I want La Belette to finish her

365 Things That Don't Suck About LA

Maybe she should stop now with Thing #1 The Getty

Vintage Value Venture - Spring Roses For Spring Weddings

Well, it's spring...finally

Well maybe not in North Dakota

My mother is happily getting ready for her spring trip to Spain, France and Italy. Included in her little European jaunt is a wedding of the daughter of family friends in southern Spain and for the happy event she's packing a smart little frock, a rose print jacket and adorable shoes each with a gigantic fabric rose on the top.

Considering that the family owns a major Sherry winery and after a couple of glasses of fino and in an outfit like that I wouldn't be surprised if ma mere ends up with a rose in her teeth flamenco dancing with some young toreador.

Alas, I'm not off to Europe until the weather warms up to at least 85 degrees.

But.... if I had a lovely spring wedding to go to this is what I would wear.

Woodlawn Vintage Rose Dress in Silk $350

Beladora Pink and Green Tourmaline Earrings in 18K $1450

And I'd be flamenco dancing with a young toreador with a rose in my teeth!

Bienvenue en France ! La Grève Générale !

Ah Paris
The City of LightThere is always the Paris of our dreams.
Strolling along the Champs-Elysées before stopping at a sidewalk cafe for an apéritif...
Visiting the Musée d'Orsay then perusing the used book vendors along the quai next to the Seine...
Shopping at the boutiques on the Rue Saint-Honoré and the Rue du Bac...
Checking out the antiques at the Marché aux Puces early on a Sunday morning...
Dining late at a neighborhood brasserie in the 16th Arrondissement...

And then there is the Paris of our reality.
La Grève

From AGI News
FRANCE: GENERAL STRIKE, CHAOS IN CENTRE OF PARIS
AGI) - Paris, Jan. 29 - Today's general strike in Paris has turned into chaos and clashes in the French capital. The strike against the economic politics of Nicolas Sarkozy and his management of the financial crisis saw the participation of tens of thousands of people, mostly just parading peacefully. After a few hours however some groups of youngsters became violent. Many of them were wearing ski-masks, they started shouting slogans against Sarkozy asking for his resignation. Then they began throwing stones, they started fires and clashed with the police. The police in turn used truncheon against the rioters but were unable to disperse them according to eye witnesses. The protesters tried to enter Boulevard de Capucines shouting ''We go to the Elysée!". Had they really done so they would have passed the shopping and tourism districts to reach the President's office. The police stopped them however.

From the Wall Street Journal

In France, A Strike Against the Economy

French unions are worried that the faltering economy will lead to massive job cuts. So naturally they organized a general strike yesterday that could cost the economy a few hundred million euros in lost working hours. Nobody has ever accused the union bosses of clear thinking. "Black Thursday" is the first sign of political trouble in a major European economy as a result of the economic crisis. More than one million people protested against President Nicolas Sarkozy's economic management. As always, France's public-sector employees were particularly eager to strike -- 23% of them didn't show up for work.

And from a blog (h/t joe)
Yet again the French are on strike. This time, among the usual collection of everybody striking over their own petty demands that they expect the rest of society to attend to for them, is the over-arching theme of this economy wrecking event – they are striking against the global economy.
The best I can gather from interviewed agonists and such is that in large part people are mad at the French government’s intervention to prop up the banks and major industries, something the blithering idiots are usually all for. Normally, a trend away from socialistic dirigisme would be a good thing for the overall potential of a healthy economy, but these protestors, including the bolshy CGT, Reds, etal., are protesting that the largesse of the state is being directed at the economy at all and not limited to relieving them of the cost of social free-riding.

Even the employees of the Euronext stock exchange are marching. Just what is it that they think the ‘social compact’ is supposed to do for their racket that the rest of the people in their same union won’t protest?

and you wonder

does anyone really want another French Revolution?

well, apparently so...

Never letting a crisis go to waste, the left are ready to exploit your misery for the sake of their power-grab, and opportunity to wreck the economy for good with methods borrowed from the largely agrarian 1930s. As per the Boy wonder Olivier Besancenot:
Olivier Besancenot, the young leader of France’s extreme left is hoping Thursday’s strike will be the first step towards another French revolution as the recession bites and protests multiply across Europe’s second largest economy.“We want the established powers to be blown apart,”

From the International Herald Tribune

Strikes hobble services in France

PARIS January 29, 2009 (IHT) - Hundreds of thousands of workers went on strike Thursday across France, snarling transportation and closing post offices and schools in a sign of discontent with President Nicolas Sarkozy's response to the economic crisis.
... Mass transit in the capital was in chaos, with service on suburban commuter lines reduced or nonexistent, and most subways and buses running well below normal frequencies. The Education Ministry estimated that 37 percent of teachers walked out. In Marseille, the country's second largest city, television showed buses crammed with commuters as subway service was completely interrupted.
Across France, airports were operating at reduced capacity and flights were delayed. The rail line that serves the two Paris airports was completely shut down, stranding arriving travelers in long taxi lines.
As many as 200 demonstrations were planned across the country, including a massive march across Paris in the afternoon.

La Grève...it's a national sport for the French!

Dutch Treat

From the Intenational Herald Tribune
Canal ice helps Dutch rediscover national identity

In the 19th century, when Hans Brinker, the hero of the novel in which he tries to win a pair of silver skates, coasted along Holland's ice, the canals froze almost every year. But water pollution and climate change have made this so rare that today a boy of 15, Brinker's age, may never have seen a frozen canal, or at least remember one. Until, that is, this year.
"For us, it's in our genes," said Gus Gustafsson, 68, a retired insurance executive, explaining why he and his wife had rushed out to buy new skates and take to the ice under a cloudless blue sky. "It was like a frenzy that came over people, including lots of kids, like my granddaughter, who is 5." With thousands of others, they skated northeast toward the cheese capital, Gouda, then toward Utrecht.

"Water is our friend, and 10 percent of our area is water," he said. "From the oldest days, in very little villages, people could skate to each other."
Bonthuis, 59, said he had skated with friends recently but also had spent a lot of time just skating meditatively alone, leaning slightly forward, arms crossed behind his back. "It's nice to skate when there is a beautiful view of the fields," he said. "You see a lot of people skating alone."

Sartorialist Style - Purple Driving Mocs in Milan

When I want to see a the best of NY and European fashion trends, I don't pick up Vogue. I go straight to fashion photographer extraordinaire, The Sartorialist. His photos show the most chic looks worn on the streets, like these purple driving mocs on men. I love this look.

Picturesque Pigna

Meanwhile, what's up on Mother's Day with my mere, Madame de Ville...and no her first name isn't Cruella. She's off, as usual gallivanting around Europe. After days of bad weather on the Spanish coast she's finally reached the sunshine of the picturesque little village of Pigna in Liguria Italy.

Happy Mother's Day Maman.

Harry's Bar Venice Offering Discount to "Poor" Americans

This week it was reported in the Washington Post that the famous Harry's Bar in Venice, a long time hang out for ex pat and travelling Americans, is offering a discount to ""poor" Americans suffering from a weak dollar and subprime blues."

"Harry's Bar of Venice, in an effort to make the American victims of subprime loans happier, has decided to give them a special 20 percent discount on all items of the menu during the short term of their recovery."

Can I make a suggestion? Instead of travelling all the way to Venice, the Disneyland of Europe, why not visit Beverly Hills.

There's a hip boutique hotel, The Crescent, which is right in the heart of the Platinum Triangle. The room rates are reasonable, the outdoor lounge with a fireplace is charming, and if you are looking for Italian food that is as good as what is served at Harry' Bar, you've got Il Pastaio a block away. If you don't need to walk, there are countless other excellent Italian restaurants within a short drive.

Oh, I know you don't have all the canals and photo friendly vistas, but you skip the tourist trap nonsense, and the prevailing attitude that you are just a "poor" American.

More Carla Mania

What's not to love about this fantastically beautiful French First Lady.

She has that je ne sais quoi, doesn't she?

The inimitable Linda Grant has some thoughts on "The Gaze" that is melting the Brits.

The gaze
Just look at the man-trapping stare that Carla Bruni has triumphantly brought to Britain. Show us how it's done, Carla.
As a basic foundation one needs to be ravishingly beautiful with large, lash-fringed eyes above a slightly parted mouth. If you lack the gorgeousness, you might resemble that deranged fan in the Stephen King novel Misery, who kidnaps a famous writer and amputates his foot.
If you direct all your attention at a man, you need to have a face that commands attention.
The Gaze tells an unlikely story, which men fall for every time. Witness Prince Philip in his gilded coach yesterday, as Carla turned on the 10,000-watt radiance. He sits back, as if hit by a stun gun. The Gaze says, "You, my darling desiccated duke, you, you could make me happy. Everything you say and do absorbs me. Look, I am smiling. And why? Because you are so witty, so handsome, so debonair in your overcoat. So what, you are married? Wives are easily disposed of."
In the Gaze, the face is mainly immobile. It is unnecessary to speak. The face speaks. The recipient of the Gaze interprets its language: my God, she fancies me! Then, alarmingly, the Gaze turns off, or away.
The sun is put out. The Gaze is directed to someone else. Yet how can that be, when it is me she loves?
Try practising the Gaze in front of a mirror, or on your pets. Take a good look at the goldfish. When you try this at home you'll find you're more likely to resemble a carp than Carla.

Linda Grant

Wall Street Journal - Eurostar

If I can ever get out of the office and away from the computer I'd like to take a trip to Europe. Actually, to France, Germany and Spain. I've always loved travelling by train in Europe and now as the The Wall Street Journal has reported on the high speed train system, the Eurostar's new routes I'm ready to plan my trip. And here's the travelling outfit that I would wear...Ralph Lauren's trench coat from Macys.com (because it always rains when I'm in Europe) and white jeans and tee shirt....soooo moi.

In Step with Fashion in the Ukraine

While marching is an important training exercise for any military unit, appropriate footwear is required. At the very least these soldiers from the Ukraine Army should have Nike Air technology in their marching shoes.

Cole Hahn should become a private contractor for the Ukraine army.

Thanks to the Instapundit I found this photo.

The incomparable Manolo as usual has some choice commentary on this photo as well.

Not Thin Enough

This is where we are today....from the Wall Street Journal.

A sad statement on where we've evolved in terms of female beauty.