WE'RE BACK!

We got back from our two week adventure in the United Kingdom super late on Sunday night. I am still trying to get back into a normal routine (like not eating a proper English Breakfast every day (sigh), getting to bed at a normal time, and actually writing this dang dissertation), but I wanted to check in with you guys and let you know that we had a great time and there will certainly be some photos and recaps of the trip to come. In the meantime, I stumbled across this funny round up of images of majorly overloaded vehicles from all over the world. It reminded me about how, during our trip, we stuffed our miniature-sized Kia full of our overflowing luggage and attempted to navigate the tiny (read: the size of a golf cart path) roads in much of back woods Scotland. We got used to using "laybys" regularly—small pull overs on the side of the road—that laughably looked like rain gutters. Combine that with a ludicrous number of Highland cattle and bleating sheep in the road and many of our drives felt like the last photo—borderline chaos!Hope you had a great holiday weekend. If you are interested, more crazy photos of overloaded vehicles can be found here.
 

SCOTLAND: A LAND OF GREAT AND MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY

I haven't had a chance to process my photos or videos from our trip thus far—hard to believe we are almost halfway done!—but I can say we have some great adventures and, despite some unseasonably cool and cloudy weather, have basked in the great and vast landscape that is Scotland. We spent several days in the Scottish Highlands this week and truly enjoyed its splendor. I think this short film by Josh Brine on Vimeo captures much of the magic here; I hope you like it!

(Thanks to swissmiss for the conveniently timed tip!)

A BONNIE WEE ROMANCE! WE'RE OFF TO SCOTLAND!

Well folks, I am excited to say that today the hubby and I are headed off on a little adventure. We are going to the United Kingdom for two weeks, mainly driving around Scotland, seeing the islands, and then headed down for a couple of days in London and a dear friend's wedding. Though I am sad to report that I will have to squeeze some school work in on the trip, I am head over heels happy about spending some quality time together given our crazy schedules of late. With new jobs for both of us coming up (more on that in the future!), this may be the last overseas adventure we have in a while. So we will make it count!I will do my best to post an update here and there, but you can plan on seeing me for sure after the Fourth of July when we get back. Until then, I hope you are able to enjoy some lovely summer weather!
(All photos snagged from Pinterest and saved on this board here.) 

RANDOM THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY, VOLUME TWO

As I near the home stretch with my dissertation, my brain increasingly feels like swiss cheese—completely full of holes. It is perhaps only fitting that I give you another 'Random Things' post, if only to accurately represent my chaotic state of mind. . . 

ONE > How fabulous are these colorful playing cards? Who knew poker could be so pretty . . . 

TWO > I rotate my desktop background regularly and am always looking for new (and free!) patterns to upload. DesignLoveFest's regular column is the best source for these and I totally fell in love with her recent post featuring this palm print by Kate Worsum.

THREE > Candy on a stick? Yes, please!

FOUR > I can't decide if one piece bathing suits are all purposefully designed to be unflattering or if they don't just work on me, but the raving reviews and pretty colors of this JCrew number have me tempted to try again . . . 

FIVE > These brightly colored beauties in Naples have me dreaming of revisiting my trip to Italy and heading down south instead. 

SIX > I collect typewriters. Have I told you that? Well I do. It's a hard hobby to keep up in my cramped NYC apartment, but oh baby this yellow number is calling my name!

I WANT TO GO TO THERE: AIRBNB FLOATING HOUSE IN LONDON

Oh man, oh man. Life is crazy! One of my most loyal readers (hi Mom!) pointed out this weekend that I hadn't posted here in two weeks. Two weeks!, she said. Whoops! Has it really been that long?Turns out madly trying to write your dissertation before the fall graduation deadline, completing a bunch of last minute wedding calligraphy orders, preparing to move, writing conference applications and generally trying to keep your friends and family from forgetting what you look like takes some time! But I plan to keep popping in here as much as possible, don't worry!The photos above are of a cool project I stumbled across recently. AirBnB created an unusual ad campaign to celebrate London's new deregulation of AirBnB's short term apartment rental service —they built a full sized house, complete with two bedrooms and a yard and floated it down the Thames River. Apparently you could even rent a night's stay in the house (at least before it closed on May 22nd). Amazing, right? What a unique way to see the city!Learn more about the tiny floating AirBnB house here.p.s. Reminds me of this cute floating guy!

THE FANS: CHOREOGRAPHED COLOR

Sometimes it's the simplest ideas that have the most powerful results: The Fans was an art installation created for the  LYNfabrikken Box exhibition space in Aarhus, Denmark in early 2014. The project sought to combine the physicality of color with the dynamism of motion. Using electric fans retrofitted with specially colored blades and programmed to run at different speeds and intervals, The Fans created a choreography of color that revealed a flow of fiery ombre waves throughout the space.

Like so many cool projects hosted in Europe, I wish I could have seen this in person! No matter, you can learn more about The Fans here and here.

PER YOUR SUGGESTION: NEW NORWEGIAN PASSPORTS

Hold the phone, guys. My dear friend Susie just sent me a link to an article about the coolest design project: Norway's new passports! Apparently in February the Norwegian National Police issued a call for submissions to redesign the country's identification cards and passports. This week they announced the winning proposal was submitted by Neue, a design studio based in Oslo. Their design plan is pretty ingenious (reminds me of these, actually), featuring a spot on color palette (that blue and red, yum!) and beautifully simple renderings of fjords and mountains that, wait for it, light up to reveal the Northern Lights when placed under a UV lamp. Security meets design. Brilliant. Now, where do I sign up for Norwegian citizenship? :)

Learn more about the project here and, if you speak Norwegian, the Neue design group here.

LICHTGRENZE: 25 YEARS AFTER THE WALL FELL

This project has gotten a ton of press over the past several days but it was simply too beautiful not to share here. Featuring 8000 LED filled balloons, Lichtgrenze (literally: 'border of light') is an art installation-cum-historical awareness piece that stretches 10 miles over the path of the Berlin Wall—even blocking streets and cutting through parks as the wall once did—to commemorate its destruction 25 years ago.

These perfect glowing globes were installed for two days this weekend and were released last night as part of Berlin's anniversary celebration. Each balloon was funded by a specific individual or group and each balloon was released last night by a person holding a unique key; once freed the balloons floated away into the night air, carrying personal messages and symbolizing humanity's struggle to continue to rise above oppression and violence.

There are lots of great articles about this, but I recommend the writing published here and here. See footage of the balloon release and celebration here. More information about the promotional video (warning: it's mostly in German!) here.

VIVA ITALIA! THE ITALIAN GRAND TOUR, PART THREE

I am back in action today with the next stop on our Italian Grand Tour: Venice! It's a city of romance, of crumbling buildings and rising waters, of Renaissance masterpieces and seafood specialities. We had a lovely time getting lost in Venice's labyrinthine walkways and sneaking peaks of its chaotic canals. While not our favorite place in Italy (I know, heresy!) it was spectacular to immerse ourselves in a place so steeped with history that every scratch on that wall seems like a relic from a lost era. Museums, churches, and a bit of shopping—we did it all. I am including a bunch of photos below that speak for themselves. If you have any questions about our itinerary leave it in the comments! 

Of course the city looks just as beautiful in color as it does in black and white . . . 

All in all a lovely way to spend a couple days! Here are a few of my favorite experiences/insider tips if you are headed there soon.

favorite church (exterior): Santa Maria della Salute, set on a plaza facing the grand canal!

favorite church (interior): Saint Mark's mosaics are not to be missed.

best way to get in a gondola: take a traghetto, a commuter gondola that ferries you from one side of the grand canal to the other for only 2 euro; there are six or seven crossing points open at any time, so to maximize the ride take one of the routes that cut diagonally across the canal.

best museum (for historic art): A tie between the Venice Guggenheim (now a must see stop for modern art lovers or people wanting a great canal-side resting spot) and the spectacularly chic space of the new Punta della Dogana museum of contemporary art (bonus! it's next to Santa Maria della Salute!).

best museum (for contemporary art): The Gallerie dell'Accademia is in a totally dilapidated building, but has some breathtaking altarpieces and Renaissance paintings (see photo of coffered room above).

best evening activity: Besides getting lost in a new neighborhood, I highly recommend heading to Piazza San Marco and listening to the black tie bands play in front of the swanky bars. It's sounds cheesy but there is something magical about hearing a jazz piano solo while staring at the twinkly lights of a world famous palace and church. (Don't believe me? Check out this video.)

best place for a romantic dinner: A tiny place with super friendly staff that's been winning acclaim for twenty years now, Osterie delle Testiere is wonderful. Get seafood and dessert. You won't regret it.

That's all! Next stop Cinque Terre, to be posted later this week.

VIVA ITALIA! THE ITALIAN GRAND TOUR, PART TWO

I am back in action today, recapping our Italian adventure bit by bit for you. After visiting Lake Como, we headed out to the Dolomites, a gorgeous craggy mountain range in northeastern Italy. We spent one glorious day hiking there in a spectacular place called Alpe di Siusi. Alpe di Suisi (also known as Seiser Alm in German—they speak Italian and German there since it used to be part of Austria) is a gorgeous verdant valley ringed by sharp grey Dolomite peaks. There are dozens of fabulous trails to explore, connected by cool ski lifts and mountain top eateries.

Not surprisingly I took billions of pictures on our five hour hike and, for your viewing pleasure, I have included my favorites (with limited commentary, the scenes speak for themselves!) below. Enjoy!

Cows roomed all over the valley, their bells clanging melodically. Occasionally, some of the larger milking cows would take a break in the middle of the trail and you would have to side step them. Different from New York City, huh?

The night before our hike there were wild rain and hail storms in the tiny town we were staying in; up in the mountains that rain translated to a gorgeous dusting of snow. Set against the brilliant green hills, the combination was breathtaking!

We stumbled across this gate—with colorful ropes blowing in the breeze—about halfway through our hike. I know it's probably a way to keep the animals from crossing the gate, but I couldn't help thinking it looked like a perfect mini art installation. It was so simple, but aren't the simplest things in life sometimes the most beautiful?

Before descending back down to our car at the base of the valley, we took one last look around at this panoramic scene. I have to admit, it was hard to tear ourselves away—who could leave that view—but having these photos helped. Plus there were still many more Italian adventures to be had! More on those in the coming days. . .