Greece!

I'm on my way to Athens, Greece this week, and I'm especially happy because I have never ever been to Greece! Have you? Do you have any special tips for me? I'd love to hear them!

After a very rainy, mostly cold spring season in Germany, I am truly looking forward to some sun and seaside views. 

If you would like to order a personal collage postcard sent from me to you from Athens, please click here.

I'm almost finished with my 12 Countries in 12 Months tour! After Athens, Stockholm is next on my list... What will I do after that? 

Hope you are well and I look forward to hearing all about your Greek experiences, travels, and tips!

xoxo

Stephanie

Paris!

Yes! I was in Paris, so of course I had to see this...

but a visit to Hemingway's first apartment on the 74 rue de Cardinal Lemoine (which he describes in A Moveable Feast) was much more interesting to me.

I went down to the Boulevard Montparnasse to visit one of Hemingway's favorite cafes - La Closerie des Lilas

and over to Le Dome where the artists, poets, writers, and philosophers used to hang out together in Paris of the 1920s.

Across the street there was a sidewalk cafe called L'Atelier where they serve an absinthe cocktail called the Simone de Beauvoir.

I continued my personal Paris literary and arts tour by visiting the studio where Picasso painted Guernica

with modern street art greeting me outside.

I saw the apartment where Joyce edited Ulysses

the hotel where Henry Miller wrote Letters to Emil

and Kerouac and Ginsberg's favorite pub.

I had a few glorious hours of sun in Paris

and lots of rain

which gave me plenty of time to study Parisian shoes and umbrellas :)

I discovered pastel colored macarons at Laudree

and many more lovely Patisserie

and Creperie than I could ever count!

There was even "La Maison des Tartes"

with quaint handwritten menus in chalk

 a beautiful Tarte citron that smiled at me

but I simply smiled back and settled for a cafe au lait.

The museums in Paris were a challenge because of the long, long lines everywhere.

I did make it into the Centre Pompidou

where I saw lots of contemporary and modern art, a Matisse retrospective, and marveled at these long stemmed, fresh, red roses in the museum cafe.

I was planning to visit the Musee d'Orsay, but the 3-4 hour wait scared me away, so I walked down the street to the Musee Rodin (thank you for your recommendations!)

Yep, there was The Thinker right in the middle of the garden, just as you would expect.

The villa of the Musee Rodin was a real highlight with lovely views from the windows

beautiful sunlit rooms

and an elegant garden and pond with bronze statues.

A highlight of my trip was taking a Paris train (with colorful seats that looked like something from the set of Star Trek)

and a bus out to Monet's gardens in Giverny.

The tulips were incredible

the pink and green house was charming

and the Japanese bridge was exactly as you would expect, and much loved by tourists from around the world.

I hope you have been out having amazing adventures of your own!

Next week I'll be off to Athens, Greece - more about that coming soon :)

xoxo

Stephanie

April in Paris

I can hardly believe that it is already time for me to hit the road again; it feels like I have been running non-stop since early March! 

Paris will be the 10th city on my 12 country tour, can you believe it??  I am truly looking forward to gorgeous Paris - a city I have only visited once before, many many long years ago...

I would love to hear your tips and suggestions for places to see, people to meet, cafes, museums, shops, treats to eat in Paris. I tend to get more wonderful ideas that I can actually squeeze into my short visits, but I do love hearing about your personal experiences and favorites, and I usually manage to fit in quite a few.

This trip I am planning excursions to Versailles and Monet's gardens in Giverny. Have any of you been there before? I haven't done too much solid planning yet, so my schedule is still very open. I look forward to hearing from you!

Oh, and if you would like to receive a handwritten, personal collage postcard from Paris, I'd be more than happy to send you one! Find out how to order your Paris postcard here. 

All the best to you and more news coming soon from Paris,

xoxo

Stephanie

Beautiful Bath

While I was in England, I was lucky enough to journey to Bath and interview lovely photographer and author Susannah Conway for my 12 Countries project.

We had lunch at Jamie's Italian, then we strolled around beautiful Bath, and Susannah showed me the sights of her current hometown.

We walked and we talked

and then we had a coffee by the peaceful river in the afternoon sun.

Bath is a gorgeous city with rich history and a magical atmosphere. I didn't go to the thermal baths or even tour the Roman ruins, but I did enjoy my conversation with Susannah. 

It made me remember that the most important part of this travel project is actually the creative women I'm meeting in each place and the connections that we are making all over the world. 

Susannah's new book This is I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart, featuring her photography and personal story, is most certainly wonderful, and I was lucky enough to see a sneak preview copy. Some of you may have taken one of Susannah's very popular e-courses before, and I know that she puts a lot of heart and intelligence into all of her work.

Thank you Susannah for the special afternoon in Bath, and thanks also to the very talented Xanthe, Luzelle, and Kathy, who were so kind to take the time to meet me in London for interviews. 

I'll be sharing highlights of all of the interviews I've gathered so far for my 12 Countries project during the upcoming weeks, and I appreciate everyone's patience as I juggle my travel, writing, and multiple projects schedule.

Hope you are all having a lovely "Green Thursday" as they say in Germany, and I wish you a nice holiday weekend.

I'll be sending out my April newsletter later today, and if you'd like to get a copy, you can sign up here.

Hugs from the road between Berlin and Munich today :)

xoxo

Stephanie