Paris in the Spring...

 

I am so missing Paris right now..  I love to visit in the spring!  I have had many emails as of late asking to share my favorite places in Paris and France so I thought that I would put together a post this coming week with all of the things that make Paris my favorite city.  

I would love to have you share your favorites too!  I am sure those who are traveling this coming year would like a glimpse into what makes the city so special to so many people. 

Wishing you a dream filled Saturday!

 

These are the sweet treats that my hubby brought me back from his trip just a few short weeks ago.

Love Laduree....

 

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Missing Paris....

My husband is in Paris today with out me... very sad I know..  I have sent him to my favorite places to eat, sleep and shop in hopes that he will have a nice time and bring me home something extra sweet.  I am super jealous and wish I was there with him!

What are your plans for the weekend?  Jetting off to a beautiful foreign city?  Any plans for St. Patrick's day?

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Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto

We took a trip to Toronto on our March Break this week to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame.

(Warning lots of pictures but the architecture sort of makes up for it I hope.)

Located in a former historic bank building in downtown Toronto the Hockey Hall of Fame/Temple de la renommée du hockey is a must see destination for hockey fans.

The HHOF is both a museum and a hall of fame highlighting the history of ice hockey. There are so many beautiful and informative displays and exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies. There is also lots of information and displays on Women's hockey, Olympic and International IIHF.

My husband and our youngest son, J, are always most interested in the memorabilia and trophies but it is the beautiful architecture of the old bank and vault that draws me in. The original Stanley Cup is in the original bank vault.

This girl loves hockey, but the metal, gears and wood detail of the vault and trophy room are even more appealing. Shh, don't tell my guys!

I guess I can't take one of these beauties home with me ?!!

More details and intricate woodwork.

With each visit I can't help but stare up at the gorgeous ceiling like a tourist, but c'mon, can you blame me?

We had an unseasonably warm and beautifully sunny March day (double digit warm, 17 Celsius, no snow and t-shirt weather in Ontario, Canada in March, are you kidding me?) and the light streaming through the stained glass dome was just gorgeous.

The Stanley Cup was out of the building until 12:30 but there were lots of other trophies to admire (we chose not to go back upstairs when it returned because we have seen it on previous visits and the crowds were growing.) 

The interactive area is always a blast, in this case shooting on a virtual goalie.

Our oldest son was up north this week doing farm things he loves so this was a special trip for J. My guys have all played minor hockey (as most boys and girls in my extended family do) and love hockey at all levels, from local to NHL to Olympic.

Olympic Gold for Canada's Women and Men.

International hockey.

Hockey legends (and Canadians) like Bobby Orr...

and the Great Wayne Gretzky.

Newer teams and the Original Six.

American and Canadian teams.

And did I mention great architecture? If you are in the area, and you like hockey, you might want to spend a few hours here. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week. Now back to painting my little desk.

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Voluspa Candle giveaway...

 

As a little thank you to my followers here on greige I thought I would giveaway one of our latest additions to the shop..  I love Voluspa and think you will too!  I always bring a small tin candle with me when I travel just to make the hotel a little more cozy, this sent would be so great for that. 

So in the spirit of the up coming Spring season and what I consider the beginning of the travel season - tell us about your favorite trip or one that you are planning for this year to enter to win.

Leave a comment below letting us know your favorite trip or a trip you have planned. For an additional chance to win tweet about our giveaway (it's easy just hit the tweet button below) and leave a second comment!  Our winner will be chosen at random Monday the 12th.  Don't forget to leave your email if I cannot contact you with your blogger id and to become a follower if you are not one now!

Congratulations to LR {SIX TWELVE PLACE} on being our winner!

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Paris Patina...

 

Even with a lot of wear and tear this Parisian apartment makes my heart skip a beat.  How do they do it?  It is so perfectly imperfect.  The floors are amazing along with all of the moulding details.  I am not sure how much I would want to change if I lived there.  What about you - would you feel the need to fix this beauty up or keep it just so?

images via 

 

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Hong Kong. Bali.

My hotels are picked, but I welcome any other suggestions (yes, I realize it's a long shot).

photo from the Times

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Paris Possibilities

 

My Sweet new friend Jeni has opened up the possibility of visiting Paris to me in the Spring.  Time full of shopping and adventuring around the city that I love so much!  I am so excited by the possibilities!

 

 

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Gardens of Portugal

I was just remembering a wonderful garden that I visited in Portugal a few years back.  Day dreaming about it really.  It was the most amazing place that I think I have ever been to.   These are just a few pictures of the many many structures that made up the space.  It was something that we just happened upon after lunch one day.  Our waiter at lunch recommended that we go by and see it and we spent much of the afternoon exploring the huge terraced grounds and taking photos. 

It reminds me of the coming of Spring and inspires me to get outside and make some changes!

images by Christina for greige

 

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Study Tour

For the next two weeks I will be travelling with the 4th year undergraduate students from the Caribbean School of Architecture on their Study Tour of Bridgetown Barbados. For more information on our travels click on the daily journal.

Study Tour: Barbados

Day #2
Day #3

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Lost in Arles...

 

A few weeks back I was feeling a little out of sorts.. a little lost at the beginning of the year, it always seems like a time when you should be overly motivated, ready to run out of the gates and get some things really taken care of, make changes and plan for the year ahead.  Well, I was in a total funk and kinda bummed out.  On a Sunday morning I had a chance to take a little time to myself and was wandering around in the land of the blogs, I came across Lost in Arles a blog written by Heather,  I spent well over an hour reading her posts and looking through her beautiful photos.   I finally felt like myself, I felt inspired and awake for the first time in what seemed like a month (the holidays really took a lot out of me this year).  I am ready to go, ready to be inspired, ready to travel and ready to take on the challenges of the year ahead.   Maybe I will visit France in the Fall this year, I know I will be working on stream lining my time and energy into projects that I really want and need to do, and maybe just maybe I will be taking a few more leaps of faith this year.

I wanted to thank Heather and thank all of the bloggers that take their time posting so many fantastic images and inspiration!

images via lost in arles

 

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