Our Provençal Getaway

As a part of our 3-week honeymoon, Darwin and I drove to Aix-en-Provence. 

This was a third leg of six cities visited. Darwin and I also visited Nerja for a good friend's wedding, Malaga, Toulouse, Lourdes, Nice and finally, Paris. 

We were hoping for lavender fields and a trip to Arles and St Remy (where Van Gogh painted most of his famous works such as:

The Bedroom 

Yellow House

Garden of Irises

Unfortunately, Fall was not the best time to see lavender fields. But we were happy to get lost and explore the little town of Aix, anyway.

On the weekends, the city centre hosts several Provençal Markets. We decided on Les Grandes Marches.

We scored the place for cheese, sausages, spices and little knick-knacks. 

 

It was also tempting to buy "antique" dining ware, but at this point luggage space was an issue as we still had a long way to go (and a lot more shopping to do!)

 And if you ever visit Aix, I beg you to try this place out. It was recommended by Sophie, our B&B host. On our first night I managed to get us lost and we ended up eating in some Japanese restaurant at the centre, but when my navigator husband took over taking directions, we (or should i say HE) found it!

Chez Thome is in a very quiet place on top of the hills. It is run by a pretty lady in her 40s, and you can tell by how the place is decorated.

Distressed wood, plants and a feminine accent. I live for these things.

Darwin's starter... Foie Gras. DEATH. DEATH!!!

And his main dish, the most amazing Tartare EVER. EVER!!!!!




I won't bother posting my food. His deserves the spotlight.

We booked ourselves at a pretty Bed & Breakfast on top of the hill, just 10 minutes away from Aix-en-Provence's city centre. It's called La Bruissanne and it is run by a wonderful woman name Sophie LeGrand.

We took the Marius, their "honeymoon" suite. It was beautiful... such a quiet place and she decorated the room with so much heart. Down to the last corner.

Our bed was fresh and clean and comfortable.

 This is a photo of how our room looks from the outside. It has its own patio. This is where we spent idle time just meditating and kicking our feet up.

The breakfast nook. Sophie served us fresh bread, jam, butter, coffee, tea, juice and yogurt every day. 

The breakfast nook looks over the pool and garden  

This is breakfast and I'm dying to go back

Then there was a little outdoor pantry for late-night tea/coffee/snacks.

Trays for your odds and ends

When you're a woman, you've got a lot of trinkets. Whatever they might be--you'll need to keep your "garbage" in check. 

On a recent trip to Muji, I hoarded on these clear plastic trays. 

 I put one tray on my night table. This is for the accessories I use the most. After wearing, I just take them off and dump. The other accessories are kept in a bigger box in some drawer.

I also have a lot of unopened cologne, nail polish and hand gels. Instead of keeping them cluttered in a drawer, I use the tray to hold them in order and in place, like this:

I also have a tray to store paper products. Cotton buds, makeup sponges, q-tip, facial pads and lint rollers, which I've pre-packed in ziplock bags in smaller quantities. When I travel, I just grabe these and stuff them into my Toiletree bag. 

I bought little square containers for temporary storage. Temporary because sometimes when I arrive home and need to wash the dishes and need a place to keep my wedding rings without misplacing them (and I'm always too lazy to reach for the jewelry box tucked in somewhere), I have my square dumping and compartmentalizing boxes. This way, I can reach for them another time and put them away properly. At least they're all in one place for the mean time.

I leave these on top of my night table or in the bathroom. They're the best. Also ideal for hair pins and elastics. I used to just put these on top of tables or on the bed or somewhere they are bound to get lost.

What are your organizing secrets? Would love to hear from you guys! :p

Pam and Begs' Windward House

Our fellow newlywed friends, Pam and Begs, invited us for a weekend over at their new and gorgeous beach house :) when you see it from afar, you'll really go WHOA because it looks massive from the incoming road. Here is a partial view from when you get inside the gate. This is alo where they had their wedding reception last March. Begs wanted to be sure that the house he was building for himself and his wife was ready in time for the reception! And ready it was!

Here's how it looked on the night of their wedding:

The great Begre wedding reception, March 2011.

Mr. and Mrs. Begre in their beautiful beach wedding.

So their house is very very clean, but still very laid back. The wood they use is architectural wood-- meaning, it's wood that wasn't directly sourced from illegal logging.. i think. haha. 

Notice how organic the place feels. The design has this whole modern formula to it, but you don't feel like you're in a spaceship. It still feels very earthy and cozy, really, even with all those lines and clean surfaces.

This is one of two casitas for the guests. Floor to ceiling glass, and very "presko." Look at the ventilation system. It's really breezy in this property because it faces the beach, although it isn't directly by the shore.

This is behind casita #2. They're planning to put a brick oven in the backyard, for future pizza parties. fun, right??

That behind the sliding door is the main dining room. I love the lamps hanging above the dining table.

Their floor is taken from used wooden crates. They decided to keep the crates in their original state, that's why every now and then you will spot a cargo marking, which adds sooo much charm to the place!

They took their flooring from crates like these

Their pool deck is spacious, decorated with a large sofa and sun beds also made of wood.

They have brisollettes  (partly seen, right) to create a nice cool shade from the setting sun.  

This is Leon, Cara's husband, with their baby Darla. He's taking a dip after a morning-long bike around Batangas

Chiqui looking oh-so-fresh 

Bea the happy lady, trying to get a tan. 

The husbands enjoying the 10am sun...and some beer.

The girls in the big open kitchen (which overlooks the deck and pool), getting the hamburgers --and gossip--started.

We really enjoyed our stay and are looking forward to another weekend at Windward!! Pam and Begs are awesome hosts. :)

Zak! Design

 A wife can never have enough storage boxes. And mixing bowls. And trays. And all those other neat things you can store/prepare/serve different items (food or non-food) in.

http://www.hsw.com.au/

I'm a young wife and would rather have nice colorful tools in the kitchen. As it is, I don't cook like Mario Batalli. So shallow people who can't cook need motivation. I have Rustan's to thank for that. They carry a nice line of kitchen tools and equipment, including storage and serving products by Zak! Design. Total eye candy, if you ask me.

Their mixing bowls are TDF. Why settle for boring stainless steel when you have eye-popping colors to choose from? The nice thing about these bowls is that they don't slip when you hold them, making mixing and stirring a lot easier. A plus? these babies can also be used as serving bowls for salad, chips, popcorn, fries, you name it!

I love their trays. I only got the white ones of these. But I think I'd like to go and grab the other colors (if Rustan's has them). I've used this to serve beverages and TV dinners.

Then they have the storage cups for frozen food, like ice cream. 

Do you remember when your moms/helpers would store leftover fruit salad in empty tubs of ice cream? Or empty jars of mayonnaise? DIE. At least these nice, clean and durable plastic jars are reusable and don't look so out of place.

photos from: www.zak.com