Swap No. 3 - near Barcelona

At the moment we´re staying at our shortest swap. It´s only for 3 days, whereas all the others are for a week to ten days. We´re at a very nice apartment in Vilanova i la Geltru, which is on the coast about 50km south of Barcelona. The apartment is very large, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and two studies. The kitchen is well-equipped with appliances I don´t know how to operate:

I can never get over what an act of trust house-swapping is - the owners just walk out and leave all their books, CDs, photographs and personal items. There are thousands of books in this one:



There´s a really large sunny terrace as well:

The Tapas

Were about to leave Spain in two days´ time and, among its many attractions, perhaps tapas bars are the one I´ll miss most. In Australia, even though we have a beach culture and laid-back lifestyle, it is impossible as far as I know to walk into a bar and select a small plate of food from several in front of you at a tiny price. It´s been possible for us while on the Costa Del Sol to have four tapas plates between us and two drinks for not much more than 10 €. And quite often this would be enough for dinner. This was a very popular tapas bar in the village of Sabinillas:

I just love the atmosphere inside, and the idea that you can order really nice food with drinks rather than just carb-laden snacks:

The standard choice for us was the Salad Rusa (potato salad with tuna and olives) the gambas (prawns), tortilla (potato omelette), and meatballs. At this bar we also tried the huevas (stuffed eggs) which were delicious, Montadito de Chorizo (chorizo sandwich) and the Pinchito de Cordero (lamb kebab). You can see how low the tapas prices were on the left of the menu:

Everything looks so fresh and delicious:

We even got complimentary bread and olives:

More from France and Spain

Just a couple of extra photos of Frank and Ro´s house where we stayed in north-west France:


And here is the bedroom in our apartment in southern Spain:

This is the beach we walk along to the tapas bar in the village nearby:

House Swap 2 - near Estepona in Southern Spain

We reluctantly left our sunny apartment in Paris about ten days ago in our rented Peugeot, bound for southern Spain via north-west France. We went north first so that we could stay for a few days with our lovely English-Australian friends, Frank and Ro, who have a cute little house in the village of La Doree. On the way to their house we stopped at Monet´s Garden in Giverny, which was just as spectacular as I had expected it to be:

We had a lovely time in La Doree with Frank and Ro, and their friends, Pat and Pete:

Our bedroom, complete with shutters and a church bell across the street:

On the way down to Spain we stayed at the Chateau de la Reynat at Perigueux, which I can thoroughly recommend. The accommodation was reasonably priced, as was the excellent gastronomique meal we had there. We had dishes such as snail ravioli, mushroom cappuchino and foie gras with mango, all of which were unforgettable:

After another two days of driving south through Spain, we were very relieved to arrive at our second home swap, at a resort near the town of Estepona. We can just walk out the door and into the pool:

This is the view down past the pools to the ocean:

Needless to say, we are not planning to venture very far from here for the next week, apart from short day trips to Gibraltar, Granada and Seville. The tapas, wine and seafood are all cheap and very good. What else could we possibly want?

Laduree and Le Grand Colbert

A trip to Paris would not be complete without a visit to these two institutions. The first, Laduree, is the peppermint coloured shop containing gelato-coloured macaroons in gorgeous shades of rose, mauve and a host of others:

Apparently they inspired the colour palette for Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. Aren't they lovely:

I also had a hot chocolate at Le Grand Colbert, the restaurant where Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson meet at the end of 'Something's Gotta Give'. Apparently, people try and book the table they sat at. The restaurant is very beautiful but tres expensive.

The Flea Markets

As I mentioned on a previous post, I preferred the flea market at Vanves to the one at Clignancourt. This was because at Vanves, the stalls were much less formal and temporary and the prices reflected this.

My favourite stalls were ones which looked like they contained the contents of a chateau, complete with mouldy curtains. I loved the fabrics at this one. You could buy a curtain for 150 € which I thought was reasonable:

The Clignancourt stalls were permanent, more like little shops:

As an indication of Clignancourt prices, these bowls were 33 € each:

They are lovely, but not within my budget, unfortunately.

Versailles

Went to Versailles the other day. What a place! But I found that the main chateau was too grand and formal for me:

I much preferred Marie-Antoinette's estate which is away from the main palace. One part of it, Le Grand Trianon, was open, and contained furnishings which were more to my liking:

I particularly loved the pinks:


Unfortunately, Le Petit Trianon, which was Marie-Antoinette's personal space, was being restored. Can't wait to come back one day and see it.

The Paris Apartment

As promised, here are photos of the apartment in Paris where we are swapping for a week. Its very centrally located on the Left Bank, just a short busride away from Bvde St Germain, Luxembourg Gardens etc, and a short walk to the local Monoprix and markets. Here I am coming back after shopping:

Its bright and airy with pretty funky decor:




So far, I can thoroughly recommend the whole swapping scene.

Thai Beach Style

I love this look - I wish I could have it at home. The Thais seem to do it so well. From low tables and lounges in a bar at Sairee on Koh Tao:

To the Safety Stop at Mae Haad, also on Koh Tao:

This one is on Koh Samui:

And my favourite, an all white bar in Mae Haad:

I guess I just have to visit Thailand more often.

The Trip So Far....

In Paris now after a week in Thailand with my gorgeous sons, Dave and Mont:

Dave and I on a bike outside our hotel on the island of Koh Tao:

When I got to Paris, I went to the flea market at Vanves and bought these beautiful fabrics:

Today it was the flea markets at Clignancourt, which I didnt like as much. Found the ultimate bath but have no way of getting it home:
Will send more info on Paris and Thailand soon - having trouble with the AZERTY keyboard.

Au Revoir

Yay! I'm flying out on my big trip tomorrow morning. I'll be in Thailand for a week, so probably won't have much access to a computer, but in a week's time I'll be in Paris. First up, I'll be visiting the flea markets at Clignancourt and Vanves, so hopefully I'll be able to post lots of photos of beautiful things I see there. Also, I'll include some pics of the house where I'll be swapping. Before I go, I'm just posting some last-minute images of picture frames I found at the op-shop recently:

So Gorgeous

When I walked into the shop, I thought it would be full of the sort of textiles from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan I had seen so many times before which, though lovely, had not inspired me to buy them. But then I saw the Russian trade cloth, firstly in the edging and some of the patches in the wall-hanging:

Here are some closeups. The florals were so exquisite I thought I was going to faint:


Then I saw the quilt and loved the ikat-patterned silk:


But, when I turned it over and saw the faded red floral on the back, I knew I had to have it as well:

Before and After

PIcked up my chair from the upholsterer today. I think he's done a great job!