I want this house

The amazing home of Jamie + Larry, via The Bedlam of Beefy, via Etsy

I can't get over the sublime gorgeousness of this home. It belongs to the husband + wife team of Jamie + Larry Oliver, located in Dallas, Texas. I am in love with the glamorous yet neutral scheme; and every little perfect detail steals my heart.

Of course, the stunning photography doesn't hurt! You can browse their home here, there's lots of beautiful detail shots.

Drool.

Sweden!

We spent 3 and a half days in Sweden, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The countryside was beautiful...

We stayed in Göteborg, but took a day trip to Jönköping to visit the John Bauer art museum (Cory is a huge fan).

Beautiful food and drink...

Of course, the design world in Sweden was simply fabulous. From gorgeous bowls...

Illustrated cookbooks...

Marimekko fabrics...

 Lovely flower markets...

Fantastic vintage clothing store...

I went in one home design store that was so amazing, it deserves it's own post, so look for that in the next week or so.

The clouds on the flight leaving Sweden were so beautiful, I had to snap a few photos...

Thanks for a great time, Sweden!

Review:
Sweden was a lot of fun, and I'd love to return someday. Stockholm would be a blast to see! The design here is really like nowhere else.

Food: B+
We had one amazing, magical meal in Sweden, and our hotel had a fantastic breakfast, but the rest of the food was not that great. Though, the service was good and the restaurants very nice.

Scenery:
Sweden had a rustic beauty to it. I loved being on the train and watching the drab landscape pass by, and then all of a sudden a village of brightly colored houses would flash by. I wish we had time to go further into the country, I'd have loved to see the forests more.

Accessibility:
Everyone spoke excellent English, which was very helpful for us as we tried to navigate and get from city to city. The tram in Göteborg took us everywhere within the city. The only thing that was confusing about Sweden was the monetary system, we never did make much sense of it.

People:
The people in Sweden were the nicest, friendliest, most welcoming people of any country we visited. When we first arrived in Göteborg, we got a little lost trying to find our hotel, and asked someone on the street for help. He told us which way to go, then asked where we where from. We said America, and he gasped. "USA???" "Yeah..." He flung his arms wide open and proclaimed with a huge grin, "Welcome to Sweden!" He then wanted to shake our hands, as did 5 other people who overheard the exchange. Needless to say, we felt quite welcome.

Want to see more photos from Sweden? Check out my FB album.

Switzerland!

We spent 2 and a half days in Switzerland, visiting some dear family friends. This is the gorgeous view from their city house...

 We spent a little time in the 800 year old walled city of Murten...

There were lovely homes everywhere...

Beautiful details...

We spent a night in the Alps at our friends' mountain chalet. The scenery was stunning.

 

We didn't have much time for shopping, but I did see some fabulous Swiss-made products...

Review:
Switzerland was so wonderful, and our time there was far too short. I really hope we can return one day soon and spend more time in the mountains and with our dear friends!

Food: A+
Swiss chocolate is the best in the world, in my opinion. It's rich and creamy on a whole different level. I love their habit of stopping every few hours for a coffee (or in my case, hot chocolate). The restaurants were more spacious than in other European countries and the service was excellent. FYI, I have a new favorite meal, raclette.

Scenery:
Switzerland was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The skies and water are so clear and blue, the clouds and snow are so white and fluffy, and the grass and trees are so lush and green. And the Alps... there is no way to show in photos just how huge and glorious they are. Everywhere I looked I was stunned by the glory of God's creation.

Accessibility:
The train system was easy to use, and most people in public positions seemed to speak at least some English, in the large cities quite fluently. The Alps can be hiked, or many have a cable car system like we utilized. If you're planning a trip to Switzerland, prepare yourself... it is quite expensive.

People:
Everyone was very friendly and kind, whether or not they were able to understand us or our pathetic attempts at German. Speaking of language differences, what is it about little children speaking an unfamiliar language that is so adorable? Their was a a tiny little girl in a giant snowsuit babbling in Swiss and I could hardly handle it.

Want to see more photos from Switzerland? Check out my FB album.

Paris!

Our trip to Europe was a dream come true... 2 weeks, 4 countries, 2000 photos. I could take a week to tell you about each wonderful place we visited on our little European tour, but I'll try to keep it to one long post per country. I'll start off with our last stop and my favorite: Paris!

The architecture was stunning...

The gardens were gorgeous...

And the food was perfection.

The shopping was fabulous and the store displays were gorgeous...

We did see some of the famous attractions: Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower...

Review:
Paris was beyond wonderful. I am literally aching to go back. There is so much more in Paris and France that I need to experience. I loved it all... the sights, sounds, tastes... I'm trying to burn in all into my memory so I never forget.

The absolute best part of our time in Paris was getting to be with our dear friends, Seb, Mala, and their sweet son Elliott, who live in Paris. They showed us an amazing time, and we're already longing for their company.

Food: A+++ 
This is Paris! Every meal was a culinary adventure. The bread was so fresh, the pastries so divine, and the cheese so scrumptious and never-ending. Also, crepes with Nutella is my new favorite thing to crave. The restaurants and cafes were much smaller than we're used to, but the service was great.

Scenery:
Paris had the most beautiful architecture of any city we visited. It seemed every building was adorned with amazing sculptures, gorgeous stonework, and gilded peaks. It was almost too much to look at!

Accessibility:
Honestly, I don't know how we would have managed with our friends. I never felt like I had a handle on the city, like I did with our other stops. The transportation unions were on strike during our visit, but we still managed to get around just fine, we just had to plan our timing a little more carefully. We saw most of the city on foot, which I loved. It allowed us to see all the wonderful little side streets and quirky buildings, plus helped us to work off all the amazing food we were eating.

People:
Not as many people in Paris spoke English as in some of our other destinations. Almost all signs and announcements were in French only. However, everyone we asked for help was kind and friendly. We had heard such stories of Americans being hated overseas, that we were pleasantly surprised to be so well received. ;-D

Want to see more photos from Paris? Check out my FB album.