Driving down Highway 101 is a pretty spectacular sight, worth many stops. After starting our adventure in Cannon beach, discovering the stunning Nehalem Bay State Park and surviving Cape Perpetua, we were off further south than I'd never been on the coast, and I was amaze to discover how beautiful it was, how soft and white the sand was. 

If you were to ask me to pick a destination, I would probably first tell you that I'm dreaming of Morocco and Bulgaria. While they are strong contenders, far away, longer trips are on hold for the moment, and to be honest, it's ok. Because going back to the Oregon Coast is already pretty high on my list. It's hard to beat a getaway with a great friend, 3 dogs, and miles of sandy beaches. I always thought of the PNW beaches as pebbled, and most often grey and foggy, like this. Which I do also love, but hey, a little sun is always nice for a change. We couldn't have asked for better weather for this camping trip. It was perfect, except maybe for my air mattress dying on night 3 of 4. Turns out, sleeping on a dog bed isn't that great. Now you know. A few weeks ago, my friend Emma and I packed up the car (I mean, she did), all 3 dogs, and we headed south on Highway 101 for a few days of running on the beach. We left on a Wednesday, after Labor Day, and so we assumed for sure that we didn't need any reservation for camping. Right? 

A few weeks ago, we went to Victoria to celebrate the wedding of two great friends. In addition to the cheers and festivities, we enjoyed a few meals in some of our favourite restaurants, in between which we wandered around downtown, building up our appetite again. It's hard for me to find the words to express how much I love this place. I feel a peaceful joy being back, which happens only too rarely. I lived in Victoria for over 6 years, and loved life there. I met amazing friends, loved my job and all the opportunities that it brought me, and truly discovered a love for the outdoors. Sure the first few months were hard, when my poor brain was struggling to keep up in my second language, which was far from mastered, and trying to keep up with a demanding job, right after graduation. But slowly, over time, I became more comfortable, more confident, and started to feel like myself again, instead of this slow, idiot person unable to express herself. Coming from the east coast and straight out of grad school, I really learned to relax and enjoy life in the PNW. I found balance, became more active, and created amazing memories. Here is a glimpse of this city I cherish, a few ideas for a weekend or week long getaway.

Photo credit Heather Hands

Last week I went to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival for the first (and second) time. Shockingly, despite years of living in Seattle and Victoria, I had never made the trip. My wildest dreams did not quite prepare me for the vibrant layers of colours, the beautiful contrast of fields against the mountains in the background. It was stunning. I stopped for the first time on the way back from the strangest hike. We went through sunny, bright blue sky weather to rain, then hail, before reaching the summit to a complete white-out, heavy winds topping it off. If we missed out on the view then, we sure made up for it on the drive back as we stopped by the gorgeous fields. The next day, I went back with a friend. Two years ago, we drove out to see the tulips, but only founds fields of daffodils. We still enjoyed it and has a great time, but it was well worth going back for the tulips. The festival is located in Northwestern Washington, a little over an hour drive from Seattle, but expect some serious tulip traffic, even during the week.

Recently I shared with you some stories and pictures of Borneo, including some idyllic turquoise water and white sandy beaches. There won't be any of these dreamy, spectacular paradise-looking views this time around, but to be honest, I've saved two of my favourite places for this week. One of the main reasons we wanted to go to Borneo was for the wildlife. Sure, the beaches were a nice addition, but we wanted to hike in the jungle, and go down the river, looking for creatures in their natural habitat. We definitely got what we wished for. The beauty of these two places was harder to capture on camera though. It was more in the way that the light was shining through the trees and foliage. In the misty, mysteriously silent cruises down the river, getting so close to the animals without seeming to disturb them. It was a wonderful experience, which I'll try to share with you today, after weeks of trying to sort through too many pictures.

Borneo is a large island in Southeast Asia, divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. It is home to one of the oldest rainforests in the world, with countless flowering plants, mammals and birds, many endemic to the area. And that's not mentioning the world-class diving and snorkelling. If you like nature, the outdoors and wildlife, it's a wonderful destination. We decided to concentrate our 2 weeks on the Sabah region, in Malaysia, the northeastern tip of the island.

I had saved writing up this post and looking at these pictures of perfect weather and beach for a cold, bad winter week, when I'd be in a desperate need of a quick pick me up. Turns out, I'm not sure where winter went. It's sunny and warm, and snow on our beloved mountains seem to be melting faster than it's accumulating. People were walking around town in shorts and t-shirts just a few days ago, and they should probably have been wearing sunscreen. Oh wait, all of winter headed east this year. Sorry, I would have been happy to share some too.

The Delta terminal at JFK is a strange, somewhat futuristic looking place, packed with mostly individual seats at the gates, each mounted with a personal iPad. The restaurants are set up in a similar fashion, so even if you are travelling with someone, you can keep your eyes glued onto the screen, or at least get slightly blinded by the flashes of advertisement flowing through the screens all around you. Strangely, maybe, this made me crave human contact. Unfortunately for me, I was expected to interact with the screen when it came to ordering and paying for my meals, rendering waiting staff to little more than delivery people.

I just wanted to take a moment, in between a toast, in between a slice of dark chocolate fruit cake and a bite of teddybear-shaped marzipan, to wish you a very Merry Christmas, if you are celebrating, or simply Happy Holidays, if you prefer. I captured a few of my favourite details around my parents' house this season, some new and some long time classics, some bought and some made. Many of my favourites are handmade by my mom, who is slowly over taking the Christmas tree. Cheers to you, as 'tis the season!

This Holiday season, there is a lot I have to be thankful for, but my thoughts keep going back to this amazing long weekend I just spent in Vancouver with a great friend. Last week, my friend Leonie flew across the country to meet me for 4 days, and we had a blast. We stayed in a nice hotel, strolled around downtown, shopped 'til we dropped, went out for meals and ate pizza in bed. We caught up with each other and with some of cable TV's best, pretending that we no longer live at opposite ends of now two countries.

Last week I shared with you pictures and details of our trip to Malta. Although Malta is the most visited island of the archipelago, I would say that a trip to Gozo is a must. Smaller, less developed, maybe greener, everything in Gozo is more relaxed, slower paced. It is as if the island of Malta was the mainland and Gozo the quaint island. I loved it. Doesn't hurt that we stayed in the most gorgeous hotel too. We spent 2 days exploring Gozo, and I wished it would have been longer. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to see Comino, the third inhabited island, other than for a quick look from the ferry, and so we missed out on the Blue Lagoon, a popular diving and snorkelling spot, invaded by hordes of tourists every summer.

If you follow me here, then you know that I was in Malta recently, and you may have been expecting to see some more pictures and hear some more stories. You may have been disappointed to see nothing of such, and I must apologize. Shortly after getting back, I was struck with the infamous post travel flu, and was pretty much out of commission for a week. Back on my feet, I have been left with the daunting task of sorting through all the pictures from the trip, and trying to refrain from sharing too many. Not an easy task.

Back in March, I planned my birthday weekend. Yes, I understand that it was a bit early (my birthday is at the end of August), and that maybe I should've let Graham do this. But see, I really wanted to spend a night in a Canvas Tent on San Juan Island, and these things book super early. The summer was already half booked when I looked in March. This was before I ever heard of the term glamping, but it's totally what we did. 

Like most people, I love going to the beach. Days of bright blue sky, warm and soft sand, the sound and smell of the ocean. Despite my paranoia of getting sunburned, I love the feeling of the sun on my skin. The days where finally, for a few hours, I'm not cold. But truth be told, I equally love the foggy, misty, mysterious grey west coast beach days. The trees growing on an angle due to the repeated assault of the strong winds and storms. The light, especially early in the morning, with 50 different shades of grey. I really do mean the colour. Or absence thereof, if you stick to the definition. I will take the beaches, pebbles or sand, all year long, sun or clouds. I am so thankful to live in the beautiful PNW. Of all the beaches I've been to, one particularly stands out: Kalalogh beach on the Olympic Peninsula.

New Orleans is an amazing city. Colourful, warm, full of contrasts. I love the music, the liveliness, the architecture, the food, and well yes, the beer-to-go. Now, I'm usually more of a dry, unoaked white wine kind of girl (you know, nothing too specific), but there is something pretty great about a pool side beer and walking down the street with a plastic cup. Don't ask me why. This long weekend, a few weeks ago, was the perfect balance of catching up with old friends and making new ones, of lounging by the poolside and exploring the city, of partying and sleeping in.