Amsterdam: definitely a Happy Place

After a fantastic holiday in Paris, our trip to Amsterdam started on an adventurous note by taking the Thalys train ride, which we nearly missed had we not reached on time! Amsterdam is another beautiful walking city with art, architecture and a rich history, cycling culture, interesting choice of pubs, restaurants and shops and beautiful buildings and streets.  I experienced the nightlife, the canal cruise, red light district tour, countryside tour during our short stay there and saved the rest for our next trip in the near future….. And I completely fell in love with the Dutch! They are so inviting and warm to all the tourists and I call them “the happy people”.

Here are some pictures to browse through to feel this happy place.

Heart of Dam Square

 

 

 

the constant buzz at the square was fanastic

interesting t-shirt... had to capture this :)



Dutch delicacies... smoked eel, raw herring, waffles, poffertjes(mini pancakes), Dutch bitterballen (a popular dutch meat based snack..... loved everything

Countryside tour

 

Volendam Museum

 

one of the main attraction of Volendam Museum is the mosaic pictures made from 11 million cigar papers

a picturesque garden

Cheese factory

excellent variety of cheeses

Clog Factory

Beautiful wooden shoes

the canal cruise is supposed to be one of the best way to view Amsterdam but I prefer walking... the cruise was too slow for me

the hotel that I stayed in had a traditional interior especially the lobby area



Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, right at the heart of Dam Square



Loved this work on the staircase wooden rail in the lobby area

 

Images are clicked by me

 

 

Paris, Je t'aime

Paris…. a magical and mythical city…. a walking city…. a city with magnificent architecture, scenery, art, sculptures, museums and beautiful weather… I couldn’t ask for a better destination to spend my holiday. I felt so liberated to experience Paris by just walking around… feeling the vibe and embracing romance and beauty around.

I’d like to share Paris, through my eyes…. Through my lens…

 

The iconic Eiffel Tower during the day

 

the clouds were a perfect back drop @ Louvre



@ Louvre Museum

 

Outside Louvre Museum

 

Inside Louvre Museum

 

Opera house in Paris

 

Eiffel Tower lit up that made my River Seine cruise magical

 

this view left me speechless...

 

 

 

 

Parisians on the banks of Seine 

 

 

Notre-Dame Church @ night

 

The Arc de Triomphe, love the sculpture on the sides of the Arc

 

 

Sacré-Cœur Church

 

Sacré-Cœur Church

 

outside Sacré-Cœur Church

 

outside Sacré-Cœur Church

 

Notre-Dame Church, a beautiful Gothic Cathedral

 

Notre-Dame Church

 

Notre-Dame Church

 

Notre-Dame Church

 

Notre-Dame Church

 

Stunning stained glass work in Notre-Dame Church

 

Notre-Dame Church

 

Notre-Dame Church

 

 

 

an artificial beach for the Parisians

 

Lucky to witness the last day of Tour de France

 

Paris experience is never complete if you don't try their cuisine

 

 

I know there is so much more to see and experience in this great city and that gives me a reason to visit Paris again....

 

 



 

Images are clicked by me

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fabindia

I am back after a long holiday and its back into the grind! How have you all been? There are so many inspirations and pictures taken during my travels that I’d like to share with you all. So stay tuned!!! Its going to be a busy month for me!!

Today’s post is about Fabindia, India’s most loved brand, that has inspired our lifestyle and homes with beautiful furnishings like table cloth, colourful array of runners and bed spreads, curtains, handwoven dhurries and home accessories like lamps, crockery and ceramics and elegant furniture. It was such a treat for my eyes as I walked into the Fabindia furnishing store in Cochin, Edapally. My hands were itching to pick up everything there!!! It’s definitely a brand that blends traditional and contemporary, dedicated for diversification.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful store

In love with this woodwork

Images are clicked by me


 

A Sunny Disposition

A Sunny Disposition, oozes beautiful designs, patterns and unique handmade bags, clutches and wallets, all made by Susan John, based in Bangalore. Her bags are perfect to those that love bold colours and ethnic designs and if you have a weakness for bags like me then I can guarantee you are going to love Susan’s creations.

Let’s take a peek into Susan’s craftsmanship and learn more on how it all started and enjoy the beautiful patterns and colour combinations.

“A Sunny Disposition”…. A catchy name for your creations. How did it all begin?

Hi, My name is Susan and I am the one woman force behind A Sunny Disposition. I make a whole range of bags from clutches, wallets, big bags, small bags and a host of other bags! All done by me, from my tiny spare bedroom in Bangalore, India with a whole lot of love and passion.

"A cloudy day is no match for A Sunny Disposition"- William Arthur Ward  This was the quote that kept coming back to me while I was looking for a word or phrase to sum up what sewing means to me. I was in a corner of the US 4 years ago where it was almost always cloudy or raining. Sewing was a ray of sunshine at that time. Now it’s a way of life for me! :)

 

Do you have a designing background?

The only structured design background that I have is, a degree in Architecture and a couple of years in an architecture firm, where I had the opportunity to unleash my creativity on unsuspecting clients. However, my actual design background, passion and flair for what I'm doing has a lot to do with my family -  having a fabulous interior designer for a mom, a talented textile/ graphic designer for a sister and a level headed merchant mariner father who loosely binds all us crazy gals together! Mark Twain says that "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why" .  In that sense, I am really fortunate to have discovered exactly what I want to do with my days.

 

Where do you get your inspirations for your designs?

I find inspiration from all over but I am drawn to bold solid colours, repetitive modern prints and functional bags. I love challenging my skills, making each bag a little better than the last one. I'm constantly trying to add or improve some feature that I thought I couldn't do on my earlier design. 

 

Are your products available within India or outside as well?

I market and sell through my facebook page only. I take on limited number of custom orders per month. Every client has a personal touch they want to add to their bags and I help them achieve that - this could be anything from colour options for certain bags, additional pockets and such. The best orders are those who inspire me to create a wholly new and different bag pattern.

 

Do you have an online shop and accept customization? What is your dream for your venture?

I like the organic pace at which A Sunny Disposition is growing. For the moment, I'm going with the flow and I hope that I can continue doing what I love, and people continue to appreciate it. 

Have a look at my handpicked favorites from Susan’s creations

 

Click here to browse through her Face book page. And email Susan at asunnydisposition.shop@gmail.com if you have any enquiries or customization.

Images via A Sunny Disposition



 

Recipe of the month: Summer Salad

Gone are the days when Salads used be boring with just a bunch of lettuce and tomato. Today anyone can create an exquisite salad with tangy vinaigrette and dressing that is a meal by itself or even a respectable stand-alone entrée, just like soup. It’s so versatile and you could serve a different one every day!  And more importantly it’s the best way to make sure that we eat vegetables, whole grains and fruits on a daily basis.

 Today’s recipe is a summer salad that is cool, hydrating and simple to make. And this recipe is contributed by Mrs. Shantha Thomas, a cookbook author and an ardent advocate for healthy food and lifestyle. Her love for healthy, fresh, organic food and her travel experiences around the world has influenced her recipes in her book 101 Salad Delights for Health and Vitality. Shantha Thomas, wife of a renowned plastic surgeon, Dr.C.Thomas, has been in Oman for more than 35 years, has embraced different cuisines from all over the world and experimented as she travelled along with her husband. Her inspiration to write her book is her love for food, cooking and her family who encouraged her as she experimented with her recipes.

I have personally tried out her recipes and I can vouch that her recipes are low fat, high on fiber, low on sodium, definitely nutritional and high on flavour. If you want to try out her healthy salad recipes grab a copy of her book as it is available in most of the bookstores here in Oman. Her dream is to publish more books that focus on soups, pickles, vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes and I personally hope to see more in the near future.

 So here is the recipe for a perfect summer meal…..
 

SUMMER   SALAD (serves four)

 

Ingredients:

 Dragon Fruit Balls - ½ cup

Any melon balls     - ½ cup

Ripe Mango chopped    - ½ cup

Kiwi Fruit chopped         - ½ cup

Mixed salad leaves – 1 cup

(rocket leaves, iceburg lettuce, romaine lettuce, lollo rosso etc )

Cherry Tomatoes – a handful

Scallions chopped – 2 tbs.

 

Dressing:

1 tsp. lime juice

2 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. Thai chili sauce

Salt a pinch

 

Method:

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk the dressing ingredients separately and pour over the ingredients in the bowl. Mix it very slowly. Cool it for half an hour and serve in separate small bowls.

It is perfect for a hot summer day! Enjoy the salad!

 

 

 

If you have any enquiry or wish to get in touch with Shantha Thomas, please email her at shanthathomas@hotmail.com


Images are clicked by me