Happy winter weekends

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Christmas seems so long ago and spring so far ahead, nothing better then to seize the moment and to enjoy the winter, which present itself so pleasantly these days around here!


Sledding and skiing is on our agenda and we will take full advantage of the near by mountains in the Berkshires and Upstate New York.


We will be returning to our beloved skiing designation in Woodstock, Vermont. We have grown so accustomed to spending some days in this picturesque village, it is nothing short of the perfect place to spend a few wholesome winter vacation days.


The homey, yet elegant Woodstock Inn resides on the Green, small artsy shops line Main Street and lovely cafes and restaurants offer delicious great American and International cuisine.




I love it to walk there, explore the neighborhoods and take advantage of the quiet afternoons I can spend reading near the fireplace in our hotel. A brand new spa has opened it's doors last autumn and I will try the chocolate wrap....
Still a couple of weeks away, but I can't wait!
In the meantime we will practice our turns closer to home and enjoy hot drinks and familiar winter joys!


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A happy winter weekend to you around the winter "hemisphere".... : )

xx
Victoria



All pictures by V.Zlotkowski and as indicated!

Calendar 2011

By October the calendars are out in the shops and I eagerly await their arrival every year. I do not know why, but the thought of a new calendar makes me happy with anticipation and hope for the coming year. We usually have made plans by then for the next seasons, when to visit families and friends, what trips to plan and which places to visit. I love to see the month displayed on a beautiful calendar. And we like to write our laid out planes into the new calendar. Fixing plans on paper makes them become somewhat real, no?
We have had many different styles over the years, depending on our mood and interest: I remember Marc Chagall and Picasso, Japanese wood block prints, whimsical Norman Rockwell Americana, Tuscany and New England calendars, Castles of Scotland, plant drawings of the 18Th century, historic world maps and this year a collection of old Train posters (gorgeous).

For 2011 I selected this beauty:
'The Art of Ornament - Museum of Fine Arts Boston'


All images are works by Eugene Grasset, a graphic designer and teacher whose innovative decorative patterns were an important inspiration for the Art Nouveau style at the end of the nineteenth century. Born in Switzerland, Grasset was trained as an architect and moved in 1871 to Paris, where he began working as a designer for fabrics and graphic ornament. Adapting influences from sources as varied as medieval stained glass, Near Eastern art, and Japanese prints, Grasset developed his distinctive style of bold, strongly outlined colors for posters, ceramics, stained glass, and tapestries, in addition to the furnishings for a Montmartre cabaret.
He taught at the then newly established Ecole Normale d'Enseignement du Dessin, developed his theories of graphic design for his students, especially his reliance on natural forms as the basis for developing decorative motifs. His work has influenced many others!


I can't wait to hang it on it's usual spot, come end of December and to look forward to all the new year will bring!

More calendar inspirations can be found here.


XX
Victoria

Weekends

This week has passed by so fast, having family visiting makes the days go by much quicker...Last Sunday is still in my mind. We spend the afternoon at Wave Hill, a beautiful estate with wonderful gardens, well kept and of Botanical Garden quality.
A late summer concert was the highlight of the afternoon and listening to Mozart, looking outside the windows overlooking Hudson Valley and the Palisades was just what my heart desired.


It was such a lovely way to begin a new week.


A few days ago I had to pick up some paint and soil at a home improvement center, when I came by painter's drop cloth and my mind started working: Hmmm, I could perhaps use it as a table cloth? The investment was small ($ 9.00) and the effect could be quite charming. Certainly a great idea if you need to cover a larger area, let say for a party in the garden or to cover an unsightly piece for a while. I immediately thought of multiple ways to use it. Halloween is coming, you can paint it, print on it or decorate it otherwise! It is washable too...





Last night we came to the city for a night at the ballet, still a gift for my birthday and it has been wonderful. I love the gracefulness and elegance of dancers and the evening was simply unforgettable. Danced to music by Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Moretti.


The latter was the most impressive of the evening for me. A vibrant, cinematic score set the tone for bold movements, moonlike golden discs illuminated the dancers below, transforming them into exotic creatures, oriental and Egyptian influences could be felt.
It was mysterious and and mesmerizing! Standing ovations and many shouts of appreciation rewarded the fabulous cast!


This morning as the the sun comes up over the trees outside my window I am sitting here, writing this and I am still in awe by the impressions of the last night. This week has been framed by gorgeous art: Dance and music! It fills me with happiness and I am so grateful!

Have a wonderful weekend, fill it with beauty and grace!


XX
Victoria



Pictures by V.Zlotkowski, ballet image via google image,The Telegraph,UK not an image from last night.

Bargains

Sometimes I find things I have not really been looking for, but they call out to me, plead and I listen!
I am sure you know what I mean.
Today at on one of my rather mundane errand routes I happened to walk by a cigar store, which I usually do not frequent, but a small bundle of beautiful boxes in front stopped me in my tracks. As I learned they sell empty cigar boxes for a Dollar a piece quite regularly and I had immediately an array of uses in my head. For small things always looking for a home in my house, buttons, knick knack, pencils, bracelets...
They will need a good airing before...





So I grabbed the prettiest of them all and afterwards at my book store stop found some more bargains...



Among them a small daily planner in a beautiful turquoise cover.( How can I resist?)I am an old fashioned writer and love to write in a daily planner, despite my IPhone! I pull it out of my purse, add notes, memos, some reveries, recipes, phone numbers, book titles, add business cards, well, by the end of the year it looks fat and holds plenty of memories.
Even though I paid full price it's a bargain in a way, since I can refill it next year.(Don't I think long term ahead?) They came in more gorgeous colors...


I have read The Ya-Ya Sisterhood books and loved them. I guess this is a good read, judging by the cover text..
And Gene Wilder is one of my favorites! Read another book by him and loved it too! All from the bargain section. Don't you love this?

And look, I found this wonderful small oil painting in a tiny thrift store in Venice, among lot's of junk...paid only a couple of Euros and it was mine, framed!!!! I still cannot believe my luck!


Now it reminds us all of the most wonderful summer in Italy!



I am sure you find treasured bargains here and there! Tell me about it!


XX
Victoria


All pictures by me.

Lovely Cortona

A couple's retreat...Just when I thought, after seeing Arezzo, it could not get any better my husband (and I) had the idea to visit Cortona...alone!


This day was a precious gift to us. Isn't there anything sweeter than a few leisurely hours alone for a hardworking couple with children of a certain age and little time for themselves??? We are not blessed with any family back at home and time for just the two of us is very rare indeed.
We spent the day together, leaving everyone behind and took off to a mini road trip to Cortona, the old Etruscan city on the border to Umbria. We started early towards Arezzo, spend a delightful late morning shopping and sightseeing, had lunch in a tiny Osteria, hidden in a courtyard and covered in Wisteria, potted lemon trees - ripe with fruits - all around us.
We felt giddy with delight just to do as we pleased...
We walked hand in hand through a park, found an old, now overgrown Roman amphitheatre, later a fortress from the middle ages and then continued our journey towards Cortona...


Cortona hangs on high up on a steep hill side, but oh, it's a treasure to behold. A winding alpine road leads up to the first piazza, the views are amazing at every turn. The city is a fortified place, it's thick walls onces protected the inhabitants. Now we walked the steep narrow streets and marveled at every door, nook and cranny. The city is build up on top of itself. Houses from earlier centuries became the foundation of later ones. If only these walls could talk...The temperatures were soaring, but the city was shady and we stayed cool within.



The small city is a time capsule, now lively with artisans and craftsman and -woman. Handmade leather goods, handmade shoes, purses, bags and wallets are on display. The leather scent is so enticing...


I met a wonderful artist, she creates artful batics on larges linen strips, paints delightful pattern on linen dresses and her daughter creates colorful knitted coats and jackets. All this and more she sells at a small, but oh so seductively filled store. I could not resist and bought a lovely dress.
Finely woven linen can be found all over Tuscany, table clothes, hand towels and bedding... Thinking of my luggage allowance taking anything home was out of the question...(And the prices stopped me too, it's very expensive.)
We paused in a street cafe, watching the life around us going on....


Old man spending the afternoon over coffee and grappa, moms with two, three children in tow stopping by for ice cream...tourists making hard desicions as what to bring back home. We felt almost like locals.....


It was wonderful to stroll throught the steep lanes and alley ways, incredible vistas down the mountain and romantic corners wherever you turn.


The rooftops are centuries old, covered with the typical red roof bricks of the region.


Pottted plants, gardens and well taken care of old houses give this place a magical flair.





It is also a city of churches and cloisters, we counted at least 5 or 6 monasteries, all lived in and religious live is observed in a sweet and humble way. Many times have we stepped into a small chapel or larger church to discover an organist practicing, or a lovely solemn atmosphare, cool and spiritual.


Smallest chapels are lovingly decorated and fresh flowers and devotional candles burn under many altars.


The lovely terra cotta works of Andrea della Robbia can be found and works by many painters, today unknown.

We ended this glorious day at the terasse of a small hotel, having dinner just to ourselves, the lovely cusine of Tuscany and an incredible view down towards Umbria before us. Ahhhh.....





We returned home, filled with delicious impressions, memories and a glorious day just for the two of us...


This journey in Italy is coming to an end, come Saturday we will pack our bags and leave back to Germany, where the children and I'll stay with the older sons and a good friend in Berlin for a couple of days before returning home. My husband will be back in New York by Sunday night.
I can not put my emotions into words...


Ciao!
Victoria



All pictures taken by us...apart from the lovely work by Andrea della Robbia.(google image)

Arezzo

Arezzo has been the biggest surprise for me at our stay in this region so far. It is such a beautifully ancient city, filled with architectural treasures. One of them, the church San Francesco, was build in the 13th century and contains Piero della Francesca's Legend of the true cross(1452-66),one of Italy's greatest fresco cycles.


The frescoes, now visible again after long restoration, show how the cross was found near Jerusalem by the Empress Helena. Her son, the Emperor Constantine, adopted the cross as his battle emblem. He also granted the Christian faith official recognition through the Edict of Milan, signed in 313. All is so beautifully executed, I could have sat for hours and slowly take it all in. Of course this was impossible, since there was so much else to see and we moved on after an hour.




Arezzo is one of the wealthiest cities in Tuscany, filled with antique stores and markets.





Jewellry making is a large part of the local industry and gorgeous pieces are displayed in many stores!
One can walk throughs many beautiful piazzas, one of the most impressive ones being the Piazza Grande. Truly medival in it's design, many buildings date back to the 13th century.







We dined under the handsome arcade designed by Vasari in 1573. The old Palazzo della Faternita dei Laici, right next to it, is decorated with a gorgeous relief of the Virgin by Bernardo Rossellino in 1434. One can get so absolutely absorbed into history.
Wherever you look, the city is filled with breathtaking beauty and is alive and full of acitvity. We so enjoyed our time there.


The movie 'Life is Beautiful' was filmed here. I will want to see it one more time now, seeing it under a new aspect...I loved the movie and now even more!

We will visit one more time, the city deserves a second time to stroll through it's small streets and to enjoy many more details.


Now we are back to the house in the mountains, where the weather is always different then in the valley below! Today we went up into storm clouds and now it's raining...
We are cozy inside, listening to Vivaldi and the wind outside and I get an early feeling what autumn must feel like out here!


I keep on writing my blog, this is a great way for me to preserve my memories and all my impressions are still fresh and unaltered by the passing time.
Thank you all for commenting I am so grateful for your loyal followship, soon it will be time to return home and I will catch up with all your news as well!


CIAO!
Victoria


Pictures by V.Zlotkowski, images from Piero della Francesco's frescoes via google image.