A week in December

This week has been everything from exhilarating to down right dull. It began well enough with a wonderful visit to the German School Christmas bazaar!
Gluehwein and cakes, cookies and sausages galore... Find recipe here.


We spent a lovely afternoon, met our German friends and marveled at all the decorations and handmade goodies at the market. I came home with inspirations and a few stocking stuffer.
But also with a sick child and a strange feeling myself...
We both ended up being truly under the weather and with a bronchitis! Now my son and I are taking antibiotics...Yikes!


And this not being enough, the 10 year old dishwasher broke on the same day as the as the 4 month old microwave, my stove gave up after 20 years (!) with two heating plates a day later. Oh, well! Now I have been looking for new appliances, had our brand new microwave oven exchanged (we had bought this one in August '10!!!) Did I tell you I have an older kitchen? It's gonna change now....
The delivery is set for January 2011! Can you believe it takes so long to get a new stove and dishwasher? Go figure.
At least I will really appreciate the arrival of my new appliances!
Here is was I bought!

GE Profile Built-In Tall Tub Dishwasher Energy Star in Stainless Steel

GE Profile
I am particularly excited about the amazing range. A double convection oven, with a ceramic stove top!!!
I can't wait.
All on the mend now....
Oh, what a week it has been!

xx Victoria

Fancy

Last Sunday my youngest and I hit the road to spend some time together. We planned on visiting one of the neighboring towns and on our way we crossed Tappan Zee Bridge, one of the old landmarks spanning the Hudson from Tarrytown to Nyack. Just as we were about to exit we we were passed by one of those lovely fancy vintage cars, white, ready to carry a bride and groom into their honeymoon...




(Proof that I had my hands on the wheel....my co-pilot took the pictures!)


This one I found at the parking lot at Wave Hill...


And I spotted this old VW Beetle model during our summer vacation in Volkach am Main.


This Chevrolet pickup drives around our neighborhood a lot...



Isn't this so cute?


I love an old convertible. Just classy!


I adore old cars. If I could have it my way - and a budget to splurge - I perhaps would drive one of those around town. When ever I happen to see one of those beauties, I take pictures, discreet or not, I have an absolute weakness.

Thank goodness I am not alone with my passion and as we arrived there was a beautiful Fire Engine, just waiting for the boy and his mom to be admired and explored. How good is that?





It was the perfect Sunday afternoon!


XX
Victoria

Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn

Here come a little more then a few snap shots from our delightful visit to Bedford Ave, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.
We started out late morning on Sunday and after about 40 minutes driving arrived at our destination. The sun was out, a little cool, but lovely walking weather. Bedford Avenue between Grand Street and 9. Street is a hip heaven for everyone looking for fashion and music, small shops with everything from soap to sausages and many nice places to eat, drink and be merry...









For the more design oriented among us there is from junk shops to thrift stores and places of unusual modern to mid century high end design all to be found what one could wish for in this rather small area.
I spend an hour browsing through the shelves of one of the larger thrift stores located on Dribbs Avenue and 9St Street.
Old wonderful editions of Dickens and Thomas Hardy, L.M. Alcott and Walter Scott caught my eye. I have always been drawn to old books and the only reason not to bring many of them home is the limited space in our already packed library. I know, it's a lame excuse for the true collector, but thinking that all these stories line my shelves, I hesitated...





I saw an old doll house and chandeliers, a comfortable wing back chair, although old covered with a rather wonderfully current pattern of shredded upholstery.





After this we walked back towards Bedford Ave and then along smaller side streets to a pretty place with the fitting name
'The Future Perfect'.
A little treasure box of modern design and decorative objects.


The chandelier is such fun, I would have loved to bring it home...







We had such a fun afternoon and we will return soon! There is so much more to be explored, discovered and visited!


XX
Victoria



Pictures by V. Zlotkowski

Autumn

The last days have been filled with so many events, I had a hard time following up with the writing of my posts... My oldest son is visiting from Europe and I so enjoy to spend as much time as I can get with him and his darling girlfriend! Combine this with the regular school life and the needs of the other children we are more then busy and I have become a organizing juggler...


As you heard before my son has practically turned my old blog upside down and created what still seems like a little miracle. I have a professional blog now and it makes me very happy.


Yesterday was my birthday and I have been lucky enough to get my very own fantastic new Mac laptop. I am still in shock...This is wonderful, not only will my Mac 'baby' give me more options to work on my pictures and blogs, but I am mobile and this is great! I have never used Mac, always PC, it's time for something new!
Now I am getting lessons as how to use it, get to know so many ways of dealing with presentations and photos, I am afraid to forget half of it all, unless I keep on working on it! So, if I am not blogging as usual, it's for this reason...
Soon you will hopefully benefit from my newly aquired knowledge!


It's the first day of autumn, this makes me happy, I love this season, change is literally in the air and I love to slowly find coziness in the house.


Soon we can sit by a crackling fire and apple picking awaits us! There will be pumpkin soup and plum cakes, apple pies and spiced cider...We love to go for walks under the changing leaves and Indian summer is something we all look forward to every year!


I wish you a great beginning of the new season!

XX
Victoria


All pictures by V.Zlotkowski

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.