After saving a lot of money, selling my things, moving out of my apartment, quitting my job, a few farewell dinners/dance parties, a ton of Carvel ice cream cake and some teary goodbyes (my Mum held it together better than Sandy)... I hopped on a one-way flight to London to start my round-the-world trip.
I'm in London now and I don't think it's actually hit me yet. It probably won't until a month in when I remember I don't have a return ticket. (!!!)
After four and half years and two apartments, I said goodbye to darling Jamaica Plain. I'll miss the runs around Jamaica Pond, lazy Sunday brunches on Centre Street, soy cappuccinos at Ula Cafe, reading on our treehouse of a porch and running into friends at City Feed. And of course, my lovely roommates in apartment #3.
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August proved to be a solid month filled with parties: birthday, housewarming, engagement, wedding and of course the usual weekend dance party. Great way to end a great summer.
Since we had both visited Madrid before, this time (between wedding festivities) Jess and I kept our itinerary loose and relaxed. We'd wander about aimlessly and see what popped up, motivated only by the search for coffee, tapas or sangria. Good things followed.
Plaza Mayor
Watching one of my best friends get married in Madrid was so surreal and so, so lovely. I can rattle off the faults of the wedding industrial complex with the best of the skeptics but this wedding was just such a gorgeous blending of families and a celebration of the sweetest bilingual pair. It may sound a bit melodramatic but it was the kind of day that gives you faith in love, marriage and kind of humanity too? Everyone was genuinely thrilled to be there with Anna and Bernardo and we all proved it by dancing til 6 AM.
Jess, Anna and I
After the official kiss and "yo quiero"
The courtroom where the ceremony took place had definitely never experienced a crowd like the one Anna and Bernardo brought. People came from all of the world (India, Argentina, Thailand, the US and the locals from Madrid) and the ceremony was in both English and Spanish. I managed to tear up even during the Spanish parts when I had no idea what was being said.
After a paella lunch with Anna's family and a mid-afternoon siesta (a tradition I wholeheartedly believe America should embrace) we ate, drank and danced ALL NIGHT.
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Tossa Beach
After Barcelona I headed to Tossa de Mar, a little beach town on the Spanish coast. The gorgeous beaches are right on Villa Vella enciente, a fortified medieval town lined with cobble stone streets and hills that provide an amazing view of the wide open Mediterranean sea. Sunning on a beach in an area that's been populated since the Neolithic period and looking up from my book to see a castle from the 14th century was pretty wild.
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After a delightful bike tour introduced me to Barceloneta Beach, it quickly became one of my favorite parts of the city. The man made beach was created for the '92 Olympics with it's sand straight from Egypt and the palm trees shipped over from Hawaii. The boardwalk is lined with open air bars and seafood restaurants but if you'd rather not leave your towel, Pakistani's walk the beach selling cheap cervezas and overpriced mojitos. Dance clubs are located right on the beach as well, so I enjoyed quite a few late nights/early mornings/lazy afternoons on that imported Egyptian sand.
The Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona was quiet, charming and the best area to get lost in. Between wandering in and out of boutiques, I stocked up on fudge at Çu Kor and had a nice little window-seat lunch at a La Vietnamita, a banh mi spot that played Vampire Weekend and had (much appreciated) hang-over cure drinks.
Fudge-makers at Çu Kor (the peanut butter fudge is on point)
Barcelona just absolutely killed it as a city. I walked around for hours just looking up and admiring the colorful surroundings. It had the perfect mix of trippy Gaudi architecture, charming Parisian-style terraces, and beautifully designed cafes and stores.
Casa Batilo
Sagrada Familia
The Mediterranean Hostel was perfect for meeting other travelers with it's Paella dinners, impromptu kitchen salsa lessons and nightly bar crawls. I was told I would love Barcelona but I honestly haven't had that much fun since I studied abroad. It's the kind of place where you go for an aimless run during the day and you stumble upon the most epic Museum of Art you've ever seen and eighteen hours later, you haven't slept but you've scaled a ten foot fence in order to watch the sunrise from the peak of Park Guell with a cute Australian.
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Shooting the Brass preview collection made for a lovely Saturday in the South End. The darling Brass dresses were styled with killer accessories Jay and Katie (owners of Brass) picked up to show how each dress can be a staple in any closet. Our model Irene was a dream to shoot and the South End brick stoops and green parks were the perfect backdrop for Brass's polished and classic line of dresses.
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Last week I had the pleasure of shooting the preview collection for Brass, a women's clothing line launching this summer. We styled the gorgeous Irene in day to night looks, showing the versatility of the Brass's classic designs. It was a stellar summer day for shooting in Boston's lovely South End. More to come soon, but for now here's a behind the scenes sneak peek.
