Venice in Pictures

I found this draft post, tagged with photos uploaded and the works scheduled for March 1st... 2017! What is even worse is that these photos were from my trip to Venice in 2013!!! So here they are 5 years later. and although they are not the best quality (yay for improving photography skills) let's just say this post is for closure.

Rome in Pictures

March has finally arrived and Spring is around the corner, but this has not stopped my MAJOR travel fever for coming on full strength. To satiate my wanderlust (or possibly egg it on!) this Friday photo story is in honor of the beautiful city of Rome, one of the few cities I have visited so far that I could see myself calling a home base one day. Enjoy!

travel on!

Amazing Beaches You'll Want To Add To Your Bucket List

If you Google 'world's most beautiful beaches' you are sure to find listicles naming pristine places in Greece, the Carribean Islands, the Phillipines and definitely Hawaii. But in addition to those dreamy destinations I want to share 5 beaches I absolutely adore. And once you see these photos I am sure you'll be adding them to your bucket list too!

In no particular order here they are...

Coastal Catalonia 

Coastal Catalonia is the southeastern most area of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. Well known for being home to the beautiful city of Barcelona, this area is all home to many stunning beach towns with even more impressive beaches than those of Barceloneta Beach (pictured above).

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has some of the most diverse beaches, especially considering it is a small country. It is located on the Central American isthmus that connects North and South America. This geography gives it warm Caribbean waters (and vibes) to the east and cooler Pacific waters to the west.

Cote d'Azur 

The French Rivera, or Cote d'Azur, is known for is pebbly beaches and oh so relaxed French-ness. The Riviera spans the southern coast of France so there are many beach towns from Marseille to Nice (pictures above) from which to choose.

Italian Riviera

A bit further south of the French Riviera you will find the Italian Riviera. Rocky like it's French counterpart, it is home to Cinque Terre and many cliffside villages. At the base of the mountains are exquisite waters perfect for sunning beside and dipping in after an incredible Italian seafood pasta.

Riviera Maya

And the so called Mexican Riviera (aka Riviera Maya)... *swoon*. Last year I fell in love with the beaches (and everything else) in Tulum and nearby Coba. These beaches are unspoiled, and if you are traveling from the US like myself, easy to get to. I mean just look at these waters! Who doesn't want to be there right this moment!?!

So there you have it, 5 bucket list worthy beach destinations! Which beaches would you add to this list? Share them in the comments below!

Zaha Hadid's MAXXI

Last week the world suddenly lost Zaha Hadid. She was a talented inspiration to women, architects, Middle Easterners and so many more. I first encountered her work through my partner who is an architect and alert to all things important and cool ;) in the design world. I was impressed after seeing her work, but even more so when I learned she was the first woman to earn a Pritzker prize- the highest honor in the architecture world. As a professional woman also in a male-dominated field, I am aware of the many battles, big and small, we fight on a daily basis. With that in mind I want to make a small tribute to Zaha Hadid, someone I consider a role model for her dedication to her work and relentless aspiration for greatness. This is a photo story of my visit to Hadid's MAXXI (Museo nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo) in Rome last summer.

It was a scorching day when Adham (my partner) and I made the long and convoluted trip from the city center to this museum, but it was more than worth it and ended up being one of my favorite places in all of Italy.

The cafe where we had lunch was nice, but what made it so special was the lovely and hospitable attendant Wardan. I feel I could write an entire post about how incredible he was to us and how he made our experience 10 times more memorable, but for now just know that he is excellent at what he does and what he shared with us about his life was very inspiring. Thank you so much Wardan, you are always welcome in our home when you visit NYC!

The building itself is breathtaking, the exhibits were all incredibly relevant and engaging, and each of the gallery spaces surprised me with its originality and beauty. Not a single space felt like the one before, it was almost like being in a new museum with the transition of each space.

Thank you Ms. Hadid, for the experience and for the inspiration.

brux