The fairy tale beautiful Lake Como, Italy

Lake Como was our final destination in Italy last summer before heading to Switzerland. The pictures speak for themselves to the beauty of this one-of-a-kind playground for the lucky people who get to call Lake Como home -or one of their homes...

A little about Lake Como, courtesy of Wikipedia...
"Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces (such as Villa Olmo, Villa Serbelloni and Villa Carlotta). Currently, many celebrities have or had homes on the shores of Lake Como, such as Matthew Bellamy, Madonna, George Clooney,[2] Gianni Versace, Ronaldinho, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Branson, and Ben Spies. Lake Como is widely regarded as being one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy."

click on any image for a larger view

just a humble lake house...

Pictures don't do the grand villas justice

A view of the mountain tops from the ferry we took to tour the lake.

...just the local swimming hole. I steered clear of the water because in 2007 the bacteria levels in the water were deemed too high for safe swimming.

Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels that I've posted -

Spain
•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy
• Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre
• More from my summer traveling Europe - amazing Rome
• From my summer in Europe - amazing Pompeii
• Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs - the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
• My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
• Enchanting Siena
•Venice

Thanks as always to my boyfriend Chris, who took these amazing photos.

Venice: the famous attractions, but also the true beauty- intimate canals and charming old facades

Venice needs no introductions. This summer was my second time in Venice. The first time I went it was winter and we only had time to see the main attractions, so I left feeling unsatisfied. In my humble opinion the real beauty of Venice is in the residential areas - narrow canals, 1 person wide bridges, and laundry hanging over the canal to dry. I'm still going to show you the famous sites, but the last images are where I found the charm.

The one and only Grand Canal


St. Mark's square. A place where people try to touch pigeons they would otherwise find disgusting. Unfortunately Basilica San Marco was covered in scaffolding at the time we were there, so I'm including a picture from my fist visit below.

Souvenir shops abound

Street parking can be hard to find

The bridge is the famous Ponte di Rialto, which was so packed when we arrived that we could barely walk. If you don't like crowds or tourist traps don't linger here.

On the larger, commercial canals you can find beautiful and varying architecture

Gorgeous!

Now for my favorite parts of Venice - heading into the narrower canals





The facades on the back streets show wear, but combined with the lovingly tended flower boxes and laundry hung out to dry it creates a charming scene of life in Venice.


Sunset over a canal.

Have any of you been to Venice? What was your favorite aspect?


Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels that I've posted -

Spain
•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy
• Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre
• More from my summer traveling Europe - amazing Rome
• From my summer in Europe - amazing Pompeii
• Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs - the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
• My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
• Enchanting Siena

Thanks as always to my boyfriend Chris, who took these amazing photos.

I'm back from Europe - with a book giveaway!!

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to be able to post on a regular basis again! The trip was absolutely amazing and I promise to share pictures of my boyfriend and my 9 week journey - but first I have to do some photo organizing. I thought I'd welcome everyone back with a book giveaway, Mark Montano's "Big-Ass Book of Home Decor." You can see samples of the book in my review post from May. To enter the giveaway just leave a comment telling me your favorite place (city, country, etc.) you've ever traveled, and why if you wish. Or you can email me your favorite place. The giveaway will be closed next Tuesday at 12am EST. Good luck!

And now, to warm up a bit - I thought I'd just publish some good old Office Furniture-style eye-candy. It's great to be back!



via Apartment Therapy


What do you think of the open backs of these upholstered dining chairs


I like the "living" room feel of this bathroom.
via House Beautiful
Love the pink flowers and eucalyptus on the window sill
via NiKreationS

via Chico Deco

via House to Home

Hello from Berlin! More pictures from my Europe trip

The pictures below are from the beautiful Picos de Europa, in Spain. My favorite part was probably getting to take in the beautiful views alongside the cows that graze the mountain tops.





The traffic jams were caused by livestock



One of the most amazing parts of being on this mountain top valley was the chorus of cowbells you could hear all around you. The sheperd´s huts were really amazing as well!

Me just enjoying the view alongside a friendly local

Hello from Salzburg, Austria - more pictures from the beginning of my trip!

I am having an amazing time traveling around Europe. We have been to Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. So far Germany has been my favorite because the houses are simply charming and the gardens are so beautiful. I will post pictures in due time, but first here are more of the beautiful Galicia, in Spain, where we spent our first week.








More from the amazing Cies Islands - famous for the gorgeous beaches and as a nature preserve.





Approaching one of the beaches via ferry.


This was my favorite view from a cliff on the back of the island.
















Pontevedra was my favorite city in Spain this trip.


While driving back to our hotel we stumbled across this beautiful little vineyard with horses, sheep, and goats grazing.


Two beautiful, hidden beaches in Galicia




Santiago de Compestelo