My upcoming trip to Portland in December/January becomes more exciting every day and my To Do list is growing concurrently. I'm gathering recommendations of restaurants from Lemon Basil, stores from Unruly Things and Modish, and catching up on the street style with Urban Weeds. And the excitement continues to build with Frolic and Honey Kennedy. Etc.
The list is long, but one Must Do is a visit to Wanderlust, a vintage boutique on wheels making its way around Portland (via Modish). What else is new and not to be missed in Portland?
Slatuinenweg (translated as lettuce gardens way) is a little road around the corner from where I live. Quite literally, it was once used as a walking path to the vegetable or salad gardens. Constructed in 1697, it's quite an usual - and old - street. Instead of the five-story apartments typically found in the center of Amsterdam, the houses along the Slatuinenweg are quite small. Some are even built out of wood (houthuis), a rarity in this part of the world. Isn't it a cute street?
Beautiful images from the Hungarian photographer 
I have decided to start making a few themed, weekly posts on my blog, one of which will be Weekend Links. This is my chance to share with you a few things that I have enjoyed throughout the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.
This image makes me happy (via 
The second day took us to the neighborhood of a friend from Berlin who had recently moved to Paris. Time to sit and enjoy the sun. The third day was filled with sights of the city as we biked around. I'll leave the photos of Notre Dame and the Louvre behind, in favor of these quieter images of small scenes from the day. Above, a characteristic sign above the metro, with the rising sun shining on the house behind.
I probably should have known it wasn't going to be a conventional weekend when, as we drove away from Amsterdam and towards Paris, Marcus turned to me and said, "I could use a beer and a sausage." We certainly weren't on our way to Germany though.
The carousel in Montmartre, at the foot of the steps leading to Sacre Coeur. 
Behind the crowd of people, Sacre Coeur.
The cute nook tucked in a back alley, which was the only parking spot available on Friday night.
Art on the wall of Terminus Nord, which served the most decadent meal I have ever eaten.
Terminus Nord, a seafood restaurant opposite Gare du Nord.
The Arc du Triomphe on a Saturday night.
Half inspired by my upcoming trip to Paris and half by a lovely blog post about foreign films by 
Next weekend, we're off to Paris. My first time! Most people find this fact unbelievable, but when I chose a holiday destination in the past, it was more likely to be Berlin, Zurich, Krakow, Budapest, Prague... really anywhere other than Paris. Most people either love Paris or hate it and my experience with many non-French Europeans is that they don't see the appeal.
Beautiful collection of 
A little project by 
Last Friday afternoon, I arrived home to find a package from my sister waiting for me. The perfect start to a weekend. Not only did she send some yummy treats, but she also sent along my growing collection of ordered items that I couldn't bear to ship individually across the Atlantic.
"A sudden minor shock or meaningless/meaningful interruption...here is a blip of the land of the rising sun." Beautiful 
This weekend I had the chance to enjoy two online magazines, 
Last year, for the first time in my life, I ate a fig. A friend brought an array of fruit to a dinner party and fresh figs were among the selection. I loved the flavor and especially the beauty of the purple skin and pink, seedy flesh. At the market this morning, I picked up a few for the weekend and wondered once again, how I could have only encountered them in my 20s. Perhaps it's not much of a surprise, since I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and figs grow abundantly in the Mediterranean regions. Still, in a time when food is quickly shipped around the world and the produce section of the grocery store is without seasons, it's nice to know that there are still new things to discover (image from 
Feeling an itch to get away for a weekend. The only remaining question: where to go? Floating through my head are ideas of France, Italy, Spain, and Ireland. Paris is only a train ride away, the other locations probably require a short flight. Just a chance to walk over some unfamiliar cobblestones and breathe in the air of another city.
Inspired by the work of French philosopher Jacques Rancière, a