April 7, 2017

Lugano in pictures


View onto Lugano and Monte Bré from Sorengo


Tempted to take a dip. If I swam to the other side I'd be in Italy!


Stepping out of the train station and into a picture perfect decor


Muzzano has a population of 821 inhabitants 
and the entire village is designated as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites


If walls could speak I am sure their stories would be breathtaking.
Muzzano is first mentioned in 1189.


Palmtrees are common in this part of the world


A lovely iron gate from the past


A hidden garden with friendly hosts


A touch of colour is always good


The statue of San Francesco d'Assisi looking down onto the lake of Lugano.
The church of Santa Maria Assunta in Sorengo dates back to 1298.


A pink blast of spring

April 5, 2017

Feeling at home

Once again we are back in Lugano and although it has been six years since we left - what was suppose to be our home for ever and ever - we remain attached to this magical place.

A town embedded by green hills with snowy peaks cascading into a crystal clear lake dotted with villages clinging close to the steep slopes. The stone buildings tightly aligned - dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries - embellished with frescoes and stucco decorations.

An area where - when the sun sets - the bird twitter is still more present than the traffic and the air quality is measured in terms of pollen not pollution.

A community that still greets you with a "Bun Dì" even though they don't know you. Cars stop for pedestrians with a smile and a hand gesture, the odd old boy cheers you on when you jog past and the postman leaves packages on your doorstep not worrying about them being stolen.

A town where you can still spot cows when you look out of the window and hear the church bells chime every hour.

It is a peaceful world where the stress of Paris dissolves in an instant. Where aggressiveness is replaced by courtesy and arrogance by discipline.

It is easy to slither into this comfortable lifestyle but ... then again ... I would miss the vibes of a bustling metropole.


March 31, 2017

Enchanted by the Eiffel Tower

I never get tired of seeing the Eiffle tower. never! La Grand Dame is truly iconic. A symbol of Paris and of France, she is one of the best known monuments in the world and the one whose silhouette has been most depicted... so let me just add my shots to that list.

La Tour Eiffel is truly an architectural eye-candy and who knows it might just be the chocolaty colour piercing the sky at 324 meters that causes my addiction?


A spectacular view from the restaurant at Musée de l'Homme


Paris in the springtime is pure romance 


Unfortunately, one cannot wander underneath the structure anymore 
without a ticket due to security reasons.


Fashion photographers' favourite spot


The silver lining of the city of lights


 But then again... it often looks like this!


A glimpse from the Wall of Peace


Every time I whizz around the Place de Trocadero, I salute her!


La Grande Dame by night


 Spotting her even through the rooftops of Paris

March 29, 2017

It's not all about tea and keeping calm!

After a weekend in Switzerland visiting universities with Expat boy, it was time this weekend to hop over the channel to celebrate my Godmother's 80th Birthday and celebrate Mothering Sunday with my Mum who flew down from Scotland. What can I say, we are a jet-setting family!


Arriving at the smashing St Pancras International railway station just in the for a romantic dinner.


For years I have been admiring photos on Pinterest of this pink restaurant. 
Sketch is an experience from start to finish. 


A quirky, 18th-century townhouse with funky artwork 
which will keep your eyes wandering the whole meal.


The food ranges from strange dishes to classics to re-inventions with a cheeky addition of something you would never add but sort of works.


I tried to find a name for its style but haven't succeeded! 


The individual cubicles shaped like eggs at the top of the staircase are space pod toilets.


The Royal Arcade, built in 1879, is an elegant, Victorian space housing retail outlets selling fine silverware, art, bespoke shoes and high-end chocolate. 
So, who came up with the idea of covered galleries first, London or Paris? 


During my window shopping, I fell in love with D&G's ice cream dresses.


Yet another delicious dinner with friends at Yoshino. 
Down a quiet alleyway off Piccadilly, a neon sign announces ‘sushi’ 
but it is soo much more than it seems.


A shopping spree at Harvey Nichols, the British department store founded in 1831 provided great inspiration.


A London icon: London Underground's history dates back to 1863 when the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, opened between Paddington and Farringdon serving six intermediate stations. Since then the Underground network, affectionately nicknamed the Tube by generations of Londoners, has grown to 270 stations and 11 lines stretching deep into the Capital's suburbs, and beyond.


A lovely lunch celebration at the Royal Automobile Club. Founded in 1897 with the aim of encouraging the development of motoring in Britain, today the Royal Automobile Club is one of London’s finest private members'​ clubs, combining over 100 years of luxury and tradition with exceptional facilities and outstanding service.


A beautiful art-deco bar serving signature cocktails such as Fig and Almond Martini (Havana, 7-year old rhum shaken with Mozart black chocolate liqueur. Amaretto, apricot liqueur, lemon bitters and figue purée) .   


It's Mothering Sunday, so let's celebrate!

March 23, 2017

Weekend escapade to Geneva

Known both as the "smallest of big cities", or the "city of peace", Geneva, lies at the southern tip of expansive Lac Léman. Surrounded by the Alps and Jura mountains, the city has views of dramatic Mont Blanc. Headquarters of Europe’s United Nations and the Red Cross, it’s a global hub for diplomacy and banking.

To me it was home for nearly a decade. It is where I started my career, where I realised for the first time that there were many other Swiss TCK just like me, it is where I met the love of my life and where we got married!

It is nice to return once in a while to see some things never change.


Good ol' Jet d'Eau with the Taxi boat crossing the lake


Bains de Paquis were many a weekend's suntanning session was spent.
I won't mention the quantities of Dole Blanche consumed!


The expansive Lake of Geneva



Spot the Swiss touch. A clock is never far away. 



My favourite teatime treats



A romantic lakeside dinner


 Even some funky pink night scene can be found nowadays! 

March 20, 2017

Swiss hospitality at its best

This weekend brought us back to Switzerland... yet again... for Expat boy needs to make his first grown-up life-changing decision. Where to go after the International Baccalaureate?

To be perfectly honest he is his father's son, total strategic focus albeit sometimes absent-mined when not interested. His two passions: football and hospitality.

For years he has known that his goal was to study Hotel Management in Switzerland, I figured it might be a good idea if he actually visited the campus and surveyed the groundbreaking training in action.

Arriving in Lausanne on a spectacular sunny day with blue skies and gorgeous views across the Lake Leman, we were blown away by the atmosphere, professionalism, efficiency, cleanliness, organization, beauty and of course hospitality of Swiss Higher Education.

The visits to two different institutes provided an opportunity to personally discover the professionalism and excellence the Swiss hospitality training is world-renowned for. Admissions officers, teaching staff and student ambassadors did an outstanding job in demonstrating what Swiss education stands for and how it successfully prepares students for a wide variety of hospitality management careers across the globe.

So much so, that my husband has now decided he wants to go back to study!


March 14, 2017

Expat with Kids in Paris' Social Media

Stuck at home with a thigh muscle strain - needless to say the weather is gorgeous and a run would seem like a great idea - I have reverted to streamlining all my social media feeds... et voilà le résultat! 

Enjoy Parisian moments on Instagram 











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