Swedish food

Halloween pumpkins

skagen

köttbullar

kanelbullar

lax

Stockholm

A wonderful long weekend in Stockholm, Sweden - the 40th country I visited in my life! Thanks to our special hosts Saba and her boyfriend, we enjoyed the city at its maximum. Built on 14 islands, you have to keep crossing bridges all the time, and all the areas are very interesting and charming. The Gamla Stan (the old town), Sodermalm and Sofo, the centre, various great museums such as the Vasa - hosting a warship from 1628 and the Fotografiska, the Stockholm Palace and Drottningholm... We also did a boat trip on the archipelago, astonishing! ...and not to miss some shopping at H&M!

The Getty Center

The Getty Center, well-known for its architecture by Richard Meier and astonishing views overlooking Los Angeles (it's incredible to realize the quantity of smog over the city, you cannot even see the ocean but just ships in the middle of the fog!). The atmosphere is very clean and relaxed, being on a hill with beautiful gardens, especially the Cactus Veranda, which I of course loved!

The highlights were two very interesting exhibitions: the photography of Ed Ruscha, and a video art installation by Werner Herzog: Hearsay of the Soul. I especially appreciated Ruscha's works "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" (1966), presenting all of the structures on Sunset Boulevard between Beverly Hills and Laurel Canyon, a twenty-four-foot-long double view of both sides of the street meticulously collaged together; and "Pacific Coast Highway" (1974), using the same automobile-based system to photograph the panoramic view of the highway.
Definitely a place you must visit in LA!

 

CJU at Santa Barbara

For the second year I attended CJU for LUISAVIAROMA, in Santa Barbara (read about last year trip here). The sunny California was a bit cold this year, and didn't have much time to relax but still the experience was great.

Lerici, sailing the Mediterraneo

The view over Lerici and the Gulf of La Spezia

Sailing on the Papiro

Sarzana

Grand Hotel, Elba

A long weekend in Elba island, Tuscany, at the Grand Hotel del Golfo in Procchio with part of my family!
Lie down on the beach lounger, get up to splash into the water, lie down again, sit on the table and eat, go to the pool with Jacuzzi, move to the shadow, eat again, ...such a hard life!!

友達！

Some of my best Japanese friends, and their kids!

今回も京都に帰って素晴しかった！本当にみんな友達心から有り難い！ 

また早めに会えるように楽しみに待っていますね。

My Japanese friends' hospitality has been, once more, beyond incredible. They are all so kind, welcoming and loving that I adore to be there and can't stop saying Thank You!