I wake up with a smile!

As I lay safely cocooned, with dreams in my eyes...
Feeling protected and full of warmth
In the mystic labyrinth of reality and fantasy
My future looks bright and beautiful....
streaks of hope streams in through the sunlight.

I wake up with a smile that resonates with glee
I muse ponder and ruminate
reflecting on what may happen or what can happen...
transforming into what will happen with fortitude
what brings about the change, you wonder?
I wake up to reality with a thud; not struck by a jolting lightning
I wake up to faith, love and strength of mind...
I wake up with a smile on my face...thinking life is beautiful!

Some new props at home!

A Dreamcatcher, reminiscent of our trip to Greece; the beautiful beaches and the ships that sail away!

S and I, have a huge collection of fridge magnets from all the places we travel to! The fridge is not big enough for them and its one of our most prized possessions. ( The pic has only a part of the fridge!) I am planning to get a black metal plank framed and put all the lil cuties on it. Future project. It is such a lovely reminder of all the places we went, and often, we discuss one of them as we chat and cook in the kitchen. Very good topic for conversation, you know?
















I got this cute lil magnet in Milos which has a small 'Post-it' stuck on it. It struck me that I can use it to do this! S can just look at the fridge and not bug me about what's for lunch ;-).

I picked up these pebbles when we went to NICE and as I wondered what to do with them, I broke one of my glass flowers we got from Venice ( I know, clumsy me!)....but, the flower remained intact. So I threw a pinecone, some beads and voila! I have an interesting, earthy platter of everything in the entrance lobby!!! :-) Like it?

Pleasing Pinecones? Anybody?

The big fat Greek Holiday!

I love new beginnings...the new year is not just another day for me. It brings new hopes and dreams for me. From small beginnings come great things and I firmly believe in it. We spent the end of 2008 exploring the Bella Italy, and what an exciting ride 2009 was! Maintenant (now), we spent the end of 2009 in another beautiful country - Greece! I am really excited about 2010. I am positive that its going to be a fun ride this year too! :-)

Exploring a new country and that too, Greece and to spend New Year's eve in a lovely country was a double bonanza for us. For me, the best part of travelling is about observing the people, their characteristics, the culture and of course, the beauty of nature and the finer aspects of every region.

1. The islands of Greece have breathtakingly beautiful beaches which was expected...but I didn't expect to see the islands nestled between lovely mountains and the beautiful blue waters everywhere. Expecting to see dry lands, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of greenery as well.

2. The Greeks are very well known for their prominent features globally and are indeed blessed with sharp features, especially noses and most of them have very attractive facial features. I had a great time simply watching people ;-)( What??!! Nothing is wrong with appreciating beauty, right?)

3. As opposed to the rest of Europe or France, the Greek women dress pretty conservatively; mostly wearing tights or leggings and a long sweater top mostly. I did see a huge variety of boots too which was really fun! I didn't see too many funky 'punk' hairstyles or piercings.

4. As we roamed around the city, I also noticed that the Greeks are not only hospitable and friendly,they are also family-oriented people and have large happy families. Beautiful little kids play with their parents/grandparents and enjoy themselves in the park or squares.

5. Though some parts of Athens are quite dirty except for the touristy areas; the Metro stations are impeccably clean and maintained beautifully. Every station looks gorgeous and is very interesting with old excavations retained, interesting pictures, huge clocks, beautiful paintings. Its a landmark in itself!







6. As we were holidaying during the festive season, we had the pleasure of sharing their cinnamon sweets sprinkled with walnuts, crackers dunked in honey in almost every cafe, restaurant and bakery. It was quite interesting to taste the local cuisine.

S could not get enough of the Greek coffee either! I tried it, but i think its an acquired taste.









7. The best part of our trip was our stay at Milos, one of the islands in Greece. Everywhere we saw these marketing captions towards promoting Milos - "Milos is for lovers". I could'nt agree more, Milos is definitely for those who love nature; as its blessed with loads of natural beauty and you can just never have enough of the calm serene views. S and I had a long walk along the sea-side and I think that sight will remain etched in my memory forever. It was GORGEOUS and CALMING, all at the same time!!

It was a long 8-hr ferry ride, 4-hr bus ride and tiresome ferry trips that made me nauseous. But it was really worth every inch when we reached the captivating islands of the lovely GREECE!

Sunkissed, relaxed, together...

Soaking our feet in the beautiful beach - Milos, Greece!

Edited to add: S describes the natural beauty in his prolific words in 'Nowhere road'. Go read it!