On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, not that love needs an occasion, I’m sharing a few favorite images from a recent photoshoot by the talented photographer Anastasia Abramova-Guendel. While it may have been a rainy evening in Paris, these images very well depict so much that I love about my adopted home and my amore.
More images coming soon as we have much to celebrate, but for now, I wish you love in all its many forms.
Santorini is an island close to my heart. It was here on the caldera in the alluring village of Oia where my Italian proposed and where we began our Greek island-hopping honeymoon almost ten years ago. This visit found us happily secluded in the more intimate cliffside village of Imerovigli.
Home became the heavenly boutique cave hotel Iconic Santorini. Our room on the edge of the cliff looked out over the azure waters of the Aegean far below. The setting of a dream!
We quickly settled into our luxurious room with a view, sinking into our private jacuzzi followed by a holistic massage at the hotel spa. After all, holistic comes from the Greek word ‘holos’ meaning whole.
Our first idyllic day at Iconic Santorini ended at their Pergola Restaurant, dining on gourmet Greek dishes.
It was difficult to leave our newfound utopia to explore the rest of the island. With many fewer people than in Oia and neighboring Fira, Imerovigli proved the perfect village in which to avoid the crowds, even though this year was quieter than most. Having already visited much of Santorini on previous visits, we decided to enjoy the views, and the pool, instead.
Our sojourn at Iconic Santorini confirmed our deep affection for this uniquely mystical island, undoubtedly one of the most romantic destinations in the world.
Following a walk to the village of Fira just one kilometer from Imerovigli, it was time to leave Santorini, knowing that we would return. We always do.
Ten years ago, I bid farewell to the life I had known for over a decade in New York City, to the friends I knew I would hold on to, to the career I had excelled in, and to the city that had taught me so many invaluable lessons. I dove into a new life with a man I had met only months prior but trusted with all my heart. And so began my journey of love in the City of Lights, and this blog. Today I reflect on these past ten years and what I have learned by choosing to live a soul-centered life.
Most importantly, while I’m a full-fledged romantic who grew up believing that love serves as fuel, it’s up to us to find this love within ourselves. I’m forever grateful and appreciative for the adoration of my Italian, but it is self-love that truly fuels me.
This too applies to happiness. As much as I thrive on traveling and discovering new cultures or reveling in those that are close to my heart (ciao Italia!), happiness is not a place, nor is it a person. Happiness is a choice. And sometimes it’s as simple as watching the sunset over Notre Dame, or anywhere for that matter.
When I first moved to Paris I thought much like a New Yorker. How can I achieve success, how can I become something? Given the difficulty in finding work in my field, every day I would come up with a new business plan. It was when I let go of the ego and allowed my soul to soar that I discovered my path. This is how my namesake handbag business came to life and why I became a writer. I still think like a New Yorker, it’s in my composition, after all, but it’s now about becoming in my own eyes, not in those of anyone else.
Another life lesson that I’ve learned through this decade in Paris is that some people are meant to remain in our lives while others quite simply are not. As a Leo with loyalty in my core, I cherish the friendships that have grown with me through the years, both in Paris and around the world, and let go of those that haven’t.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons that I’m still learning is that of acceptance. While I may never understand the way Parisians think, or how and why they behave the way they do, which also applies when immersed in other cultures, the key is to accept them. We are all different, as my Italian often reminds me.
Lastly, this past decade in Paris has strengthened my notion that we must live by our own rules and remain strong in our intentions. Before I left New York to travel the world in 2007, would I ever have believed that years later I’d be living such a blessed life? Yes. Dreams do come true when we believe in them.
To celebrate ten years since that fortuitous meeting on Prince Street in New York City, my Italian and I chose one of the most stunning settings, the Amalfi Coast. From
Back on the winding hillside roads, we headed towards Amalfi, destination Hotel Santa Caterina. This is where the dream began, or rather, continued, upon our terrace with a view of this once powerful maritime republic. Could there be a more perfect setting to celebrate our love story?
Barely did I want to leave our hilltop perch, but it was time to explore the town, and the rest of the Amalfi Coast.
From a visit to the 9th-century Amalfi Cathedral that overlooks the town, to Pasticceria Andrea Pansa dating back to 1830 and known for their famous lemon cake, we toured the town. We also perused the paper shops, Amalfi town once the leading manufacturer of handmade paper. How fitting for an anniversary gift!
Our next stop along the coast was to the colorful village of Positano, equally impressive from afar and from within the maze of streets. I could only imagine the hoards of people visiting come summertime.
The next day we braved the even longer and more winding roads to discover Sorrento. What a gem! Set on the Bay of Naples this coastal town just outside of the Amalfi Coast won our hearts.
High above Amalfi town sits Ravello, considered by many the hidden treasure of the Amalfi Coast. With so many stately homes and gardens galore, I could understand why! Following the sun, we ended up at Villa Cimbrone. Dating back to the 11th century AD and restored in the 20th century by Ernest William Beckett, many notable personalities passed through this grand estate, including Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, Henry Moore, T.S. Eliot, and Winston Churchill.
It was the Terrace of Infinity, with its endless sea views, that called to our souls, as it had so many before us.
A twenty-minute walk from Amalfi, we discovered the small and endlessly charming fishing village of Atrani.
Here too we discovered a vast terrace that appeared to float directly into the sea. And I apparently with it…
Walking back to Amalfi following five days of coastal bliss, our hearts were even more full than when we arrived.
As anyone who has read my blog will know, I wasn’t raised to believe in fitting in nor living by societal standards. I was raised believing that anything is possible, and that life was meant to be a design of our own creation. This was instilled by two creative, soulful parents who themselves rarely followed conventions. Above all, I was taught to live by my heart.
It was by following this unconventional script, from the urban jungle of NYC, to the scenic landscapes of the earth’s far corners, that led me to my Italian. And to Paris. Exactly 5 years ago.
Everyone has a story. Some have yet to live theirs. Today we celebrate ours.
destiny [ˈdɛstɪnɪ] n
1. the future destined for a person or thing; fate; fortune; lot
2. the predetermined or inevitable course of events
3. (Philosophy) the ultimate power or agency that predetermines the course of events
My destiny (and I happen to believe all of the above) was defined exactly two years ago. On Prince street in a city of millions. In the form of an Italian man with smiling eyes.
For this reason, amongst others, New York City will remain in my heart forever.
Do you believe in destiny?