Cinque Terre – Italy
3 août 2017 § Poster un commentaire
No words can describe how beautiful are the « Cinque Terre », located in the italian west riviera. I was lucky to spend few days there to explore each village. My favorite one was Riomaggiore, where we could observe a breathtaking sunset every night. If you are romantic, you will like Manarola, if you are into wine, Vernazza or Corniglia, and if you want to get some tan, Monterosso will be yours.
Like anywhere in Italy, food was incredible: you can see locals growing up their own vegetables and I ate the sweetest watermelon and grape. I also discovered a regional specialty called « Farinate », a very simple dish made with just chickpea, water and olive oil, to be eaten with another specialty from there, pesto.
To go there, the best way is by train. I would suggest to take at least 24hours to explore well and admire the sunset. There are hiking trails between each village, although many were closed when I was there.
Salzbourg – Austria
21 juillet 2017 § Poster un commentaire
Birthplace of the genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and setting of the musical play « The Sound of Music » starring Julie Andrews, Salzbourg is a lively city to stop by when traveling to Austria. It is also the only place where you can find the original Mozartkugeln, the small chocolate balls filled with marzipan. They were created in 1884 by Paul Fürst.
MAC/VAL – Vitry sur Seine
19 janvier 2017 § 2 Commentaires
Musee d’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne = MacVal, an incredible discovery! Built in 2005, it is the first contemporary art museum outside of Paris, in the banlieue (suburbs). The building stands out from the surrounding area’s architecture: clean, modern and spacious. This museum has such a peaceful and « breath-able » atmosphere. Just the day before I was at the Orangerie and my experience there was not the best due to the crowd. If you want to discover french contemporary artists without looking like a tourist, MacVal is for you. 
Among the exposed artists: Jean-Luc Verna with his intimate illustrations in a black shiny room, the claping hands by Melik Ohanian and Morgane Tschiember with « Six Soleils »: a beautiful installation with a mirror game +ropes, which was definitely my friend’s favorite as well as mine. The suspended moon shaped mirror in the middle of the exposition room gave a floating feeling to visitors. 
Each artist has played with the museum’s spacious architecture to propose a very consistent presentation. 
There is a nice garden with a little water fountain housing a duck family where you can sunbathe, if the weather allows it.
Where? Place de la Libération, 94404 Vitry-sur-Seine – To go there: RER D, then local bus. For more infos, check here.
KONOI: Hemp Mylk Bar in Vienna
13 janvier 2017 § Poster un commentaire
My friend and I were on our way to visit Belvédère and came across a small café with large windows and a very appealing interior. I really never thought I would find a hemp mylk bar ..in Vienna! We came back after our visit, very excited to taste it. In case you were wandering whether we went « high », I can tell you that we didn’t. Hemp is still a source of controversy as it is assumed that this plant has the same effects as marijuana (they share the same scientific name of Cannabis Sativa), but they are two distinct varieties. You can find all the information on the Mylk Bar’s website here. 
I already saw Hemp mylk on store shelves in New York but they were containing additives+thickeners and was not very thrilled to try these versions. Hemp is particularly interesting for vegans and vegetarians because of its rich nutritional values: it contains the good fat -omega 3, and all of the 9 essential amino acids, which makes it a really good source of plant based protein. In France you can find hulled hemp in organic stores (to sprinkle in your salads, soups..) and in the US, it is sold as a superfood in powder and oil.
You can guess, as a specialized mylk bar, it is freshly made every morning by Benoit and Kumiko, the adorable owners who are from Geneva. The menu is all about that magic plant: in smoothies, shakes, coffee and dishes: wraps, salads. If you just want to try the mylk, choose the « original », lightly sweetened with dates and a nutty flavor. 
Maybe in the future they will expand their menu with desserts made with hemp flour? Looks like possibilities are endless!
Where? Wiedner Hauptstrasse 34, 1040 Wien, AUSTRIA. Website: here.
