Tag Archives: summer

Copenhagen

World of Perfume August 21, 2014 Comments: 21

As you probably know, I spent 8 days this summer with Asali in Copenhagen. Even though I did my best to see as much as I could each day, there are still many things I didn’t have time to see but I just hope that means I’ll be back. 😉

If I were to judge the Danes by people I met in Copenhagen, I would say they are a nice, smiling people who are always there to help you in English whenever you need something. And they also have a tendency to compliment you out of the blue (happened twice to me).

Asali was a wonderful host and an amazing cook (I never met anyone who can whip up a proper dinner in 20 minutes – and it tastes great).

So, here are the pictures of some of the things I visited. I actually managed one run while there. Luckily I did two days in because afterwards, there was no way my legs would have made it. I am still recuperating from the whole vacation experience…

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Marble church

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Cafe in a shopping centre

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View from one of the bridges

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View from a bridge

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Old Danish hot dog (and as it’s an old recipe, strange stuff can be tasted in it)

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A great place for running (old military base)

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One side of the picture (Rosenborg castle)

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Other side of the picture (Rosenborg castle)

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Botanical garden

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The beach 🙂

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Old stock exchange

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Windmill at Kastellet

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The Little Mermaid

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Cruise around the channels

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Cruise around the channels

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In the Zoo

 

 

 

 

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Crowns at Rosenborg castle

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Rosenborg castle

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Rosenborg castle

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Orsted park

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Orsted park

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Cruise around the channels

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Cruise around the channels

 

At dinner with Asali

At dinner with Asali

P.S. I’ll hide this here. It’s also a great city for shopping, I came back with a full bag of clothes. 😀

I’m back

I've been thinking, World of Perfume August 20, 2014 Comments: 11

From my vacation and basically all I can say is – it’s been amazing! 🙂

I’ve had the best vacation ever (at least that I can remember at the moment).

Copenhagen was amazing, the Danes are really such nice, warm, smiling people even though their country is very expensive. But I loved every second of it, especially the time I got to spend with wonderfully nice Asali (chatting about life, perfumes and everything we could think of).

The island of Vis is really the place where unexpected happens in the best of ways. I’ll be seeing that island again.

Also, very little sleep happens there. 😉

And last but not least, the place where you go to rest, Smokvica with friends one considers family.

My mind is relaxed, I am happy and life has been good to me.

To be continued with a short travelogue of all these places…

 

The Roman holiday (part I)

World of Perfume September 26, 2013 Comments: 13

Where I talk about Rome (the perfume will be part II).

I never expected to like Rome so much, I always thought Paris was my city. Now it seems I have two cities where I wouldn’t mind living if it weren’t in Zagreb.
It’s so very easy to fall in love with Rome and its smiling citizens, hordes of tourists, local wine, great food, even better desserts, and don’t let me start on the coffee…
Did I mention the weather?! The summer one, with temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius?

Not to mention it’s probably heaven if you have an archeological streak, or a Catholic one as each street either has a ruin or a church, or both.
I also finally understood there is a political background to everything anyone with any power does. Walking around St. Peter’s basilica is a testimony to that – making you feel small and insignificant in front of such a monumental shrine to a god you should worship. I could actually feel my religious sentiments waking, luckily it didn’t last long. 😉

Walking around Rome is like walking on a movie set. At least for me. I suppose I saw it in the movies so many times now I walked through it, I couldn’t help but feel like I was a part of one.
One where I spent my days having fun with fellow perfumista. Basically, the best kind of a movie, friends, in a lovely city, smelling many perfumes, enjoying good food and each other’s company. Who wouldn’t want to star in a movie like that?

Ok, no more talk, here are some of the photos.

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Amfiteatro Flavio – better known as the Colosseum

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Pictures don’t do it justice

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The Roman forum

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Colosseum

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The Roman forum

Detail from Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

Detail from Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo

The Trevi fountain

The Trevi fountain

The Pantheon - incredible is all I can say

The Pantheon – incredible is all I can say

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St. Peter’s Basilica

Inside the basilica

Inside the basilica

One more inside the basilica

One more inside the basilica

View from the park above Spanish steps

View from the park above Spanish steps

Suzanne and Mark in the park

Suzanne and Mark in the park

When the Carabinieri pose, you take a photo ;)

When the Carabinieri pose, you take a photo 😉

There is no photo of the Sistine chapel as you are  not allowed to take one (which I didn’t see so I got shouted at for trying to take one). And there is also no photo of the leather goods you can buy in Rome (like gloves and a jacket…). 😉

The sun, the sea and Bronze Goddess

I've been thinking, World of Perfume August 22, 2013 Comments: 25

That last will never be applied to me. Not only do I not think of myself in divine terms, but bronze is also a word that people would never apply while looking at me.  I actually got asked (this year again) if I even went to a vacation, considering the amount of tan I got.

I do get tanned but compared to most people here, I’m still fair skinned.

So this where Bronze Goddess comes into play. It is my go-to vacation scent.  I should also remember that for next year’s packing as there is no need to bring a whole bunch of decants when all I’ll be wearing is BG.

But I don’t recommend wearing it to work which is what I did one day when the weather was extremely hot and I was wishfully thinking of the vacation to come – a colleague was sniffing around our room asking who’s wearing sunscreen? 🙂

You’ve been warned.

Now the vacation is over, Bronze Goddess is back to its place to be forgotten until the next summer vacation.

And if you are ready for some wistfulness with me, here are two photos to help you with that:

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Channeling Tilda Swinton

World of Perfume August 5, 2013 Comments: 12

And not by smelling like her.

As you can tell by the photo of me and Asali/Jasia having fun at the fishermen’ party in Klenovica yesterday, I’m not wearing any make-up.
It’s my vacation after all.
I do have to admit that even though I’m channeling Tilda, I do not feel as comfortable looking like I have no eyelashes the way she does.

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Jasia looking great without make-up and me with no lashes

It’s been forever since I wrote and I’m hoping the sitting on the terrace having coffee with Jasia or lying on the beach in the sun (as seen on the photo evidence provided) will do much to restore my writing mojo.
The sniffing sessions with Jasia are also helping although you’d think we’d be able to have more of those since we are on vacation…
But we’re busy doing other things:

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Busy around barbecue

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Busy on the beach

When not smelling of our samples and decants, we pretty much smell like the salty air and sunscreen and in the evening of Off mosquito spray which smells wonderful (you’d be surprised how good it smells). Jasia says carnation but to me it’s simply a great scent for such a product.

You could possibly catch as wafting a bit of smokiness (from being close to the burning wood for the barbecue)… B-)

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Smell you soon!

Sunny love from Smokvica from both of us

The Heat

Uncategorized August 25, 2012 Comments: 8

I’ve been meaning to write about several perfumes I tried and really liked recently but it will have to wait another day or two for the heat wave we’ve been having to pass.
I just can’t function when it’s hot, not only because my body doesn’t deal well with it, it makes me feel terribly upset as I can’t ease my suffering. The best I can do is be still and let the fan do its thing (luckily we have A/C at work but unfortunately not at home).
In case you’re wondering about the temperatures, for the fourth day in the row we’re hitting 38 degrees Celsius (we got to 39 yesterday).

I just need to be still a little longer and I’ll be fine by tomorrow.

P.S. If you’re wondering why am I using a computer when it’s so hot, I’m not, I’m testing blogger for Android phones. 🙂

Summer swimming among books

Uncategorized August 31, 2009 Leave a comment
Hello everyone – I’m finally back! 🙂 Well, I’ve been back for a week now though it already feels more like I never left. I would never have guessed how much work can suddenly appear the moment I return from my vacation… Besides, it wasn’t possible for me to write last week – I had to do something about my blonde hair before returning here (sun and the sea do turn me into a blonde each year). So, now I’m a redhead again and have a little bit of time to share my summer memories.
I managed to read more books than I thought I would, but less than I wanted to. Around 12-13. Not sure at the moment. I have to say that James Rollins and R.E. Feist head the list of my top reads lately. I love them both, especially Rollins because you can actually learn a lot from his books. And it’s all fun. 🙂 I highly recommend it to all who read Dan Brown and thought: “Oh, I’d like some more of this!” or “This is awful, I expected so much more!”. James Rollins is so much more and in somewhat the same manner. Do give him a try. 🙂

Some of the more memorable days this summer was a visit to Jablanac, a town nobody really cares much about because the ferry will take to the island of Rab from there, so everyone just goes on. We spent a lovely afternoon there, taking a stroll and visiting one of the more famous coves in Croatia: Zavratnica. I didn’t know there was a sunken ship there (you might see some contours on the photo).

The photo of Jablanac harbor:

Entry to Zavratnica:

The contours of the ship:

Leaving island of Pag for mainland (on the ferry):

That’s it from me today. No perfume related thoughts – they are to come later in the week (thoughts on Boadicea line).

Btw, since I returned it feels like I lost my ability to differentiate between smells properly. Is it possible beacuse I rested my nose for almost 3 weeks, it will take some exercising it now?

Before I leave

Uncategorized July 31, 2009 Leave a comment

I thought this day would never come. 🙂 Finally, 3 weeks of sun and sea. And after the week I had, all I can say is, I deserve it. I worked real hard these past 10 days (including the weekend) and now I can leave without any worries. Including the one when is my sister going to give birth to my second nephew. 🙂 I’m proud to say that yesterday I became an aunt for the second time, my little nephew is 3550 g and 52 cm. Can’t wait to see him later today (and my sister as well, the birth didn’t go all that well, but she’s getting better).

I so wanted to talk about a perfume today but I just didn’t manage the time to sniff anything (that’s how busy I was). I’m happy to say that I got the Boadicea Lucky scent sample pack and I’m taking it with me to be perused sometime in the next 3 weeks. Along with some other samples lying about on my desk.

What I did manage to do is gather books I plan on taking and now it seems I should cut back a bit on those since there are some 25 of them (and that’s more than the days I’ll be on vacation) – I like to read but I’m not that fast and I don’t really need so much choice. I think I’ll leave with 20 – it’s only me and my boyfriend, so there’s enough space. 🙂 I can already see him clutching his head in shock. 🙂 Happens every time.

One of the samples I sprayed on today after reading all the reviews – EL Jasmine White moss, and what can I say? It’s nice and wearable and if I had it, I’d definitely put it on, but my knees do not go weak like after smelling Amoureuse (that’s definitely a discovery) and if you want to know more about JWM, there are some great reviews at Grain de musc and Perfume smelling things.

Btw, I always thought summer was a dead season, but there seem to be giveaways wherever you turn. I do hope I win some. 🙂 Eternal optimist.

I wish you all a great summer (what’s left of it) and I hope when I’m back I’ll have a lot to talk about (in terms of both books and perfume) with some summer photos.
Picture : Dreamland by SteveCampbell

Murphy in action

Uncategorized June 19, 2009 Comments: 5

I have no idea how Murphy’s law came into being, but my life certainly shows aspects are being run by it. 🙂 In a couple of hours, I’ll be off to the seaside for a week off and guess what – it’s going to rain half of the time! Of course, this week has been very hot both here and at the coast, and from tomorrow on, we can expect a significant drop in temperature and rain. Well, I have a close relationship with Murphy, so I tend to forgive most of the laws in action. Including this one – I’ll have my books and I’ll be able to sleep as much as I’d like, besides, after Wednesday, the weather should improve, so I figure I’ll get my place in the sun.

The good side of this is that I’ll be able to utilize my arms for testing all those samples that just keep piling up on my desk, in my drawer and all other places where I put them imagining that I’ll remember where they are a week later. 🙂 The other day I found a box of samples I completely forgot I had. Anyway, if my arms are not going to smell like sunscreen, I’ll sniff as much as I’m able.

The other problem that appeared lately is the fact there are so many samples I tried and loved, and I don’t have any of them in a significant amount and I’m not planning on buying any perfumes any time soon (that’s what I tell myself) – and all those summer fragrances I have are just not cutting it this year. I mean I like them still very much, but I had enough of them for now and I want something more now. Okaaay, this doesn’t sound good for my wallet (credit card account). It’s really good that MUA exists. At least swapping helps a bit, although not completely.

I figured, if I start wearing one sample each day, I might try them and write short reviews while wearing them, but that’s a double edged sword. First, it’s summer so I might randomly select something not compatible with the heat, and secondly, if I don’t know what it smells like and I put it on, what if it’s something absolutely awful that needs to be scrubbed off? But if I was brave enough to tell a hairdresser I visited for the first time to do whatever he felt was right (and he did, and it was absolutely wonderful and bravely short), I can do this as well. 🙂 I’ll go first with those I have an idea what they might smell like. That should satisfy my need for smelling new things and not make me forced to choose from my stack of summer scents.

I hope everyone has a fun week and that there are several packages I expect waiting for me when I come back. 🙂

The picture is what I hope my days are going to be like the following week. 🙂