The next leg of our trip brought us to the gorgeous town of Amalfi. As an aside, we actually took the city bus (the Sita!) from Maiori all throughout the Amalfi Coast. It costs a euro or two each way (depending on how far you’re going) and it honestly couldn’t have been simpler. The drive was slightly petrifying (note: two buses passing each other at virtually full speed with merely inches to spare and a 2′ high retaining wall separating you from a ginormous, rocky death? It’ll take a few minutes off your life for sure), however it’s unavoidable no matter which way you navigate the roads. Distract yourself with the glorious vistas an you’ll be good to go!

Though significantly more touristy than Maiori & Minori, Amalfi was everything I could have imagined and more. Incredibly picturesque with all the charm one would expect. We spent the entire day getting lost through back alleys, soaking up the ceiling fresco’s at the Cathedral and eating our weight in gelato (seriously though). Throughout our back alley travels, we stumbled upon the most adorable little restaurant. With no real plans, we decided to stay for a drink and a bite to eat. Unfortunately I couldn’t for the life of me tell you where we ended up (bad blogger!) but we both agree that our afternoon on the teeny patio was our favourite moment of the entire trip. We must have sat there for four hours drinking entirely too much mid-day wine with essentially the whole restaurant all to ourselves. Pure magic, really.

all images original to lark & linen

Alas! The time has come to share my Amalfi Coast photos. I feel like I spent HOURS editing them (yeah, I had over 1000) but I’m ridiculously excited about how they turned out. This magical land is so beautiful that I was asked to post them on Style Me Pretty Living. And you KNOW we only showcase the prettiest of the pretty over there (you can now consider me beyond flattered). I feel like I’ve been leaving you all hanging forever, but you’ll have to wait just a little longer as they’re going up today at 2pm EST! In the meantime, we’re talking all things Amalfi Coast as we cover a few of my what-to-pack essentials and a delicious recipe that I seriously can’t get enough of. And? I’m dedicating all next week to breaking down each and every town we visited paired with a little explanation on how we spent our time (just in case any of you are planning any Italian excursions anytime soon). Stay tuned!

UPDATE: They’re up!

all images original to lark & linen

I’m back from what can only be described as the prettiest 7 days in the entire world. The Amalfi Coast was beyond what I could have ever imagined and I’m excited to share our adventures with you shortly! We returned home late Saturday evening after an eighteen hour journey and I’m not going to lie, I’m still a little wiped out. The thought of going through and editing over a thousand pictures is currently overwhelming me, but I promise to make it a priority in the coming days! In the meantime, here’s a quick little sneak peek of our incredible Italian vacation.

Aaaaand we are officially off to Amalfi! We leave tonight and I feel like a small child, completely bubbling over with excitement. Thank you all for your fabulous recommendations over the last week – I’m departing fully-equipped with a master list under my arm and will come back with diligent notes for everyone! While I’m gone, I’ve lined up a pretty incredible assortment of guest posters so definitely come back next week to check em’ all out!

Have a fabulous weekend you guys, and I’ll “see” you in a week!
(and apologies for the plethora of exclamation marks sprinkled throughout)
xo

In exactly one weeks time Justin and I will be hopping on a plane to the Amalfi Coast! Excited doesn’t even BEGIN to cover it. We found a crazy, insane, wicked good deal (obsessively checking travel sites sometimes pays off) and jumped at the opportunity.  We’ll be staying in the small town of Maiori, just 10 minutes east of Amalfi. From what I understand, there isn’t a ton happening on in Maiori but it will act as a jumping off point for day trips (Capri, Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii…) Everything happened relatively quickly and we’ve yet to do any legitimate research, so I’m here to ask for advice!  One of my biggest pet peeves is spending money on sub-par food so restaurant recommendations are especially in order.  Please do send anything and everything this way! 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

There’s something special about returning to a place where time seems to have stood still; a place that I’ve been frequenting for the last 25 years of my life, and can count on the fact that the juice glasses will remain the same, as do the pots, the pans and the stove that is surely from the 50′s and has helped feed its fair share. Visiting my cottage in Thunder Bay is one of those spots that holds ridiculously happy childhood memories and I hold it very close to my heart. It’s a place the epitomizes a Canadian summer: the fridge is always full of beer, when you walk through the bush, you must have a bear whistle tied around your wrist, just in case, the lake is refreshingly cold and the sunsets would make your heart skip a beat.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent the large majority of my week lounging on the dock, catching up on books that I’ve been meaning to get through but could never finish due to a lack of spare time. While I was originally fretting about the idea of being in the middle of nowhere with no connection to the outside world for an entire week, something I haven’t done since I was quite young, it ended up being just the ticket. Having literally nothing that needed to be done but watch the waves roll in, or the sun set over the lake was a welcome change from my mind reeling with a million different thoughts, ideas and things that need to be done. After adjusting to the thought of being able to read for four uninterrupted hours, I settled in just fine. While I wasn’t curled up on the front porch with a book, I passed the time listening to my 89 year old grandpa tell stories from the 1930′s, playing scrabble on the front port and eating my weight in home-cooked meals. One evening in particular was spent sitting on the boathouse for over an hour just watching an electrical storm off in the distance. It was easily one of the most amazing (and eerie) sights I’ve experienced.

I must admit though, I am happy to be back amidst the hustle and the bustle of my busy city life, only now with a clearer frame of mind. But if I can offer any advice (and this is something I’m sure I’ll have to refer back to in the near future) it’s that it’s okay to sit and watch the rain fall for a solid half an hour. In fact, it’s encouraged. It does more good than you know.

{the view from our hostel rooftop}{taken on our boat cruise}
{i’m thinking this may not need a caption}{bats + sunsets. quite amazing, actually!}{the city palace, and a happy man!}{the city palace}{views from the monsoon palace}

The final leg of our trip took us to Udaipur, considered to be the most romantic spot in India. Surrounded by lakes, portions of it reminded me very much of Venice. It was shockingly beautiful (quite the dramatic change from the desert town of Jaisalmer and the big city of Jodhpur/Delhi).

We had dedicated this portion of our trip to relax and rejuvenate before I had to head back home. With many palaces, both on land and on the water (literally. in the middle of it), it made for the perfect backdrop to enjoy long dinners right on the lake. One evening, we sat and watched the sunset underneath a tree filled with bats (we realized this after we had sat down). As the sun set behind the mountains, hundred and hundreds of oversized bats began to emerge. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time. The perfect place to end an incredible journey.

(See Part I, Part II & Part III)

I’m headed up to the cottage for the long weekend, but I’m hoping to post the rest of my pictures on my Facebook page. If I don’t get them up before I leave, they will definitely be up on monday. (click here to like lark + linen on Facebook and to be notified when the pictures do make their way up!)

Have a wonderful weekend lovelies, and thank you for letting me share my Indian experience with all of you! I’m humbled by all of your incredible comments. You guys are seriously awesome.  

{colourful details lining the streets of jaisalmer}{deserted streets – save for a lone cow, naturally}{an efficient way to carry ones parcel (the beginning of some impressive balancing acts we witnessed)}{views of the city from the jaisalmer fort}{rows of turbans just dying to be photographed}{my camel, daniel (I couldn’t have come up with a more suitable name)}

{trekking through the thar desert}

The second leg of our trip took us south to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. We stayed in a $10 a night hostel that was easily nicer than most hotels I’ve visited in Canada. I shared a room with my aunt and we lucked out by being placed in a room with thick stone walls, hot pink silk curtains and bright cotton bed spreads.

After touring the Jaisalmer fort and palace (at 850 years old, it’s the oldest fort in the world that still has inhabitants living within its walls), scoping our many a pashmina and spending an evening sitting atop our hostel roof with the owner, eating and drinking some of his personal specialties under the stars, I didn’t think the trip could get much better.

Our second day in Jaisalmer brought about a camel trek that we had previously arranged. We were driven into the centre of the Thar desert to meet our trek leaders and our respective camels. Mine was named Daniel and he was quite handsome, if you can’t tell.

After a three hour camel ride further into the desert, we stopped to set up camp on top of the dunes. While we watched the sun set over the sand, our trek leaders began to cook our meal over a small fire, and proceeded to bring us cups of hot, homemade chai while we relaxed (and maybe played in the sand… a little).

Next, we feasted on an incredible meal of dal, rice and homemade chapatis (did I mention all of this was done over the fire?!), we hung out telling stories before retreating to cots that had been set up for us under the wide open sky. We drifted off to sleep after watching countless shooting stars, and it was easily one of the best nights of my entire life.

(See Part I, Part III & Part IV)

found via Design Therapy via Boutique Homes

Boutique Homes is a website I happened to stumble upon recently, and I’m so glad that I did. Their aim is to provide incredible vacation home rentals; many of which are created by some pretty notable and talented architects. This home in particular is designed as the perfect transitional space for the days that linger between summer and fall. I wouldn’t mind curling up with a book and a blanket in any of the rich, charcoal gray and chocolate-brown spaces, wrapped up to protect myself from the coolness of the morning. Yet, when the sun makes an appearance and the temperature rises, I could just as easily sit outside to enjoy a light lunch and take in the expansive views. 

We made it to Victoria on the Friday afternoon for the last leg of our trip. An incredible time was had, and I’m not even sure how we managed to squeeze in the amount of things that we did. Between touring beautiful downtown Victoria, visiting a real live castle, numerous hikes, camping on the pacific ocean, surfing in Tofino, a $3 breakfast at the navy base (in honour of my grandpa, an incredible man and ex-sailor), a brisk walk through Cathedral Grove, swimming at any and every moment we could muster up, a ride in a fire truck and high tea at the Empress Hotel… we saw it all. We did it all.

{beautiful victoria}

{high tea at the empress hotel}

{a beautiful old victorian house-turned-bed and breakfast}

{the view from atop mount doug}

{cameron lake}

{a pit stop for a swim while on the way to tofino}

{en route to tofino}

{cathedral grove forest}

{beautiful victoria}

{at our feet as we camped}

{surfing at long beach}

{low tide}

After a quick pit stop to float in a long, lazy river, two more winery tours and an incredible lunch at Nk’Mip, overlooking the small town of Ossoyoos; we made the long drive through the winding roads with incredible views, up mountains and then back down again, finally arriving in Vancouver late Wednesday night. We only had one full day to do as we pleased and experience the city, so we did what we could. We woke up early and headed to Stanley park for a long bike along the sea wall. And the evening? Well, it was spent feasting at the most incredible japanese restaurant I’ve ever been to. The next morning we spoiled ourselves with room service as we packed up to make our way to Victoria.   

{the view at lunch in Ossoyoos}   

{we made light work of that cheese platter}   

{jackson triggs vineyards}   

{the drive to vancouver}   

{the view from stanley park}   

{bike riding through the park}   

{sneaking a kiss by the ocean}   

{800 year old trees}   

{the olympic flames}   

{he followed our ferry to victoria}   

{the view from the ferry}

I’m back, and I’ve missed you guys so! I don’t even have the words to properly describe the past couple of weeks. Breathtaking? Amazing? Incredible? They just don’t seem to fit the bill. I’ve taken more photos than I could possibly chose from, so please, prepare to be bombarded with images of mountains, lakes and the like. I’ll be splitting my trip up into three separate days, so stay tuned, if you’re interested!

Our first stop was Kelowna, a city located in Okanagan Valley, wine country of BC. We flew in early on Sunday morning, opened our first bottle upon arriving at the resort, and didn’t stop until, well, yesterday, if I’m being honest. Situated just north of the US border, Kelowna is an extension of the Sonora Desert. The land is an incredible mix of mountains, coniferous forests, and deserts. By far my favourite leg of this trip.

Although our visit was short (three days), we made the most of it. With wine tours and extended lunches overlooking the Okanagan lake at Mission Hill Winery (wow. just wow.), a day trip on a friends boat, and a late night dinner at Quails Gate overlooking the lake (wrapped up in blankets to protect ourselves against the chill of the night, naturally), we left feeling relaxed, rejuvenated, and definitely, definitely plumper.

{our first peek at the mountains}

{the view from the resorts patio}

{the beach}

{a long, incredible lunch at mission hill}

{mission hill sights}

{a wine tasting… with cheese. mmm. cheese.}

{my boyfriend. his name is Justin & he’s pretty cute.}

{my stepmom. she’s taking advantage of our boat cruise with wine in hand}

{my baby sister. her name is Kelly & she’s loving life.}
{yes, she’s still my baby sister.}

found via Design Crush

Alright lovelies, this is it! Vacation time! I’ll be off gallivanting in British Columbia  for the next two weeks, but don’t you worry, I won’t leave you high and dry. I have a few sweet posts lined up to keep you company while I’m away. Each day you can expect to find some pretty images and a simple, inspiring idea that you should keep in mind so that you too can feel refreshed and rejuvenated over the next little while. If I get the chance, I’ll pop in here and there.

Enjoy & I’ll see you back here in a bit with lots more goodness!

xxx