hier

I've always been a fan of birthdays. What a wonderful occasion it is to celebrate someone you love on an otherwise ordinary day. What a wonderful occasion, too, to reflect on another year well-lived. Yesterday, I reveled in my own in Paris for the second time: a healthful lunch at Préface, cookie and coffee at Loustic, souvenir-shopping at Merci, and finally, drinks (and frites) at Le Perchoir. It was a calm city day with confidents I adore; so unlike previous ones at vineyards/beaches/my parent's backyard, but just as sweet.

Last year, I all but freaked out about turning 25--the same age my mom was when she had me. I was stressed about finishing grad school courses, starting an internship abroad, and figuring out the formula to successfully putting down roots, embarking on a satisfying career, and falling in love forever (with eventual little loves in tow). Silly, silly girl, I am. Not one of those concerns occurred to me yesterday... and not just because I've already graduated. In the time and space between 25 and 26, I've gained a whole new perspective. As Jamie Varon wrote, "what’s most important is who we are, not what we are; how we lived, not what we did." And it's simply unbelievable how enough we are. Now, as each day brings me closer the big 2-7, I resolve to continue to work hard and be kind, celebrate often and appreciate always. I'll probably never stop being sentimental nor nostalgic, but gosh, how happy I am to have the chance to nurture relationships with friends and family I endlessly love and admire from near and far. Fin. My next few days will be spent putting finishing touches on this glorious Parisian chapter before "danielle abroad" moves home. Not for long though. Little by little, things do fall into place, and soon after arriving in New York, I'm relocating, again. Please stay tuned :).

how to cool off in cartagena, part 1

Cartagena is perhaps the hottest place I've ever been to. It is humid and hot, and the kind of place where going to the beach between the hours of 11am and 2pm (and thus placing oneself in direct sunlight) is taking a risk. It's also a port city filled with Old World charm, New World gleam, and Caribbean energy. I loved it. And having a fabulous apartment to stay in illuminated the fact.

My grandmother and I arrived late on Tuesday afternoon. We swung by the grocery store first, and then went out to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Center. Everything else that followed was a different way to cool off...

a red wine spritzer and ensalada del pescador (fisherman's salad: a mix of green leaves, tangerine, carrots, grilled bell peppers, onion, tuna, salmon, white fish ceviche) at the magical Juan Del Mar housed in a restored republican home.

a morning stroll through the Sofitel Santa Clara Hotel, originally a 17th century monastery and now, luxury oasis.

 

a stop at the Sofitel Santa Clara Hotel bar for a frothy limonada de coco (a tart yet refreshing lemonade made with coconut water and coconut milk).

a determined, purposeful walk along only the shaded sides of the sidewalk.

a visit to air-conditioned museums including the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum) and the Palacio de la Inquisición (Palace of the Inquisition).

a return to the apartment where Inés had prepared a deliciously satiating lunch with papaya juice, fresh, grilled salmon, coconut rice, salad with avocado, and patacones (fried green plantains).

a very long nap, only be to be awakened by the intoxicating views of sunset.

an elegant yet light dinner of chilled red wine, gazpacho, and a small plate of fresh scallops with sautéed spinach at FM Restaurant.

 

a wandering through one of the plazas at a time when it is pleasant to be out and about (after dark) and enjoying the works of local artists, artisans, and musicians.

To be continued...

disorderly conduct

Pst, I have a little secret to tell you...

world cup o' life

Good morning afternoon! Thank God it's Friday :) sleeping in was wonderful. A little anecdote for you on this lovely day: last night, as I was walking with my friend and her dad, he was telling me about his two years in London. Although he admitted that he doesn't think he could ever truly leave home, he absolutely loved living abroad (he was teaching). K then added that he was on this new kick of saying he was "dying" so he had to take these opportunities, and people had to be nice to him ;). Ignoring the second part for a second, I was taken aback by his reasoning. "No, you're not dying," I said, "you're living, just really living."

Hold that thought. Yesterday I hit up Whole Foods (Union Square) before work, spent $40, and treated myself to a new snack. Wow. Siggi's has created the yogurt of the Gods--thick, protein-rich, and delicious. I need to visit Iceland, and I also need to stumble upon hundreds of dollars some day soon so that I can stock up on this Icelandic-style yogurt. Go out and try it now, you can thank me later :).

K and her dad are visiting for the weekend so I met them for last night for Dinner #1 (yes, number one) at Celeste, an amazingly authentic Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side. The crusty Italian bread and flavorful olive oil were incredible, by the way.

The restaurant is small and quaint with communal tables and faithful customers. There menu evolves with the seasons, the staff is either Italian or speaks the language, and they only accept cash. According to a friend, the owner is almost always around to offer suggestions and add final touches to the meal too.

I began with an Insalata Misto, a plate of fresh greens brushed with a homemade vinaigrette. It was, dare I say it, perfect, and featured quite a few endive hearts that I've been missing so. The glass of wine, a Pinot Nero, was superb as well.

While the others enjoyed their spectacular entrées, I stuck to an equally as fantastic yet smaller in portion appetizer. I enjoyed the Involtini Di Melanzane: eggplant rolls stuffed with prosciutto (yes, I had meat again, and I think I liked it) and pecorino, and baked with tomato sauce.  

Then, around 9, I headed downtown to Chelsea for dinner #2 at Westville's newest location. It was so freshly opened that they weren't accepting credit cards yet.

But wait, who was I with now? None other than one of my favorite blogging duos, Leslie and Sofia. Another two people I'm so lucky to know. It took the three of us about 30 seconds before deciding to order a bottle of wine. Go figure ;).

The hard part came later, when deciding what to order. Can you please just look at this list of market sides?! I wanted everything, I think all of us did. But if you could only pick four from the glorious selection, which ones would you choose?

Leslie and Sofia make amazing selections including: Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, Brussel Sprouts with Honey Dijon, Sweet Potato Mash, Pesto Mashed Potatoes, Sauteéd Kale with Shallots, Asian Style Bok Choy (my favorite!), and one other that I can't recognize nor recall. I, on the other hand, simply ordered the soup of the day, a Gazpacho with avocado. Oh and I had tastings from my generous friend's plates too. Obviously.

Afterwards, just when I thought the entire dining experience couldn't have gotten any better, Sofia whipped out these. She had stopped by a vegan Brooklyn bakery earlier that day and walked out with three peanut butter & chocolate cupcakes. Each one was just sweet enough, just small enough, and oh so scrumptious. Thank you again, lady! 

They were not, however, a mark of a happy ending because I continued the night by reuniting with K and enjoying a self-induced late night of beer tasting. Some of them were free, and it was nice :). So fun. I also must add that I did not walk away empty-handed. One of her friend's that were with us works for Peanut Butter & Co. and had conveniently brought a few of the magical products with him. I was lucky enough to be given their Dark Chocolate Dreams variety, and let me just say that it is fabulous (I tried a few fingerfuls on the train ride home).

Now rewind your mind back to the beginning. Life is pretty unpredictable, and I suppose it's unnerving to think about the day that it will be over, but there's a reason there are phrases like, "live like you're dying" or "live each day like it's you're last." Like I said in my last post: if not now, when? Then again, I have issues with the belief that because we are living life so completely each day, we shouldn't worry about taking care of ourselves. Life is good, great even, and I'd like to enjoy it for as long as I possibly can. There ya go. I'm off to the Hamptons later tonight for the first of many weekends to come. Have a good one!

P.S. I wish I could be in South Africa right now for the World Cup. Go France! Mexico! Chile! and maybe the U.S.A. Who are you rooting for?

reunions

Hello, my dears! Where has the weekend gone? Please, answer me that. 

It began with a margarita on the Upper East side. The drink may have been almost too sweet for my liking but the price was right ($2 during Happy Hour). Besides, I was in the company of two of my favorite fellow S.U. grads that were visiting the city for the weekend... I couldn't just get a beer, or heaven forbid, water ;).

We dined at the original Brother Jimmy's, (one of the multiple country BBQ joints around the city, including my 21st birthday kick-off to the night spot.) and much to my surprise, I found a "healthy dinner" option, the Nag's Head Veggie: grilled vegetables and a baked sweet potato. Unfortunately, nothing was pure enough to cancel out the mixed drink(s) and by nine I headed home with an upset stomach.

A somewhat reasonable human being would probably end the night there, but, after resting on the train ride and lying down in my own bed for a while, I started to feel better. So much so, that when high school friends invited me out with them, I jumped at the opportunity. What can I say? I would not accept a wasted night. No pun intended :).

Saturday morning I sprung out of bed with a rumbling tummy and food on the brain. I helped myself to the breakfast that is swiftly becoming a usual - (1) Place a bowl of almond milk, rolled oats, and cinnamon in the microwave for one minute, (2) Slice a banana and mash into it, (3) Top with a dollop of plain yogurt and a spoonful of almond butter, (4) Enjoy. - it's quick, easy, and delicious. I also had the true staples of green tea and water.

An inkling of a hangover unfortunately hit around one in the afternoon so a wonderfully rare nap took place. 'Twas glorious. And upon waking, I was ready to eat again. To remedy the hunger, I broke out the Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers for the first time. I was very pleased with their ingredient list, visual appeal, and taste, despite the fact that they broke apart on me after cooking.

I paired them with left-over roasted potatoes, cucumber, and carrots for a light yet all the while satisfying lunch. Then, I spent the next three hours leisurely getting ready. Don't you just love when you can do that? There was more fun to be as we celebrating my brother's high school graduation and my own college one. After picking up our cake from Whole Foods, it began...

Within a half an hour of our many guests arriving, dinner was served. I piled my own plate high with salad, grilled vegetables, broccoli rabe, eggplant rollatini, shrimp, and brown rice... and I was impressed. Everything was absolutely delicious! And with a glass of Prospero's Red Table Wine, it was even better. I'm so happy to have such a great winery so close to home and continued to reap the tasting benefits throughout the night.

Following the meal I socialized with our many guests. They included extended family members on both my mom and dad's sides, family friends, former classmates, and little cousins, lots of adorable dancing little cousins.

The elderly adults, like me, also danced the night away. My great uncle's band was playing the best of the oldies and today (I sound like a radio advertisement) and there was no stopping us. Watch the video above. Please.

I'll admit it, being home is not that bad. My family is great (99.9% of the time, ha) and being surrounded by so wonderful many people that I haven't seen in far too long reminds me of how lucky I am to be close to them again. I had such a blast basking in their spectacular company.

It was particularly special to reunite with my Aunt Donna. Donna is my mom's best best friend from high school, and middle school... and elementary school, for that matter. They grew up together :). Throughout my life she's lived close and far, first down the street, then to southern New Jersey, and now, in a small town in New Hampshire. It's because of her that I am Danielle (her last name is Daniel's) and she's why I appreciate country music and Wawa's.

Today, Sunday, we headed down down down into the city to have brunch with her son, Ryan, who's studying at Pace University. Following a tour of his apartment, the six of us headed over to Stone Street Tavern. Ryan and I sadly haven't seen each other in at least four years so it was amazing to have the chance catch up.

Originally I simply ordered the Breakfast Quesadilla, but after hearing the soup of the day (Gazpacho) I ordered that too. The tomato gazpacho was unbelievable, the quesadilla not so much. I gave most of the quesadilla to my dad :).

Alright, I guess that's what happened. Hope your weekend was glorious as well! Now, onto the work week: I have an exercise routine to finally restart (tell you more about it tomorrow), my first full 4 days at Quirky (hopefully I'll have a chance to blog for them again), an e-book to read and review (similar to the last one I did for Go Backpacking), and many more social encounters, the last of which will take place in the Hamptons with a familiar Oklahoman face. ¡Hasta mañana!