On our final day in Cannes, we decided to visit a beautiful village that Laura and Paul had been to before and really enjoyed called, Éze. Situated inbetween Nice and Cannes, Éze is a medieval village, that sits upon a large hill-top overlooking the Mediterranean sea and yes, it really is as stunning as it sounds! Understandably, this historical location is very popular with Tourists, (myself included) and that was highly evident during our day visit there – so, if you’re looking for somewhere quite and isolated, I wouldn’t suggest visiting in peak time.
Although the hill walk up to Éze itself isn’t exactly pleasant in the scorching heat, there are plenty of places to stop and have a wonder around. There are many gift shops within the town, which are perfect for finding unique presents and original art too. Plus, if shopping isn’t your thing then fear not, there are plenty of restaurants to visit and enjoy.
The two big tourist attractions within Éze are it’s Church, Notré-Dame de l’Assumption and it’s Gardens, Jardin botanique d’Éze. The Church was built between 1764-1778 and although still very beautiful, is sadly very run down and in need of refurbishment, so donations are much appreciated. However, it is definitely one of the prettiest sights to see in Éze and a hugely important historical building. The Gardens are situated right at the top of Éze and once you’re standing up there, you finally realize how truly high up you are! Everything below you looks so small in comparison to the gardens, which feature a variety of cactus especially.
My favourite thing to see within Jardin botanique d’Éze has to be the Earth Goddesses, which were created by Artists, Jean-Philippe Richard. They are placed around the gardens and each have a name and a small poem, I found them to be truly capturing and awe inspiring. Large information boards are situated around the gardens and it was so wonderful to learn the meanings and history behind the many places in Éze.
If you’re a movie lover like myself, you may know, The French Riviera has been extremely popular with Film Directors over the years and after having the pleasure to experience the wonders of Cannes, it’s not hard to see why. Alfred Hitchcock chose to shoot the location scenes for To Catch A Thief on the very roads you look upon, whilst at the top of the Éze Gardens!
As the final post in my Cannes Series comes to an end, all that’s left to say is I hope you enjoyed learning about the many beauties of the South of France as much as I did!
There’s simply no other way of describing this incredible building, it really is a Pink Palace of Dreams. TheVilla et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschildis situated in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera and is truly like no other beautiful building I have had the pleasure to witness.
Owned by Baroness Beatrice de Rothschild, the Villa began construction in 1905 and finished seven years later in 1912. Furthermore, nine gardens surround this incredible historical beauty, which features a stunning fountain display and quite possibly the most beautiful roses I have ever smelt and seen. To say this home is a Paradise would simply be an understatement, therefore, a huge thank you must be given to the lady herself, Beatrice, for donating this unique beauty to Institut de France when she passed in 1934, making it open to the public.
It’s almost surreal when walking around this living dream to think that originally, the Villa was a home and the Baroness Beatrice lived, ate and slept here daily for many years! If I was fortunate enough to live in a place like this I don’t think I’d ever leave, it’s just too beautiful and awe inspiring to not be appreciated and explored on an everyday basis.
Dreams aside, we really picked the perfect day to visit, with it being in the height of Summer and the sun shining all day long. We spent the first half of the day walking through the many amazing gardens, each having a specific theme and style, until we arrived at the front of the Villa. Due to walking through the gardens first, I simply assumed I was continuing on through the beautiful scenery, as we arrived at this beautiful statue and long stream. There, right opposite the flowing water, was the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild!
After following the stream down towards the Villa and watching the fountain display, Laura and I went inside the Baroness Beatrice’s home. Amazingly, we were allowed to take photos through all of the rooms and I’m sure you will agree when I say the building is truly a work of art. It’s so wonderful to see how well preserved and looked after the Villa is, plus, I’m sure Beatrice would be very proud of how the Institut de France have kept the authenticity of her property.
I found it very special to have the privilege to learn about Beatrice and her life whilst walking around the surroundings in her home. She seemed like a woman most definitely ahead of her time and I loved hearing about her unique ways and quirky behaviour, she definitely left her mark on the world! Beatrice had amassed an amazing collection of porcelain dinnerware, so much so that whole rooms were dedicated to these beauties! Furthermore, within her home she even owned items that belonged to Marie Antoinette!
It’s clear to anyone witnessing the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild that Beatrice’s favourite colour was pink, not only is it the colour of her home but, it features prominently throughout the interiors, with lots of feminine decor. As pretty and pink is definitely my style, I did fall even more in love with the historical building. However, if this isn’t your thing, then fear not – with the Villa overlooking the Bay of Villefranche and the Bay of Beaulieu, plus it being situated 10 kilometers from Nice and Monaco – you definitely will see and have many wonderful experiences!
I can’t thank Laura and Paul enough for introducing me to this amazing place and arguably the most beautiful building I’ve ever seen. I truly hope I will be able to go back and visit again someday!
The first place we ventured out of Cannes for was a very well known country called, Monaco! Known to most as the home for many years of Hollywood Icon turned Princess, Grace Kelly – Monaco is visited by thousands of tourists every year and home to some of the most rich and glamourous. As soon as I discovered Grace, through my love of Classic Hollywood, I’ve always dreamt of visiting this magical place and this year in July, I finally got the chance to do this!
Monaco is around an hour away in the car from Cannes, so thankfully not too far and he majority of it can be seen in a day, although I’d definitely like to spend more time there. As soon as you arrive in Monaco, it’s almost as if you can feel the change in the air, it’s so aesthetically beautiful and without doubt the perfect home for a Royal Family. Once you enter Monaco and leave the car park, you definitely should prepare for a lot of uphill walking, as the country is situated on a huge hill. Although all the walking isn’t always pleasant in the hot weather, it’s definitely worth it, plus, there’s so many beautiful sculptures and flowers to witness during the journey. Furthermore, there’s lots of places to rest if you need a mini rest, just definitely make sure you bring sunglasses and lots of water.
Once you walk up the hill you venture through the wonderful streets of Monaco and see the beautiful architecture of the buildings, many restaurants and a lots of gift shops featuring the beautiful Grimaldi Family. I could definitely spend hours looking in and out of each shop and building, but alas, one day is not enough! However, the most important place to visit in Monaco is of course, the incrediblePrince’s Palace of Monaco, which for just €8, (!) you can go inside! I can honestly say, this was a huge dream come true for me personally, as not only is the Prince’s Palace beyond beautiful, it’s a huge part of Grace’s life and Monaco History. Of course, privacy has to be respected and no photos are allowed inside, so sadly there won’t be any here in my post. However, the fact that everyone is welcome to visit the insides of this incredible building is so kind and thoughtful as ultimately, it is Prince Albert and Princess Charlene’s home!
After wondering through the beautiful Palace, we ventured into the official Monaco Gift Shop – my dream store! It was so wonderful to see a whole stand of photos dedicated to stunning photo prints of Princess Grace, I’m sure she would truly be so touched by all the love she receives over thirty years after she tragically left us.
Throughout Monaco and Monte Carlo, there is a special Grace photo trail, documenting twenty five significant moments during her lifetime! I wish I could have taken the time to find every one of these photo stops, but sadly I only had the chance to witness three. However, hopefully one day I can complete this wonderful tribute to Grace’s legacy! It’s such a unique idea, not only enjoyable for tourists and fans but also a huge aid in educating people on Monaco’s History.
The other important place to visit is of course, the Monaco Cathedral, which is both joyous for uniting Grace and Rainier in marriage and poignant for being their final resting places. The building itself is simply breathtaking, not only in size but in architecture too. We were slightly delayed in visiting the Cathedral as a Wedding was taking place the first time we tried to enter. It sounds silly, but it’s easy to forget that Monaco isn’t just the home of the Prince and Princess, it has many citizens too! Thankfully, when we checked back, the Cathedral was back open to the public and I could visit Grace and pay my respects to her.
It was so surreal to walk around this beautiful Cathedral and think that over sixty years ago Grace married Prince Rainier and became a Princess. I tried to focus on this historical moment and picture the beautiful Bride but in reality I was preparing to spend a few moments with Grace. I’d seen her resting place in photos before and it was easily recognizable by the multiple bouquets of flowers all placed on this one spot. Placed above her grave is the most beautiful painting of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier on their Wedding Day, which is poetically fitting as their lives together both started and ended here. As you can imagine, the Princess’s grave is the most popular and it can get quite crowded, plus, the area is fairly small so sadly you can’t stay for a long period of time. However, I definitely made the most of the minutes I had with Grace and of course paid my respects to Rainier then headed for the exit.
Before you leave the Cathedral there’s actually a small sign stating that tourists cannot visit the Princess during Wedding Ceremonies, which almost brought a tear to my eye as this shows how loved and respected she is by so many people. The fact that a sign was needed to inform the thousands of visitors about this without doubt confirms this and it warmed my little heart. I hope wherever you are, beautiful Grace, you know how thankful the people of Monaco are for your incredible contribution to the Grimaldi Family Legacy and that you’re still so adored by millions of people worldwide who visit you each year.
Before leaving Monaco, it was incredibly important for me to visits thePrincess Grace Rose Garden, which was created in honour of the Princess after her untimely death. I absolutely love flowers and roses also happen to be my favourite, so this was something I really wanted to see whilst visiting Monaco. The garden is filled with over 8000 rose bushes and features a variety of over 300. A beautiful sculpture of Grace is placed at the top of the garden, with a fountain running throughout, creating a peaceful and calm atmosphere. Also, Grace’s Royal Emblem is adorned on the gates of the garden, with another sculpture featuring a quote by the Princess on her love of roses. This is such a wonderful tribute to Grace and I’m sure she would visit often if she was still with us.
After leaving Monaco we took the short drive into Monte Carlo, the place that truly lives life in the fast lane. Famous for hosting the Grand Prix, Monte Carlo is hugely popular with car lovers and gambling, owning arguably the most famous Casino of all time; theCasino de Monte Carlo. This building has been featured in many films and is visited by thousands of tourists each year, even if you’re not into gambling the architecture alone is worth viewing it for. In all honesty, there’s not much to do in Monte Carlo if you’re not extremely wealthy – a bottle of still water cost us a staggering €4, (!) but if you’re in Monaco – it’s definitely worth visiting.
During my stay in France, Monaco is definitely my favourite place we visited and I really hope I will be able to go back one day and spend more time there! Stay tuned for the next post in my Cannes series, which will be all about the incredible, Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild!
Since Wednesday evening, I’ve been lucky to get to spend time with my beautiful best friend,Laura – even though she’s been full of cold, we haven’t let that spoil our time together! She’s been travelling pretty much for the majority of the year, so I’ve been looking forward to these few days since June, which was the last time I saw her!
Today we ventured out through the heart of Liverpool to The Albert Docks, the last time Laura was here we took some photos there and we thought we would give it another go. Laura is without doubt my blogging inspiration, she’s so creative, productive and professional – and has an amazing camera, what could be better?
The photos I took of Laura today are forMaison de Choup, a wonderful company which donate 25% of all their proceeds toYoung Minds, a UK based charity which aim to improve the emotional well being and mental health of children and young people. As someone who has suffered with various mental illnesses, including anxiety, this is an incredibly important cause that is very close to my heart.
To help Laura choose the best lighting, we took some test shots of myself – and surprisingly, a few turned out quite nice! I love good quality photos but, I’m very aware that the better the quality the more noticeable my flaws are. However, if you can’t embrace your own flaws, who can?
Yesterday, my family and myself decided to have a day out in LLandudno, my Grandad had mentioned visiting here and Happy Valley to my mum and me last week and we thought it would be a lovely place to go.
Such a beautiful day.
The weather was perfect, not too hot but very sunny with a sea air breeze, it was the best day to choose to visit lovely Wales. I’ve been to LLandudno before when I was a little girl, but I haven’t been back for years so I was really looking forward to it. The journey was just under a couple of hours and went pretty quickly as I, as usual, fell asleep.
Happy Valley.
When we arrived in Llandudno I couldn’t believe how picturesque it was, I’ve always thought Wales was really pretty but it is absolutely stunning, almost magical really. There are so many hills and mountains and I was shocked to see cable cars! There was also an adorable vintage looking Tram which takes you all the way up the hills, I think when I visited Llandudno as a little girl with my school we actually went on the Trams!
Alice In Wonderland Mania!
To get into Happy Valley we had to walk up a large hill, which was fine for us but my Dad was pushing my Grandad in his wheelchair, so I stayed next to him spotting just encase, I like to think of myself as his Bodyguard, even though I’m only little but I try! Once we got to the top of Happy Valley, I noticed that the park actually continued even further up, sadly we could only stay at the bottom as it would have been too hard to push the chair all the way.
I noticed some lovely sculptures in the park, first, a beautiful veranda with cards that looked suspiciously like the famous red and black ones in Alice In Wonderland. I decided to go over and take a picture of it and noticed small sculptures on the top of the veranda; The Mad Hatter, The White Rabbit and The Smoking Caterpillar! I then remembered that a few days ago my mum had told me that there was an Alice In Wonderland theme in Happy Valley, needless to say I was very excited!
Within our distance was a sculpture of Mushrooms and and Alice In Wonderland Book and Chair to sit on, The White Rabbit and The Cheshire Cat – which was of course, my favourite! It turns out all of the Sculptures were spread out over Llandudno, when walking along the front I also saw The Mad Hatter and I saw The Queen of Hearts when we were driving to Happy Valley. I went over to the map and read that Llandudno has a link to Alice In Wonderland and it turns out, that in 1861 the real Alice, aged eight years old visited! Therefore, the theme of Alice was created in 2002 from real trees that had fallen down and were carved into these iconic characters! Sadly I couldn’t find Alice or some of the other characters, but I’m sure if I go back I will definitely make a point of seeing them.
After we had eaten Lunch we decided to walk across The Pier Front and you had such an amazing view the further you walked. I noticed that just below where we had our lunch, Llandudno was carved into the grass in huge letters, it was so pretty, I didn’t have time to take a picture though. The Pier was filled with carnival rides and shops, I even found a beautiful magnet with Marilyn on it! I always feel so much happiness when I see anything Marilyn on my travels, it makes me feel like she’s always looking out for me and just puts a huge smile on my face. I also saw some gorgeous ornaments of Elsa and other Disney characters but sadly they were too expensive and I was more than happy with my Marilyn magnet.
We all had such a lovely day out in LLandudno and Happy Valley, thanks to my Grandad’s recommendation, but more importantly, my Grandad did and that’s what matters to me the most. Wales is so wonderful, it just has such a lovely feel and brings warmth to my heart, I’m very proud of my Welsh Heritage!
Sorry for the lack of posts, I’ve been in North Wales since Monday and I only got back today, but I took quite a few photos and made sure I brought some Old Hollywood Style to Trearddur Bay.
My family and I decided to go on a little holiday and take my Grandad with us, he hasn’t been away since 2008 so he deserved a nice break! On my Dads side I have a lot of Welsh Roots, which I’m very proud of! Both my Nain and Taid (Welsh for Grandad and Grandma) had Welsh parents and were brought up speaking Welsh and going to a Welsh Church. My Grandad only lived in Wales until he was two years old, but he’s been back so many times and still speaks fluent Welsh as well as English to this day!
We set off early on Monday morning, the car journey was only two hours long so it wasn’t too bad and I like to sleep on longish journeys anyways. When we arrived there I was shocked by how cold and windy it was, our bungalow was right next to the sea and perfectly named, “Pedwar Gwynt” which means Four Winds in English and it couldn’t have been more right!
Four Winds.
I’ve been to Wales quite a few times, but I’ve not been to Anglesey before, at least not that I can remember. But, the first thing I noticed about it was how aesthetically pleasing this Country was! It was so beautiful, quaint and peaceful – minus the wind. As I live in a City, it was so refreshing to see so many beautiful animals, I even saw a wild rabbit! I’m a huge animal lover, so it definitely was heart warming to be in such a different climate.
The first day there we had a little look around, went out for a meal at a lovely restaurant called The Sea Croft, which was basically a couple of minutes away and planned the next few days. During the evening I took a few pictures of the sky, purely because it looked, pink! I’d never seen anything like it and thought it was absolutely beautiful. I tried to get a few pictures outside but it was so windy that I had to settle for the window.
The next day we drove to South Stack, it was even more windy on the Tuesday and as there are so many hills to drive up in Wales, the wind could not be tamed! The main attraction there is a beautiful Light House, which you walk down too and it’s right on the sea, however, it was incredibly cold and windy, so we just walked half way onto the cliff which looked down upon The Light House. I actually thought it had started to rain because the wind was so powerful, it was blowing the seawater onto the cliff!
The main mistake I made was not bringing a hair scrunchie! My hair was literally out of control, so much so that I couldn’t see when walking back up to the car park and had to hold onto my Dad for safety. I was highly amused when I got back into the car and looked at my appearance – here’s a before an after!
When leaving South Stack, I saw an adorable Shetland Pony (!) but sadly I didn’t get the chance to take a picture, I still had to share with you how cute it was though. We then decided to visit Holyhead and walk across the pedestrian path overlooking the sea, it was a beautiful afternoon.
Naturally, I love capturing photos of my Taid and me, so here’s a couple of selfies I took during our stay. He’s so sweet putting up with my technology!
On our last full day we went to Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve, my Dad had known about this place for quite a while, so we decided it would be nice to visit. We stayed for about and hour and went as far as we could with my Grandad’s Wheelchair. The reserve trail was right next to the beach, I noticed that the sand was so fresh, I didn’t see any animals sadly, apart from other visitors dogs which was lovely. However, I saw the most beautiful tiny lilac flowers, I picked one and placed it in my braid, but sadly I lost it.
Later on in the day we drove to Benllech, where my Grandad’s cousin and her daughter live. Sadly, my Grandad’s cousin has been in hospital for a week, she’s 90 years old and not in very good health. But it was still lovely for my Grandad to see Liz, she used to work in one of his Pharmacies when she was a student, so they go way back! We drove to a pub called The Ship Inn and had a meal there. I had Sticky Toffee Pudding, for the first time, shocking I know and I loved it, so I’ll definitely be having that sometime soon. Last year, a bunch of cats adopted one of Liz’s cars as a place to give birth, so she now has four cats, three of them are outside cats and the girl is an indoors cat. I have no idea how to spell her name as it’s Welsh, but it sounds like, “Mot Lan” and means Madam. I fell in love with her straight away! I’ve never seen a cat like her, she had such a thick fluffy tail. She reminded me of my beautiful Belle and I couldn’t wait to see her! Cats are my absolute favourite.
Such a beauty!
We got home pretty late at around half ten, it’s so strange being in the country as for most of the journeys I had no signal! It was pretty tough to get used to being so obsessed with my phone, but a nice break. Here’s a couple of photos of myself with my Dad and Grandad, I love them both so much.
During my time in Wales, I made sure to continue my Old Hollywood Inspired Style of course and here are a photos of my looks for each day. My favourite lipsticks of this week would beMAC’S Costa Chic, it’s very understated and has that Brigitte Bardot 1960s feel. My other favourite wasLoreal’s Blake, it’s such a classic dark red and so 1950s.
I hope you enjoyed this post, I had such a lovely time in Wales and it will always have a special place in my heart. More importantly, my Grandad had a really nice time and after all he’s been through the last six months, if anyone deserves a good holiday, it’s him!
On a positive, it’s now May! Which means the change of calendars, I have eight on Marilyn and one on my favourite film, Gone With The Wind. Yes, I know it’s a lot, but they sure brighten up my door and the rest of my room.
Sorry for being quiet the past couple of days, I’ve not had any fashion or makeup posts to show you as after using a spot moisturizer, I suffered an allergic reaction on my face! It’s gone all swollen, hot, dry and red so I’ve been a bit of a mess. I was meant to be going out with my parents and their friends yesterday, I pincurled my hair for the occasion but I wasn’t up to it sadly. So the past two days I’ve had lovely curls and a not so lovely face.
I’ve also been suffering a bit more severely lately with my intrusive thoughts, OCD is such a debilitating mental illness and I truly wouldn’t wish it on anyone. After watching some youtube videos with other sufferers talking, I’ve tried to be braver and let the thoughts go, but anyone who suffers will know that it’s a lot easier said then done. Over the past years I’ve tried to be as open and honest as I can about my experiences with my mental illnesses, if you want to know more you can see here. I’m very lucky to have my mum and boyfriend especially, be so understanding and make me feel less crazy, I know I’m not – but that’s how isolating this illness can be. To learn more about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder see here.
A short definition on OCD.
On a more positive note, I’ve recently got into the Netflix buzz and been watching shows like Breaking Bad and House Of Cards. However, until today I’d yet to have watched any films on there. As a huge lover of Old Hollywood films I was very excited to see the Classic’s Genre and I wrote down a list of ones I’d yet to see. A couple of months ago I read Sophia Loren’s Autobiography and completely fell in love with her. She is such an incredibly beautiful woman, inside and out and since then I’ve bought three of her films on DVD. Therefore, I was so excited when I saw Houseboat (1958) to watch! It was Sophia’s third American film, after Boy On A Dolphin (1957) and The Pride and The Passion (1957) and she stars opposite the ever so lovely Cary Grant.
Every year on tumblr I do a Film Challenge, rating all the movies I view that year and I’ve really been behind on watching any lately so I was very happy to get back into it. Seeing any Old Hollywood film with my favourites is always a joy, but this one was extra enjoyable – possibly because of the real life romance between Cary and Sophia and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves the Golden Age of Hollywood and the 1950s. I won’t say too much as I don’t want to give anything away! I will say though, that Sophia sure has a lovely voice, is there anything this woman can’t do? I think not!
Houseboat (1958)
I decided to write down the other Classic Films which caught my eye on Netflix that I hadn’t seen, so here are some recommendations;
His Girl Friday (1940)
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
The Enforcer (1951)
Teacher’s Pet (1958)
The Grass Is Greener (1960)
That Touch Of Mink (1962)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)Here’s the films I’ve seen that are on there;
To Catch A Thief (1955)
The Children’s Hour (1961)
Irma La Douce (1963)
I’m also currently reading a book onGrace Kelly by James Spada, it’s the first full biography I’ve read on her and I’m really enjoying it. I’m reading an updated version from 2014, but it was originally released in 1987, a few years after her death. I’ve got a Marilyn photographic biography by him and it’s pretty good so I trust him as an author which is important. I’ve always thought Grace was a beautiful and talented lady and I’ve seen the majority of her films, (sadly, she only made eleven) so it’s wonderful to learn more about the real Grace behind her Hitchcock Blonde Persona.
One of my favourite photos of Grace for Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1955.
As soon as my face returns to normal, I hope to be back to sharing my fashion, make up and hairstyles with you all. But at least for now you can be inspired by the beautiful Sophia and Grace, I know I am!
