high waist

Dear Zara, when will you finally make an afforadable version of these jeans?

Dear editor,

Have you ever written a letter to a newspaper or magazine? I never have, but I'm tempted to write one to Spanish Elle this month in hopes of winning this killer ring...

Travel plans

Asturias is Galicia's next door neighbor to the northeast. It's supposed to be a landscape similar to Galicia's, very green, mountainous, coastal-but with the difference that it more untouched (Galicia has more villages than all the rest of Spain's villages added up-so pretty much everywhere you look here there is a house, a farm or a tiny village with houses and a church).

Asturias is famous for the Picos de Europa, an incredible mountain range

Oviedo-the city that Woody Allen calls his Spanish home and that the Princess Letizia of Spain comes from

Fabada-a white bean and chorizo stew

Sidra-Cider traditionally poured as pictured.

Fingers crossed that we can take a long weekend road trip to visit in December!

Richy Rich

The society pages in Europe really are old old money, princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses, counts and countesses. This week the society press was all a buzz for the wedding of a Duke. Seriously. The wedding and guests were all sooo fancy, and so different from the American standrad of fancy Hollywood weddings, that I had to share it with you. The magazine Hola featured the photos of the wedding, here are a few of the guilty pleasure, old money details.

The bride (above) was lovely-in a dress that was convertible from day to night. For day, a beautiful, huge brocade skirt went over the fit mermaid cut dress for the evening (photos of the bride are so exclusive I can't find a pic of the evening gown...You'll have to buy the magazine).

Mother of the bride-a muse of Valentino-wore the traditional Spanish peineta and lace.

And the guests were all a flutter entering the ceremony with hats, flowers, and feathers (guests who were hatless looked totally underdressed, ha!). Can you imagine??

French style

Due to the economic crisis, European countries have been up in arms to planned changes to the rights of the worker. Spain (and other European countries) had a general strike on September 29 to show the government their dislike of new plans to change retirement ages (from 65 to 67) among other plans. France, has followed suite and the country has been on strike for over a week now protesting their government's plan to change retirement age from 60 to 62 years. Quite wisely, they started striking in different sectors step by step removing necessities until the country is paralyzed. The French have always been know for their solidarity-and even now in 2010 when it's become so easy to be passive it's inspiring to see the French on the streets.

And speaking of French style...this article about an old Parisian apartment left untouched for 70 years is so romantic.

Wall space

I've been looking for a way to decorate our over the sofa area-a huge painting would be great and we have out fingers crossed that our friend Meis one day will complete one for us-but until then I've been thinking about a frame collage-the problem being the plaster walls (not fun to put nails into!). But, I think maybe an oversized photo or two may do the trick...much easier to make myself when compared to a painting, fewer nails to put into the walls, and a great way to keep loved ones who are far away close. Oversized family portraits (not the studio kind) have been showing up all over blogland-see some of the best at Little Green Notebook. I think I want to start with this shot of my sister in Northern Michigan-I love her joy!