The end of the visitors "era" ;)

Yep......so since yesterday and for the first time in ages, we have no visitors planned! It feels strange, quiet, great, relaxing and sad, all in one go!! I have greatly enjoyed all the company and the fantastic visitors, especially since Chris has been away a lot in the military service, but being pregnant especially, I also must say I enjoy some quiet times, knowing that after mid October, this might be quite a rare thing ;))


Currently, I'm........

Inspired by: Chris who just found out he passed his qualifying exam to become European Patent Attorney (his first try!!!)!! He worked soooooo hard and was so disciplined and it all payed off =)))) I am so so proud of him!!!! This calls for major celebration and we already started yesterday when he came home from the military.....I had made a little surprise welcome for him ;)) 

Such a happy camper ;)))) 

Lots of Champagne for Chris.....two sips for me, just to get a taste ;))

....all though the color is not revealing it, these are vanilla cupcakes with Caramel & Sea Salt flavored topping.

Happy about: The above (obviously)!! Also having had friends and family here lately to make memories with and to cheer me/us up! They were also all taking very good care of me. Am also happy to now have some quiet times ahead to fully get my head around the fact that we are becoming parents.... Exciiiiiting times!

Disappointed about: My physical health as I am struggling to breathe properly due to the pregnancy. This is very frustrating and tiring. I am functioning normally most of the time, but when the difficulty to breathe starts, it's impossible to feel comfortable and to avoid panicking at least a bit. Knowing that it's not dangerous for me or the baby helps though ;)

Looking forward to: Going home to Sweden for a couple of weeks!! We are going together with Chris's youngest sister and her boyfriend and I hope to have many lazy days there, just enjoying being "home" for a while.

Planning: Hmmm.....not sure if I ever told you, but Chris proposed to me back in March so now we are planning our wedding next year.....better to start all the planning early as soon, there will be other things occupying our minds. Hehe!
Listening to: Right now I'm listening a lot to "Drumming song" by Florence and the Machine.

Eating: Cupcakes that are left from yesterday..... 

My goal, post-pregnancy

Wanting: To go back to this shape (see photo on the right) after the pregnancy and remembering how incredibly good it feels to be in good shape will be my motivator! I know some people think I'm obsessing over this thing, but for me this is the hardest thing by far about being pregnant.... Really....the feeling of your physical condition deteriorating is not pleasant. I speak only the truth, so this is what you'll get from me ;)) Ayway, I don't want to be skinny or supermodel sized, I just want to go back to a fit me.

Wondering: If we will be lucky with the weather in Sweden.... It will make all the difference and I want to be sure we get the most out of these precious days.

Thankful for: All the wonderful people (friends and family) in our lives!!! We love them all so very much.....and it's amazing to think about what a great circle of people our child will get to be around! Lucky child =)
Remembering: This one part I'll do in photos ;))))

This gorgeous view at sunset in Annecy in France.....stunning, no?

My friend Madde (in the picture) and I walked up to the Dent de Vaulion. Probably the last uphill hiking for me during this pregnancy...in just a couple of weeks, it had gotten sooooo hard! I had to stop several times to catch my breath and get my pulse back down. Oh well.....

My week 27 pregnancy bump! Last week of the second trimester......hard times ahead they say ;)))

A much needed cool down swim in the Lac Leman

One of the best ice creams I've ever had. Mine is the one to the right containing Coconut, Macaroon and Caramel/sea salt flavors =p

Sunshine sunshine sunshine!!!!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend!!!! 

xox

Photo blog galore: Annecy, France

Lately I've been doing so-so health-wise and Chris has been away doing his Swiss military service, so you can maybe imagine how thrilled I was to have had friends visiting me since Thursday and over the weekend. During this time, we took the opportunity to stroll around the stunningly beautiful French town called Annecy. I fell instantly in love with this place!! It's ridiculously charming with a slight "small-town-Venice" resemblance,  a bubbly atmosphere with beautiful views and a great range of food,  desserts and shopping. All I can say is go there if you can! For sure it was not my last visit..... Captured these shots to give you a flavor ;))

We had lunch at one of the restaurants along the river. Moules Frites....a classic!

Later on, we feasted on Crepes with butter, sugar and cinnamon

Charming little restaurants are lined up along the river running through town....

Mirror mirror..... Saw this beautiful swan on the lake, admiring it's own reflection on the water surface.

Ice cream frenzy!

Impossible to resist.....

Some of us got lucky shopping in the little boutiques....the ongoing sales at 50% was a pleasant surprise!!

Three cows (if you count the little green one in the background) ;)) Jokes aside, this is me preggers in end of week 26.

Kiddies heaven ;)) ...well, mine too I guess...

....and even more beautiful at sundown!

xox

Sunday Market in Divonne-les-Bains

For a Swede like myself, Sunday's can sometimes be pretty boring in Switzerland. Why? Well, most of Switzerland is closed on Sundays, which is especially strange for me since Sundays used to be my favorite shopping day.....both in terms of groceries for the coming week, but also for shopping in one of the big malls, preferably ending the day with a movie at the cinema. Now I'm used to this fact, but also found a new way to be entertained on Sunday mornings: Driving over to France and visiting the market in Divonne-les-Bains.


Arriving in Divonne, after having fought for parking spaces for about 10-15 minutes, we were greeted by local wine tastings, well assorted cheese and meat stands, meters of bowls filled dried fruits, nuts, tea's and spices, fresh fruits, berries and vegetables, clothes & shoes (well not so much in my taste..but.....), flowers, candy, local jams & honey's, luxurious soaps, different foods, nougat, candies and the most popular stands of all, those full of fresh fish and seafood where you can eat oysters accompanied by a glass of chilled, crisp Champagne. Also, most of the regular shops were opened as well as the little restaurants, cafes and bars. 

Certainly not the last Sunday morning spent there ;)) ....but one word of warning, bring your patience with you!! It is incredibly crowded!! Also another advise would be to bring a little trolley or backpack if you're like me and love these things, as carrying around all those little bags got quite heave after a while.
Happy shopping and most importantly, tasting!!


xox

Paris - Je T'aime ♥

What could be better than Paris in spring??

I confirm....... Not much!!

I was lucky enough to spend a late March weekend in Paris and it was truly amazing!

Paris is so special in what it has to offer its visitors!! The range of shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs - all in a magnificently blended atmosphere of incredible history and modernity.

I've visited Paris many times before, but only once for private reasons, and this was back in 2004 and I honestly believe you need more than just a couple of weekends to get the full Paris experience....

I had the feeling something had changed from 2004 in terms of the behaviour of people.... In 2004 I had the feeling people weren't very friendly and not especially open to speak English with the struggling and sometimes lost tourists....they felt tired and bored of all these people invading their beautiful city (can't really say I'd blame them much though ;)). This time was completely different!! The Parisians were incredibly keen on helping to take touristy pictures, the taxi-drivers (somewhat known for a little arrogance and bad temper) were happy and cheerful, sharing stories about what it is like to live in Paris! The shop-assistants were incredibly friendly and insisted on speaking English and the service in the restaurants was also flawless. Maybe it was just spring in the air?? Either way, this surely helped the "Oh-so-happy-touristy-feeling"!

Walking around the streets of Paris while the trees are blooming, it is almost impossible not to be

completely bedazzled by its charm and it is so easy to understand why it is called "the city of love".

I could swear I heard tones of old, romantic, classic French tunes while walking down Champs-

Élysées!! ....and I litterally heard "La Valse d'Amelie" while eating at a little restaurant in Montmartre, which was much appreciated - especially being such a huge fan of "Amelie"!!

As Paris is already one of the most explored cities in the world, I won't spend time on giving the classic touristy advices - but will simply summarize my recommendation in one, single sentance:

GO THERE IF YOU CAN!!!!

Espérons vous revoir bientôt!

xox

Linda - Twice lost in Paris....

Red-carpet-movie-star-palm-tree-sunny-beach: CANNES

Do you love shopping, good food, the beach, sun and the sea - all in a 500m radius?

Cannes is the place for you!!

It is a wonderful feeling walking on Boulevard de la Croisette, the 12 km, palm-tree-lined avenue just by the sea, with shopping-bags in one hand and your loved one in the other....stopping at one of the little beach-cafe's for an ice

cream or a drink or having lunch in the sunshine while

watching all kinds of people walking by, people playing boule or kids riding on fairy-tale-character-carousels!

Big plus for sea-food lovers ♥

They have it all and they make it goooood!

I had my best Moules Mariniere EVER and the prices were surprisingly good! In Sweden or Switzerland I am sure I would have payed almost the double... Oooh and that desert I had will stay in my memory (and a +1 size for jeans but oh so worth it ;))) for a long long time! I had a warm chocolate cake, all soft and almost a little runny inside - with a crispy surface served with really delicious vanilla ice cream and vanilla custard.... GAAAAAHHHH!

Another big plus is that the shopping is really great ♥ ♥
Beyond my expectation....which was high!

I found most of my favourite brands and stores (a few examples; True religion, Burberry, Sephora, Morgan, Pramod, Gucci, Paul & Joe, 7 for all mankind, Zara, Armani, Mulberry, Accessorize, Ralph Lauren just to mention a few), in less than 30 minutes (just didn't manage to find Betsey Johnson or Alice+Olivia??) and also found some new favourites. Manoush is something I will watch closely going forward for sure ;)) Amazing little creations!! I think if you just check out the front of their home-page, you might instantly find the feeling I had when I entered the little shop: http://www.manoush.com/

"Cannes, of course, is famous the world over for its International Film Festival, which sees the city’s population treble overnight. For 12 days in May, Cannes becomes the centre of the cinematic universe. Over 30.000 producers, distributors, directors, publicists, star and hanger-on descend to buy, sell or promote more than 2000 films. As the premier film event of the year, it attracts some 4000 journalists from around the world, guaranteeing a global spotlight to anyone with enough looks or prestige to grab it!" (source: http://www.platinium-ca.com/SightSeeing/cannes.htm)

I am not really star-struck easily, but must admit I felt a kind of weird excitement walking around in the area around the Grand auditorium, watching the hand-prints and autographs of some of my favourite actors and directors......after all - these people have had a huge influence in my life as I've spent countless hours taking in impressions from things THEY have created or characters THEY have portrayed ;))

Another fantastic thing about the area around Cannes is the Massif de l'Estérel ♥♥♥, which is basically a range of red-rock volcanic mountains by the sea! Really really beautiful!! Unfortunately the sun was playing a little hide-and-seek the entire afternoon, so I didn't manage to capture it's beauty entirely.....you will just have to trust me, see the pictures below or Google it ;)!

I give Cannes 4/5 palm-trees!! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
(if it wasn't for the 3 out of 4 days of rain, it might have gotten a 5 ;))!

If you go or if you've already been there, let me know your thoughts and your tips as I will surely go back!!

xox

Linda - Lost in Switzerland again but previously lost on a make-believe-red-carpet-ride in Cannes.....aaaahhhhh!