Welcome to the magical world of Tabio… ♥

  

  

During of my shopping days out in the Marais district in Paris not too long ago, one of the many ‘to-visit-shops’ on my list was Tabio, a colourful and globally popular Japanese sock brand that has one of its boutiques in Paris. Most of you probably know it well for the brand that stocks those oh-so-cute heart stockings, which is personally my own little history as to how I got to know the brand. But apart from those, they stock many more wonderful socks, stockings and tights.

Wonderfully laid out in-store, it is a haven for sock-lovers and colour-lovers combined! Although a little bit on the pricey end, you definitely pay for the high quality and standard of the products.

I was also surprised by their in-store instant embroidery service that they offer (from 3€). You can choose a pair of socks from their selection and get whatever text you want embroidered on it, with the chance to choose the thread colour too!

Embroidery in process!

Unable to resist its allure, and having craved their stockings for a while, I became a happy owner of their black heart ones! Don’t forgot that they have an online store too, if you don’t have a boutique near you!

Tabio
15, rue Vieille du Temple
75004 Paris, France
01 48 04 05 11

One of my favourite things to do when travelling through Europe, probably induced by my almost 24-hour need to eat, is to check out the local markets. Sometimes it can be an underwhelming experience that makes you question the well-held assumption that Europeans do fresh food best.

On other occasions it can be amazing and make you realize just how behind the ‘New World’ can be in terms of transforming great produce into simple yet delicious dishes. The Mercado San Miguel in Madrid is most definitely in the latter category.

Having only recently re-opened last year after a huge renovation, perhaps my vision was slightly skewed by the airy, glassy and shininess of the place. It’s divided into a myriad departments - cheese, wine, meats, vegetables, seafood as any good market should be.

What sets it slightly apart is of course, being Spain, the delightful range of small tapas dishes that accompany most stalls. It seemed like a great place to meet up for a glass of wine and hors-d’oeuvres.

On one of our marathon walks around Madrid, the atmosphere of the place really did give you that little energize moment. That and making you wonder, with a tinge of sadness, whether we could ever really hope to replicate something back home…

1 & 2. El Mercardo de San Miguel
3. Tortillas
4. Beans and more Beans
5. Olive-based tapas delights
6. Iberican Ham

El Mercado de San Miguel
3 Plaza de Oriente, Madrid

On our last day in Madrid, we took it easy after a previous late night out with several Spanish friends, and decided to have a picnic lunch at my new favourite hangout, the Parque del Retiro (Retiro Park) followed by a visit to two museums: the Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza (highly recommended!!).

Oh, and did I mention tulips? Well we passed by some throughout the day, and they’re still my favourite!!

  

L: Reina Sofia    R: Dos Mujeres (Two Women) by Ramón GAYA

  

L: Parque del Retiro    R: Crystal Palace

YES, there is a Crystal Palace within the centre of the Park! It is gorgeous, and you can go in for free to walk around. Situated right next to a large pond full of swans, ducks, tortoises and of course, those ruddy pigeons… so you can imagine how beautiful the whole area is! ♥

Turning to the next important question that may be on your lips… ❝what was I wearing?❞ Instead of taking amateur-photo shoot snapshots of me in my outfits (no photographer-aid, and I swear it’s been done already on the blogsophere, no? ;) hehe), so I figured I’d take a fresh approach to it and whip up a geeky mathematical equation like this:

Like it? Let me know if so (I didn’t rhyme that on purpose guys….)
Enjoy! xx

A girl can never have enough pair of shoes, don’t you agree? But that’s beside the point… I don’t think you need to reason why you need or don’t need them… after all, if they’re pretty and functionable, why not! (Luckiliy, shoes are always functionable!)

Since I saw the new Spring women’s range for Camper, I’ve fallen for these darlings (as illustrated here) - my idea of the perfect summer sandal: practical, colourful and cute!

My new Lust-After!

You can pick a pair of them up for yourself (making me extremely jealous) or for me (I’m looking at you Gareth, although fat chance he will) at any Camper store or online (at 125€ RRP), such as Camper Online or Sarenza ♡

Barcelona was and is breathtaking. With its mix of beach and urban cultures, hideaway streets and constant buzz, we loved it!

So to share with you guys our memories, here is a little sneak peak into a few of my favourite images from our collection ♥

  

  

  

From top to bottom, left to right:
1. Flowers from a florist along La Rambla
2. Thousands and thousands of chillis at La Boqueria markets
3. House magnets from Art Escudelleres
4. View from the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
5. Gaudi’s unfinished Sagrada Familia
6. Flowers from a garden
7. Fideos a banda (noodles with fish) at Can Manel restaurant
8. A street with a heart
9. Graffiti art
10. A bubble-maker entertainer