-
[SANTORINI] oo3. LIVING ON THE EDGE
![[SANTORINI] oo3. LIVING ON THE EDGE](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/p1050915.jpg?w=1024)
Sitting on the edge of Santorini’s peak, the dormant volcanoes that we can see are silent with power. The calm blue sea emanates with trillions of years of being. This sense of awe in the face of earth’s grandeur captures what each of us essentially are in the grand scheme of our universe – mere specks of…
-
[SANTORINI] oo2. ALEXANDER’S BOUTIQUE HOTEL
For 3 days, home was Alexander’s Boutique Hotel, a resort-villa mid-waisted on the slopes along Oia’s breezy coastline. At night, Santorini’s otherwise pitch-black darkness is incandescently lit. A romantic glow permeates the scenic seaside village. At Alexander’s we experienced how it must feel like to reside in a cave! We were checked into 2 rooms: a family suite, as…
-
[SANTORINI] oo1. THE ELUSIVE SUNSET
![[SANTORINI] oo1. THE ELUSIVE SUNSET](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/p1060020.jpg?w=1024)
I began my journey to Athens in Greece. Everyone who’s ever read a summer issue of Condé Nast Traveller dreams of the perfect Santorini sunset. Elusive is the word: sunset at Santorini isn’t about the picture-perfect moment. It is the breathtaking instance when you first catch sight, with your very own eyes, the illuminated sphere of bright fiery orange, radiating pink at…
-
[PARIS] oo9.THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE
![[PARIS] oo9.THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1070276.jpg?w=1024)
Paris was a dream, and a very beautiful one. The procession at the Arc de Triomphe blew us away with its grandeur and oomph commandeered by top-tiered officials of Parisian council. Hi blogosphere, I’m back. I’ve missed this space, ab imo pectore (from the bottom of my heart). xoxo,Viktoria Jean
-
[BRISBANE] A FRESH NEW START
Back at my favourite hideout in Brisbane: The Passion Tree Cafè. This time round I skipped the shaved ice and had my froyo cravings satiated. Regrettably it wasn’t the best of days for the girl serving my froyo. I get it, we all have our bad days right? Paulo Coelho’s biography saved me from boredom;…
-
[DIARY] A Well-Intended Closure
![[DIARY] A Well-Intended Closure](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1070063.jpg?w=1024)
Been a while since I last saw the likes of my WordPress interface. Most unfortunately the whole of last month was a whirlwind of flights, school (which I detest thanks to very uninspiring professors) and social activities I’ve been meaning to keep up with. Suddenly, it’s December, and the we’ve all hit the final chapter in…
-
[PARIS] oo8.GALERIES LAFAYETTE
![[PARIS] oo8.GALERIES LAFAYETTE](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1070190.jpg?w=1024)
And Paris is a woman’s town, with flowers in her hair; – Henry van Dyke A full-blown visual tour of Galeries Lafayette’s gorgeous interior: other than to gush over luxury goods I took the liberty of snapping otherwise passed-over gush-worthy details. Has anybody ever really highlighted the architectural wonder that is this shopping mall? Top-storey view: gorgeous and lofty. You…
-
[PARIS] oo7.CARETTE
![[PARIS] oo7.CARETTE](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1070100.jpg?w=1024)
“When good Americans die, they go to Paris,’ the ghost said, after taking a drag on a small cigarette.” ― Karen Chance, Embrace the Night The sky decided on delivering a full-blown shower and a trio of very drenched Paris Explorers braved their way on foot across the Eiffel Tower and towards Trocadero. Pretty much everywhere in Paris’…
-
[PARIS] oo6.THE EIFFEL TOWER
![[PARIS] oo6.THE EIFFEL TOWER](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1070052.jpg?w=1024)
“But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the moonlight, nor right and wrong nor the breathing of someone who lay beside you in the moonlight.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition xoxo, Viktoria Jean
-
[PARIS] oo5.LÉON DE BRUXELLES
![[PARIS] oo5.LÉON DE BRUXELLES](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1070127-0.jpg?w=1024)
You know you’re in love with restaurant in a foreign land when you visit twice in 2 days, and already miss having it the moment your plate is clean. This was Lèon de Bruxelles for us, having found love in pots of garnished mussels in delectable broths and platters filled with basil sauce and melted…
-
[PARIS] oo4.PONT DES ARTS LOVELOCK BRIDGE
![[PARIS] oo4.PONT DES ARTS LOVELOCK BRIDGE](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1060952.jpg?w=1024)
“But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the moonlight, nor right and wrong nor the breathing of someone who lay beside you in the moonlight.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition So we found two very…
-
[PARIS] oo3.THE LOUVRE
![[PARIS] oo3.THE LOUVRE](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1070021-0.jpg?w=1024)
“She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.” ― Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary Louvre Museum 75001 Paris, France xoxo, Viktoria Jean
-
[PARIS] oo2.NOTRE DAME DE PARIS
![[PARIS] oo2.NOTRE DAME DE PARIS](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/p1060849.jpg?w=1024)
“Paris is always a good idea.” ― Audrey Hepburn Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, which inspired Victor Hugo’s 1831 French Romantic/Gothic novel, stands resolute in the Parisian city center unscathed by ruining tides of time. The state of damnation of the Cathedral is the single most significant aspect of Hugo’s novel, influencing the ebb and flow of Notre-Dame…
-
[PARIS] oo1.KUSMI DETOX TEA
![[PARIS] oo1.KUSMI DETOX TEA](https://viktoriajean.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/img_3876.jpg?w=1024)
Whilst walking along Champs-Elysées my colleagues introduced me to Kusmi Tea, a brand of tea producing Russian-style teas and tea blends with headquarters in Paris. All of Kusmi’s merchandises and beverages are beautifully packaged in pretty tins and boxes perfect for gifts or simply displaying in homes. Couldn’t help grabbing a couple tins of loose…
-
SEOUL DIARIES 040: KOREAN SULBING 설빙
SULBING gets a new location in downtown Hongdae! 설빙, loosely translated into 雪冰, is the Korean traditional shaved ice dessert. What this cafe does better than most – instead of plain tasteless ice, the dessert is prepared with creamy, frozen milk flakes. Coupled with some piping hot coffee, what the menu offers is basically perfect…
-
SEOUL DIARIES 039: CAFE LEEMAN’S COLLECTION KITCHEN 리맨즈홍대점
An afternoon at Cafe Leeman’s Collection Kitchen in the Hongik University vicinity. Hongdae is by far my favourite spot for chilling whenever I’m needing space and anonymity without being physically solitary. In this part of town you could be surrounded by throngs of milling university students and still feel comfortably ignored. You know what I mean?…
-
SEOUL DIARIES 038: CAFE BELLA PRAHA
One truly amazing (albeit solitary) afternoon at Sinchon and Ewha Women’s University (Edae), I chanced upon Cafe Bella Praha, one of those down-to-earth coffee places tucked away in an alley off the beaten track like a well-hidden secret. Had my craving for ice-cold desserts satiated with a matcha green tea bingsoo topped with red bean paste, and…
-
SEOUL DIARIES 037: SHOPPING AND CAFE CULTURE ON EWHA WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY STREET
Sinchon and Ewha Women’s University (also known as Edae) is a district bursting with youthful vigour. You will love this place if, like me, you have a thing for affordable vintage labels, understated hairpieces, independently designed jewellery, and in general quirky finds. That aside, if you’re looking for loud colourful accessories, branded and no-label patent…
-
SEOUL DIARIES 036: ROYAL MILKTEA ICE @ A TWOSOME PLACE 투썸플레이스
My kind of breakfast in Korea tends to swing towards unconventional. On this particular morning, I happened to be in a mood for an ice-cold treat. During the summer / fall season, Koreans love their patbingsu – shaved ice desserts with toppings such as chopped fruit and nuts, mint leaves, coffee or milk tea, condensed milk, fruit…
Viktoria Jean
Writer
Viktoria Jean 