Brunch in Madrid: El Jardín de Salvador Bachiller

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Brunch in Madrid: El Jardín de Salvador Bachiller

July 31, 2017

We are currently in Australia enjoying our honeymoon so I've scheduled a few posts while I'm away. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see our adventures Down Under!

I'm on a mission to try as many brunch spots in Madrid as I can. Today I want to talk to you about a very special place: El Jardin de Salvador Bachiller. Located on the top floor of a three-storey shop (Salvador Bachiller is a Spanish designer) in Montera Street, you can find this oasis in the center of Spain's capital. This beautiful rooftop garden left us speechless from the moment we walked in. We loved every single detail from the decor to the homeware which you can buy in the shop. Isn't the tea cup the cutest thing?

This spot has everything: great food, great decor and great music. The acoustic versions of well-known songs make a perfect ambiance while you enjoy a delicious brunch. At the end of this post you can see the menu but here's a short summary: first you choose between coffee or tea, then juice or cocktail, next a sweet treat and finally something savory. That equals a perfect balance of different flavors.

It's also a great spot to take visitors, so I can't wait to have friends over to come back!

RESTAURANT INFO
El Jardín de Salvador Bachiller
Calle Montera, 37
28013 Madrid
Tel.: +34 915 31 02 60

Tripadvisor

OUTFIT DETAILS
You probably recognized the jungle shorts and pink shirt (both on sale!) from this post. I've worn this outfit so much during spring and summer, I can't get enough of those shorts. I paid full price but I don't regret it because I got a good use out of them before the sale started. Below you can buy my outfit and other cute print shorts.

What has been your favorite purchase this summer?
xo Cristina

FUN PRINT SHORTS

We Are Married!

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We Are Married!

July 24, 2017

On Saturday the 22nd of July Jorge and I tied the knot. I barely talk about my private life on the blog but I've mentioned several times I have a fiance so I thought that this was the perfect time to introduce him. This is our love story in a nutshell: we met four years ago in my hometown and we were friends for a while before we started dating, after a year of long distance relationship I moved to Madrid with him and finally we got engaged two years ago in this beautiful restaurant. 

As you can imagine I don't have the wedding pictures yet but I do have our engagement photos. Or pre-wedding photos more like... In recent years this type of photo shoot has become popular here in Spain. Instead of taking pics when you get engaged you do it a few days before the big day. It's useful for people who are not used to being in front of the camera so that they become more comfortable. Then it's also useful because you can use those photos to customize your wedding guest book or -if you do it months before the wedding- you can use them for save the date cards or wedding invitations.

Apart from showing you the photos I want to give you some recommendations for an engagement or pre-wedding photo shoot. I intend to do a series of posts in the next few months to help out those preparing their wedding now that I have more time and I've experienced the whole thing in my own flesh! I will also spill all the details about my own wedding soon.

THE OUTFIT
For an engagement photo shoot outfits should be comfy and accessories kept to a minimum. I wasn't carrying a bag and my jewelry was very simple, just pearl earrings and a pearl bracelet. Plain colors and no prints are also advisable. It will make it easier to match the background. I wore this white lace dress from Abercrombie. It's from a couple years ago but still remains one of my favorites. I believe it's one of your favorites too, since that post is on the top 10 most popular. Every girl should own at least one lace dress, right? Another reason why I chose this cream one is because it's quite similar to a wedding gown. As for his outfit, he should go for something casual that matches your outfit. Jorge was wearing beige pants and a navy short sleeved shirt.

THE POSES
Be natural. Looks of complicity, smiles, soft kisses, wrap your arms around each other, hold your hands or even dance! All of those look really sweet. Practice a little bit beforehand if you think you are going to be nervous. Or there's always Pinterest for inspiration. The truth is that we didn't rehearse any of this and I actually felt more comfortable posing with him than alone. I felt that posing with someone else I could interact and get a wider variety of poses than when I do photo shoots on my own.

THE SETTING
Neutral tones are my favorite background. We chose stones and greens but city landmarks look amazing too. Go to your favorite place, that will make you feel more comfortable.

Leave a comment below if you have any questions about dressing for any type of photo shoot. I'll be happy to help you out.
xo Cristina

DRESSES FOR AN ENGAGEMENT PHOTO SHOOT

Fashion Shopping in Madrid

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Fashion Shopping in Madrid

July 17, 2017

Today we are going on a shopping spree. Would you like to join me? I'm going to take you through the best shops in Madrid from Zara to Chanel. There's something for every budget. Let's start by dividing the shopping scene in three different areas:

• We've got Barrio de Salamanca where you can find both affordable fashion and luxury brands. 
• Fuencarral Street and Gran Via where you'll find the latest trends. 
• If you are looking for great deals Las Rozas Village is for you.

Let's check out the best fashion shops in Madrid!

Fashion Shopping in Madrid: BARRIO DE SALAMANCA

This is the fanciest neighborhood in Madrid. The most popular street is Serrano a.k.a. the Golden Mile. Here you will find the biggest Zara, Massimo Dutti and Mango stores in the capital of Spain. These affordable brands share street with the likes of Cartier, Gucci, Michael Kors, Furla and Luis Vuitton. Finally, you can find other Spanish favorites of mine like jewelry brand Tous or the preppy styles by El Ganso.

Another important street is Ortega y Gasset where you can find Jimmy Choo, Dior, Chanel and Tiffany & Co. together with one of my favorite brands Abercrombie and Fitch. The first four photos were taken at the latter. The A&F store is located in a 19th century palace, a great marketing strategy if you ask me. They've kept some parts of the old palace like the garden and main staircase, the rest is pretty similar to other A&F flagship stores. I rarely walk out of here empty handed...

Another street worth mentioning is Claudio Coello, here you can find many French brands like Maje or Sandro and my two favorites Claudie Pierlot and Des Petits Hauts. Pepe Jeans and Tommy Hilfiger are also in this street.

I recommend you wander around the nearby streets to find hidden gems like the Brownie courtyard in Hermosilla street pictured below. This romantic garden which surrounds the house where the store is located makes you feel at home. On that day there was a party going on and they were offering free drinks and brownies to everyone who came by. Brownie is a Spanish brand which is a favorite among young girls. It's a mixture of boho and casual style at affordable prices.

In this street you can also find NAC a multi-brand store where you can find clothes and accessories from Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman, Denim & Supply or Star Mela. 

Fashion Shopping in Madrid: FUENCARRAL & GRAN VÍA

These two are always packed with tourists, most brands here are affordable. Not long ago a huge Primark store opened in Gran Via which led to huge queues for months. Among the many theaters in this street (when you are tired of shopping you can go to watch a musical like The Lion King) you can find other shops like H&M or Zara.

Nearby is Fuencarral, an avant-garde street full of all kinds of shops. In this shopping district there's room for well-established brand names in the world of sports like Adidas, Puma, Foot Locker and Quiksilver, and for most jean labels as well: Levi’s, Diesel, Calvin Klein, Gas and Pepe Jeans.

Again, walking around nearby streets is advisable. That's how I found El Paracaidista (next three pics), a concept store which mixes an eclectic assortment of products, all carefully curated to appeal to customers. You can download their app and use it while you shop, for instance to scan the tags of products to get additional info. You won't have to carry any bags, they send everything home. Fancy, right?

Fashion Shopping in Madrid: LAS ROZAS VILLAGE

An outlet shopping center that is popular with shoppers who seek luxury brands at reasonable prices. It's 30 minutes from Madrid and to get there you can take the train from Madrid's Atocha or Chamartin stations, or hop on board the Shopping Express, a dedicated luxury coach service which runs three times a day from central Madrid. Even if you don't feel like shopping it's worth going there for a walk. The shops are in cute houses that make you feel like you are in some sort of theme park or fairy tale village. I devoted a post to it a while ago that you can read here.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions about shopping in Madrid or want to find out where you can buy your favorite brand, leave a comment below.
xo Cristina

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Cerralbo Museum, Madrid

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Cerralbo Museum, Madrid

July 10, 2017

This summer I'm going to take you for a walk around Madrid. Lately, I've been to several interesting places, tried new spots for brunch and had some of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen some of them on my InstaStories. I can't wait to show you all this in the next few weeks. One of these places is Cerralbo Museum.

This museum, one of the most important in Madrid, is also one of the least well-known. Located in what used to be the stately home of the 17th Marquis of Cerralbo, visitors are transported back in time to experience what life was like for an aristocratic family in late 19th century Madrid. The artistic value of Cerralbo Museum comes second to none compared to the most important European Royal Palaces. The amount of wealth and works of art left us speechless from the moment we walked in.

The museum’s collection holds more than 50,000 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, glassware, tapestries, furniture, coins, medals, drawings, prints, clocks, weapons and more! All of it was donated by the Marquis to the city of Madrid so that it might be enjoyed by future art connoisseurs. 

I had found about this place while browsing Pinterest and it didn't disappoint. We were in awe from the beginning of our visit. There were so many little details that it was impossible to soak it all in at first glance. If we went back on our steps we noticed things we hadn't before so we realized it's best to pay a few visits to the museum to "really" see it. My favorite place was undoubtedly the staircase. I haven't seen many as majestic and beautiful as this one.

Check out the Museum's website to plan your visit.

Have you ever been to Madrid? Would you like to visit this museum?
xo Cristina

OUTFIT DETAILS
On that day I was wearing my new pink button up dress. It's one of the latest arrivals at Abercrombie. I got it along with this beautiful yellow eyelet dress (on sale now!) that you saw here. Once again I have to number the reasons why I love this dress because they are so many:

• Waist defining silhouette and smocked back that fits PERFECTLY.
• It has adjustable straps.
• It has pockets. 
• It comes with the most flattering type of neckline: the sweetheart.
• It's available in light blue stripe, chambray, grey ,white, navy and pink. 
• It comes in petite and tall sizes too!

I accessorized it with my beloved panama hat, embellished pink sandals and this Star Mela clutch that you can't see here because we were asked to leave our purses in lockers.

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A Chic Fourth of July Picnic

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A Chic Fourth of July Picnic

July 3, 2017

Even though I've been back in Spain for a while now, I still like to observe American holidays like the 4th of July or Thanksgiving to keep memories alive from the time I lived in California. If you follow the blog, you know that year and the following trips to the Golden State have marked my life. I have a special place in my heart for the experiences I lived and the people I met there.

This year we celebrated the birth of America with a picnic. We prepared some typical American food like these patriotic sandwiches and fruit pie and added some of our favorite Spanish treats to mix the best of both nations. Obviously, we couldn't forget a bucket of Coca-Cola bottles and ice. We liked the idea of a picnic because it's something different from what we usually do and quite easy to prepare. All you need to do is to set up camp outside on a porch or in a backyard with a table decked out in red, white and blue and bring your favorite food and drink. It's colorful and appetizing. Success guaranteed.

HOW TO MAKE A RED WHITE & BLUE PIE
Ingredients:
Pie crust
Pie filling of choice (or a homemade pie of choice). I used: 4 eggs, 75 gr brown sugar, 50 gr ground almonds and 250 ml cream.
Strawberries
Blueberries
Bananas

Directions:

• Prepare the pie crust. Depending on the type of pie crust you will have to follow different directions. Mine is pasta brisa and needs to be baked for 10 minutes before pouring the pie filling. 
• Whisk together the pie filling ingredients and pour on top of the crust.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 180ºC.
• Let cool and decorate.
• Refrigerate the pie until ready to serve. 

OUTFIT DETAILS
Tommy Hilfiger sunglasses and scarf (sold out)
Hilfiger Denim shorts
Gioseppo sandals
El Ganso hat and towel
La Niña de la Comba basket

As for the outfit I chose the brand that features the most white, red and blue in the world: Tommy Hilfiger. It's one of my favorite American preppy brands along with Ralph Lauren. I love their timeless classy style and the quality of the garments. I never walk out of their stores empty handed. If you find it too traditional be sure to check out the Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid collection, it combines classic all-American style with a modern update.

How are you going to celebrate the Fourth?
xo Cristina 

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