September 25, 2017
Leyenda del Paramo: a Spanish Winery

Leyenda del Paramo: a Spanish Winery

September 25, 2017
leyenda del paramo vendimia wine harvest vineyard fashion blogger
If you follow blogs you may have seen many "fall bucket lists" around lately which include activities such as apple picking or baking homemade pies. One thing that seems to be missing from them is the wine harvest. In my opinion fall is the best time to visit wineries, the leaves are turning into beautiful golden tones and the grapes are ripe.
leyenda del paramo vendimia wine harvest vineyard spain
leyenda del paramo vendimia wine harvest vineyard spain
Wine tourism is really popular in Spain and many wineries will even let you participate in the wine harvest with festivals that consist of related activities like picking bunches of this delicious fruit and grape-stomping. Such is the case of Leyenda del Paramo, a young winery located in the north of Spain that holds this event every year. This place is very special for me because I've seen its birth and growth. Between my time as an au-pair in California and becoming an ESL teacher there's a gap of three years and a half. That's when I worked for Leyenda del Paramo. 

I try my best to attend the Wine Harvest Festival every year because it's so much fun. After the boxes are full of grapes they are taken back to the winery where the grape-stomping takes place. Then we have lunch at the winery (this year the weather was so good that we had lunch outside). After recharging the batteries there's a tour around the premises. This year there was a new event at the end of the day which was an 8 km race around the vineyard.leyenda del paramo vendimia wine harvest vineyard fashion blogger
leyenda del paramo vendimia wine harvest vineyard fashion blogger
leyenda del paramo vendimia wine harvest vineyard spain
leyenda del paramo vendimia wine harvest vineyard fashion blogger
If you want to learn more about this winery you can visit their website. If you want to read more about wine tourism in Spain I recommend you check out this post.

OUTFIT DETAILS
Pink Abercrombie & Fitch shirt and cardigan
Zara embroidered jeans (last seen here) - (Spain/US)

Let me give you some advice: wear comfy shoes to a winery like cute sneakers or booties. I keep seeing bloggers walking around vineyards in shoes that don't look very appropriate. In fact, the other day I saw photos of a girl in high heels. I know the images look idyllic but they should add one of those "don't try this at home" warnings. #keepitreal

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September 18, 2017
The Australia Series: Brighton Beach

The Australia Series: Brighton Beach

September 18, 2017
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
My #1 source of travel inspiration is Pinterest. That's where I find all the cool places. The first thing I do to plan a trip is to create a secret board and start pinning. That's how I found Brighton Beach. It's a short train ride from Melbourne and as soon as you arrive you'll see tourists on a pilgrimage towards the 82 iconic bathing boxes.
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
You can't tell from these pics but the day was really windy, we ended up taking a lot of sand with us back to Melbourne...but it was totally worth it. The colorful houses are a joy to behold. The bathing boxes were built over a century ago in response to Victorian ideas of morality. Nowadays their owners store there things such as chairs, tables, surf boards or coolers. They do not have electricity or running water. The boxes rarely come up for sale but when they do the prices are really high. Most boxes are passed on within families from one generation to the next.brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
HOW TO GET THERE
Take a train at Flinders Street iconic Railway Station, direction Sandringham. You'll have to buy a pay as you go myki card and one way ticket to the beach costs AUD 6. Get off at Brighton Beach station and walk about 10 minutes. There are signs along the way to lead you there so you can't miss it. Best time for photos is either early in the morning or at sunset.
brighton beach bathing boxes melbourne australia
OUTFIT DETAILS
The hoodie is from Ralph Lauren and it's an old favorite of mine. I bought it 10 years ago and still love it like the first day. It has a preppy crest and elbow patches. Its red and navy details match my military coat which is from Zara (last season). These animal print sneakers are my go to shoes for traveling, you saw them last year here and here.
What item in your closet is the oldest and most beloved ?
xo Cristina

PREPPY SWEATSHIRTS & HOODIES
NAVY MILITARY JACKETS
COOL SNEAKERS
September 4, 2017
Our Wedding

Our Wedding

September 4, 2017
I'm really excited to share with you our wedding photos today. We said "I do" on the 22nd of July in a traditional Catholic ceremony followed by a reception at one of the most extraordinary historic hotels on the Old Continent which was built in the 16th century: Parador de San Marcos. Many people had advised us to make the most of this day because it was going to go so fast and they weren't exaggerating at all. Time flew. If someone told me the whole thing had only lasted two hours I'd believe them. That's how fast time went.

One of the most special parts of the wedding was sharing it with the people we love the most. I'd have never thought that one day I'd gather friends from different backgrounds, even from different countries! My former host family and my best friend came from California (in case you missed it, you can read my au-pair story here), my best friend from childhood who is currently living in Hungary came too. Knowing that people are willing to travel so many miles to be with you on your special day makes me feel so loved.
pronovias wedding dress
pronovias wedding dress peonies bouquet
vestido novia onia pronovias
Let me tell you a bit about the dress. I got it from Spanish brand Pronovias. I didn't search a lot for it, it's actually the first and only store I went to. I tried a few dresses on and finally chose this princess dress with a sweetheart neckline. I loved the lace floral motifs, with guipure and gemstones cascading all over the body.

You already know how much I like to support Spanish fashion so everything I was wearing was from Spanish brands: the dress, the shoes and the jewelry.
wedding toast
parador de san marcos leon españa foto nocturna
On last week's post I gave you a sneak peek of the shoes, but you can get a better look at them here. As I already told you they are from Castañer and I chose them because of their comfort, quality and the fact that I'll be able to use them again.
castañer espadrilles bridal collection colección novias esparto
Many people complimented me on the bouquet because of it's originality. The flowers are peonies accompanied by some plants that are out of the ordinary. I wish I could have kept it fresh forever!
peonies wedding bouquet
As you can imagine it was an unforgettable and special day.
I know that some of you are brides to be so if you have any questions or need any kind of help feel free to ask. You can always email me at memoriesofthepacific@gmail.com with any sort of questions even if you just want to chat. I'm always happy to help.
xo Cristina