Dreaming in Dubai

*Shout out to my best friend Jamie for telling me that these flowers are actually bougainvilleas and not begonias as was originally stated!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I don't always have the luxury to have a proper breakfast every morning but when I do get the time I always like to have a proper breakfast with the works which is pretty evident from my last few posts here, and here. This may be a biased opinion but I also think breakfast foods are the prettiest. You can't make a plate of curry and rice look as nice as Belgium waffles topped with red and blue berries or a stack of pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar and maple syrup. The other day I was in the mood for breakfast food even though it was 5:00pm. I decided to make a stack of pancakes topped with a little maple syrup and butter. It was the perfect pick me up and definitely satisfied my craving for breakfast food. I don't normally eat a huge stack of pancakes in the middle of the day (I shared them with my husband and we didn't even finish the stack!) but every now and then it's nice to indulge. I would love to know, what's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Back in May I was able to escape the harsh summer heat for a few weeks by visiting my parents back in Connecticut. Even though I had graduated from Smith in December my actual ceremony was in May so it was the perfect excuse for me to take a bit of a vacation. I was able to spend a month at home and naturally I had to visit two of my favorite cities, Boston and New York while I was there. My day in Boston was lovely. By that time my husband had flown in as well. We were able to spend a day in the city walking around with my parents, enjoying the gorgeous weather and views. One of the things I love about Boston is that it's so calm and serene. It reminds me of a much bigger "city" version of my own home town. While we walked around we obviously had to snap some pictures as well. Even though I'm a bit late in putting them up I hope you enjoy them!

When I first heard about Miracle Garden in Dubai I was a bit skeptical to be honest. I knew it contained million of flowers arranged in all sorts of designs but I didn't quite realize how beautiful it would be in person. I was tempted to go see it after watching a trailer an upcoming film called Bin Roye which shot some of its scenes there. My husband and I finally decided to go last week and we were blown away by how stunning it was. It truly is miraculous that in the desert climate of Dubai they're able to have this sprawling garden with hundreds of different types of flowers. The colors are incredible and as soon as you enter you feel like you're in some sort of dream. While some of the stuff is a bit kitschy (I'm looking at you fake Eiffel Tower) it's beautiful for the most part and definitely something to see at least once while you're here. When the weather starts to cool down a bit (not for another 4 or 5 months) my husband and I are planning on going back and spending the day there. As with most places in Dubai it tends to be most crowded on weekends so I would recommend going during the working week if possible.




 How cute is this little kitty who was wandering around?!

It's not often that a place captivates me the way Al Bastakiya did. Bastakiya is located in Bur Dubai (Old Dubai)  and it was built in the 1890's by a group of Iranian immigrants who needed housing. Unfortunately much of Bastakiya was destroyed in the 1970's to make room for offices. Dubai has managed to preserve what was left of Bastakiya and turned it into an art district of sorts. While walking through the streets I felt like I was in some sort of Middle Eastern fantasy with narrow alleyways, gorgeous lanterns, and little shops. It was so different from everything else in Dubai. The art work on display was beautiful and my only complaint was that I wish the area was bigger so that there was more to explore. There were little museums everywhere but since we were there on a Friday most of them were closed. I'm definitely planning on going back again and exploring some more. There's a ton of gorgeous cafes as well so it's easy to find something great to eat while you're there. For anyone who plans on taking a trip to Dubai I would definitely recommend paying a visit to Bastakiya!

If I had to describe Istanbul in word it would be colorful. Everywhere you go you're surrounded by an incredible array of colors. From the buildings on the streets, to the spices in the markets, and the lights in the Grand Bazaar, walking through Istanbul was like walking through an incredible, technicolor maze. As someone who loves vibrant colors, it was heaven for me. I hope these pictures can capture a bit of the incredible things I saw while I was there.