Mdina, pure magic

Of all the places visited in Malta, Mdina was the one that struck me the most.

I knew that everybody was saying it was beautiful, but it was more than that. It was such a slice of ethereal Malta. I loved everything about it: the enchanting little alleys, balconies, and stunning flowers on the walls. It was pretty much a paradise for photo lovers, or to say it in a more modern way, Instagram goals. 🙂

A trip is made of small moments, thoughts, revelations, laughters, all together, some at the same time. I had many of those during my Trip to Mdina. I also knew that the main reasons why I loved it were:

– because there weren’t so many tourists;

– because it was finally almost warm;

– because my cynic spirit for once was wrong, since it wasn’t expecting Mdina to be truly that beautiful;

– because something beautiful becomes even better when shared with others.

There, I’ll say it. I found it was a special, magic place, that sunny afternoon.

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August Highlights!

Hello lovely people.

It is, again, the end of the month. Almost the end of the Summer too, so double meaning.

New exciting times and changes are coming, more layers on too. I can’t wait for Autumn to start, maybe bar the rain, but I’ll live to moderately embrace that too. Bring it on! Under “Playlist” you can find a new fine selection ’bout what impressed me this month: flowers, movies, books, radio, etc.. We start with a brand new playlist.

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A very peculiar mix this month: I took some of my favourite songs listened on Youtube, (especially this lovely demo song by Henry Hall for a great Casey Neistat’s video – he’s a filmmaker from NYC, go check him out if you don’t know him!), podcasts like Song Exploder and This American Life. I believe it’s an interesting mix, let me know what you think. To start to listen to and read of other monthly favourites just click on the picture or directly HERE.

Enjoy and bring joy with you, always.

 

Val

Follow me on Facebook: Valanzo

July Highlights!

What is the best thing about the end of a month?

The fact that you will get a paycheck? Or that it’s the only day you are sure you have no new bills to pay? That holidays come soon? Wrong. You’re all wrong.

The best part of the end of the month is to get to read this post. 🙂 Cheeky me, I know.

Here for you a new selection over art, photography, flowers, radio, movie and tv-series reviews, plus a fresh yummy recipe, all starting from a new Playlist. Click on the picture or here to start a new journey!

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Full link: The Playlist

Enjoy and bring joy with you, always.

Val

Follow me on Facebook: Valanzo

June Highlights!

Hello June, welcome Summer!

And hello to you, beautiful creatures here reading. June has come and gone, and now things are getting real: half of 2014 has happened already. Seriously. It was like a quick time-lapse movie, I know, but take this time to consider if, so far, you have done enough of what all the good new year’s resolutions?

I haven’t, but I am excited because on the good way, and not stopping. Join me on the positive vibes, now!

Let’s start with music and a brand new playlist:

Click on the picture now to start the playlist and see all the other monthly favourites!

Click on the picture now to start the playlist and see all the other monthly favourites!

 

What to expect more? Just few topics from my very personal list of favourites, selected and explained just for you:  Flowers – Film – Book – Radio – Tv series – Artist – Photo –  Food …

Just click on the pic/album to start!

Enjoy and bring joy with you, always.

Val

 

P.S. Question of the month: who’s gonna win the World Cup???? Leave me a comment below if you want!

April Highlights!

Hello peeps!

It’s the last day of the month and it means only one thing: we are open for business! It is that time of the month where I, or better the mouthy part of mine selects her favourites and highlights. We start with music, to honour the title of the column itself: it is a pretty happy selection of 10 songs to celebrate my good friend’s birthday, the birth of a cute special baby in my family and my dog’s anniversary: Janis, queen of this world and other thousand parallel universes turned 10. You can see her pretty lovely face as cover for the album too:

Click on the pic!

Click on the pic to listen to!

On the other hand, it was a very busy month of travels and work, so I hope you forgive me to neglect on movie or flowers selection. If you pop over THIS PAGE NOW you can see the entire selection… Some highlights? Daisies are girls best friend, Broadchurch, a podcast about design, Norwegian sweets and much much more. Come and see yourself, click click click!

Enjoy and bring joy with you, always.

Val

Britzer Garten in Berlin

When you live abroad it is easier to be amazed by your surrounding, especially when you take a path different from what the guide suggests or when you just follow the ‘locals’.

There is something magic when you get lost and just browse around, following your guts, spirit, mood, or simply people. I really trust local’s taste, as much as you know if a restaurant along the street is good from the number of trucks there are parked. So locals, as much as truck drivers know their stuff.

Two years ago, while wandering with my bike, I stumbled in this park, Britzer Garten, South Berlin. I went back in a sunny day and the wonder still lives there.

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It’s an amazing time for taking pictures right now, the light is good but not too bright, the days outside get longer and warmer and the blossom is pure joy for a pics-aholic. On a sunny day, this park is the perfect combination, highly recommended!

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Britzer Garten is a lovely residential neighborhood, between Mariendorf and Britz-Neukoelln where all around there are small houses and beautiful garden. Birds sing all the time. It’s quiet and human-sized. The location is out-of-peek for tourists, the result is the total absence of temporary ‘ich-bin-ein-Berliner”- claimers. And it is still nice to find place like that, in a big first-come-first-served city.

During May there is a kind of party going on in the park, people celebrates tulips: colourful wild tulips, choreographic tulips, mix-race ones. It’s a delight walking along the paths and admire the wild tulips and many other flowers, in lovely compositions: words cannot explain the feelings when it’s sunny. It’s pure life and balance. It’s the detail that gives meaning.

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The park itself show a perfect combination space/green/visitors, there are several fields, playgrounds and a functional services around the lakes, benches, platforms and chairs along the way. You can rest while watching funny ducks in love chasing one another on the water, kids playing on the fields, ladies having an ice cream or a bratwurst in one of the many kiosk. This park states: please come, walk, rest, have the best of time. And the pictures explain it better than words, indeed.

 

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 In a sentence: Britzer Garten, happy place for the soul.

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