Spanish 101 and Recalling Peru

Friends, I have misplaced my camera cord so I cannot do my weekend review post as planned! Oops. So instead, some other goodies.

Tonight Mrs. Southern Aspirations heads back to school. I'm enrolled in Accelerated Spanish 101, in an effort to shed myself of my self-titled "Ugly American" status. Please don't get me wrong... when I travel to other countries I do behave myself and try not to be overly touristy.

However, I have not achieved my personal goal of being fluent in a language other than English. (For those readers who also are fluent in one language, I don't mean to sound judgmental of you! This is just my goal!!). You see, my sister is bilingual and teaches bilingual children. My mother taught High School Spanish and is very proficient in conversational Spanish. I, despite four years of Spanish and two years of French, am proficient in English. I have bought some CDs as well, but figure the classroom experience will be good for me.


On to Peru. I had the great opportunity to visit Peru with two of my dearest friends a few years ago and it was an amazing experience. We went from Lima...

the city was so beautiful in many parts and I can't believe I didn't take more photos! My favorite was my morning run with Jillie along the Pacific Ocean...

to Cuzco....

Santo Domingo Convent Monastery- quite simply gorgeous.

Pisaq Market for a little shopping


Ollantaytambo, the only Incan village where folks still live in the ancient buildings



our super-cute hotel, Sol y Luna



to the Sacred Valley of Machu Picchu...

Because of the elevation, it apparently is cloudy/foggy most mornings. However, still absolutely incredible views. This can be my inspiration for terracing the little hill in the backyard! (kidding, of course).
and then down to Puno.

We did a little hiking- and it was quite cold in parts!


Lake Titicaca

So yes, the trip was a bit touristy, but it was great to learn the history of the beautiful country while seeing it. Additionally, we used Latin Discover tours (we're not the group tour types) and were very pleased. Whenever we felt lost or confused, it's amazing how someone from Latin Discover would appear and call for us. Even when we didn't realize we should have gotten off the train.

cute little alpacas in Puno


By my next trip, I hope to be a bit more conversant in Spanish!

Have a great week!

Emmie

The Twin Cities: Two Much of a Good Thing

So I mentioned I"m up in the Great White North as I jokingly call this place. I'm up in Minneapolis, Minnesota- a city I moved to after I graduated grad school. While I'm thrilled to be out of the cold (mostly) and back South, I have very fond memories of this place. First of all, it represented my first big move by myself and some sense of my claim for independence. (Of course, I then left my city and my job to move to Atlanta for Mr. Southern, so there goes my whole Independent Woman schpiel. But, I did make the choice and am happy I did.)

For those who have never ventured to Minneapolis or St. Paul, you may be recalling movies like Fargo (which was actually filmed, in part, in Minneapolis). Or perhaps Grumpy Old Men. While there's a nugget of truth in these films, the reality is a much more diverse- and engaging- cultured town. With so many large companies based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, the Twin Cities are rather cosmopolitan. Great dining, great art (including theatre), and great shopping.

For example, when you think outdoor sculpture, do you envision the Spoon Bridge and Cherry? That's here in Minneapolis.

Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen at the Walker Art Museum (a fabulous museum, by the way).

Tonight, I took my team to the first Coal Fired Pizza joint in Minneapolis- Black Sheep Pizza- and got to walk through my old stomping grounds, The Warehouse District (aka North Loop). I, in fact, lived on the third floor of the building of The Black Sheep (side note: so glad they were not there when I lived in the building, or I would have gained 20 pounds, easily.)

With the cities' Midwest "sensibilties" you might be quick to assume much of the Design in this area is bungalow or craftsman style. And there is a good bit of that around town (and I LOVE it! Especially when envisioning a warm and cozy home in the cold cold winter. )

Bungalow Club

Minneapolis Real Estate

Minneapolis Real Estate

But there are some very sleek loft spaces here too. For example, Andrew Flesher's Minneapolis loft, featured in Loft Living and Apartment Therapy.

Others, like these:

They also have some "crazy" Modern updates too, similar to what we see in Atlanta (and I do not mean this in a pejorative way at all).

Midwest Home

So I can't say "Twin Cities" and omit St. Paul, though I don't know St. Paul as well. What I can tell you is that I would ADORE a house on Summit Avenue, reportedly a site of refuge for some of the Chicago gangsters of the early 1900s. Regardless, let's take a look.... (photos from real estate listings).

295 Summit

266 Summit

476 Summit

251 Summit

807 Summit

955 Summit

For more great homes, and the source of the photos from Jennifer Kirby, please visit Minneapolis- St. Paul Luxury Real Estate.

And I have to give a shout-out to my relatives, though we've sadly lost touch over the years- at The Grethen House- (visit their blog here) THE source for cutting edge, quality fashion. The company was started by my Grandmother's sister, Greta, and is run by my grandmother's niece (Greta's daughter). HUGE honor.

And lastly, a personal note. I mentioned leaving my job and heading South for Mr. Southern. I know that once one gets married, all the other little anniversaries fall by the wayside, but I had to mention that two years ago tonight, Mr. Southern asked me to marry him (after he asked for the blessing of my mom and stepdad, as well as daddy and stepmom). I love him so much and am so thankful he's a part of my life. I miss you sweetie and can't wait to see you Thursday! :-)

-Emmie

Vieux San Juan

Puerto Rico was a fascinating territory to explore. I know several folks from Puerto Rico and have always been impressed with their sense of pride for their country. There is a ton of natural beauty in Puerto Rico- particularly as you move outside of San Juan. On the other hand, there is also a lot of poverty in the country.

One of my favorite parts was touring Old San Juan. While discovered in the mid 1400s, the city was first "settled" by the Spanish in the early 1500s. Old San Juan has maintained much of the colonial Spanish Architecture.

This is the city wall built around Old San Juan. Love the contrast of the wall and the newer bank building.

Can't show old San Juan and miss the San Jose church, which hopefully will be undergoing renovation. I LOVE the lines of this building... and see the quatrafoil!

More quatrafoil.. and fantastic arches.

And look at the beautiful mosaic and intricate detailing here.

Can a doorway get any better than this?

And this is the view through the doorway. I love the plaster walls, dark wood bannister, tiled stairwell. Gorgeous.

And THESE are shutters.

Love the varied bright colors and all the balconies.

My dream house includes a bedroom with a balcony like this-- love the idea of opening the doors and having sheer drapes billowing about.

And just beyond these beautiful buildings is the sea...

Hope you enjoyed the mini-tour. Have a great week!

Emmie

Living it up at South Beach

Just returned from Miami, Florida for the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. This is one of my favorite festivals of the year and I'm fortunate enough to be able to attend several of the great events. On Thursday, we went to Rachael Ray's Burger Bash. You can see Rachael (sort of) below as she she thanks the sponsors of the event. That haze you see is not from my poor photo skills- the tent gets really smoky. With the chilly weather in Miami this year though, I was thankful for any heat source I could find!

Last year I got to meet Bobby Flay... and this year... !

Here we are! It was a fantastic event- each of the 27 restaurants had their own kitchen/booth and served their take on the best "burger." The place was PACKED and it was difficult to navigate the tent- especially being part of a 10-person group. via YumSugar

Chefs in attendance (and cooking) included Spike Mendelsohn, Morimoto, Michael Symon, and Rocco DiSpirito. I think my favorite was David Burke's Primehouse- a 40 Day Dry Aged Burger - With Cheddar, Cripsy Shrimp, Pickle Chipotle Mayo, Maple Pepper Bacon and Pickled Watermelon Skewer... but I LOVED Spike's cotton candy milkshake. Blackberry Farm attended this year (with a fabulous Bacon-Beef Burger with Chow Chow, Pimento Cheese, Ramp Mayonnaise and Pickled Okra on Potato Onion Bread and a side of baked peanuts). Admittedly, I voted for their burger as I just got so excited for the Southern representation. Get more details here at Burger Beast (they must have avoided the Amstel Light and the Columbia Crest reserve wines and brought a notebook or something... their notes are impressive!) or at Mango and Lime.

We ended the evening here...

Rose Bar at the Delano via CoolJunkie

Friday was lunch at Emeril's place at the Lowe's Hotel. Isn't this view fantastic?

The service here has always been fabulous, and this year was no exception. The gumbo was awesome and perfect for restoring some semblance of normalcy to my poor body after the evening prior. No sighting of Emeril... until later in the day!

We attended the for-the-trade tasting that afternoon. The line for our glass and gift bag- which you must get before entering the tent- was crazy long (you can see the tent in the distance)...

but with views like this, it is hard to complain!


The line wrapped around to the street, so we took in the scenes from Ocean Drive...


The intent of the Trade Tasting is that folks in the industry get a chance to try some of the Reserve wines and spirits available in the market. Over time, this event has turned into a free-for-all with people getting smashed. While this may look like a grown-up drinkfest, it was great to speak with some of the winemakers and other experts about the different types of wine they produce. And see a few "familiar" faces...

That evening was the BubbleQ, this year sponsored by Perrier Jouet and hosted by Emeril Lagasse. photo via SOBE Food and Wine

Same tent as the Rachael Ray event- only this time, it's Champagne and BBQ. I was smarter this night and broke away from the group with two other guys to try to make it through as much of the tent as possible. Tim Love, from Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Ft Worth had my favorite dish- lamb belly BLT.

Todd English was graciously taking photos (our group had grabbed a table in front of his booth)


but Emeril was a little harder to nab. But how cool to see him working!

Again, the evening was dominated by the who's who of FoodTV, but great to see some other familiar faces like Al Roker! Some of the Bravo Real Housewives of NYC were in town apparently- saw photos of Bethenny at the BubbleQ event, while Kelly attended the Best of the Best.photo via SOBE Food and Wine

Despite the $$ tickets (even more than the Burger Bash) the tent was packed with people overflowing outside both ends of the tent.

My hosts also got us VIP tickets to the Svedka event that evening so we went out like dancing queens...We had a fantastic wine educational seminar Saturday morning hosted by Wine Spectator at the Gansevoort South (yes, we began with sampling Pommery at 10 o'clock in the morning). Of all the events, this one is the most serious educational one and for any wine lover, just an unbelievable experience. (Sidenote, you MUST spit to get through the event with your senses in tact).

While I had an incredible time, by Saturday afternoon, I was missing Mr. Southern terribly and couldn't wait until Sunday evening to head home. After a tearful phone call, I booked a last-minute flight back to Atlanta and enjoyed Saturday evening on the couch with the fam. So much for being a rock star... that spot is where I'd much rather be!