For me, October is all about capturing as much of the outside beauty as possible before all the leaves drop and everything turns white (or brown) here for the next 5 or so months. It's a great time to get fall chores in the yard done and clean the annual pots even if they look this magnificent (frost was arriving the next morning).
 

We spend time in the hot tub enjoying the changing colours and if luck is on our side, the Aurora Borealis! 

The forested trails are stunning at this time of year. 

It's fun to walk around the neighbourhood too and spot the Halloween decorations. This particular neighbour takes it to another level every year!

It's also a good time for outdoor fires and get togethers with friends and family before the cold comes.


* Our newest family member, sweet Skye*

This October, I also had the opportunity to go on a trip! It started in Toronto for a "Magic Weekend" Workshop with Elizabeth Gilbert (you might know her from the book, "Eat, Pray, Love") and Martha Beck (she was Oprah Winfrey's Life Coach).  

I was given a gift certificate for any Fairmont hotel a fews years back and actually got to use it on this trip! I stayed at the lovely Fairmont Royal York.

The best part was that it was only 2 blocks from the workshop and in the heart of downtown. Here are a few more pictures from Toronto:

I had an amazing time! And then shortly after the workshop finished, I went back to the airport and met my Mom, Judy there and we flew to Paris!

This photo of us on the plane (right before take off) cracks me up. The neck pillow guy is the best. Cheers!

We left at night and arrived around noon, Paris time. We didn't get a lot of sleep on the plane so we were a bit jet legged, but the first day, we just checked into our hotel, walked through the beautiful neighbourhood of Le Marais and eventually made our way onto a hop on/hop off bus to get the lay of the land. The night cap was a cruise on the seine with the magnificent Eiffel Tower lighting up the skyline, it was incredible!

The next day, stilll a little groggy, we stopped for cafes au lait before making our way to Giverney, a small village just outside of Paris where Claude Monet lived and painted. We went to visit his house and garden, which was his muse for a lot of his paintings. Gardens are my happy place:

We eventually made it back to Paris for dinner in the St. Germain arrondissement (neighbourhood), a charming and historical area. We walked around a bit and finished with a nightcap at a fun little bar. This is me trying to get my Mom to focus on the "little, red, light" for a selfie, haha!


On Day 3, we planned a visit to the Musee D'orsay, a beautiful and airy art museum in a converted railway station. We were excited to see all the Impressionist works including Monet, Manet, Renoir and Caillebotte. It was a feast for the eyes:

Afterwards, we walked along the Seine and headed to the Saint Chapelle Church to see the stained glass windows, but it was sold out. * If you're planning a trip to Paris, it's best to purchase museum tickets in advance. We carried on walking along the Seine, stopping at the famous Shakespear and Company bookstore and apperol spritz cocktails at one of the hundreds of cafes. Later we explored, shopped and had dinner in the Latin Quarters (another very cool arrondissement). The weather on this trip was amazing for walking around.

Day 4, we started with a shared croissant and cafes au lait. Then we were off to the Musee de l'Orangerie to see Monet's Water Lillies exhibition, the Petit Palais, a stunning building with more beautiful art, then a walk through the Tuileries Garden to the Louvre for a tour of the highlights. We eventually made it back to our lovely neighbourhood in Le Marais and had a fancy dinner near our hotel to cap off the day.

Our last day in Paris, we took the Metro to the charming neighbourhood of Montmartre with a rich artistic heritage, charming cobblestone streets and quaint cafes. 

From there we walked to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, situated on top of a hill with an amazing view of Paris below.

We continued to walk through charming neighbourhoods all the way down to the Quartier de l'Opera, stopping in shops on our way, including the famous Lindt Chocolate store.  

At this point we needed a little break and a refreshment. ;) 

We had our last lunch in Paris across the street from the magnificent Opera House before heading to the station to catch a train to Bruges, Belgium.

We spent 4 nights in Bruges, a place we had visited nearly 30 years ago, when I was living overseas. It's a gorgeous, Medieval city that is wonderful to walk around in, people watch and just relax and take in all the incredible architecture, canals and bridges. I will just leave some of my favourite photos from those days below. If you're still with me, thank you. It's hard to keep this short and sweet. Europe is full of so much beauty! 

 

Cheers to you! :) Stay cozy.