Beautiful Dordogne Valley Part 1

A few weeks ago when it was still warm and sunny I had an opportunity to explore Dordogne valley - an area in south-western France most known for medieval castles, historic villages and beautiful landscapes. I have been to many other regions of France before but I was truly amazed how unique and untouched by modern architecture this area is!

The first village that I visited, Collonges-la-Rouge is the only village in Dordogne valley that is entirely built with red sandstone.

Curemonte, it's castles and cows :)

The village of Carennac was occupied from the Gallo-Roman period and early Middle Ages. Many buildings were destroyed during the Hundred Years war but some have survived from as early as 11th century!

Rocamadour is probably one of the most visited villages in the region as it has been an important pilgrimage destination for centuries. The village also has a beautiful setting climbing up a cliff side. Flights of steps ascend from the lower town to the churches, built half-way up the cliff. The pilgrimage church of Notre Dame contains a wooden Black Madonna that became famous for its healing powers and soon became a popular stop on the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela.

I have so many photos from this trip that I had to divide them into 2 posts! Second post to follow very soon.

A day in London with The Duke

Just wanted to share with you some images I took for Penhaligon's character The Duke, who is part of newly launched Portrait's collection. 

The Duke starts his day with a breakfast in the Riding House Cafe.

Filling refueled, he is ready to hit the stores. He decides to go to Liberty first to check their new textiles and rug collections.

Doing shopping is so tiring! He feels that he needs a break. The Duke stops at Said for a cup of their amazing hot chocolate. 

Now he is ready to continue. Being a huge art admirer he goes to check out newly opened exhibition at Tate Britain, one of his favourite museums.

Now time to visit his tailors and shoemakers on Jermyn Street.

All the alterations are done and he is almost ready for the evening. On the way to dinner he pops into Hatchard's, London's oldest bookshop, to get some more books about art as he is getting ready to attend an auction in a few days. 

Now the business in done and it's time to relax. He has dinner at Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill.

As evening is coming to London he crosses Picadilly and heads to see the latest play at the theatre.

*In collaboration with Penhaligon's London.

Grape Harvest with Ruinart in Champagne

Last week I was delighted to spend a couple of days with Ruinart to learn more about their champagne production.

Ruinart was founded in 1729 and is the first established champagne house!

The trip has started with a visit to La Cristal Room Baccarat, a museum and a restaurant ran by a Michelin-starred chef Guy Martin.

The french designer Philippe Starck has transformed the former dining room of art patron Marie-Laure de Noailles, who used to occupy the townhouse, into a restaurant.

We had some time to see the ball room and enjoy the amazing Baccarat glassware that is on display in the museum. Then we enjoyed excellent dinner in a truly beautiful setting – just imagine a combination of sparkling crystal chandeliers, big mirrors and exposed brick walls.

I had a few minutes to walk around Le Marais where we stayed before leaving for Reims to learn everything about champagne.

We walked along the vineyards and learned that each bottle of champagne contains 1,4 kg of grapes! It was an amazing experience to take part in grapes harvest and actually pick the grapes with my own hands!

Maison Ruinart (Ruinart house) where the magic happens.

Later in the afternoon we continued with a few workshops and then visited Unesco protected cellars.

Next day in the morning I had a few minutes for a quick walk around Reims and a speedy visit to Reims Cathedral.

Exploring Greenwich with @visitlondonofficial

This Friday I had a great time exploring Greenwich with visitlondon.com. Our tour started with visiting the dome of Old Royal Naval college, one of my favourite buildings in Greenwich. The dome is not generally open to the public so we were very lucky to be able to go there. The college itself is well worth a visit as you can enjoy the Painted hall (not pictured here).

In the distance you can see Queen's house that has one of the most beautiful spiral staircases in London.

And talking about staircases - this one leads to the dome of Old Royal naval college.

We then continued inside the Cutty Sark, the worlds sole surviving tea clipper, and fastest ship of her time.

I have to confess that it was the first time I took a river bus and I was surprised how fast they are! The view was great too!

We finished at the Intercontinental hotel near O2 and had a chance to see how Emirates cable cars are operated.