Hi there Everyone! My name is Cath Conroy and I met Pia recently as a fellow Aussie girl in Amsterdam. Boy it was nice to hear a familiar accent and discuss our love for photography and travel.

In April this year I took a 5 month round the world trip with my partner. I’m a photographer so it was a delight to capture all the beautiful things I saw and Pia asked me to share some of those experiences here. Since its ever raining here in sweet Amsterdam I’ve been craving some sunshine. Care to take a trip down memory lane with me? These pictures make me feel like Dorothy in Wizard of Oz. Click click and off I go to warmer horizons…

Barcelona is a city with soul. Step out onto the street and you can’t miss it. Colourful buildings, the tiny tapas bars, the sizzling heat, flirtatious locals and the sound of glasses clinking punctuated by vibrant Spanish voices drifting out onto the street. Barcelona is often coined a party city and its easy to see why. The energy is palpable.

Not only is the vibe relaxed but the city itself is well laid out and easy to get around. The streets are wide and rambling in places (ok I had just come from Paris so space was a novelty) and full of tiny alleyways and local squares when you step off the beaten path. Take your time, prepare to get lost and step out of the heat into one of the tiny bars and cool yourself down with an icy cold cerveza – beer – and tapas. Its no wonder the people are always smiling.

Of course one of the main reasons to visit Barcelona is the late great architect Antoni Gaudi and you can’t get far without reference to one of his great buldings. Posters, postcards, books – every corner store has hordes of Gaudi mania. The first building we visited was Casa Mila a residential building completed in 1912 by Gaudi for a wealthy couple. The flowing form and beauty of this building for its time is simply amazing.

The second visit was to the unfinished masterpiece Sagrada Familia. This Catholic Church has been under construction since 1882 and its not due to be finished until 2026! This begins to make sense when you get a glimpse of the sheer scale of the building. Although covered with cranes and construction its still a breathtaking site. I did feel tinged with sadness that he died before seeing his greatest work completed!

Gaudi’s love of nature and his clever way of referencing this within the building is beautiful and the detail is just mind blowing. The inscription of letters on the doors were a highlight for me.

What’s really evident whilst wandering around the streets of Barcelona is just how much art and architecture really have made their mark here. The influence of Art Nouvea mixed with modern street art and graffiti are a colourful melting pot of ideas and somehow this eclectic mix seems to work.

All that walking and inspiration will definitely build an apetite and there’s any number of food options to try. One of our favourite outings was to wander the markets.

You can buy cheap fresh local produce and take it back to your apartment and whip up a casual meal. Or if that’s not possible there’s plenty of food stalls, tapas bars and local restaurants within the market area. The large markets La Boqueria can be somewhat touristy but lots of fun all the same. The display and quality of the produce was amazing. After a while we realized all the locals were coming in from the back alleys rather than the main entrance.This is where you’ll find the quieter bars and restaurants!

After a relaxing week in Barcelona walking, eating, taking pictures, going to the beach and exploring, last on my wish list was Gaudi’s Parc Guell. This park complex on the outskirts of the city was a highlight. I am obsessed with Gaudi’s tile work and so this was a highlight for me – it didn’t disappoint. The detail in them is simply stunning. The flowing design of the park make it an easy and relaxing wander and the architectural elements everywhere are a subtle homage to nature. Gracias Mr Gaudi!

all photographs and text by Cath Conroy.

There’s a village nestled somewhere in the chalk downs of Wiltshire in the south west of England. As a village it is unremarkable – undeniably picturesque and very cute, but there are hundreds like it all along the rambling country lanes. In other respects, however, this particular village is unique indeed.

The stone circle at Avebury is the largest henge and stone circle complex in Britain. The village itself winds through the monoliths – many of the missing stones were broken up and built into the very fabric of the village itself.

The circle itself is more than 5000 years old. The henge – bank and ditch – is considered the first stage of the structure, and is over 400 metres in diameter. The outer circle of large sarsens originally consisted of 98 stones, some up to 40 tonnes in weight. Within the large outer circle are two smaller circles, one with a cove (a u-shaped configuration of 3 stones) at its centre, and one centred by a single huge stone, weighing up to 100 tonnes.

The Avebury circle is … well, awe-inspiring. Despite the ominous atmosphere provided by darkened skies, photos don’t do justice to the drama of the scene that confronts you when you see these stones in person. The circle is accessible – unlike Stonehenge, here you can walk amongst them, touch them, feel dwarfed by their shadows. The view across the downs from the top of the henge is dramatic, and the mystery surrounding the stone’s existence within this idyllic landscape is tangible.

The circle and henge are part of a wider prehistoric landscape. Stretching out from the henge are two sarsen-lined avenues, the West Kennet Avenue and the Beckhampton Avenue. In the hills nearby lie the enormous man-made Silbury Hill, with its distinctive flat top, and the West Kennet Long Barrow, where the remains of up to 40 burials were uncovered, dating back between 4000 and 5000 years or more.

There’s more mysterious phenomena to be found in the hills surrounding Avebury village than the Neolithic human influence. Every summer, Wiltshire experiences the overnight appearance of those enigmatic creatures known as crop circles. Often more popular with the tourists than the stone circle itself, the mysterious patterns appear in the summer-ripening wheat and corn fields, prompting many an irate farmer to destroy the evidence before the field is trampled by a horde of curious travellers. Regardless of which theory you ascribe to, the reality of a crop circle at ground level is a decidedly anticlimactic experience – they are simply too large to be able to appreciate without the benefit of distance – as the many small aircraft overhead can attest to.

Whatever your circle interests – whether Neolithic or mystic – this amazing place is full of atmosphere and mystery, with plenty of unanswered questions to fire your imagination. Enigmatic and inexplicable, Avebury is one place that will continue to fascinate long after you leave its physical presence behind.

photographs and text by zoë yule

It’s no secret that Anthropologie have something of a cult following in the blogosphere, and those of us not lucky enough to have visited a store in person have been left to gaze in envy on posts featuring stunning window installations and drooling over the luscious website (with its not-so-luscious overseas prices). So you can imagine my reaction when Pia received an invitation to the opening of the first Anthropologie store outside of the US and asked if I wanted to attend in her absence! The new Regent Street store, in a beautiful building in the retail heart of London, is 3 floors of eye candy, with so much to see and so many beautiful details to drool over, I spent an hour just looking before I even remembered to take photos! The prices sit mostly towards the higher end of scale, especially for the clothing and larger homewares items, but there are still reasonable items available, with enough scope to enjoy your visit and take away a little something as a treat.

While I recognised much of the clothing and homewares range from the website, I was overwhelmed by the number and scale of unique art installations decorating the store – most are from local British artists, and I was thrilled to discover they were all for sale as well! From beautiful handmade ceramic vessels to “knitted” pots and antique, reclaimed quilts refashioned into beautiful works of art, every corner was simply bursting with something surprising and handmade. It’s a distinctive philosophy of the store – to marry unique pieces from local and international artists, with vintage and antique items collected from all over the world to create a fabulous environment to compliment the apparel and homewares collections. Each store is unique and evolving all the time – the centrepiece of the Regent Street store is the amazing living wall – covering one entire wall of the shop, a total of 200m2, the patchwork of living plants is a stunning installation, and is even fed through a sustainable irrigation system which uses rainwater collected from the roof! It formed a fabulous background for the mouth-watering array of tea cakes and sandwiches on offer for this quintessentially English “afternoon tea” event, and I can assure you each and every one tasted as delicious as their appearance promised. And yes, I did try them all.

The event was a wonderful opportunity to see the store in its full glory, accompanied by champagne and yummy cake, and all-in-all I had a great time. I managed to walk away without too large a dent in my wallet (no discounts unfortunately!) and with some great images which I hope capture some of the atmosphere of this unique store. I even met one of my favourite fellow bloggers, the wonderful Susannah from Ink on My Fingers, and her sister Abby. The Anthropologie team have done a great job in bringing a unique independent boutique feeling to a retail chain – very different from the modern, bland and sterile-feeling establishments that populate the rest of Regent Street – the wonderful dyed teabag installations in the windows are an indication of what awaits you inside. Its definitely a fun shopping experience that is worth a trip if you’re in the area.

all text and photographs by zoë yule

Friends, this post is quite poignant, and has been a difficult one to write. So I hope you will forgive me some waffle.

Way back, many months ago, when I first met Pia, I sent her an invitation to my own private (shamefully neglected) blog which I write for family and friends back home. One post in particular caught her eye, after I visited a wonderful museum in the heart of the canal district: the Van Loon house.

The grand double-fronted canal house dates from 1672, and was once the residence of Ferdinand Bol, one of Rembrandt’s more successful students. Throughout the 19th century, the Van Loons, a wealthy and influential family in Amsterdam, made the house their primary residence.

Various Van Loon family members were at times city councillors and mayors of Amsterdam, and held key positions within the Dutch East-India Company.

The last resident of the house prior to its conversion to a museum was Thora van Loon-Egidius. She was Dame du Palais (friend, confidant and lady-in-waiting) to Queen Wilhelmina for forty years, and as such entertained royal guests and important visitors at the house. The current Mrs van Loon occupies a similar position in the court of Queen Beatrix, and lives in the house next door to the museum.

My new friend and I visited the house (and another similar), during which Pia made an astute observation: despite the grand, opulent surroundings of the reception rooms and family apartments, my attention was firmly occupied by the less celebrated goings-on behind the scenes. It turns out I like to know what’s behind closed doors! The life and work of the unseen members of the household – the housemaids, the cook, the butler and others – these were the stories I wanted to hear. Their attic bedrooms are not accessible to the public, but the light, cosy kitchen and “below stairs” rooms are, though I doubt they would have been particularly light and airy with that huge range running constantly.

This visit was the beginning of a beautiful friendship (corny, I know) and I have been saving it for a special occasion, reminiscing.

As I write this post, I have left Amsterdam for Bristish shores, to embark on a very exciting new phase in my adventure overseas. I leave behind many wonderful friends, but I take with me many more wonderful memories. One particular friendship, the one I’ve spoken of that started with the Museum van Loon, has been instrumental in giving me the courage to pursue my dream career, even though it has meant moving away. As a book editor I love to work with authors who are passionate about their pet subject, whatever it is. As I got to know Pia I began to realise that I would be a better editor if I could work with authors who were passionate about the same pet subjects as I am. And so, I have left my years of academic editing behind, to try and make it in the world of baking and craft, gardening and design, interiors and exteriors: all the things I love in a book.

This was going to be my last post, but Pia is so, so busy with a couple of huge projects at the moment (stay tuned – I know they’ll be worth waiting for!) and has asked if I’d stay a little longer. So you’ll see a little more of me here over the coming month or so as I pop by every now and then to let you know how I’m getting on. At the moment I’m really loving the ability to communicate with ease, though never let it be said that speaking the same language means instant understanding – there are accents over here that I cannot fathom a word of!!

Wish me luck!

All photographs and text by Zoë Yule.

“This winter-eve is warm,

Humid the air! leafless, yet soft as spring,

The tender purple spray on copse and briers!

And that sweet city with her dreaming spires,

She needs not June for beauty’s heightening”

–Matthew Arnold

This summer I spent several glorious weeks roaming the “pleasant pastures” and “mountains green” of the English countryside. Along the way I spent a couple of memorable, though damp, days in a town so steeped in history and knowledge you can almost feel it oozing from the beautiful golden sandstone facades.

The “dreaming spires” of Oxford are dreamy indeed – a more beautiful centre of learning you would be hard pressed to find. The thought of 700 years of students crossing the threshold of the hallowed college halls is awe-inspiring. I’m pretty sure you absorb wisdom just being here, if only by osmosis.

Shall I show you around? We can start in the neighbouring village of Kidlington, where we leave our luggage at the cosy, perfectly English, 300-year-old cottage of our “home away from home” in Oxford. Later, we can take a sneaky peek through the hedges and daydream of owning one ourselves.

A short bus ride into the centre of town and we find the Cornmarket, where the 900-year-old tower of St Michael at the Northgate still stands. We can climb to the top of the Carfax tower on the corner, and gaze out over the skyline with its myriad clock towers and church spires that so inspired Matthew Arnold.

A short wander down St Aldate’s takes us past the imposing Town Hall to the Old Tom clock tower, entrance to the majestic Christ Church college, with the cathedral and refectory buildings visible through the archway. As the sun peeks through the clouds, the War Memorial Gardens beckon, their summer roses and frothy campanula spilling over the warm rock walls.

The Meadows, one of the residential buildings of Christ Church looks out over the Christ Church Meadow, where the University’s sheep and cattle are still set out to graze.

The oldest botanic gardens in Britain are still a repository for exotic specimens, and a peaceful place for a stroll down to the riverside, where the punts bob gently on the water.

I don’t know about you, but all this rambling has me hankering for a warm scone with homemade jam and rich clotted cream – the vaulted cellars and churchyard gardens of St Mary’s look like the perfect spot for a pick-me-up. Across Radcliffe Square, the imposing Radcliffe Camera houses the famous Bodleian Library, while the lane leads past yet more college quads and down to the Sheldonian Theatre where those much-anticipated graduation certificates are awarded.

For a closer look at the stately college Halls, we can peek into the chapel and cloisters of New College (who’s 600-year history belies its name), made famous by the Harry Potter movies, and tread the worn threshold of the imposing dining hall, where the walls echo with the voices of hundreds of students and eminent academics of the past.

The grounds of New College are among the most beautiful of all the colleges, and stretch out along the only remnant of the ancient city wall still standing. The peaceful wooded walks and sweetly-scented herbaceous borders are a perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of a busy university schedule. Or sight-seeing schedule. Perhaps I’ll see you there again sometime!

all words and photographs by zoë yule