TGIF, 6/10/11 Edition

Happy Friday, blog friends. 

Before I officially close out my week-long Greece recap, I thought I'd share with you some pretty flower pictures I snapped along the way, all of which make me sad to know that I've returned to this flowerless urban jungle.

(all pictures via me)

This weekend we'll be celebrating my sister-in-law Jenna's high school graduation. 

Yay Jenna! (she loves shout-outs here, btw)

Have a great weekend, friends!

P.S. Because a few of you asked: Yes, I will definitely be sharing wedding photos just as soon as the photographer is done. Get ready!

A Visit to Zara Home

While in Crete, I managed to drag Adam into the local Zara Home outpost, which was so much fun. Zara Home stores, like H&M Home shops, are not open here in the U.S., so I took advantage and scoped out the cool items there were. Take a peek... 

There was one very recurrent theme across all of Zara Home's offerings in their Iraklion, Crete shop: Ikat, ikat, and more ikat.

I loved this vignette of sharp black and white items:

and the display of vibrant pink prints had me ogling:

But, more than anything, I was dying to take home this snazzy brass table lamp, which was all of $50 euros. I kept hypothesizing situations where I could double-layer my clothing on the plane ride back to make space in my suitcase for this beautiful lamp.

A fun mixture of teal ikat:

Another trend offered by Zara Home was an abundance of mercury glass and silver items.

Who needs an expensive Hermes ashtray when you can save some cash with the Zara Home version?

The Crete store was 2 full floors of fun, and upstairs displayed kitchen items, including these sharp melamine trays:

as well as adorable baby items.

(all pictures via me)

I walked away with a small blue dish to hold my rings by my bedside, as well as a pair of drawer pulls that will serve as the basis for a future project.

All in all, I thought Zara Home had some great offerings for reasonable prices (after factoring in euro-to-dollar conversions). 

And yes, I'm still kicking myself for not grabbing that lamp. 

If you're in the neighborhood of a Zara Home store in the near future, would one of you mind picking it up for me?

Woven Textile Shopping in Mykonos

 Mykonos is one of the most popular and widely visited of Greece's Cyclades islands. As I shared earlier this week, the island offers a spectacular experience that includes vibrant daytime and nightlife activities. In all of our guidebooks, Mykonos was characterized in two ways: a fun place to party and a great place to shop.

We spent two and a half days in Mykonos, and decided to explore the shopping options on our second afternoon. We followed the labyrinthian streets of Mykonos and stumbled into The Loom, a store specializing in traditional Greek woven rugs and textiles.

The shop was tiny but the selection was extensive. 

Rugs were piled high, just begging to be rolled out and enjoyed.

 If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how much a love a good rug (see here, here, and here); but I was particularly taken by the hand-embroidered table linens and wall hangings.

 Many depicted traditional Greek symbols, namely the pomegranate and the tree of life, presented in a host of both muted or saturated colors.

 I mean, just look at these beautiful textiles! How would I walk away without taking the complete contents of the store with me?

Can you guess what we came home with?

A rug and an embroidered linen table cloth:

(all pictures via me)

Both will be treasured for years to come.

If you are ever in Athens or Mykonos, Greece, do yourself a favor and check out The Loom and talk with Vahan who was incredibly friendly and willing to strike a deal for two newlyweds.

Greece is the Word, Part 2

Ready to be whisked away to Santorini and Mykonos today, friends? 

Rather than boring you with a lot of unnecessary text, I'll just offer you a visual tour of two of the most beautiful spots on the planet.

Are your bags packed?

First we head to Santorini and, specifically, to the San Antonio hotel which is carved out of the cliffs facing the glimmering Aegean Sea.

The view from anywhere in the hotel:

Every detail is thoughtfully considered.

And the suites balance rustic naturalism with a clean, sleek modern aesthetic (notice the x-benches?).

While we're here, let's be sure to visit the nearby town of Oia, especially at sunset. This spot affords an unmatched Santorini experience. 

But we can't stay here forever...now, let's head to Mykonos, which is a short 2-hour boatride away.

Be sure to bring your sunscreen and Ray Bans--you'll need them here.

 Try not to lose too much time admiring the contrasting shutters, doors and trim as well as the beautiful bougainvillea.

 And we can stop in the local Hermes store, too, if you like:

(all pictures via me)

Hope you enjoyed your journey around Greece, because I sure did!

Greece is the Word, Part 1

I'm back, baby! (read that in your best George Costanza voice, please)

Before I blow your mind with a fabulous two-part visual tour of Greece today and tomorrow, I wanted to once more thank the group of awesome ladies who guest posted for me here on Meet Me in Philadelphia while I was away. It was a lot of fun to check in every few days and read through all the comments these posts were getting!

Now, without further ado, I present to you Part 1 of my big fat Greek honeymoon: Athens and Crete.

Enjoy!

Our first stop: Athens:

 The majestic Parthenon:

 Gorgeous red poppies abound in Greece.

 Taking it all very, very seriously.

 The Acropolis at night.

After two days in Athens, we took an overnight boat ride to the port city of Iraklion, Crete.

The view of the old Venetian fort from our hotel room:

 Me, windswept:

 The ancient ruins of Knossos, the palace of the Minoan civilization:

 Recreations of original frescoes found at Knossos.
The imagery was gorgeous.

(all pictures via me)

I hope you enjoyed the first part of your tour of Greece. Come back tomorrow for Santorini and Mykonos, and the rest of the week for more Greece-related fun.

So happy to be back with everyone!