San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy

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Florence, Italy. Street.

Beautiful façade.
San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

San Lorenzo in Florence has a charm of its own quite different from other cities of Italy that I’ve visited. A main marketing district, it’s historical buildings, its winding streets that interconnect that seem to make all things of interest within walking distance to each other really grounds your perspective as to how this place might have functioned hundreds of years ago.

San Lorenzo Florence Italy

The Church of San Lorenzo.

And, I love marketing.

It doesn’t matter which country I visit, it’s the sights, sounds and aromas of the local markets that draw me to their heart. Piazza del Mercato Centrale is no exception and I found myself walking end to end under the roof of the main market, curious at what they had to offer.
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The Mall at Leccio, Florence, Italy

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Florence, Italy 2008

At The Mall, Leccio, Italy.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

Italy is really everything that has ever been written and described about in its designs and designers. In a world of ever increasing low priced and sloppily made consumer goods, the attention to design detail and craftsmanship in Italy is a breath of fresh air. Perhaps it is something with the stubborn and highly individualistic Italian mind-set that just can’t take orders and insists on doing things their own way – down to the local village cheese preparation – that feels just right applied to the making of clothes and accessories.

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“The Mall” is located just 30 minutes along the A1 motorway from Florence. A Gucci mecca of sorts, The Mall at Leccio, hosts several luxury brands.

In combination of urban and country, with its soft rolling hills in the region and beautiful vineyards, I’ve found Florence also to be a shopping haven for things well-designed. An ill protected secret is the availability of numerous factory outlets who away from city centers, sell the real deal at discounted prices. And if you are prepared to venture outside the extreme first class locations in the city centers, such as right outside the Palazzo Veccio in Florence, your efforts will be richly rewarded with hefty discounts on luxury items. True shopping gems, if you find them.
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The romantic city port of Bremen, Germany

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Sitting by the Weser riverfront, where you will find a long row of restaurants and pubs that serve good food. In the background is a smattering of both sunshine and drizzle.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

Bremen is Germany’s 2nd largest city with an old town city center dating back to around 150 AD. Most of the old red brick buildings still standing are medieval, giving the city center something of a fairytale look. Continue reading “The romantic city port of Bremen, Germany” →

Visiting Charlemange and the Aachen Cathedral

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A view of the Aachen Cathedral as it looks today.

Aachen Cathedral was formerly the palace church of Charles the Great, later known as Charlemagne. While he was perhaps not the only founding father of Western civilization as we know it, Charlemagne was still very important for reviving learning, moral and ethics as leading principles for government. And while the unity in post-roman Europe did not last too long, he brought with him the much needed uniting force behind it.

Upon entering the Cathedral grounds, even at small places such as the stone paved yard outside the former workshop entrance where western European arts and culture were to be revived in the eight century, you feel close to history.

Despite that the city of Aachen got most of its buildings and churches destroyed by shells and bombings during the Second World War it still gives a great impression. Much has been restored and important relics including the belt and flagellation rope of Jesus, the belt of Mary, the scull and right arm of Charlemagne himself and many others are still on display in the treasury.


A view of an altar within the Cathedral.

A favourite feature of mine within this Cathedral was the numerous large and beautiful stained glass windows. As with most other details in this Cathedral, they were made with such precision, care and astounding craftsmanship.
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The Presse Bar Cuisine, Bremen, Germany

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The Presse Bar Cuisine, Bremen, Germany.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

In the neighbourhood of Altstadt, near the Town Hall and within walking distance of the river Weser, you’ll find one of the cosiest themed bar and restaurant. I actually had the impression it was a very large café, with its open counters that turned out to be an open kitchen.

Modern and somewhat memorable in their customer service – they served tea lidded with a saucer – it’s a place you can certainly spend more time in other than for dining pleasures. The interiors invite you to sit for longer, bring out your laptop, surf the web some, read and have more tea / coffee.

I’d say this place is ‘not to be missed’. But if you’re in Bremen walking around the riverfront, I’m pretty sure you’ll bump into this place in the midst of your explorations. Continue reading “The Presse Bar Cuisine, Bremen, Germany” →

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

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View of the tower of Palazzo Vecchio from the riverside.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

The scene was crowded at Ponte Vecchio and it seemed that many – mostly tourists – were awed by this old bridge that has more than once been swept asunder and rebuilt, perhaps testament to a strength that never wanes. I was personally struck by how merchants and shops perched on the bridge in hues of terracotta and yellow. It was a different kind of architecture from what I was used to, and I thought this was quite beautiful. Continue reading “Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy” →

Palazzo Ducale, Venice

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Palazzo Ducale, Cheryl Marie Cordeiro-Nilsson

In Piazza San Marco, near to the Ponte dei Sospiri, you’ll find the Palazzo Ducale.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

It is difficult to navigate the streets of Venice at peak season which is the summer months, and I can more than understand the disdain and even hostility of the Venetians towards visitors who leave more than their fair share of markings on the ground as visitors. More than a million individuals walked the grounds of the Palazzo Ducale alone at about the time of this visit in 2008. Continue reading “Palazzo Ducale, Venice” →

The silk scarf as accessory

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A 1960s classic way to wear the scarf on the head, as Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Queen Elizabeth II, Gina Lollobrigida etc. wore it.

I was introduced to the scarf (actually, a cotton bandanna) in my teens when I received one as a gift. I used it the most fashionable way possible then, like all my other girlfriends and that was to tie it around the ponytail. When meeting up with girlfriends, we’d say, “Turn around! Let me see!” and then it’ll either be “Wah! Pretty!” or “Oh.” meaning, it wasn’t such a rave review for the bandanna. We also wore bandannas around our necks cowboy style, a style I prefer not to don these days.

I’ve had the opportunity to collect many bandannas and scarfs of all types of materials over the years and I find the silk scarf to be one of the most versatile of pieces. The gossamer soft and sleek material allows for varied styles and uses, whether over the head, shoulders, waist or tied to a bag.
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Quiet? In St. Tropez, Côte d’Azur

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St. Tropez is characterised by narrow streets that lead straight to the Riviera front.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008

Located on the French Riviera, the ancient town of Saint-Tropez is as beautiful in the day as it is in the night when the coastal stretch is lit in what seems like a mellow glow of romantic amber against the velvet navy of the ocean and night sky, nothing that reminds of its intriguing and turbulent history from the time of Nero and the Roman Empire.

Having somewhat been at the cross-roads of all sorts of trade and warfare, it was here in this town that was said that France had first contact with the Japanese in September of 1615, obliged to spend the time in St. Tropez due to bad weather conditions, when the Japanese were en route to Rome. Continue reading “Quiet? In St. Tropez, Côte d’Azur” →