Indian Summer.

For the past two weeks, Europe has been graced with unseasonably high temperatures.

So high, indeed, that I'm pondering wether or not to go to class with just a bikini top under my -way too warm for now- leather jacket.

I'm thinking, it might be a good idea to capitalize on the heat now before the cold months to come.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to ensure success at her exams, right ? ;)

x, K.

Sultans of Swing // Part II : Israel & Palestine

Israel and Palestine aren't safe.
Israel is full of arrogant settlers and the days go by in a perpetual fear of terrorist attacks.
As for Palestine, it is a dangerous place inhabited by violent, blood thirsty arabs.

At least that's what the media tells us so that must be the truth, right ?

Wrong, wrong and wrong !

This summer, we were fortunate enough to travel to Israel during our stay in the beautiful Sinai desert.
Sadly, we weren't there very long but it certainly left us hungry for more.



Jerusalem is very mystical.
Even the smuggest of atheist -I'm looking at you, Mr K.- will find himself fascinated by the religious history of the city.
The Via Dolorosa, a savant mix of Jesus and market stalls, was a higlight of our day.







So was our "swim" in the Red Sea.
You think you know what to expect when you dip a foot into the water but really nothing can prepare you to the surreal feeling of just floating there.
Also, look at how pretty the water is !


While I'm not a huge city person and definitely transform into a beach bum as soon as the temperatures allow it, I got the impression that to really get a feel of Jerusalem, you must go there for at least two weeks.
There are so many little neighbourhoods to visit on top of all the "must sees" that 14 days would not be a luxury !

While In Israel, we didn't get to see Tel Aviv (next time !) but we crossed yet another border into Palestine.
The avid newspaper reader that I am was secretly a bit worried.
I was making a jam of gloomy headlines until I didn't know anymore wether to fear a kidnapping or a bomb.
Turns out there really was nothing to fear in Bethlehem.



While it has a "phantom city" feel after the bustling excitement of Jerusalem, it is a really pretty city with a lot to see.
I am no hardcore catholic but seeing the place where Jesus was allegedly born was pretty special.
So was eating the best hummus/kefta of my entire life.



Again, we would have liked to have more time there and after devouring the lonely planet guide on the region and mentally bookmarking everything I want to see, there's no doubt that we'll be back for more !

I would advise anyone in the regio to check Israel out.
The only weapons that we saw were carried by teenage soldiers in Jerusalem and quite frankly, they were more hot than scary.

x, K.

Sultans of Swing // Part I : Egypt

This summer, we wanted to treat ourselves to an extra nice holiday.

Not only did we want to commemorate the end of an era (goodbye Bachelor, hello Masters Degree ! ) we were also celebrating 5 years together.

Mind you, we wanted to treat ourselves on a student budget so we searched the web until we found a sweet last minute offer.
Two weeks in a 5 star hotel on the Red Sea ? Yes please !

After feeling like bona fide pirates because we managed to smuggle some snacks on the plane + being fascinated all through the drive from the airport (who knew that the desert was soo pretty?) we arrived at our hotel right on time for lunch.
The second he eyed the mini burgers that were waiting for him to devour them, I saw Mr K. mentally pat himself on the back for choosing that hotel.
Once I was in the pool, sipping my Santo Libre, surrounded by the majestuous Sinai mountains, I made the decision to always let him pick our holiday destination from now on.
I always knew that there was more to him than his striking looks but boy, the man is a genius when it comes to holiday planning.

After a rather taxing summer, Taba really was the perfect place for us to go.
It is right on the border with Israel, in between the Red Sea and the desert, which allowed us to move around without having to spend hours on bumpy roads.
Don't let my battered clichés fool you , Egyptian roads were actually less bumpy than ours !

We certainly took advantage of that and in between days spent lounging at the beach, we took a trip across the border, rode quads in the desert and sailed on the Red Sea.
Even if we hadn't done all those things, the beautiful fishes and the clear water just in front of our hotel would have been reason enough to go there.
(Did I mention that from now on I'm letting Mr K. plan all our holidays ?)

A weird combination of locals in burkinis and obnoxious russians, the hotel clientele was very entertaining to watch.
As always we kept a very low profile and made sure to look no one in the eye for fear of being stuck with a "vacation friend".
Eating all your meals + sharing your beach umbrella with strangers ? No thanks !

Instead, we spent those two weeks in a little bubble.
No matter how young we are / our relationship is, sometimes, day to day life takes its toll and it was really great to have nothing else to do all day than to be in love.
Mr K is always cuddly and sweet but the extra attention felt reaally nice and if anything made me fall even more in love with my boy.
Take my word when I tell you that his blue eyes become out of this world when he's surrounded by water.
Also, babe, I'm sorry I almost drowned you by climbing on you in the sea but I had to : you're my shark-shield !






Those two weeks went by so fast that I was a bit disoriented when we got home.
The downside of looking forward to something for so long I suppose...
The fact that we lost about 26 degrees by the time we got there and that our days are spent running to classes instead of strolling from the beach to the poolbar probably plays a big role too in me feeling blue.
Speaking of which, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go cure my exotic paradise withdrawal with a big cuddle from my boy.

x, K.

Away we go !

Sunny Saturday.

Say that you're a 22 year old blonde with a knack for trying new recipes.

Say that the weather is gorgeous and that you have things to celebrate.

Say that your brother and boyfriend eat like horses and that your parents are two major foodies.

Say that you gather all those people at your place for lunch.

What do you do ?

Well you cook them this and this and then you go round the block for yummy cherry sherbet.

You put on this LP and sing along.


You spend a glorious afternoon and
once again
you find yourself wondering what you ever did to deserve to be surrounded by such amazing people.

x, K.

* * * * *

Next to our place, there is a beautiful park where roses always seem to be blooming.
There is also a very good Vietnamese take out place.

Tonight, we took candles and a bottle of cider and we ate a feast of Pho and Ga Xao Nam in the middle of the flowers.

Tonight, we picknicked in the park and I got butterflies in my stomach as I was enumerating to my Mr K. all the reasons why I've got him under my skin.

Tonight we celebrated 5 years of unconditionnal love and this day was just like those years : unforgettable, tender, and a bit magic.

I love you to the moon and back babe.

Yours always,

K.

Oh and by the way...

My family is the best too.

On Saturday night, my darling parents schlepped all the way to our place to treat us to a much needed break.
The prospect of it kept Mr K. motivated and, after a very productive day of studying, they whisked us off to a delicious Indonesian restaurant.

Seeing that this time last year we were planning to actually go to Indonesia, I couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic and miss Bali - and the amazing Alila Ubud hotel.

The melancholia soon faded though and we spent the evening stuffing our face with scrumptious food and sharing jokes.

It was exactly what we needed and I was so thankful to them for taking time out of their busy schedules to come spoil us.
Also, my baby brother was all dressed up which made me smile because every time I see my family, I always try to look my best too so that they're proud of me.

Just so you know N., if you're like me and that was your goal, I was very proud of you, as always.

If you're ever in Brussels, make sure to eat at Garuda and to get the Rice table, it's worth every penny !

x, K.

* This picture of the five of us makes me want to go back to Bali sooo badly !