USA

Theme 42: Pennsylvania. A weekend in Gettysburg

There has been an exciting change my life! I am now a proud owner of a beautiful white fluffy samoyed named Enzo (full name is Enzo Sir Lancelot of Pine, because let’s face it, I would never be satisfied with just one name!). We chose to get our samoyed from the breeder White Magic Samoyeds, and going to Pennsylvania to pick up our puppy was a main reason of my road trip adventure.

I have never been in Pennsylvania before, but there were quite a few places I was dying to explore. One of them was Fallingwater House designed by world famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The house named “best all-time work of American architecture” was a little bit far from our final PA destination, so we opted to focus on exploring the city of Gettysburg and the nearby areas. 

If you follow me on Instagram or regularly read my blog, you might know that I am a big history buff, and as Gettysburg town played a significant role during the American Civil War, it has a great deal of historical monuments, wartime relics and is soaked with hair-raising ghost tales. Gettysburg also has this wonderful small-town charm, beautiful old Victorian style houses and one of the oldest inns in the whole America - The Historic Fairfileld Inn.

The Fairfield Inn that was built in 1757 was originally the Mansion House of Squire Miller, an original founder of town. The Inn is irresistibly charming and preserves all the flavors and details of the Revolutionary and Civil War eras. The Inn offers a few beautiful elegant and cozy rooms, but unfortunately, the Fairfield Inn was bully booked for the weekend we visited. I do recommend you to stay at the Inn (and I will certainly go back to do so!) as it is a unique and very romantic experience, and so much more intriguing than some little basic hotel room at a generic giant hotel chain.

Even though, Ben and I couldn’t stay at the Inn, we still wanted to explore it. Luckily the Inn has excellent dining options. We were lucky, and on the day of our visit there was a limited period dinner theatre experience, and I was obviously excited about it! 

The Inn was even more wonderful and detail-rich than I imagined, and as we arrived early, we had some great conversation with the host of the dinner theatre, Professor Kerrigan, who performs Civil War era magic, tells dramatic ghost stories, and is frankly, hilarious and fascinating at the same time!

The show was lovely, and truly gave us a little feeling of being immersed in another time. Food was beyond excellent! Don’t expect expensive fancy gourmet dishes as the Inn offers authentic, filling, delicious meals, that give you a taste of home. It is the kind of food your grandmother lovingly prepares specially for you when you visit, or what you imagine people eating on Christmas or big weddings in the 19th century. I had one of the most tasty soups I EVER had - a traditional Ham & Bean soup from the original recipe that was used to feed the Confederate Army in 1863! Then we tried Ribs and famous Chicken & Biscuits, that is prepared using the old recipe  passed through generations of innkeepers for centuries. But the absolute highlight of the my period dining experience was a freshly baked berry pie that I am craving every day since.

It was such a pleasant and warm visit, and now I really want to go back during Christmas time as they put out a beautiful Christmas tree and all the fireplaces are inviting you to warm yourself next to the crackling fire. How wonderful does it sound?

Discovering and sharing precious and under-the-radar places in America really gives me pleasure, and I can’t wait to explore more charming towns, rich with history and hospitality of their habitants. 

If you are interested to learn more about the historic Gettysburg, I recommend this history bus tour with an excellent guide (click here to learn more).

 


Week 14: Park City. Zara Dress, Sunflowers and the White Barn

Today I am sharing a perfect summertime look with you that was shot next to the famous White Barn in Park City. I bought this dress and hat from Zara a few weeks ago (how amazing is their new summer collection?!) and I think they go together perfectly. Hats have become my new obsession and I have purchased at least 6 new headpieces in the last two months, so be prepared to see much more new looks with hats soon :)

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Week 14: Park City. 4th of July Wild West Outfit!

Happy 4th of July!

Since July 4th is one of the most beloved US holidays, I have decided to dedicate this week to a very traditional, beautiful American town: Park City, Utah.

My husband spent a number of his teenage years in Park City (before living in Amsterdam and London) and his parents still live in there, hence, we visit Utah very often. I have grown to love this beautiful ski resort town with its magnificent, picturesque mountains, breathtaking sunsets and colourful, neat houses.

This week I am going to share a bit of Park City's history, my favourite places to visit (both in summer and winter), the best restaurants, and of course a few outfit photoshoots taken in this incredibly photogenic city.

This is my third 4th of July in the US. I celebrated the first one in 2014 in in NYC. Last year Ben organised a very romantic surprise getaway to Disneyworld in Florida (it was our first roadtrip!). The July 4th fireworks in Disneyworld were amazing and we made so many happy memories. And this year I am spending the 4th of July in Park City, where they hold a beautiful parade every year. I will add photos from today's celebration later!

The outfit I have posted below is not the traditional red, white, and blue you might have expected, but it has a Wild West feel to it which I love. I think the Stetson really suits me, what do you think? :)

My Outfit:

Stetson Cowboy Hat, White off the shoulder top (similar here and here), Denim shorts (similar here and here), Adidas sneakers.