foodie wednesday: sevilla, bite by bite

craig and i were lucky enough to enjoy a 10 day honeymoon in sevilla, spain and marrakech, morocco following our november 5th wedding.  now that we're back...and have thoroughly enjoyed a loooong thanksgiving break, i wanted to share some images from our amazing honeymoon abroad.

tapas & cheese

the cathedral

antique shop

breakfast

when in sevilla...do like the sevillans do : )

le torre del oro

sevilla is a fabulously walkable city - we didn't use public transportation once!  we were able to see all the sites on foot and enjoyed every minute of the high-60 degree weather - sitting at sidewalk cafés sipping sangria. 

chocolate con churros (the richest, thickest hot chocolate ever!)

inside the cathedral

pitcher of you-guessed-it

plaza de san francisco

walk by the river

goat cheese salad - yum!

the cathedral at night

me walking inside the cathedral

our favorite shop

champagne cocktails on our hotel's rooftop terrance

our favorite course from our 8 course dinner at az zait restaurant - fluffy goat cheese wrapped in crispy puff pastry in a caramelized onion reduction

another view of plaza de san francisco

inside museum

our hotel in sevilla - hotel casa 1800

i have to credit my husband (feels so weird, but so great to say that) with the honeymoon.  while i focused on wedding planning, he took the helm and planned the entire honeymoon - hotels, restaurants, excursions and all.  he did such a fabulous job, i may have to let him plan all our trips...

stay tuned for honeymoon part 2 - marrakech!

.

NC cousins' trip

this past week i was (back) in north carolina.  this time with all my cousins (from my dad's side), their spouses and kids.  7 cousins + 5 spouses + 2 toddlers + 2 babies = 1 amazing week.  we had a blast!

we stayed in a huge house (8 beds, 8 baths) in corolla (pronounced cor-ah-lah...not like the toyota sedan), nc in the outerbanks.  the place was awesome.  2 blocks from the beach, private pool, outdoor bar, hot tub and volleyball court.

the first morning, we met for breakfast at this great little local place.  sauteed veggies with scrambled eggs and a homemade biscuit!  hello, deliciousness!

4th of july was also my cousin, andy's, birthday, and we celebrated with a seafood feast.  fresh shrimp, clams and king crab legs all cooked to perfection.  fresh corn & boiled potatoes rounded out the menu.

me on the deck watching the storm

on wednesday, we went to a nearby wine fest put on by the local whalehead club.  $20 all you can drink and eat.  not a bad deal if you ask me...

craig & han (my little sis) at the wine fest

thursday morning, craig and i visited duck donuts - a recommendation from one of my guest posters last week, alice.  she said they make some of the best donuts she's ever had.  and boy, was she right.  craig and i shared a cinnamon sugar & glazed with some coffees and then brought back a dozen to share with the rest of the house.  powdered, bare, cinnamon sugar, chocolate, vanilla, maple & glazed.  the cousins loved them just as much as we did.  (thanks, alice!)

thursday evening, we headed out for seafood (again).  cajun mahi mahi and fresh tuna over black bean rice topped with a sweet corn salsa.  glass of pinot grigio.  waterfront dining.  perfect beach dinner.

craig & me

 saturday found us back at the whalehead club for a tour of the 1920s residence.  the enormous (21,000 square foot), art nouveau "cottage" now serves as a museum, and we thoroughly enjoyed our self-guided tour.

it was a week to remember, and we're all already talking about where our next cousins' vaca will take place.  since the outerbanks are about an 8hr drive, we're thinking we should maybe think of someplace a little closer as more and more babies join the crowd : )

car ride home

any suggestions for the next cousins' trip location?.

NC: round one

craig and i just got back from a lovely whirlwind trip to north carolina.  we flew down late tuesday night and flew back home saturday.  craig's aunt and (maternal) grandmother live in nc, and the rest of us (craig's parents, sister & her beau, his two aunts and their families) traveled down for a week at the beach.

we stayed on oak island.  it's about as far south as you can go in nc, before going into south carolina.  we had good weather - though it was a bit hot and humid and (unfortunately) we both came home with sunburn despite reapplying diligently.  the sun down there is hotter than at the jersey shore i guess.  (too bad i didn't bring more sparkle : )

i led yoga on a beach one morning which was a welcome change from studio classes, and craig spent much of his time ocean kayaking.

craig in southport, nc

wednesday found me and the ladies at david's bridal for mother-of-the-groom dress shopping.  we found a few great contenders.  (did you know that david's bridal now carries vera wang bridesmaids' dresses??!!)

ladies' lunch

and craig and i ended our week with a trip to a local ice cream parlor.  it was just too charming to resist!  the homemade scoops i opted for?  trash can.  yes, the ice cream i ordered was called "trash can".  vanilla with cookie dough, caramel swirl, cake batter, brownie bits, fudge, and...i can't remember the rest! in a divine homemade waffle cone dipped in chocolate.

on a funny note, we'll soon be leaving for nc: round two.  we're heading back down to corolla, nc for a trip with all my cousins.  it's gonna be a fun time for sure!

summer sipping:  barefoot wine's pinot grigio

this light, crisp wine is truly a bargain.  craig's sister & i enjoyed more than our fair share of a 1.5L bottle this past thursday.  (it goes down a bit too easily...).  it's great with grilled chicken or seafood.  make sure to serve it (very) chilled.  need more incentive to enjoy delicious (inexpensive) wine?  barefoot is committed to green initiatives and organizes beach cleanups to keep shorelines "barefoot friendly".  very cool.

how's summer treating you so far?.

gorgeous islands (which one to choose...)

craig sent me a link to the "world's most romantic islands".  omg they are gorgeous!  we still don't know where exactly we want to honeymoon, but we do know that we want a combo of culture/fun and super relaxation.  our thought was to split our time...5-7 days in one place then another 5-7 days somewhere else.  could be fun, right?!  that way, we could get the best of both worlds.  maybe touring california wine country for a week then heading south to a mexican beach for margaritas and coronas. 

bocas del toro, panama

so, grab a pina colada and let your mind wander to far off lands...

santorini, greece



laucala island, fiji



rangali island, the maldives



st. lucia, caribbean

ooh la la...so lovely...
any suggestions/recommendations for awesome honeymoon destinations?







for the complete article (and more pictures) click {here}

.