Château

I present to you the majestic, ethereal, unique Château de Sannes - a 17th centure hunting lodge near Aix en Provence, France.

A long private driveway, lined with plane trees and shaded by cherry trees underplanted with irises, leads to the peaceful grounds of about 135 acres, surrounding the château.
 

Enchanting formal gardens, abundant with cypresses and ancient Cedar of Lebanon trees, are framed by olive groves, a truffle plantation, wheat and lavender fields, and woodlands.  

 

While the house is exquisite, it's the grounds of the property which are the shining jewel, including a restored 18th century moulin (or windmill for those non-French-speakers).

Hope you enjoyed this petit voyage as much as I did. Let's vacation here. 

xoxo

Wanderlusting :: Outer Banks, NC

Centuries before the area became a vacation hot spot, the Outer Banks, a long string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, was the setting for a story unlike anywhere else in the US. In 1585, more than twenty years before the 1607 settlement of Jamestown, a group of English settlers forged a colony in the Outer Banks. By 1587, however, the settlers had inexplicably vanished. In the ensuing years the region witnessed similarly mysterious shipwrecks and sporadic pirate encounters along its extensive coastline...

 

I imagine someone wearing this outfit strolling down the boardwalk on a crisp autumn day. Sometimes I think there is nothing more peaceful than the beach when it's cool outside.

The treacherous seas off the Outer Banks and the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred there have given these seas the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Before bridges were built in the 1930s, the only form of transport between or off the islands was by boat, which allowed for the islands to stay isolated from much of the rest of the mainland. This helped to preserve the maritime culture and the distinctive Outer Banks accent, which sounds more like an English accent than American.

The islands are home to herds of wild horses which are thought to be descendants of Spanish Mustangs washed ashore centuries ago in shipwrecks.

Nearby was the home base of pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. It is also where the famed pirate was killed.

The rules are different out here. Shaped by nature just like the Outer Banks were swept in from the Atlantic Ocean. The first colonists to settle the Americas only to mysteriously disappear.

Wanderlusting :: Coastal South Series {1 of 4}

Life may be slow in Georgia's first-settled city, but Savannah is far from boring. Established in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe, today it is a city of moss-covered cobblestone lanes and a unique sense of southern pride. Walk down it's streets, and you're sure to feel the haunted history of this ancient city.

From the classic colonial square grid with quaint gardens (think Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and show-stopping fountains to the unique, unmatched local artist's market (the world-famous SCAD is located here), and too many tantalizing dinner options to choose from (Paula Deen's restaurant!), this big small town has a sense of charming cobblestone charisma that is not found anywhere else in the country.

Keep the artsy vibe flowing with this swinging dress from Free People. Colorful accessories and an oh-so-Southern monogram necklace ties everything together. And of course, every Southern belle needs a little Lilly in her life.

Savannah is a stunningly beautiful city that has somehow managed to hold onto it's history. It's not uncommon for buildings here to be hundreds of years old - something practically unheard of in this region.

Make sure to bookmark gardenia+glam and visit again next Thursday for the second installment of the Coastal South Series :)

xoxo

Wanderlusting :: Rio de Janeiro

Olá e bem vindo a Brasil...

Wanderlusting :: Positano

I Can Haz?

One word for this townhouse in the Montmartre quartier of Paris... charming.

At 3,300 sq ft, this townhouse seems small until you remember that this is right in the middle of Paris, where money does not go a long way. And the amazing outdoor spaces make up for any lack of interior room.

Look how tall those ceilings are!

I'm in love. Let's go.

xoxo

The Simple Truth

"Enjoy the little things in life."

It sounds so cliche, but there is so much truth in it! To me, anyways. I try really every day hard not to lose sight of what's important in life.. the little things.

I spent this past weekend camping and riding ATVs with the bf and some friends. We spent 3 days in the backwoods of Tennessee surrounded by gorgeous scenery. When I'm out in the woods, every little detail captures my attention. The way mini waterfalls appear after a heavy rain, the way certain rocks position themselves in a stream, the different plants that grow in different parts of the mountain.

We stopped to eat lunch near what appeared to be an old abandoned coal sifter. As always, I ventured away from the group (who were busy drinking their beers) and just wandered aimlessly, taking in my surroundings. Somewhere along the way, I found an old glass Coke bottle, faded and dirty from who-knows-how-many-years  sitting in the middle of nowhere. Thoughtlessly, I picked it up and wandered back to our group of guys. I showed it to a friend - "How neat is this? Look, there's even a tiny little snail shell on there!" He looked at me like I was crazy. "Uh, cool, Chels.." I sighed and threw the bottle back into the woods.

Why doesn't everyone appreciate the little things? It's what makes you happy, right? Maybe I am weird, and it was just an old Coke bottle, just a piece of garbage, but why not look past that and just appreciate the coolness of it?

Anyways, those are my ramblings for today. The pic above is Danny and me in Tennessee a few months ago.. I love that guy!

Love your life, don't take anything for grated
 and thank God for everything!

xoxo
Chels

Take Me to Paris

Every now and then, I start to get the itch... not that kind, but the kind where I'm dying to return to France.

The entire country, and Paris especially, is truly magical - the kind of life-changing experience you can only experience through travel.

Images via Pinterest, NatGeo, tumblr, and Etsy