What did you do this summer? Did you travel? Did you learn about new and interesting places? I always enjoy seeing photos from others taken during their vacations.
Not long ago, Marquee Brands Creative Video Director, Anduin Havens, traveled with her family to Europe, visiting 10 cities in France and Spain. For Anduin's husband, Cedric Durafour, it was a long awaited trip home to see relatives and friends. For her daughter, Harper, it was a first-time adventure to the continent. And for the three of them - a most enjoyable and memorable experience abroad.
Here are some of Anduin's photos, enjoy.
One of the first stops during Anduin’s European vacation was the medieval town of Carcasonne – a French fortified city in the region of Occitanie. The first walls were built in Gallo-Roman times, with major additions made in the 13th and 14th centuries.
Walking around, Anduin and her family admired the ramparts, or length of bank or wall forming part of the defensive boundary of a castle, hillfort, or fortified site.
This photo was taken of the sunset from their hotel room inside the city walls.
This was their view from their apartment in Montmartre, Paris – a charming hilltop district, which was once an artists’ village inhabited by Picasso and Dalí.
Here’s a photo of Anduin and her husband, Cedric in Place de la Bastille. They walked from here to the Eiffel Tower – a little more than four miles.
And here’s the famed Eiffel Tower seen from the Roue de Paris. The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889.
One of the dinners was at Madamoiselle Raymonde in Montmartre. They all devoured these delicious grilled sardines with ratatouille.
Cedric also enjoyed his carpaccio. Carpaccio is a dish of meat or fish, thinly sliced or pounded thin, and served raw, typically as an appetizer.
Day two of the trip included a visit to Paris’ la Basilica Sacré-Coeur. The Sacré-Coeur, consecrated in 1919, is one of the most iconic monuments in Paris. From the top, one can see the most beautiful panoramic views of the capital city.
Here’s a view inside the Basilica, where the ceiling is decorated with the largest mosaic in France.
Here is l’Arc de Triomphe – very majestic and imposing. Wanted by Napoleon in 1806, the Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated in 1836 by French king, Louis-Philippe, who dedicated it to the armies of the Revolution and the Empire.
Here is a a look at the vault inside the Arch. l’Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Under its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War, which was buried here in 1921.
This dinner was at La Couronne, in the lovely town of Rouen. Dinner was trout on a light pea puree, topped with fried zucchini.
Here’s a traditional French dessert: Millefeuille, which means thousands of leaves, referring to the many layers of the pate feuilletee or puff pastry.
There was also this gorgeous cheese offering. Many of these cheeses are aged for a very long time, adding to their texture and flavor.
On this day, Anduin and her family went to Mont-Saint-Michel, a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. They decided to walk from the distant parking lot to experience the pilgrimage. Since it was built in the 8th century, pilgrims have traveled much farther than that to see this wonder.
Here, they’re getting closer. Before the bridge was built, many travelers were stuck on the island or in the quicksands when the tide came in and encircled the Mont.
But it was all worth the long walk – such a gorgeous old town.
They escaped the crowded streets into this very narrow street in Mont-Saint-Michel. It was very helpful to have a native Frenchman as a guide. Cedric knows all the nooks and crannies.
This is St. Brieuc in Bretagne, where where Cedric grew up. Medieval houses were taxed on their footprint, so the upper stories overhang the street to gain more space without paying more.
In Bretagne, there is a castle near almost every village. Cedric’s family was amused at how fascinating this was for Americans, who don’t see castles every day. This photo is of Anduin, her sister-in-law Marianne, Harper, and her cousins Oceane, Maëlys, and Nolann.
Here’s another of the castle’s towers. It was originally built in 1220 and renovated many times, until the French Revolution.
This photo was taken in Le Feria in Dax, a southern city in France. This annual festival celebrates the day the Romans left the city. It’s a 5-day event that includes lots of singing, dancing, revelry, and bull fighting.
Everyone at the Feria wears white and red, and sings local songs while bands of musicians roam the city, entertaining the crowds.
The last city they visited in France was Toulouse, where Cedric lived before he moved to the United States.
This was lunch on the banks of the Garonne in Toulouse. Market-bought baguette, figs, melon, peach, foie gras en croute, Selles sur cher cheese, and saucisson a l’ail, a garlic sausage.
This is an ancient building in Toulouse, at an important crossroads: Le Quatre Coins des Changes – the Four Corners of Change.
This is the medieval city of Puycelsi. These sturdy buildings have been standing – through sieges, wars, and weather – for centuries. Now 90 families live here year-round.
Behind Harper is The famous exterior of La Sagrada Familia, a large unfinished church building in Barcelona, and the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.
Its interior is so dramatic and unique – Anduin was amazed. The basilica’s massive columns tower more than 200-feet to the ceiling. There are also huge stained-glass windows where sunlight streams through to the interior creating these colorful bands.
Anduin also got this photo of a storm over Barcelona. In all, their trip to Europe was packed with many stunning sights and delicious meals – they can’t wait to return. Thanks for the photos, Anduin.
Every year, I try to spend a few weeks - give or take - at my beautiful refuge in Seal Harbor, Maine. I always have a spectacular time with family and all my dear friends who visit. This summer, Chef Pierre Schaedelin from PS Tailored Events, and I, planned so many delicious menus. We all ate very well, feasting on foods from the local fisheries, the farmers’ markets, and my own gardens.
Here are more photos from Skylands.
We arrived at Skylands on a warm, but beautiful summer afternoon after flying from Las Vegas to see my new restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart in its last stages of preparation before opening. Skylands is so serene. This is the front of my home and the circular driveway with the tall hemlock and maples shading the entrance.
We always enjoy the freshest fruits up in Maine. Here, I brought up peaches grown in my Bedford farm orchard, blueberries from our bushes, and raspberries from Maine – all for this for a most delicious fruit cobbler by Chef Pierre.
On our first weekend, my niece Sophie Herbert and her family came to visit and we all enjoyed a great meal of traditional spaghetti and meatballs – it was perfect.
Here is one of our plates topped with parmesan cheese and of course a couple of sprigs of parsley from my garden.
On this day – avocado toast.
Baked sweet potatoes…
…and a cucumber salad. We had bounties of cucumbers this summer up at Skylands. They were so crisp and juicy.
On one side of my kitchen at Skylands on this large table, we keep all the utensils close at hand along with fresh tomatoes and fruits for easy snacking. My French Bulldogs Bête Noire and Crème Brûlée love to rest under this table – front seats to anything that falls their way.
Here I am with my dear friend and longtime publicist, Susan Magrino, who came up the week of my birthday. Here we are aboard Skylands II, my Hinkley picnic boat. We’re on our way to the Downeast Art & Antiques Show in Blue Hill.
This was the morning of August 3rd, my birthday. I enjoyed the best fried eggs with tomatoes and parsley from the garden – and the eggs are from my chickens, of course.
My housekeeper, Elvira, was also at Skylands this summer. She set the most gorgeous birthday table – such a lovely palette of tans and pinks with my flameless pillar candles available on QVC and white hydrangeas picked earlier in the day from my cutting garden. This table seats 20 guests – we planned a wonderful celebratory gathering with friends.
Here I am with Chef Pierre shortly before dinner. We’ve been planning delicious menus together for years – many of them right here at my beloved home in Maine.
My birthday feast included potato whipped with crème fraîche, topped with Osetra caviar and dressed with scallions from the garden. Osetra caviar is is from the Ossetra sturgeon which weighs up to 400 pounds and can live up to 50-years.
And then we had lobster tails and fresh homegrown beans and puréed carrots.
On another day, we enjoyed this peach lattice pie and peach sorbet – all homemade.
Another lunch at Skylands included this leek quiche, prepared by Chef Pierre. This was a huge favorite – not one crumb left over.
We also had tomato tart – such a great savory dish to make in summer when tomatoes are in season.
There was a fresh corn salad with green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes – all from Skylands.
And a platter of oysters casino.
Another favorite breakfast included these blueberry pancakes – fluffy and made to perfection using blueberries grown right here at Skylands.
I also served some meals outdoors – salads are always so refreshing. We served three different and flavorful salads. This is a tomato salad with onions and basil.
Here is a cucumber and tomato salad.
And here is a classic potato salad – every one devoured and enjoyed.
This is a kilo tin of osetra caviar – converted, that’s more than two pounds. My daughter, granchildren, and I shared this delicious Osetra caviar from Black Diamond.
And the next day, we went out for the best lobster rolls at Beal’s Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor – Jude and Truman approved.
Summers at Skylands are always among my favorite vacations spent with family and friends. I hope you are enjoying many gatherings with your nearest and dearest this season.
During my summertime stays at Skylands, my home in Maine, beautiful plants flourish outdoors and cut flower arrangements fill nearly every room inside.
I love decorating my homes with lush and vibrant plants and flowers. In Maine, we grow many of the flowers in a large cutting garden that's located in the same area as the vegetable garden. There are also many bold plants and gorgeous blooms in the planters and gardens of my large terrace - so many extraordinary botanical displays that capture the attention of all who visit.
Here are some of this year's photos, enjoy.
The lilies bloomed everywhere at Skylands this summer. The tall, colorful flowers filled my large terrace. This sphynx is out “guarding” the terrace for the season. She is one of two glazed terra-cotta sphinxes designed by Emile Muller. Émile first used plain ceramic products on buildings and industries. Then, in 1884 he developed the glazed terra-cotta, which he continued to use for many architectural decorations and art reproductions. The two are stored indoors and taken out as soon as the warmer weather arrives.
Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs and all with large, prominent flowers. The flowers are often fragrant, and come in a wide range of colors.
Here is a bright yellow lily growing in the terrace garden. When arranging cut lilies, handle them with care – they can bruise easily.
And don’t forget, lilies have heavily pollinated stamens, which stain, so before bringing them indoors, it’s important to gently pull the anthers with a tissue, or pinch them off with your fingers.
These succulents are planted in a long stone trough I bought several years ago from Trade Secrets. Notice the pink gravel used to top the soil surrounding these plants – it is the same pink gravel that covers the carriage roads at Skylands.
I always have agaves up at Skylands. Agaves are exotic, deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, and make wonderful container plants. It’s not easy dealing with giant, prickly agave plants. One must be very careful of one’s eyes, face, and skin whenever planting them. We planted this one in spring, when I come up to Maine for my traditional terrace planting weekend.
Another agave sits in this beautiful faux bois planter underplanted with ‘Silver Falls’ dichondra. This planter is extremely heavy – about four to five hundred pounds.
All the plants and flowers on my large “cracked ice” terrace are thriving despite the dry weather.
This is a ponytail palm, Beaucarnea recurvata – a species in the family Asparagaceae. It has a sleek bulb-like trunk with lush, long leaves.
This is the West Terrace. Every year, we always hang a series of fern-filled planters under the pergola – it adds such a lovely touch of greenery to the space along with the overhanging kiwi vines. These ferns, Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’, are among the most popular varieties with its frilly leaves and long, hanging fronds.
At Skylands, the vegetable garden and the flower cutting garden are in the same location, all protected by a fence. Everything is very well maintained and weeded – it is so pleasant to cut from this garden when we make arrangements. Here, one can see snapdragons, phlox, lilies zinnias, and in the distance, my gardener Wendy Norling.
Here is a beautiful collection of snapdragons. Snapdragons are great for arrangements as they last quite a long time. A palette of pink and white looks very pretty against the earth tones in this room.
Another bright snapdragon arrangement with yellow, white, orange, and pink flowers.
On this large table in the Living Hall is a basket fern I brought up from my Bedford, New York farm. Basket ferns are epiphytic or epipetric and are native to tropical Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania. It is sitting on a grand faux-bois cement table where I always like to display large plants and flower arrangements for my parties.
The hydrangea is among my favorite of flowering plants. It offers huge bouquets of clustered flowers from mophead to lacecap from summer through fall.
These turk’s cap lily arrangements are in a small alcove outside my dining room – so bright and inviting. They’re placed in Chinese export “Orange Fitzhugh” porcelain vases. Gorgeous arrangements don’t always have to be giant in size – the pair work perfectly here on this faux bois table.
On the dining room table, vases of rudbeckia with their bright, showy flower heads. Rudbeckia flower colors include yellow and gold, and the plants grow two to six feet tall, depending on the variety.
More rudbeckia blooms are used to decorate this brass coffee table in my living room. Rudbeckias are easy-to-grow perennials and include the popular black-eyed Susan.
And here is another large basket fern sitting on this faux bois table. I love faux bois, which means “false wood” in French. Faux bois refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. The craft has roots in the Renaissance with trompe-l’œil. I have many faux bois urns, chairs, and tables at Skylands.
And a vase of glorious pink lilies – simply stunning. On the wall are prints depicting the birds of Mt. Desert Island here in Maine by artist Carroll Tyson. What a lovely summer. I hope you’re still enjoying some of the wonderful colors of the season.
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