when i’m home, the santa monica farmers market is always a must! i usually visit often in the summer but this was my first time going in the winter. i was pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of produce and i actually like it better this time of year because of the many vegetables, especially squash and carrots. it was also less crowded which is always a plus. do you have a local farmers market you frequent?
coffee and great conversations with friends are one of the things i cherish most about being home. casey and i met at milk+honey, a great local spot, and chatted and laughed for hours. the best part about this coffee shop (besides my other best friend ellie working there) is how beautiful it gets at dusk. this was my new camera’s first run and i’m so glad i got to capture these moments
i’m so glad i stumbled on this cute little cafe while i was in wellington! while wandering around on cuba street, my friend and i decided to stop here for a quick bite to eat and ended up staying 4 hours! the rhubarb and strawberry breakfast parfait was beyond amazing and the hot chocolate was good but it was no scopa, which is just a few doors down and still the best i’ve ever had! i’ll always have fond memories of this darling cafe.
while in wellington, i had lots of coffee but none came even close to flight coffee at memphis belle! back in college, i watched this video by these lovely people and thought the coffee shop in it was just darling! fast forward a few months and i found myself in this same coffee shop across the world completely by coincidence. when i first walked in, it seemed familiar but i didn’t know why. after a while, i realized it was the same coffee shop and was so excited! we ended up getting coffee and hanging out here everyday while in wellington. it reminds me so much of my favorite coffee shops like night owl or alta or gypsy den back home which added to the homeyness of this city. overall, if you ever go to wellington, memphis belle coffee is a must!
happy halloween everyone! because new zealand is on the southern hemisphere, it is spring right now which basically means i have had two springs this year. though spring is fantastic, fall is my favorite season. i’ve really been missing the falling leaves, apple cider and crisp air of autumn. but just because the weather is warming up doesn’t mean i can’t enjoy some of my favorite things about fall: halloween and pumpkin treats! i made these pumpkin spice cupcakes for my school’s halloween dinner and they were the perfect reminder of fall and extremely yummy! next semester, i’ll get my fall fix here in new zealand but for now, these cupcakes are helping to fill the void
wherever i go, i love to try different local cafes and coffeeshops. no starbucks or chain coffee shops for this girl, besides the starbucks in rotorua because 1) its the only coffee shop in town and 2) my awesome friend from church works there but anyways… while in napier, i went to groove kitchen espresso for coffee and lunch and it was fantastic! maybe the best coffee i have ever had (sorry intellegensia). the atmosphere was so chill and the cafe doubles as a disco club at night so they have a really sweet dj set up right next to where the coffee is made. overall, this cafe was an epic find!
