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Travel Inspiration - England and France

11 August 2011

Sunny, one of our Floral Designers, went on jammed packed 10 day holiday visiting England and France.  It was a perfect blend of bustling big cities and quaint small towns - visiting old friends, taking in the sights and celebrating the wedding of a childhood pal.  She and her husband Mike hit some of the must-see tourist haunts like Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower but also explored local secrets.  Here are some of the highlights.

Starting in London, this curvilinear glass structure is London’s City Hall.  Designed by British architect Norman Foster with energy saving in mind, the idea behind its usual shape was to reduce the surface area.  Its angles were designed to maximize sunlight in the winter months and minimize during the summer. 

Moving on to Oxford, this was an opportunity to revisit the city where Sunny and Mike lived a few years back.  It was poet Mathew Arnold who named Oxford “the city of dreaming spires,” referring to the university’s harmonious architecture.  This perfectly manicured lawn is at Magdalen College.  Notice the gentleman meticulously cutting the grass, surprisingly without a ride-on mower.

With the rivers Thames and Cherwell running through the city of Oxford, punting is a popular summer pastime.

This lush poppy field is at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden - famous for being the oldest botanical garden in Great Britain and known for its classic yet contemporary style. 

Off to France, Sunny and Mike hit Paris and travelled to Alsace, north-eastern region of France. They visited Strasbourg, Oberhaslach and Colmar.  Affectionately known as “Petite Venise” or Little Venice, Colmar is a charming town with well-preserved streets and alleyways dating back to the Middle Ages. Sunny stands in front of the waterway which passes through the city. 

The last stop was to celebrate the wedding of Sunny’s longtime friends Celine & Matthieu.  Celine’s bouquet of lisianthus, stocks, roses, and foxtails is perfectly fitting for the picturesque landscape of Alsace.  She joyfully sits in one of Citroën most iconic cars, the Citroën 2CV – “deux chevaux”, just two horsepower! 

Thank you for sharing your travel adventures Sunny.

- The Pistil Team

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