A variation on a poll we did in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Tell us about a summer vacation, any summer vacation: one you took, one you plan to take, one you'd like to take. And tell us about the perfume that best matches that vacation.
Or, as always, just talk about something else.
Note: top image is Polace, Mljet [cropped] by strudelt at flickr; some rights reserved.
No vacations on the near or future horizon for the Marzipans. SOTD is YSL Nu EDT
We have less planned this year than usual too, don’t know if we’ll get a proper family vacation or not.
I am not complaining though. Everyone is home this summer and I am enjoying quality time with the family.
Good!
We are going to ???????? Canada this summer
Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City
I have no problems visiting a country where the PM is easy on the eyes
A perfume to match? Any suggestions? Or any perfume or beauty products in Canada I must try out?
No, but be sure to eat Nainaimo bars. They are easy on the tongue!
Nanaimo bars! So yummy.
I had never heard of those — they do look quite edible
They make fudge look like a light dessert…
And they are so good
Something leather? You know your president thinks we don’t have shoes here
If you’d like to meet up for a sniffing expedition in Montreal, let me know.
Friends recommend Etiket in Montreal, where you can sniff Zoologist in its native habitat/country…
Zoologist, made in Toronto
Hi LTSG, I just HAD to tell that I downloaded my free kindle sample of ‘Freshwater’ and couldn’t put it down (1st chapter) before i went to sleep! Wowwwww! Thank you for the recommendation AND the warning.
I am so intrigued- I am purchasing it right away!
My perfume pick is to wear something from a very famous Canadian perfumer, and choose THE most classic piece of their body of work.
Paired with stunning shoes too, no doubt!
Good Morning AngelaB-
I am glad I gave a warning and you still decided to read it despite that. It took me about 3 days to finish the book, I stayed up late and couldn’t put it down, I just had to know what will happen to Ada!!!!??
Whilst visiting San Francisco in April, I went to my favorite bookstore Green Apple (I lived in SF for about 6 years) and asked them for some summer recommendations, Freshwater was one and the other I am waiting for the library to get in. The name is escaping me now but I will remember when I stop thinking about it
Shield your eyes from the new MP in Toronto…
I believe Quo is a nail polish brand (affiliated with Orly?) sold only in Canada. Might be fun to track some of that down.
The Quo line is at Shoppers Drug Mart. Canadian drugstores often have French skincare lines hard to find in the U.S.
I am currently enjoying a summer vacation from work. I teach art at a community college, but not this summer, thank goodness. I am staying at home, getting things done, and really enjoying having lots of breathing space and a multitude of unhurried moments. If this is what retirement feels like, then BRING IT. I am working out regularly, preparing healthy food, taking care of appointments that have fallen aside during the semester, organizing various spaces in my home, fixing stuff around the house (bathroom refreshes) taking online classes from Skillshare and Craftsy, and bonding with Otto Mi Gato. It’s kinda glorious.
Lisa D., I did this last summer. Good for you.
That sounds fantastic…hope the rest of the summer goes just as well.
I am also enjoying my summer vacation from teaching. I’ve been religiously exercising and cooking really yummy, healthy stuff – why is it so easy to be good to yourself when you have all the time in the world?
This all sounds so perfect! Enjoy your summer vacation from work!
Your summer “vacation” is making me tired! Can you come and spruce up the things in my house next, please?!
This actually sounds WONDERFUL!
I know just what you mean about retirement! Earlier this year, I spent a few days helping my elderly mother after she’d had minor surgery – hanging out the washing, gardening, going to the supermarket – and I realised I could quite get used to that.
That is exactly the type of vacation I need!
One winter we traveled from KSA to Seychelles.
It was over Christmas and the weather was perfect and summer like. There was little tourism there at all and on Pralin and Le Digue islands, not even any hotels. Just private homes that opened to dazzlingly blue and white.
I was a big wearer of Vivre and Fidji back then, but the scent that stays with me is this wonderful soap that was made from trees that grow there.
It was creamy and soothing after a day in the sun and water. I brought several packages home and wish I had kept one to remind me of the scent.
That sounds lovely — wonder what the tree was?
Robin, it’s s tree native to just one island called and a palm known as coco de mer.
The soap is made from the tree nuts and shall I say….looks like someone’s bottom? When made into soap.
Wow, looked it up and yes it does!
That vacation sounds glorious!
First of all I’m wearing Diptyque Tempo today. I got a sample from our dear Hajusuuri but just after this one wear I think it’s not a perfume for me. Smells very camphorous, mentholated and damp on my skin. Patchouli never was a ‘my’ note, so I kind of expected that.
Last year I spent my summer vacation in Italy, I was visiting different places for a few days: Milan, Lake Como, Genoa, Pisa & Florence. Lake Como was the most enchanting part and if I were asked last year I would have said Clementine California. With recent discoveries I take it back – Prada Infusion de Mandarine would be PERFECTION!
Italy! Beautiful
Indeed
WOW!
I have experienced Rome/Naples and environs but never go to Northern Italy. How wonderful!
There are lots of beautiful places in Northern Italy. Venice, Verona, Lake Garda and Lake Como.
I’ve been to these places and it was magnificent.
I will second Venice….magnificent and magical.
Sounds like Lucasai and I are on the same wavelength today . . . Mr. Spicebomb and I went to Italy on our honeymoon over Christmas, and I’d love to return to Sorrento and explore more of the Amalfi coast in the warmer months (although perhaps not August). I would bring Fico di Amalfi and any other lovely citrus I could!
This summer, I will go on my annual trip to the California Coast Redwoods, to hike and catch up with a dear friend. Typically, I just smell like natural mosquito repellant (Liquid-Net–which has mint oil, amongst other ingredients). However, if I were to pack a scent, I’d be tempted to bring something that would compliment the scents of woodsmoke, moist soil, and evergreens–OJ Woman maybe, for the hemlock? Honestly, the best ones would probably be from those PNW guys whose scents all smell like a lumberjack . . . what was that stuff?! . . . Juniper Ridge?
Today, I am feeling an urge to smell like cumin. No idea where that’s coming from. Might have to put on a dab of Femme or Jub 25 and see how it deals with the humidity.
Yes — have not been up there in years, but did think the things I smelled from Juniper Ridge smelled exactly like they were supposed to!
We’ll be spending a few days with friends in Sonoma in July. Wine tasting plus helping some friends with clearing fire damage (last fall) from their property. For daytime, I think my Carthusia Mediterraneo will be light and lovely in the warm weather and non-interfering (with the wine tasting). In the evening something clean and soft like Chanel 5 L’eau or OJ Osmanthus.
That sounds like fun *and* a nice help to your friends.
SotD is LL Bergamote 22, because: it’s Saturday and the ???? is finally out! Today is the kind of weather day I dream about during the depths of winter. Blue sky, low humidity, a gentle breeze…should I go on?! It’s perfect.
My summer vacation is pretty simple, and it’s always the same. To travel back to my home turf in the northern part of the state and spend a few days in the sun and water. Sitting in a lawn chair on the edge of the lake with my toes in the water watching my kids enjoy themselves and each other’s company brings me utter contentment. It may sound like a cliche, but I’m finding as I get older, my happiest moments are the ones spent in the company of the people I love. I truly enjoy my children as: people. ☺️
Oh, perfume! Usually I am smelling like sunscreen, so maybe some Olivine Atelier Amongst the Waves lotion after a shower at the end of the day.
Lovely and beautiful sentiments you have expressed. I feel the same way. A family is a great blessing ????
Thanks CM8. I totally agree, a great blessing.
Sounds perfect!
Thanks lillyjo!????
That sounds wonderful. Enjoy time at the lake!
Thank you sistine, we definitely will!????
Do you happen to live in Michigan? I just wondered because this sounds like my dream of summer vacation too. Or perhaps Minnesota? I think if you grew up going to the lake in the summer, that desire never leaves you and that remains your perfect image of a vacation. Even though I’ve lived in Houston over 30 years now, I still dream of those northern Michigan getaways. I hope to get up to the Traverse City/Manistee area myself later this summer (if I ever get the hip surgery done and recover)–in time for all the lovely fruits and lazy late summer/early fall days. Peaches, apples, cherries, mmmm. Lake Michigan. Too lazy to wear any perfume, just drinking G&T’s on the super-soft green lawns.
I’m in Wisconsin (Madison), but I grew up in Vilas county just south of the UP border. I grew up on a lake, and I think you are right, I am still so drawn to water. Fortunately Madison is surrounded by 3 lakes and we are very proximal to them all. We canoe and kayak quite frequently, and being out on the water is a happy place for me.
I hope you can make it back to Michigan to enjoy some rest & relaxation!
My husband grew up in Neenah and then Door County. He really wants us to get up to Door County – I’ve never been.
Omg, small world! We honeymooned in Door County!(25 years ago this August????) I was just out of college and my husband was still a student so it was a way for us to do a honeymoon on the cheap, lol. It is really pretty, you should go if you get the chance.
We did do a vacation up in Three Lakes and Eagle River. We were on Big Fork Lake but took a lot of trips through the boat hoist and lock. Lovely. What lake are you on?
My childhood home was on Van Vliet Lake and my parents sold that about 10 years ago and built their retirement home off the water. I went to high school in Minocqua, just west of Eagle River. That whole area is so beautiful in the summer.
This is a beautiful and happy thought about vacations!
????
Just about to book a flight to Greece and I’m gonna take (amongst several others!) a 15-ml bottle of Hermès’ Un Jardin en Méditerrané. Sorry if that’s a bit banal, but the flowery citrussy figgy cedary juice for me really does represent an abstract mediterranean garden.
What’s right is right! Sounds perfect to me.
I took Philosykos to Greece. Nothing beats smelling like a fig tree when you’re surrounded by them!
Have a great trip.
I love that Jardin. Enjoy your trip!
Thanks for commenting. It’s a tiny bit fruitier than what I usually like but it has all the ingredients of a garden
I can never get enough of Greece. They have a new law now that is supposed to speed up development of holiday resorts, allowing investors to privatise beaches… Let’s hope this won’t be too successful.
We lived in Glyfada for 2-3 years. I wept the whole way home when we left.
No vacations for me this year. I wish, I could stay home for a couple of weeks to rest and take care of many things tasks that are behind, but I do not even see that happening. It would be the perfect time to wear as many samples as possible from my huge sample stash.
I have very special memories of vacations in Italy and Thailand a couple of years ago. I remember wearing Corso Como and Vol de Nuit in Italy and Kenzo Amour Florale and Jour d’Hermes in Thailand.
Today I am wearing I Love les Carottes (thanks a lot Lisa D!) I am really enjoying and loving it. The carroty smell in iris perfumes is what I enjoy the most, so ILLC is just perfect. Are there any other perfumes with a pronounced carrot note?
Question: Does anyone know if when making an international purchase Paypal offers a better currency exchange rate than credit cards? I never see see the rate from the credit cards at the time of paying.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
I seem to get a better rate on my visa than paypal, this assumes your cc does not tack on a foreign transaction fee.
That is what I am trying to avoid, the cc transaction fee. I usually use Paypal, but wondering if that was not really worthy.
When using PayPal for international purchases, the charges still go through my bank. As I understand it, PayPal is just an intermediary. So you’ll get charged whatever rate your bank or c.c. applies. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works, if it makes sense.
Thanks, it makes sense to me.
Does your job give you vacation time? Or is it, that they do and make it difficult to actually take it? I know you certainly work for it! Hope you get some soon.
Yes, they do. But, it is difficult for me to take many vacation days in a row, since I keep using them here and there during the year. Nothing that I can avoid. Life…
I hope you have a supremely relaxing weekend.
Thank you!
Haven’t researched this lately, but it used to be that American Express, hands down, was the cheapest exchange.
Good to know. Thanks!
Capital one zero exchange
Some day when the dogs have gone on to their reward the husband and I will take a trip to Scotland. I will wear Creed Aberdeen Lavender and Profumum Fumidus. Lots of distilleries will be visited.
PSA: Luckyscent 15% off coupon this weekend, code VIPCUSTOMER. Happy shopping!
Thanks for the PSA. Very tempting. I am sitting very hard on my hands now….
I got that email too. Must resist.????
Oh, dear – I mean, yay!
Thanks for the PSA. I am apparently a less important person yet I may still use that code. ????
You are naughty
**slaps down hand**; I’m out (in a Kramer-esque fashion). I broke down and sprung for that bottle of Orris Tattoo. Thanks for the code!
We don’t normally go anywhere in the summer as people want to come to visit here. My niece is coming out on a camping trip here with her hubby and 2 little ones; so I’m looking forward to that. We will visit many local wineries and head to the beach! And I will make her some raspberry white chocolate cookies (her favorite).
Oh boy. I looked back and saw cazaubon thought it was very good, but other than a review by Mark Benkhe, I didn’t see much of anything else. It’s not even in Fragrantica! But yet…I feel a need for a hajusuuri sample.
It sounds like it should be fantastic. Enjoy your ‘sample’ if you get one. ????
No vacation plans for me. I haven’t been on a real vacation since I was a kid. My dad would pack us into the car at 4am and we would drive to Massachusetts to see his sister and my cousins, then the next year, they would come see us. My perfume at the time was anything I could play with on my aunt’s dresser. I stopped at Sephora today, so my sotd is a mix of Tom Ford White Patchouli and Noir pour Femme. They actually work well together.
I remember well the family road trips to see cousins!
This summer I’ll be in Florida in August (yikes!) on a big family vacation to Universal and Disney World. It’s to celebrate my nephew’s birthday on August 10th. Don’t know what I’ll be able to wear in the heat and humidity. On the other hand, today I need to wear something warming, because it sure doesn’t feel like summer. Yesterday it only got up to 60F! Maybe Absolue Pour le Soir.
Since our weather is about the same as Florida, I’d recommend most scents that are light and citrusy for your trip, and I also like to wear Fils de Dieu and Jacomo #8. In fact, just sprayed all my nice clean bedding with the former to freshen up the room. Keep in mind that they’re probably like here and keep things super-freezing in the a/c, so you always must bring a jacket or light sweater along wherever you go!
I’m wearing Dzongka today. It smells so fantastic on a warm day, and this is the first time I’ve tried it in the heat. Yay!
We’re going to Germany for two weeks and later in the summer we are renting a beach house in the Outer Banks with my husband’s family. (We rented a beach house with my family last year.). I echo madtowngirl’s sentiments about cherished company – the family time is really a gift.
For Germany, I’m planning to take Eau des Merveilles because and one more travel spray – probably either Santal Massoia or Osmanthe Yunnan. For the beach? Maybe Eau des Merveilles again or else a jasmine perfume. However, I don’t really wear a lot of perfume at the beach.
Have a wonderful fragrant weekend!
You smell wonderful, I love Dzongkha. Your vacations sound lovely too! We are planning a trip to Vancouver Island this fall. It will not be beach weather though.
I love Vancouver Island! I tried to convince my husband to have our wedding there. He had to gently tell me that not everyone thinks a Canadian beach in January would be a great place for a destination wedding.
LoL! The vast majority of my beach time is spent in pants and sweatshirts, not bathing suits, so that idea doesn’t put me off, but I acknowledge that it’s not what most people prefer.
Thanks for commenting. It’s a tiny bit fruitier than what I usually like but it has all the ingredients of a garden
I can never get enough of Greece. They have a new law now that is supposed to speed up development of holiday resorts, allowing investors to privatise beaches… Let’s hope this won’t be too successful.
Ooops, sth went wrong here… that comment was supposed to appear under my own post above. Here I wanted to say: LOVE all your choices! I find them all addictive – and quite exotic for Germany
Being German I’m always surprised people actually choose Germany as a holiday location, but I’ve heard tourism numbers are going up. Hope you enjoy your trip. I decided for Timbuktu but want to get Dzongka as well, even though the cumin can get a little bit overwhelming.
We’re going to Germany because my husband is going to a conference there, but we were super excited when we heard it was being held in Germany. He was there once in his 20s, and didn’t want to leave.
I’m so excited! I love big cities, great museums and walking for hours. I have one of that where I currently live, so I am eagerly anticipating my time exploring Munich and Berlin.
Trying out Diptyque’s Tempo today and damn, I’m loving it.
Green patchouli with violet. Seems complex and a shapeshifter. Pleasantly impressed.
I loved it too. Wore it for five days straight. Saving the rest of my very large decant to test in cool weather
I sniffed this on a card at the store and thought meh but goes to show how perfume blooms on skin.
Resistance is futile. It was love at first sniff for me and I have a bottle to prove it ????
Same!
I loved it at first sniff. Held off for several months, but a Saks discount code broke my willpower! No regrets. ????
Mmmmm, sounds wonderful, can’t wait to sniff it!
Hey all.
I take a lot of weekend vacations in Oregon- this state is large and diverse in landscape and in weather, so I get to really explore and yet be back to work during the week. During the summer in Portland, there are festivals almost weekly as well, so I am not really tempted to leave OR during the summer.
For festival season I have my Cap Neroli and Lust for nighttime clubbing , but during the hot, hot days 4711 and Florida water does just fine!
One of my best friends of many years has just moved to Portland to be near her family. I’m very sad to lose her, but look forward to going out to visit her there sometime this year!
I am happy that your friend is here. Wee have our issues. But it is lovely here!
Cap Neroli is a really well-done citrus/orange blossom scent! I love the very herbal opening.
It’s really excellent and I am so happy I took a chance on this. So far it has been the perfect scent for spring and into summer.
I’m likely repeating myself, but I have to shout out for Oregon. I have many happy memories of summers spent around Ashland and Rogue River. Such a beautiful place.
Oh – but that is my favorite part of the state and my favorite place for a good weekend away. Rogue river rafting, vineyards and Shakespeare- what more could you ask for?
I’ve been enjoying my purchase of a couple of days ago, an impulse buy, which breaks all my rules! I went to the Wellington launch of an Australian line that has been around for a few years, although I’d not heard of it till recently, Map of the Heart. A combination of factors led to the purchase – a very nice perfume, the feeling it was timely to make a purchase after attending a few events at the same place when I hadn’t bought anything, and the bottle design. After my recent health event, a bottle shaped like an anatomical heart seemed so appropriate. I bought No 4 Gold Heart, it’s milky and spicy, and not too sweet.
I don’t have any holidays planned, but I will be away for a weekend in August for a relative’s 90th birthday. That’s an occasion that requires some consideration of an appropriately grand perfume
Sorry to hear about your health event, but very glad you purchased a bottle of perfume for yourself. It definitely sounds like you were due.
Those bottles are so unusual — congrats on your new buy, and wear it in good health.
Sorry about your health event, but glad you bought a special perfume to enjoy. Every day is precious!
I hope you enjoy your new perfume in great health.
90 years! Wow! The world has changed so much since 1928 – imagine being a witness.
Milky and spicy sounds divine!
SotD = Apres L’Ondee
Mljet is beautiful, love that photo up top. Robin, are you imagining travel to that part of the world? I googled it and am now smitten with the idea of visiting Croatia.
Current dream vacation destination for me is Japan. I would like a month, please, with visits to Tokyo, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, and Shikoku. Time for udon, mochi, pachinko, shopping, long walks in mountainous national parks, respectful visits to shrines, Mount Fuji, a quiet ryokan, and furry fun on a cat island. I would wear Apres L’Ondee. I often think of rain and flowing water when Japan comes to mind.
I have done stupid amounts of armchair/google search travel of Croatia. Never actually been there, but gosh the pictures are amazing.
Agree, the pictures of the coastal towns in Croatia make me want to spend a whole summer there.
I would love to go. My sister has just returned to the US after 3 years in Montenegro and I’m sorry I did not make it over, they really enjoyed the area, & the range of places they could go for a weekend was just amazing. But also came to mind because I was watching a rather silly show yesterday about a retired couple moving to Croatia.
Was it Escape to the Continent or House Hunters? I yell at the tv when those shows are on and my BF just laughs at me!
Escape to the Continent!
And adding — also happy to join you on the trip to Japan!
We’d have a great time with all the sights and sniffing, whether in Japan or Croatia. ;D
Japan is my dream vacation, too. I want to see temples and gardens and visit an inn with great food and hot springs in the countryside. My scent would be some magical discontinued Shiseido perfume–or any other vintage perfume find–that I discover in a dusty old shop.
oh, yes, that’s the perfect trip.
Have you ever played pachinko? I could never figure it out. And pachinko parlours are SO noisy!
Writing this will make people think I have a dysfunctional extended family and that would be the right conclusion.
A memory – one of my uncles took me and some cousins to a race track when we were all probably in the 8-10 years old range. I remember being in an area with Pachinko machines and playing with them. I think we were all fascinated by the sounds and lights. None of us had any money but we were somehow able to keep playing!
One of my oldest friends is a Baptist minister’s daughter. As a little girl, she used to go on “excursions” with her paternal grandfather to “pet some horses”. The excursions came to a sudden end when her father found her little black book which documented all the bets she and her grandfather had made, and which horse won, placed or showed in each race. EVERYBODY has a dysfunctional extended family.
That just sounds like an awesome family to me!
Ha! LOL
My mom took me to the races a few times when I was a kid. I thought it was really fun!
When I was a child I had a neighbor family that was from Japan via Hawaii. They loved pachinko, took my sister and I to play at parlors with their own kids, and even had a machine in their garage for many years. So fun! and noisy!
I love the sound of pachinko! As soon as I get to Japan and hear it a huge smile appears and doesn’t leave the entire time I am there.
BTW the book Pachinko was one of the best I read last year.
It is a happy sound. Thank you for mentioning Pachinko (the book). I’ve requested a copy from my city library. ;D
I have a Croatian friend whose uncle owned a resort on the beach, which is where she spent her summers. We met around 2000, so just shortly after the war, and when she waxed rhapsodical about the beauty of Croatian beaches I was dubious. I know it has become a popular tourist destination since then, which is heartening.
The photos I found are beautiful. I like to hope the beach towns of Croatia are popular enough so they can be enjoyed and don’t yet feel like they are being loved to pieces.
tiffanie, I’m done testing the Kyse sample package – want me to send it off to you? There’s plenty left for testing, and maybe clarissa would want in, as well.
Lisa D! That’s a very kind and generous offer. I would love to try them if mailing them is easy. I am in the US, are you? and I would be happy to send them along to clarissa.
My g mail is my nst user name plus the word “darling” with no spaces.
Yes, I’m in the US – emailing you now.
No vacation plans this summer…other than doing as others have needed to…clear out parents’ house. I’m hoping my husband and I can have a fall get away a bit. My favorite fall vacation is Lake Tahoe. I don’t wear much scent there, because I love the smells up there so very much. The Sierras are just so entwined with my childhood that I simply breathe easier there.
Wore Le Temps d’Une Fete to lunch with a group of women friends – yes, I had the fried chicken. Great time. Now I’m going to have a slice of the fresh peach tart I made last night. First time! And it was so easy and is delicious. I scored major points with the husband.
Tahoe is a special place. The smell of the air and the clear, clear water are unforgettable.
It is gorgeous in all seasons!
Congratulations on your peach tart! Many people are intimidated by baking but it’s not that hard. I have a pound cake in the oven right now.
I’m not intimidated by baking but it takes more precision than I’m sometimes capable of – and it’s messy. Cooking, on the other hand, is easy for me. I don’t have to think much about what I’m doing. If I baked more often, I might feel the same way about it. But I’d rather put my efforts into finding a good bakery
This was seriously easy – I would say just about fool proof. Fresh peaches but the pie dough was pre-made. So, I guess I could say I “assembled” a peach tart… ????
Yes, that’s just about my speed. Sounds delicious!
Tahoe is so beautiful. I wish I still lived relatively close to it.
So glad that you over came your apprehension and gave pie baking a try????????
My vacation is coming up soon! We’re going to England to visit our son in Liverpool and then, somewhat randomly, to Stockholm just to hang out for a week and explore. Would love to hear any recommendations people have! We love to walk. (Yes, we will take a day trip to the archipelago.)
I will be taking some perfume with me, but I have no idea what yet. Something easy to wear while walking around a lot? Lately I have been obsessed with vintage Eau de Caron, which is herbal and floral and sweet, probably an EdT version of Alpona, and just so wearable, at least in California. But I have no scent associations with Sweden, as of yet. After Sweden, I will be returning to England and at that point there will be some vintage Chamade waiting for me
Liverpool and Stockholm! How marvelous, I can imagine it will be a wonderful trip for you. I would love to travel in northern Europe. I am descended from Danish, Dutch, and UK grandparents. It would be amazing to see and feel those family roots.
So far, my favorite place of all three of those roots of yours is Copenhagen. That was the most beautiful, magical city (castles in the middle of the city center, etc. along with canals and all that) with so many interesting things to do. If you get a chance to go there, do! I don’t find England so exciting, but I lived there for a couple of years in the 80s.
Also, Amsterdam is very picturesque and fun, so walkable and with great museums, etc. but I just found Copenhagen more exotic and magical
Amsterdam’s flower market and Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens are both on my wish list. I will see them one day.
Isn’t Byredo a Swedish company? Perhaps they have shops you can visit. Might be fun.
Thanks! I’ll see what I stumble on as I’m out exploring. We have Byredo in San Francisco, and so far that’s not a line that agrees with me. Pulp is so fun, but I can’t imagine actually wearing it on a regular basis. Maybe a nice soap from them?
I’m having dinner with a friend tonight who just got back from Liverpool. She was visiting friends there, and had great things to say about the Titanic Hotel, if you’re looking for a place to stay.
Thanks! We are all set for accommodations. I actually prefer to stay in apartments so we can have some of our meals in and have a living room to hang out in with our son. Fortunately I found a really nice place just a few blocks from where he lives and right next to Sefton Park.
Not perfume-related…Vasa Museum on rainy day. There’s a photography museum too but I only went in to take a break from walking around the shopping street and it was on the way to the cruise ship.
Vasa is beautiful.
Thanks! I will check it out. Actually I didn’t mean perfume recommendations anyway, so I’m glad to have this.
You might want to look into Agonist Parfums since that’s a line created in Sweden. They are carried at the big NK store in Stockholm, which is a must-visit in any case. I’d like to go there to see all of those expensive Swedish glass bottles that have been especially created to go with each scent in the line. When I’ve seen them for sale in the US, at Neiman’s for example, they’ve had one or two of the fancy bottles, and they’re exquisite. I’d never pay for one of them, of course, but fun to see and they probably would have them all in that store. I also like several of their scents including Isis, Nordic Noir, and The Infidels. I have no idea whether they’d be a bargain or not–maybe they carry them in duty free at the airport.
Thanks! Sounds like a fun idea.
One of my best vacations was several days on Langkawi with my family while we were visiting my dad on Penang. We stayed in a beautiful hotel a 2 minute walk to a pristine and empty beach, and our room had a view of the ocean in the distance and monkeys in trees in the near ground. My youngest was recovering from his long illness so we took things slowly, but with trips though the forests, the marine park, sky bridge (I am not great about heights so my kids got a good laugh at me)… we even saw a flying lemur (which if I recall is not really lemur, and technically it is not flying but sort of hang-gliding)–loved it.
For a whole host of TMI reasons, I am having a very dull summer broken up by a few days in Orange County for a conference providing information and succor to parents who’s children were recently dxed with the neurological condition that my younger son has (will be as fun as it sounds), and said son’s second orthopedic surgery in mid July, which will have him convalescing in our living room for about 6 weeks. Ah well, the “rent” I am paying for a happy and safe existence. (Do you know Marion Wright Edelman’s quote? “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.”)
On this very warm day I am happily reapplying my Concentre De Pamplemousse Rose. Soon I’ll start making dinner for old friends who are visiting. On the menu is the watermelon and tomato gazpacho someone here posted. Tried it the other night and got the family’s seal of approval.
I did not know that quote and it made me feel better today. Enjoy your night with friends Oakland Fresca!
It made me feel better too.
I was at some event, probably 20 years ago, when someone who was speaking quoted Ms. Edelman. I cannot remember the event, or the speaker, but I remember the quote.
My other favorite quote, in the same vein, is from the Sayings of the Fathers (ancient Jewish ethics text):
“The day is short and the work is great. . . It is not thy duty to complete the work, but neither art thou free to desist from it.”
Oh, interesting. I will think on that one today.
Thank you for sharing that quote. It’s really inspiring and thought-provoking.
Your soup sounds yummy. I hope you had a great night with your friends.
Beautiful quote. Need to keep that one.
Langkawi is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to was on Langkawi. And hands down, the BEST coffee I ever had was in Malacca.
I hope all goes well with your son’s surgery. Count me in as another who likes that quote.
Malacca! What a crazy wonderful soup pot of humanity. Loved it! And I too had a very good cup of coffee there, now that you reminded me. My son had written a paper on Zheng He that year (he was in middle school) and was out of his mind excited to visit one of the explorer’s famous ports. If Zheng He doesn’t ring a bell, it is worth googling him for a little mind blowing.
+1 for Oakland Fresca and
+1 for Marion Wright Edelman.
Thank you for sharing.
I’d love to go home for summer vacation (OK, I’m retired, so I’m always on vacation….) and head to the beach. Either the Oregon coast or the Washington coast, either will do nicely. Scent will have to be from memory, since it is long gone, but it would be Ava Luxe’s The Beach, which is a cold water beach, not tropical or fruity at all, just salt spray and sand.
Robin, didn’t you once say on of the Imaginary Authors’ scents was similar to The Beach?
I am sorry, I don’t remember the conversation and don’t remember ever smelling that AL scent. Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen!
It’s also entirely possible that I mis-remembered it!
Sotd: Shalimar Legere
Favorite family vacation was when we rented a house on Staniel Cay in the Exumas. Spent the week boating, fishing, and snorkeling. It once was a quiet little island that has changed dramatically in the past 10 yrs. Good for the local economy though. I would take a decant of vintage Dune- dry and serene.
I went to Great Exuma this January and it was Gorgeous – and quite empty. Never more than 10 other people on a beach. And that sea, wow!
Yes, the beaches on Great Exuma and Stocking Island are spectacular! Not a fan of the changes that Sandals brought but it’s been good for the economy.
Ah, I avoided the Sandals side. It was quite low key everywhere, and I loved the food in these little fishing restaurants.
Also I wore Atelier Cologne all throughout – a citrusy discovery set of 8 perfumes!
I, too, have that discovery set eventhough I have FB half of the scents.
I wore Shalimar Legere last night (from the decant you gave me – thank you thank you thank you!) and it was sooo very comforting and beautiful.
You’re welcome! For some reason I don’t think of wearing it in the summer. I need to start!
It’s foggy and damp, so I’m wearing Gris Clair.
Perfect match! I like to wear it on foggy, cool days too. You smell fabulous!
No vacations on the horizon– but recently, I’ve had the goal of meditating for 15 minutes each day, which is supposed to be a sort of daily vacation from my own mind and the hurry-up-ness of life (meditating sounds cheesy, but it’s quite the opposite: it feels like real work). What does this sort of vacation smell like? Sycomore.
Wearing Baccarat Rouge today. It’s one of those odd fragrances that I don’t like but keep reaching for, and then keep sniffing my arm. It reminds me of *something* but I just can’t put my finger on it. On my skin, it’s incredibly sweet, but I think it would make a terrific and near-vulgar masculine. Does it remind anyone else of something? Not sure if it reminds me of a fragrance or of something from real life. It smells incredibly familiar.
Something sweet and sweaty, like eating dessert at the gym?
I get a very strong burnt sugar vibe from it. It doesn’t bother me, but it does make me think of torching creme brulees.
And are you sticking to your goal? I do meditate but do not seem to be able to make myself do it every day. Somehow it is just like yoga — I feel so great after but that doesn’t necessarily make me do it more
I am mostly sticking to it— I’ve only missed a couple of days in the last 3 weeks. What has helped is placing a hand drawn monthly calendar on the bathroom wall, where I log my meditation and miles run.
Also, when I switched to starting with tonglen and focusing on on my intention for the day for a couple of minutes at the beginning of a meditation session, I stopped being so absolutely terrible at meditating, and it became less mentally painful. Figuring out a way to make it less painful certainly changed my ability to sit down and do it. Also, I carved out a specific time of the day (before work). I’m in a rush to leave, so I feel the tug of self-created urgency towards business, but that reinforces why I am doing it: to be more mindful of thinking patterns.
May you similarly find a system to make meditation work for you!
Thanks — maybe a physical calendar would help me more than my digital one, and I will look into Tonglen!
SOTD = TF Vanille Fatale
…from a sample and then I included it in a package I sent off!
And now I am in a melange of scents from decanting. W00t!
Summer vacation – I decided to not go on a cruise this year; instead, I am spending 4 days in the Berkshires in MA. The highlights are performances at Tanglewood (we’ll attend 3), regional theater, political satire performance, private musical performances and lectures.
I have an unclaimed freebie – the Perfumista nightmare pack, best for someone willing to rehab perfume sludge. U.S. only, not responsible for replacing if the package goes astray. Dibs here and send me an email (click on my name to get the email address). You’re welcome to dibs if you had posted in either a SOTD or Lazy Weekend Poll anytime in June 2018.
This past week was one of the worst commuting weeks I’ve had in a while. Some people are really just selfish a-holes — the pole hogs who have absolutely no sense of space. Anyway, I amused myself by observing what people wear or carry and boy, do I have two eye-searing items to tell you about. I will need to see if I can find pictures; you can judge for yourself. I will post them separately.
hajusuuri – thank you for sharing these commuting woes. You manage to make me laugh AND remind me that I don’t *really* have a bad commute, though I complain about it every day (40 minutes to work in traffic that makes my teeth hurt, but at least it is in the privacy of a car). Looking forward to the pics!
I could drive in and without traffic, it’s about 35 minutes…but on a bad day it could be over an hour. Going home would definitely take at least an hour as the traffic is bad for a good portion of the rush between 5 and 8.
I would take transit any day over car–I can read on transit, but not while driving.
Here’s one of items: gold knee high gladiator sandals. To each his own; you would never see me wearing this. The woman wearing it was on the short side and the cris-cross was very sloppy.
https://goo.gl/images/PRQyGV
I’ll confess I really love the gold gladiator sandals, and kind of covet a pair for myself.
I guess the commuters in Montreal are more civilized, never had any real complaints here. Your commute in a car sounds exactly like mine in San Diego, but with no public transit to speak of, I had to take the car and just grit my teeth.
As odd as it may seem, I would take the pain of public transport over driving. I get too stressed out with driving more than 30 minutes.
Dibs on sludge! Emailing you now…
Heh! May the sludge be with you. I found more…some are not sludgy…just Smell Bent 4 (or 5) mL samples that I keep buying but forgetting to try…they’re half (or less) the original volume so could be intense if not rehabbed.
Thanks Hajusuuri! I’m excited
Enjoy the Berkshires! We’ve been up there a couple of times in September just as the leaves start – so after the summer folks and before the fall color folks. It’s great up there. So close and, as you said, so much to do.
The group tour with the Newark Museum is always the first Thursday to Sunday after July 4th. I stopped joining this group tour since I started going on cruises (the past 6 years) so looking forward to a music / performance intensive long weekend.
I recently got a sample of Vanille Fatale and I’ve fallen for it. I really need to stop sampling things. ????
I am on an Orange Bloasom, Nèroli Petitgrain search, and will let you know what I discover. As we speak I am about to sample Guerlain Nèroli Outrenoir and am waiting for that 15ml bottle of PdN Cap Nèroli to reappear on Twisted Lily (as the Grinch’s fingers drum impatiently) !!! I also desparately desire Eau du Soleil Blanc (TF) And Grimoire (Anatole Lebreton) and if I must confess I am soooo curious about Secret Jol’y (Orizia Le Grand)!!
I do not understand the love for Eau du Soleil Blanc. It smells exactly like non-perfumed sunblock from the 80s; it doesn’t have any of the floral/coconut loveliness of scents like Bronze Godess or Terracotta. It smells like a *functional* product! IMHO, TF must be laughing his way to the bank.
Speaking of floral/coconut loveliness, have you tried Olivine Atelier Amongst the Waves perfume oil? It’s a lot like Bronze Goddess, it’s really yummy and easy to wear.
I’m guessing that’s exactly why people love it!
Ha! Maybe so!
I’m from Florida (and still spend 3 months of the year there) so I want a functional product that *doesn’t* smell.
Conversely, one of the beachy frags (Fire Island maybe?) smelled exactly like the scented suntan lotion in a brown container that my grandparents had, when I was a child and would spend my weekends in St Augustine. Now *that* is a fragrance that I can understand the love for!
It’s either Coppertone or Hawaiian Tropic…maybe
I wish I could find one that smells like Bain de Soleil’s Orange gelee (70/80s) That is my ultimate suntan lotion scent!!
Could that have been Sea & Ski? I think that one was in a green-ish bottle. Man, that feels like just yesterday!!
My absolute favorite Neroli is Annick Goutal’s in the cylindrical bottle! Dilettante is very heady and lovely too. Finally, California Rêverie is just summer sunshine in a bottle!
I couldn’t reply re: Bain de So!eil on the other thread but I found some actual gelee (in a tube) at Rite-Aid not too long ago, maybe a month. I use it for the scent on my legs and arms.
Excellent! I assumed it was no longer made. I’ll have to track some down!
Thanks Laura!!! I may pull a discount sample off the net this weekend- it’s a busy place for
deals!
And Neroli Outrenoir is exquisite! Elegant and ethereal.
I have waited months ro get the SA’s to find a sample!! Yay Neimans!!
SOTD YSL Nu EDT. I plan on wearing it for the entire week but will just have to figure out how to tie it into the CP on Friday.
I like the idea of wearing one scent the entire week – I might try that – I would probably pick up on different facets
Yes!!! DO IT !!!!
I really love getting to know a fragrance through multiple wearings. Once you try one week you might decide to go one month (or do what I did two years ago and wear the same fragrance daily for two months straight!)…..it definitely can change from day to day and you DO pick up different facets.
And it is even more fun when it is a fragrance you are not familiar with at all (as in a very kind NSTer sent me this bottle out of the blue as a surprise and turns out I really like it
)
Yeah, I love this too!
Another thing– wear the same fragrance for a week, and wear a *different* fragrance at the same time, one per day, to compare it to. This works great if you like to spray frag on the back of the forearm, so you can have one on each arm. Typically I wear a “dab” of one and a spray of the other.
This really helps identify and explore facets of the first frag. I did this with the PdN line and it made me really, really love them.
hey, I wonder if this has been a community project yet???If not, can I propose it, Robin? Wear the same fragrance for an entire week?
I wonder if “wear the same fragrance for a week” would cause a revolt ???? I’d anticipate lots of cheating!
(It does really change one’s perception of a single fragrance, though. But I don’t think I’ve done more than a few days at a time.)
CM8 we did something like — have to go look it up. Might have just been the same brand for the week. Either way IIRC participation fell drastically after a few days.
I find that after wearing something for a week, either I love it or I never want to smell it again. It clears the mind wonderfully about whether you need a FB of a decant.
excellent point !!!
Was unpacking some of my boxes from storage and I apparently owe someone a box of samples that I packed instead of mailing last summer. I remember offering a box with at least 5dozen samples but I can’t find who I was supposed to send it to. If this sounds familiar, let me know. Sorry for the excessive delay
Ooh, ooh, that was me! I can re-email you…or you can email me: pkwisdom in the land of yahoo. Just let me know-thanks!
You took me up on the offer last summer as well as this summer? That’ll be an awful lot of samples…..
No, that wasn’t me last summer. Just the freebiemeet a couple weeks ago.☺️
Sorry for the confusion.
Perfect morning here, 23C, possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. I’m going with Amouage Honour woman. I considered Bracken, but feel like it’s not quite hot enough for that. I prefer Bracken and Ylang 49 when it’s very hot and humid, makes me feel like I’m in a tropical jungle.
I really like Honour Woman, I don’t see it mentioned very much.
I love it too! It”s one of only three in the line that I’ve sprung for a FB of. I wear it often.
Wearing Carner Barcelona Tardes…. it was a surprise in my mailbox, because I forgot to suspend my scentbird subscription – oops, but it is very nice!
Lots of travel with children planned July
I’ll need perfume fortification
I signed up for scentbird just to get Tardes but I’m sticking with it because that 8ml size is just so perfect for a few things I’ve been wanting that they carry.
Yes, it is a great size – and a great deal, even for the least expensive scents I think.
What have you gotten from them? I got pearl de Lalique, Stella McCartney, velvet orchid, and tenue de soirée
BTW – I am really enjoying Aramis calligraphy rose! it smells like a whiskey Rose to meet – there were some comparisons to other rose perfumes that I’m not picking up on – but I really like the whiskey aspect.
Thus far Tardes and Fat Electrician. TF Grey Vetiver is set to be delivered this week, and your post reminded me that I needed to change my address now that I have a new one (I’ll send it to you, too!)
Calligraphy Rose is from my husband’s bottle. I love it on him, not on myself so much. It goes through lots of transitions, which makes it interesting. It does have a salty aspect, which I admittedly would not have been able to pinpoint until elisap noted it.
How is the Tenue Dr Soiree btw?
Heading to church and then it’s back to work for me tonight. Sigh….. sotd and night is Shalimar Souffle.
Such a great perfume name!
I love Shalimar Souffle any time of year, but particularly in summer. You smell divine.
Thanks!, yeah, I definitely enjoy it more in the warm weather.
I love the flanker
Do you think it’s necessary to have the original Souffle and intense? Or are they quite similar?
I can send you some. Let me know
I’m starting the day in Escentric 2, and then after a shower I will switch to something from le labo. I have a huge number of le labo samples that I really need to start enjoying, so that will be my theme for this week. I think I’ll start with Rose 31.
Have a lovely day!
That’s a great project — I should start draining some of my Le Labo “deluxe samples” before they turn.
My extended family (only 9 of us now) has been renting a house together for summer vacation for about 10 years now but won’t this year. It was already called off since my BIL is recovering from surgery and just started chemo. And since my H and I just moved, it wouldn’t have made sense anyway. 6 of the 9 are now in the midwest (US and Canada) so next year it’ll be somewhere out this way.
Had a extremely taxing and exhausting trip out to Cleveland Friday. Both flights delayed and I left the airport for my airbnb at 1 a.m. sans luggage. Did not sleep well and was so tired yesterday I could barely think straight.
We did sign a lease on an apartment, though, and my baggage was delivered. I’ve got my Bonavita, Upton’ s Irish Breakfast, and tea press, plus my travel fumes (and clean underwear) so all is right with the world. Wearing Misia after an 8 hour sleep and feeling almost human again.
Congrats on settling in, kpaint (even if it was a rough start).
Sleep is an amazing thing. And Misia definitely should make you feel good.
OH yeah! Congrats on the journey east albeit exhausting. Here’s to setting in! ????
My exhausting was only the 1 day, while my husband spent4 days driving a 20′ moving truck with our huge SUV on the back, so I’m really not complaining. ????
It was not having my bags that was disorienting more than anything. Fortunately my H and I wear a similar size so I slept in his pajamas and wore his undies (surprisingly comfortable, I might add) and slippers until my luggage arrived around 4 p.m. I travel in layers of sweaters to stave off the cold airplane and airport AC and really did not want to walk around in wool high-top sneakers yesterday!
You have wool high tops?! Impressive!
I hope the rest of the move goes smoothly!!
Yes! Superga ones that zip up. I ♥ them! In winter I put shearling insoles in them to make them even warmer.
Congrats!
Welcome to the land of lake effect snow! Hehehe????
Lol, now, now it isn’t that bad ????????☃❄
????????????
Oh yes it is! I used to live in Toronto and watched the snow pile up on those poor people in Buffalo.
Oh, i know it is! I’m by lake Michigan. That’s one of the reasons I hate winter so much. I just didn’t want to scare anyone off, LOL
Good point! It could be worse. Buffalo is in a lake effect class all by itself. We have it good.
????????
Wearing OJ Tiare today. I loooooove this fragrance but don’t wear it often, since it doesn’t seem office appropriate. It has legs in many categories: salty (so it seems ever so slightly beachy/tropical), a modern take on a classic structure, citrus floral, elegant, and yet also smells like slightly sweaty skin. I love it.
It’s good stuff. I love tiare and am always on the lookout for it as a starring note. Recs? I like the OJ since it’s not *too* beachy, which is a genre I’m not always comfortable in.
One of the best things about being retired from the school system is that I no longer have to take my vacations during peak busy periods, so we are planning on staying home this summer (my husband is working anyway) and taking a week later in the fall. We are kind of thinking about Tennessee – Nashville or Memphis maybe, because neither of us has been in that area. Any recommendations – perfume or otherwise?
Wearing APOM today because I found the decant when I vacuumed yesterday.
We’re a military family and my husband’s change of duty station dates are always Feb/Mar so we’d plan our vacations then. We went to an amusement park one year and it was nearly empty. The girls rode the same rides 3-4 times since they didn’t have to get back in line. We all remember that trip very fondly. Summer vacations are great but the crowds can make them less pleasant.
Sorry, no rec’s for Tennessee but enjoy the off-season vacation!!!
It’s another beautiful summer day here. I had a leisurely morning drinking coffee and listening to Bob Marley’s Legend. My teenager made the comment, “Do you want to hear my hot take of the day?…Bob Marley has a lot of good songs.” Lol, indeed he does.
Now, post shower I am in Assam of India.
Have a wonderful day everyone!
Gosh, Bob Marley himself might be smiling at that one. Now I need to go dig up my CD of Legend and give it a spin.
My little ones love Bob Marley
No big summer trips planned, but I’m hoping to take some weekend trips, like to Portland and WA islands and other spots. Maybe the beach. I have a friend coming to visit from MD in a few weeks, so I’m really looking forward to seeing her.
Yesterday I spent the day in Jo Malone Basil & Neroli, which I really love. Last night after my shower I tried Vanilla Hinoki again and decided my decant will go in the next swap meet. Since I only sprayed it on one arm, I put Viktor & Rolf BonBon on my other arm. I think it’s a fun mainstream gourmand and enjoy the sample I have. I may wear it today for my last day of my part-time Sundat job since I can still smell it.
What didn’t you like about the vanilla hinoke?
I don’t have any plans for a vacation. I just am trying to pay off some debt before I can. I got an e-mail from Luckyscent for 15% off. I had some extra change and got some Incense Flash. Au Coeur du Desert is still on the list but not quite in the cards. On my way to the Cleveland Aquarium wearing Phi une rose Kandahar today.
You smell great!
If it is any consolation the Tauer fragrances were not part of the 15 percent off last I looked.
I take back what I said…it was the 20 off at Twisty Lily that excluded the TAuers…..
Yep, saw that.
Move is done, and I am allowing myself to start unpacking my perfumes this evening. A perfect orgy of spritzing will ensue
Have fun!
Yay!! Spritz away!
Further testing of Kyoto going on here. We generally take “summer” vacation in mid- to late-September, the last few years up on Whidbey Island (for those not familiar with it, that’s in the Puget Sound area of Washington state). I’m lobbying for that again this year, but we’ll see. I’m about to head to the plant store and a few other places to get some things to make my own back yard more resort-like, and Mr. G is off gathering ingredients for his famous guacamole and bean dip. There will be World Cup-induced testosterone around my tv later, so my guac will likely be had out on the deck with a good book. Lazy Sundays are the BEST.
That does all sound perfect! Do have Mr. G send some guac & bean dip over here
This summer is going to be a whirlwind of vacations and work trips.
I just got back from 3 days in Newport News, VA for work–quite interesting, parts of it were cute, and parts thoroughly dull. I wore Orange Sanguine and L’Occitan’s Vervain to counteract the INTENSE humidity. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I live in NYC! Then straight to upstate NY for a weekend with a group of friends and their kids; it was a bit of an odyssey to get there, but I was in Vilhelm’s Don’t Tell Jasmine the whole time, and that was perfect for the cooler weather.
This August, I will be going to SCOTLAND for work!!!!!!! I am so excited, and am definitely planning a few extra days there to sightsee. I’d love to get to Iona. Other recs are welcome. No idea what perfume to wear, but I’ll try to get inspired before packing. Then when I get back from that, my mother and my partner’s mother are going forces to take our child to Canada for a week of grandma/grandkid bonding, so we will be CHILD FREE! OMG, I am already planning all the things we’re going to do in the evenings–go out to free movies in the park, stop at a bar after work, the world is our oyster.
Edinburg is the most beautiful city! Just walking around the city center and seeing all the castles and monuments perched above the city is worth it.
August in Edinburgh?
https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/tickets/
If you can get the seats, go for the ones in the “end zone” facing the castle, mid-tier. I suggest getting the best seats within budget if you think this may be your one and only time in Edinburgh in August.
Oooh, whereabouts?
Edinburgh in August is the whirlwind of all the festivals: hugely crowded but masses going on. And the city’s gorgeous even when it’s full.
Iona would be blissfully peaceful compared to that.
Crikey, I’ll be working in Dundee, but am flexible about the free days beforehand. I was thinking Glasgow-Oban-Iona-Islay-Oban-Dundee, since it looks lie there is a bus that goes across from Oban to Dundee. Then I would ideally like to fly out of Edinburg, so I’d have a little bit of time there at the end. But I am open to other options, and have not gotten booked thru work yet.
oooh, nice plan. Going through the Trossachs and by Loch Lomond? Gorgeous. Rail from Dundee to Edinburgh is a nice journey too, along the very pretty Fife coast by Burntisland and over not one but two really fancy bridges (Tay and Forth).
Shame the new Dundee V&A isn’t open until mid September, though, because that’s looking amazing.