portage | The Secret Garden

I apologise for the lack of posting lately, but it’s because of good news! I have started an apprenticeship with a florist in Paris. A really good one at that! I cannot believe that my dream of working with plants and flowers in Paris has come true. I feel so incredibly happy. Along with the new job I have also moved into a new apartment which has kept me busy and away from my laptop. Hoping to get back into the rhythm starting now…

This past weekend we went to a friends place in the countryside a couple of hours south of Paris. We cooked yummy food, made a bonfire and just relaxed. As usual I spent a lot of time in the garden – picking flowers, cutting herbs for dinner and collecting walnuts to take back to town. It’s beautiful and calm and just what we needed.

Countryside All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

This last month I have been on a pretty incredible road trip through The Alps, northern Italy, Corsica and Monaco. For the first post I’ll share some pics from Morzine and Les Laix in The Alps.

One thing that really struck me about The Alps is the amazing healthiness of the place. Nature is bursting at you everywhere you look and you find yourself being super active and eating well from the land. I loved the constant buzzing of the insects, the clear streams of water running down the mountains every hundred metres or so, and the deliciously warm sun. Because of all this the plants are absolutely thriving. I was in complete heaven with a smile I could not wipe off my face picking wild flowers and berries which covered the earth.

Along with picking what seemed like a million wildflowers we also went to the annual méchoui (spit roast) party of a friend, spent a morning summer skiing in Tignes, hiked through the mountains, swam in the glacial streams, went mushroom foraging, fishing (not so successfully), and made delicious salads with goodies picked straight from the portage (organic vegetable garden). This place makes me happy.

Les Alps All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.