this monastic life

I've been working these past few weeks from a very beautiful place, the Monastery of Tibães, near Braga. It's a massive monastery with a 100 acre property around it. In a prosper and distant past, it use to be the headquarters of the benedictine congregation in Portugal and Brasil which basically translates to a very wealthy monastery.

It's quite a difference coming from car-crazy Atlanta into Portugal's peaceful countryside and enjoy the calmness of nature and the overwhelming sense of history that these stones carry.
Oh, this monastic life! 

don't open. it's a present

I got a package in the mail today. It says: Isabel Marques (Don't open, it's a present! Pedro)
My birthday is a week away and I have the best husband ever!

country life

The beauty of living in the country side is picking ripe strawberries for breakfast. In your face city folk! 

bye bye Atlanta...

... hello seven months in Portugal! 

I left the US 12 days ago to take on a new job and left Pedro in Atlanta. Ai, as saudades! It was a hard decision to be apart for such a long time but Pedro will be coming to Portugal in July. Right now, I'm living in between Viana and Braga and still not quite settled in yet but with the help of good friends, I'll feel at home in no time.
It feels good to be back. 

The Little Tart Bakeshop

For the past year I've been working as a baker at the Little Tart Bakeshop, just the best bakeshop in the city! Never did I imagine starting work at 5am and actually enjoying it! I worked with a wonderful team of fun, open-minded and committed people that made the 10 hour days easy to handle. When we weren't working hard at making all our pastries perfect and delicious, we licked the meringue whip in the corner of shame, ate baby croissants for breakfast, wrote inspirational notes to one another on the focaccia, created imaginary scenarios for a sexy tart calendar, got high on Octane's caffeine and had lots of fun! 

This past Wednesday was my last day. I'm going to miss this...