Travel - Guide to Madeira

New to the wine bar scene is Nellu in the Marais, idyllically set a stone’s throw from the river Seine. Signature tasting plates including white asparagus with fish roe, gratin oysters and spelt risotto coupled with a well-curated biological wine selection from around the globe make for a perfect date night. Another favourite is the Musée de la Vie Romantique, also known as the Museum of Romantic Life whose garden alone is reason to visit. Located at the foot of Montmartre, the collection includes artefacts that once belonged to George Sand and Chopin, both guests of this former home. For fellow fans of Impressionism there’s the incomparable Musée D’Orsay set in a former train station.

© Pierre Lucet-Penato

My Paris

Kasia Dietz was born in the Hamptons, New York to a Polish mother and an American father. She is a handbag designer and travel writer. @kasiadietz

With cultural curiosity part of my DNA, it only made sense that I married an Italian and settled in Paris. This ethereal city oozing culture and creativity provides limitless inspiration. One of many reasons I’m enamoured with Paris is how well it supports local and sustainable designers. Favourites include timeless womenswear brand Koshka Paris. Their Matros jeans are a staple in every Parisian woman’s wardrobe. Swedish-born Anika Lena Skarstrom is an established designer whose elegantly deconstructed separates lure Parisians from all twenty districts to her Haut Marais shop. Creating colour-infused knitwear, Erotokritos is another independent label that has proven a vibrant addition to my clothing collection.

I regularly pop in to the Picasso Museum, and for a fashion fix there’s the Museum Yves Saint Laurent Paris. The 18th-century Rodin Museum along with its sculpture garden captivates all the senses.

Living in the 3rd arrondissement, I’m a short stroll away from a number of historic parks and gardens including former royal residences Place des Vosges which leads to the 17th-century Hotel de Sully garden, and Palais Royal. I’m forever enchanted by their beauty and elegance.

© Ilya Kagan

While Paris is filled with culinary greatness in both sweet and savoury forms, a few new dining haunts top my list. Tucked away in the 20th arrondissement is innovative bistro Fripon. Talented chef Pauline Séné concocts a locally-sourced menu accented by flowers within a softly romantic ambiance. On the sweet side, chocolatier Jacques Genin continues to satisfy my cravings.

Estrela is a really perfect mix between colourful walls and Portuguese tiles. I love to walk around and admire this explosion of colours, shapes and decorations that stay up all year long. One of my favourite places is what I call the ‘rainbow bridge’, on Avenida Infante Santo, because of all its colourful stripes. A perfect background for shoots.

The Jardim da Estrela is the green heart of Estrela. I live just up the road from this beautiful park and love taking a detour through it whenever I leave the house. With its tropical plants and flowers, its little cafés and its patches of grass in which to read and enjoy the sun, it’s a really peaceful place and a perfect location for portrait photoshoots!

My Estrela

Ludivine is a French photographer who shoots portrait and concert photography. @ludpellissier_portraitphoto

The Basilica da Estrela is a magnificent monument from the 18th century overlooking the iconic tram 28. At the turn of each hour, its twin bell towers ring with a powerful melody which echoes through the peaceful streets.

The walk down from Estrela to Santos, in addition to having a stunning view of the river, leads through small and quiet alleys imbued with a strong sense of community, where residents line the streets with plants and furniture, providing a welcoming home to the cats of the area. I ended up in Estrela by chance, a year ago. As a photographer, I’m always looking for things that no one sees: architecture details, shadow patterns, potential shooting locations and nice backgrounds. I found a lot of interesting places in Estrela that inspire me and feed my creativity.

Walking around my neighbourhood is always a great and peaceful feeling. Relaxing in the park to read, jumping onto the tram to cross the city and discovering new hidden places like coffee shops or little stores are some of the things I really enjoy about Estrela.

Chasing Rabbits is a record store and coffee shop on the outskirts of Estrela. The lovely owners and their beautiful dog, Grace, have created an awesome environment with good food, great music and exciting events. It’s my go to work spot and it also recently hosted my first solo photography exhibition, showcasing some of my best concert shots.

A GUIDE TO MADEIRA

Rowena Carr-Allinson discovers the gems hidden in a spot that reminds her of Hawaii, only a lot closer to home.

© DigitalTravelCouple 87