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Ibiza Love Part III: In no particular order here are tips for an awesome stay on Ibiza

Even from outside the Giri Café looks inviting

I still remember when I drove to San Juan five years ago, a small, sleepy village in the north of Ibiza. It was early afternoon, the streets were empty, the houses and a few shops closed, the sun burnt hot – deadly silence. Only one café was open and turned out to be the rescue – to all intents and purposes.

What a great mix of materials and furniture

Towards the church situated on an idyllic place of San Juan, the Giri Café is immediately visible: in front of the door of an old, ibizan townhouse, elegant wicker furniture instead of cheap plastic chairs invite to stay and to chill. Inside the Giri Café itself you’ll find modern architecture, different, small rooms with cosy seating corners, a successful mix of materials and furniture. Great drinks and cocktails are being mixed at the bar – who would have thought that?

Good idea: The patio is optically magnified by mirrored windows

View into the kitchen: Soul-Food cooked with Love

The actual highlight – besides the extraordinarily good cuisine – is the bordering garden with additional comfy seats, daybeds and a children’s corner (in hay!), which is atmospherically illuminated in the evening. Here one will experience real holiday happiness at the latest.

Chill time: Between beds with organic vegetables there are sitting areas and daybeds

The interior partly documents that the owner of the Giri Café is Danish, as it seems pretty Nordic. Rosa came as a child through her hippie parents on the island, where she’s living with her own family for 15 years now. Everything started with a beautiful boutique-hotel, The Giri Residence. The idea of The Giri Café developed in order to host the guests appropriate. By the way Giri – el guiri – actually stands for ‘foreigner’, ‘stranger’, which Rosa – whose children grow up on Ibiza – is not at all anymore.

The Scandinavian-inspired design is reminiscent of the roots of the Danish owner

The Giri is more than only a café that offers breakfast and lunch. There, friendly staff is serving modern, Mediterranean cuisine of highest standards with fresh ingredients from the region. A lot is handpicked in the own bio garden, in which herbs, salads, strawberries, tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits are being grown. Here I like to sit with a glass of Rosé – my favourite is the “Ibiskus” – and can hardly believe my luck.  BvH

Inside the Giri Café, there are several sitting areas …

… where you can sit comfortably while enjoying Snacks and Tapas

I like the Giri Café especially in the evening …

… when the setting sun creates a special light in the garden …

… and you really want to be nowhere else

Tip:

Every Sunday San Juan transforms itself into a colourful market with live music. On the place and along the small streets handicrafts, jewellery and ceramics are being offered.

Contact The Giri Café:

Plaza Espana 5
07810 San Juan
Ibiza, Spain
(from April until October)

+ 34 971 333474

www.thegiricafe.com

The post Ibiza Love: The Giri Café appeared first on My Stylery.

MyStylery on tour: Me in front of the Château de Cheverny in the Loire Valley nearby the idyllic town of Blois

Once upon a time … that’s how my story today about the Château de Cheverny, which I just visited during my weekend at the Loire-valley, could begin. The castle, built in the renaissance style, is one of the biggest Loire castles and has been family-owned for over seven centuries. Albeit with a few disruptions, entanglements and confusions. But step by step.

The painted wooden ceilings by Jean Moniers impress me. It must have taken him a long time to paint this

Built from 1624 to 1640 by count Henri Hurault on the remains of the former castle, a certain Madame Diane de Poitiers decided to annex the Château. Resistance futile, Madame de Poitiers – who had just been removed out of her own castle Chenonceau by Catherine de Medici – was the mistress of Henri II. and therefore certainly had the upper hand. A century later the castle, temporarily acquired back by the Hurault family, fell into strangers hands once more. This time it was the heirs, who were a little shy on money to accept the costly inheritance. So they sold.

The dining hall is dominated by heavy oak furniture from the 19th century. Interesting: The walls are covered by leather, which has the family’s coat of arms imprinted. The silver-coated bronze chandelier above the dining table weighs considerable 100 kilos*

1825 Victor Hurault, Marquis de Vibraye and adjutant of King Charles X. brought the premises back into the family, where his descendants still live today. Namely in the right wing of the castle, which is made out of tuff. The rest – including a gorgeous 100 hectare castle park in English-style is open to the public.

The noble staircase of honor built in the style of Louis XIII. with garlands- and fruit-motives, emblems of the fine arts and a 25 (!) kilogram heavy knight’s armor from the 16th century

Such a castle doesn’t just look nice. It’s expensive. Continuously. To carry the costs, Philippe de Vibraye, great-uncle of the current owner decided to open the castle to the public. He was very progressive with this idea. Other noble families periodically sold their silverware to repair the holes in the roof from the proceeds. Since then Cheverny has been opened 365 days per year and with the splendid rooms, furnished mostly originally by Jean Monier is definitely worth a trip. BvH

Beautiful detail

Tip:

The ‘Tintin’ exhibition
Castle Cheverny inspired the Belgian cartoonist Hergé to his ‘Château de Moulinsart’ in the Tintin cartoons. Mentioned for the first time in 1942 in an adventure of the journalist ‘Tintin’, Château Moulinsart became the home of Tintin, Snowy, Professor Calculus, Captain Haddock, and Nestor, the butler. Since 2001 the permanent exhibition, domiciled in Cheverny shows Tintins room, Professor Calculus’ laboratory, as well as the cellar of Château Moulinsart.

In the great salon a harp from the 18th century, which is still being played today. The portrait above the fireplace shows Marie Johanne de la Carre Saumery, Countess of Cheverny

Mantelpiece in the armory

The arms room presents itself in its original state. It has never been restored. The collection of weapons and armors originates from the 15th, 16th, and 17th century. The gobelin tapestry from the 17th century belongs to the further treasures of the castle

Again magnificent ceiling paintings

King’s bedroom

The regal chambers for the King – here the bed canopysolely with precious fabrics – should he honor the castle with a visit

Did these amazing ceiling-portraits bestowed sweet dreams to the King?

The tableware ‘An Autumn in Cheverny’ had been designed especially for the Counts’ family. By the way, the idea, to set the forks with the fork arms upside down, has been introduced by Louis XV. He wanted to prevent, getting caught by the fork arms with his ruffled sleeves. Interesting?

Apropos: beds of this time aren’t so short because people were shorter then, but because one slept sitting, the lying position was reserved for the dead. Furthermore one was afraid to swallow ones’ own tongue

The children’s room with toys and wooden horses from the time of Napoleon III.

Amazing Weddingdress

The bedchamber with the bridal dress of the current Marquise Constance de Vibraye, a born Barbat du Closel, who married Charles-Antoine de Vibraye in this dress in 1994*

The boudoir

In the birth room mothers presented their newborn children. The mahogany-cradle is a rare Empire relic …

… With writing desk …

The library includes 2,000 books*

The castle’s own chapel

The Marquis and his family

Today the Marquis Charles-Antoine de Vibraye and his family live here

In its whole history Château de Cheverny has never been unoccupied

View from the south facade into the park

The English park with impressive and rare tree species, Paul de Vibraye had planted there from 1820 to 1860:

Linden, giant sequoia, and cedars

Impressing Landscape

At the ‘apprentices’ garden’ modern garden architecture is showcased since 2006

The castle is opened daily and has only been closed three times for a few hours: 1963 during the visit of the Queen Mom of England, 1976 for the burial of the Marquis de Vibraye and 1994 on the occasion of the marriage of the current owner Marquis Charles-Antoine de Vibraye

Today the orangery from the 18th century accommodates a beautiful café for visitors of the Château

At the moment the garden presents itself in a autumnal explosion of colors: Magnificent

The southern facade of the Château is decorated with busts of roman emperors, the northern facade is held in the style of Louis XIII. with plastered walls

Artpiece in front of the castle

Modern Art in the Park

The stables of Cheverny

The last hydrangeas of the summer

As a farewell the horses say “adieu”

Contact:

Château de Cheverny
41700 Cheverny, France
www.chateau-cheverny.fr

Featured pic and pics marked* by Château de Cheverny

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