Mariam Around the World

A day spent in #Ammiq, in the #bekaa valley, is a beautiful escapade. Lunch at #tawletAmmiq for fresh, buffet style lebanese dishes, and a unique view of the green and earth patchwork below.

Home away in Cappadocia Rox Cappadocia boutique-hotel is a place you fall in love with, get attached to, and want to visit again and again. Its stunning location, nestled right under the Gruyere cheese-like Uchisar fortress, makes for breathtaking views of the gorges and villages surrounding it, with snow-capped Mount Erciyes, a dormant volcano, in the background. At sunrise from its terrace, the spectacle of hundreds of hot air balloons rising slowly to fill the sky with bright colors while others are suspended above the “fairy chimneys”, in Pigeons valley, Love valley or Rose valley, is an experience in itself. Wrapped in a blanket and holding a cup of tea to beat the morning chill, you can hear the silence and smell the dew. It is mesmerizing. The house, a three-level traditional structure with stone arches, narrow stairs, and hidden nooks surrounding outside small seating areas, has only six 6 rooms: the cozy cave suites do not feel claustrophobic, and the one room with a view is booked months in advance. The young and energetic owner Arda, a compulsive antiques collector has filled the entire place with handpicked objects, and has a story for each of his finds. He even designs and crafts himself some of the light structures- the iron lamp in the cave room- and kitchenware- the jam box at the breakfast table- from repurposed items found in the small shops of Cappadocia. Everyday, there is a new flowerpot here, another old looking brass jug there. Richie, the tri-colored big dog and mascot of the place, un-fussed by all these small treasures, slaloms expertly amidst all. Arda works very hard to make your stay unforgettable. While his “Queen of the Kitchen” prepares eggs, philo dough with cheese or cakes for breakfast, Arda sits with every guest to suggest a personalized day’s program based on preferences; the best restaurant to eat tandoor; the cheapest driver to visit Selime cathedral; the most unique pottery workshop to get your hands dirty with clay. One day he took us shopping for carpets and played the translator role with the dealer, and we spent a rainy afternoon chatting about politics and his never- ending projects nibbling home made sweets and sipping Turkish coffee, graciously offered by the house. At Arda’s place, we didn’t feel the need to lock the door to our room. Rox Cappadocia just feels like home.

A wonderful venue and a lot of creative chair concepts for the #karasi event of #AIGA at #BeirutDesignWeek. This is my Best OF karasi! #chairasapoloticalstatement @omaryoussef, #benchorchaiselongue? Nadim Senseï Sioufi and the #greenchair #beirut #beirutdesignweek #bdw15 #aiga #karasi #BDW #lebanon #design

Lights off, its morning time in #santabarbara #california, and I take advantage of #jetlag to explore the cute garden of our #rbnb #home away from home #mariamaroundtheworld #USA #travel #trips #designthinkingaroundtheworld #design #lighting

Waking up in #santabarbara, #california with no luggage because of #UnitedAirlines, but one precious #nescafe sachet rescued from my purse. #mariamaroundtheworld #designthinkingaroundtheworld #travel #trips #design

Wonderful #hike that started in #Jezzine and ended in Jabal Niha, taking us from peaceful landscapes of flowing rivers and breathtaking multi-layered moutains slopes to unending snow-covered forests with no clear paths and no exit in sight. It was a challenging, 6 hours non-stop walking trip that could have been even more enjoyable had we had time to pause, take in the beautiful scenari and breathe in the calm energy of the place. I thanked the heavens I bought water-resistant and comfortable Northface hiking shoes the day before, and had a "just-in-case" ski jacket that i resurrected from the bottom end of the "tetkhiteh", where it was burried since i bought it back in 2004. They helped me survive the unexpected weather changes and last minute itinerary tweaks that experienced hikers find so exciting, but that a "recreational" hiker like myself thought were more stressful then fun. Made me reflect on how important group dynamics are in activities like these, how choosing the right hiking partners can make or break the experience, and how the interplay between one's control-freak tendencies and the trust-ur-guide attitude needed here can influence the mindset and therefore the overall enjoyement of the activity. At the end of the day, after a good meal, a hot shower and from the coziness of our couches, we all started to plan for the next hike. It might be a 100 people event for what i know, since every person on earth whome i told i went on a hike asked me indignantly: "why didnt you invite me, i loovvee hiking!"

Embarking soon on that bus to teach my first class at the D.School #stanford #university #dschool #design #designschool #hassoplattner #california #paloalto #popup #reentry #cultureshock. It is one of its kind workshop-style class, and its here: http://dschool.stanford.edu/life-transitions-design-your-return-to-home/

La Maison Rose. Its walls are talking to you. They are crying with stories yet untold. The stories of ordinary and extraordinary people who lived in an era where ceilings were dizzyingly high to reflect their love of freedom and free spirit, floors were pattern-painted to show their creative differences, open spaces were hugged by archs to express their tolerance and love of life. The sounds of tree leaves, waves and birds mingled harmouniously with the sounds of a chaotique, crazy, mesmerizing city. Fast forward to modern times, flying over many dramas, many generations and countless destroyed windows. A young english painter strolling on Manara falls in love at first sight with La Maison Rose. Tom Young starts painting the house inside out while the latest tenant, Fayza el Khazen, packs 50 years of family memories and belongings, mentally and physically readying herself to move out. This house that her family has been renting for 50 years was built before 1882, welcomed prominent artists from all walks of life, sheltered people from all religions during the lebanese war, and its walls monitored the growth of all the family children. Tom Young, not wanting his pink crush to end up crushed by bulldozers, start thinking of ways to protect this endangered cultural treasure and manages to organize an exhibition honoring the Rose House. He is now mobilizing people and proposing to save it from destruction by transforming it into a cultural center. Like many other priceless monuments that encapsulate our collective history and need to stay alive at least to remind us that, at some point, we had something to be pround of, this old lady is in potential danger. it was lately bough by…a giant real estate promoter.

Hello stanford campus…i missed you. I am so happy to get lost in and out of your wonderfully lined streets, cycle back and forth to my beautiful palace and its gurguling fountain, peek at the windows of the impressive students houses on Mayfield avenue, indulge in a chai spice latte at Coupa, take time to reflect next to Rodin’s gates of Hell, attend mind blowing talks all across campus, eat the best cookie in the universe at Fraiche, whisper a secret in the stones at the back of memorial church, meet nobel prizes and modern geniuses for back-to-back coffees, catch up with my fellows and their families, giggle with my evil twin at every corner, jump the joy- without breaking my ankle this time, go overboard at the d.school, buy books and silly teeshirts at the bookstore at twice their regular price, and walk backward, feet naked, on the oval while watching sunset change the colors of Memorial church. Happiness is this wonderful feeling of belonging:)

Can u beat this? It is a story about Silence, Wave, Breeze and Color collaborating on bringing on the night.

There is more to #Batroun then its famous lemonade. A 90 minutes walk along the coast from Pierre and Friends to Jammal and beyond reveals new places and ravishing details that I never realized existed, even after more than 10 years of coming here. So look for narrow alleys leading to “rafic’s” place, natural pools between the rocks and freezing waters among colorful chaises longues. Have a chat with old and amiable Nakkhoul, crafting with patience one fish net a day, day after day, in his small workshop. Keep an eyes open for unexpected “street art”. As an alternative to fish and sea food, nothing better than an old fashioned submarine sandwish a le Royal followed by an ever more old fashioned, rich, creamy merry cream. And then, meet Jamil Haddad. The Colonel of Beer and the Captain of his eco friendly brewery. His is a daring, ambitious project. Check it out at www.colonelbeer.com. Before heading home, you can light a candle at Sainte Rita, a church nestled at the ground floor of a private house, and ask her to make your wish of spending the rest of your life in batroun come true.

Were you not at Wickerpark on sunday? Either you're not “hip” enough or maybe it’s just that you're over 35 years old. Otherwise you should have been there, if only to marvel at the sight of the suspended signage glittering as the sun was setting down in the sea, a drop of sweat sliding down your spine. If only for the opportunity to dress up by mixing together flowers-feathers-micro shorts-purple hair razor cut on one side-transparent tuniques-blue lipstick- headbands and whatever else u could find in your neo hippie wardrobe, except for your Marc Jacob purse. You should have come if only to stare at Hamed Sinno on stage or move to the sensual melodies and inaudible lyrics of Mashrou’ Leila. I suspect the latter was the main reason a lot of people attended, or made an extra effort to go through the concert till the end. The band is one its way to stardom, making waves on the musical and social scene. Thousands of young people sat on “7assira” and yoga mats that evening, to drink the new Colonel beer and listen to independant bands performing in that empty lot that transforms into a music venue once a year. It was a relaxed, laid back, happy event, slightly surreal with yogis and yoginis backbending and headstanding in the back all night, smells of incense and crepes filling the air, while on stage the music varied in intensity, excrutiatingly boring at some times and wonderfully exciting at others. Opening up their “wicker” ( that can translate into a “hole” in arabic) to the public is a great initiative from the Daou Family, and the event will become a sought after rendez vous on many agendas in the years to come. It fills a gap on the local music scene and the organizers seem to be slowly “learning By doing” what work and what doesn’t, uncovering and crafting the identity of their event progressively, from the bottom up, in that grassroots and homegrown way that is so dear to their hearts.

This year’s sailing travel book is completed. Athens and the Saronic islands, it was great to spend time with you! Cheers to a new adventure soon.

We end our city exploration the right way, that is, the shopping way. We visit each of the leather shoes workshops, stacking as many greek sandals as we possibly can in our travel bags. Because, who knows when we will be back in Athens? We therefore make sure to be equipped for a lifetime of colored sandals. As the saying goes, better have remorses than regrets.

Have a great hydraday.

Inspirational. #greece #hydra #heat #sun #trip #travel #worldwidem #oldman #steepstairs #stairwaytoheaven

Parking is a real hassle for skippers in Greece, since harbors are not well equipped for the influx of vessels, so it’s a race to get there first and secure a spot. Hydra is the worst in that matter, and a local I spoke to told me that boats can end up filling every inch of its harbour, to the point when no boat can get in or out, making it a nightmare of coordinating schedules, untangling all ropes and anchors underwater, and managing water supply and waste collection. We experienced it first hand, parking behind another boat, then jumping from one vessel to another and another and another, displaying some highly acrobatic moves under the laughing eyes of fishermen before awkwardly reached the quay. Alternatively, all day long people jump their way through our boat to get on land. A woman who had drunk a bit too much one evening ended up with bruises all over her body and a banded leg. She lost her equilibrium with playing monkey between boats. A short, nervous old man runs in all direction shouting orders. He is the mastermind, the ruler of this water world, the head strategist in charge of this organized chaos. He imposes respect and fear through his santa claus-style beard, and is as much a part of hydra’s folklore as the whites houses and bougainvilia.