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Choice of Magic

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May 30, 2020

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About Me

About Me

I am Cristina - a Lisbon based Romanian writer in love with Victorian novels, comfort food and foreign lands.

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I can buy myself flowers, but I’d much rather ju I can buy myself flowers, but I’d much rather just fly myself to Barcelona and go for a stroll amongst the lavender at Park Güell. And even though I went there looking for Gaudi´s beautiful mosaics, I was so so impressed by the landscaping of the park. From the lavender to the palm trees, and the way they embedded with Gaudi´s masterminded architecture, Park Güell was one of my favourite parts of Barcelona. 

Have you been? What did you think of it? 

#barcelona #parcguell #parcgüell #gaudi #spain #espana #visitspain #wanderlust #travel #instatravel #travelgram #romanian #streetstyle #travelblog #travelblogger #colour #sunny #exotic #tropical #magictravels #choiceofmagictravels #ootd #portuguese #romanian #visitbarcelona #antonigaudi #architecture
Don´t be fooled by my big smile, I was actually j Don´t be fooled by my big smile, I was actually just clenching my teeth at the many pigeons in Parc Güell, because birds absolutely terrify me. The top of the Sagrada Familia in the background, Gaudi´s beautiful tile mosaics, the blue sky, and being with my family in such a beautiful place really made up for it, though. 🐦 

Now tell me - what´s your next destination? ✈️ 🚂 🚙 

#barcelona #parcguell #parcgüell #gaudi #spain #espana #visitspain #wanderlust #travel #instatravel #travelgram #romanian #streetstyle #travelblog #travelblogger #colour #sunny #exotic #tropical #magictravels #choiceofmagictravels #ootd #portuguese #romanian #visitbarcelona #antonigaudi #architecture
One of my happiest and euphoric moments of 2022 wa One of my happiest and euphoric moments of 2022 was on the 6th of July at around 6pm, when I stepped upstairs in the Shakespeare & Company book store in Paris. Watching all those people cuddled up in the various armchairs of the reading area, and finding an armchair for myself, where I sat and went through some of the books in this pic (all except for Purple Hibiscus were bought at Shakespeare & Co), filled my heart with a sense of pure happiness which we only experience every now and then in life, and desperately want to cling on to. By now I have read all of these books, but since I never published this picture, and really treasured that moment, I thought it was time to share it. 

Tell me about a moment you experienced this euphoric happiness lately! ✨

#bookstoread #whattoreadnext #bookrec #personallibrary #bookfriends #bookdesires #bookphotography #bookaesthetic #bibliophile #booklover #bookpeople #bookish #BeautifulBooks #booksaremagic #bookworm #fortheloveofbooks #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #fiction #shakespeareandco #paris #parisianbookstore #elifshafak #gertrudestein #janeausten #francoisesagan #chimamandangozi
🍊Salmon, avo and orange salad 🍊 to kick off 🍊Salmon, avo and orange salad 🍊 to kick off a year of yum recipes. Took me quite a few iterations, but the recipe is now up on the blog! 

Ingredients:

two small avocados
two small oranges
400g salmon
parmesan cheese
mint leaves
a tbsp balsamic vinegar
a tbsp olive oil
salt
Ras el Hanout

Instructions: 
1. Rub the salmon in a thin layer of Ras el Hanout and bake for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees. Depending on your oven, you might want to get it out sooner, just make sure it’s ever slightly crunchy on the outside. Once done, let cool for one minute and then shred it with the help of a fork and a knife. 2. Peel the orange and either cut it in slices (more aesthetic) or cubes (more practical). Chop the avocado in bite sized cubes as well and grate the parmesan in thin but wide slices. 3. Start assembling. First, the avocado, then the shredded salmon, then the orange and finally the parmesan cheese and finely chopped mint leaves. Note: I leave at your discretion how many mint leaves and parmesan to use as it’s a matter of taste. 4. Season with salt and add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar before mixing it all together and serving.

#homemade #foodporn #foodie #instafood #foodgram #nextbestfoodie #foodblogger #foodblog #foodphotography #foodstylingandphotography #foodstyling #choiceofmagic  #mealprep #salad #wintersalad #orange #sweetandsalty #healthyfood #healthymeal
Throwback to summer days in Paris, during one of m Throwback to summer days in Paris, during one of my favourite trips of 2022. ✨
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#paris #france #visitparis #visitfrance #seine #river #eiffel #toureiffel #eiffeltower #wanderlust #travel #instatravel #travelgram #romanian #streetstyle #travelblog #travelblogger #summer #colour #sunny #magictravels #choiceofmagictravels #ootd #portuguese #romanian
I never really liked our hallway setup. So one 122 I never really liked our hallway setup. So one 122€ Ikea trip later (price including shelves and baskets), what feels like a million screws in a very thick wall, and more cups of wine than you can see in the video - voilà the result. It already looks like a new space, but it’s still missing a painting which we brought back from Brazil earlier this year, and still need to frame. What do you think?

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#bookworm #library #bookporn #books #book #bookshelfporn #literature #decoration #housemakeover #library #libraryupgrade #booknerd #fiction #romanian #lisbon #lisboa #portugal
Throwback to Paris in July, when I was living off Throwback to Paris in July, when I was living off macarons and white wine, buying more books than I could carry and was mistaken for a grave cleaner by a Jewish lady in Père Lachaise. And while I am now back to my Mediterranean diet, I am working on a post about food I love in Paris, which I hope to have out for you soon. 

Until then, care to share your favourite spot in Paris with me? ✨

#paris #france #visitparis #visitfrance #laduree #macaron #macarons #wanderlust #travel #instatravel #travelgram #romanian #streetstyle #travelblog #travelblogger #summer #colour #sunny #magictravels #choiceofmagictravels #ootd #portuguese #romanian
Sanditon by Jane Austen ⭐️ 6/10 ⭐️ In th Sanditon by Jane Austen 
⭐️ 6/10 ⭐️ 
In the mids of a summer of travelling, I felt it essential to start re-sharing what I am reading these days. I´m all for light readings, and while I am aware that means different things for different people, I am a declared all time Jane Austen summer fan. This week I read Sanditon, an unfinished manuscript, that came packed with another two works of Austen in this beautiful sunny edition - Lady Susan (an epistolary work) and the fragment of The Watsons. And while I only gave it 3 stars out of five on Goodreads, it is only because of how it measures against my favourite Austen novels. Set at the beach-site resort of Sanditon, this is a delightfully funny account of a society of hypochondriacs and speculators betting on the healing powers of the sea. Which I entirely endorse as I am typing this from Portugal´s South coast. ☀️ 🍋 ⛱

#bookreview #ataleoftwoworlds #michelfaber #bookstoread #whattoreadnext #bookrec #personallibrary #bookfriends #bookdesires #bookphotography #bookaesthetic #bibliophile #booklover #bookpeople #bookish #BeautifulBooks #booksaremagic #bookworm #fortheloveofbooks #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #fiction #janeausten #summerofausten #sanditon #victoriannovel #austen #beachread
🇪🇸 Hola! Today we´re continuing our Spanish 🇪🇸 Hola! Today we´re continuing our Spanish tour (before running off to Paris tomorrow), with an easy recipe of the spicy Spanish sauce for patatas bravas - salsa de patata brava. Check it out below and on the blog!​​​​​​​​
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Ingredients​​​​​​​​
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an onion​​​​​​​​
two garlic cloves​​​​​​​​
a veggie Knorr cube​​​​​​​​
two tsp red pepper paste​​​​​​​​
a pinch of spicy (in sauce or grain, whatever you prefer)​​​​​​​​
two tbsp olive oil​​​​​​​​
a pinch of salt and pepper​​​​​​​​
20g of flour​​​​​​​​
230g water​​​​​​​​
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Instructions​​​​​​​​
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1. Finely chop the onion and the garlic and fry them until golden in a pan with the olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper.​​​​​​​​
2. Add the red pepper paste and your pinch of spicy (I added a s few drops of spicy sauce) and stir until it incorporates with the rest.​​​​​​​​
3. Add the flour to the whole mixture and stir until the onion absorbs it, then add 230g of hot water, stirring to ensure that the whole mixture is homogenous.​​​​​​​​
4. Add the crumbled Knorr cube and bring to a boil/simmer at low heat. Let it simmer until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.​​​​​​​​
5. Serve over hot patatas bravas, or mussels, or really anything else.​​​​​​​​
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#homemade #foodporn #foodie #instafood #foodgram #nextbestfoodie #foodblogger #foodblog #foodphotography #foodstylingandphotography #foodstyling #choiceofmagic  #mealprep #spanishfood #spanish #spain #patatasbravas #salsadepatatasbravas #spicy #spicyfood #recipesfromspain #tapas #spanishtapas #tapasdinner #spanishdinner #visitspain
Hiking through Cadaqués - Salvador Dali’s mythi Hiking through Cadaqués - Salvador Dali’s mythical city. More about where to stay, where to eat and what to do, now on choiceofmagic.com ✨

#costabrava #visitcostabrava #spain #espana #españa #visitspain #cadaques #salvadordali #cadaqués #dali #wanderlust #travel #instatravel #magictravels #choiceofmagictravels #travelgram #romanian #travelblog #guidetocadaques #guidetocostabrava #travelblogger #summer #colour #sunny #exotic #tropical #portuguese
Throwback to a week ago in downtown Cadaqués, whi Throwback to a week ago in downtown Cadaqués, which was sunny, hot and full of bougainvilleas. Now, while I am at my desk in cloudy Lisbon, the best I can do is to work on my "guidetoCostaBrava part I - Cadaqués, which I hope to share with you in a couple of days. I feel like these holidays have gotten my creative juices flowing and that I´ll be a bit more present over here now. And I must say, I am happy to be back here, Instagram fam.
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#costabrava #visitcostabrava #spain #espana #visitspain #cadaques #salvadordali #dali #wanderlust #travel #instatravel #travelgram #romanian #streetstyle #travelblog #travelblogger #summer #colour #sunny #exotic #tropical #magictravels #choiceofmagictravels #ootd #portuguese #romanian
Hello. My name is Cristina and I cannot stop buyin Hello. My name is Cristina and I cannot stop buying books even though I have:
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1. no time to read them all 
2. no place to store them all 
3. no money to buy all the books I want to buy 
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(which is pretty much everything ever written with a few exceptions involving vampires, romances and overly descriptive and lyrical novels). 
What about you? Do you also love buying books? In paper form or e-books? Fiction or non-fiction? Tell me everything! 📚 ✨🌿
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#bookstoread #whattoreadnext #bookrecs #bookstack #personallibrary #bookfriends #bookdesires #bookphotography #bookaesthetic #bibliophile #booklover #bookpeople #bookish #BeautifulBooks #booksaremagic #bookworm #fortheloveofbooks #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #fiction #nonfiction #bookshelfporn #bookadditction

Check Out My Latest Posts

Salmon, Avo and Orange Salad

January 9, 2023

Food I Loved in Paris

January 3, 2023

Salsa Brava (Spanish Spicy Sauce for Patatas Bravas)

July 5, 2022

What I am currently reading

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