Bellagrand Christmas giveaway!
January 25, 2013
Hi readers, I want to get in on the Christmas spirit early this year and do another giveaway of my upcoming book, Bellagrand, the sequel to Children of Liberty featuring the fiery love story of Alexander’s parents, Harry and Gina. I will be giving away ten signed books and (I very much hope) getting them to you in time for the holidays. To enter, simply answer the below question and send it to paullinasimonscontest@gmail.com. What is the most romantic place you’ve ever been, and why is it special to you? Please send your answers to the Gmail address by Monday, December 2nd.
The most romantic place I have been to is Bottle Beach, Koh Phangan, Thailand. My boyfriend (now husband of 5 years) and I had been travelling in South East Asian for nearly two months. We spent some time at Bottle Beach in a very basic but romantic cabin on the right on the beach. No air conditioning, and a mosquito net around our bed. Such a relaxing and peaceful place to be! A few days into our stay it was Valentine’s Day. We and the other guests and locals had a romantic and authentic dinner right on the beach with music and dancing. Later we all lit enormous lanterns and set them out to sea. A very special time I’ll always remember.
Zion national park. I travelled there with my husband when I was 4 months pregnant with my first baby. It was the most perfect time of my life, feeling my first ever baby kick whilst being in breathtaking surroundings with the man I loved. We stayed in a sweet little B&b that delivered breakfast every morning in a picnic basket.
If I could get in a time machine tomorrow, I’d travel back to then
Oh my gosh this would be a dream come true to win a signed book by you!! The most romantic place would have to be Orlando because it’s where I got married to the love of my forever <3 We have been to romantic islands, but I still feel butterflies when I'm in Orlando because I remember the most wonderful day of my life
And I just read that I’m supposed to email you this so that’s what I’m doing now haha!!
Without a doubt, Sintra (Portugal) is one of the most romantic places for all the lovers. It is situated in the between the palaces and castles and the magical forest. Sintra has a very powerful history and it’s a testimony of almost every eras in Portugal’s history. Many important figures in history had fallen in love with the village, such as Lord Bryon, Robert Southey, Hans Christensen Anderson and Richard Strauss.
Sintra is the place where I live and that is one of the main reasons why it is so special to me. However, whenever I think of Sintra, there’s a mystical side to it. Because of Sintra’s surroundings you can almost be taken back in time to a place where kings, queens, princes and princesses lived. Besides the beautiful historical monuments, Sintra is also know for having a great gastronomy.
I left you with the words of Lord Bryon about my beautiful village:
“Lo! Cintra’s glorious Eden intervenes
In variegated maze of mount and glen.
Ah me! what hand can pencil guide, or pen,
To follow half on which the eye dilates
Through views more dazzling unto mortal ken
Than those whereof such things the bard relates,
Who to the awe-struck world unlocked Elysium’s gates?”
My most romantic place is a very common place, Central Park, in New York City. Why, because this is where my husband proposed to me. It was October 1995, we were in New York to see of all things the New York Giants play the Pittsburgh Steelers (my husbands’s team) in football. The night before the game we did some site-seeing as everyone does when they are in New York City. We came to Central Park and we decided to take a carriage ride. It was a little chilly but we were given a blanket to be put over our laps and off we went. As we were riding along through the park another carriage drives by us. It is covered in red roses and the couple in the carriage is drinking champagne (at lease that is what it looked like). I turned to my “boyfriend”, as he was at the time, and said, “boy, that is very romantic, you never plan ahead like that”. Just kidding of course. Well without skipping a beat he says “oh yeah, and takes the blanket off our laps reaches into his pocket, turns to me and opens up the ring case and says “I love you very much, will you marry me”? I think that is what he said because I was so surprised and embarressed that it was a little bit of a blurr. Of course I said yes. It just goes to show that you don’t need red roses and champagne to have a romantic ride through Central Park.
My husband & I honeymooned on Whistler Mountain in British Columbia, Canada in 1979 (when it was still remote, rustic & not so well known). It was so quiet & peaceful in the mountains, we bought a loud, ticking clock, so we couldn’t hear each other chew & swallow our cereal at breakfast.
So much fun skiing & exploring the mountain together!
I went to an island in western Australia when I was 6 months pregnant. I know this sounds corny but the romance was getting to know the amazing person growing inside me. After contracting chicken pox and swine flu in my first trimester we needed the us time and it was gorgeous and the sunsets were even better.
The most romantic place I have ever been is at the alter of my church getting married to the most amazing man. I remember lighting the unity candle then holding my husbands hands and putting our foreheads together and I said, “this is us-forever”. That moment, that place, that feeling will never be duplicated-it was the start of our happily ever after
The most romantic, magical, unforgettable place I’ve been to is a small village Rowy by the Baltic Sea. It was in August, a hot night, the sound of waves, the smell of the sand and tanned skin and the starry sky. That was my first date with my husband. We both were really excited, we were sitting by the tree, looking at the sea and for the first time I saw so many shooting stars. One after another, so I didn’t even have time to tell my wish. This place will always be in my heart. Ps. Afterwards I found out that the “rain of shooting stars” is absolutely normal at the beginning of August in Rowy
Brugges Belgium The city is very romantic full of canals, old houses, castles and flowers I had a nice companion in those time but after two years ago he died but he and the city will be always in my mind and heart. We left there a piece of our hearts and lives.
my favourite place was Positano, Italy
Dubrovnik, such a beautiful old city with so much history and love. We spent our honeymoon there and had an amazing time and met some amazing people.
The most romantic place (romantic time) for me was when, with my husband, we ate together for the first time a hot pancake (crêpe) topped with chocolate in front of the cathedral “Notre-Dame de Paris.” We were in a kind of bubble and we traveled together through centuries of history.
The most romantic place I have been to is The Backwaters in the Kerala state in southern India, because I found that peace that makes you slow down your breathing and clear your mind……
The most romantic place that I ever went was to Iceland to celebrate my 40th birthday. My husband and I had not been on a trip with just the two of us in the past 12 years after having kids and due to his schedule in the military. Iceland had such natural beauty and we enjoyed every minute of being there. The people were so nice and the best part of the trip was standing out in the cold at night next to the ocean seaching for the Northern Lights.
It has to be Cannes in summer 1995. It was the year we got married in January. We will be married 19 yrs coming January. Would love to go back x
Hello Paullina,
First let me say how my I love your books and Thank you for giving me
the opportunity to win the sequel to Children of Liberty.
The most romantic place for me was my husbands and my first trip we
took for our 10 year anniversary. It was the most beautiful trip to
Cozumel, Mexico. A little beautiful island with white sand, clear blue/
green beach. We got married when I was 18 & he was 21. We both got
married very young and had children from our first marriages so this
was a second for us both. We also had children of our own so we never
had much money to be able to take a trip like this. When we got there
our resort was right by the beach. When we opened our sliding door to
our room, the fact that the beach was a few feet away and the beautiful
trees is beyond words. We rented a moped and took a trip around the
whole island. On one side of the island the rocks are high and the
waves splashed so beautifully against them as we sat on the rock with
my husbands arm around me is a memory I hold near and dear. We went
snorkeling and we took a picture underwater which I have framed. The
fish were just so colorful and the water was so clear I felt like I
could be there forever. I looked at my husband underwater and he was
the most endearing in that moment with no worries, just me, him and the
beautiful ocean. Our dinner on the ship around the bay at night was
also so memorable. Cozumel is a place I hope he and I can visit again
because it brought out our most romantic sides and allowed us to
connect in a way we had not in a long time due to our busy schedules at
home. We just celebrated our 18th anniversary and still haven’t been
able to take another trip like this, but I hope soon we will. He is the
love of my life and that little island was a peace of heaven for us
both. I would like to have better detail in the description of the island, but honestly to me, in my memory its perfect. It was beyond romantic.
The fact that we could sit alone and watch the sun set and the look at that beautiful moon is indescribable.
tinacruz77@aol.com
A log cabin in the Blue Mountains during winter with my husband, the most romantic man I know in the years before we were married.
But our dream is to venture abroad to where my family started, as we believe eastern Europe to be it’s most beautiful at this time.
A small house, built by hand, in Enfield New Hampshire that isn’t particularly pretty, doesn’t have planned gardens or even a paved driveway, but it smells like balsam and firewood, fresh water and snow. At night it is quiet and warm, and the stars shine as far as the moonlight will allow. There isn’t a street lamp or a car driving by. Only the coyotes in the woods and the birds in the trees or the garage. When I first went there to meet Nick’s parents I didn’t know what to think, it wasn’t what I had pictured at all. And now it means more than any other home could. We spent a stormy winter and a sweet spring and a hot summer there and drowned in our own romance there. It is idyllic, though yo might not think so at first glance.
Rome is my romantic place. Unfortunately I was without my husband when I was there. Definitely place I’d like to return to with him. I loved walking along the cobblestone lane ways around Rome. You can get lost in all the history and then you find quaint little shops or boutiques dotted along the lanes.
For me it was Guam. Husband was in the Navy, had just returned to the States from VietNam and was immediately transferred to Guam for 2 years. First time I had lived in another country. Best part was, after 9 years trying, we got pregnant. (Had a beautiful little girl.)
Sicilian summer with my husband where I discovered my father’s place of birth. Natural scenery, beautiful beaches and hot weather…not to mention the food
Hope to win! Most Romantic trip, definitely Cozumel, Mexico. It was our first big trip ever, it was special because we were able to save up and go for our 10th wedding anniversary. It’s been almost 19 yr now and hands down the most romantic trip we have ever taken. That little island with its clear blue/green waters, epic.
The most romantic place for me is St Petersburg it is a beautiful city. I loved seeing the places the characters Alexander and Tatiana experienced in The Bronze Horseman like The Summer Garden. There were also quite a few weddings I saw when I was there in 2007!
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Walking thru these foggy medieval streets of eastern Europe – you ARE walking back in time in this little village that just oozes history and quaintness. I love the place in general but especially loved strolling thru the streets with my fiance. It transports you. You have to experience it to know what I’m talking about. Simply magical.
I have just read all three books my “Fav” is the first the Bronze Horseman. I was reading old posts and I Think Joe Manganiello would be a great Alexander, Amanda Seyfried as Tatiana and Mila Kunis as Dasha. I knew this post is late, however I have just finished the books. They are fantastic. I cried and I laughed then cried. This is the best love story I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Thank you Paullina for a wonderful story. It is amazing.