Thoughts from places…

… because those Vlogbrothers video titles are awesome and they are always my favorite of their videos.

Here are my thoughts from places, while on hiatus these past few weeks. ( Missed you guys! <3 )

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I am completely fine with having to reorganize my suitcase several times before leaving, both home and the places I visited, because I packed too many books.

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Everywhere I go, I see hearts. And everywhere I go, I see something I can turn into art.

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People who disagree with you and correct you every step of the way, even if they are actually adding to the conversation, are so tiring.

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Life and death are so intertwined; just like each and every moment in between.

Death has a way of catching up with you when you’d rather try and recover from a loss… But if there is such a thing as a beautiful death, it must be that of simply falling asleep and dying of old age.

Funerals are for the living. And when you miss a burial, you can’t help but feel that loss just a bit more painfully every single time the subject comes up.

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Thinking of Connie’s Sky, I took pictures that day. And though I’m so many miles away, and was very far even from an internet connection – I felt so very human and so connected to Connie Hozvicka, to Jill and to Judy. I think it’s within human nature to forget this sometimes, but we do hold each other’s hearts in our hands.

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Annie Q. Syed said in one of her Still Sundays posts, which I managed to read while on hiatus, that: “in stillness I am reminded life changes course in the small plans that may appear magnified because there is no map.”

I fully understand that. And would like to add, that, sometimes even with a map it’s possible to lose track of our journey and spend too much time in paper towns.

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I left behind a love letter in one of the passenger cars of the steam train we rode in. Because there is magic in everything.

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Balance. Not easily found. Not easily kept. I’m still searching for it. For just the right balance that I need. I finally feel like I’m on the right track.

Hiatus time! :)

My new travelogue and I are going on a hiatus for a couple of weeks. Okay, not just the two of us… we’re letting the Chef tag along as well

Kidding aside though, I’m really excited for the lovely new things on the horizon:
the opportunity to travel a little bit (to several different places), the break from life as I know it here in this moment. I’m looking forward to taking pictures, breathing fresh mountain air, discovering trails in forests and getting some much needed rest. I’m looking forward to change; the big, beautiful changes that dance in my mind and heart, like in people’s all over the world. Plus, I’m especially looking forward to writing and reading time by the pool.
(I already stacked four books, the travelogue and a thick notebook next to my nearly packed bags.)

 

Now, since you’re here already, feel free to browse through the:

• Seasonal Photo Challenge  – it’s more fun than you’d think by reading the title
• Recipes of the Month – impress someone you love with a yummy home cooked meal
• Creative Writing Corner – see if you like my flash fiction or poems better
• Green Lifestyle posts – go green; ‘nuff said
• blog, in general – everything is right up there in the menu bars, and don’t forget to scroll down and hit “older entries” to go back in time

 

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the summer, and I will see you back here on August 29.

Lots of love to you <3

Medieval and Natural Gems

Are you up for a walk? To see palaces, beech tree forests, waterfalls, medieval terraced walkways, limestone caves and ponds turned into lakes?

My latest travel article is up over at Milliver’s Travels. It’s about a place and country I haven’t written about before, filled with so much beauty and history.

Go check out Some Medieval and Natural Gems of Lillafüred, Hungary. And… will you also leave it some love while you’re there?

 

PS: I’ve closed the comment section here to make things less confusing.

Attractions that attracted me in Paris

First off, I’d like to officially share with you my exciting news of becoming a staff writer at Milliver’s Travels. At any time, you’ll be able to browse through all my articles right here.
It’s wonderful to be able to share on a regular basis some of the places I visited/will visit and fell in love with – and I feel privileged to be in such awe-inspiring company. Go check out everyone’s articles, they’re all lovely!

And now for the second part of today’s news

After I wrote and sent in my first article on Paris to Milli Thornton, we quickly noticed that I had way too much to say. We divided the article into two parts, which then grew up to become a three part series.

So go ahead, click through if you’re wondering which ones are “My Three Most Favorite Attractions in Paris”.

Walking is fun everywhere

I love traveling. In any amount!

To places I’ve seen before and of course even more so to places I dreamed of visiting all my life. This year, I’ve been the luckiest to have the opportunity of spending a short weekend Paris.

If you’re curious as to why this city (also) has captured my attention and took over a part of my heart – head on over to Milliver’s Travels and read all about it in my guest post, “Walking Through Paris” 

I still dream of Sicily

Just one of the many conclusions from my trip to Sicily last year is this: You can fall in love with Taormina in less than a day!

Have I made you curious as to why this town captured my attention and took over a part of my heart? Head on over to Milliver’s Travels and read all about it in my guest post

My trip to Paris, France

Let me start this post by stating that before I left, I had some preconceived notions on what Paris and the trip overall would be like. I was wrong.

It was far better that anything I could’ve ever imagined!
Somehow, I still can’t believe I wasn’t dreaming and that I have actually visited the city I’ve dreamed of visiting ever since, as a child, I could pronounce the name “Eiffel Tower”.

Walking in Paris is amazing, and I spent almost the whole time doing so during the two and a half days spent there.
The city is swarming with tourists, the food is great, the sights are all worth waiting in (the long) lines for, there are in fact streets so small they appear on no map.

Noticing the little things – some of the pedestrian signs cracked me up as never in my life have I seen a man on a pedestrian sign wait with his hands on his hips.
The city is so stylish that their McDonalds “M” on Champs-Élysées is white instead of yellow (apparently the yellow sign was considered tacky so even McDonalds plays dress up in Paris).
While you may state my mind is in the gutter I’ll just go ahead and say it anyway – some of the statues seem pretty inappropriate for public display from specific angles.
And you know how you sometimes wish you could just pull over at the corner? Well people here actually do it, so you need to watch out for cars when crossing the road because you might not see the oncoming traffic on account of the awkwardly parked cars on street corners.

And as opposed to everything I’ve heard about their resentment towards tourists all the locals I spoke to were very sweet and willing to help.
One lady even confused me for a local (within 2 hours of my arrival) when I asked about a street (apparently I pronounced the name oh-so-correctly in French) until she realized the confused stare came from my not understanding a word she’d just said (plus she talked sooo fast).

To sum it all up: I’ve had the time of my life, many new firsts (there may be a list in an upcoming blog post) and I don’t regret one second of… any of it!

Plus, I had the best company I could’ve hoped for

 

Cloudscapes

 

View from the hotel

 

Jardin des Tuileries, Champs-Élysées

 

Obélisque de Louxor

 

   Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile

 

Basilique Mazarin, Louis XIV, Hotel les Invalides, Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Assemblée Nationale

  Musée du Louvre

 

Basilique Ste-Clotilde, Flamme de la Liberté, Le Mur pour la Paix, Hotel de Ville, École Militaire

 

Tour Eiffel

 

View from Tour Eiffel

 

Paris at night 

  Notre Dame

View from Centre Pompidou