HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!!!

2012 wasn't an easy year. Many people were diagnosed with serious diseases. Many passed away. 

Grandma passed away.......

I neglected my old friends and family back at home, and didn't really plan to visit them enough...

I was really looking forward to a new start which we all get every 365 days.

2013 will be a wonderful and unforgettable. I feel it.

I am looking forward to going back home, travelling with cheri N. and... our wedding!

WE ARE ENGAGED!

MAKE IT A GOOD ONE!

It's been two weeks since we returned to Ukraine where it's a beautiful fall 2012.

As we're going back to France in October, to Italy in December and to Poland to celebrate New Year, I am in a hurry to share some pictures that I took this September.

Here's a preview.

Ile d'Oleron with wedding fun and helicopter tour:

Gorgeous and authentic Brittany in the North of France:

Crowded, humid but oh-so-unique Barcelona:

And magnificent Sevilla... the Spain I had craved and dreamt of for so long:

Two days in Paris when the grass is still green put a happy end to our 18 days of travelling.

I hope you'll enjoy what's saved for later.

Vacationing:)

In two hours a car will pick us up and take to Terminal F. We're goning on vacation!!! France and Spain, Spain, Spain!:) 

So come back for updates. Travel with us;) Also available on instagram;))

Meanwhile, let me introduce you charming Garima from I for an Eye with a story about a place where every romantic should visit at least once.

A very warm “Hi” to Anna’s reader... I am Garima started my blog I for an Eye four years back on the day of Wedding Anniversary of my parents.

As a part of Blog Swap at 20 Something Bloggers, I would like you to visit a special place with me as the topic is Childhood Summer Vacation. I would like to title this post as:

There is always a First Time!!!

We’ll have to travel back in time, few decades back...1989 is the year we would stop....stop stop STOPP!!!

I am Garima....my age is in single digit. Last week I went to my first summer vacation. It was actually a short trip that my Dad’s office had organised for all the employees and their families. It was a great experience meeting a huge group of people. Some colleagues came with their families; those who were single came along with friends.  It was a bus journey through the night, it wasn’t a long route we reached our destination by morning. We made quite a few friends there. Few hours of bus journey was enough to set the bond right. Moms were discussing recipes and ways to make their little ones eat those green leafy vegetable full of iron. I even heard one of the Aunties mentioning Popeye, I wonder if any of you started eating spinach after watching him! Dads were busy discussing the itinerary, they rather were arguing as everyone had a different plan. We kids were busy disturbing the discussion of our Moms and Dads. We sometimes would runaway to Moms and sometimes to Dads to catch their respective attentions.

There wasn’t much in this trip talk about but just one thing. Our destination – Taj Mahal!!! Keeping everything aside it was the beauty and serenity of Taj Mahal that stole my heart. I feel great to be able to see Taj Mahal in my first outstation trip to some other place than my Grandparents house. People say that it’s one of the wonders in the World. I am not sure if I would be able to see the other wonders, but I won’t mind going to Taj Mahal again and again. The white marble shines like a diamond in sunshine, it is suppose to be an auspicious place and hence we were not allowed to wear shoes inside the monument. Marble was burning hot yet we all loved playing and running around while parents were busy clicking their pictures. They captured ample memories for themselves and for us to wonder up on how we looked on the trip....sweaty and thirsty!

But I am wondering about just one thing for the past one week...how beautiful Taj Mahal would look in a full moon light. Mom told me that Taj Mahal is the symbol of Love. An emperor got it built for his beloved wife. I am not sure which love Mom talked about, looking at my confused expressions all she said was, you are too young to know it...but you will when the time would come! This made me even more confuse, it’s better to keep wondering about the beauty of the Taj Mahal than thinking about anything else. I am sure whenever I would recall this trip, all I would remember is the Taj Mahal.

Now (Back to square one!!!)

I was right, the only thing that I keep wondering about is the beauty of Taj Mahal. Unfortunately I couldn’t go back to the monument again, cos I now understand what Mom meant when she said that I would know about Love eventually. I am still waiting for the time when I would meet someone and realise that he is nothing less than the Emperor of my life. I would love to go back to Taj Mahal, once I fall in Love and have a story to cherish at the place where lovers take vows to stand by each other for the rest of their lives.

Couching around

I think if it wasn't for our trip to France and Spain in September, I'd be in a much worse shape mentally right now.

photo by @ZehraKuyulu

It was a chilly rainy Saturday for me and the pup.
I need a break from this town.
We need our "vacationing papa" to finally be back.

Hope it's sunny wherever you are.

A Perfect Weekend Recipe

• Turn off your TV.
• Shut down your PC.
• Head to a park, river side or a beach. Mute all the thoughts, clear your head and just be...

This weekend I realized that I nearly forgot how to just be.

Constant pressure and guilt for not "being productive".

Small cups of coffee, huge cups of tea, walking with the dog, talking on the phone, cooking some, doing laundry, learning French in the garden, reading... taking it easy...

Puppy and I will keep practising "productive guilt-free rest" this week while "Papa" is on vacation:)

.

Seize the day.
"Tomorrow", "later" and even "soon", you may never have.

May 7 Grandma died.

Happy Easter!

Today it's Easter in Ukraine.

Second year around I didn't go home. Instead of Dnepropetrovsk, this year we headed to a "camping" not far from Kyiv (because I'm a great planner who fails to buy tickets home in advance).

The road was LONG. Ask Grishka and his travel buddy.

While we were having shashlyk, our pyppy was having a lot attention from our friends who fed him, cuddled him, took him for walks. See?:)

The place where we stayed was kind of magical. It felt like we were somewhere in Finland, not at the Kyiv Sea. Wooden houses with fire places and 24h service. I can't imagine how nice it must be there in summer with all the open pools...

Grishka had A LOT OF FUN. He was allowed to run around without his leash, eat whatever he was given but more than anything he loved the water!.. 

It all started with innocent catching of water bubbles at the beach... It finished with the dog running off, jumping into an open pool, jumping out of it and rushing to the beach where he was happily swimming while a guard from the hotel was trying to catch him in his black suit, tie and a crispy white shirt.

That's our baby!

As a result - runny nose:)))
The vet should visit tomorrow or on Tuesday.

Kids...

HAPPY EASTER!