Grateful for the summer

We've had such rainy and cold months during the period that people usually call spring and summer. With a few exceptions it felt mostly like an endless rainy November. And now suddenly we've been rewarded with the most incredible end of summer weather. We've had a row of uninterrupted sunny days. I've never been so often to the beach here. Actually I don't remember ever being to the beach here before. Honestly, I can't help but feeling grateful every morning when I wake up and see the sun coming up.

Present for a friend

I love wrapping presents. In the past I was even thinking of opening a shop for packaging presents. But somehow I was not thrilled of the prospect of turning this into my profession. Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing anything too fancy or complicated. But somehow this is my zen moment - focusing on the process and thinking of nothing else :) It is a bit like with baking. I almost feel embarrassed to say I like baking - and by that I mean really just normal everyday baking, and not the fancy sugar-paste cakes you see everywhere on social media.

And lately I like experimenting with washi tape. It is simple, fast and I can do it even with Daniel. He loved helping me wrapping the present for his father's birthday.

And this one is for a dear friend who is leaving her job. It is a book that was recommended by someone (don't even remember by whom). But should obviously be a read to remember. David Whyte's Crossing the Unknown Sea.

Coming back

If I say I'd been missing this place all the time, I'd be lying. Life's been too busy. But I did miss it often. And lately I do miss it a lot. So, here I am back online. More than two years later.
Two busy years... I got married, we moved, had a baby - in the meantime two-year old toddler... I'm changing jobs...
I can't help but see the way my life has changed. I have no idea which movies are now on but I know that Peppa Pig is on Netflix... I sometimes read books on topics other than parenting... I buy mostly cooking books and children books... We go out with friends with kids, especially those with kids who can play with our kid. We plan the day around afternoon naps... I am working less in the office and more at home... I try to speak correctly and with no accent as my toddler is ruthlessly repeating every word I say the wrong way. I've had sleepless nights, happy tears, moments of guilt, pride... f*ck it moments...
And then at one point life started going back to normal. I can have a shower and comb my hair every day again... It's getting possible to carve out time for what I like doing... I enjoy talking to people about topics other than babies...
And I'll try to be more often around. Hi, I'm back :)

Yesterday morning was that beautiful!

Past explorations

I logged in with the intention to write about a completely different topic and then I read my last post. And I recognized I haven't shared any of the further city explorations we've made.
So, let's start with biking!

There is a biking route around the airport, which is incredibly entertaining. I loved it so much that I was always tempted to do that one again instead of trying out new routes. Well, actually I always went for the new ones but I haven't given up on the idea to make another round around the airport.

So, what is so special about it?
















First the obvious - you get to admire the view of airplanes taking off and landing.
Part of the route includes a military tank road - nicely broad and welcoming.
And then big part of the road runs amidst a natural park where you get to hear and see all kinds of amazing birds!

reading & walking

I am making some progress on the city exploration plans. Still more theoretical as the rainy weather is not the best for biking or hiking. However, I started noticing places.
This is the monument of Pestalozzi, very central in Zurich. I never really took notice of it before. Probably because this is also the place where there is always someone collecting money for charity.

Pestalozzi was an interesting person, they still call him "The father of modern education". He was very much influenced by Jean Jaques Rousseau and even called his son Jean Jaques. Pestalozzi's methods however completely failed on his son: little Jaqueli did not show any great talents in learning. And in general it appeared that Pestalozzi was much more successful in building the theory behind education than in teaching himself.
No doubt a great man.

Spring plans

I am starting to explore the city through its famous people and its biking routes.

"You should never curse anything that is falling from the skies."
I've recently read that in a book. I couldn't agree more, and yet Peter is telling me that I constantly complain about the weather...

Go East... where the skies are blue

Back from a very relaxing weekend in Hungary. Where the sun was shining, birds were singing and the rivers were getting dangerously full.

They call it "little Danube"

In that street is the house where Sándor Petőfi lived when he was in town. We like to call him "the Hungarian Botev", and respectively Botev is "the Bulgarian Petőfi"

 

 The place where Peter's father goes fishing. He is one of those passionate fishermen that don't miss a day. And if it's freezing outside, he just makes a hole in the ice.

seasons coming and going... or staying

Tired of the long winter I am desperately trying to bring spring inside...

While winter is still feeling quite comfortable outside

Christmas from the past

The other day I went out looking for some balls for the Christmas tree. Even though we decorated it mostly with things made by us, we wanted to put also a bit of the classical stuff on it. And to my greatest surprise I've found out that you can get from that type of decoration I remember from my childhood - the little mushrooms and balloons, and faces that I believe long disappeared in Bulgaria.
And they are obviously used - here on the tree in one of our offices.

party on the table

In my last Hungarian lesson I learned how to say on the table and at the table. It is so much easier in Bulgarian - the same expression for both situations. And while speaking Bulgarian you cannot make the silly (and to other people funny) mistake to put someone on the table while they are sitting at the table. So practical!
Those guys, however, were clearly having a party on the table.
At a Christmas market in Zurich.

I am usually careful with books. But somehow I am not angry when I get all those spots on a cooking book. I even like them. I open the book and it smells of vanilla, and my memories bring me back to those cozy Sundays when the book was used...

Now I have to admit that I bought the book on Friday and this messy look it got only after the first recipe I tried out. If the cake tastes so good as it looks? I can't wait to find out - it is still cooling down...

This uncertainty and anxiety... Will it rain or not?
 

Poppy Flowers

They say your life today is an expression of your thinking yesterday. So true... A few months ago I was feeling exhausted with the constant travelling and trying to live two lives in two completely different places. While it can be certainly very enriching, it takes a lot of energy- energy to adjust, energy to take care of two homes, energy to transition between "here" and "there", not knowing anymore which is "here" and which is "there". I longed for some routine, waking up in the same bed, cooking in the same kitchen, having flowers in the balcony that would not die because there was no one to water them...
Thus, six weeks after I landed with my two suitcases, five weeks after I started my new job I feel like being at home in Zurich.
We have flowers in the balcony, bikes for the sunny days, and even a TV for the Euro 2012 :)

Smile

It is February and the singer from Deni's calendar is singing to his bear friend Chaplin's SMILE. Here is Dean Martin's version...


...and Chick Corea's piano...
 

Snow Outside And Nikola Tesla In My Mind

We had a lot of snow today and no electricity as a result of that. And while freezing under the blanket, I felt an even greater respect for what this man did.

Two Sundays, two places, two passions

Last Sunday we went winter hiking to Melchsee-Frutt.

The initial idea was to rent snow shoes or sledges. However, once we reached there and saw the options for simple hiking, we decided to stick to it.

 

Our target was the food place at the end of this path.

And today is the second day of a working weekend as a heavy training season started.

My Good-bye to an Awesome Year

These days I notice that people naturally tend to look back to their experiences in the past year. Well, I also had a look at the endless folders with pictures in an attempt to remember some special moments. And one of the first pictures I came upon was this.

So, this is not going to be a post about what happened to me but rather about the discoveries I made last year.
To go back to the picture - this was one of the best books I've read - 'Kornel Esti' by Deszö Kosztolány. A friend gave it to me on the first day of summer holidays. There couldn't have been a better time to read this humorous and elegant collection of stories (or maybe a novel?)....

Then of course come all discoveries I make all the time in Switzerland - a world so different in its structure and orderliness. As I've found out many people write about their experiences in this special country. My preferences, however, go to Swiss Watching, which I find informative and pretty amusing. But OK, I couldn't miss sharing this.

Obviously in Switzerland it is possible to buy your ticket after you get off the train...

Then I found out how inspiring online learning could be.

I discovered the fun of skiing in Bansko and Switzerland.

...and wrote an article in a real travel blog.

My latest sports passion is aqua gym.

I discovered Hungarian cooking, and re-discovered cooking in general. My cooking book library is growing, and so is the quantity of tried out recipes.

 

And I discovered new joy in my job by shifting the focus to more creative training topics, such as Drawing simple graphics for presenting...

  ...or Using colours and images in presentations...

Now I am looking forward to a year at least that exciting and encouraging as 2011.