Author: ana

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foooood in portugal just life

consoada

consoada, the family dinner on christmas eve, is the epitome of christmas celebrations in portugal. families get together and a ton of food, homemade wine and sweets are consumed. there’s nothing fancy about it: everybody brings something and we share it all. and then, when people are nearing sugar coma, santa claus descends upon us and distributes the presents. because the family is quite big and loves to give cleverly disguised gag gifts, the process takes hours… plus for the first time in a really long time, there’s a baby in the family again – his name is martim, and he loves to help people tear the wrapping paper off their presents! :)







it never gets old! :)

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in slovenia

christmas market in ljubljana

hello! happy new year!
it’s been quiet here, but like always on the first day of the year, there’s new energy to do the things we’ve kept postponing… like blogging :)

we’ve spent christmas in portugal with our families, like we always do. travelling here in mid-december involved a late plane and a missed connecting flight in london, with a consequent pricey flight purchase for the next day and the inevitable overnight stay in an airport. but hey, after years of changing planes in london and never visiting the city, i finally stepped out of an airport and took the subway – to another airport, but still! i can say i’ve used london’s metro! :)
all in all, we were rather lucky, considering all the stories we’ve been reading!

before we left for portugal, we made sure to enjoy the christmas market in ljubljana. the light decorations take a less christian theme there, focusing on stars and planets instead. there are stalls selling things like winter gloves, sweets, honey or christmas decorations and others with lots of food… and of course, gluhwein and hot chocolate. yum!
the whole concept of a christmas market is something i really like: it gives people enough incentive to brave the snow and come out on the streets in these cold december nights. here’s what it looked like this year:





next post: christmas night in portugal!

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on the big screen

two movies

we’ve seen ‘the cave of the yellow dog‘ after joana’s recommendation, and loved every minute of it. mongolia is beautiful, and if we ever end up there someday in the distant future, i think we’ll be able to trace that decision back to this movie.

and we want to see somewhere, sofia coppola’s newest film. i really like the trailer, and this song… i can’t get it out of my head!

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in slovenia

one year in slovenia!


a few days ago we celebrated another year of this cultural immersion adventure, the fourth so far (1 in netherlands, 2 in china and now 1 in slovenia) and i don’t think we’ll stop our mission around the world any time soon… although slovenia has managed to charm us thoroughly! in fact, i can picture us settling down here, on a big house (all houses are gigantic around here) by the mountains, spending our days hiking, eating sausages and mushrooms and breathing in the fresh air with a mug of planinski tea or bela kava on our hands.

i’m almost wary of singing slovenia’s praises for fear that the country will be invaded by tourists, spoiling its magic. i’m not the only one thinking so – we’re like a league of secret slovenian admirers, speaking of the country as if it’s mythical (a bit like bielefeld conspiracy, I’ve heard…). seriously, when was the last time you heard of slovenia in the news? never? i rest my case. :P

right now, the first snows have fallen, and we’re eager to start enjoying the winter before packing the tent again and moving somewhere… north. after shanghai we craved quietness, pure air, nature. after slovenia, we’re craving a bustling city, events, cafés with internet. we’ll see. :)

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links and ideas

public service by dan savage

“the clitoris… i know so much about it! it’s like a country i’ve never been to, but i’ve read every travel guide.
angor wat… angor twat i should call it!”

dan savage answers sex related questions live on events and on a column called savage love. it’s pure public service of setting records straight about sexuality in a frank, no-nonsense voice.

recently, he started it gets better, a project where he + his husband and hundreds of other people (including tim gunn, perez hilton or chris colfer) send lgbt teenagers a clear message:

Many LGBT youth can’t picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can’t imagine a future for themselves. So let’s show them what our lives are like, let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them.

i think this is a remarkable project. high school really is a tough time (and not only for lgbt teenagers), but it gets better for all of us, often just the moment high school ends. hang in there, it does get better.