Author: ana

aaaaah… two whole weeks in south tirol, just walking, eating and enjoying our friends and their dogs. we played board games together, perused the books from their library, and met their own friends. it was a much needed reset on an otherwise crazy year.

– hiking hiking hiking. despite the dodgy back acting up, we walked bits of the meran waalweg and höhenweg, as well as other local paths and it was just beautiful. the area is filled with hiking trails, and you can see lots of older tourists on them. plus, there’s all the autumn colors of central europe, which i’ve mentioned a million times already… i don’t think i’ll ever get tired of them.

– we went to an unexpected guided tour of two mummies, and it was really super interesting. mummies are fascinating a priori, but it’s amazing to see experts talk about the things they’re passionate about. just… wow. alas, this was not the time we met ötzi yet.

– it feels like a bit of sorcery that we didn’t gain a single kilo, despite eating our way through süd tirol with gusto. mountain huts, friday markets, restaurants and supermarkets were visited and thoroughly sampled, bellies filled and happy throughout.

– tirol is dairy madness though — i don’t think a single day went by in which i didn’t have to take a few lactase pills to make up for all the delicious milk, yoghurt and cheese i consumed. they’re so, so good, and there are so many hiper-local brands! it really makes me wonder where we went wrong in portugal, and why all our dairy seems to come from 2 or 3 big companies.

– our friend gui opened a youtube channel while we were staying there, featuring some of his gorgeous macro videos. check it out!

– at the end of the two weeks, we took 2 trains, a uber, 1 flixbus and a plane to come back home, and now here we are, home sweet home. i feel light, and i’m trying to hold on to this feeling and remember we can have a break anytime.

two weeks in berlin! two very busy, very full weeks, with so much catching up with food and friends… two weeks is really not enough time to revisit a place you’ve lived in for a few years. we’ve been experimenting with work schedules and were still mostly trying to work full-time while we were there, so these were some very packed days.

– the first week was all work work work, writing up speeches and preparing for the german stamp event. the event itself had 2 parts and both went off without a hitch, thanks to the months of planning by our postcrossing friends. first there was a formal event with a state secretary and all the people involved in making the stamp, and a more informal event afterwards, with postcrossers. it was a brilliant day, with lots and lots of postcards and so many interesting conversations taking place! really happy to see this stamp come to life.

– after the event was done, it was time to eat our way around the city and catch up with our friends! the kids have grown quite a bit by now, and like to play tabletop games with us and tell us about their collections and adventures! it’s such a beautiful phase, this span of time between 5 and 8 years old — they’re alert and competitive and they want to know things!

– in a neighborhood that seems to have taken a bit of a turn for the worse, our favorite café is still going strong, and it makes me exceedingly happy. other things we ate included hot pot, cheesecake, bibimbap, burritos, spätzle and currywurst, pad thai and khao soi, fatteh and halloumi plates, veggie burgers, donuts (they’re everywhere these days!) and also few german christmas sweets, despite it still being october.

– stationery haul! we visited luiban, where i stocked up on some sticky notes, sarasa pens and midori’s double schedule, which i’d had my eye on for some time. every time we visit, i want to stay in the cozy embrace of this little shop for a long time.

– at the end of the week, we took a train to italy, where we’re staying to visit our friends. i’ve really missed the opportunity for long train rides that central europe offers. we live in such a far corner of the continent, but here everything seems relatively close and reachable by train. how lucky!