Category: weeknotes

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!

it feels like so long since i last posted! let’s see… what have we been up to?

– went to chefs on fire with friends and it was really nice! good food, good company, nice concerts and just the overall happiness of feeling like life is slowly resuming once more.

– after that, i took the train south to welcome the painters. part 2 of construction plans is to repair some cracks on the walls and give the outside of the house a paint job. i hope it’s going ok, and that we’ll be back to a fresh house that looks like new.

– another train ride north, and oh boy, was i sick on the train… i didn’t use to get sick like this, but i suspect wearing the FP2 masks for 7 hours straight really doesn’t help. still, better get sick on the train than catch covid and miss out on the holidays!

– the boy’s mom did a small surgery and one day later was home and off the painkillers. modern surgery is such an amazing thing, i will never not be amazed by and grateful for it.

– last week was pre-“world postcard day” week, and it was go! go! go! the whole week. there’s always so much to do on the last week of september, so much to prepare and write and people to poke… the day was a huge success though, and it feels like it’s getting bigger and bigger every year, with more people participating and talking about it. it’s really nice to see your work rally people with so much enthusiasm for postcards.

– and then, on the last day of week 39, we flew to berlin! hurray for being back in the city in the middle of autumn, probably my favourite season to be here. the air is fresh but not cold yet, and everywhere we look, the trees and vines are doing their colorful dance, yellows and reds everywhere. this coming week will be a lot of work… but i’m happy to be doing it here, in a place where i can see old friends, eat food from different places and just explore. :)

– after 40 years of washing my face with soap, i talked to a dermatologist about my intermittent acne and now i have a skincare routine of sorts. i don’t have high hopes, but it feels fun to be trying something new!

– we had a fun game night late last week, and our friends brought over an unexpected gift of locally grown mangoes. they were amazingly delicious, and i hope our tiny mango tree will one day grow into something that produces mangoes as delicious as these. :D

– this week was the mediterranean diet fair, the biggest event in the town’s calendar. it’s really nice to see people out and about again, watching some outdoor concerts (mariza, moçoilas and a bit of jorge palma), stocking on gifts for friends, and to enjoy this end of summer buzz, the mixed joy and sorrow of the last days wearing shorts and sandals.

– we’re packing for 7 weeks away, give or take — weeks that will include both formal events in berlin, and hiking in the alps. we might have been a bit optimistic when we thought we could pack it all in a 20kg suitcase…