London's sleeping

Last week I went to London. And although I've been there many times before, this time surprised me in a way...

It was 2 A.M. and it was pitch dark outside. We were just outside of London, near Gatwick Airport. And right there, on top of a hill I could see all the London’s lights in front of me. There was this amazing orange-redish glow above the city. Above our heads you could see the stars and there was a group of rabbits running around. 

And this was the only sound one could hear there at that time. Well… maybe an occasional bird that couldn’t sleep. But the rest… There was just silence.

And if people say New York is the city that never sleeps, as Frank Sinatra used to sing, then I must say that I saw London sleeping. And it was amazing… 

the godly law of Austria

It's Sunday in Vienna. Shops are closed. BECAUSE it's Sunday - the day of rest. And yes, we're in 21st century, I'm not talking about some old, old times...

With time I've learnt to accept that with almost 2millions inhabitants, when it comes to the 7th day of the week there are only 3 shops open - 3 exeptions from the rule.

For example, there is BILLA on Praterstern - the train station not far from where I live.

And so I went to BILLA to buy just a couple of things that I really needed. (It's not worth trying to do proper grocery shopping on Sunday, because there every week feels as if Christmas was to come tomorrow and the store is full.)

To my surprise, some shelves turned out to be totally hidden behind the bars.

I've never really noticed, but today - here is what I read on a note on one of such shelves:

The 'store opening hours' refer to all other stores, I presume. But as someone who's not a true Viennese I was most surprised to see this:

So, according to the Austrian law, not only do I have to spend plenty of time queing on Sundays (as a punishment for not having bought whatever it is I need on Saturday?), but also I should tell my runny nose to wait for Monday, because apparently it's against law to buy Kleenex. (!!!)

Oh Austria, Ich liebe dich.

something to think about

This short video from a Pixar movie made me incredibly happy and, eventually, unavoidably sad.
Watch it if you ever think about what happiness is. Do you think that someone to share our life with is a condition for it? Like... if we wanted to be.... deliriously happy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GroDErHIM_0

absitively positutely

Listen to this: Gotye - I feel better

And welcome in 2012 :)

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope this year will be, for everybody, a year of dreams coming true and goals being achieved.
And remember the old saying that "Even the longest journey must begin where you stand". So don't be afraid to take the first step.
I have one resolution that I can share (if anyone cares to listen ;P). I intent not to blow problems out of proportion. It's so easy to do it without even realising... Let's stay positive! :)

ABSITIVELY POSITUTELY. I like 2012.

downside of a traveller's life

I do move quite a lot. And as wonderful as it is, as rewarding with all the new experiences and skills which it brings me, there is a downside to non-holiday travelling. It's called packing.

Packing stresses me out. Trying to put all you need(on the way there)/all you posses(on the way back) in a suitcase is a task that terrifies me every single time. Not to mention getting anywhere afterwards... with all that you decide you need to take? A nightmare.

And now yet another time, this moment came and I have to pack again. And I'm swearing out loud when noone can hear me... Can anybody hear me?! I HATE PACKING!

~as of tomorrow I'm on the road again: Słupsk-Gdańsk-Warsaw-Vienna~

what is your comfort zone?

Christmas.
It's this time of the year we celebrate tradition. And whether for you it's a spiritual time, or the only time when you get to see all the members of your family gather, or you're actually religious (pardon my actually, but nowadays the tendence is dropping, isn't it?), or maybe you're just insane and like christmas shopping... whatever the reason, for most of us Christmas is a somehow special time of the year.
It's something we've learnt for years and we're being constantly reminded about as soon as Halloween decorations are put in the sale.

And this Christmas I asked myself.
Why do I like Christmas?

And the answers that I came up with could be summarized in just one sentence:
Because I know Christmas.

And it better be the Christmas I know! ...because otherwise it makes me feel like it doesn't count.

So there has to be a barszcz, and pierogi, and łamańce and we have to make it all by ourselves, and we also bake the famous gingerbread cookies (whoever sees me around Christmas knows from experience;]). We make hundreds of them (not that we can eat all of it) and it's a lot of work, but we do it together. And we talk and take pictures and just have fun while making them.
But it would definitely not be as much fun, had we done it more than once a year for Christmas.
This year my mum experimented a little bit and there were also new dishes on the table. And you know what? I didn't even feel like trying. Faced with the choice of what is known to me and what I have been waiting for the whole year and merely "something new", I didn't even feel like trying.

This got me thinking.
Why is it?
I'm assuming that on a normal day (and by that I mean any other day but Christmas) I wouldn't mind trying a fish made in a, what is believed to be, Japanese style (whether or not it really is, I would have to ask Yoko;]).

We like being comfortable, don't we?
And whether it's traditional Christmas Eve food, way of living or even relationships, it's nice to know what to expect. It's nice to have an image of what can happen, at the very least.

Do I fear unknown?, I ask myself. And I'm afraid the answer is, as for a lot of people, yes.
And although to some it may seem like I don't, mostly because I follow my dreams no matter where I am geographically (and I counted it: I've lived in 8 cities in 5 countries over the last 4 years.)... there's a method in this madness. I know how to start things all over in a new place. I've learnt it and this is my comfort zone.

...
I read somewhere that "thinking outside of the box" is one of the most over- and mis-used expressions of the busy(professional) Western life, because we no longer take our time to define what that box really is. And it's defining what's stopping you that can help you overcome the barrier you've came across.

And isn't just sitting in our comfort zones stopping us from developing? From learning? And eventually - from making progress? Isn't there something better waiting for us outside of what we know to be comfortable?

What is your comfort zone?

With many post-Christmas hugs,
Kat

I would like to share: bits and pieces of my Christmas tradiotions! From upper left: making gingerbread cookies,  pierogi, Christmas tree, decorated cookies... well - like half of them ;)

And hello from my cat too ;) He seems to be comfortable ALL the time ... ;)

Weihnachtsmärkte in Vienna

Heute war ein Tag voll von Weihnachtsmärkte... oh wait. English mode on.

I have my brother and a friend here and today we went to three different Christmas fairs, so popular here in Vienna. And apart from drinking some mulled wine (did you know/notice that the word Vienna and wine in German are very similar? Vienna is Wien and wine is Wein. Suggestive, huh? ;] ) we enjoyed the atmosphere and here are some pretty details of what we saw:

Belvedere with one of the Christmas fairs right in front of it :)

the complexity of our beloved German language.

a girl with a kaki fruit

I’ve only moved into the area two months ago, but by now I already recognize certain people working in certain places like a supermarket or a post office, since I send a lot of postcards;) and get a lot of packages too. And every time I go to the post office, on my way back, I go in to a grocery store which otherwise never is 'on my way'. And I always go in and buy one kaki fruit there. The only shop assistant working in this little grocery store recognizes me by now and, somehow, it makes me happy that I have this little new habit of buying a kaki fruit on the way back from the post office. It's trivial and might sound funny, but (SOMEHOW) this little thing gives me a feeling of belonging here and - by and large - also in Vienna.


Funny how little things like that can make you smile, isn't it? Or was it maybe Frank Sinatra singing 'the lady is a tramp' that made me smile then?
I'll never know...  -  a girl with a kaki fruit  =) 

: )

Vienna's sky today. Am I seeing the world through rose-coloured spectacles? :)