My journey of healing, adventure and expat life
Spring has arrived in Budapest. The entire city is breathing a collective sigh of relief. These are spring photos taken this weekend on Margaret Island.
A bike truck that can be rented on Margaret Island.
A childs bike at Margaret Island.
A child enjoying the spring weather.
A doorway of the Dominican convent ruins on Margaret Island.
A child picking flowers on Margaret Island.
Five Years
Five years ago in February I started this website. What began as a site to inspire healing has transformed into a site which inspires both healing and travel adventures. This transition came about through my own transitions and healing.
A Metamorphosis
This website has gone through a metamorphosis as my grief healed and I created new dreams for my life. Last year my site crashed and I lost some posts and all my comments. The site had to be rebuilt and I lost all my google ranking as well. It was frustrating and maddening, but here we are today, growing and learning and I deeply hope, inspiring you to transform your own life and follow your dreams.
My Dream Realized
One of my dreams was to go on press trips for tourism destinations. I’ve now done that multiple times to destinations throughout the Caribbean and Mexico. It was fantastic to realize a long held dream of mine. Since I began this site it has been a dream to continue growing my readership. That is happening and I’m happy with this transformation.
Looking Ahead
Another goal of mine is to publish a book. I’m currently working on notes for the book and am in the planning stages. It will be a funny book about my travel experiences.
Transformations
My life has transformed through relationships, pets, new jobs, house sales, and the death of my parents. It has been, and continues to be quite a journey of adventure and at times grief and challenge. I have many blessings and this website is one of them. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
All the Best,
Lisa
Some Recipes Work and Some Flop
Cooking in a foreign country has challenges, starting with the grocery shopping. My grocery shopping experiences will be another entire post. Some dishes I cook work out easily and the ingredients don’t seem to be much different. Other dishes, such as the Pad Thai I’ve made one hundred times perfectly from scratch, was suddenly a big flop. Best I can tell the white vinegar I used here in Hungary has a different flavor and ruined the flavor of my dish. (More on that later when I try making it again.)
My latest flop appears to be baking pizza from scratch. (I’m quite a good cook and have a repertoire of excellent dishes I cook from scatch.) Apparently I just wont be cooking them in Budapest! How can pizza go wrong? It can go wrong when you buy the wrong flour. While in Budapest I’ve had success with Banana Bread and Chocolate Chip Cookies, though I’d heard from a colleague and friend that her cookie baking was a disaster. I was surprised, today I understand!
When I opened the flour I was suspicious, it had the look of yeast grains. That wasn’t the look I was expecting for my baking flour. I immediately google translated the words on the front of the flour package. Wheat Semolina, or in simple terms wheat that is used in pasta, couscous, cereals and puddings, fabulous, not for pizza.
Knowing I had been down this road with my Pad Thai experience, I skipped making the actual pizza, (no sense wasting my ingredients) and just made a crust with herbs and olive oil. The flavor was quite nice, the consistency, flat and tough like shoe leather.
Overseas Shopping Tips
One thing I have learned to do is take photos of the products I use on my cell phone and then review the photos as I shop. This has helped me numerous times. Apparently I will now be taking a photo of the correct flour for baking. When you live in a foreign country shopping becomes more about pictures and remembered brands than it does about actual product names.
There are a few product names I’ve memorized, Tej is Hungarian for milk, eggs are tojas, and cheese is sajt. I have learned over the years to also make my list in two languages when I am shopping for new products; especially products such as spices that I only buy occasionally. That way if I can’t find the product (as is sometimes the case.) I can show the name to a store clerk and get assistance. Have you had funny or disastrous overseas shopping or cooking experiences?
The empty bag of baking flour on the left. The semolina flour on the right. Same design, but different wording and different colors.
Visit Slovenia
Ljubljana is one of those gems of Eastern Europe that doesn’t get enough mention. The beautiful architecture, historic buildings, relaxing waterfront cafes and friendly locals make this an ideal destination.
One of Ljubljana’s Pedestrian streets.
One of the first things I fell in love with in Ljubljana were the pedestrian streets. These old world streets are strictly for walking and biking. They are found in the historic city center and take you past outdoor cafes and restaurants with tables overlooking the Ljubljana River. You can continue past the bustling outdoor market filled with delicious fresh produce and the charming Cobbler’s Bridge.
The Cobblers Bridge
I knew I wanted to see the Cobblers Bridge, though I had no idea what to expect. My travel companion got a good laugh over my surprise at the strings of shoes hanging at one end of the bridge. I was expecting a statue of a cobbler making shoes, like something I’d see in Budapest. The long strands of old shoes were far more charming and I took numerous photos.
A café along the Ljubljana River
One of my walks through the historic Lubljana pedestrian streets.
Another view along the Ljubljana River.
I spent three days in Ljubljana and I barely scratched the surface. I suggest spending a few extra days in Ljubljana to explore the museums and sight see more extensively, I loved this old world Slovenian city. For more insight into my trip to Ljubljana and Slovenia, read Driving in Europe; A Road Trip to Slovenia.
Moving overseas with a pet requires organization, USDA paperwork, patience and sometimes multiple leg journeys by car and air. This is the break down of how my dog Tanner and I arrived in Budapest. Miles Driven 1,822 Rental Cars (4) Miles Flown 5,518 Flights (4) How Do The Miles Break Down? 1,140 miles, driving round [...]
The last twenty four hours have been mostly about Tanner and getting Tanner safely to Budapest. I’ve been traveling internationally for 19 years, and I have moved my pets multiple times. It’s always a little stressful, and there are many details to handle. This time, with a dog the size of a small pony it [...]
The last thirty six hours have been intense and insane. As if it wasn’t enough that I was a little over a day from driving twelve hours to Maryland for our flight, I got two unexpected phone calls. Your USDA Paperwork Must Be Redone I’m a very detailed person when it comes to paperwork for [...]
One of my favorite spots in the St Petersburg/Clearwater area is Indian Rocks Beach. I always feel a sense of peace when I see this view. Sunset Surf, Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
The charm of this town is apparent in the weekend summer crowds. The Saturday I visited Szentendre there was an Arts Festival in the square. Szentendre is found just north of Budapest and can be reached by car, metro or ferry. To reach Szentendre by metro you will take the M2. In my opinion the [...]
From Lassie to Cujo I read as many articles as I could find about living in Budapest, yet none of them described the phenomenon I encountered my first day in Budapest. I discovered that dogs launch themselves at their fence as you walk by. It’s anxiety inducing to experience their snarling, barking, frenzy. These same dogs [...]
One of the interesting aspects of moving to a new country is learning about the culture and the food of the country. In my first weeks in Hungary I had an opportunity to try Lángos. Lángos started as a baked flat bread made with bread dough baked in a brick oven. The word comes from, [...]
There are moments in life that we can never repeat, moments that will stay with us throughout our lives. One of mine is a special trip I took with my grandmother through Germany and Switzerland. During her three weeks in Berlin we visited Southern Germany and Switzerland by train. This was her first trip to [...]
This is a guest post written by Mystic Makeda Today is Mother’s Day and this is my 25th celebration of this day. Each and every Mother’s Day has been a joy, thanks to my wonderful daughter Monique. She has been a blessing and I often wonder how did I get so lucky to wind up [...]
This is a guest post written by Sandra Foster Mocking Bird Photo 68photobug Flickr A Blessing Tuesday night I was sitting at the table with my bedtime glass of milk and a book. It was about 11 PM. I became aware of a mockingbird outside my window in the cedar tree just singing its heart [...]
A New Direction Losing our sense of security does a couple of things, it makes us panic and it makes us move in a different direction. It may not be a direction we wanted to go in, but reality has a way of saying, move your ass. Not every job can be the dream job, [...]
After nearly a decade of living and traveling abroad there have been some funny moments. These are three of my memorable moments where humor was required. Poland While driving with friends from Germany to Poland I encountered one of my scariest travel moments…I was locked in a bathroom stall and couldn’t get out. The stall [...]
Palermo Cathedral Crypt I usually love the unexpected moments of international travel. This time, my lack of knowledge of Italian in Sicily brought me a chilling surprise. I was on my first trip to Italy with friends when my friend Herb and I decided to spend the day exploring the city on foot. We stopped [...]