Birthday disposables
August
Autumn is approaching, but it’s still not quite cool enough to be wearing my favourite long jeans. It’s getting harder to wake up early, as the sun is taking its time to nudge me awake, but I’m starting to embrace the shorter days and earlier golden hours, lounging at cafes in their outdoor seating areas because it’s finally cool enough, feeling the pages in my hands turn warm, illuminated at sunset, and trying my best to not get pastry crumbs stuck in the spines. I’ve been living between pages (of 14 books this month, to be exact), and need to remind myself to step into real life once in awhile. This month has been a summer dream I haven’t wanted to wake up from, but real life awaits.
July
After coming off such a high from my whirlwind vacation in June (check out my Switzerland, Vienna, and Budapest recaps if you haven’t already!), July was a bit of an adjustment. Having to face real life again was a smack in the face, especially when I realised that it’s been a full year since I graduated. A whole year passed, and it feels like nothing has changed, like my life got put on pause ever since I graduated. This gave me a lot of anxiety, and juxtaposed with my carefree June, made it all the more overwhelming.
My low mood led to a lot of indulgence in compensation (shopping, eating out, lots of iced coffee and bubble tea), and I’ve thrown myself into books and working out (kickboxing and swimming) instead of making real plans for change. But now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I’m hoping to get back into the swing of things in August.
Budapest travel diary // summer 2019
After visiting the shiny cities of Switzerland and the shiny city of Vienna, Budapest was noticeably less shiny–a bit more run down, lots more street noise. But I also felt that Budapest was more friendly, more welcoming, more accessible, more energetic. I loved it. It was abundant in good eats with good views, making for some magical experiences. Chews and views. Sights and bites. Let me give you my top three and then some! (And let me know in the comments if you have any great rhymes!)
Vienna travel diary // summer 2019
Whilst the Switzerland leg of our trip was a family affair, Vienna was just for me and my brothers. SWEET FREEDOM! jk ;P (My parents went on their own tour from Munich to Budapest.) Without our parents around to hustle us out of the Airbnb every day, it was tempting to stay in with the fan instead of going out to sight-see under the beating sun. We did manage to leave the Airbnb for a few hours every day, but I admit that we probably spent the majority of most days indoors. (It was HOT, okay??) I don’t really have any regrets though. We made good use of those hours outside, took the rest we needed inside, and avoided becoming grouchy human puddles of sweat. Efficiency!
Switzerland travel diary // summer 2019
With the Swiss Pass, you can easily catch the train and city hop your way across the country, but knowing my family, it was best to not go overboard with it. Instead, we chose a few cities to settle down and get comfortable in over the course of a week: Lausanne in the Western region, Gimmelwald and Mürren in the Bernese Highlands, and Lucerne in the Central region. So it seems that we didn’t go very far North, South, or East, but I’ve learned to make peace with the fact that I’ll never be able to see everything I want to, and this realisation has allowed me to soak in the present moments without stressing about the next destinations (at least, without stressing out about it too much). Vacation is meant to be enjoyed leisurely after all!