Spring Atmosphere All Around - Pomladno vzdušje vsepovsod

After a really great spring preview with lots of sun, happy faces and positive vibes, I woke up into a rainy rainy morning today. Even though I like rain, I was really enjoying those sunny days. At several occasions I felt like in Copenhagen at the end of April, when everything moves to the streets, cycling becomes very much enjoyable again, and the idea of drinking a coffee or a mango smoothie outside on the sun actually seems amazing. Pastel colors of the shops look even better in the sunlight and you just can't stop smiling.

If I was in Copenhagen and the weather was as it was a few days ago in Paris, I would probably cycle to the lakes, sit in the Cafe 22 and drink a latte while observing people passing by and enjoying the reflection of the sun in the water. Instead I took a walk to Bastille and then continued along the Seine on the way back home from my yoga class. I stopped in the flower shop and bought myself a flower bulb that I now enjoy observing growing. I had one last year too when I wanted Spring to come earlier. It worked, I promise! :)

I have never seen so many French people walking, cycling, running or skating along the Seine. Everyone seemed happy, in love, full of energy. Street artists were at every step of the way, performing and creating a special atmosphere with their music. Oh, beautiful Spring!

I try to create the spring atmosphere even when I wake up into a rainy morning. Nice breakfast makes even rain seem nice at the end ;)

Po res čudovitem pomladnem "predogledu" z veliko sonca, veselih obrazov in pozitivnih vibracij sem se danes zbudila v res deževno jutro. Čeprav imam dež sicer rada, sem teh par sončnih in pomladnih dni res uživala. Večkrat sem se počutila kot v Kopenhagnu konec aprila, ko se vse preseli na ulice, kolesarjenje ponovno postane velik užitek in ko se kava ali mangov smoothie zunaj na soncu zdi najboljša ideja. Pastelne barve trgovin izgledajo še boljše v soju sončnih žarkov in kar ni se mogoče nehati smehljati.

Če bi bila v Kopenhagnu in bi bilo vreme tako, kot par dni nazaj v Parizu, bi najbrž odkolesarila do jezer, se usedla v Cafe 22 in spila latte, obenem pa opazovala mimoidoče ljudi in uživala ob lesketanju sonca v vodi. Namesto tega sem se sprehodila do Bastille in potem nadaljevala ob bregu Sene na poti nazaj domov z joge. Ustavila sem se v cvetličarni in si kupila čebulico rože, ki jo zdaj opazujem, ko se razvija v pravo rožo. Tudi lani sem imela eno, ko sem želela prehiteti pomlad. Delovalo je, obljubim! :)

Nikoli še nisem videla toliko Francozov, ki bi se sprehajali, kolesarili, tekli ali rolali vzdolž Sene. Vsi so se zdeli srečni, zaljubljeni, polni energije. Ulični umetniki so bili na vsakem koraku, s svojimi predstavami in glasbo pa so ustvarili res posebno vzdušje. Oh, čudovita pomlad!

Potrudim se, da si pomladno vzdušje pričaram tudi, kadar se zbudim v deževno jutro. Ob simpatičnem pomladnem zajtrku se še dež zdi simpatičen ;)

Love is in the air - Ljubezen je v zraku

It's the day for love, love of all kinds. It doesn't matter if you have already found your better half or not, and honestly, it doesn't matter if you like the holiday or not. It is all over the place (when did they hide the Christmas decorations??) and being in a bad mood for no real reason makes no sense. So let's enjoy the holiday. Here are some ideas for this special day.

Get some flowers.

Make a love card or write a short poem. For your loved one, a friend, or even for yourself.

Hide a small and cute message somewhere where the right person will find it. Use colors to make it nicer.

For a couple, an idea of an indoor picnic is still my favorite. Avoid restaurants and be romantic at home.

If you want to offer something, you can never go wrong with something nice to eat - chocolate, macaroons, cakes. But don't forget to make it a bit special. Wrap it up, put a small ribbon on it, write a name tag - be creative. It doesn't take much time but it changes the little gift completely.

But above all - enjoy the day of love. As all the others to come.

Dan ljubezni je, ljubezni vseh vrst. Ni važno, če ste že našli svoje boljše polovice ali ne, in iskreno rečeno - ni važno, če vam je praznik všeč ali ne. Valentinovo je vsepovsod (kdaj so uspeli skriti božične okraske??) in res nima smisla biti slabe volje brez pravega razloga. Naj bo torej lušten praznik. Tu je nekaj idej za ta poseben dan.

Ne pozabi na rože.

Izdelaj ljubezensko kartico ali napiši kratko pesem. Za svojo ljubezen, prijatelja ali celo zase.

Skrij mini in luštno sporočilce nekam, kjer ga bo prava oseba našla. Uporabi barve, da ga polepšaš.

Moja najljubša ideja za par je indoor picnic, piknik v dnevni sobi. Izognita se restavracijam in bodita romantična doma.

Če želiš podariti nekaj, je nekaj malega za pojesti vedno luštno - čokolada, makroni, tortica. Ampak ne pozabi zadeve malo polepšati. Zavij darilce, polepšaj s pentljico, napiši listek z imenom - ustvarjalnost nima meja. Ne vzame veliko časa, darilce pa popolnoma spremeni.

Predvsem pa - užijte dan ljubezni. Kot vse, ki bodo sledili.

What a week!

The past few days were like a long ride on a roller coaster – fun, intense, a bit tiring and especially fast. I had been at so many different places in a short time period, cycling around Paris with a double scarf (it’s quite cold on the bike), feeling like a superwoman (catwoman maybe?) but at the end of the day just falling into my bed without any trace of insomnia problems. It all started with a weekend trip to Rennes and Mont Saint Michel (where the upper photo was taken), but I will write about that a bit later.

Zadnji dnevi so bili kot dolga vožnja na vrtiljaku – zabavni, intenzivni, malo utrujajoči in predvsem zelo hitri. V res kratkem času sem bila na čisto različnih koncih, kolesarila po Parizu z dvojnim šalom (na kolesu je kar mrzlo), se počutila kot superwoman (mogoče catwoman rajši?) in na koncu dneva samo padla v posteljo brez sledu problemov z nespečnostjo. Vse se je začelo z vikend izletom v Rennes in Mont Saint Michel (kjer je nastala zgornja fotka), ampak o tem kdaj drugič.

It seemed as if that roller coaster was a bit international too. I went to more Chinese events than in my whole life before, I believe. Apart from the Chinese New Year celebrations, Jan 27 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, and I got to know about the best events, such as a big spectacle in the Grand Palais. Chinese decorations, Chinese electric rock, Chinese culture, spring rolls – and on top of that the Chinese New Year, défilé with the dragon trying to catch the ball in front of it. Very special, even for someone like me who is usually not the biggest fan of Asia in general.

Zdelo se je, da je bil tale vrtiljak tudi malo mednaroden. Zdi se mi, da sem šla na več kitajskih dogodkov kot prej v celem življenju skupaj. Poleg praznovanja kitajskega novega leta sta Kitajska in Francija 27. januarja praznovali 50. obletnico diplomatskih vezi. V okviru tega sem izvedela za res super dogodke, kot je bil na primer spektakel v Grand Palais. Kitajski okraski, kitajski električni rock, kitajska kultura, pomladanski zavitki – in za povrh vsega tega še velik sprevod z zmajem, ki je poskušal ujeti kroglo pred seboj. Zelo posebno je bilo to vse skupaj, tudi za nekoga kot sem jaz, ki načeloma nisem največja ljubiteljica Azije na splošno.

The weather seems to be on a roller coaster too. Not such a crazy one as in Slovenia (compared to that I should actually keep quiet here), but the sun, clouds, cold and rain somehow seem not to be able to agree on whose turn it is. One moment I wake up into a beautiful sunny morning and then when I get my feet out of the apartment, it is raining. Yey.

Signing up for zumba classes on Monday morning was one of the best decisions I have taken lately. After internal fights still in bed (“Oh, it is sooo cold”, “Just 5 more minutes”, “What if I skip it today? Just today?”) I get myself out of the bed, get dressed and take a bike. Already on the bike I feel amazing. And then in the gym I just enjoy it so much! It reminds me of Copenahgen where I started with zumba and did it several times per week.

I am leaving to Birmingham for a weekend meeting for one of the projects I participate in. I am looking forward but will need to keep myself well organized with all the rest of the work since I wont have a real weekend to catch up on things. I hope the weather will be good. For the company I know already :)

Tudi vreme se zdi na vrtiljaku. Ne tako norem kot v Sloveniji (če primerjam s tem, bi morala jezik držati za zobmi, namesto da tarnam), ampak sonce, oblaki, mraz in dež se nekako ne znajo uskladiti, kdo je na vrsti in kdaj. V enem trenutku se zbudim v res čudovito sončno jutro in potem, ko pomolim svoje noge iz stanovanja, dežuje. Jej.

Vpisala sem se na zumbo ob ponedeljkih zjutraj. To je bila ena izmed boljših odločitev v zadnjem času. Čeprav se zjutraj v postelji bojujem sama s sabo (“Oh, kako je mrzlo”, “Samo še pet minut”, “Kaj pa, če danes ne grem? Samo danes?”), se nekako spravim iz postelje, se oblečem in grem na kolo. Že na kolesu se počutim odlično, potem v dvorani pa enostavno uživam! Spomnim se na Kopenhagen, kjer sem začela z zumbo in sem šla v fitness večkrat na teden.

Ta vikend grem v Birmingham na vikend sestanek za enega izmed projektov, v katerih sodelujem. Veselim se, ampak se bom morala dobro organizirati glede ostalega dela, ker ne bom imela vikenda v pravem smislu, da bi nadoknadila stvari. Upam, da bo vreme super. Družba bo gotovo :)

Barcelona #2

If you are traveling to Barcelona by plane and take the bus to the city centre, you will most probably get to Plaça de Catalunya (the two photos above) and continue your way from there. It is a large and very busy square, surrounded by shops and restaurants and iStore and banks and everything else basically. It is dividing the city in two quite different parts, I would say. For me it was almost always the central point from where I got everywhere I wanted. To La Rambla (which was not at all full of tourists at that time of the year, yey!), to small and narrow streets of the old part of the city centre, or to the sea. Even thought it is a very busy place to be in Barcelona, it can actually be beautiful with its fountains and nice green areas. And in any case you can't really avoid it :)

Če potuješ v Barcelono z letalom in se z avtobusom odpelješ do centra mesta, najverjetneje prideš na trg Plaça de Catalunya (na zgornjih fotografijah) in nadaljuješ od tam. Gre za velik in zelo živahen trg, obkrožen s trgovinami in restavracijami in iStore in bankami in vsem ostalim pravzaprav. Sama bi rekla, da deli mesto na dva precej različna dela. Zame je bil skoraj vedno neke vrste glavna točka, od katere sem šla povsod, kamor sem želela. Do La Ramble (ki sploh ni bila polna turistov v tem času leta, jupi!), do majhnih in ozkih ulic v starem delu mesta ali do morja. In čeprav je res zelo hiteč del mesta, je v resnici s svojimi fontanami in zaplatami trave in nizkih dreves zelo lep trg. In v vsakem primeru se mu skoraj ne moreš izogniti :)

Barcelona differs very much from Paris. This can mainly be seen by the architecture. Barcelona is full of mediterranean flair. A lot of buildings resemble Arab rather than continental European world. Also, just a few steps from Horta and from the forrest, for instance, you find yourself passing the palm trees and in the city centre orange trees. The sea also plays a big role, having nothing in common with parisian Seine.

Barcelona je precej drugačna od Pariza. To se predvsem pozna po arhitekturi. Barcelona je polna mediteranskega pridiha. Precej zgradb spominja bolj na arabski kot evropski celinski svet. Par korakov iz Horte in gozda, na primer, hodiš mimo palm in v centru mimo pomarančevcev. Morje prav tako igra pomembno vlogo, ki nima nič skupnega s pariško Seno.

What Paris and Barcelona have in common is the Arc de Triomf. Nevertheless, apart from the name they don't have much more in common. The one in Barcelona, though, is a very interesting way to a really beautiful park, Parc de la Ciutadella. They say it is usually packed with tourists but in my case the park was a calm oasis with a few joggers and mothers with strollers. The park which also accommodates a zoo is very diverse - form the lake, ducks and geese to the red carpets of flowers and diverse architectural styles. It is really worth visiting, even thought there are no Gaudi "benches" (as in the park Guell). Even more, on the way there from Plaça de Catalunya you can pass the neighborhood El Born, a really nice, a bit funky part of the city with small shops, galleries, tapas, of course and a special charm.

Kar je skupno Parizu in Barceloni, je slavolok zmage, barcelonski Arc de Triomf. Razen imena sicer nimata veliko skupnega. Je pa Barcelonski slavolok res zanimiva pot do čudovitega parka, Parc de la Ciutadella. Pravijo, da je park ponavadi poln turistov, ampak v mojem primeru je bila to mirna oaza s parimi tekači in mamicami z vozički. Park, v katerem je tudi živalski vrt, je zelo raznolik - od jezera, račk in gosk do rdečih preprog rož in do različnih stilov arhitekture. Vsekakor vredno ogleda, čeprav ni Gaudijevih "klopc" (kot v parku Guell). Kar je še boljše, je do parka prideš od Plaçe de Catalunya tako, da prečkaš El Born, res prijeten del mesta z majhnimi trgovinicami, galerijami, tapas, seveda, in posebnim čarom.

What I miss now here in Paris (apart from the sea) are Spanish colors. In Barcelona there is really a lot of colors, even in January. Houses are often colored, the washed clothes, which people even in not-so-summery January dry outside, are colorful, and I could keep going. Maybe Gaudi left more to the Spanish people than architecture :)

Kar pa zdaj včasih pogrešam tu v Parizu (poleg morja), so španske barve. V Barceloni je barv res veliko, tudi v januarju. Hiše so pogosto barvaste, perilo, ki ga ljudje tudi v ne-tako-poletnem januarju sušijo zunaj, je barvasto in še bi lahko naštevala. Morda je Gaudi Špancem pustil več kot samo arhitekturo :)

I could go on and on with my Barcelona, my favorite spots and my experiences. But if you ever travel there, you need to make it yours to enjoy it. Still - two secret tips that you cannot read in any Lonely Planet guide:

1/ Go visit Palo Alto
Its gardens have served as a backdrop for films, including Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. It's a cool Spanish arty Silicon Valley and if you don't take the metro to get there, you will walk through a very untypical industrial part of Barcelona. I was wondering where I was going at some moments on my way, but it was worth it.

2/ Rooftop of the Hotel 1898
It is closed during the winter but if I go back, this is where I will go first :)

Lahko bi pripovedovala še in še o svoji Barceloni, o svojih naljubših kotičkih in svojih dogodivščinah. Ampak če kadar koli potuješ tja, moraš najbolj poslušati sebe, da doživiš največ. Ampak vseeno - dva skrivna namiga, ki jih ne moreš prebrati v nobenem Lonely Planet vodiču:

1/ Pojdi pogledat Palo Alto
Vrtovi Palo Alta so večkrat služili kot prizorišča v filmih, vključno s filmom Vicky Christina Barcelona Woodyja Allena. Je res super španska malce umetniška Silicijeva dolina, in če ne greš tja z metrojem, te pot do tja vodi skozi zelo nenavaden industrijski del Barcelone. Sama sem se parkrat vprašala, kam grem, ampak se je splačalo.

2/ Terasa Hotela 1989
Pozimi je zaprta, ampak če grem kdaj nazaj, bo to prvo, kamor bom šla :)

And last but not least… I actually enjoyed traveling with Ryanair. There it goes, I said it. I can’t really believe it after all my unpleasant experiences with this company, but this time I really can’t complain about anything. And the morning airport was just beautiful. What more can you wish for when you leave a city...

In za konec… Priznati moram, da sem v bistvu uživala v potovanju z Ryanairom. Evo, pa sem res napisala to. Po nešteto res neprijetnih izkušnjah z Ryanairom (in nešteto obljub, da z njimi ne bom več potovala), kar ne morem verjeti, ampak tokrat se res ne bi mogla pritoževati nad ničemer. In jutranje letališče je bilo res čarobno lepo. Kaj več si lahko želiš ob odhodu iz mesta...