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Trying again at July 2023, I’m in disbelief. How did this a lot stuff occur in a single month? This a lot journey?!
This was the most important month I’ve had in a while, starting with our Boston wedding ceremony on July 2, and taking me to seven international locations in whole (!), most for only a few days.
Let’s have a look — the most effective of July 2023!
Locations Visited
- Boston, Beverly, and Gloucester, Massachusetts
- London, Abbots Langley, Watford, and Bushey, England
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Mondsee, Salzburg, and Sankt Johann in Tirol, Austria
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Čilipi, Croatia
- Žabljak, Durmitor Nationwide Park, Bitine, Dabojevići, Podgorica, Perast, and Kotor, Montenegro
WHEW.
Highlights
Our Boston wedding ceremony! (I do know, I do know, you’re sick of listening to about wedding ceremony stuff — THIS IS THE LAST WEDDING IN A MONTHLY RECAP.) We knew we needed to have a Boston wedding ceremony for my household that couldn’t make it to Prague, and initially assumed it might be a small affair, possibly one thing at a restaurant.
Then it rapidly snowballed into a marriage of round 60 — and became a superb occasion.
It rained fairly onerous that day, however Charlie and I bought married in Boston Public Backyard surrounded by our associates in umbrellas, and our bridesmaids in rain-soaked pastel clothes! (And due to the rain, no person else was within the park!! What a bonus to a downpour.)
We had our reception at Bostonia Public Home within the Monetary District, which had SO a lot good meals and placed on a fantastic occasion for us all. We completed with an after-party on the tiki bar subsequent door.
The day earlier than, the marriage, my bridesmaids and I went for afternoon tea on the Boston Public Library, and that night, everybody was invited to a get-to-know-the-guests gathering at NightShift Brewing. Each tremendous enjoyable occasions.
Total — the Boston wedding ceremony was principally for my household and associates who couldn’t make Prague, although Charlie had a handful of “his individuals” there too, and it was SO good to rejoice with everybody from my household to my school associates to journey blogger buds. And to have the ceremony within the Public Backyard, a spot I’ve liked since I used to be eight, made it all of the extra particular.
And our officiant canceled on us on the final minute — however Charlie and I requested our pal Chris to step in on the final minute, and he did SO AMAZINGLY with a significant ceremony.
The skilled wedding ceremony photographs are by Joe Gonzalez-Dufresne, who did a FANTASTIC job with essentially the most ethereal wet photographs, and we will’t wait to see the remainder of them!
Past the marriage, in Boston we went to a Crimson Sox sport, visited my dad’s new condominium on the North Shore, and spent a day hanging out in Gloucester, the place I hadn’t been in awhile (extremely suggest the Azorean Restaurant if you happen to’re on the town).
A pleasant few days within the UK. And now to see the British facet of the household! Charlie’s sister placed on a celebration for us to rejoice with some family members who couldn’t make any of the weddings. It was so good seeing them (and having fun with his sister’s pizza shack within the yard).
Moreover, I all the time attempt to do one thing new each time I’m in London, and this time it was the Jurassic Afternoon Tea on the Ampersand Resort. This can be a dinosaur-themed afternoon tea — equally enjoyable for youths and adults, and the meals is so good! You’ll be able to see my Reel about it right here.
Barbie film mania! My pal Klara and I dressed up in our Barbie greatest, we went with Charlie and our pal Nick, and we LAUGHED OUR ASSES OFF. I didn’t count on the film to be that hilarious — I believe it’s the toughest I’ve laughed in a theater for the reason that ending of The Hangover!
We went to a brand new Sichuan/Chongqing restaurant in Prague beforehand, Nali, and the spotlight was shrimp and pork dumplings swimming in pulsatingly sizzling chili oil.
French market in Prague! That is one in all my favourite meals festivals of the 12 months, happening the week of Bastille Day. They’ve now moved the pageant from the Mala Strana finish of the Charles Bridge to Troja Chateau, which is a much more airier and fewer touristy location, making it extra of a neighborhood occasion.
A pleasant weekend in Austria. Charlie had an appointment within the Austrian city of Sankt Johann in Tirol on a Monday morning, so we determined to make a weekend of it and drive all the way down to Salzburg beforehand.
This was my first time in Salzburg in additional than a decade, and it was good to revisit town — and make sure that the Salzburg Card is the most effective metropolis card in Europe. We every paid 30 EUR for a 24-hour card and bought greater than 120 EUR worth with out an excessive amount of effort. I’ll be going into that in a put up!
We additionally briefly stopped by Mondsee to see the brilliant teal lake, and Sankt Johann in Tirol was a beautiful little city the place we loved an evening out at a brewery overlooking the mountains.
A beautiful few days in Copenhagen. Charlie had a enterprise journey, and I tagged alongside for the weekend earlier than. It had been awhile since my final Copenhagen go to, and it’s such a stately, cool metropolis.
A few of the highlights had been taking a very nice guided tour on our first morning, hanging with my Copenhagen pal Alex, revisiting my favourite Copenhagen restaurant Høst, having fun with excellent cocktails at Pluto, and eventually visiting Tivoli Gardens, the amusement park proper within the coronary heart of town.
A return to Montenegro! For my birthday this 12 months, I needed to be in Montenegro. We began out by driving from Dubrovnik to the spectacular landscapes of Durmitor Nationwide Park. After a full day there, we headed all the way down to Ostrog Monastery, Podgorica (LOL) after which the beautiful village of Perast on the Bay of Kotor.
Perast is one in all my new favourite locations. This beautiful village has a inhabitants of 300 and simply sufficient amenities for every thing you want. And whereas Kotor has change into massively overtouristed up to now decade, Perast has not. Not but, at the very least.
Challenges
Oh boy, there have been quite a few snafus with the Boston wedding ceremony. I assume we had been due some points after two excellent weddings. The rain, the cancelled officiant, lacking flower baskets for the youngsters, and some different issues. But it surely’s okay. We had enjoyable with our family members, and that’s the vital half.
Many pillow debacles. I’ve talked earlier than about how I’m having rising bother utilizing a pillow that’s not a contour pillow. I’ve been touring with a little bit contour pillow after I can, however I didn’t this month, and right here’s what went unsuitable:
In Boston, the unsupportive pillows left my complete physique in ache for days and made me notice I REALLY must journey with a contour pillow any more, no exceptions.
In Salzburg, I by accident left my full-sized pillow behind within the resort (although bought it on the way in which again from Sankt Johann the subsequent day).
In Copenhagen, I didn’t have room in my carry-on for the pillow, and each pillow within the room was so dangerous that I ended up downstairs on the entrance desk at 2 AM, begging for every other form of pillow. And regardless of this being a fairly upscale resort, that they had ZERO different pillow sorts.
They promised to get me one other one from a distinct resort the subsequent day. They lastly did…and it was the SAME pillow squished right into a pillowcase half the scale, making it nearly spherical.
So I ended up operating out to Jysk the subsequent day, which seems to be a Danish firm (who knew?), and grabbed just a few nicer contour pillows for me and Charlie. We nonetheless have them right here in Croatia as I sort this.
Charlie flew with the pillows from Copenhagen to Dubrovnik, so I missed them for one evening. However you understand what works in a pinch if you happen to’re like me? A rolled-up towel to your neck. That was the most effective out of a bunch of dangerous choices.
The worst sushi ever in Podgorica. Nicely, the worst sushi ever that didn’t make us sick! How does a restaurant have photographs of sushi on their menu but put together sushi that appears nothing prefer it?!
(Why eat sushi in Montenegro? After just a few days of Balkan meat platters, you’ll be craving anything.)
The Bay of Kotor follies. On our first day in Perast, I needed to get photographs of Budva and Sveti Stefan within the morning mild. I headed out on the bus to Kotor very first thing within the morning, having purchased my bus ticket from Kotor to Sveti Stefan on-line prematurely. That bus was packed like sardines.
After I bought to the bus station, the road snaked across the nook. My bus confirmed up, I confirmed them my ticket, they usually WOULD NOT LET ME ON as a result of it wasn’t printed out (!!). Apparently you’re supposed to attend in that super-long line for the station to print it out for you.
I seemed to get a cab to Budva. There aren’t any ride-sharing apps in Montenegro, and the cabs quoted me 50 euros. Which is INSANE. When did Montenegro get this costly?! On precept, I gave up and headed again to Perast to relax.
Lacking my kittens rather a lot. This month we left them with two totally different live-in cat sitters, each of whom love them they usually love, however I really feel dangerous being away from them a lot.
Weblog Posts of the Month
Yeah, not lots of time to weblog this month.
Solo Feminine Journey in Portland, Oregon — Is it Secure? — I invite visitor author Susan to write down about her beloved city of Portland, and what makes it so superior for solo girls vacationers!
E book Membership This Month
Our subsequent guide membership will on Sunday, August 13, at 7:00 PM ET. We might be studying Within the Shadow of the Mountain by Peruvian creator and adventurer Silvia Vasquez-Lavado.
“Limitless ice. Skinny air. The specter of dropping into nothingness hundreds of toes under. That is the climb Silvia Vasquez-Lavado braves in her page-turning, pulse-raising memoir chronicling her journey to Mount Everest.
A Latina hero within the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. Deep within the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her household, and repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a toddler, she began climbing. One thing in regards to the brute drive required for the ascent—the chance and spirit and sheer dimension of the mountains and dying’s shut proximity—woke her up. She then took her largest ache as a survivor to the most important mountain: Everest.
‘The Mom of the World,’ because it’s identified in Nepal, permits few to achieve her summit, however Silvia didn’t go alone. She gathered a gaggle of younger feminine survivors and led them to base camp alongside her. It was by no means straightforward. At occasions hair-raising, nerve-racking, and all the time difficult, Silvia remembers the acute nervousness of main a gaggle of novice climbers to Everest’s base, all of the whereas coping together with her personal nerves of summiting. However, there have been additionally moments of peace, pleasure, and therapeutic with the power of her fellow survivors and group propelling her ahead.
Within the Shadow of the Mountain is a outstanding story of heroism, one which awakens in all of us a lust for journey, an urge for food for threat, and religion in our personal resilience.”
You’ll be able to study extra in regards to the guide and purchase it right here.
You’ll be able to signal as much as attend the guide membership right here. Hope to see you there!
Most Common Reel on Instagram
GUYS, AFTER TWO MONTHS OF RECOMMITTING TO INSTAGRAM, I’M FINALLY GOING VIRAL!!! I simply hit 2.3 million views on a single Reel (granted, that was August, so I’ll have to speak about that subsequent month).
However the FIRST viral Reel was this month was my Reel about 5 wedding ceremony traditions we did NOT do. Glad to see the way it’s been resonating. Do something you want!!
What I Watched This Month
Okay, so And Simply Like That is again. Sure, I’ve been a devoted watcher of this Intercourse and the Metropolis sequel, regardless that the primary season was an absolute mess in a lot of methods.
To date, season two has improved a LOT. From episode three onward, particularly. Bizarre single-episode hookup arcs? Glorious. Extra meals with the unique three, Anthony or Seema being the fourth? Nice. Carrie and Che paired off as associates? I truly take pleasure in their chemistry collectively!
There are nonetheless lots of issues, although. Too many characters. Bizarre writing choices. However Charlotte and Harry are nonetheless as head over heels in love as ever. (And if this present ever breaks them up I WILL RIOT AT DAWN.)
Beneath Deck replace: This month Charlie and I watched Beneath Deck Mediterranean Season Six. It was awhile earlier than we may deliver ourselves again to Captain Sandy after the Malia-Hannah-Maritime Legislation scandal.
This season was OBVIOUSLY meant to be a redemption arc for each Sandy and Malia. The decision? I acknowledge how heavy-handed the producers had been in making us like Malia once more…and it labored. I believe she’s a fantastic chief. And it was SO refreshing to have there be no sexism from her male crew for as soon as.
Captain Sandy? Nonetheless a narcissist, nonetheless a micromanager, nonetheless ignoring what she doesn’t wish to see, nonetheless talking in sound bites for her newest grift as a public speaker. “Oh, the second stew bodily attacked a number of of you? Make investments in her.” Fuck off, Sandy.
The remainder of the season was…fantastic. They’ve probably the most evil crew members the franchise has ever seen, and a few cringe-worthy conditions (cooking and not using a chef the primary evening!).
So sure. I can’t wait to get again to the nice vibes of Captain Glenn and Parsifal III. Although first — it’s time for OG Beneath Deck Season 10!
What I Listened To This Month
This month I listened to The Retrievals — a podcast from the New York Occasions. In 2020, a nurse from Yale Medical Middle was arrested for stealing fentanyl from her IVF sufferers who had been present process egg retrievals. She gave them saline as a substitute, leaving the ladies in excruciating ache.
But regardless that this was taking place again and again, NOBODY BELIEVED THE WOMEN. Everybody thought they had been simply too delicate.
This podcast is about so many issues — how we ignore girls’s ache. How we, as girls, really feel like we’re being unreasonable by asking for aid from our ache.
How giant organizations blame issues on “one dangerous apple” as a substitute of their systemic failures. How we should always punish crimes stemming from habit.
I extremely suggest listening — particularly if you happen to, like me, benefit from the twists and turns of true crime however don’t need it to be about homicide or sexual assault.
Coming Up in August 2023
I’m at present typing this from Cavtat, Croatia. After our whirlwind week in Montenegro, we headed to Croatia — first time in Dubrovnik, then time in Cavtat, a beautiful little metropolis south of Dubrovnik that makes a way more chilled out different to the Pearl of the Adriatic.
However after that comes my BIG solo journey of the 12 months: Greenland. This vacation spot has been on my listing for fairly a while, and I made a decision to chew the bullet and put down a deposit on an 11-day package deal tour six months in the past.
This journey will take me primarily round Disko Bay — the favored city of Ilulissat, two nights at Eqi Glacier, two nights on Disko Island, plus time in Aasiaat and Oqaatsut — together with a stopover on the ice sheet in Kangerlussuaq.
That is essentially the most distant place I’ve gone in fairly a while, and I’m really excited for the journey that lies forward. I can’t wait to indicate it with all of you.
I’ve additionally bought two days in Copenhagen on either side of the journey as a buffer in case of any delays, so I’m again to the land of the tall individuals.
What are you as much as this month? Share away!
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