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At this time is my thirty ninth birthday. I’m celebrating right now with my husband within the little city of Perast on the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. There’s no place on the earth extra lovely than right here!
Most of this yr was outlined by one factor: the marriage. WeddingS, that’s. Charlie and I bought married thrice — an elopement in April, an enormous Prague marriage ceremony in Might, and a smaller Boston marriage ceremony in July!
We bought engaged in July 2022, so just about my total period of being 38 has revolved across the weddings.
Annually, I do some type of birthday put up that type of sums up the yr. This yr, I don’t actually have an enormous recurring theme or information to share — so I’ll share a bunch of issues I’ve realized.
The Prague marriage ceremony and elopement images are by Teru Menclova and the Boston marriage ceremony images are by Joe Gonzalez-Dufresne. We’re thrilled with their work and suggest each extremely!
Marriage ceremony Issues
Weddings don’t go by in a flash — American weddings go by in a flash. Everybody all the time talks about how your marriage ceremony goes by within the blink of an eye fixed, and to focus on the recollections!
On the finish of the massive Prague marriage ceremony, I regarded round at everybody and considered the way it felt like the entire day was NICE and LONG. I had so many recollections and bought to spend time with everybody.
However the Boston marriage ceremony was over in a fraction of an prompt. You already know why? BECAUSE AMERICAN WEDDING RECEPTIONS ARE USUALLY FOUR HOURS LONG. That’s how venues value them out. Culturally, a lot of the world has for much longer marriage ceremony receptions! Even the British, our closest cultural kin!
Our American marriage ceremony reception began at 5 PM and ended at 9 PM. In contrast, our Czech marriage ceremony reception began at 5 PM, Charlie and I left at 1 AM, and the bar employees had been disillusioned we left so early! Czechs go until daybreak!
Should you’re having a typical American marriage ceremony, plan for some type of after-party. You don’t essentially should pay for it — we went to the bar subsequent door in Boston and everybody purchased their very own drinks. (Do inform the bar forward of time when individuals are coming.)
Attempt to get married inside a yr of your engagement should you can. I do know this isn’t a risk for everybody, particularly if you should save up cash otherwise you reside in a spot the place venues e book out years prematurely, but when you may get married inside a yr — DO IT.
Getting married shortly enables you to energy via the work and end it sooner so you may get on together with your life. I didn’t love the sensation of being in limbo up to now between engagement and marriage ceremony.
However one other good purpose to get married sooner is since you don’t know what the long run holds. All the things can change on a dime. You might lose somebody you wished to be there. Have the marriage sooner.
Elope beforehand should you can. Charlie and I made a decision to have a tiny elopement for our civil marriage ceremony — simply us, two associates, and our photographer. We initially did this as a result of Czech weddings have to be performed in Czech, and we didn’t need to bore our marriage ceremony visitors.
Nevertheless it turned out to be SUCH A GOOD IDEA. That day, we had been in a position to focus solely on one another and our dedication. After the ceremony, we went to have champagne overlooking Previous City Sq. at U Prince proper after, then hit up two of our favourite spots, Kantyna and Bugsy’s Bar!
The opposite marriage ceremony days, in contrast, had been all about our visitors — taking good care of them, serving to them, ensuring the occasion ran easily. Not a lot about one another, regardless of it being, effectively, a WEDDING.
So should you’re planning on getting married, contemplate doing the authorized marriage ceremony beforehand. And if your loved ones would freak out…no person has to know!
Select good distributors and allow them to do their factor. I didn’t have sturdy opinions about flowers, however I confirmed my Prague florist a cool bouquet I noticed on Reddit, went over the colours I appreciated, and requested her to stay to native and seasonal (effectively, seasonal no less than — all of the flowers within the Czech Republic come from the Netherlands, it seems).
She knocked it OUT OF THE PARK. I beloved these flowers SO a lot.
So what did I do for the Boston florist? Simply despatched them images of the Prague marriage ceremony images saying “One thing like this.” And THOSE had been nice, too!
Additionally, you don’t should micromanage all the pieces. If in case you have an excellent band or DJ, they know the songs that get individuals on the dance ground. Your venue supervisor will know the way a lot meals will realistically feed your crowd. Your photographer is aware of how one can arrange an excellent shot.
Should you don’t prioritize engagement images, you’re by no means getting them performed. Whoops, we forgot to set a date for our engagement images, and so they by no means occurred. Oh effectively!
It’s doable in your bridesmaids to have distinctive, flattering clothes whereas nonetheless trying like a cohesive unit. I didn’t need them to be in an identical clothes, however I additionally hate how mismatching clothes look in bridal celebration images.
Seems you’ll be able to look cohesive by selecting comparable types from the identical model: I selected Azazie, which has one million inexpensive bridesmaid gown choices. I ordered a bunch of swatches, selected 5 colours that labored effectively collectively and assigned them every a colour, and advised them to decide on any type that was lengthy and chiffon.
And it was so good to see my associates decide the types they love, and look superb!
Flower children are so significantly better than ring bearers. What’s extra enjoyable — carrying rings or throwing flowers? OBVIOUSLY THROWING THE FLOWERS!
We knew we might be having three children in our marriage ceremony celebration — a two-year-old woman in Prague, a four-year-old boy in Boston, and a five-year-old boy in each — and since there was no have to alternate rings after we had already performed so within the elopement, we determined to have all three children be flower children.
They didn’t name themselves flower children — they merely advised everybody, “I’m throwing the flowers.” And so they LOVED their job and had a lot enjoyable each training and within the precise weddings!
How lengthy does it take to really feel regular whenever you say “my husband”? Or to not giggle when he refers to you as his spouse? That is nonetheless bizarre!
Journey Issues
The variety of locations I’d go to in Europe through the summer season is unfortunately dwindling. Kotor in 2023 is nothing like Kotor in 2012, thanks partially to it changing into a cruise ship port. There may be one slender street that runs alongside the bay, and it’s completely clogged with site visitors.
Need summer season climate in Europe? I extremely suggest aiming for early June. Even September, as soon as an offbeat month, has turn out to be prime season in loads of locations. Early October is one other nice selection for summery climate in locations additional south like Sicily, Puglia, and Andalusia.
However for journey in Europe, spring and fall is the most effective time to go to the favored locations like Paris, Rome, and Barcelona.
So the place do you go in Europe in July or August? Head north — suppose the Nordics or the Baltics — or head to the mountains. These months could also be excessive season in Copenhagen or Stockholm, however it’s nothing just like the crowds of Rome or Paris.
I really feel like individuals aren’t touring very off the crushed path nowadays. Charlie and I actually simply had this dialog whereas consuming burek on our guesthouse’s terrace, so forgive me for transcribing it considerably sloppily.
As soon as individuals began touring once more in 2021, there was one place in Europe that dominated above all: Italy. Massively so. Within the years since, we’ve each observed that individuals are touring to the most well-liked locations in Europe, however aren’t going off the crushed path a lot.
You already know what we’re seeing loads of, in each my influencer colleagues and common individuals? Amalfi Coast. Venice. Santorini and Mykonos. Paris, London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Budapest.
You already know what we’re not seeing a lot of? The Caucasus. The Balkans (past Croatia and Slovenia). Romania. The Baltics. And even second-tier European cities like Strasbourg, Granada, Rotterdam, Brussels, Innsbruck, Torino. And we noticed a LOT extra of these locations in 2014-2018.
It appears that evidently because the pandemic started, individuals have been seized with the urge to journey to the Massive Names, the bucket record locations. Which I utterly perceive. And we’ve got been besieged with “IT’S SO CROWDED!” items on social media in consequence.
So we’re actually questioning after we will see individuals returning to the quirkier locations. They might actually use the tourism.
I used to suppose Iceland was overtouristed. I used to be improper. Components of Iceland are overtouristed — Reykjavík, the Golden Circle, the South Coast, and the Lake Myvatn area are all very busy — however most locations will not be.
However regardless that I visited in August, a lot of Iceland was empty, or solely had a number of vacationers. The Snaefellsnes Peninsula was extremely quiet, to my shock. Most of North Iceland was empty. The Westman Islands had been beautiful.
However even locations within the busier areas of Iceland, you’ll be able to simply get off the crushed path. I believe the key goes to locations the place buses can’t go!
Kvernufoss waterfall was virtually subsequent door to the bus-filled parking zone at Skogafoss, but lower than a dozen individuals had been there. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon was extremely busy, however close by Fjallsárlón and Múlagljúfur Canyon had been empty.
January is greatest as a no-travel month. We spent January 2022 dwelling in Puerto Vallarta and realized on reflection that this wasn’t the neatest thought — January is after we get huge work vitality and have the need to hit the bottom operating for the yr. That doesn’t jive with Mexico!
January 2023, nevertheless, was spent primarily based in Prague. We bought a TON performed and had been able to hit the street in February. Which leads me to…
I’m not feeling the Mediterranean in winter. Positive, it’s the warmest space you’ll discover in mainland Europe, however our winter visit to Sicily was a lot colder than we anticipated.
Not one of the buildings within the southern Mediterranean are correctly insulated, so we spent the entire time working with blankets thrown over us. Going out to eating places, we might be seated subsequent to a window, and chilly air would blow in via the jamb. Once we lastly bought right into a heated automobile, I sighed as a result of I hadn’t been heat for days!
Our pal Klara was spending the identical month in Andalusia, Spain, and went via comparable points.
Positive, there have been a number of days in sunshine that had been exceedingly nice. Simply the times, although. As quickly as night set in, it bought chilly it doesn’t matter what the climate had been that day.
So I’m a bit soured on the Mediterranean in winter, sadly. I’m open to different locations, although.
I need to fly much less. One in every of my subsequent goals is to take an Italy journey by way of practice — which might most likely encompass a five-hour practice experience from Prague to Munich, then an in a single day practice to Rome or Florence or Bologna. As soon as I’ve performed it, it will likely be simpler to do it many times.
I additionally need to get within the behavior of taking fewer connecting flights. For instance, there’s no direct flight from Prague to Rovaniemi, Finland — however I’d be open to flying from Prague to Helsinki and taking the practice to Rovaniemi, or taking the practice from Prague to Vienna and flying direct to Rovaniemi.
Past that, there may be SO a lot to discover inside practice distance of Prague! A full day of train-ing can get you so far as Copenhagen or Verona or Zürich or Break up.
Who is aware of — I’m turning extra Czech by the day. Possibly subsequent summer season I’ll be taking containers of schnitzel with me on practice journeys.
Different Issues
My subsequent huge problem is getting my Czech driver’s license. Sadly you’ll be able to’t switch an American license right into a Czech license, so I have to do the entire course of, together with 28 hours or driving classes.
This can be my huge venture of the autumn. And due to final yr’s Iceland catastrophe — I can be studying to drive a handbook automobile. Lastly.
This yr I mentioned goodbye to my childhood residence. My dad bought our residence this previous spring and moved to a condominium a number of cities away, near relations.
I’m fantastic with it, and SO glad my dad is finished with the entire ordeal that’s cleansing out and promoting a home you’ve lived in for 4 a long time! However as anybody who has watched their lifelong residence be bought is aware of, it’s bizarre to suppose I don’t have a house to return to in my hometown anymore.
At any price, I’m glad that I did my venture of strolling each road in Studying in spring 2020. (I imply…there wasn’t so much to do in spring 2020!) It gave me loads of time to replicate on the place the place I grew up and the way it formed me.
Shorts are superior — YES, even in Europe! For years I didn’t put on shorts as a result of I didn’t love how I regarded in them (DUMB!) however now I’m again and rocking them with regularity.
The standard knowledge says that Europeans don’t put on shorts. That is each location-dependent and gender-dependent, however girls in a lot of Europe do put on shorts. Sure, even in Paris and Milan.
However there’s a distinction between carrying denim cut-offs with a plain t-shirt and outdated sneakers, and carrying shorts manufactured from a pleasant material with a shirt and a belt and good sandals. If in case you have the intention of placing collectively an outfit, out of the blue carrying shorts appears to be like so much nicer.
And all my shorts are from European manufacturers! Particularly Sézane and Maje.
I ponder how lengthy I’ll go earlier than I colour my hair. The primary time I ever observed grey hairs was on my thirty fourth birthday, when Cailin gleefully pointed them out to me as I bought my hair braided at a seaside volleyball pageant in Vienna.
I title my grey hairs Glynis. There are a handful of Glynises by now.
The previous few years, a number of of my associates of their thirties and forties have chosen to go grey naturally. They’re badasses, so attractive, and I like them a lot for bucking standard knowledge in a society that polices girls’s appears to be like so exhausting.
Will I be part of them? I’m unsure. Thus far, my grey hairs are extra coarse and wiry. What is going to it appear like having two completely different textures of hair directly? I suppose we’ll have to attend and see.
Coming Up This 12 months
I’m excited to benefit from the last yr of my 30s to the fullest. And to me, the thought of how one can reside to the fullest has modified over time. Much less about doing the MOST issues, or the extra excessive issues. Extra about having fun with life, even when life is a bit quieter than earlier than.
I’m typing this from Montenegro, and some days after I get again, I’m off to considered one of my most adventurous journeys but — to Greenland. It is a solo journey and I’m so excited to expertise the Arctic for the primary time.
I’ll be spending 11 days in Greenland, visiting Kangerlussuaq, Aasiaat, Qeqertarsuaq and Disko Island, Ilulissat, Oqaatsut, and Eqi Glacier. There can be mountain climbing, crusing round icebergs, glacier strolling, whale watching, kayaking, and extra!
After busy seasons of weddings and summer season journey, I’m staying put (or attempting to) from September via mid-November. There’ll most likely be a UK journey in there, however that’s it.
Then comes the honeymoon — a month in Chile and Argentina! We’ve just about finalized our itinerary: the Colchagua Valley, the Atacama Desert, Puerto Varas, Torres del Paine, El Calafate, El Chaltén, Buenos Aires, the Valle de Uco, and a fast day in Santiago to complete.
We’re taking part in with the thought of spending a month in Provence within the spring — and bringing the cats! It’s simply an thought for now, however the thought of exploring that lovely area for a month sounds so good.
Thanks for being right here for me, every day. I’m grateful to have you ever in my nook, particularly these of you who’ve been right here since I used to be 25.
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