Discovering Portuguese yarn

For me, no trip is complete without a visit to a local yarn shop. Prior to our vacation in Portugal I did quite a bit of research to decide on which one I would duck into during our stay in Lisbon. There were a few to choose from, but as much as I would love to do a yarn crawl in many destinations, there is no way I could expect the family to join along with the same enthusiasm such an endeavor would elicit in me. 


I chose to go to “Retrosaria Rosa Pomar”  and let me tell you, I was not disappointed by my choice.
If, actually no, WHEN I go back to Lisbon I would love to try one of her classes and see if I can learn the Portuguese style of knitting, which she teaches at her shop.

It is a charming yarn shop, tucked away on the second floor of a building in the lively Baixa neighborhood. The space is airy, with yarn spilling from vintage suitcases and off rustic tables. The choices offered are also great. I am starting to become increasingly fascinated with trying locally sourced yarns. I like the idea of  supporting a movement that is bringing focus to sustaining and bringing back to life an industry like the one behind  sheep and wool. My decision to visit this shop was cemented by this post on the Tolt blog a while back where Rosa and her shop were introduced. 

I could not leave the shop without having invested in a few well-chosen skeins. This lovely fingering weight Mé-Mé 2 Ply yarn is currently on my needles and turning into a beautiful Guernsey triangle.

Then there’s a sweater’s worth of worsted weight Beiroa yarn, made from the wool of Bordaleira Serra da Estrela sheep (doesn’t that just roll off the tongue ?) which I have earmarked for Carrie Bostick Hogue’s Shore Cardigan.

And last but not least I convinced a friend visiting Portugal only a few weeks after me to stop by and bring back enough of this yarn to possibly make Hannah Fettig's Gable sweater.

I cannot wait to be able to show you the FO’s once done, and hopefully not a year from now!

A vacation dream realized

It feels like ages ago, but maybe it’s better I’ve taken so long to put together this blog post about our summer vacation. It feels right to do it now, because as the weather becomes increasingly cold and gray, looking at pictures of a sunny destination makes me happy.

My husband and I talked about visiting Portugal for years! He is of Portuguese descent and has very fond memories of visiting as a child. But the summers passed, we had kids, booked other destinations, just never Portugal. But this year it finally happened, we spent a glorious 14 days exploring Lisbon and a bit of the Algarve coast.

The beach stay in Portimao on the Algarve Coast gave us the opportunity to meet friends, relax, have delicious food, talk late into the night over a glass of wine while listening to the rhythmic crash of the waves on the shore and taking deep breaths of salty ocean air. I did not want that week to end. We spent the days lazing around at the beach, building sandcastles, jumping head-first into waves. We took naps. I read a book and did some knitting. I completed disconnected, it felt so great to slow down and forget about everything, live in the moment.

Returning to Lisbon, we adopted a quicker pace. We stayed in a tiny but adorable apartment in the old part of town, Alfama. A perfect location in my opinion, it puts you in the heart of the city. I loved hearing the sounds of all the goings-on drifting in the open windows. At night, while everyone else was asleep, I’d lay awake (as I found out white wine gives me insomnia) listening to the clinking of dishes from the restaurants close-by, the excited chatter of locals and tourists alike, the fado singers entertaining guests. Similarly, early mornings were signaled by the clattering of roller suitcases over cobblestones, tourists departing or arriving, the smell of freshly baked pasteis nata wafting through the alleys.

We took our time exploring different neighborhoods, all of which have a distinct charm and their own vibe. There are countless things I loved about the city,  the black and white cobblestone streets with all its mosaics, the ceramic tiled colorful buildings, the lemon tree lined streets, the hidden alleys, the brilliant blue skies, the viewpoints dotted all over the seven hills that make up the city, the funiculars which are national treasures, the fresh sea food, I could go on and on. There are so many more corners that have been left unexplored and that I cannot wait to discover one day.

I took countless pictures and I will leave you here with a  sampling of my favourites.

All images via my Instagram account.

Going Home

“Home”. 

When someone asks me about “home”, I find it hard pinpointing where that is for me. Is it the place I grew up? The place that has turned me into who I am today? Or is it the place I have now lived for the majority of my life, the place I became an adult, a mother, a wife?

Can “home” be more than one place? In my case, that is probably true. Parts of me feel at home and grounded back in Romania where I grew up, where my oldest memories formed. Memories that become vivid every time I visit. I have not been back to Bucharest in nearly 10 years. Ten years is a lifetime. I finally returned a couple of weeks ago.  As soon as I stepped off that airplane it was as if I never left. I took a deep breath and I felt peace. Strange how certain places can have that effect on you.

The reason for my long overdue visit was my grandmother. Her health has deteriorated significantly over the last few months and it felt important to make an effort to go, giver her something to look forward to. It was emotional, and sad, but I am incredibly happy that I went.

Besides the time spent with my Oma, my days were filled with rediscovering the town, and reconnecting with friends. 

Bucharest is a city filled with contradictions. Old and new, clean and dirty,  modern and traditional, tacky and stylish. It’s all those things at once.

I barely scratched the surface in the 4 days I spent there. I wish I could have stayed longer. Hopefully it will not be another decade before I go back.

Here are a few images I captured while there.

Old books for sale near University square.

Little hidden alleys.

Parisian inspired architecture.

The amazing Carturesti bookstore

Beautiful building details are everywhere.

The yard of the Farmer's Museum hosts this miniature church.

Lots of potential

More charming corners.

Abandoned places waiting to be rediscovered.

What hides behind these gates?

Not a lot of places in Bucharest offer this kind of view.

Calea Victoriei.

Cafe's ad restaurants abound.

On my way home.

If you want to see my Instagram feed, check it out here.

Escape

I have recently gotten the opportunity to visit Zurich for work, and I allowed myself an extra day to explore the city and meet with a very dear friend of mine. This was my first visit to Switzerland, and I can tell you right now that I do not want it to be my last.

I find it really hard to put into words how  beautiful this little town is, especially bathed in golden autumn light. You can walk along the Limmatt river, crossing back and forth over the different bridges to the old part of town and the main shopping street. There are cobblestone streets, and hidden alleys. There is no shortage of restaurants, offering  plenty of choice, my favourite part being the café chairs in front of the restaurant, covered in lambskins for when it gets cool, where you can sit people-watching and enjoying delicious lattes.

The weather was also just right for a little cruise on Lake Zurich, which gives you glimpses of perfect Swiss towns nestled along the shore with beautiful gardens, and incredible views.

Around every corner is a beautiful view, a peaceful spot to just sit and absorb it all.

Here are few glimpses I also shared on Instagram.

P.S. I did not see any yarn shops....bummer...

Boston Getaway

Summer is in full swing here, and we have already gone away on our vacation, returned, spend another lovely week at home, and are now back at work. It almost feels like summer is over. Almost, but not quite. I am determined to make the best of every remaining sun-filled day.

Our vacation this year was spent in beautiful Boston. It is not our first time in this city, and because we enjoyed it so much the first time, we wanted to re-visit it. It is the kind of city that offers countless options for activities that are fun to do with children, lots of which are free.

I thought I’d tell you about my top choices.

By far, our favorite experience was the Boston Public Library. Their Children’s section is huge, with a play-area for the young ones, and of course rows upon rows of books to explore and immerse yourself in. We spend a few wonderful hours exploring it all, discovered a few new favorites. There are computers at  the children’s disposal, with reading apps and games, which were a big hit as well.

The Library itself is a beautiful building from the late 1800’s with marble halls, impressive murals, creaky floors, wrought iron spiral ladders,floor to ceiling bookcases. It is filled with the sound of pages turning, and respectful whispers. The knowledge contained within those walls seems almost tangible. My son was in awe of the sheer amount of books, and was incredibly excited to explore the map-room, where you can admire maps depicting imaginary worlds written about in some of my favorite novels, by Jules Verne, and series such as “Harry Potter”, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “Lord of the Rings”, “Neverland” , but also rare, antique geographical ones.  To make our experience complete, we were fortunate enough to catch a concert in the Courtyard, which this time was given by 2 singers from the Boston Lyric Opera. They were great at engaging the children and making it relatable and fun for them. A day that was a success all around.

A relaxing place to explore is Boston Common, a wonderful green space, perfect for spending the day on a picnic blanket, watching the kids splash away in the Frog Pond (which is a wading pool), perfect for cooling off. For the younger traveler,  the Tadpole playground is irresistible, with more water works and climbing opportunities. We ate a delicious lunch by Brewer Fountain, where a food truck named Clover Food lab was stationed. It is a lovely place, with café tables, umbrellas and a lovely view of the golden dome of the Massachusetts State house. We were even treated to a piano concert.

Once you are ready for further exploration you can walk over to the Public Gardens, where kids are lined up to take photos with the bronze statues of the “Make way for Ducklings” stars. If you feel like spending a few dollars you can take the Swan boats on the pond, but if not, you can just walk through the park admiring the surroundings.

Another day was spent exploring the waterfront. There is lovely Columbus park, right by the water, after which you can walk around the harbor front, and admire the docked boats and yachts. If hunger strikes, Quincy market is just across the street, busy and teeming with people, but offering lots of choices for lunch. Once satiated, you could head back to the harbor, where there are numerous cruises to choose from. An inexpensive alternative is taking the Charlestown Ferry,  which is a 10  minute ride over to the over to the Charlestown Navy Yard, an interesting place to explore with kids.

We took a day to drive out to Hyannis and spend a lazy few hours at Kalmus beach. It was amazing. The water was surprisingly warm, the breeze was refreshing, not a cloud in the sky, and I did not want to leave. The smell of saltwater does this to me every time.

The rest of the week we spent visiting the Museum of Science, The New England Aquarium, The Museum of fine arts, and simply exploring Boston neighborhoods. I loved the fact that the whole week we were there, we only once used public transportation, and managed to reach all of our destinations by foot. Boston is such a pedestrian- friendly city.

You will never run out of interesting things to see or do, that is for sure.