Budapest by day

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Rose

I just love to travel. Do not get me wrong, I hate flying these days, but I do loooove to travel. I spent almost two days in Budapest, found the city to be absolutely amazing. Ok, I am a sucker for cities with rivers and boats and mountains/hills and great architecture. I know, Welcome to Europe! :)

The first day we arrived in Budapest around noon there were 32 degrees. This coming from Bucharest where there were only 15 and heavy rain… it definitely was a change. It still rains here, after a week and so and I am left with these sunny [overexposed] photos of Budapest.

They have 8 bridges over the Danube, my favorite, the Liberty bridge was blown up in WW II and rebuilt in 1946 connects the Pest part with the Buda part just below the Citadell hill.

By the time I got to this point I was so thirsty I could have drank the entire Danube, in all it’s  blue  weird green-muddy color. At least it was a little shadow and I could rest my already tired feet. And the panorama was to die for!

This below might be my favorite photo from that day. They looked so peaceful, so calm, I envied their motionless, their ability to just stop, climb on a bridge and just look. Just let the city take them in. There are so many times when I realize I am unable to stop, unable to relax, and I just forget to breathe properly. Might print this photo and hang it somewhere I can see it so I remember that stopping is good sometimes. :)

And there are so many beautiful things in this world that just need a little of your attention, that are waiting for you to take a break and see them. Loved to get a few hours before dark to enjoy this city, it did me good. I ended up at a terrace on a summer street where the hotel was and had a glass of Hungarian wine, a good meal while enjoying my book and the people passing by.

Next blog entry will bring you Budapest by night when we took a little cruise to enjoy the beautiful lights in the city. I loved every minute of it!

 

Many hugs to you all,
Rose 

 

 

Categories: 52 Photowalks, Journal of a dreamer, People, Personal, Photo, Simple Life, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 5 Comments

On the Road to Timisoara

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Rose

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”

– Martin Buber

When I was younger I loved this song by a very famous Romanian band named Phoenix. The name of the song was Timisoara. I used to dream about going to this city someday and kept dreaming about it until last year when I finally set foot on the city’s grounds. Here is where you can see more from Timisoara and also from Szeged-Hungary.

Going from Bucharest to Timisoara it took us about 6h by car. We’ve got heavy rain and sun all together and we enjoyed the road through the country so much! At a certain point I was so entrapped by the beauty of this country I felt really, but really proud of every single leaf or flower, mountain or river we saw.

It is a long road to do it by car, but it is rewarding. Getting to see the green fields, beautiful villages, the Danube at the Iron Gates, mountains, hills and everything else, is just fascinating.

I took most of the photos from the car. I overexposed and burned many of them, I was just too much into the poetry of things that I was completely and utterly out of the technical parts.

We stayed in a wonderful cozy hotel called Casa del Sole. If you ever in Timisoara, do not hesitate to go there. The hotel is absolutely amazing, the staff is incredible and the food… wow, don’t even get me there!! The rooms were so cute, i just love the way they managed to combine traditional with functionality in tiny spaces, loved the colors and the details and definitely loved the afternoon light.

Posted already an image of my room and of their amazing living room - where I considered staying for a month or two… in my previous post, but this place deserves much more.

And the beautiful garden with the pool and open-air restaurant.

Yes, it is definitely a place to relax and enjoy the good life.

I promise to edit more from my European trip, next time it would be about the beautiful Budapest, which I really really loved!

Many hugs to you,

Rose

Categories: Journal of a dreamer, Music, Personal, Photo, Travel, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On the road I

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Rose

“On the road again…. I cant wait to get on the road again”

[Shrek-Donkey]

As I write these words to you, I am in my hotel room in Budapest, with my feet up and I can see a huge tree painted on a wall on the building in front. Budapest is hot these days, around 32 degrees, it’s too much for me, so after a looooong walk I got back to the hotel to eat something and show you some photos.

A little bit from yesterday. Over 700km, about 7h of driving and all these are taken on the way to Timisoara and in Timisoara.

Just a sneak peek, because I can’t edit too much, I also need to eat… :)

You’ll have to wait for me to get home to show you more, hope to get some sneak peeks for you tomorrow with Budapest…

Much love,
Rose 

Categories: Journal of a dreamer, Magic, Personal, Photo, Simple Life, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Summer Haze

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Rose

Tomorrow morning we’ll leave Bucharest and head for a week [of business] trip. It should be amazing, we will go through 3 different countries [Romania not included] to end up in the Czech Republic.

To be more specific, it will look like this: Saturday- Timisoara, Sunday&Monday- Szeged and Budapest, Tuesday – Vienna and Brno. Brno until Thursday and back to Vienna by Friday when I have the plane back.

I will not be able to blog right away as I planned, but for sure will be back with tones of photos so…. prepare yourselves for an European tour by car next week.

I’m leaving you with some photos from the Botanical Garden of Bucharest, taken last Sunday, during the Michi Biraki festival.

It looks more and more like summer, right? Well, it did. Now it’s been raining for a few days and it looks more like autumn. [happy me]

It was the first time in many many years since we got a chance to see the greenhouses open. I think last time I was about 14…

I love palm trees. Oh, so much!

A fuchsia plant. I wonder if it glows at night… Would love some for my room… :D

Would you wear a yellow afro-wig? It is fashionable!

Much love and take care!
Rose

Categories: 52 Photowalks, Journal of a dreamer, Photo, Simple Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A little mid-week inspiration

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Rose

I love blogs. Like love, love LOOOVE to read, watch and live vicariously through a few bloggers. It does not matter if it is a photo-blogger, a travel-blogger or an inspirational-blogger. Actually I stopped labeling blogs after I realized mine would go under “generalist/undecided” type of blog. YUK. Indeed.

So, I just love to read blogs. It is amazing how people from all the corners of this earth come together in this unlimited and public space and spill it all out. Photos, riddles, poems, worries, fears, joys, clothes, diy projects, dreams, plans, illusions, ideas, heart-breaks, everything. It is impossible to search for a topic and not find million bloggers already talking about it. What makes everything unique and genuine is the angle they approach it. Their vision. The background behind that conclusion, question or wonder. The person behind the content of the blog.

I found soul-mates living in all the places, in all the countries of this world.  It’s what makes the virtual space my extended family. I know these people, I love these people. With some I interact and have a great friendship, some I only admire from the shadows of anonymity.

Creating a virtual network is not easy, especially when you are this shy. It took me a while to leave comments to other people’s blogs, to link to their posts and to start a discussion. But they’ve all been amazing.

And that is the beauty of a virtual community. You inspire and you get inspired. You have no idea just how inspirational you are until you get thousands views on your page and hundred of comments in your e-mail, after one single blog post. And then you realize you have no choice. You have to continue.

I’ve been reading entires and watching videos lately on how to stay creative, how to keep doing your piece of art, how to believe in yourself. And that is what I am going to share with you tonight. Three videos. They are all found on TED, a wonderful and inspirational site worth promoting. All these three women are writers, some more popular than the others, but all exceptional artists and amazing people.

1. JK Rowling – The fringe benefits of failure

2. Elizabeth Gilbert -Nurturing creativity

3. Gala Darling – Radical Self Love

 

And since we talked about self love in our last featured video… here’s me with my dear friend and my mom in the background. or- Snow White, Rose Red and… the Great Mom.

And my favorite shoes for this spring. Brown leather ballerina with some weird looking socks.

So, to sum it up:

Love yourself. Be positive. Create. Enjoy life. Inspire and stay inspired. Try. Believe. Trust. Be confident.  Pursue your dreams. Just LIVE.

 

Hugs,

Snow White

Categories: Journal of a dreamer, Magic, People, Personal, Photo, Simple Life, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Michi Biraki [The Open Road Festival]

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Rose

I’ve always been fascinated by Japan’s culture. The stories, the temples, gardens, paintings, traditional clothing. It’s all so beautiful. Just beautiful.

Yesterday we got the chance to find out about a festival organized by the students at the University, the Japanese class, already at the third edition, called Michi Biraki – The Open Road Festival.  We’ve experienced a little the traditions and culture of Japan in the beautiful surroundings of the Botanical Garden of Bucharest.

So, without much further ado, here’s what we’ve been seeing.

She was gorgeous.

Just in case you were wondering, the sign below says: Attention, nail.

Isn’t this absolutely amazing? Their calligraphy?

And the clothes.

Our little gorgeous Japanese.

Some origami they were teaching the kids to do. You’ve got to have patience to do this… One virtue I definitely lack.

Some traditional games.

Paintings.

Of course we had to try their fortune cookies, more like brownies, but they tasted excellent. Well, the message inside did blew my mind of…  Thinking about one very important thing for me, I got this: Iu wa yasuku okonau wa katashi. Right?? Like I didn’t know that already!!! :)

Ok, I am no mean girl, it means: “easier said than done”. It had the Romanian translation on it too… nice, right?

Hugs to you all,

Rose - ローズ

P.S. If anyone by chance recognize himself/herself and wants some [more] photos, let me know, ok? :) I’m more than happy to share!

Categories: 52 Photowalks, Journal of a dreamer, Magic, People, Personal, Photo, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Switzerland Alps-less

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Rose

The clouds are still there

All her loses show her what she still has left. She still has her love for reading, her wonderful secondhand books and plenty of tea. Her imagination is as vivid as it has always been, her mind still takes her to happier places, to places peaceful and wild all at once. Her cat is still as ungrateful and as darling as she has always been. At times she still dreams of Oscar Wilde. Dreams so funny she wakes up from her own laughter every time. The clouds are still there, ever changing. And she is still herself, maybe just a little sadder and somewhat quieter than before. But that’s alright, because her mind is loud still and her nose wrinkles when she laughs much like it has always done. There is much she can lose, but not these things. These things will always be there, and that means she will always be fine in the end. A safe feeling, isn’t it, stranger?

[via random-people]

 

Warning: If you got here looking for stunning images of the Swiss Alps, you were tricked. Get out while you can! :)

Went to Switzerland at the beginning of this week. Got home on Wednesday. I’ve seen the mountains from the plane. Oh, and a little from the airport, right before departure. I’ve  been tricked. I want my money back…

Ok, jokes aside, Switzerland is beautiful. Mountain-less and all. Loved it. Got to this little municipality called Regensdorf, that belongs to the canton of Zurich for a few days.

I love remote places. Peaceful and wild at once. My mind races there every time I need some space from the real world. My dreams are vivid and fun and I’m always saving the world. It does not matter who I’m going against, I always have super-powers and at the end of the day, it’s me who saves you all. But these few days, I’ve been so scared, so sick, so out of place, I couldn’t even find tranquility in my mind or in my dreams. My biggest fear? Losing the ones I love. And I’ve been so far away from them, and I’ve been putting a brave face for far too long. I almost cried when I was left alone in the airport. Now, before you call me a big-baby [that is acceptable only if you do not know me], trust me when I say I am NOT that person you might think.

It’s just that I’m tired. And sometimes, while I’m saving the world -in the real life or in my dreams- I need someone that would take care of me. Not to save me, but remind me that I’m doing great, that everything is going to be alright, that life is supposed to be fun and definitely help me breathe. Which apparently I forgot those days.

Here’s Regensdorf. Probably the only place in Switzerland where you cannot enjoy their mountains. And that, to be honest, is… discriminating.

Bits from Gastoff Hirschen, the beautiful hotel I stayed in.

The food was amazing! I had some Asparagus Romanoff, and it was absolutely a delight to my tired soul. And the dining room was such a beautiful place.

The view from my hotel room.

The front of the hotel.

Around the hotel.

Told you it’s a quite place.

This is the little cemetery in front of the Evangelical church. Such beautiful flowers!

And so you won’t think you got to the end of this without even peaking at a mountain, here is all I can give you. Some pics from up far.

And with that being said, Good night, ladies and gentlemen, it was a pleasure travelling with you!

Much love,
Rose 

 

 

Categories: Journal of a dreamer, Personal, Photo, Simple Life, Travel, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tales from the grass level

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Rose

Octavio Paz once wrote: Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone. 


Yes, I am still quoting Lucas Scott quoting others. As I am glancing at my half-finished suitcase, my mind drifts off again and again into summer.

I am all alone in my room right now and I know summer sneaked up on me again. It’s unbearably hot here in the attic and all I dream about is autumn and … then winter to come.

Ruth Stout wrote: “There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you…. In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.”


But to give to summer what it’s hers, there are many perks that I just love about this season. Ice-cream+Coffee. Lemonade. Sandals. Holidays. The sea. Laying on the grass and watching the stars at night. Counting falling stars and UFOs [these are banal planes, but in summer nights, imagination is at it's best.] while listening to the sound the wild creek makes nearby. And the cold breeze. Ah, that cold breeze when you are in the mountains or at sea and all of the sudden you can breathe the fresh air of night.

And the best of all these is the green grass.  And the moment when you manage to find that quiet. Just being with your mind, just belonging to yourself.. And the… solitude.

Love,
Rose 

Categories: 52 Photowalks, Journal of a dreamer, Personal, Photo, Simple Life, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

One Sunday morning

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Rose

It’s already too hot in the city. Looking for shadows and coffee, yesterday morning we ended up at Cafe Verona. Not the quietest place on Earth at that time of day, but the coffee was great, the creme brulle amazing and they had some shaded corners.

I decided to stay home for this 1st of May vacation a few weeks ago. And I am still happy with this decision. We trimmed the grass, we planted flowers, zenned the garden and it feels great. Organized my “Artist corner” and going to find the most amazing writing table to place it next to my window. It has to be either wooden or blue or red. No other option. I’ve been reading lately the blog of this actress that I admire for some time now, Bethany Joy Lenz and reading it made me realize that I should write more. One virtual friend of mine just announced a few weeks ago on her blog that she finished the very fisrt draft of her very first novel and I felt so happy for her. Cannot wait to receive my autographed copy…

And these things made me realize that I should stop wondering what people might think, if my plot is good enough, or my characters are credible or my style is perfect. I should stop writing for people and do it for myself, like it was in the beginning. For the close ones that find joy in my writing and remember that the best things are those made for you and your loved ones. This sounds like I’m giving up popularity as if it might be too mainstream for me. :) Haha, the hipster in me is happy with the latest phrase, but believe me… I gave up on “popularity” and on doing things just to please the masses a long time ago. Even before I knew what I wanted to be in life.

So I plan to write this summer. To dream with my eyes wide open and to chase/hunt these dreams down. While enjoying a good coffee and the presence of my dear ones. Even if it is a virtual one.

One plan for this summer is to organize portrait sessions with my dearest friends. Yes, you, you that are reading this and I admire you so much! Blogger, real-life friend, lost-and-found-friend, colleague, relative, I do not care what category you are. We will meet, have a cup of coffee or a lemonade and we’re going to be beautifully dressed and we’re gonna take photos. Portraits where we laugh, we sing and dance, where we have fun. I know I need some photos of myself for this blog and, why not – just for myself.

You interested? E-mail me, text me, tweet me, call me. Just let me know. Life is too beautiful not to be documented. It is made of million tiny stories and one of them is this moment.

There are a bunch of things I want to do this year, like re-discovering my city. It’s been a while…

Here’s how Bucharest looks on a late April Sunday morning. Beautiful, no?

Took this photo from the car, just love how the sun illuminates the Cathedral and the light haze around it… Might be the favorite photo I took lately.

Mmmm… just mmmm..

Pretty flowers.

The new National Public Library in Bucharest. Opened on the 23rd of April… didn’t got the chance to stop by. Maybe in the next weeks.

All these were taken with the 50mm and I loved the portraits I took of my parents. They are just too shy to have their portraits lying around internet, but the beauty of them is undeniable.

A blog post about lazy days is due soon. Just that being some lazy days, there is a problem with editing. You know… people get lazy… :D

Much love,
Rose 

Categories: 52 Photowalks, Books, Journal of a dreamer, Personal, Simple Life | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Oldest story in the world

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Rose

“It’s the oldest story in the world. One day you’re seventeen and planning for ‘some day’, and then quietly and without you ever really noticing, ‘some day’ is today. And then ‘some day’ is yesterday. And this is your life. We spend so much time wanting, pursuing, wishing. But ambition is good. Chasing things with integrity is good. Dreaming. 
If you had a friend you knew you’d never see again, what would you say? If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be? Say it, do it, don’t wait. Nothing lasts forever. Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want. Everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle’s gonna come from. The next memory. The next smile. The next wish come true.
But if you believe that it’s right around the corner, and you open your heart and your mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it, you just might get the thing you’re wishing for. The world is full of magic, you just have to believe in it.
So make your wish. do you have it? Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart.”

~OTH magic

 

 

Lately I’ve been watching the sunset every evening from my balcony. It’s been breathtaking. If sunrises make you think about beginnings about fresh new start and clean slates, sunsets make you remember all that’s been done and said during the day. It’s beautiful either way.

It’s powerful and it’s magic.

I’ve always said that some day.. I will find time to enjoy the little things of life. Really stop whatever and live.

And I realized “some day” really is today. “Some day” is every day. It should be every day. If you want, dream or pray for something… you should do it actively. You should chase your dreams and pursue your passions. The only motivation thought should be this: I WANT IT. No other reason, no other explanation is needed or required. Do not expect to be motivated, to find motivational things, to come from the outside. The magic is in you. The will and power are in you. If you want it bad enough you will have it. Bad enough even for a split of second.

I spent more time with my family and friends, really being together and talking and laughing and planning. Enjoyed a good glass of wine, the green grass in the garden, walking with my cat, taking thousand flower photos, taking some amazing portraits for a 18years old -beautiful lady …and ultimately watching the sunset.  It has been rewarding.

In the chaos that’s been my life lately, all the stress and exhaustion and worries and doubts, just being able to stop and look the clouds shifting color as the sun set, was amazing.

We’re going to have a long weekend, Monday and Tuesday included and I plan to do all the little things that I love in life. Write, read, sing loud while taking photos, cuddle with my cat on the grass and watch the sunset, enjoy a glass of red wine with my family and dream. Dream big. For the other “some days” when I’ll want to do some things. And plan the action. And make wishes. And place them in my heart, because you never know where the next miracle’s gonna come from.

 

 

Love,
Rose 

Categories: 52 Photowalks, Journal of a dreamer, Magic, Personal, Photo, Simple Life, Wisdom | Tags: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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