Jenni from Jenni Austria Germany sent me an unconventional Making Me Smile January list ("just to mix things up a bit", she said, which definitely made me smile!):
When I think of what makes me smile, traveling is one of the first things that comes to mind. Living in Europe (I'm an American) makes traveling super convenient - your possibilities are virtually endless! Hop on a train, ride a bus to the next city (or even country) or catch a cheap flight for less than 10 euros round trip. Fortunately, I only work 3 days a week (Tues - Thurs), so I have 5 day weekends, which is just perfect for a quick little getaway.
By the end of January, I will have spent all 4 weekends in 4 different places and that means 4 big reasons to smile:
1. Wroclaw, Poland makes me smile.
This particular weekend consisted of lots of smile-worthy goodness: New Year's celebrations, Fuji Instax minis, amazing Polish cuisine, walks in the snow, learning the Polish language one impossibly-difficult-to-pronounce word at a time, caramel popcorn at the movies...practically everything there makes me smile (might have something to do with the fact that I'm dating a Polish boy.....?)
2. Vienna, Austria makes me smile.
After interning there for 4 months this past summer (when the photo below was taken...definitely won't be that warm now!), I am returning for the first time since September! I'm smiling right now at the mere thought of seeing this beautiful city once again. It's a 6 hour train ride from where I live, but it's definitely worth it (plus, train rides make me smile so it's a win-win).
3. Nuremberg, Germany makes me smile.
Speaking of where I live....I live an hour away from Nuremberg. It's a beautiful city and during this particular weekend of January a friend is coming to visit me, which means we'll scamper through the city, eat lots of food, shop way too much and take an incessant amount of photographs (Who cares if I live here? I can still act like a tourist whenever I want).
4. The unknown makes me smile.
This weekend is open. I'll be spending it with some friends of mine but we haven't chosen a destination yet. Mannheim, Germany? It's possible. Passau, Austria? Maybe. Paris, France? Not likely, but it could happen (see what I mean about endless possibilities?). Spontaneity in general makes me smile and no matter how much I plan any trip, there is always an inevitable amount of surprise.
Thanks for taking part Jenni!
What's making you smile this January?
E-mail your list to red.boots(at)hotmail.co.uk and I'll post it here!
xx
This is seriously an amazing list! She is so lucky to have the opportunity to do so much traveling!
ReplyDeletethanks wendy :) you are so sweet to do this!
ReplyDeletethat was such a fun post!! i can't wait to get over to europe and go exploring... someday!
ReplyDeleteHmm why don't I have those long weekends? And why haven't I used all those possibilities to see Europe? I certainly see why it makes Jenni smile:)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cute list. I wish I could just head off traveling every weekend!
ReplyDeleteThey are some great reasons to smile! I would love those long weekends. And to go traveling :) I think we all need to move to europe with her!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Love Jenni's blog :)
ReplyDeleteOhh I love her lol. She is too cute! i wish that i could travel that way.. even here in the states, but we make even the shortest plane rides stressful, and we are miles and miles from another state..
ReplyDeleteHi there, great making me smile post really inspiring! What a gal, thanks for stopping by. Sharon x
ReplyDelete