Tolstoy Ties

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Cao Mila

During our road trip to Krusevac we make a quick stop to a gorgeous monastery. Sveti Roman is nestled in a clove of hills and has the most refreshing spring just outside the gates. Down in the gully where the spring becomes a stream, it is cooler. The fallen leaves everywhere create the distinct smell of fall.

A quick walk up the hill and through the beautiful gate…

This is the final resting place of Count Nikolaj Nikolajevic Rajevski.

He was one of the many Russians who left his homeland to come and aid the Serbs in their fight against Turkish occupation in Serbia in solidarity of Slavic brotherhood and Orthodoxy. . He was also allegedly the basis for Ana Karenina’s lover, Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky .

I cannot think of a more beautiful or peaceful place to rest. The monastery grounds are immaculately kept.

The mosaic walkway is done completely in stone washed soft and round by water, collected over time and placed just so to created the most amazing designs.

Learning about the History here is NEVER short of amazing. I hope you enjoy hearing about it too.

Dobar dan (Good Day) Y’all!

Expat Life Hacks~ Ironing

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Cao Mila

So being an expat is really cool at times. I love biking around my town and seeing things I never thought I would see up close and personal. While I do enjoy being in a foreign land, there are things I miss. A Lot!

Take for instance, a dryer. Not only does it do the job of drying fast, but it also practically irons your clothes. Like everyone else in the world, I hate ironing, I will do it if I have to, but only for myself or my child. If you are a capable adult, you are out of luck. Yes, I am talking to you honey. 😉

Now, I have come to the entire point of this post! Not having to iron! Back home in the States, we also have Wrinkle Releaser. It is a miraculous spray that takes wrinkles out of clothing.

Enter my expat lifesaver, Pinterest! Since moving here and even before, I have found some marvelous recipes, organization ideas, and so much more on there. But, most recently, I have found the recipe for happiness…. so to speak. I found a way to MAKE wrinkle releaser. and it works!

After hearing my husband complain about his wrinkly shirts for the second time, I went to my DIY (do it yourself) haven of inspiration, Pinterest. Sure enough there were answers to my problem!

Before

After

Before

After

I love this stuff!

The magical recipe:

1 cup or 250 ml water
1 tsp. (the small spoon) liquid fabric softener
1 tsp. rubbing alcohol (optional, helps the spray evaporate quicker) Put this all on a spray bottle and shake! Now you’re ready to go!
Spray a clean, wrinkled garment. Dampen it, but you don’t need to soak it.
Tug on the garment or give it a good shake to loosen the wrinkles.
You can also lay the garment on a flat surface (like a bed), and do a quick “iron” with your hands. I found that this worked well on wrinkly shirt sleeves: just spray, smooth from the middle of the sleeve out to the ends with your hands, and the wrinkles go away.
Hang the garment to dry, and more wrinkles will disappear as it dries. Brilliant! Problem solved. I am hooked!!

Photography Friday Paralia, Greece

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Cao Mila

The little seas side town of Paralia, Greece was a pleasure to visit. Cafes lined the beach and sidewalks. Touristy shops selling trinkets and clothes were plentiful. But the most eye catching thing I saw was this car!

The exterior was less decadent than the interior.

Hello excess!

I think one might need a bath or cleansing ritual to ride in that bling mobile!

A less assuming vehicle with more curb appeal in my opinion is the cute little Fica turned convertible. This rolling reklama (commercial) is evidence how popular Serbian visitors are in this town.

Traveling in a Serbian pack, I shocked a few people there. I would speak partially in Serbian but mostly in English to my travel buddy. More than once I was asked why I was speaking English. The border crossings were a bit amusing too. The only U.S. Passports in a bus of Serbs was an oddity. Though, most border guards acted like it was natural.

Speaking of Border crossings… I love seeing all the different flags! The Serbian one:

The writing at the bottom says I love Serbia

The Macedonian one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wavingmacedonianflag-crop.png

The Greek flags colors are my favorite. I love blue and white.

A tourist ship with two Greek Flags!

End rabbit trail. OK, back to the Paralia pics.

I prefer the natural beauty of an every day occurrence. The serenity of sunrise is never less then Blissful.

Mornings stillness and lack of distraction is just what this girl loves.

Simplicity in the quiet morning hours without the noise and excitement of the rest of the world. It is like having the town to yourself.

Mount Olympus peeks from behind the sleepy hotels. not creature stirs on the beach.

The sea side church watches over the town.

The Church is very impressive. The steps are marble. I would be afraid of them in the rain. Very slippery.

I love the reflection of the church next door in the cafe windows.

Have a great weekend!

Traveling Tuesday… Walking through Paralia, Greece

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Cao Mila

It has been a month now since my Greece trip. I was thinking about it today as I thought about home and the fisherman’s harbor that was across the street from the place I use to literally dump crabs on the the tables of tourists. (They paid me to do it.)

This was the view from my “office” on a good evening back in the U.S.

No fisherman action in the evening here. but truth be told, it isn’t to far off the action I saw at dawn in Paralia at the local fisherman’s marina. Accept of course they use smaller nets than the big ships back home use and no rods to be seen. Like anyone working on a boat, there is lots of prep work for the trip out on the water.

All along the docks on this early April morning, the local fishermen and women are mending and straightening their nets. In the distance, Mt. Olympus looms. A friendly bunch at such an early hour. They didn’t even mind when I asked to take their pictures, or more accurately lifted my camera and gave them an imploring look. It worked. A smile and a nod gave me the green light.

I could have stayed at the marina all day long, I felt at home there, even if I can’t speak a lick of Greek!. Holy hard language! Pardon the New Testament pun. 😉

One fellow sipped his coffee as he worked on his nets.

This side of Paralia or (Paralija if you are Serbian) was less touristy and filled with lots of stray dogs. restaurants closed til the start of summer lined the area. An old amusement park and cart race sat on the out skirts of town.

This way to the cart racing facility The faded sign would keep better if it was taken down in the off season…

The mountains framed by the rides makes a great pic, but I was a bit shocked to see the rides all sitting out waiting for summer to start. The salt air is not so good for the mechanics… I would have reservations about getting any of these rides. 😦

Lots of doggies like this one were walking the streets. Some traveled in packs that were quite intimidating. One such pack escorted me for a short while as I strolled with trepidation.

The large dogs who were my short term companions.

They were all larger and could do some damage. Soon they ran off chasing a poor littler dog who was in their territory. This is a dog eat dog world for sure!

Canals intruded on the north side of town. This lazy little turtle sunned himself til I came alone and interrupted him.