Summer travel, Bucharest updates, bumper stickers & expat observations
“Leave home, leave the country, leave the familiar. Only then can routine experience—buying bread, eating vegetables, even saying hello—become new all over again.”
- Anthony Doerr
Life Recently
We were in Miami this weekend for a quick little Memorial Day getaway. Andrew gets very limited time off from his Romanian language training, so we’re trying to take advantage of the federal holidays for most travel.
This was only my second time in Florida, and my first time in Miami. We stayed in South Beach, and I was a little bit disappointed. The area is a hotspot for nightlife and partying. It was dirty, grungy and wild, but not really in a fun way. I don’t think I would have liked it in my 20s either. I felt really mislead by the articles I read online ahead of the trip.
Thankfully our hotel was in a nicer part of town with excellent beach access. We had food and drink service at our lounge chairs, which was a treat! We enjoyed mojitos, pina coladas, fresh fish, nachos and hot dogs on the beach with a view of the Memorial Day airshow in the sky. I shared videos of our weekend over on my Instagram.
In other news, we got our housing assignment for Bucharest! We submitted our housing preferences about a week ago and were very strategic with our requests. Thankfully, it seems to have paid off. The apartment is in a walkable area with quick access to cafés, a beautiful park and a grocery store. I think there may be a gym somewhere close by, too.
The apartment has three bedrooms and is probably four times the size of our current temporary housing in D.C. Boy, am I looking forward to having more space!
We should be able to ship some of our large furniture from storage in Belgium to use inside the apartment, since it’s spacious and open-concept. I can’t wait to have our old couch again!
In the News
I saw this article yesterday and had to share: UK set for '50 days of rain' in one of the wettest summers in over a hundred years. Thinking of everyone in London and hoping you’re all planning getaways to warmer climates.
On the Blog
Last week, I published a blog about the best Parmigiano Reggiano cheese factories you can visit in Italy. We took a tour of 4 Madonne a couple years ago and loved it! If you’re headed to Emilia Romagna anytime soon, give it a read and make sure to book your tour ahead of time.
Expat Observations of the Week
I saw this the other day at Target. Definitely very American to have this many bumper stickers. In the UK, you rarely saw stickers of any kind on the back of vehicles.
Speaking of vehicles, I should also mention that in the UK, cars don’t honk when you lock them like in America. The lights will just flash when you hit the lock button, and that’s it. In America, there’s always a little beep to signify the doors are locked.
I guess this is a way to cut down on noise pollution? Pretty smart, if you ask me.
In Case You Missed It
Earlier this month on Substack, I reflected on the indecision I’ve faced recently and considered why I may be feeling this way. Feel free to give that a read if you didn’t catch it:
A season of changing my mind
That’s all for now! Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned or whatever’s been on your mind.
Cheers,
Michelle