Hasta La Vista

As our 1 year anniversary is approaching, we're heading off to Lviv... the beginning of all beginnings... Kind of. Sort of.

We're limited with only 1 day there but I'll try to bring back some pretty shots:)

I'm so ready for some Balkan music!!!

Make sure to have fun this weekend, mes loulous!

For petit Louis

Other Wordless Wednesday participants.

Tales of a "Housewife"

This is where I live:

In the kitchen. My main room in the apartment. My bonheurs central;)

Day after day after day... for almost two months now.

Here, I:

• blog:)
• work on my CELTA stuff
• cook
• take photos of food (coming soon)
• learn French
• Skype with friends
• do 1001 useless & useful things on my laptop - main source of self-entertainment
• dance. a lil' bit. but that's a secret;)
• exercise!!!

Above is a scene from my "30 Day Shred" kitchen fun.
I'm still on Level 1.

In my kitchen-free time in the apartment, I:

• have breakfast in the living room in front of a humongous TV
• hang up washed clothes in the balcony
• move furniture around the house (month-2-of-kitchen-life kind of development)

Who knows, maybe I'll eventually switch to the living room after a few more improvements. (Currently, I'm fighting a war on wires covering the floor.)

But for now, I will stay where every woman is supposed to be - in the kitchen:)

My apologies to any feminist whose feelings have just been hurt.

What is your favorite room in your home?

Trees Variations

This post was originally planned for Lauren's monthly "Get The Picture" over at "Outside Voice". Since I've been travelling around, I failed to post on time.

So here's my wordless tree variety for you on Wednesday(:

Hope you enjoyed:)

There are 2 more tree pics here.

[Other wordless participants]

For The First Time

For the first time, we spent our weekend in different rooms of the same apartment because...

...for the first time, I needed 2 days spent in the kitchen to write an 800-word essay (Does office work kill off one's creativity or what?!).

For the first time, today, we had lunch together at home on a work day (the first and only time the guy agreed to eat fried eggs, too... o_0 More on culture differences and "how to keep a man happy" later).

For the first time, I ran 11 kilometers this past Sunday (I owe my run for inspiring me to finally put together the above mentioned essay, and I owe cheri N. for inspiring me to run... ELEVEN kilometers).

For the first time (?), instead of freaking out and brushing up plan "B" since this past plan-A-failing Friday, I am just looking into the future, mesmerized... 

The long promised shot of a cobra and cheri N.

Running is bad for you, or low energy crisis

All I was capable of after a 5 (7?)K run at the beach this morning was whining non-stop sitting back in my chair, watching people strolling along Primorsky Boulevard and heading to Odessa port. Ah, yes, I was also capable of drinking cocoa and picking on my "cheesecake" that was oh-so-far from cheesecake. 

Eggs! I've got to start asking for eggs in the morning. Seriously...

Then there was a trip to the beach with friends.

Lotsa undressed ladies lying around looking burnt. It happens when the sun is warm but the wind is strong.
The water is still freezing, too.

Somehow it feels like I've hit my limit with running. You know, it's this time when you have no energy and you just want to eat, eat, eat while your body is freaking out about all the burnt calories and trying to readjust to a more active lifestyle.

I know I just need to stick around to get the addictive rush after exercising in a week or two (or three? four? five?). But for now... I'm exhausted.

Thank God for cheri N.'s boss who cooked dinner for us last night. First of all, he's a good cook. Second of all, I got to sit back and be lazy - just what I needed after recalibrating my Polar footpod at the stadium.

I'm wishing you all a great Friday and good cooks friends!:)

Kompot from Odessa

As promised, here are more photos from Odessa. These 13 were taken at Kompot restaurants. While the one at Deribassovskaya St. is crowded with tourists and busy waitresses, Kompot* at Panteleymonovskaya St. is much quieter and homier. Love it!

Happy Thursday 13 to everyone who is participating!

* Kompot is a traditional drink in Central and Eastern European countries (Wikipedia).

Not-so-wordless Odessa Port Wednesday

And... we're back!

This week I'll be posting photos from Odessa, including some cobra shots and beach pics.

Today I'll share images taken in Odessa port, right across the Potemkin Stairs:

Our friends left on Monday morning, so it was just cheri N. and I and surprisingly bad weather for the past two days.

Tuesday morning we went for another run in Shevchenko park and along the beach where I said my farewell to the agitated Black Sea as I watched foamy waves breaking on the piers.

You'll have no idea how gorgeous the rainy misty morning was because I decided against running with cheri N's iPod, let alone his camera. I wish I had though...

This was taken at the port in the afternoon:

Starting tomorrow, there'll be some more colorful photos from the south of Ukraine on here.

So come back:)

P.S. From now on, you can follow my bonheurs with bloglovin'
P.P.S. Other wordless and not so much are linked up here.

Odessa-Mama!

Girls (and boys)!

We're in Odessa for the May 1st weekend (read: Labor Day).

Last night:

• "Turandot" at the famous opera house (it seems like most people go there just to take photos of the inside... but hey, if that brings them closer to art... good for them!);
• dinner with friends at "Veranda" restaurant at Bunina St. (recommended!);
• night club "Palladium" until 2-3 A.M. (Intimidatingly pretty girls in glittery bikinis on stage and as intimidatingly buff guys moving to the sound next to them. Considering I'm not a fan of clubbing, it's a good place to go. And looking at the cars parked outside - one of the places to go here).

Today:

• 9 AM run in the park overlooking the sea......... OMG... I love Odessa!!
• ...and who knows what's next... Photos will come later xo