Return of the blonde blogger after the new year

So much to blog about after the new year when we return to Romania!!
Till then Happy Holidays!

Xoxo
michelle

Vienna, Austria

It's beautiful, wonderful, magical, amazing, romantic, fantastic the perfect city to spend our christmas this year.  The past two days Jason, Harlow and I have been walking around this city with our mouths wide open ohhhing and ahhhing.  Its nothing like I imagined it to be, but so much more then I could have dreamed.  The architecture is sublime and so detailed you can hardly take your eyes away.  I've bumped into so many people because I'm too busy starring at the extraordinary structures that make up this bustling city.

We have a sleek brand new apartment overlooking Vienna and right next to the trolley. Last night we bought a small christmas tree and carried it home in the snow.  Right now I'm overwhelmed with the fresh smell of pine and awesome touches of red in our hip pad.

Everything is dressed with a layer of snow giving it that christmas card feel.  The shopping is right up our alley with stores like H&M and Zara lining the ancient buildings with sculptures and massive chandeliers hanging overhead lighting up the streets and giving off a charming holiday twinkle.

 Sculpture dedicated to the plague, so much detail I'll post more pictures of it when I get home

Starbucks is here, crazy expensive, 20 euros for coffee and muffins, but they do serve eggnog lattes!  Thank you Santa!!

The first church we stepped into was St Stephans they were right in the middle of mass.  I cried my eyes out when we walked inside, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.  Here's two photos of a section on the outside.  We planning on returning for christmas so we'll take more pictures then.  Inisde is glorious!

The second church was St Peters it wasn't as big but just as detailed.  Everything inside in decorated for christmas too.

We have tons of pictures and video so I'll splice together a little movie when we get back to Romania so you can get a feel for everything.

All I can say is I'm in heaven here.  I'll never forget this, ever.

Chocolat

We're officially on holiday!  This last week was crazy, Jason was working non-stop and the snow came in full force.  Everything is so much harder with snow outside.  Just trying to get everyone dressed is a workout.   Layer, layer and then layer little Harlow some more, force those dang boots on over three pairs of socks meanwhile I'm starting to sweat because I mistakenly put all my layers on first.   Oh and pushing a stroller in the snow takes all the muscle I've got in these chicken arms!   Finally when we get somewhere you have to rip it all off again.  By the time we get anywhere and settled I seriously can't move because I'm so tired.

But really every thing looks prettier with a little white powdery snow.  These photos are of Harlow's first encounter.

"Snow mama, snow!"  She actually said "Mama it's a snow"  

 The view from our little home.

Friday was Jason's last day of work!!  Harlow is beyond happy that she has her Daddy back to jump on.

I took a couple pictures outside our house last night, they're blurry of course but I'm just in love with all the beauty in this city so I can't help but pull out the old iphone and show you what we see when we're walking home.

That last one was taken earlier in the evening.

This morning we walked to Old Town Lipscani to have breakfast at Chocolat.  This place was a dream, with all freshly baked breads and desserts.  Every table had big brown cozy blankets on the chairs so you could bundle up drink hot tea and dine on luxurious sweets by the fire.

Check out their treats.

I'll be back to try a chocolate or maple eclair and some creme brulee, my favorite.

They served my tea in a cute little painted clay tea set with a basket of fresh baked toasted bread and a tray with homemade strawberry, apricot and cherry jam.  Divine!!!

I wish we found this place sooner or maybe for my belly's sake it's better we didn't.

Now that we're all back together for two weeks life is that much sweeter.

xoxo

Snow!!

With a post title like that you'd think I'd have tons of photos with little Harlow galloping in the white fluffy, fresh powder snow but some one, uh um, Jason dropped the camera and now it's broken.  My iphone was dead when it really started coming down so we missed all the pictures of her snowflake covered eyelashes yesterday.  She kept saying snow, snow all day and ho ho ho, I've got to get that one on video it's my favorite right now.

Yesterday we had to get up crazy early and a car took us to the Bucharest police station.  Long story short someone on the production end didn't work out the whole visa thing so everyone on this show had to go down get their pictures taken and apply for one.  Little Harlow got her first visa at 21 months old.

After that we spent the rest of the day on set with Jason.  Harlow really loved being in the makeup trailer, I don't know why but she was loving all the actors coming in and getting all made up.  She was the life of the party.  I took her to the stage and she was walking around set saying "wow mama WOW!" The set was lit up like night with fake trees a car scene and something was on fire. I can't show you pictures of that, but here's a couple photos of Jason's home away from home about 14 hours a day.

Harlow getting cozy with her baby in the make up trailer

 She's developed a money obsession she likes sorting the bills and credit cards and putting it in a wallet or purse.  Oh ya she's all about carrying a purse everywhere she goes now. I didn't even bring a purse to Romania because everyone said the gypsies were going to get me.  So I have no clue where she's getting all this girly behavior from.  She even pretends to put lipstick on, but I think Alison taught her that one.  Oh and half the people here are carrying around Chanel, Gucci and LV bags so I'm pretty sure I would have been okay with a my cheap old purse :)

Harlow carrying her purse on her elbow...just makes it super girly, seriously it's not from me.

Things are moving along over here, we're making plans to travel to the castle this Saturday which should be incredible in the snow and I can finally get my mom a Transylvania t-shirt.  Everyone is done filming today but poor Jason and Kerin are working on makeup tests so they won't be done till Friday.  Then it's all about Christmas can't wait!!!

In other news I'm really sad about the Nic Cage video on TMZ and I think it was on the news here the other night too it paints him out to be a lunatic.  It was all a misunderstanding and people only see one side of things, damn you camera phones.  Nic is a very sensitive sweet natured guy who just had a little too much to drink and was provoked.  Could have happened to everyone I know, only no one cares enough to record us.
Sorry Nic, that sucks!!

Snow and Farm Animals

We woke up to the most beautiful fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky!  It reminded me of the soap machines they use in Disneyland during Christmas time to make the fake stuff.  We all rushed to put on our warmest coats, hats, boots, gloves and scarves only to get outside and the snow was gone.  It wasn't cold enough on the ground yet for it to stick so we missed it.  I was bummed because I can't wait for Harlow to experience it, I just want to see her face when she steps in snow.  The temperature is super low so it's only a matter of time till it comes and stays.

Harlow and I have been missing our dogs at home so we ventured to a little children's farm just outside of Bucharest.  On the drive out we saw so many stray dogs running by, way more then in the city, and these ones looked more like sheep dogs.  Down one of the alley ways I saw a small puppy sitting there all big and fluffy, he was calling to me I just know it.  It's so hard not to ask the driver to pull over, but honestly what would I really do?  Carry Harlow in one arm and be the crazy lady trying to chase the puppy in this little village?  Then what if I actually got him?  I'll figure a way before I leave, just don't tell Jason.

This place we went to was more like a zoo with farm animals.  They were all fenced in different areas and you could walk by and put your hand in to pet them, well actually I'm not sure if you were allowed to pet them but I did.

It was freezing and the sun went down quickly so my iphone took some pretty crappy pictures.  There were donkeys, mini ponies, chickens, goats, bunnies, pigs and baby cows.  When was the last time you saw a baby cow?  They have such amazing innocent eyes, big old eyelashes, reminded me of the cow on blue bell ice cream or was it blue bonnet something...oh well they were precious.

This picture is so blurry but those big baby cow doe eyes just kill me.

Dan the driver pushing Harlow on a little tractor, I couldn't get her off.

Harlow chasing a chicken around.  They had those chicken that look like they have white furry boots on, man I'd love to raise one or any chick for that matter.

I took so many more pictures but all of them are terrible, really need to get the camera from Jason or just learn how to carry the big one around.  I don't trust myself with the big one though, not miss oh let's just rest expensive electronic right on top of the stroller and then forget and start pushing, oops.

I'm slowly learning how to dress Harlow for the winter weather properly, the colder it get the more I pile on her, poor thing is beginning to look like the kid who couldn't put his arms down in The Christmas Story.

All is well here, a little over two more months to go and we'll be home.  Time is flying by!!
Love to everyone

Christmas Cheer

This morning the rain had stopped and the sun was shinning Harlow and I headed downstairs for an early breakfast.  They put up a Christmas tree in the restaurant and she was thrilled.  She brought both her babies up to the tree to show them, it killed me when she held them out so they could get a closer look.

Sitting at a table next to the tree was a guy with gray hair and glasses, she pointed at him and said "Mama HOHOHO" from across the restaurant.  Then she ran back laughing at herself.  Already a little comedian, wonder where she gets that from.

After breakfast, if you want to call it breakfast, oh pancakes I miss you, we met up with another mom from the film and walked down to the park.  

The first month we were in Bucharest they had this beautiful lake that was in the center of the park similar to Central Park in New York with all the row boats.  Well a couple weeks ago they drained it and all the trees leaves had fallen and the park kind of lost it's luster.  Now look at it, a winter wonderland...

They replaced the lake with a huge ice skating rink, music was blasting and people were out there making it happen.  We stood and watched for a while, for a Tuesday it was pretty packed, the more I watched the more I decided I would NEVER go ice skating here.  Everyone out there was skating like a professional.  I would have looked like Bambi with my scrawny limbs trying to sync up, umm no not going to happen.  There goes my winter fantasy of Jason and I all bundled up with our mittens and scarves on drinking hot hot chocolate while holding hand on the ice.

You should have seen the little bug's face when she saw this Christmas tree they put up in the main entrance.

 Harlow and Hunter

Christmas markets are being set up all over the city, this one ran straight through the park all the way to the other side which is a long distance.  They sell every thing from food, decorations, clothes and housewares.  The ones that sell homemade holiday candy are my favorite.

Oh alot of the little huts in the holiday markets sell meat: sausages, salami, ham

There was a sensational life size sled with reindeer and presents, I bet Santa probably makes an appearance during the weekends, maybe even lets you get in there and take pictures with him.

The reindeer had real fur on them.

We will have to come back on the weekend and see for ourself what they do with this.

Also they had a life size nativity scene over by the children's park equipment.

Which I thought was a rather odd placement, I mean what kid wouldn't want to climb in there and try to pet all the fake animals, my kid tried too.  It took two cookies to derail her.  

Just looking at this picture makes me what to sing Silent Night, come on you know you want to.

I feel very blessed to be able to see how another country celebrates, I'm sad Harlow won't remember all of this.

But at least she's having a ball! 

Mom that picture's for you.























Noapte buna

Caru Cu Bere

I haven't had a moment to sit down and write the past couple of days.  Jason is still doing night shoots and slowly Harlow and I have changed over to his schedule so we can spend more time together but it hasn't left much time for anything else.

Last night he finally had a day off so we went out to dinner at Caru Cu Bere one of the oldest beerhouses in Romania and it was awesome!!  I was desperate to take photos when we were inside but all I had was my iphone and it was dimly lit so they weren't turning out.  When I goggled images on the web a bunch of pictures of Nic Cage at the restaurant came up, funny.  Anyways this is the place to eat, just look at the inside.

This photo doesn't do it justice the architecture in the ceiling was all arches and big oil paintings.  It was like having dinner in a museum.

Caru cu Bere is located in Lipscani the old town of Bucharest

The food was delicious!!!  We started off with a salad that consisted of red beets and shredded raw horseradish AMAZING!!  I will so be making this when I return home.  Simple ingredients but something about the spicy and the pickled beets just made for an excellent combination.  For an entree I had yellow squash stuffed and baked with minced meat, rice, and dill served with a tomato sour cream sauce.  I ate every single bite, it reminded me a lot of a greek dish  as I think there's a lot of Turkey's influence in the some of the recipes here.  

Being in Europe I've order beer or wine with all of my dinners but for some reason I thought I'd be cool, relax and order something a little harder.  I asked for a whiskey and coke forgetting where I was momentarily only to have them bring a glass bottle of coke to the table and a shot of whiskey, ya they don't do ice here.  Needless to say it makes for a very interesting cocktail without ice.  Way too reminiscent of high school.

As we were finishing up dinner the music started blaring and a full on dance number took place right in  the middle of the restaurant. Harlow thought it was the greatest thing of all time, she even got to dance with one of the ladies after the show.  Here's two quick clips of the dancers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ19amzZtGo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEAi_nt6OiA

The food was great the scenery was unreal and the entertainment made for a really fun night!  Exactly what we needed.

2 more weeks till our holiday and I can't wait.  

Love to everyone