5 Reasons I Want to Move to Brugge, Belgium

by SayHelloBlog, in category Europe, Travel

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Come with me, to one of the most perfect towns in Europe.  You will see what you expect to see, tiny streets, quaint cafes, horse drawn carriages, and pedestrians who don’t seem to worry about how fast they get anywhere.  I only visited the small Europe town for a day, but I want to tell you why you should visit for more than a day, and maybe even for a longer stay!

1.  You can ride your bike everywhere.

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One thing I loved about Amsterdam was the ability to only need a bicycle to travel around and see all of the city.  Brugge may not have the bike lanes that Amsterdam had, but Brugge is an old school town with a lot less people.  You can bicycle away, and with little traffic there is not any stress.  I think that is a dream of mine, to one day live in a town where I can ride a bike anywhere.

2. They have amazing waffles.

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Need I say more?

3. The town is built around some the most beautiful canals in Europe.

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4. I kid you not, I would move to Brugge for this dog, he looks happy.

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5. There are swans. Austin, Texas is represented well.

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Ok, so maybe that is not enough to go on to move there, but hopefully it’s enough to get you there for more than a day. I enjoyed it.

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Oh, PS. There is a beer wall.

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Good Night Florence

by SayHelloBlog, in category Europe, Travel

I really wanted to write a blog post today, and I wanted to work on the web design for Say Hello. That’s what I thought of most of the day.  And for some reason or another (Christmas Specials on Tv, the human need to eat dinner) I wasn’t able to do it.  I wanted to edit some photos from Italy and do a little post on how wonderful things were there and inspire someone else to travel.  Truth,  there just isn’t enough time to do everything you want to do everyday.  So instead of a post on Italy, I will give you this photo of a sunset in Florence. Believe me it’s prettier in person.

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Maybe the next time I decide to add a new post I won’t get distracted by cheese puffs and Idina Menzel singing Let It Go with Jennifer Nettles.  Good night and sweet dreams.

That Little Coffee Shop in Florence

by SayHelloBlog, in category Europe, Travel

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Ok, it’s no secret that I love coffee shops. I love the atmosphere, the happy people, and the smell of coffee. I could sit in a coffee shop all day, and I have before.  Though there are plenty of unique coffee shops I encounter while traveling, there is probably non as cute as the one I visited in Florence.   If you are in Florence, and you can stop by for me please do!  Have some tea, sit by the robot lamp, and read a nice book. Be sure to do some people watching, that was one of my favorite parts, the tiny streets are full of interesting passerby’s and their furry companions.

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As you can tell from where I was sitting, I did quite a bit of people watching. I even snuck in a photo of the cute dog that came in and said hello, before following his lady right back out the door.  I am sure he was thinking “Hey! What about me?” as most dogs think at least 20 times a day.

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This was absolutely my favorite coffee shop in Italy. I hope I go back one day.

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Luxembourg Gardens

by SayHelloBlog, in category Europe, Photography, Travel

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Before going to Paris,  quite a few sources told me it isn’t as great as most people say it is.  I am not sure if these sources had actually been to Paris or had just repeated some nonsense they had heard before. Or maybe they don’t love being out with a crowd of people braving the rain with their umbrellas. It could be they just didn’t like rain. So if you don’t like rain then yeah, it won’t live up to your expectations. It did rain quite a bit, but every part of Paris was magical to me, even the rain and the glistening streets. The baguettes, the wine, the French people speaking French AND English, the gardens, the bicycles, the bakeries, the Seine river, the many views of the Eiffel tower throughout the city, and so much more made this city one of the top experiences of my life.  So if you haven’t planned a trip there because of someone telling you it isn’t worth it, or didn’t live up to their expectations then you might need to rethink going.

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Even though there was rain, there were also days with sunshine.  I spent a few different afternoons enjoying the Luxembourg Gardens reading and people watching. It’s a great place to bring kids too.

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Merry and Bright

by SayHelloBlog, in category Photography

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Thanksgiving isn’t quite here yet and I am wrapping presents for Christmas.  I found some stamp ideas on Pinterest (I am no pro, but I love making stamps).  So I went ahead and used the stamps to make some wrapping paper out of plain paper and scrapbook paper.

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I am quite excited about Thanksgiving break. I am most looking forward to sleeping in for a week.  I am a teacher and I love my job.   As of now, though, my energy levels are tired and sleepless. If I end up going out on the weekend, I am even more exhausted on a Monday, like somehow I skipped the weekend. (Going out on a weekend means I stayed up past 9:30, but was in bed by 11:30, which is late, really late.) Other teachers know what I am talking about. Unfortunately our schedule causes us to complain a lot about being tired, and with our amazing breaks we should complain a whole lot less!  But to be honest, my second thought about Thanksgiving break (after the first thought, which was: “Yay! I get a week off to catch up on sleep!”) was a very dismal “but one week isn’t enough” (followed by several frowny faces).  But, the week is just starting so let the sleeping begin! And, I am ahead on my Christmas shopping and wrapping. So there is cause to be joyful, of all things Merry and Bright.

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A Moorish Castle

by SayHelloBlog, in category Europe, Travel

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Imagine you’ve just arrived by train to one of the most beautiful places in Portugal. You are bundled up because it’s slightly chilly outside, and you step out of the train to this fairy tale land called “Sintra”. Maybe it isn’t real, but when you breathe in your lungs are filled with that crisp clean air and you look around and realize it’s not a dream.  After a short hike to the castle you feel like a kid discovering snow outside on Christmas morning. There is a light fog surrounding the castle and you swear you are on the set of First Knight, and Richard Gere will come riding in on a white steed any moment.  (Well…maybe not the Richard Gere part.) Ok, so to make this short, for one lovely day I was a royal, overlooking the world.  The view was breathtaking.

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5 Ways to Be Awake through the Winter

by SayHelloBlog, in category Uncategorized

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I absolutely ADORE the cold.  There is something marvelous about filling your lungs with clean cold air.  Winter weather is wonderful for clothes and yummy comfort food. There is not a lot wrong with winter weather, even the occasional icy roads in Texas leads to a nice day off spent laying in pajamas watching Christmas movies.  The only negative for me is winter’s ability to keep me from wanting to get out of bed in the morning, and for encouraging me to go strait home after work and jump in my pajamas! Right around the time change, when we gain an hour, and the evenings go dark, my social life does a huge nose dive.  Waking up for work doesn’t get easier either, even with that extra hour of sleep.  It’s too cold to get out of bed in the morning.  Is this me or does everyone else go into hibernation mode as well?  Maybe it’s because I am a teacher with an early schedule, and I work through my lunch break. Whatever the reason, I can’t afford to sleep through the winter (like some mammals do).

Without meaning to, I’ve come up with a few winter coping mechanisms for staying awake, they are quite lovely!

1. Substitute morning coffee with drinking dark chocolate. 

Though coffee is one of the holy gifts from God to his people on earth,  it tends to send me into crazy work mode, I get tons done during the day after a cup of coffee in the morning, but I am  quite useless after work. I’ve noticed that switching to hot chocolate in the mornings wakes me up without the jolt coffee gives me.  Don’t go for that sugary flavored hot chocolate.  Buy a nice drinking chocolate.  I buy one from Whole Foods (can’t remember the name).  It’s slightly sweet and slightly thicker than regular hot chocolate mix. You can add a few drops of peppermint oil to your chocolate for an extra eye-opener (and it’s delicious).

2. Drink peppermint tea in the afternoon.

So yeah, peppermint is huge for me on staying awake throughout the day.  I love Refresh tea from Starbucks, I keep a box in my classroom and at the house, if I am feeling a bit sluggish, or I feel myself slipping into hibernation mode, I’ll sip on some tea. It not only warms me up but wakes me up.

3. Use peppermint essential oil.

Ok, I know, I know, I probably should just put peppermint in the title of this post. One of my favorite things to make is a coconut oil scrub.  I mix coconut oil with epsom salt, then I add a few drops of peppermint oil.  I use this in the shower or as a foot scrub.  It definitely wakes me up in the morning!

4. Eat an apple.

Did you know that eating an apple will wake you up better than a cup of coffee will? (Apples are also very good for your teeth.) I didn’t read this, my dad the expert on health did. I don’t love apples, but if they are super crisp and sweet I’ll eat them. I’ve found that I like HoneyCrisp and Gala apples because I’ve had the most luck buying them when they are crisp.  I can’t say the same for red delicious apples, in Texas at least, they do not come from the store in “crisp” form.

5. Coffee coffee coffee

When all else fails, a lovely lavender latte will wake me up! It’s quite possibly the most perfect drink in the world!

 

(Also remember to drink plenty of water.  This is not one of the 5, but might be the most important. When we stay in doors with the heater on, it tends to dry us out!  Hydration is key to not getting run down. Try counting your glasses of water and make sure you get at least 8 8ozglasses. You might need one glass more during the winter months.)