Author Archives: Tanja

12 MONTHS & 12 PHOTOS (2018)

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Another year and another edition of my 12 months & 12 photos post:) A photo for each month of the year. Of course, the main person of the entire year was/is my baby boy V. but as you can see below I didn’t just put photos of my baby:) We took a couple of interesting trips in 2018 and even though I haven’t blogged yet about them all at least you can see some nice photos:) You can check the posts for 2017 and 2016 too if you wish so:)

 

This was my 2018 in 12 photos:

JANUARY

My baby boy V. was two months old in this photo. I can’t believe he’s 13 months old now!!

FEBRUARY

This is a photo from the International Carnival Parade in Rijeka, Croatia.

Carnival parade in Rijeka 2018

MARCH

It’s very rare to snow in my seaside hometown but this year it snowed on 1 March! The snow stayed on the ground only for a few hours but it was nice while it lasted.

APRIL

We took our first day trip abroad with the baby in April. We explored Udine in Italy. It was a rather pleasant day trip and yes, I actually blogged about it.

Udine, Italy

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Life & Blog update: November 2018

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November. A year ago my son was born. And this November we celebrated his first birthday! And our first birthday of being the parents:) It was a low-key family celebration and most importantly our baby V. enjoyed himself very much. We attended another baby’s birthday this month and that was a lot of fun too. Also, we met for the first time a baby girl of my husband’s friend. So, it was a month of babies:)

As usually, there were a number of gaming nights (board games!) and outings with friends. I even managed to go to the cinema and saw the Fantastic Beasts 2. Loved it! For the first time in months my husband and I went on a date without the baby. There’s a new Irish pub in town and we love going there.

I don’t know about you but this year I’ve already done a part of my Christmas shopping. I’ve decided to treat myself with a Hallmark Christmas movies watching shirt (seriously!) and with a Quaintly & Co Christmas British Box which has already arrived and I still haven’t opened it (#notsponsored). So, you see Santa, I am good! Of course, I also purchased an Advent chocolate calendar. This year I got a really big luxurious Lindt chocolates advent calendar.

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Discover Croatia: Veliki Tabor Castle

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Veliki Tabor Castle

Veliki Tabor Castle

Once upon a time…..that’s how all fairy-tales begin, don’t they? Croatia is full of fairy-tale castles and legends. You just need to go further inland to discover more of Croatia, not just its stunning coastline.

Veliki Tabor Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in Croatia. It’s been on my to-visit list for a while. When I discussed visiting it with my husband the original idea was to spend a weekend in Zagorje region of Croatia and to visit both the castle and the baroque town Varaždin as well as several other worthy tourist attractions in the area. But we had to let go of that idea this time and we settled on a day trip to Veliki Tabor Castle with our baby boy. 

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Baby update: V. is 1 year old!

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My baby boy is 1. Let me repeat this : My baby boy V. is 1-year-old! No, I still don’t believe it. That means that I’ve been a mum for a year too. Wow! That also sounds unbelievable. And yes, my baby calls me mummy but only occasionally. He’s too busy running around the house chasing the cat. Poor cat! He spends a lot of time high up on the cupboards out of our baby’s reach.

V. is a strong, big boy. He’s 78 cm tall and weighs exactly 10 kg. He still loves to be carried around which is sometimes quite painful for my ageing back. He likes to cuddle a lot! V. is such a cheerful boy. Very determined and very persistent too. Prefers to play with things that aren’t baby toys. He walks. He carries things. He pushes furniture. He climbs the sofa. He makes all sorts of loud noises but he doesn’t talk (he just says mama). He’s got 7 teeth now and likes to chew on all sorts of forbidden things. He smiles when you say sternly NO, and just continues to do whatever he isn’t allowed to do until you move him. He’s fearless. He rarely cries. He doesn’t like changing diapers or getting undressed for bed. He eats a lot of different foods but I still nurse him. He loves spending time with his grandparents. He enjoys being out. He is a proper water baby, in the bathtub and in the sea. He likes playing with the ball. He has travelled. He’s been to Italy several times. He discovered San Marino. He’s visited a lot of towns in Croatia.

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Life & blog update: October 2018

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in Italy

October was a busy month. I slowly got used to going to work again after being at home during the pregnancy and during the maternity leave. I’ve also had another work trip to Italy which made me both anxious and happy. Since we couldn’t really go to Germany for Oktoberfest we found the next best thing and had a very delicious Oktoberfest meal at the newly opened German gastro pub in our area. What else? We’ve finally done professional photo shooting with our baby boy V. He was a bit afraid of the big flashing camera and held onto his toy dog as if his life depended on it. Poor thing! He was very serious too throughout the whole photo session and only managed to relax and smile for the camera in a few photos. Still, the photos are really beautiful and a great memory. Baby V. will be 1 year old in a couple of days. I can’t believe it!!!! He’s walking on his own at home for some time already. 🙂 We’ve also bought his first proper shoes. Very cute and very expensive! He’s also been to the dentist’s for the first time. He’s got six teeth. He didn’t cry at all. He’s such a brave boy. He’s never cried in new and unfamiliar situations or with strangers. I’m planning to write a new baby update post but I don’t know when I’ll actually write it.

What else happened in October? Well, my husband went to Germany for Spiel 18′ (International Game Fair) in Essen to pitch his new board game (it’s actually a card game). He’s a huge board games fan and we’ve got a massive board games collection at home. He’s invented a few games and finally decided to try and sell one of his games to the publishers.

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Miramare Castle, Italy

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Miramare Castle, Italy

Miramare Castle

My husband and I had a family obligation in Trieste so we used our limited free time for a quick visit to Miramare Castle with our baby boy. Miramare Castle is situated in the Gulf of Trieste just a short drive from Trieste’s city center along the coast. It was a hot day in June and all the beaches on the way to the castle were jam-packed. Luckily, we managed to find a free parking spot just outside the castle grounds gate.

Once you enter the castle grounds anchoring, swimming or any other beach activity is prohibited because you’re in the area of the Miramare Marine Nature Reserve. We put our baby in the stroller and walked slowly to the castle. We passed by the WWF-managed visitor center of the first Italian marine park housed in the Old Stables of the castle. Then we walked slightly uphill through the park to the castle. Our walk rewarded us with gorgeous views of Miramare Castle perched on the rocks above the Adriatic Sea.

Miramare Castle (Castello di Miramare) was built in 19th century for Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of the House of Hapsburg and his wife Charlotte of Belgium. Back then Trieste was a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Carl Junker designed Miramare Castle and its beautiful park following strict wishes of Archduke Ferdinand. Unfortunately, the Archduke didn’t get to enjoy his castle for too long because he was declared the Emperor of Mexico in 1864. Not long after, Ferdinand Maximilian (or Maximilian I as he was known in Mexico) was  assassinated and his wife Charlotte suffered a major nervous breakdown. However, Miramare Castle continued to be visited by many members of  Hapsburg family. For instance, Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth (Sissy) stayed in Miramare Castle during their official visit to Trieste.

IMG_20180610_125151

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