Peace and quiet in Kufstein

An 18 mins bus trip and another 13 mins on a train (Austrian precision) got me to Kufstein. That was my choice on a Sunday – the 20th of Dec, when the sun was on my side 🙂

Right when you’re out of the train station you can see the medieval castle and the road that goes to town. There is no chance to get lost, even if you wanted to. And there you have me – desperately searching for a map or stuff to get some direction. Didn’t know I wouldn’t need one.

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress river view

So, I started on the road with the sunshine. There were a lot of tourists, every one of them trying to take pics or read signs and little stories they found around. I had my mind set on the castle cause I was supposed to meet someone and also be able to catch the bus and train back to home. The last bus was at 17 hours. This is one of the things I’m gonna have to get used to, around here. Buses and trains, no matter how punctual they are and no matter how much I appreciate that, they make you shorten your schedule. I mean, come on, if I really take a free day to visit places and meet new people, I would like to enjoy my whole day of 24 hours. You know what I mean?!

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress river view love locks

Once I got to the castle, I couldn’t help but notice they got wifi (yey!), which was a great deal for me, given the fact that my internet at home was off in the last days. So I paid the 6 Euros and let the cable car take me up.

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress cable car

The first thing I noticed in the castle yard was that they had it decorated for Christmas – and God, it looked lovely! I got a map of the fortress and just went for a walk to visit. I didn’t get to see everything there was, but I had an amazing feeling about it.

I enjoyed the green place that had benches you could sit on and enjoy the view from high.

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress relaxing place

I was in the garden where they had over 100 types of plants and flowers – that was called ‘Anna Battery’ 😀 Also here, they had benches and stuff you could sit on and relax, just feel the harmony.

I couldn’t help but notice and be really happy for the respect they have towards dogs. You could see dogs everywhere around the castle, with their owners. All shapes and breeds and colors, just heaven!

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress torture chamber dog allowed

At some point, I saw this kinda creepy tunnel. Everyone was looking curious at it, but nobody was brave enough to go and see what’s that about. So I thought – what’s the worst that could happen?! – so I went in. The tunnel was built in the 16th century and helped the underground communication. It’s rock-cut and in the 20th century was used as shelter in tough times.

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress creepy tunnel

One interesting thing was the Torture Chamber and its museum. No, I haven’t got any pics from the inside. They clearly said at the entrance that the scenes inside are not appropriate for children. So no, I didn’t visit it. But the history of torture really got my attention.

Even at the beginning of time, people would use different methods to gain power over others and get information or material things instead. In the past, torture had political or religious base and the death of victims was accepted as part of the whole process. The victims often disappeared without a trace. Until the 13th century, torture was not explicitly forbidden by church law and in the 15th century it became an essential part in witch trials. Austria abolished torture and death penalties in 1787, under Emperor Joseph II.

One thing I only heard about but didn’t see – Kufstein has the world’s largest outdoor organ, 4948 pipes. Everyday at noon, 12 hours, they play a small concert, that works as a reminder that peace is possible but must be actively pursued. I got there at 12.48, so I didn’t hear the organ play, but I am sure it is wonderful and can be heard in the whole town.

Also, inside the castle, in Josefburg Festungsarena, there was a Christmas Market that was really lovely, with many Christmas trees and Austrian specialties. And, of course, mulled wine.

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress christmas market

I then met a local. Me and Wolfgang went to one of the few open places on a Sunday – where we drank tea and had the most amazing mulled-wine-cake.

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress december meeting gluhwein cake

I stayed there until the last train. I talked to Wolfgang about everything and nothing, shared stories and he even told me about his passion and showed me a little preview. I’ve got no words for this, but this guy’s singing is amazing! Click here to listen what I’m talking about. Everything that’s there – instruments, voice, recording, production – everything is him. I was truly impressed, maybe also because I like singing but got no talent in the field. Make me sing and you’ll get broken glasses… There comes a time when each of us have to go back home, so I had to say goodbye to Wolfgang and his amazing songs.

Once I got into the train station, I couldn’t find my platform. Only until a group of hippies got my attention cause of the many luggage they were carrying! They were waiting for the elevator that connected the platforms. So I went next to them and somehow, they managed to also make some room for me so we could all use the elevator at once. That led to talking and joking:

– Oh, so you speak English?

– Yes, is it that bad?!

– Oh yeah. You see, we don’t know any English, so I don’t know how to talk to you. (And the whole conversation was in English)

Haha, hihi, so I helped them carry the luggage. They really had many snowboards and skis and backpacks with them. And they were only 3 people – 2 girls and a guy. But I really had fun with them!

On my last ride to home, I made friends also with the bus driver. We talked for the whole 18 mins and he told me how his time in Romania was. He was there 5 years ago, as a driver for a group and he was really scared of driving at night, because he couldn’t see the holes in the pavement and he had to look after the company’s car. Oh, and he really loved Brașov. He gave me ideas and recommendation for future trips in the Tirol area. Close to the station I was supposed to get off, he told me to stay on the bus and he’ll show me the next town also. I could only see it from the bus cause he had no break, but it was really nice to have a night tour of it.

At the end, I felt like a VIP when the bus detoured just to drop me off right in front of the hotel. I was like a princess enjoying a special ride! 😀

www.anamariapopa.com blog post kufstein castle fortress trip bus back night

I like it here, I met some great people already, in just one week! And the feeling I was telling you about at the beginning of the story is simply described by peace. You know that moment when you feel in complete harmony with yourself, with people and everything that surrounds you? When you feel so zen that nothing in the world could make you feel bad?… Well, that was me. And I had no idea how much I missed it and how far away I was from it. You could say that I was feeling myself again.

I really can’t wait to discover what the next few months have got for me!

 

The pics used were taken by my finger pressing the button of an iPhone 6. No edit, cause I was just too anxious.

3, 2, 1… 24! [en]

One year ago I started early with my preparations for that time of the year. You know, when your birthday is right around the corner and all you can think about is how you want it to be this year, and you can’t wait to see all the people you love under the same roof and just enjoy your time.

Last year, I made my wish-list one month before, just in case. I enjoyed special moments with my people then. And, even if some relationships have changed since then, my memories stay beautiful, and the surprise they gave me – unique. I was really sorry for letting them wait for me in front of the door, for 2 whole minutes, while they had my ice cream cake ready and the candles lit on it. They were so cute, and when I played the recording and saw that they were so close to losing hope, aww………….. But all is well when it ends nice 🙂

anamariapopa.com blog post ziua mea 16 decembrie sagetator happy birthday princess ice cream bubblegum marshmallow cake tort inghetata

Now, one year later? My wishes remain the same. I don’t wish for material things. My most precious present are my people, the people that I have in my life. If some of them decide to be a part of it for a long time, I appreciate them. And for those who leave, that’s it, it’s their end in my story and I become happy for the experience I had with them. Anyways, I am gonna add to my last year’s wish also – I’d like to get to know people that know the meaning of being human, and not in how they look. But in the way they act, people who are open-minded, who know how to make best use of the soul they’ve got, who like to communicate, who know what respect is.

And I would also like to add one more thing! At 23 years old, at the end of the most screwed up year of my life, I realised that no matter what happens in this life, no matter what I win or lose, nobody can take away my experiences, the stories I’ve lived. So I set a goal in this life – to live a life full of experiences worth telling, no matter the closure.

Unlike last year, I now find myself in Austria, far away from my lovely people. But they somehow manage to make me not feel the distance, and to still feel them close to my soul. These are my people, the people that hold a special place in my heart. And I only wish for them to stay there as much as possible, because I really like it the way I feel now.

As to the rest, happy wishes to everyone, no matter the age or place! 😀

Let’s go to NYC, they’ve got ice cream!

anamariapopa.com blog post star wars ice cream light side dark side

Light Side ice cream & Dark Side ice cream

Brooklyn-based creamery teamed up with Disney and this is what they got:

The Light Side is made out of white marshmallows, homemade crispie clusters, with a smattering of handmade cocoa crispies, representing the dark side that remains undercover in the light. At the same time, the Dark Side ice cream is “an ultra-dark chocolate ice cream with espresso fudge brownies, cocoa crispies, and white chocolate pearls (to represent the light still hiding in the dark, waiting to burst through).”

Would you just look at them?!

Would you just look at them?! Yumm, Yumm!

 

The flavors won’t be sold in the stores. They can, however, arrive by online order – part of a four-pack set, costing $36. Shipping costs can get pretty expensive if sent far from New York City, since the ice cream requires express service in order to not become soup. First shipments will arrive in American homes starting the 15th of Dec.

 

Shall we all move to NYC for a bit, eh?

 

 

Photos: Ample Hills Creamery

Thanksgiving or giving thanks?

Thanksgiving day is a national holiday celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, in the USA and on the second Monday of October in Canada. It is the day of the year of giving thanks for the blessing and the harvest of the previous year. The tradition includes a large meal, in which the star is a roasted turkey.

The first Thanksgiving dinner was held in 1621 by Pilgrims and lasted 3 days (!) but it didn’t become a national holiday until 300 years later, in 1941. It is believed that there were no turkeys for dinner back in 1621. Still, the turkey is the traditional Thanksgiving dish, given the fact that it was one of the first animals to be domesticated in the USA.

American or not, another year has almost passed and this would be a good time to think about all the things we are really thankful this year, in this life. Day-by-day we’re busy complaining, focusing on what we don’t have, because it’s easier this way. So, sometimes, it is important taking the time to remember the things we are thankful for and that every so often, we take for granted.

After giving it some thought, replaying one of the most challenging years of my life – if not, the most! – this is my personal list here:

People – generally speaking. I like the fact that I’ve met and will meet enough people in this life, to have things to learn from them. People who inspire me to be better or, on the contrary, people who make me say – ‘I don’t ever wanna be like that!’. People whom I admire and will follow, and people whom I know my life would be better without.

Life – ’cause when you try and think about it, life is pretty amazing. You just need to know what to do with it and how to create it. And this year made me realize that I’m just starting creating my life, building opportunities and taking chances.

Love – it makes the world go round. It’s happiness, power, beauty, kindness, support, honesty, trust, communication, understanding, peace, acceptance, respect, patience – okay, stop me now.

Good Friends – you know, the people you feel. Some people you see, some you hear, but only few you will feel. Those are your friends. And no other words could describe this feeling.

Physical activity – dancing, fitness, yoga. Whatever makes me move, lifts my spirit, gives me energy, puts me in the right mood and reminds me that I look better fit 😀

Pets – and even better, if you don’t own one – friends with pets! 2 in 1, big win!

Challenges – they serve a purpose. They make you the person you are now. How you overcome them it’s your choice, in your hands, your control.

Pain – without it, you wouldn’t be able to appreciate all the good times. Like – when your tooth hurts. You become thankful for all the times you had a good time, even if you had other dental problems.

Control – over your actions, your attitude. Yes, that is the only thing you can really have control over. You won’t be able to decide how people treat you, how long you will have a job or a car. But the thing that you can master is how you react to everything that comes your way, in this life.

Loss of control – imagine if all the issues were in your hands to handle them?! That’s one hell of a complicated life! It may be hard, but try and see the good in it. Enjoy every moment you lack control, it’s yours to feel free!

Money – yes, the last one. It makes many things possible in this world, because I like to be also practical about life. It can be your friend or your enemy – your choice, you control it.

 

How’bout you? What have you got to be thankful for in this life? 🙂

 

anamariapopa.com blog post atra doftana valea doftanei romania relax nature photo cristian sutu foto union

Happy bday, Mickey!

I hope that everyone here knows who Mickey Mouse is! If so, your childhood was awesome! 😀

 

anamariapopa.com mickey mouse bday ana maria popa blog post

 

So, Mickey is the official mascot of Disney. He is a an animal cartoon and was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. He is part of a gang, along with his girlfriend – Minnie Mouse, his dog – Pluto and his friends – Goofy and Donald Duck with girlfriend, Daisy.

 

anamariapopa.com blog post mickey mouse disney character and friends pluto goofy daisy donald minnie

 

Mickey’s body is made out of circles, to make the character easy to animate. And that is a reason why Mickey is easy for the audience to recognize, his ears being an unofficial trademark. There is even a symbol used to represent Mickey – Mickey Mouse

The original voice of Mickey is Walt Disney himself, the co-creator of Mickey and founder of the Walt Disney Company! It turns out even more cute – starting from 1977, the voice of Mickey Mouse was Wayne Allwine, who was married in real life to Russi Taylor, the voice of Mickey girlfriend, Minnie Mouse!

Mickey Mouse is so famous that he’s received ten nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and in November 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Being Turkish

‘I wanna go back’ – the first words that came out of my mouth as soon as I arrived from Istanbul.

First thing – God, they’ve got so many shopping malls! I got there in the evening, around 18h, so there wasn’t much to do besides dinner and a walk – after all, I was on holiday 🙂

Aqua Florya – shopping mall near the sea. Perfect place to relax…

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul aqua florya pelit priveliste wonderful view

…and for something delicious (and sweet, ofc)…

Wet Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cake @ Pelit

Wet Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cake @ Pelit

…and for watching the incredible sunset.

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul aqua florya pelit apus de soare sunset

The traffic in Istanbul sucks. What it’s like in Bucharest, oh well – there it’s like dying bit by bit! And I was told I shouldn’t be too surprised, it was holiday – Kurban Bayramı – and everybody’s was out of town so the traffic was like 1/3 of the usual. I was that close to driving in Istanbul, but apparently I had a fairy who made me think twice. As soon as we left the parking, going on a narrow-one-lane-for-every-direction-up-hill-street, there comes this crazy taxi driver. I really don’t know how I made it out of there alive, I jut closed my eyes and hoped for the best, and I thanked God I wasn’t the driving and that had this great driver!

Oh, and don’t get me started about taxi drivers! Again, Bucharest is crazy but these guys are loonatics! Yeah, they’ve got great infrastructure, lots of highways to make the traffic better, but really, you just can’t keep calm when driving. At some point, we were close to having an accident at 120km/h, just because one taxi driver thought of racing when changing the lanes, and hitting the brake every 5m.

About pedestrians, yeah, well there’s not smarter either. Why use the effin’ zebra crossing when it’s so much easier to just jump in front of the car and ask for priority?!

But, one thing that I appreciated was the special lane in the middle of the highway – for buses. It looked so well thought of and……………useful!

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul highway bus traffic autobuz pe autostrada trafic infernal

Istanbul is a city of cats – like you see stray dogs in Bucharest and maybe other cities, they’ve got stray cats. It’s not a problem for them to find a place, even if it’s a store, restaurant, art gallery or car.

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul stray cat 3anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul stray cat 4anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey stray cat 5anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul stray cat 1anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul stray cat 2I was looking at their registration plates and I was asking myself why do they use that number – 34 – and what’s the connection with the city.

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul parcare placute inregistrare registration plate

And I found out that Istanbul is the 34th city of Turkey, in alphabetical order. The other numbers and letter are random or they can be personalized.

Oh, I almost forgot. The most delicious thing ever: it’s called Oreo Magnolia and it’s vanilla pudding and Oreo, from CookShop. It looks like this.

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul budinca oreo mangolia pudding cookshop

When it comes to sightseeing, well I’m not much into that. It’s not my style to stay in a line. And yes, Istanbul’s got a mosque everywhere you look. And honestly, they all kinda look the same to me.

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul suleyman mosque

Sultan Ahmet Mosque

But what really got my attention was Basilica Cistern, the largest covered cistern in the city, that dates back to the old Constantinople, built by Emperor Justinian in 537.

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul basilica cistern

And there I took advantage of the tourists corner and I got dressed up in this Turkish costume, letting myself be photographed 😀

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul basilica cistern turkish costume

And if you are there, you really have to try this thing – Uludağ, I’m only gonna mention it tastes like bubblegum!

anamariapopa.com blog post turcia turkey istanbul uludag drink bubblegum aroma

In the end, here is a tiny dictionary with the words that I learned in my 5 days there:

Yakamoz (iacamoz) – Moon reflection on the surface of the sea

Harika (haarica) – Wonderful

Așk (ashc) – Love

Çok yaşa (cioc iasha) – Bless you

Teşekkürler (teshechiurler) – Thank you

Rica ederim (rija ederim) – You’re welcome

Merhaba (meraba) – Hello

Günaydın (ghiunaidîn) – Good morning

Iyi günler (iii ghiunler) – Good day

Iyi geceler (iii gejeler) – Good night

Afiyet olsun (afiet olsun) – Enjoy your meal

Evet (evet) – Yes

Hayır (haiîr) – No

Efendim (efendim) – What? What did you say?

Yavaș (iavash) – Slow

Yıldız (iîldîz) – Star

Șerefe (sherefe) – Cheers

Su (su) – Water

Pasta (pasta) – Cake

Makarna (macarna) – Pasta

Satılık (satîlîc) – For sale

Kiralık (chiralîc) – For rent

Salak (salac) – Stupid

Havalimanı (havalimanî) – Airport

Canım (janîm) – My dear

And, because all of us wanna learn this stuff:

Sikecem (sichejem) – Fuck 🙂

Overall, it is a beautiful city, I’m gonna be back.

P.S.: You can find nicer and edited pics on my Instagram account.

It’s okay to quit

Our whole lives we’ve been told that we shouldn’t quit, we should be ‘someone’ in this life, don’t let others get ahead. Okay – so what do you do when you find yourself in a situation you’re not comfortable with, it’s just not for you and you want to leave it behind? How could you quit when you weren’t taught how to do that?

Let’s see what quitting means and why it’s really okay to react.

 

Honesty

Many people live years and even their whole lives where they don’t belong. Excuses or not, they get stuck there because: they need the money / they feel guilty towards someone / they don’t think they’ve got the time to make a change / they feel responsible or fear someone else / they don’t want to disappoint others. All of these you can find just by talking to them. They’re not scared of admitting.

But when the moment comes to actually make a move, the best thought you can have is that you’re being true to yourself. It’s a step forward on creating a new road that you can really enjoy. You re-build yourself, and the past experience should only work as a lesson.

 

Openmindedness

To be able to quit when the circumstances are not happy requires a lot of bravery, especially if it comes hand in hand with a major change. But it’s not just that. Once you’re out of it, you also challenge your open-mindedness in order to explore and have new experiences. It’s not a matter of age or qualification, instead, it requires a strong desire to achieve more.

One of the learning methods used in Psychology is based on trial and error. Machines, robots, they all encounter errors. So what happens then? Well, a brilliant mind comes along and updates the system. Same with people. Being open-minded leads you to detect the error and update yourself, to just try again.

 

Win

Not lose. This is what it’s all about.

You’re not wasting time, nor energy. It’s not a race against time. It’s self-discovery and in the end, that is a win situation. You start to reconsider your resources. This time, it’s not about money or material things. Now you’ve only got yourself to work on in order to win, so you start to reconsider your time, your energy, your passions.

 

Life is a game and each one of us is in a different level, but it’s okay to sometimes pause and ask yourself if the one you’re playing is really your game or you’re in somebody else’s. And there is a big difference between quitting and giving up.

 

N.B.: This topic was inspired and written for a special friend – S., to whom I wish to consider all the time in the world in order to be reborn, to rebuild himself like a Phoenix 🙂