How to start? Cliché, cliché, cliché, is all I can think of. So I’ll just say it. A few days ago my dog died. And I’m devastated.
In memory of the beagle who loved food… till the end
Love
Short Trips – Zagreb – a wedding, ćevapčići and more ćevapčići
I’ve visited Zagreb a couple of times before, but the most recent trip was to celebrate my cousin’s wedding. Not only was it great to have a few days away, it was a privilege to witness the cementing of another successful multi-country relationship! My cousin was born in New Zealand, but having a Swiss father meant he relocated there in his 20s, meeting his now-wife, and eventually moving to Croatia. It’s complicated but awesome that I have a relative that lives so close (only 2.5 hours away).
Another brilliant thing was that my Dad and two of my aunties also joined in the celebratory-travel-party from Australia. It made for a great time to catch up, speak English (and occasionally try to understand Swiss-German, courtesy of the Swiss side of the family) and relax.
The Honeymoon Sweet – the comic travelling tale of my husband’s and my awkward first night together
You imagine that when you finally meet your future husband there might be some kind of sign, or at least a night so perfect, never before eclipsed by previous dates etc. etc. I’m sorry to say that it definitely wasn’t the case with us!
Three very different long distance relationships – so why did this one finally work?
Thomas and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary last week… curry and wine on the balcony… just us… spending time together. But it got me thinking about my past relationships and how it is even possible that I ended up with someone who lived so far away when I long ago swore off long distance relationships! Continue reading
The wedding take 2 – Austrian-style
Following the excitement of our Australian nuptials, followed by our return to Austria and my parents’ visit, it was time for the long-awaited Austrian wedding party. Weddings in Austria are generally full of tradition and involve a huge party along with various random things you may not have heard of. Here’s the low-down on what we did for ours!
Longer Trips – Australia – I come from a land down under
My recent trip to Australia for our wedding almost felt more like a working holiday than an actual holiday, due to the large amounts of somewhat boring (though essential) tasks that had to be undertaken, interspersed with crazy, emotional drinking sessions.
Top 10 Tips for organising a wedding – from overseas
Organising a wedding, as many know, is never a simple process. Regardless of how simply you imagine it in your head, there’s always hiccups, last-minute dramas and unexpected outcomes. And then there’s organising a wedding from outside the country… where you have to rely on the internet and other people’s help to get anything done. So, following my experience, here’s my top 10 tips for organising an overseas wedding.
Uncomplicate your wedding by stuffing tradition
My original wedding plan involved a red dress, bridesmaids in black and bring-a-plate-instead-of-a-gift. However, upon the organisation of my actual wedding, though I still went with the red dress, I cut out the bridesmaids and my husband, being Austrian, had no concept of what bring-a-plate was.
My plan was to apply the KISS principle. Like so many before me, I had witnessed plenty of stressed out brides, and decided I wasn’t going to be one of them. If I was super organised, I surmised, surely it couldn’t be that stressful.
Well, I was wrong and right in the end. Because I love organising things, most of it was highly enjoyable. Making lists, crossing them off… heaven! But I have to admit, that even I gave into the stress every now and again… had a couple of mini tantrums and sleepless nights and wondered why we hadn’t just eloped.
So here’s how I cut out some traditions to make our special day a little more us and a little less stressful. Given that neither of us is overly religious and being a bit older and wiser meant that we could DO IT OUR WAY. Continue reading
The proposal – what a way to end a perfect day
For us it was clear, right from the start when I decided to move to Austria, that Thomas and I were in it together, that the end goal was to spend our lives together.
It was quite a stressful though adventurous way to start a new relationship, but we very quickly realised that we were highly compatible and could definitely make it work.
How did I get here? The love story.
One common question people ask me when they discover I’m an Aussie living in a small Austrian town is: “How did you end up here?”
And the answer is, of course, a love story.
Ahhhhhh… (vomit)
Right? Who wants to read the story about the girl that travelled the world and met her soulmate along the way?
Because it’s bullshit, right?
But then it happened to me.
an aussie in austria 