yes?

oh no! oh yes!

i think i just deleted a whole folder of our roman holiday photos.

cr**.

not that i needed a reason to go back there because frankly speaking, i do not want to. it was one of those trips where we had a tight schedule and where we had to change trains and planes like there was no tomorrow.

and it's just not that.

eid mubarak

we were given a very long weekend  due to eid celebrations! so that's friday until tuesday for all of you, my non-uae readers.

here's a catch-up from last month and last week:

zombies

dude, mr t and i are hooked on this.

oh, the irony

well, what do you know.

my husband has been called off to work for two weeks in...(cue suspense music) p-a-r-i-s!

right smack in the middle of paris fashion week.

this has got to be one of the greatest ironies in life.

when the going gets tough, the tough gets going...

i’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. i’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled christmas tree lights. i’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. i’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” i’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. i’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. i’ve learned that whenever i decide something with an open heart, i usually make the right decision. i’ve learned that even when i have pains, i don’t have to be one. i’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. people love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. i’ve learned that i still have a lot to learn. i’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

- maya angelou

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (munich)

so our last day in munich was spent at the city centre.

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (munich)

we left the house with opa with the sun shining, and we arrived in tollwood with rain pelting us like there's no tomorrow.

we ran to the nearest tent with a band playing jazz music.there were lots of people, and of course, baby was fascinated with her surroundings.

she was wearing her pink dirndl (a traditional bavarian costume).too bad she could not really show it off as we had to cover her up.

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (munich)

first stop of the day was in the munich zoo!

oh, how i loved that zoo.come to think of it, i was more excited than baby.it was her first time to be in a zoo of this proportion.

i've been to a similar zoo concept in singapore, but the one in munich is bigger.

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (munich)

so we spent the remaining days of our summer holiday in munich.

oma and opa have this camping van which is so convenient for us as baby has all this ample space.it was a nightmare to park, but it was mr t's dilemma.not ours.hehe.

like i said before, the weather was strange.it would be sunny then it would be rainy in no time at all.

a li'l intermission

oktoberfest!

today marks the start of the annual oktoberfest in munich.as much as we want to be there, we just can't.

wah!

why?

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (bavaria)

we were back in the bavarian region.

we stopped by at this magnificent church called basilika vierzehnheiligen or the basilica of the fourteen holy helpers in the town of bad staffelstein.

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (gotha)

and this was the reason why we drove for hours to go to a quiet east german town...

to watch nena live in concert!

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (gotha)

we went back to munich and had a bit of rest.then off we went to...east germany! gotha, in particular.i was a bit taken aback with the surrounding as it almost reminded me of tuscany.

and what brought us to the east? you will know if you continue on reading.hee.

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (toscana)

i cannot believe that it was our last day in tuscany!

after a late breakfast and a comical farewell with alessandro (we even met the equally charming owner of the hotel!), we decided to drive around a bit and absorb whatever beauty we can possibly intake.

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (toscana)

florence is the capital and most populated city in tuscany.it is, in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful historical cities in the world.

it is just not a place to be with a toddler.baby got overwhelmed with the number of tourists swarming the tourist spots.she was screaming and was just...uncomfortable.

a li'l intermission

i friggin' love this song.

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (toscana)

we were already spaced out on this day.so we decided to take it easy and just stay put.

mr t and baby went swimming in the pool while i caught up with my books and magazines.i wished i had these with me to read!

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (toscana)

before i begin let me apologize for the grainy quality of the photos.

i forgot to bring my camera charger during this trip.

so we were in one of the most beautiful places on earth and there was no decent camera to capture it!

i sulked for about five minutes.then i realized that what the hey, i will not be consumed with clicking my camera every other minute.

i will just absorb everything that my brain can hold.or so i thought.

tuscany is magical, and my mind cannot do magical.otherwise, it will go bonkers.

and can i please add (sour-graping aside - heh), that there is no way to capture the beauty of this place.it was beautiful beyond words and images.

i used our 2 mp handy camera to take photos.we had a lot of videos though!

things i'm grateful for: road trip! (toscana)

we arrived in the tuscan region late in the afternoon.

we stayed in the most perfect, most charming, most beautiful hotel in signa.