Sprüngli chocolate!

When you're in Geneva, Switzerland, you just can't avoid buying all that yummy chocolate. The small box of gianduja was gone almost instantly. Oh-so-good-it-was! But I still have 2 bags of chocolate left. My stash that won't last too long...
 

 

 

Coffee Festival in Lviv

Enjoying the Annual Coffee Festival!

UPDATE on the hurricane

The electricity was off for 24 hours and is finally back, so we're good now. The airport will open tomorrow, so we can fly to Europe. Phew, the stressful week is over now!

Update on the update:

What hurricane? When it reached us at 3 am, I slept like a baby and didn't hear a thing. Jeff said it was an Armageddon but I had no idea. Anyway, we are OK. No damage to the house, only the same young tree that fell last year fell again. And we lost electricity - it's been 11 hours now that we are without it. At least there is internet on my phone. We took a short ride around the area. There are some floods, fallen trees and branches, and no electricity but overall it looks better than the last year.

 

     

Irma

Does the bullet hit the same place twice? This is getting funny, really. Last year, just before we flew to Europe, the hurricane Matthew hit our area and the airport was closed, so we missed the flight. This year, just days before we have to fly to Europe, the hurricane Irma heads to Florida. Nice! And while last year's hurricane Matthew was only category 2, Irma is category 5 (the strongest).

My enjoyment from living in Florida grows by the day!

*a Homeric laughter goes here*

 

This is a screenshot of Irma approaching. 

 

My favorite berries!

Picked some blueberries today. It's almost September but the berry season in Connecticut is still on. Love it!

 

The babies

Jeff, my husband, was feeding these babies just outside our house and I took this pic. So cute! Too bad all the construction around here in Florida will soon drive the wildlife away...

 

Griswold Inn in Essex, Connecticut

The Griswold Inn in Essex, Connecticut is the oldest continuously operating tavern in the US. We took my in-laws there for lunch. Today it's a classy yachtsmen's reataurant. We came earlier than others, that's why the place looks empty. But it filled up quickly, so we were lucky to get a table without waiting.

 

Love everything yacht and ship related. A childhood dream to be a ship captain that has never transpired... ("This is only for the boys.")

 

 

The fuzz

"Snowing" in Lviv at the beginning of June. The "snow" comes from the poplar tree. Glad I'm not alergic to fuzz. I'm traveling to Lviv again. Yay!

 

Cafe Cabinet

Cafe Cabinet, or as I call it, "The Reading Room". Lviv has so many cozy cafes, it's incredible. I've been to hundreds of towns all over the world but nowhere had I seen so many cafes per square meter. Can't live without the cafe culture.

Another Monster!

Our monster birdie has just arrived. Soon to board it and fly to Europe! My favorite upper deck, as usual. 

 

The Monster

This monster is one of the largest live oaks in Florida. It is located in Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.

 

 

Feeling sad...

Our little boy was diagnosed with kidney failure today. I feel so bad for him. Poor thing...

 

Another pic of St. Augustine at night

St. Augustine, FL at night. The oldest town in the US (est. in 1565).

This picture was taken with my Nikon camera. Much better quality than the phone, but that's expected (didn’t use a tripod, so the pic isn’t very sharp).

My new bike!

Our new bikes have finally arrived! So excited! We asked the bike shop guy to build them without any components that were made in China. It ended up being 5 times more expensive but I didn't care. I wanted quality bikes that won't fall apart after a couple of rides.

 

St.Augustine, Florida at night

Night in St.Augustine downtown. Very pretty here! The city was built by the Spanish, so it has a Spanish flair. And they still have Christmas lights on in January.

 

I took this photo in Texas. Can you guess what it is?

 

Lviv Opera House

Visiting the Lviv Opera House for the "Romantic instrumental orchestra” - Ennio Morricone, Richard Clayderman and other famous musicians and their hits. Love the "Lonely Shepherd" song. The Opera House is decorated with 5kg (11 lb) of real gold leaf.

 

The Golden Rose Synagogue in Lviv

The Golden Rose Synagogue in Lviv was the oldest synagogue in Ukraine. Built in 1582 and destroyed by the Nazis in 1942. Only one wall remains today. This synagogue was a gem of the Renaissance architecture. It was located at the Medieval Jewish quarters. The first image shows what it looked like before. (The towers in the background belong to other churches.) The next photo shows what is left...

 

Lviv - again!

Just saw a car with New York license plate in Lviv (how???).

 

St. George Cathedral in Lviv

Many, many moons ago I went there for my good friend's wedding that took place in this cathedral, and fainted right in the middle of the ceremony  I think I was just dehydrated or something. Some guy lifted me and carried me out to the fresh air.