I find it quite difficult to always explain myself or explain my actions; some of the things I do just come naturally so when someone will ask “Why are you doing this”, I may sometimes reply or think “Well, just because”:-) I know this is not the smartest way to answer a question, but this is how it really happens. And it’s a fact. Some of the things I do, I only do because I feel like doing them or because it’s only natural to do them. This is probably why I have a hard time explaining “the natural” or the thing “felt”.

I’ve been faced lately with many confrontations on various themes; either I was directly involved in them, or I just witnessed. It’s quite a pattern that each side will always do its utmost to convince the other that they are right. People will give arguments, reasons, motivations, causes and effects. They will do their best to annihilate the other’s theory and to prove it wrong. I’m not sure whether it is in human nature to always try to convince the other about the importance or the absolute-rightness of your thoughts, of your acts and of your ideas. Not to mention the really peculiar case when people try to convince about the rightness of their own feelings.

It’s like every time you have an idea or you behave in a certain way, you should also have a back-up list to stand for the accuracy of your behavior- almost inevitably there will be people asking you why you are doing things that way and some of them will also try to convince you that your way is wrong. The first thing that comes into my mind is, naturally, related to parenting and babies.

It is about a very wide-spread online campaign about breast-feeding. However, the first thing you see on some of the websites promoting breast-feefding, is an ad with a crossed Nestle feeding bottle or the crossed Nestle logo. Come again? What exactly does this thing have in common with breast-feeding? I don’t want to see a crossed Nestle ad on a breast-feeding website, I want to see breast-fed babies, breast-feeding mums and breast-feeding suggestions. I don’t want you to totally destroy Nestle or Milupa or Humana with your words, because this will not convince me about the benefits of breast-feeding. I want you to tell me what it’s best about human milk and how a new mum can do it better; I don’t want a negative message about formula. Formula still saves some lives so you don’t really want to ban it, do you? So why even focus on formula and how “malefic” it is, when you can just accept that some people will use it, just as well as some people will breast-feed. So you don’t understand why some mums never breast-feed and all they care about is formula. Let them be. If they want to listen to your (positive) arguments about breast-feeding, they will. If they want to continue feeding formula to their babies, a “No to Nestle” ad will not change their mind. I totally appreciate what these pro-breast-feeding mums are doing and I think breast-feeding is an amazing experience, but I don’t want them wearing T-shirts with a crossed feeding -bottle; I want them wearing T-shirts saying that they breast-feed and that they’re proud of it (which I know they are!); I don’t want them boycotting whatever formula-company, I want them helping new mums and sharing their experience.. I mean, you don’t ever see Nestle creating ads with crossed breasts or with NO messages regarding human-milk. Now we’re talking good PR, aren’t we?

So I Don’t Really Understand You.
But I Still Think You’re OK.

You don’t have to understand everything another person is doing. You can’t really enter their minds or their hearts and find each and every reason. What you can focus on, however, is drawing a clear line between actions you don’t understand and the person who is acting. Do you have to dis-like a person just because you don’t understand some of their actions? How meaningful are these actions when we’re talking about the person as a whole?

For example, there are parents who co-sleep and parents who put their babies in their own rooms from day 1. We used to co-sleep and I still do it, most of the times. It proved to be the BEST direction for our family and for our ideas of parenting. I feel extremely comfy when I sleep near my daughter and it’s the best sleep arrangement for the two of us. But this doesn’t mean that co-sleeping will work for everybody. There are some more fussy babies who will make your nights miserable without even realizing it. They will conquer your bed and you will not be able to rest. Or there are persons who are not used to sleeping near somebody else, even if it’s their child. And that’s perfectly normal. Doing it the unnatural way just because somebody talked you into it, is really not the best solution. What I’ve learned, however, is that there is no natural or best way which applies to everybody. What works for me, might be a total disaster in your household. You can try it for a while, but if the results are not good, just find your own special way of doing things.

When I tell my friends about co-sleeping, I don’t tell them that a baby sleeping alone will end up miserably. I don’t tell them that co-sleeping is the ONLY way and if you don’t do it, your child will suffer. Because I don’t know that. There may be babies who prefer to sleep alone. There may be kids who rest better if daddy isn’t snoring one meter away from them.

So I don’t really understand how a mum can really rest when her baby is in another room. When I tried that, I couldn’t sleep all night, listening to each and every sound. So I can’t integrate this idea in my way of being. But it doesn’t mean that the other mum is worse or better than I am. It doesn’t mean that her way of doing things is simply wrong, because I don’t find it natural. My natural way of being is, thank gods, different from other people’s natural way of being.

There are, however, a couple of actions which will not put you on my favorite persons list; if you hit your child (am I repeating myself here?:-D ) constantly and you think this is OK, I will probably try to convince you that you’re wrong. Because it is never natural to hit or harm a child, or anybody else, except maybe in self-defense If you travel a lot with your child by car and you don’t place him in a car-seat, I will probably tell you it’s wrong – and if you don’t take it for granted, there are some “good” realistic movies on youtube about what happens to kids without car-seats in a car accident. And those are facts, not impressions.

I can still like a person, even if I disapprove with some of their actions. I can still be friends with people who do things differently, because in the end, it’s the differences that spice up our lives. I can not understand a person’s actions and still hang out with them, if it’s OK for both sides. But I will probably not try to convince them about the “superiority“ of my deeds. If they want to know about it, they will ask. If I see them interested, I will tell them. But most of the times I will not enter an argument where there can really be no winner or no best way.

Here’s a few of the things that I don’t understand (even if I take them as they are and accept them):

- I don’t understand mums going back to work when their baby is hardly 2 or 3 months; It works for some, for me it couldn’t have worked.
- I don’t understand mums breast-feeding a child older than, say, 2 years old. For me, breast-feeding is for babies, and a 2 year old is slowly turning into a toddler/kid. But as long as it works for some mums, that’s fine with me.
- I don’t understand pushing your child to say hello or to make friends with somebody he doesn’t feel like. Well, my daughter wouldn’t do it if she doesn’t want it, but, hey, that’s just her.
- I don’t understand how some men expect their women to go back to work soon after they had their child and would rather put the child in day-care.
- I don’t understand how some women can feel 100% relaxed when their babies are spending time with somebody else (mind it, I said BABIES)
- I don’t understand why parents always complain about their children.
- I don’t understand why some parents have everything planned for their kids, as if the kids couldn’t make their own choices…

And the list could go on and on, but in the end we’ll never really know who’s right and who’s wrong. Yesterday my daughter and I were in Ikea having a snack near the central playground in the eating area. A 2 year old boy was constantly pushing and hitting her and other kids. The mum came in and hit him 2 times. When I tried to talk to her, she replied that she has to beat him, because he beats other kids. No comment. Across the playground, there was a nice family with 2 boys (3-4 years old); they were playing with their kids, they were hugging them, talking to them nicely. During the 30 minutes we were there, both kids had at least 2 glasses of Pepsi, each. No comment.

by T.S. Eliot
for DPT

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,

The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question…
Oh, do not ask, ‘What is it?’
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

…

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, ‘Do I dare?’ and, ‘Do I dare?’
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
(They will say: ‘How his hair is growing thin!’)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
(They will say: ‘But how his arms and legs are thin!’)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

For I have known them all already, known them all—
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
And how should I presume?

…

I grow old … I grow old …
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

Hello again, it’s been a while! And it’s been quite a busy time. Well, some of my friends keep asking me to write some more personal stuff on Bebelissimo and I’ve been giving this a thought lately. So here it comes

Firstly, I have to say that we’re still kind of recovering after a health-challenging weekend so pardon me if I seem incoherent or my words don’t make too much sense. But I’ll try my best not to make a total chaos out of this post and to keep you (regularly) updated with what goes on in “this part of town”.

1 My Daughter

As most of you probably know, she started kindergarten again on August 17th as part of the EC3 group within the American School of Bucharest. So far, so good. We were all amazed by the quality of people and the quality of services we encounter at AISB on a daily basis and I dare say she’s having a hell of a great time there. They have Physical Education 3 times a week, they have Art, Music, Library Time and many other interesting activities. I promise to take pics of some of her greatest art & craft works and to post them here, who knows, maybe you’ll get some ideas for yourselves, too.

Every time I park the car in front of the school, she starts running happily to her class-room and she’s eager to meet her friends. Even if her best-friend is different on a weekly basis , I can already tell that her favorite play-mates are Eliza (“she’s my best girl-friend ever!”), Charlotte (she’s such a good runner!), Jonty (and not only because his older sister is amazing and Anne loves her, too), Peter James (for all those good-bye hugs and kisses), Terry (because he reminds her of “Harry/Terry” and the dinosaur bucket), Ben (for the sea-shells) and Eva. All the kids are great and they’ve all got used to the school routine quite easily- I love watching them through the half-open door when they’re singing their daily Good-Bye song.

Apart from school-routine, my daughter’s been having lots of sleep lately, since it can be really challenging to wake up at 6:50 a.m. (I know!). Therefore, even if initially I was reluctant to the idea, it’s a fact that if she goes to bed at 7-7:30 she’ll be far more energetic the following day. This can be rather difficult during weekends when she expects me to be awake and eager to play at the same hour as on weekdays.

2 Have You Read My Husband’s E-Book?

Yes, you got that right. It’s live, it’s online and it sells! Here’s a few things about the book, as he describes it on his blog :

“30 Sentences For A Millionaire Mindset

The most common – and totally wrong – answer to that question is: “the mindset of a guy who’s having one million dollars in the bank”. While this may technically be true, is not entirely real. That million in the bank is just a consequence of something. Took me 10 years of running my own online business, a lot of trial and error, some big mistakes and some great breakthroughs until I finally understood that a millionaire mindset has little to do, if nothing, with the actual amount you have in the bank.
A millionaire mindset is a mindset of abundance in all areas. A mindset of fulfillment and joy. A mindset of creativity, sharing and interaction. It may add a million dollars to your bank account, but that’s not the point.
….

What You Get

First of all, you won’t get 30 sentences. You get a 90+ pages book, a crash course in ADD (Assess – Decide – Do) and an assessment booklet. Let’s take them one at a time.
Each chapter is based on one sentence (hence you will be buying a 30 chapters ebook) and each chapter features the original blog post excerpt followed by an in-depth explanation of the sentence. After each chapter there is a practical zone in which you can apply some simple Assess-Decide-Do techniques in order to better understand and implement the flow of each sentence.
But, while I was working on these practical zones I realized there isn’t much information about ADD (Assess- Decide-Do, my life management framework) in the ebook. So, I decided to write a very short booklet about the core principles of ADD. And that, of course, is the first bonus you get when you buy the ebook. You will better understand concepts like Focus or Flow and how they fit in the big picture.“

Go ahead, take a look at it and let me know if you think it’s good. I enjoyed reading it and I recommend it wholeheartedly. For signed copies, there is already a waiting-list open

(You can find the book just above my blog’s tag-cloud.)

3 When Online Friends Become Offline Friends

Yeah, I know, most of the people I see and go out with these days were initially met online. Whether it was a parenting forum, the Open Coffee meetings, twitter- you name it, we somehow managed to meet face to face. Some of these friendships lasted and went on just well in real world, while others are still relying on a laptop and an Internet connection.

It may happen, however, that some people you meet on a parenting forum become more than just mums with whom you share baby-know-how (which is great, by the way). They become real life friends, they talk to you, they listen to you- until you finally forget how you met and you just enjoy the company of each other.

But to make a long story short, I will skip the juicy details, the coffee-mornings and the style hunting, the lucky hotdogs and Madonna, I will mention nothing about blood-sucking vampires and reading confessions, I will just invite you to check out my friend’s first blog and to share your thoughts with her. You can find her in the Rear Garden.

Update 1: while I was writing this, someone rang at the door. It was my mineral-cosmetics order! Yey! And this reminds me of another two great friends and their online business, of which I am really proud. One of them is the make-up creator and also a great make-up adviser, and the other is doing great at making things work from a managerial point of view. They’re both proud mums and you can find their mineral make-up products here (Romanian).

4 Challenges, Weight-Loss and Morocco

I don’t usually participate in competitions, contests, etc, as I’m not quite the competitive type. I like to take things at my own pace and not struggle to win whatever prize. And this is why my friend mentioned at point 3 and I embarked on a challenge, and not a weight-loss competition We’ve finally faced ourselves in the mirror and even if she looks terrific -from my point of view-, we decided we both needed a more profound change than the change of the hair-color. So we’re onto it starting today and we’ll be challenging ourselves for 2 months- I think she will probably rely on Montignac while I will just take the basic ideas from some diets and apply them; and that’s mainly because she cooks great and I avoid cooking ;-D Moreover, thanks to a very kind friend of my husband’s, I’ve just received my own copy of P90X which I will be starting in a few days (probably when my daughter starts her full day at school, from 8 to 2:45 P.M.).

This time I really feel motivated and I just know that in a couple of months I will have my normal looks back -and how I miss those:-). Keep a close eye on Bebelissimo and Rear Garden for updates and signs of progress.

*

Another challenge we face on a daily basis is the unsolved situation of stray-dogs patrolling our residential neighborhood. As I drove home today and noticed an old woman emptying food left-overs in the bushes near the pavement and calling the stray dogs for a quick ”lunch“, I couldn’t help thinking that it’s really sad when people treat a stray animal better than they treat other people and even their own children. If they see a Gypsy child approaching them, they move away disgusted; if they see an Afro-American or a person from Asia, they start gossiping about how they eat cats and dogs and God knows what. But they fake their sensitive side by feeding an animal who does not belong on the streets. They don’t ever take it in and give it shelter, because all they have to offer is left-overs.

It amazes me how a situation as such -animals moving freely on the streets- has become so normal in here and even more, people don’t do a thing to find a solution – they only perpetuate the problem, by feeding it left-overs from the safety of their aseptic fences. They don’t ever get their hands ”dirty“ and wash the stray dogs and build houses for them in their yards, they don’t ever think of donating even their left-overs to a starving child, they just pretend to be compassionate out in the street where others can see them. Oh, fakers

*

One last thing from Bebelissimo’s backstage is related to travel. It seems that for us, Autumn is quite a prolific time regarding traveling and seeing new countries (and continents!). Here’s a quick list of all the places we visited in the last 4 Autumns:

- half of Romania in 2005, as part of our honey-moon (hey, tomorrow it’s 4 years since we got married!)
- Paris, when Anne was just 6 months old
- Black Sea in October when Anne was 7 months old
- Bulgaria, when Anne was 1 year and a half
- New Zealand (husband only) last September

So this Autumn seems to be quite fully booked when it comes to traveling. Anne’s father is leaving for a week in Las Vegas and then he’ll be in New Zealand, for another whole week. Soon after he comes back, we’re both leaving for Morocco where we will meet Rich from Tramp Imperial Travel and his guide for us. I can hardly wait!

***

I could go on and on for ages writing about our daily and monthly and yearly routine, but my daughter is awake and energetic and we still have a dozen things to deal with before tomorrow comes. I hope you enjoyed this backstage insight and I promise to write more often.

Update 2: here’s Janina’s “7 Kilos Itch”, keep reading our blogs to find out how we will lose “7 kilos each”

Intro

A couple of weeks ago, a mother started a discussion on a parenting forum about spanking young children (toddlers); she initially said that she is against spanking, but she occasionally spanks her daughter, when daughter crosses the line. She asked for ways in which she could deal with this situation. There were plenty of replies to the topic, most of them with great pieces of advice for a nervous or tired mum; there were mums telling how they were spanked when little and how this only increased their negative feelings towards their spanking parents. When the mum who initiated the topic realized that nobody was really accepting spanking as an educational method, she kind of freaked out. She started giving examples of Canadian children who are not ever spanked and who grow up really bad, who step out of school and who even turn to drugs. She started explaining that she will spank her daughter if she has to, or else it might happen that her daughter will embrace some easy, pointless and stupid career, related to arts, writing or some other non-mathematical subject. And she will turn into a failure.

She then accused mums who don’t consider spanking their children an educational method, of claiming to be perfect, of having much more support from family and relatives than she has and of not being authentic with their emotions.

Surprisingly, not a single mum pleading for not-spanking pretended to be any of the above.

If I were to be considered a perfect mum ONLY because I don’t spank and I don’t think of ever using spanking as education with my daughter, then yes, I am a perfect mum. Hurray! However, I think it’s really sad for one to think that only a perfect, unreal person can choose something different than spanking when it comes to their children.

So I’m Not Perfect. But I’m Real.

You don’t need to be a perfect parent so that you find the power within not to beat your children. Not spanking your children should be considered something NORMAL, not out of human reach.

It is not and it will never be normal to hurt -by any means- a creature, a person who is weaker than you and who expects the best from you. It is normal, however, to be human and to have your not so good moments. But is it legitimate to consider spanking an educational method? Is it legitimate to believe that if you don’t spank them, your children will turn into failures? I don’t think so. I don’t think that anyone in the whole world needs to be treated with aggression in order to succeed; I don’t think that a child will TRULY ever appreciate being spanked and beaten by his parents. He may be in denial for most of his life and continue the cycle of abuse, but he will never benefit from it.

We don’t have a cleaning lady to help us around the house. We don’t have a baby-sitter or any other external help with our daughter. Grandparents visit us for a couple of days every couple of months. I was a student when I got pregnant. I had my final University exams when my daughter was 5 months old. Until last year, my husband would go to work daily from 9 to 5 or 6 p.m. We had to manage on ourselves most of the time. And I don’t consider it something out of the ordinary or something to brag about. I know of single mums having a really difficult time making ends meet, but they do it. I know of families with 2 or 3 children taking life step by step and not making a big deal out of it.

So when somebody says: “Yes, I spanked my child and I will spank him again if I consider necessary, because nobody helps me at all!” it really brings about my sort of evil twin. This is NOT an excuse, please stop using it. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I can -with difficulty- understand when a parent spanks a child once or twice during a nervous break-down or after an extreme situation, but I will never ever understand or sympathize with a parent who consciously chooses spanking for educations. It gives me the creeps. It is not natural.It is not good.

Why I Will Never Win “Perfect Mum of the Year” Prize

Obviously, because I am not a perfect mum I think it is way more important to be real and authentic in front of your child, than to be pretending you’re perfect. I have good days and bad days, and I sometimes get really angry with my daughter. Anger is part of human nature and denying it would only make me be faking the whole thing. I know how to express my anger so that I will not hurt anybody, I know how to apologize and how to explain my 3 year old that people do get angry or upset sometimes. I have moods, a bad temper and a really loud voice, when I want to. It’s not perfect, but it’s human.

So here’s a few things that make me a not so perfect mum:

1 I only breast-fed for about 4 months and a half. Studying for my final University exam, not being very well informed about breast-feeding and my daughter crying each time I tried to breast-feed made me give up.

2 I didn’t always cook for her when she was little. She would sometimes eat those delicious:-D Hipp, or Nestle or Humana jars of baby-food.

3 I took her in my bed when she was about 6 months (wooow, so late, now that I think about it!) for a better family-sleep and we still do the co-sleeping. However, it’s 1 month now since she started to fall asleep on her own and I get some more hours of writing.

4 I didn’t trust that anybody could take care of her as good as I did. Well, maybe occasionally my husband, but that was rare:-D Now I’ve become more relaxed about that.

5 Our food diversification scheme was rather chaotic, we followed only the main rules of it.

6 I didn’t take her walking or to the park every day.

7 I don’t give her a bath every day.

8 I let her watch cartoons on TV or movies when I feel I need a break.

9 I made room for Barbie in our lives

10 I sometimes yell, argue and frown.

11 I never let her travel out of her car-seat, even if she cries.

12 I give her sweets and she loves some of them.

13 I let her drink water and sugar whenever we eat at Hard Rock Cafe; hey, you should blame them for keeping those beautifully colored sugar containers on each table!

14 I occasionally  eat at MacDonald’s with her; well, mostly I do the eating, but still..

15 I tell her when she upsets me and I ask her to leave me alone until I feel better.

16 I wake her up at 6:50 a.m. daily and I take her to kindergarten, so that I get 4 whole hours of work  for myself.

17 She has less than 3 rules to cope with. And those rules only concern her general safety.

18 I buy her almost everything she asks me to.

19 I left her alone with my parents for the first time ever this Summer when my husband and I re-visited Paris for …3 days

20 I don’t force her to brush her teeth when she doesn’t feel like doing it.

21 I don’t always ask her to share toys if she doesn’t want to.

22 I once let her taste my coffee. She never asked for another sip again.

23 I don’t feed her vitamins, I don’t force her to eat even when she hardly eats anything during a whole day.

24 I don’t always iron her clothes. I wash them, though

25 I love it when she’s being bossy and wouldn’t take a second opinion.

26 I’m not always in the mood of playing with her, I sometimes ask her to play on her own and I just watch.

27 I take her shopping for clothes. She loves it

28 I sometimes let her taste my Coca Cola. The skies don’t ever crash after.

29 I get suffocating and tell her that I love her a thousand times a day.

30 I just let her be, without interfering too much and without setting goals or expectations for her.

See how not-so-perfect I am? And I still don’t spank her.

***
When she was about 1 year and a half, we had just moved into a big house. I was alone with her, pretty tired and upset and I wanted to put a new diaper on her. She was twisting and jumping and not staying still and I got really, really angry. I felt the need to spank her. To hurt her. To make her stop. I somehow found the strength NOT to hit her, but I felt exactly as if I did. It was a horrible feeling. I felt horrible.

It is absolutely normal to sometimes be nervous and to feel the need to spank your child. But you have to find the power within yourself  and not allow yourself to hurt the person who loves you most in the whole world. The eyes of the child you’ve just spanked will haunt you forever. And no matter how many excuses you find for yourself, it is simply not right.

You don’t have to be a perfect parent in order not to beat your children; you just have to be a real, normal and loving parent who will never consider spanking as an educational method. You can do it! Even if you were spanked as a child and you still think that you are fine and that spanking works, just open your heart and it will tell you how wrong and un-natural it is to deliberately hurt your offspring.

And if you still don’t believe that abuse can be tragic, please watch this movie:

Kelsey\’s Story

***

Are you perfect? Why not?

Do you consider yourself a citizen of the world? Do you see yourself as of equal rights with any other person on the planet? Do you look down on those weaker than you? Do you wear Louis Vuitton ?
***
They say that we’re all born equal; “after that, baby, you’re on your own”. They say that all human beings have rights and have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. They say we are one of the most evolved species on Earth and that we are capable of love and other nurturing feelings. They say it does not matter where you come from or what you’re wearing, but how you think and act. I haven’t been feeling like any of these is true, lately. I found myself surrounded by racism, discrimination and disrespect for the person who is different.

I’ve had many chances to notice how certain people feel superior to others and most of the times, it is skin-color or money making them consider themselves “better”. It’s disappointing but I’ve also seen children behaving exactly how they were taught- disrespectful, racist children being perfect mirrors of the parenting “tips” they’ve been receiving.

Whose Skin Looks More Beautiful?

My skin is pale white and it gets terribly red in direct sun-light. I have freckles and sometimes my feet look so white and bright, that I’d rather keep them covered. One of my best friends is a natural dark haired woman and her skin looks absolutely perfect; it’s not too white and not too dark, no imperfections and also gets a great tan in Summer. She hates it, of course.

A couple of weeks ago, during Madonna’s concert in Bucharest, I felt one of the scariest things in my entire life. It was a huge wave of hatred and contempt that I could  feel almost organically; it was a powerful voice of the majority, one that made me feel extremely sad and disappointed. If I were a gypsy woman attending that concert, I would have melted into the ground.

Racism is ugly. It’s an attitude I find unworthy of such beautiful creatures that we are; it destroys dignity and it gives no chance at all. In my country, racism against gypsies is on top of the list. From early childhood, babies are told that if they cry, a big, bad gypsy will come and take them away. Later on when they’re toddlers, kids are constantly told to wash their hands and eat nicely, because it is only gypsies who don’t wash or don’t eat in an appropriate way. Children are told not to play with gypsy children, because they swear, they steal and they probably have head-lices. White children are considered to be perfect, whereas gypsy offsprings are a danger to society, are unable to learn and unworthy of an education.

I don’t think that any of the racist Romanians remember how gypsies used to be slaves. I don’t think that they even realize how they have been indoctrinated from babyhood and inoculated with hatred and a feeling of superiority. It is quite common to blame most of things on gypsies. Our country’s image outside the borders is ruined by gypsies. Foreigners consider us all to be gypsies and thieves- another one to blame on the dark colored.

What people don’t seem to realize, is how totally unfair and cruel it is to express one’s hatred against an entire race- they don’t realize that when you keep accusing an entire race of stealing, cheating, raping, killing, etc -some of its people may eventually act up to your expectations. It is totally wrong to judge the entire gypsy population by a number of gypsies who maybe or actually behaved in a certain way. But do we not have our thieves and our rapists? If you turn on the TV at 5 pm daily, most atrocities are committed by white skinned people. Even when we were traveling this Summer, the first Romanians we encountered were a family of 3 climbing a Sphinx near Budapest’s Opera and taking photos of themselves touching the statue’s breasts. They were as white as I am.

Most of the people I know can be called and even call themselves racists when it comes to gypsies. They have grown so familiar with this hatred that they don’t even stop and think of what they’re doing.

Gypsies are just as good and as bad as any other nation. You cannot condemn every gypsy in the world for the felonies another gypsy has done. You cannot continue to think of yourself as being better, only because your skin is whiter. We are all born equal and we all deserve an equal chance in front of the others.

Deaf Children Can’t Jump! Really?

On one of the parenting forums I read and write, someone opened a thread asking the following questions:

- should children with special-needs (autistic children, Down Syndrome children, deaf, blind, paralyzed children, etc ) be allowed to study in the same classrooms with “”normal“” children?

- what should one say to a “”normal“” child about the “”different“” ones?

- is it in any way dangerous for a “”normal“” child’s development to be in the same place with special-needs children?

And so on. Some of the answers shocked me. There are still people- parents, actually who would rather not have their normal child in the same class with a special-needs child. They would rather not have their child feel unsafe in front of the hidden threat of these non-perfect children. They should have their own schools and their own classrooms, they shouldn’t mix with the healthy.

It makes me terribly sad only to imagine what a parent of a special-needs child feels when reading opinions like those above; for them, every day is a battle and every spoken word, every step, every smile is a victory. And there comes a particular day when the parent feels that his child is ready for the next level and the doctor’s child says it’s a perfect time for him to be integrated amongst other children- what a victory this is! So they take the blind or the deaf or the one unable-to-move-from-neck-down and they take him to school or to kindergarten. You can imagine the joy for both parent and child and you can also imagine the terrible sadness and the feeling of rejection when “”normal“” children and “”normal“” parents take a step back and protect their offsprings from this unknown threat.

Someone said that children can be really mean with a special-needs child. I disagree. Children are not born mean or bad, they are thus shaped by their parents or care-takers. Some children are taught not to play with the handicapped  girl or boy or they are told they should avoid the blind one. They are taught by their own parents to mock the overweighted children, to push and kick those who are weaker, to avoid the tetraparesis boy and his weird wheel-chair. They are taught that some children are dumb, some are plain stupid and that they are always smarter, better or have more rights.

If a child is taught from his early days that all men are born equal and we have the same kind of soul inside, he will not be mean to another one; he will not despise the slow-runner or the autistic playing in his own particular way. A child will understand that he need not behave in any special way with these beautiful children and his curiosity will be innocent and easily satisfied by an honest answer.

When a special-needs child is ready for kindergarten or school, even if he will still have a helping person by his side from time to time, let’s not make things even more difficult for him and for his parents, than they probably are. These children have the right and also the need to grow up and to learn just like any other child, and normality always depends from where you’re looking. If you still think that you are better or more normal than another person, you’re wrong. Change your lens and your perspective and thing will be better for everybody involved.

Louis Vuitton – Or The Label Saying: I’M RICH

In people’s quest of becoming wealthier and more powerful, there once came the need not only to have more money, but to also display your wealthiness and your so called power. It is quite a fashion nowadays to own and wear a Louis Vuitton hand bag at almost any occasion. It’s the best tag of all saying: hey, I’m rich. I’m better.

I have nothing against luxury brands and in particular against Louis Vuitton. I’m a girl, I love shinny, pretty objects! I drive a luxury car. But when the tag becomes bigger than oneself, then we have a problem. People are trying so hard to prove they are better and the most common thing they do, is show off their expensive clothes and hand-bags. If you walk through the American School of Bucharest, for example, and you see a person displaying more than one popular brand and you even see the brand before you can see the person, there is a high possibility he or she is Romanian.

I know of very few women who can wear a brand and still keep their personality and charm. A mother of one of my daughter’s colleagues has really gotten to this secret. She can wear those eye-taking Chanel shoes and she can still be funny or nice. She can wear a Chanel bag but you don’t even notice it when she’s speaking to you.

However, only a few can do this.

But do our clothes really tell who we are? And why do some people need a brand or a tag to feel better about themselves? I have to admit I am kind of lazy and uninterested when it comes to outfits. I feel at my best wearing jeans and t-shirts, boots or flip-flops and my hand-bags are those of a late teen-age girl. My mum was always a bit frustrated that I didn’t wear any dresses, so I started wearing some but I’d never trade my jeans for the little black dress:-) I know and I agree to the fact that special occasions require special outfits; it’s probably the extremely special occasions that I’m missing because I can’t see myself wearing 10 cm high-heels when taking my daughter to School.

***

As a conclusion, I have to say that it amazes me of how ingenious people can be when trying to prove they are better, different or powerful. They consider their skin color, their nationality, their physical abilities, the labels on their clothes — and they never miss any chance to attack on any weakness they see at another person. Of course I know plenty of exceptions- considerate people who take themselves and the others as they are, who don’t judge, don’t label and don’t look down on the others.

So how perfect is your skin color today?

Considered to be one of Canada’s greatest heroes, Terry Fox was known as a talented athlete and a cancer activist; running in the Marathon of Hope in 1980, he wanted to prove that he hadn’t lost hope and that cancer research is extremely important for those fighting with this terrible disease. Terry was suffering of osteosarcoma and he ran his Marathon with one prosthetic leg; unfortunately, he wasn’t able to complete his entire Marathon and he passed away in 1981, after having raised $24.17 million dollars for cancer research.

***

Being a part of the American School of Bucharest (our daughter is currently in their EC3, youngest group of kids), we were able to participate to the annual  “Terry Fox Run”, a charity event consisting of a marathon through Baneasa forest (quite close to our house), a music show, lots of delicious food and, most important, donations for cancer research. The School had placed a message board at the main entrance and I dedicated our participation to Emma,  the beautiful daughter of a dear friend, who sadly passed away this Spring, taken by cancer at only 6 years old.

We had a really good time at the event, even if it was only my husband who did the running; my daughter and I waited for the runners to reach the Finish line and we played with her colleagues, we ate delicious goodies and we enjoyed the live music played by some of the school staff- quite talented! Even if it was extremely hot, the kids had a great time playing with water, running through the School’s park and enjoying the raffle.

***

Cancer is a terrible disease. It strikes when no one expects it and has no mercy. Whether it is a child or a grown-up, someone’s mum or someone’s daughter, cancer will try to dig its way in just the same– therefore, whenever you get the chance, please take your time and donate for those who are waiting for a miracle and for a cure.

Do you remember your kindergarten days? Were they good for you? Did you have a good time? I can remember most of my kindergarten experiences, I can remember some of the songs we used to sing and I can also remember some of the kids I met there. For me, kindergarten was definitely a happy period- there were no tears and spending my days with a bunch of kids my age was just perfect. Up until I had my daughter, I was thinking of kindergarten as of something normal and natural and I figured that my daughter would also be attending one, at some point.

It sometimes can happen that what you think at a certain moment in life, can totally turn the opposite direction- reading about Attachment Parenting, homeschooling and unschooling have opened a brand new perspective. I despised the idea of kindergarten and  forced socialization, I saw myself doing homeschooling with my daughter and I never thought she’d be ready for creche or something similar. The good thing is, I had a choice; I could stay at home myself taking care of my daughter and nobody can do it better than a mum. As time passed, I stopped thinking about creche or kindergarten and things seemed to be just fine.

When my daughter was nearly 3 years old, I could see her looking for the company of other children – they were somehow a bigger and more interesting challenge for her than I was. What I could do for her at the time, was to have some parties for kids, or to visit our friends more often- but I really couldn’t offer that to her on a regular basis. On top of everything, I started to feel the need of being productive myself- as a person. I don’t know if I can explain that right, but I needed a couple of hours in which I could be on my own, write a little or maybe just day-dream.This sounded so much like a cliché, especially for a person like me who had always thought mummy-burnout was nothing more than a scary story for mums. I was on the verge of a burnout and I needed to deal with it.

Why Would You Take Your Child to Kindergarten?

Here’s a list of reasons taken into account when parents decide it’s time for some kindergarten or creche:

1 You must start work or your partner (when any) cannot supply for the entire family.
This is one of the main things forcing parents to take their children to creche or kindergarten, from really early ages. If you desperately need the money you get by working, then you probably don’t have any other choice.

2 You don’t have close family to help you with your child and you cannot afford a baby sitter.

3 Your child asks you to take him to kindergarten.
This doesn’t happen very often, but I have heard of cases of older kids (4 or 5 years old), asking their parents to take them to kindergarten. This will not probably happen with a younger one, but there are a few signs letting you know that your child is ready.

4 You are too tired or you need some time for yourself.
This one may happen if there is another child -generally a baby- demanding your attention and energy, and you must have the older one away for a couple of hours. There is also the more “selfish” case in which you feel the need to have a few hours on your own, to continue your education, to work or only to regain your energies. You shouldn’t feel guilty about this needs, if you can:-)

For us, it was a mix of number 3 (she wanted the company of other children) and number 4. Did I feel guilty? At first, I did; but I didn’t realize at that time that my needs as a person were just as important as hers. We chose a middle road so she only got to spend 4 hours daily in creche.

How to Make Things Easier For Your Child

I’m not going to lie to you- getting your child used to a daily kindergarten routine may be really difficult especially if the child has not spent time away from his parents beforehand. Most probably, there’s going to be tears on both sides and you will feel like giving up. Here’s a few things to make transition easier for your child, when he starts kindergarten.

Basically, there are two different approaches to this issue.

1 This one focuses on YOU, the parent and makes things easier for you. I don’t recommend it, I wouldn’t ever use it, but it’s a method and in most cases, it works even if I find it cruel.
Take your child to kindergarten on the first day, sneak out of the room when he’s not watching and don’t come back until late afternoon to pick him up. This way, you are not going to see him crying for you and hopefully things will be fine in a couple of weeks. However, your child will feel abandoned, misunderstood and scared. He will probably lose trust in you and transition will not be easy. It may happen that he will start wetting the bed at night, having nightmares or crying out of a sudden.

2 The second approach focuses on your child. It tries to make things easier for him and most of the times, it works just fine. When this doesn’t work, it probably means that your child is not ready for kindergarten and you should wait for  another 5 or 6 months until trying again.

Start talking with your child about kindergarten long before you take him there; describe kindergarten as a place where children play and where they learn stuff. take your time to visit the kindergarten where your child is going, so that he will be familiar with the surroundings when the daily routine starts. Let him get used to the teacher, even before the beginning of the year.

Talk to your child about the things they are going to do in kindergarten and do it in a relaxed, non-guilty way.

When the first kindergarten day comes, make sure your child has had a really good sleep before you wake him up. Accompany him to his classroom and tell him what is going on. It is best if you can take things gradually and most kindergartens will accept this nowadays: start by spending merely one hour in class and just add some extra 20 minutes every day. Spend time with your child inside the classroom, playing but when you see him involved in something easily step away and let him enjoy himself.

Don’t lie to your child, don’t sneak out of the room without telling him where you’re going and for how long.

When your child becomes more comfortable within the other children, you can move out of the room and wait for him in front of the classroom’s door. Tell him you’re going out and show him where you will be waiting. If he asks you to come in again, do it but try to convince him that parents eventually have to move out.

After a couple of more days, let your child know that you’re still inside the building, but you’re walking in order to pass your time. If there is a cafe within the school, go grab a coffee, return from time to time to see if your child is fine and always let him know where you are.

There is a particular moment when your child will be just fine with his colleagues without you, but he will still want to know that you’re around. You have to become aware of this moment and gradually leave the kindergarten for a couple of hours, asking the teacher to call you immediately if he cries for you.

In most cases, the transition period will not be longer than a couple of weeks but it surely needs patience on your behalf and understanding, on behalf of the kindergarten’s staff.

***

In our case, things were not so organized the first time my daughter started creche. I had done everything written above at point 2, except from staying there with her those couple of hours at the beginning. She did cry for a while in the morning but the good thing was that she immediately stopped crying after I left and she became involved in games and activities. If she hadn’t stopped crying, it would have been a clear sign that she’s not yet ready for this.

When she started kindergarten this August, I did everything as good as I could. We visited the kindergarten a couple of times before she started and they even organized a Welcome to School day before the official opening, where kids could meet their teachers and future colleagues. I stayed right beside her the first couple of days and then I waited for her in front of the classroom. When she was more familiar with things, I showed her the cafe where I would have a coffee and then come pick her up. After one week, I could go home and have my couple of hours of work and she was perfectly fine. No tears.

***

You may be a parent who has in mind -like I did- ideas like homeschooling or un-schooling. That’s perfectly fine, as long as it works for both you and your child. Moreover, you need to take into account the possibilities you have for this method in the country you currently live in. My country is, unfortunately, not very homeschooling-friendly, but kindergartens are becoming a friendlier place every year. So whatever you decide to do, make sure that you’ve taken the decision wholeheartedly and that everybody involved if having a good time.

We live in a  very weird world; I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but most people are so focused on collecting money and stuff for their future, that they don’t even take the time to breathe; all they do is fill in forms for their children’s college money (when the children are not even in 1st grade), lock money in bank accounts for future possible emergencies, plan for the kids to attend great universities, make plans, calculate, foresee and all the other things filling up their days, their present hours, their lives. I’m not saying that having a future plan is bad- but when you spend each and every minute focusing on what will come 10 years from now and on creating a future that your child might not even relate to, I simply call it a waste of time.

A couple of days ago, a friend asked me what I had in plan for my daughter; I thought he was asking whether we were going to eat out for lunch or home, but no, what he meant was whether I had already decided which schools she was going to attend and how much money had I put aside for that. Further on, I learned that he had been saving most of the money he earned for his daughter’s after-highschool years (she’s 3!) and that he was already asking for admission information from some of the world’s biggest Universities.

I don’t get it; I simply cannot understand why some people get to feel more comfortable if they have their future all sorted out, but they never have any fun at all because they’re too worried making plans. I too am a control freak at times but I’d rather have a damn good time with my daughter here and now, than to be planning our next 10 years. Does this make me irresponsible? I don’t know.

***

Of course I also take the time to dream whenever I can; I am by nature a day dreamer and you can find me sitting really still and just dreaming with my eyes open at times. But my dreams are not of financial plans and college money; my dreams do not include my daughter as being someone important. I dream of her as being someone happy and I also focus on our daily happiness. I don’t plan the trips we’re going to make when she’s 18, I try to make some of the trips real right now. I don’t know yet if my daughter will want to join a karate or a ballet team when she’s older, but I also don’t find it relevant NOW.  What I can do now is to make sure that what we have is real and authentic, and future can come whenever it’s ready.

If you’re the kind of parent worrying too much about your child’s future, give yourself a moment to think of what you may be missing right now. If you’re the kind of parent working from dawn till sunset in order to secure your child’s future, there might be a small chance that you’re neglecting your child’s present. If you feel the burden and the uncertainty of future days, it’s OK to have a backup plan but just don’t let it consume your present energy and joy for life.

***

While we were driving through the Alps this summer, we followed a very nice van for about ten kilometers. It had written on its back: “Wir träumen nicht, wir leben unseren Traum” and that means “We dream not; we’re living our dream.” Why don’t you live your dreams every single day?

As I was saying in my previous post, we have just returned from a great 2 week drive through some beautiful cities in Europe. It was a holiday meant to entertain the 3 of us and we did our best to make sure that everybody is having a great time. To start with, I have to mention that I absolutely and totally dislike the kind of vacation when you just lie in the sun on a beach for 7 or 10 or whatever days; I don’t really function like that. I need to be on the move, I need to see different places and I need to be challenged by something more than just a sunburn. Luckily, we all 3 agreed to have a vacation on the move so we started with Hunedoara with the beautiful Castle, then Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Salzburg, Kitzbuehel in the Alps, Innsbruck, Graz and many more.

I dare say that it was one of the best holidays I have ever had and I think that both my daughter and husband enjoyed themselves. And this is what this post is really about. About having a fantastic holiday which includes the kids and does not leave them home with grandparents or somebody else. But before I start, let me make it clear to you that I totally understand that parents DO need vacations on their own from time to time, as long as these don’t happen every weekend Moreover, my husband and I will soon have our first 3 day-vacation without Anne in August, the first one since we had her, so that’s fine. What I don’t understand, however, is the rush with which some parents expect their vacation from work only to send the children to the countryside during all Summer so that they, parents, can rest and enjoy their time.

So you’re a full time working parent and your child is in daycare or has a babysitter. So you don’t get to spend too much time with him on a daily basis- then why send him away during Summer and not have a great holiday together? I’m not going to lie to you and say that it will be just as relaxing as it would be if you were on your own but, hey, you must have thought of that when you decided to have a child. With a little bit of planning and a little bit of sense of humor, you can plan a fantastic holiday with your kids basically anywhere in the whole world. Now here’s what we did.

We Enjoy Traveling by Car And Not Booking Hotels in Advance!

So this is why we planned our trip relying mostly on our vehicle; I must say that my husband is an excellent driver but I’m also doing a good job with wheels myself. However, during this particular holiday, he was our main and sole driver and I had to deal with the entertaining-the-child-during-driving part. Before leaving home, we placed Anne’s favorite car-seat in my husband’s car (it’s a Maxi Cosi, Tobi for 9 to many kilos and a toddler can sleep in it perfectly), we charged the portable DVD player and bought lots of snacks. Yes, you’re right- if you give them something to chew on and a little bit of Tom and Jerry, you’re more likely to have a nice drive than if you just expect them to sit still. I also brought along a huge bag with different books, pencils, dolls, car, etcetera to occupy her time when she’s had enough cartoons and biscuits Moreover, we decided that we wouldn’t drive for more than 3 or 4 hours daily, so than we don’t all get really bored.

I had quite a difficult time before leaving, deciding whether it would be best to book our hotel rooms before our departure or to just look for hotels when we get in a particular town. Booking in advance would have given us a sense of comfort that a room is already waiting for us and that we don’t get to sleep in the car, but it would have also meant a quite important pressure or deadline- if you know you have to be in a specific place on a specific date, it’s no longer the relaxing joyride we intended it to be. Not booking in advance seemed a little risky, especially during Summer when everybody is traveling, but it also offers you more freedom to spend as much time as you please in a place you like. So, we didn’t book any hotel room beforehand. What I did, however, was to look up for 4 or 5 really good hotels (in the center of cities, with good reviews and recommended for families -on tripadvisor.com) and to save their addresses for our GPS. Whenever we reached a destination, we would check one or two or three of these hotels and book the one we like the most.

We didn’t have any problems whatsoever, except for Prague where it seemed impossible to find a good hotel apartment in the old city center. Either they were all booked, or they only had tiny rooms which we did not want. However, as my husband was trying to locate a particular hotel, he stumbled upon a very special hotel with classical, out of ordinary apartments where we spent nearly 4 days. Here’s a link to the hotel’s website http://www.hotel-u-zlateho-jelena.cz/ -if ever in Prague, do book a room; it’s in the middle of everything and very comfortable.

Make Things Fun for Your Child, Too!

And make them comfortable, relaxing, enjoying and don’t always check your watch (or wallet, if you can). One of the most important things that really helped us during this trip, was a stroller. Yes, a stroller. My daughter is 3 years and 4 months old and she hasn’t been using one since she was 1 and a half; however, while in Budapest we realized that we couldn’t walk as much as we -the adults- wanted and carrying her was simply just as difficult. Perhaps if she were a bit lighter, we could have used the sling I bought from my friend, but this was really not the best solution when the child is as tall as ours and it’s almost 40 degrees C out there. Therefore, we had a have a pit stop at a hypermarket near Budapest and we bought the lightest, tiniest, no-name stroller which could do our job when she got tired of walking. It was definitely our best friend and we could walk for miles and miles in every city and just place her in there when she couldn’t walk anymore. Hey, I am pro carrying your babies, but it just didn’t have how to work for us this time

Another important thing is to try and book apartments in hotels where you spend more than one night; when a kid spends his entire day walking and seeing new, different things, he will most surely fall asleep very early in the evening and I couldn’t really imagine all 3 of us in a single, small room, with my husband and I tip-toeing from 9 pm every day. Besides the tip-toe factor, I have to say that both of us spend quite a lot of time online and you can’t get too much working when a child sleeps next to your keypad. So what we did was to find apartments where we could put Anne to bed in one room and do our work while she slept in the other room. When they didn’t have an apartment in a hotel we liked, we booked two rooms with a connecting door. Ingenious, isn’t it?

Next one is about sight-seeing. You have to realize that whatever catches your adult eye and whatever you would want to visit in a new city, may not be in the top ten list of your child’s things to do. If your child is accompanying you during your holiday, think of him as of having equal rights with any adult engaged in the trip. Find interesting places for children and spend at least half of the day doing child-friendly stuff. I do admit that I regret not having visited the inside of the gorgeous Schoenbrunn Palace, but I knew it without a doubt that my child would get terribly bored and agitated if we did. So we visited Zoo’s, entertainment parks, children museums, toy museums, we cruised along the Danube and Vltava, and in between we did some of the sights we thought she would be fine with.

The Best Things About Our Trip

1 Tobi, by Maxi Cosi- the perfect car-seat for Anne, she can eat in it, she can sleep in it, watch movies and be safe at the same time.

2 A no name feather-light stroller both for the child and for all the souvenirs we bought.

3 The portable DVD player and Disney

4 K&K hotels- a very pleasant surprise in Budapest and Vienna. Comfy and clean, good value for money.

5 The ZOO near Schoenbrun Castle in Vienna, with a great restaurant in the middle of it.

6 The Donauturm near Vienna with a magnificent rotating restaurant and some great desserts.

7 The Golden Stag Hotel in Prague, a bit noisy in the morning but classy and out of the ordinary.

8 Prague, Prague, Prague -probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited.

9 The Toy Museum in Prague and Barbie’s anniversary.

10 The best hotel ever: Best Western Premier Kaiser Hotel in Kitzbuehel, with a huge apartment and a great view.

11 Hexenwasser Park almost 2000 m altitude in the Alps, near Innsbruck. Perfect for kids who love to play in or with water.

12 The Wildpark near Munchen.

13 Maerchen/Erlebniss park in the Alps, high in the mountains, perfect for kids.

I will write about some of these bests in my future posts here or on Luckytrain.com.
Have a great family holiday and enjoy it with the kids!

Hello, everybody! My family and I have just returned from a 2 week car-trip through parts of Europe. There’s tons of information to process and tons of photos to sort out, so I guess I’ll be really busy these days. In the mean time, I would like to invite you to virtually visit some of the places that enchanted us during our trip and I think I’ll start with The Toy Museum in Prague. So, here it goes:

Visiting the Toy Museum in Prague

… to make a long story short, I will start today with one of the most intriguing museums I have ever visited: The Toy Museum from Prague (http://www.prague.net/toy-museum) , the second largest toy museum in the world. I didn’t even know this place existed. My family and I had just visited the magnificent Castle in Prague when we spotted a gathering of people in a quite hidden stone yard. Curiosity did not kill the cat and I ventured to see what they were after; I didn’t really find an answer to that but I noticed a huge add saying it’s Barbie’s 50th anniversary and the Toy Museum revealed itself behind a small, wooden door. There were stairs to climb and they were many, and I didn’t even know what to expect. But since we were accompanied by our 3 year old daughter, my husband and I were pretty eager to visit this out of ordinary museum.

To read the whole story, please visit my travel blog at LuckyTrain.com or click here.

Enjoy!