Happy Thanksgiving from Salzburg!

Drumroll Please...

Yesterday, for the very first time in my life, I put color in my hair. No, I didn't dye the whole thing but I did have some highlights and lowlights put in.

Hair is a very funny thing. Ever since I was little, people ranted and raved over my hair and I never understood why. At the time, I hated it and wanted to have brown hair. That probably had something to do with kids making fun of me because I was a ginger. Oh well.

As I have grown older, I have come to appreciate my hair and I still get a ton of compliments. I'm actually proud of being a ginger, thank you very much! In fact, some of my friends have even tried to dye their hair my color only for it to turn out maroon or orange. Ha! You always want what you can't have.

I always told myself that I would do a little something to my hair after my wedding. Since we've been married for 6 months now, I figured I'd give it a shot.

When I walked into the salon and started to talk to Teresa, she was telling me that I was one of only three regular customers that have completely natural hair (now they are down to two). She couldn't believe I've never done anything to it. She was super excited and started to laugh when I started asking her a ton of questions (How long do I wait for the dye to set in? Do they have my natural hair color in case I don't like it? How often do I need to get them re-done?...etc.). The whole salon was looking at me like I was crazy and I'm pretty sure it was not because I was the only one speaking English. Man, I love trying something new!! :)

Without further ado, here is how it turned out.

I love it! You only live once! :)

You Only Live Once

Tomorrow afternoon I am doing something that I have NEVER done before. I am super excited and will be sure to take pictures and post about it tomorrow. It is something I have always wanted to do but never had the guts. You only live once, right? Here goes nothing... :)

Socks

The Christmas market here in Salzburg has finally opened. I walked around on opening day yesterday with a few friends and picked up a few items-- one of them being socks for Jack.  I just couldn't resist! I know, I know... you can make fun of me if you want but I just love them.

The weather here is starting to get super cold. The layering has begun! It has been in the upper 30s to lower 40s during the day and has been in the 20s at night. Brrrr! At least the market has gluhwein to warm me up! In case you were wondering, gluhwein is mulled wine combined with spices and is served warm. I had my very first taste of it yesterday at the market and it is delicious!

This weekend, Jason and I are going to walk around the Christmas market together. I can't wait! There are so many things that I want to buy! Then, we are seeing the double feature of Twilight in English at the Kino (movie theater) on Sunday. Happy weekend to all! :)

Globus

One thing that I have learned after living abroad for over a year and a half is that Americans take things for granted. I know I did when I lived in the States.

Recently, we got assigned a new German teacher. I was not thrilled about this because we had really grown to love our old teacher. Since our schedule is so hectic, she had to pass us off to someone else which is totally understandable. Well, one positive about this change is that our new German teacher is from Germany (about 15 minutes away) and is really nice. We were talking about how I missed American grocery stores and she told me about Globus.

I finally ventured to Globus yesterday and was completely shocked with what I saw. It was like a Walmart (which doesn't exist here) and even had donuts, "American" microwave popcorn and Cranberries imported from America! I was in heaven. The grocery stores here are really small and have slim pickins' so I was in heaven, to say the least.

Who ever thought that one could get emotional over a grocery store? I sure didn't. I nearly cried with joy for having found it (and I'm totally being serious). Sometimes it's just the little things in life that make you so thankful. What an appropriate thought since Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

Needless to say, I spent 2 hours in Globus and left with a very full shopping cart and my wallet a little lighter (shhh don't tell Jason!) ;). I can't wait to go back to pick up a few items for our Thanksgiving Potluck with our friends next Friday. Life is good!!

Paris

At the end of October, Jason and I went to Paris with our friends Joe and Christine. It was our first time in Paris and we had a blast!

The afternoon we arrived, we went went to  our place, dropped our bags off, and walked around the city. It was just lovely! That night, much to my dismay, we got Domino's Pizza for dinner. I was not happy about this but got outvoted 3-1. We stayed up and played drinking games and had a blast.

The next morning, Jason and I went to the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, and walked around on our own. The Louvre was my favorite. I couldn't believe how huge it was-- 13 km... wow!! We saw the Mona Lisa and many of the other great works. We could have spent the whole day just at the Louvre alone.

This was taken outside of the Orsay Museum. This one is for you, Dad!! 

We then met up with Joe and Christine and went to see Notre Dame. All I kept thinking was, "gosh, I wish I could have gotten married here!!" It was gorgeous! The stained glass was incredible!! 

We went to the Eiffel Tower that evening. Words can't even describe how beautiful it is! Every hour, on the hour, the lights glitter. I could have just sat and watched it for hours!!

The next day, we went on a day trip to Versailles. What a great time we had. As you can tell from the pictures, I was in a spunky mood that day. I mean, I couldn't help but live it up in Paris!!

Jason and I even had a leaf fight! ;)

On the way home from Versailles, we stopped at the Arc de Triomphe to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower at sunset. Climbing all those stairs was totally worth it!!

While in Paris we also went shopping, went on a boat cruise, ate croissants for breakfast, drank lovely wine and had some pretty tasty dinners. Overall, our trip was a huge success! I am so lucky to have been able to go visit a city that I have always dreamed of going to with my amazing hubby. I can't wait to go back!! 

Istanbul

Better late than never, right? 

In mid-October, Jason and I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul, Turkey. He had to go for a business trip and we decided to extend it into the weekend. Our trip was nothing short of fabulous. 

While in Turkey, we got a chance to see some very special things. One of my favorites being the Grand Bazaar. I mean, who doesn't love shopping and bargaining? We had the privilege of being escorted around that Saturday by Alp, our driver. He helped me get the best deals and showed us pretty amazing sites. 

While shopping, I decided that I loved the stamps. I couldn't help but want the one showed below, so I just had to get it. 

And of course I just had to buy a traditional scarf as well! 

 

I must let you know that Jason took all of these amazing photos while I was shopping. I am so lucky to have such a great photographer as a husband!!

And of course, who goes to Turkey without picking up a Turkish rug? Needless to say, I shopped my little heart out! ;)

This is one of my favorite pictures of Turkey. We were on the European side looking towards the Asian side. I can't even tell you how beautiful it was! 

Of course we had a chance to visit a couple of the mosques. My favorite was Ayasofya or Hagia Sofia. It was first a church, then a mosque and now it is a museum. If you are curious, you can read about it here. The mosaics were amazing! 

 

I just love this little food cart!!

Of course you can't visit Istanbul without seeing the Blue Mosque. We made it just before prayer time. 

We also enjoyed going to the Spice Market and picking out a few spices for our kitchen. 

 

And of course, the thing that made me laugh the most was when Jason was taking pictures of pigeons and he got pooped on. You just can't help but laugh. 

We simply had a fabulous trip to Istanbul. We are lucky enough to be able to go back in a couple of weeks. Next time, I will be sure to take my very first Turkish Bath. 

Until next time... LOVE!! :)