September So Far...

• I have birthday presents still coming in three full weeks after the event. A special 30th birthday necklace is being made for me by my ex-colleagues, and I recently received a few other things...

 

 Churidar all the way from Chennai

(via Stockholm!)

 

Alabaster box and necklace from Volterra

(Tuscany)

• I have been trying to improve my Italian, but to be honest, haven't really been practising my speaking skills with Lulu (my housemate). I however have been working hard on my listening and reading. Learning my fourth language in my third language is certainly, for want of a better word..."interesting."

Thank God for French libraries!

• Yesterday I had a small surprise dinner party thrown for me by friends who were either busy or away over the summer. Felt like such an idiot when they dimmed the lights and brought in an ice-cream "cake" with a candle and the number 30 on it. I actually looked round to find out whose birthday it was, only to realise it was all for me. I was so touched!

 Yet another birthday dinner :)

September Travel Schedule!

The plan is to visit 7-8 cities in about 20days, and I'm so very excited! The English part of the itinerary is not new to me, but all the other places are, so I'm going to spend the next couple of days obsessing over what to see/do/etc. For now, my plans are to ride the train quite a bit, have a thermal bath in Budapest, and really work on my Italian while I'm in Italy. Really looking forward to the whole trip because I worked very hard over the summer, plus I haven't had a proper holiday since Easter and apart from probably going to Cologne for a weekend in October, will not have another holiday until at least Christmas.

Anxiously waiting for the 13th!