netflix for books?

lets just say that i have redeemed myself this year for the lack of books read during the m. arch years. last summer i started my reading binge with the millenium series by Steig Larson and i've done pretty well ever since. when i arrived in lausanne i was reading Barbara Kingsolver's latest book, The Lacuna. although it was a good book, it was terribly slow. ever since i finished that monster in may i've read about 8 more.  (of course it helps that i've had some travel time)

for christmas Howie and I received kindles. i've realized that it doesn't necessarily make prices cheaper than paperback copies in the US, but the convenience of downloading a new book in about 10 seconds before the plane takes off is pretty amazing. english books are not abundant (or reasonably priced) in switzerland, so at this point i'm not feeling too guilty for buying all of my books through amazon.*  also, its so light, easy to hold and carry, and you don't have to choose one book to bring with you.

the kindle store browsing (when you're actually using the kindle to look for new books) is not the best. it uses typical amazon "people who viewed this book also bought..." which is helpful, but i've found myself getting trapped into cycles of kindle/nytimes bestsellers because i haven't kept up on recent literature and i don't have a list of books i've been meaning to read.  also, i miss paper, ink, and beautifully designed book covers.

today after a bit of research, signed up for goodreads where one can keep track of books they've read, see what their friends are reading, get recommendations and keep a list of books to read in the future. i've found a few friends on there, and hope to add all of the books i've read recently. (look at me, finding more things to do before i leave town!)

if any of you have any recommendations, feel free to email me or leave a comment! i love reading fiction and historical fiction- i'm a sucker for a well crafted stories, unique perspectives and books that make me want to travel to another place or time.  its difficult to enjoy non-fiction but i'd like to read more (help!) and have just dipped my toe into the world of philosophy and haven't decided if i should wade in a bit further or walk on by.

free e-book on cheese: not as tasty as the actual stuff. 

*but i am feeling a little guilty for not having properly explored the local library...

cheese and chocolate all begin with the cows

to the mountains!

the ladies of Murren

earlier this spring we were lucky to have good friends erin and rob (and baby bump!) visit us in lausanne. since howie was really busy with school at the time, the rest of us took off for the mountains. i now know why the interlaken area is such a well known spot in switzerland- the views and the mountains there are amazingly beautiful!

crazy slide while waiting for our gondola

we stayed in Murren for two nights, which is a tiny town away from all the tourist activity which was great. it is well known for its cows, probably because there are more cows than people (i just made that up, but it seems true?!), perched on the steep hillsides eating grass mixed with billions of wildflowers. our b&b was amazing, and it was a good thing because we spent almost an entire day there when the skies clouded over, it started raining, then hailing, then snowing. (!)

we had great fun reading books, playing cards, napping, and when it finally cleared up, e&r played some chess while i sketched a little.

it was so much fun to have them here- since their visit we have taken all other visitors for breakfast by the lake, and picnics in the vineyards (not forgetting food!)

Rob decided I needed a real size beer

balancing act at Epesses

thank you guys for coming all the way over here for one last adventure together before parenthood :)

lisbon- uncropped.

in order to get these out quickly i'm letting go of the urge to crop, adjust levels and color, resize. the uneven images are making me itch. but, here you go. lisboa!

i just spent a great few days wandering the streets of lisbon with good friends amber and dan, here from MN. since they are both great sketchers and had just attended the Urban Sketchers annual symposium before i arrived, we spent our days meandering, eating and sketching. 

pre-ink

post-ink

after recently coming from rome, it was very refreshing to be in a bright, vibrant city with [seemingly] few tourists. prices were great- especially on food- and it makes it a little hard to go back to the land of CHFs. oh well. i think howie will be jealous when he hears about all the seafood we ate and how delicious it was. i'm drooling a little now just thinking about it! 

Jeronimos Monastery, Belem

we squeezed in a visit to the azulejos museum and it was too bad we didn't have more time there. besides the fantastic tiles filling my love for geometric patterns, color and ceramics all in one, the monastery that houses the collection is a beautiful space where one could spend some time. 

azulejos beauties

another highlight was sketching around belem at the tower, monument to the discoveries and the monastery ***, which was literally sandwiched in the day by two visits to the pasteis de belem shop for coffee and the most magnificent egg tarts. 

to die for!  (for shelley)

i'll be dreaming tonight of armillary spheres and azulejos…

traveling? vacation? life??

i'm sorry to have left you all for so long, but i have been 'on the go' since mid-may. (and still going!)  i apologize for the emails that have ended up in my black hole of an inbox... i'll get to the bottom of the pile soon! a couple weeks ago, howie and i ended our 3 week summer break spent entirely in italy. it was an amazing trip and a much needed break from IMD for both of us. we spent enough time away that it seemed strange to arrive in lausanne and find our apartment there just as we'd left it. (although a new bathroom ceiling, finally!)

i am not even sure what kind of a whirlwind adventure this has been, or has it just become my life this year? i admit its a little sad to be traveling so intensely that i've been out of touch with everyone (especially because that is what helped get me through the first part of the year) but having family and friends visiting has been amazing and great opportunities to connect and strengthen relationships. i've loved being able to pack up in a small bag and leave most of my possessions behind... leave the laptop behind, too. its amazing how good i've felt just focusing on me, whoever i'm with, and where i am. forget the blogs to read, junk email, news, facebook... its so easy to slip under the radar.

i promise i will share with you- soon!

feeling small at the Palatine, Rome