Summer boredom busters #1

Hi guys!

 I’m visiting the biggest country in the world, Russia. The buildings in St. Petersburg look like fairytale castles. I just love walking around here! On the picture you can see the Grotto Pavilion in Catherine Park.

I know I’m on this amazing trip for the moment, but you will soon have a lovely summer holiday! I remember the summer holiday used to feel like it lasted for ages. Sometimes you can even get bored with all this free time. That’s why I made a list of stuff you can do when you’re bored during the long holiday.

·      Go for a bike ride

·      Have a water balloon fight

·      Draw with chalk on the sidewalk

·      Set up your tent outside and ‘go camping’

·      Write a letter to a friend or family

·      Go swimming

·      Reorganize your closet

Next week I’ll give you some more ideas!

Enjoy!

Love,

 Dollie

Undercover tourist in Moldova

Hi there,

 I’m in the least touristic country in all of Europe, Moldova. Like a lot of countries, Moldova also has a traditional national costume. However, this is nowadays only found in museums and in some family collections. Women’s traditional clothes exist of a white embroidered blouse, an embroidered vest trimmed with sheep fleece and a white skirt with lace. Usually they wear a black embroidered overskirt with it.

 Men wear a white embroidered shirt, a vest that is similar to the women’s, white pants, a hat with peacock feathers or flowers, or a sheep fleece cap. They wear a wide belt with it.

Both men and women wear opinci, which are leather shoes with leather laces wrapped around the ankles.

 These costumes were handmade. All young women used to have the skills of weaving cloth and embroidery. Nowadays, these traditional clothing is mostly worn by folk music and dance groups. Unfortunately, these are mass-produced.

 Besides this history, I’m also quite interested in something totally different: winetasting. Moldovans are very proud of their tradition of wine-making. I’ll go taste some!

 See you!

 Dollie

Dirndlidoe!

Hi guys!

Landed in Austria today. The traditional clothing of Austria is the dirndl for women and the lederhosen for men. Dirndl is a synonym of ‘young woman’ in Austrian. The dirndl is an A-line dress, gathered at the waist. It consists of a bodice and skirt, a low-cut blouse with short puffy sleeves, and an apron.

The dirndl for winter has heavy, warm skirts and aprons made of thick cotton, linen, velvet or wool. It also has long sleeves and dark colours. In summer, the style is lighter and more revealing. The dress has short sleeves and is made of light cotton.

An urban legend says that the placement of the knot on the apron is an indicator of the woman’s marital status. This story claims that tying the strap on the woman’s left side indicates that she is single, while tying the knot on the right means that she is married, engaged or not interested in dating.

I love how every country has it’s own traditional clothing and stories that go with it.

Does your country have a story like this?

 I’m heading to the opera now, in my most fancy dress.

See you!

Dollie

Hike to the peak!

Hi there, worldtravelers!

 After strolling around in the picturesque Prague in the Czech Republic, I traveled to the country right next to it: Slovakia. Time to hit the woods and go hiking in the mountains!

 Did you know in Slovakia they celebrate their name day? Every day of the year corresponds with several names. When a child is born, they get a name that’s in the list of name days. Celebrating your name day is almost as important as celebrating your birthday in Slovakia! Unfortunately my name is not in the list, because it’s not a Slovak name. But I love this tradition!

 Does your country have a tradition like this?

 Bye,

 Dollie

A dive into history in the Czech Republic

Hi guys,

I arrived at the Czech Republic today. This is a cute country with a lot of history. On the picture I’m standing on the Charles Bridge in Prague. This bridge is a famous one that’s build over the Moldawa in Prague. The bridge connects the Old Town with the neighbourhood Malá Strana. King Charles IV put the first stone of the bridge on July 9th, 1357. At first, the bridge was called ‘Stone Bridge’, but in 1870 they changed it to Charles Bridge.

The bridge is 516 meters long and almost 10 meters wide. It’s decorated with 30 statues. Most of them in the style of baroque, placed there between 1683 and 1714. Quite old, huh? Did you know the historical city center of Prague is on the list of UNESCO world heritage? So much history contained by one city. It’s amazing!

I’m going to stroll around in this cozy city.

Bye!

Dollie