Around the world

A year ago…

A year ago, today, we started this blog with a review on one of our travel experiences in Romania. That was the first blog post and our first attempt at putting together a blog/diary of our life. This blog has become so much more than that for us in this past year, it is our go-to place when we want to look back on our experiences, on the way we (gracefully) age and it is a good reminder that life is wonderful, especially in those ‘down’ moments – everyone has those. It also motivates us to stay in shape, eat healthy and it forces us to actively review places and write down memories from our trips while also pinpointing some of our best experiences both abroad as well as in Romania.

Nowadays, looking back on our old posts, I realized that if we did not have this blog, there was no chance in hell we would’ve took so many photos throughout the pregnancy, nor would I have written down in such detail my personal feelings that I experienced during this amazing time.
Today we decided to celebrate by not putting together a slideshow of our past year, but by sharing with you (and also marking on our calendar) the first swimming experience (in our bath tub) baby-Leia had this Friday (the 17th of March). Since I am on active mommy watch, I will not spend more time writing about it but I will just let you enjoy our home-made video of Leia.

Yes, life changes a lot during one year, this blog helped us fully appreciate just how much, and we have come to the conclusion that our lives really evolved for the better and there is only going up from this point on. I truly hope that you enjoyed this past year with us and we hope that there will be many more years to come for our little blog!
Happy Birthday evenlymatched.eu!!!
L.

March 19, 2017

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Goodbye 2016…

This was a full year for us… A very good one, but a very full one. I know that most people view 2016 as a bad year because of all the atrocities that happened all around the world and all the amazing people we lost, but I honestly think that it is more a matter of how we view everything surrounding us. Bad things happen all the time, people kill other people for the most ridiculous reasons all the time and this is happening ever since we have decided that we are the supreme species on this planet. The only difference right now is that fact that it is way easier to come into contact with news, information on what is happening in the world than it was before. Also, unfortunately, death is a natural thing and people should understand that is part of the cycle of life. We all lost loved ones throughout the years, and yes, a lot of great people passed this year, but maybe that is only due to the fact that we all knew those great people tanks to the fact that information started circulating easier from one point in history onward, and, honestly, we should be grateful that we all got to know and admire those great people that passed in 2016. People, famous people, died in 2015 as well, but maybe they were not as famous as the ones that passed in 2016. Do not get me wrong, I was saddened by each and every obituary that I read this year, but I was just as saddened by the innocent unknown people that died this year due to politics or religion just as I was also heartbroken about the close people that I lost this year. Again, death is a natural part of life and we should all accept it and stop blaming 2016 for all the people that we lost. I just needed to get this out there as I am so sick and tired of everyone just whining about 2016.

Moving along… 2016 was a good year for us. Most of last years resolutions were achieved and the ones that we did not achieve will probably be on the 2017 list and there is nothing wrong with that. At the beginning of every year, there is one thing that I always wish for just as the clock strikes midnight: that no matter what, everything will be ok in the end! This is my one constant wish for the new year ever since I can remember and by the time the year finishes it always is because you know what, this is what evolving is all about: learning from every experience and making sure that we do not make the same mistakes again! Eventually everything turns out to be ok in the end.

That said, I am not going to be a hypocrite and not acknowledge that this year was a very good one for the two of us despite what happened throughout the world. We got to safely travel (London, Madrid, Milano, Paris) quite a lot, we got to finally start this blog and most important of it all we managed to have a bundle of joy on the way. All of these things were on our list last year and we managed to tick all of them thus making us very happy. We also managed to evolve as a couple and right now I feel closer to D than ever and happier and I finally understood what evolving in a relationship means. This, on the long term means the most to me as I feel that we will be a very good team in raising our daughter which gives me a sense of peace and calm inside that I so need right now, this close to the delivery date.

Like I said, this was an amazing year for us and I am sure that 2017 will be a great one as well. The featured image of this post is a collage of the best 9 pics (most liked) on my Instagram, but it does not depict my favourite moments of 2016 therefore I felt the need to show a few of my favourite moments from this year at the end of the post. As you have probably guessed it, the next post will be about our 2017 resolutions!

we started evenlymatched.eu on the 19th of March 2016

London

Madrid – where our bundle of joy was conceived

my new ink

D turned 32

28th of May – the day we found out about our bundle of joy

31st of May – our Wedding Anniversary

Milan

13th of July – Celebrating 7 years together and 3 years of marriage

Paris

First Pic

UNTOLD Festival

Her little angel face at 22 weeks

D‘s new finished half sleeve

32 weeks pregnant – Baby Shower – 27th of November

the nursery

Enchanted Forest Christmas Tree

Our 2016 Christmas Family Card!

December 31, 2016December 31, 2016

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Integra

Despite the fact that our seaside season is over thanks to all of the rearrangements we have to do in our house to make sure it is ready to welcome our little bundle of joy, we haven’t left there without having a great lunch at one of the first places we tried out in Constanta: Integra. This place was recommended to us by one of my best friends and the thing I loved about it even before arriving there is the fact that they have a raw-vegan menu packed full of delicious dishes. Naturally throughout the years I have tried most of the raw menu and I have to say, that thanks to this place my mind was changed when it came to the raw-vegan cuisine.

I do not think we ever went to the seaside once without having a meal at this lovely place. True, it does have the location advantage, meaning that it is at about a 10 minute walk away from our place there. At first glance, the place looks very nice and the interior design is a nice combo of fresh plants and lovely marble which immediately make you want to take a seat. The menu has about everything you could ever crave, somewhat of an international cuisine with a little turkish mix of dishes. And then, of course, there is the raw-vegan menu, where you literally can find everything from appetisers, soups, pasta, pizza, desserts and even a few amazing fresh cocktails.

Back to our last experience there…unfortunately, we couldn’t take as many inside pictures as we would’ve liked as the place was quite full at the time we were there and there’s always that uncomfortable feeling when you take pics of total strangers, but you can find quite a lot of photos on their site. Normally, this is the place we choose for our before the road lunch or brunch, depending on how early we wake up. This time it was definitely lunch time and because we knew we had next to nothing in our fridge at home, we decided on a full lunch: soup, main dish and a shared a raw dessert. As usual when we eat there, we start off with one of their amazing fresh raw juices, this time choosing Green energy and Fountain of Youth. These two cocktails are amazing and very healthy especially after a busy night at the seaside. Like I said, we both ate a soup, I went for my usual tomato soup which is a must-try and D chose the lentil soup which turned out to be better that I expected. As main courses I needed something savoury and light so I went for the oven cooked feta cheese with tomatoes and onion that was absolutely delicious. D chose the beef Iskender that besides looking amazing it tasted like heaven, and that, coming from me during this period where meat is the last thing that I crave, is something! As for dessert we chose to share the Rainbow Tart from the raw-vegan menu. As with all their raw-vegan dishes, this was delicious!

Despite the restaurant being full, the food came decently quick and the staff was very friendly and professional. This place is not among the cheapest nor among the most expensive, our three-course lunch cost us about 40 E tip included which is really good for Constanta, especially since the food is so amazing. We will definitely come back here as often as we will come to Constanta!

August 28, 2016

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Seaside season is officially over…for us…

…But that is not the topic of today’s post! No, today we are going to talk a bit about the new and very popular hashtag: #mermaidthigs as opposed to the former #thighgap. Now I am not going to talk about body shaming or anything, but rather about my experience going from one # to the other in the course of a few months. This is somewhat natural and beautiful, especially if the making of a new life is involved. While last year I was happily sporting a thigh gap thanks to healthy eating and almost daily gym sessions, the past few months have thought me that pregnancy is not easy on the said thighs therefore I find myself at the point where I can barely see a thigh gap and am slowly but surely coveting to the new mermaid thighs trend. No, this is not due to unhealthy eating, this is my body’s natural response to the hormonal battle that takes place inside me and to the fact that I am eating a bit more nowadays (about 300-400 kcals more a day).

The first batch of photos is from last summer, roughly about the same period as the second and third batches of photos. After I will give birth, I will use these photos and this post to motivate myself into getting back in shape until the summer of 2017. No, that does not mean that I will diet like a crazy person, but it does mean that I will try and go to the gym as often as a newborn baby will allow me.

The second batch of photos is from almost a month ago, when I was 14-15 weeks pregnant. This is the period where I think I felt the worst about my body image, as, honestly, I felt like a whale, but that was mostly due to the transition period from the first trimester to the second.

This third batch of photos was taken this week, during my 18th week of pregnancy, and even though I look bigger that I used to a few weeks ago, I must confess that I feel a lot better about myself and I think that is due to the fact that my hormones are at a better stage now, in the second trimester. This is the point where I noticed the lack of thigh gap and the transition to mermaid thighs. During this time I chose to wear one-piece swimsuits as that seemed to work best with my not yet fully rounded belly.

All in all, I can’t really say that I do not feel good in my skin, true, I felt a lot better last year, but I am well aware that I have to come to terms with the way my body carries a pregnancy as there is nothing I can do about it and stressing over it will not help. The swimsuit season is officially over for us, not necessarily because of the weather, but rather because in a week we will start redecorating our house. We will keep you updated on that as well.

August 26, 2016August 26, 2016

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The first three months in pictures…

As promised, we have put together a post with some photos we took from our first trimester of pregnancy. Also, the beautiful personalised mason jar in the featured photo is from a gift from our lovely friends at Atelier Funky Fresh. Check them out! They can do basically anything you like in terms of decorative personalised pieces!

First Month

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Second Month

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Third Month

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L. & D.

August 25, 2016

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JOBEN

This is the last post from Cluj for this year and it obviously involves food. The fact that this was the last place reviewed by us is intentional as I wanted to eat here last year as well but it was too full to be able to get a table. This year, we managed to get one and we excitedly waited for our Joben food. I want to start off by saying that this is the last reviewed place because it was our least favourite restaurant in Cluj and I honestly think that it is a bit overrated. Or maybe we were expecting too much of it, either way, it did not meet our expectations, especially since all our foodie experiences here were simply amazing. It is, however, extraordinarily decorated and it deserves a visit just for that, and if you are ok with eating ok-ish food.

It is clear right from the entrance that someone very talented and passionate about steampunk decorated this place with all sorts of very specific paraphernalia. This actually helps a lot when you have to wait for your food for more than an hour, because you have all these amazing little gizmos to look at, and I have to say that we did not get bored one bit. The staff is also very friendly, but the place is a bit understaffed as it only had two waitresses for the entire restaurant area. Both of them were very nice and they struggled to satisfy every single one of the customers, but at some point, they messed up my lemonade simply because the place was full of people and mix-ups are bound to happen.

On to the food… At first glance, even from last year, I knew there were quite a lot of things I wanted to try and after much pondering I settled for the White Chicks – even the names of the dishes are really funny – which are essentially crispy chicken strips, served with french fries and apple jam. D opted for ribs, naturally, but we both decided to start our lunch with a plate of Spicy Fried Pickles as that got both of our attention early on in the menu. The appetisers were extremely interesting and good which basically made us really anxious for out main dishes.My chicken was very good, but there was absolutely nothing special about it, maybe except for the fact that I had to dip it in jam. The fries were homemade, so that was a big plus but I did feel the need for a more spicy and tasty dip for them. D‘s ribs were ok, and you can see from the photos that there was nothing special about them whatsoever. They were plain oven cooked ribs with no special seasoning or anything. His potato chips were very good though, but again, they seriously needed some sort of dip. We did not want to wait to get dessert as that would’ve meant another hour of waiting as we did not order it from the get-go, so no sweet photos here.

To be honest, aside from the interior design and the fact that they had a Pokestop, there was nothing special about the place, nothing that will make us come back next year. It was even worst as they did not seem to have any air conditioning, which during the summer makes eating there nearly impossible. I did hear that their coffee is great, but neither of us had any as we were both on our way back for another nap. The check came at about 30E which is ok, but we did leave there feeling very disappointed of the place. Maybe had there not been so many people the food would’ve been better, but that is no excuse as most of the places we ate at during the long weekend we spent in Cluj were full and the food was amazing.

August 19, 2016

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This was UNTOLD

Like I said, we only managed to get our camera at the Untold festival on the first day, during the day, because the security guards were afraid that our lenses might be too big and we just might take some unauthorised photos of the festival. Needless to say that they were a bit too focused on the security part to actually acknowledge that our camera, even though it is big, is by no means a professional camera. So the only photos we have of the second edition of the festival are the ones we managed to take on the first day, hence all the almost empty food venders.

On a more positive note, even though we did not think it was possible, this year, the organisers managed to top last years’ festival. I am not talking about the artists as that was quite obvious from March, I am talking about a way better organised festival area. True, there was a lot more security than last year, but then again, a lot has happened in Europe since last year, and despite that, the access was way easier and quicker than last year. Last year, even though we had VIP tickets, there wasn’t a special queue and we had to wait for more than three hours to get our access bracelets, this was not the case this year and we managed to get inside the park in less than 5 minutes which was great for me. Also, this year, the bracelet looked way more exciting and fun even though the closing mechanism was a lot worse than last year.

Moving along from all this nonsense and onto the actual festival. Yet again, once you got in, you had the distinct feeling that all your worries are left outside and you are now into a place of tranquility and magic. That is until the night comes and you are constantly accompanied by amazing music but your worries are still not with you. Seriously, this year the line-up was insane, I mean Tomorrowland-insane, and that got me really pissed-up because it was no way in hell that I was able to make it to all the shows I wanted to see, even worst actually, there were some shows that I couldn’t see until the end because our bundle of joy just wouldn’t let us – read: I needed my rest. I really do hope that next year the line-up will be just as good if not better (there still were a few artists missing – Steve Aoki, Deorro, just to name a few).

This year all the food points and the fun corners seemed to be even more exciting than last year and it was nice to see that some of them we already knew from the first edition of the festival. The fashion corner of the festival was really nicely done, with places where you could try on whatever it was that you heart desired, there were enough drinking spots that you could never get dehydrated, I am telling you, the organisers really deserve a medal. Wait, last year they got the big trophy, the one that actually confirms the fact that this was the greatest festival in Europe. We’ll be definitely cheering for them this year as well.

Another improvement from last year was the sound system. The Vip area really struggled with the quality of the sound last year, but this year it was impeccable, as well as the toilet maintenance from that said area – this is always really important to me, especially this year. The only downside really of the Vip area is that the food was limited this time (Biutiful terrace) and completely absent last year, so I’m thinking that by next year we will get a few food corners to choose from.

All in all, this still is our favourite festival of the year, this year it will be the only one we will attend as my belly is really starting to grow every day more and more and we need to start redecorating and preparing for our new member of the family.

August 18, 2016

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LIVADA

As you’ve probably noticed, our life at Untold festival revolved around sleeping, eating and enjoying great music. Even though it seems that our only goal in Cluj was to try as many restaurants as possible, I promise that we did other stuff as well, like going to the actual festival. The bummer about pregnancy, especially in the first four months is that between the eating, dancing and sleeping, I did not have any energy left to actually take some fashion photos. So far, the two fashion posts are the only ones you’ll see of us while in Cluj. But fear not, the Untold posts will soon end and trust me when I say that we have not reviewed one restaurant that is not worth visiting while in Cluj.

The place we are going to talk about today is Livada. This place is just so great no matter if we are referring to the food, the design or the service. Some of the dishes in their new menu are signed by Chef Patrizia Paglieri, you know her from the Romanian Master Chef. That’s not to say that the dishes that are not signed by her are not delicious, on the contrary, actually everything on the menu is amazing and this is one of those places in Cluj where everyone can find something to eat on the menu. No matter if you are a traditional food lover or fan of the more modern cuisine, thanks to this new and exciting collaboration, Livada now has it all for everyone to enjoy.

All of us eating lunch there had a sort of combo of dishes, therefore you get to see quite the diversity. I had the carrot soup with a hint of ginger and the homemade french fries with garlic and pickled cucumbers. Hey, I’m pregnant and like never before I am craving potatoes in any shape and size. And, I am a sucker for homemade french fries as I am always too lazy to actually make them myself and they are a rarity in Bucharest. Moving along from the french fries and let’s talk a bit about the carrot soup. The secret to the carrot soup is to actually feel the carrot taste skilfully combined with another ingredient. This is definitely what’s going on with this one, the ginger perfectly compliments the carrots. I really see no point in talking about the perfection of the fries as the photo says it all. D had the Gulash which is a traditional Hungarian dish that judging by the fact that he ate in exactly 5 minutes, I’d say was very, very good. Our friends that joined us for lunch had the cheeseburger which according to them was very good. Like I said, you can find everything your heart desires at Livada.

For dessert, D and I shared the traditional dumplings, and what I loved about them was the fact that they came in bite sized pieces which made it really easy and enjoyable to eat. Our friends ordered the signature Tiramisu which turned out to be delicious but way too big for only one person. We all had different types of lemonades, and I am mentioning them because they are really worth a try. Not surprisingly, the check for me and D came at about 35 E, so this one is at the normal price range for a great restaurant in Cluj. Service wise, this was good, but not amazing, we were however thankful that we did not have to wait for an hour for our food. This is a place we’ll definitely have to revisit next time when we are in the area!

August 17, 2016

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ZAMA

This is the one restaurant I was talking about in an earlier post. The one that almost dethroned BARACCA for me. The only thing that really mattered and made a difference between the two is the quality of service, otherwise, for the kid in me ZAMA would’ve been the best place to eat in Cluj. Unfortunately, the service was so slow and at some point we honestly thought that the lady waiting on us did not understand what we were saying. This was the actual deal breaker for us.

Let me tell you a little something about myself and that way you will probably understand better why this traditional restaurant could’ve been more to my taste than the much classier BARACCA. My grandparents on my mother’s side grew up in this area and therefore my entire childhood I’ve been fed everything that you can currently find on the menu at ZAMA and much more. I really wanted to give this place a try mainly because I miss the flavours of my childhood – grandma is a great cook but she is old and I can’t order food like I were in a restaurant – and I could hardly believe someone else could cook quite as good as her. I was skeptical going in, but by the end I was so in love with this place that managed to take me back to my childhood that not even the slow service could’ve annoy me anymore.

When I say slow service, I mean it took us almost 3 hours to eat lunch, with about one hour of waiting for the first course, which, if you are a festival goer, you know that lunch is actually breakfast and basically you are starving by the time you reach any restaurant. I am well aware that traditional Transylvanian food is why the term ‘slow-cooking’ was invented, but this was on a whole different level. However, all that changed when the food actually came and therefore, if by that time I wasn’t sure that I was going to write about this place, that all changed the second I took my first sip of soup – this was definitely, food wise, my favourite restaurant!

The food… I ordered the lettuce soup which is a soup that you will not find anywhere else and I do admit that at first I was skeptical but when I tasted it, I was surprised to see that it tasted exactly like my grandmother’s. D chose the wild mushroom soup that was also done in true Transylvanian fashion. Again, for both soups, the quality of the ingredients is extremely important and, like I said before, from the first sip we knew this place was really special and needed a good, great actually, review on our blog. Since there were four of us that got annoyed by the long waiting time, the upside was that we got to see and taste double the amount of dishes that if it was just the two of us.

As a main course, our table hosted two types of traditionally made polenta, and I have to say that both of them were actually the best either of us ever tasted. Good polenta is not hard to make at all, but in order to get great polenta specialities, it has to be made in a certain slow cooked way – my grandfather used to take about two hours to achieve polenta perfection. To get a clue about how easy it is to make good polenta, it takes both me and my mother 5 minuted max, but we could never compare it with my grandfather’s. If you’re ever at ZAMA, try both specialities! Also on our table, we had the smoked pig leg with traditional cooked beans that, again was amazing and I had the one thing that I was craving for days, ever since I got to Cluj – the spinach puree with fried eggs! This is actually my favourite food ever since I was a little girl and while you might think that this combo is quite easy to make, well, it isn’t. The spinach has to be done a certain way in order to satisfy my tastebuds otherwise I can’t eat it – I’ve tried it in a lot of places. Needless to say that this one tasted amazing!

Dessert was yet again a roam through my childhood! We ordered boiled cottage cheese dumplings, bird’s milk – a better version of ile flottante, that you can find on the menu under the name of somloi galuska, and a traditional cheesecake that doesn’t taste like a normal cheesecake and that really needs to be tried out at least once. To be honest, as with all the other dishes, the desserts were amazing! Right to the point where my whole childhood meal was completed! I am telling you, the wait was well worth it as the food was one of the best I have ever tasted and everyone at the table loved it. This is not just a place to satisfy one’s childhood memories, this is a place that satisfies all those food lovers out there!

The check for me and D was about 30 E, so this is really a very cheap place if you consider that we both ate three courses each, plus drinks. ZAMA is really a must visit restaurant if you truly want to experience traditional Transylvanian cooking, but I am warning you, you will wait quite a lot for your food, but it will be well worth it!

August 15, 2016

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Daytime Festival Feeling…Part II

This was the second time we roamed the streets of Cluj to have a full photoshoot because, as stated in an earlier post, because of security reasons, we weren’t allowed with our camera at the festival thus having to take our fashion shoots on the streets. That was not necessarily a bad thing as this city has a lot of amazing places to offer, like this wall over here. The downside to wanting to actually go to the festival and being pregnant resulted in the fact that most days I was too tired to take photos – we just went out to eat and because we did the eating part sitting down, most of the posts will be of food.

For this photoshoot we both opted for a casual beige/greige/kaki combo as this fitted our mood and energy levels best on the third day of the festival – tired af! Yes, these photos were taken on the third day because on the second day, all I wanted to do was eat and sleep and get ready for the night as that second night was the fullest for us of them all. We both knew the old centre of Cluj very well, but actually walking there and searching for places to take photos really opened our eyes to details that we have not noticed until now – like the said wall. This blogging activity really has a lot of perks!

On me:

Dress – Dubai; Sandals – Bata; Bag – Mango; Bling – Tomorrowland (ring and bracelet), Pandora and Swarovski; Sunglasses – Dior; Watch – Tissot

Back to the outfits… I really hate having anything against my belly these days so mostly I am sporting dresses hoping that the weather will stay on the hot side as much time as possible. This dress is from Dubai from one of their markets and is really one of the most comfortable dresses I own, not to mention the fact that it really is the perfect shape and length for this period where my legs haven’t gotten fat enough to make me want to cover them, but my belly grew enough to need loose things to cover it. I paired the dress with my yellow fringed platform sandals from Bata and this is yet another item aside from the dress that will not benefit from a link in today’s post simply because I couldn’t find anything similar online. The bag – that I will link – is from Mango and I chose it because it matched both the colour theme and the fringe detail found on the sandals. Bling wise I kept is neutral with rings from Tomorrowland, Pandora and Swarovski, while not forgetting my Dior sunglasses on this sunny day.

On D:

Shorts – Scotch and Soda; T-shirt – Mango; Shoes – Paez; Bag – New Yorker; Bling – Constantin Nautics; Sunglasses – Ray-Ban; Watch – Tissot

D also wore colours similar to the ones I chose – naturally! – which made me a very happy girl. He opted for his camo shorts from Schotch and Soda and paired them with a plain beige t-shirt from Mango. Yes, he did not wear any fringe detail but I promise that at some point I will make him wear something very fringe-y! To finish his look he chose his new Paez espadrilles – we both bought a few pairs from the fashion corner at the festival – that perfectly complimented his outfit. The bag that matched the turquoise wall so perfectly is from New Yorker and he bought it ages ago and is just perfect for carrying all the camera necessities while we are on vacation.

He managed to wear a pair of sunglasses – Ray-Ban – even though he usually doesn’t bother while we are taking photos as they tend to get in the way of him taking pics. He also kept it simple where accessories are concerned only wearing his Constantin Nautics bracelet aside from the Untold bracelets. We both wore our Tissot watches that as stated earlier got changed in the evening for the more festival appropriate G-Shock watches.