This has been a really interesting period in our lives hugely marked by the Covid19 pandemic. In Switzerland, the first 15 days of March were kind of “normal” although we were waiting for the lockdown to be put in force as well.
Our daily life changed, as it did for most people around the world. However, we adapted and managed to combine work from home and life with a small kid as best as we could.
There are many lessons learned from this period and many moments for which I feel super grateful. In this article, I share a few of them with you with the hope to inspire you to do the same.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Book: Super Attractor by Gabrielle Bernstein. After watching Bernstein’s interview at Marie TV (Marie Forleo’s channel), I downloaded her latest book immediately on my audible and consumed it quite quickly. It’s one of these books that you cannot stop reading, or in my case listening to. There are a lot of exercises involved as well and one of these helped me deal with a burning issue I had at that time.
Book: How to Fix your Shit by Shaa Wasmund. An interesting and easy-to-read book reminding me of various techniques that you can follow to achieve your goals and make a change in your life.
Journaling: The Five-Minute Journal: this fun and easy-to-use journal was on my radar for such a long time and I finally ordered two copies for me and Thanos, as a gift for his birthday which was on late February. Created by Mimi and Alex Ikonn, a couple that has hugely impacted me during the last years with their positive attitude, it helps you start and finish the day on a positive note. Thanos also loved it and it’s our new favorite ritual as a couple.
WELLBEING
Yoga at home: I haven’t been doing as much yoga practice as I was hoping to lately but really liked the prenatal yoga courses I found on YouTube by Brett Larkin. She has several yoga courses available on her YouTube Channel worth checking out.
Hypnobirthing online class: getting ready for baby no2 and somehow, I came across this hypnobirthing online class created by Siobhan, founder of The Positive Birth Company. I liked her message, signed up and really enjoyed her course along with all the resources she gives. Wish I would have found this class earlier.
TRAVEL, FAMILY & FRIENDS
Obviously, we didn’t get to travel in March and April but we did feel grateful for all the travel memories from previous years. To be honest, I really enjoyed slowing down and going for walks near our home. Here are a few more moments I treasure from this period:
- Spending hours and hours drawing with Marios at home
- Enjoying the lovely spring weather with walks by the lake or in the mountains, near Lausanne
- Wishing happy birthday to many members of our families back in Greece
- Keeping in touch with family and friends near and far away thanks to technology and internet connection
- Feeling grateful that we can send and receive letters and parcels worldwide
TASTE
- Cooking pizza at home with our own pizza dough
- Breakfasts with vegan pancakes red fruits, banana, marmalades, almond butter, tahini and Favarger chocolate spread. We got this recipe in February from IMA cantine in Paris and it is seriously the most delicious pancakes I have tasted so far.
- Ordering local products from Farmy.ch for the first time
- Ice-cream from LOOM artisanal gelateria which opened for the season (and then, unfortunately, had to close down again due to the COVID19 pandemic)
- Baked oat bar by Deliciously Ella
- Everyday breakfast with fruits and almond butter on bread: simple, healthy, delicious.
- Traditional Greek fava (yellow split pea puree) – you can find a recipe here
- Homemade chicken gyros with pita – here is the recipe
- Trying out Vaga Bon Café at Galerie Port Franc in Lausanne on a Saturday morning while reading Standart, a magazine for the art of coffee. This was an hour of bliss.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil from ZEA épicerie which offers Greek products in Pully; while most of the population was going crazy for toilet paper, pasta and canned products, we were anxious that we would run out of extra virgin olive oil!
- Ordering Vertical Coffee beans from Sydney Café and getting our beloved banana bread as a bonus; just love these guys!
- Baking tsoureki (traditional Greek Easter sweet bread) for the very first time: not easy but luckily, it was a huge success. Here is the recipe we followed (only in Greek)
- Baking easter cookies with a traditional recipe from my hometown, Ioannina with Marios for the first time. Here is the recipe I have from my mom (only in Greek for the moment).
- Chocolate: Original Beans, Piura 75%, organic/vegan/dark chocolate bar. We loved the taste of it.
What were your favorite moments of March and April 2020? Spend a few minutes now to think about it and feel grateful for all the wonderful things happening in your life. Will you try it? If yes, let me know if this made you smile! Leave a comment down below or send me a direct email at smile@mygreektravellingspoon.com.
Read more articles here:
Cooking – where to get inspiration for new recipes
Inspiration – Victoria Sardain, the wellness advocate
Are you looking for ideas on where to eat and drink in Lausanne? Would you love to have a 4-day foodie itinerary? Check out my ebook – The Curated Foodie Guide to Lausanne!
