This month of May felt like the perfect spring-beginning-of-summer month, with warm sunny days and rainy ones, packed with outdoors activities and little adventures. It was also a month of planning and looking forward to summer holidays, which I can’t wait for!
My favourite things about this month:
- Concerts and festivals: music played a big role in this month of May, and it isn’t because I finally managed to play the piano regularly, but because of concerts and festivals. The first day of the month, I went to the Balkan Trafik festival in Brussels, where everyone could discover music from the Balkans. The atmosphere was really lively and it was amazing to see all the traditional clothes and hear the traditional music! Later in the month, I went to two concerts: one of Dua Lipa (who doesn’t need to be introduced I think), and another one by the French singer Angèle. Both were absolutely fantastic and I had so much fun! It also felt kind of weird to go back to something so normal!
- Onigiris: next to my workplace, there is a small Japanese supermarket that also sells fresh sushis and onigiris (triangular rice balls). I have been aware of it for a very long time but somehow, I only tried it recently, and since then I’ve been many times to grab a delicious lunch during my break!
- Ambien music and fun Youtube playlists: when I work, I like to put on some music in the background to stay motivated and focused – even though it doesn’t always work. I usually play whatever “focus” or “study” playlist I see on Youtube, but this month the title of the playlists suggested to me were just so random: from “you’re a princess dreaming in the palace garden” and “you’re a young priestess falling in love with a Greek god” to “when you reveal the psycho you really are to the person you’ve been dating for months”, I have had so much fun discovering all of these suggestions! The content is usually classical musical pieces, but getting to imagine a weird and random context to it is so much fun!
My latest trips and adventures
- This month, I finally discovered the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, which are only open a few weeks each year. Discovering the impressive greenhouses and walking around the garden was a fantastic way to spend a chill Sunday with friends!
- On another Sunday, I went with some friends to check out the Brussels Food Festival, located not too far from the centre. There were many food stands offering all sorts of food options and specialties from all around the world. I love places like this because you can eat a lot of different things but it is really hard to make a choice!
- Thanks to the many bank holidays in May, I was able to go on a small day trip to Lille, a French city located not too far from Brussels. I had already been there in 2019, but this time I went with my boyfriend to meet a friend of mine and check out all the different and cute shops there are + eat delicious food. Lille is such a nice city with a pretty historical centre made of cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings, so it is perfect for a chill day trip. I can’t wait to go back!
Hobbies and distractions:
- Sewing: I finally finished sewing two picnic blankets, after many weeks of doing one tiny thing here and there! After finishing them I realised that maybe I should have made them a bit bigger but I can always put the two together to make a big one. I finished right on time for the warmer season and I already used it once! It was indeed a bit small but it felt so nice to have a cute picnic blanket!
- Books: as always, I tend to read many books at the same time, so progress is slow, but I finished reading The Art of Making Memories and I loved it! It gives amazing tips to create happy and memorable moments, and I can’t wait to put everything into practice to create a summer to remember!
- Movies: this month, I rewatched the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, which I loved. I also finally watched Don’t Look Up, which was really fun and terrifyingly true at the same time, and Her, that I found a bit odd but, again, very realistic somehow. Have you seen any of these?
General thoughts:
Writing down all the amazing things I did this month makes me feel a bit better about how fast time is flying, especially in the nicer months. I am already starting to feel a bit anxious to not let summer pass by so quickly… but if it does, it also means that I am having loads of fun, so it’s actually not that bad! The days are also getting a bit colder here in Belgium – after a few weeks of warm weather – so I am also a bit worried that we’ll have a rainy summer like last year… Let’s see!
Looking forward to:
- Sister(s) coming to visit: in a few days, two of my sisters are coming to Brussels, one for a longer period of time and the other one just for a weekend, and I am so excited to show them around the city and spend time together!
- Summer holidays: to no surprise, I just can’t wait to be on holiday and discover new places. My plans are not 100% defined yet, but since the tickets are mostly booked, there’s only the best part left: planning what to see and do!
How was May for you? What are you looking forward to?
Published in May:
Belgium’s Blue Forest
– Two years of blogging, my first interview and so many of you
– Exploring Prague in 2 days
– Daydreaming at the tsar’s residences – Peterhof and Catherine Palace
– Studying Russian in Russia for a month
– My top 5 things to do in Saint Petersburg
The month of May also marks my blog’s anniversary (3 years!), and the 7th of May is the day that I published my very first blog post: Four Days in Budapest!
Sunny Days with Juliette 
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