March Wrap-Up

Greetings! Welcome to April 1st and what a gorgeous, sunny spring day we have where I live today. March was a unique month since I spent part of it at home and part of it in Europe with my sister. We had an amazing trip visiting Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia. I just returned home on the weekend and am now catching up with my blogging.

For readers who are new to my blog, this is my third monthly wrap-up in 2019. My January wrap-up is here, and my February wrap-up is here. I plan to write a wrap-up for each month so I can look back and see how well the year has turned out.

MARCH 2019

ARTS

In March I viewed three colourful outdoor and indoor art exhibits in my home city, one indoor art exhibit in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and one outdoor art exhibit in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. There were also lots of beautiful art and architecture in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia. Sample photos of the indoor art exhibits that I visited are below.

Pratneker art exhibit in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Paintings and Blown Glass Arts in Toronto

BLOGS

I wrote three posts in March before my trip to wrap up February, and to share my outdoor walks to Canoe Landing Park and Ice Breakers 2019. I didn't blog while I was traveling in Europe :-).

My thanks to everyone who have left comments on my blog and those who linked up with the Wellness Wednesday on March 13. A friendly reminder that our next Wellness link up is on Wednesday April 10. Optional prompt is Healthy Mind.

BOOKS

I read eight terrific books written by authors from Canada, Croatia, France, Sweden, and the USA. Most of the books are literary award winners or international bestsellers and are good reads.

Books I read in March

• Love Dishonor Marry Cherish Perish by David Rakoff, 113 pages. This is a novel in verse with witty words that weave the stories together.
• The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, translated from the French Chanson Douce by Sam Taylor, 228 pages. Leila Slimani is the first Moroccan woman to win France's most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt, which she won in 2016 for The Perfect Nanny. A journalist, she was born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1981. She lives in Paris with her French husband and their two young children. I enjoyed this book and picked up a second book, Adèle, by the same author from the Best Bets section in my local library.
• Adèle by Leila Slimani, translated from the French Dans le Jardin de L'ogre by Sam Taylor, 216 pages. Leila Slimani won the La Mamounia Prize in 2014 for Adèle. The book tells the story of a woman afflicted by sexual addiction that loses control of her life due to her addiction. In this book cover, it states that the author is a frequent commentator for women's and human rights, and she is French president Emmanuel Macron's personal representative for the promotion of the French language and culture.
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, translated from Swedish by Henning Koch, 295 pages. I've always meant to read this book and enjoyed reading it so much I couldn't put it down. I finished it in a day.
• Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill, 262 pages. This book won the 2017 Giller Prize in Canada. The book is set in Toronto with locations familiar to me. The story is about a woman's doppelganger and mental health.
• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, 90 pages. This science fiction novella won the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novella and the 2015 Nebula Award for the same category.
• 419 by Will Ferguson, 399 pages. This book won the 2012 Giller Prize in Canada. It's about the insidious Internet scam from Nigeria, and how the characters' lives intersect.
• The Rough Guide to Croatia, 479 pages, written and researched by Jonathan Bousfield who lives in Zagreb, Croatia.

CONCERTS

I attended three wonderful concerts at home before my trip:
    •    A Taste of Mardi Gras concert by Jordan Klapman, Gary Scriven, and Patrick Tevlin.
    •    Peace and Turmoil piano concert by Jialang Zhu.
    •    A classical piano concert by David Potvin.

FAMILY, FOOD & FRIENDS

In the first half of March, I met with one of my friends for a gym workout, and attended a fun social event that one of the yoga class participants organized to celebrate International Women's Day.

I spent the second half of March travelling with my sister. We had a wonderful time together in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia. Our tour package covered all breakfasts, and we were on our own for lunch and dinner so we tried different eateries in various towns and cities that we visited. There were plenty of food and drink choices to choose from, plus delicious desserts.

HEALTH

In March, I meditated fifteen minutes daily, walked forty-five minutes or more every day. While at home, I completed ten strength workouts in the gym, five yoga classes, and three swimming sessions. On our trip, my sister and I walked on average three hours a day for sightseeing. I love my outdoor walks and when I get to see colourful art displays on sunshiny days, I'm a happy person :)

Outdoor arts for my fit and fun walks

LEARNING

I continued with my daily French and Spanish lessons on Duolingo, and learned about Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia before and during my trip. The tour leader and local tour guides gave us a lot of information about the three countries that we visited.

MOVIES

I watched two movies with my neighbours in early March (Instant Family, Ralph Breaks the Internet), and two in-flight movies (Venom, A Simple Favor). They were entertaining.

TRAVEL

My sister and I visited Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia on a guided tour. The trip was wonderful with several stops along the Adriatic Coast and two capital cities (Ljubljana in Slovenia and Zagreb in Croatia). We also made one stop in Mostar, in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

We lucked out with the group size (only twelve people), and the weather (mostly sunny days and only one cloudy day). Our itinerary was similar to the snapshot below. We had a good mix of guided time and free time to explore on our own. I plan to share my travel highlights and photos on my blog once I get my travel materials sorted out.

Adriatic Tour

Overall, March was a month full of new and fun experiences for me, both at home and abroad. I welcome April and look forward to enjoying the Spring season :)

How was your March? What good things happened? I'd love to hear your comments.