Urlaub auf Balkonien

Greetings from Balconia!

Today is Monday and I have a day off because it is a public holiday in Germany. Since I had not planned on going anywhere on my three-day weekend, I started thinking about what to do at home. It was going to rain, and it did most of the time. On Saturday I was going to babysit my parents' dog because my mom and her partner were going out for her birthday, which I was happy to hear about because they never go out anywhere.

I love being at home. I love having a day or two where all I can do is relax and enjoy being in the moment. I love waking up whenever I want to, making myself some breakfast and tea or coffee and just enjoying it on the balcony forgetting about time and responsibilities.  

That is usually the plan, but I have lived enough days as an adult to realize that my weekends are never this relaxing. I usually wake up earlier than I would on a work day, I try to sleep in some more and then once I am finally awake, I start thinking about all the things that need to be done. Since stores are closed on Sundays and public holidays, I panically worry about everything that I need to buy and cannot live one, or in this case, two days without. I also finally have the time to do more laundry, clean more, fix that thing, reorganize whatever closet or bake something or...or I could just enjoy my day and not worry too much about everything that needs to be done.

This made me think about what my days look like whenever I am traveling and staying at a hotel. I wake up and lounge around in bed for as long as I want to. At some point I get hungry and look up places to go have breakfast or lunch. I buy stuff, come back to the hotel, get out again, come back and take a nap and eventually go out again. There is nothing to worry about, there are no rules, time goes by and I am out there just living my life. So how can I live more like this during my weekends?

Urlaub auf Balkonien

To generalize, Germans are masters when it comes to vacation. They always plan things months, if not years, in advance and are gone for days or even weeks at a time multiple times a year. As a German, you must always have at least one vacation planned per year, but what does one do if they cannot go anywhere? That is when you get to spend your time off on the wonderful isles of Balconia where everything is as affordable as your rent is and as expensive as you want it to be.

The title of this post translates to "vacation on Balconia". The use of "auf" (meaning on) instead of "in" makes it sound like Balconia is some island or some resort where it is always sunny, hot and all you do is treat yourself by the pool, just like you would on a real all-inclusive vacation.

I have honestly never been a fan of just relaxing by the beach. I do love swimming and could spend half a day just swimming and floating around, but I would eventually get bored and want to do something. However, what I do miss on my weekends is that worry-free feeling I get whenever I do not have an entire day figured out. It is okay if I only have chips or cake for dinner, I am on vacation after all. It is okay if I just sleep all day and then go out drinking, I am on vacation after all. It is okay if I only do one or two things, I am on vacation after all.  "I am on vacation after all" became my mantra for the next few days.

On Friday, I turned off my computer when I was done with work, checked my phone for a bit and then just sat on the balcony. I just sat there for a while either reading a book or listening to a podcast while drinking tea and eating cookies. Once it got dark and a little cold, I decided to have some "self-care time" and I trimmed my beard and showered for like 30 minutes instead of 10. I did find myself rushing through my shower, but I stopped and reminded myself that "I am on vacation after all". 

On Saturday, my partner and I successfully decided on what we wanted to cook for dinner for the next days, so we went and bought whatever we needed for it. Later that day, I tried to make some Turkish gözleme, and whenever I bake, no matter how well I prepare things in advance, it gets messy. My parents were kind enough to bring us dinner when they were done with their trip, so we did not have to cook. Unfortunately, most of my Saturday did feel as hectic and rushed as usual. I was not on vacation after all.

On Sunday, my partner made me French toast for breakfast which was absolutely amazing. I actually sat on the balcony with the plate in my hand just enjoying it. After the third smaller slice, I did have to get up and try to dilute the sugar in my blood with some water. I know Sunday was yesterday, but I swear I cannot remember else I did. I know I read a litte bit from the book I am currently reading (Enough is enuf by Gabe Henry), watched some youtube, washed and dried some laundry or rather had the machines do that for me. Was I on vacation after all? Maybe.

Today, I actually did not sleep very well and woke up with a headache. I took some ibuprofen because I feel I may be coming down with a cold. I baked some croissants - don't get too excited, it was that dough from a can and explodes in your hand when you open it -, and had those for breakfast. I have just been chitchatting with some friends while listening to music. I suppose what I have in store for today is folding some of yesterday's laundry while listening to a podcast, doing lots of reading on the balcony and ending the day by watching some Schitt's Creek with my boyfriend. It is a public holiday after all.