The winter holidays are approaching and we can see this from the frenzy that has gripped people. Even if this pandemic has reduced their buying power and access to shops. Most people make shopping their main goal in these two weeks to the end of the year.
I don't want to be hypocritical and say that I don't like to have different things and to have them is the only solution to buy them. However, the needs have shrunk, as well as the desires, instead of my wife I can compare to Chekhov's gun. There is an observation about Chekhov's plays, and that is, if there is a rifle in the set then it will surely be used by the end of the play. My wife, if she goes into a shop, she is sure to buy something, she never leaves a shop empty-handed!
Today I went to IKEA again. We were IKEA fans in our youth when in communist Romania there was obviously no such store, then we were a fan of the IKEA catalog that used to come to our house (from some friends who had relatives in the West), enough to dream about all the home items we saw there. We were trying to build our own using the models in the catalog and of course, we couldn't make anything even close.
Then, around the year 2000 IKEA stores appeared in our country, again we were fans for a while, we bought all kinds of furniture that we got bored of after a few years. Then we forgot about IKEA.
Now my wife is an IKEA fan again, we went today to buy a small sofa for the kitchen.
It wasn't the item we couldn't live without but it was the item she couldn't live without!
The sofa was supposed to fit in a fixed space in our kitchen and luckily it was 4 inches long and we got away with not buying it.
My wife and I went to IKEA to buy a sofa. The sofa didn't fit in the kitchen and we didn't buy it.
I came home with a box containing bread and a ... carpet. When I walked into the store, I didn't know we needed one.
Chekhov's Gun, as I said!
The images above are from IKEA. Stuffed toys, for kids, obviously. I didn't want to put the usual stuff from the store, with everything for home and garden. I've seen it so many times I'm bored of them. I figured these dolls are what kids look at, these are what interest them... what would it be like to be children again?
Because children have imagination and a good memory. I don't have a good memory anymore but the photo archive helps me to remember the beautiful glimpses of life. Like these spent in Iasi, the beautiful city in Romania where I lived for more than one summer!
Rest, relaxation, and beer at Staropramen terrace at Palace Mall in Iasi
Many times it takes a while to get past certain moments in life to realize how good it was. Why don't we understand right when they happen how special and unique they are. Now when I look back I understand how happy and carefree I was then, on the terrace, on a beautiful summer day.
This is our favorite terrace where, besides the famous beer, they had not many but all extremely tasty food. And they had something else. The terrace was separated from the park paths by a small card full of flowers and greenery. I like that, I don't like sidewalk terraces where passers-by mingle among the tables in a movement that disturbs both them, the passers-by, and especially the consumers.
The terrace belongs to Palace Mall and has an entrance from both the mall and the garden.
But the most pleasant part of the place is the view towards the Palace of Culture, the palace gardens and the nearby carousel. It is so pleasant and funny to see how children enjoy this spinning object.
But let me give the king the kings. Czech beer. It's my favorite. Unfiltered Staropramen beer. Our portion was fixed, just one big glass, one liter of beer. Unbelievable, but my wife drank the whole glass!
But don't think the wife is overdoing it with the booze. Here only she takes the glass because I was busy filming and photographing. Because I couldn't help myself.
And after a good rest always followed a tour of the mall but not the shops, just a walk, and people-watching. People's shopping behavior is so different and comical sometimes.
Now for something we can't forget. A flower for #alwaysaflower, a flower for you and 
A flower also from Iasi, from the beautiful Botanical Garden.
To explain a little why I chose not to write about Christmas preparations. There are so many of you who post wonderfully and dedicatedly about Christmas, Denise being the first, a true Christmas ambassador. I couldn't possibly write so beautifully and honestly and will explain that another time. For now, I prefer to read your stories, thank you!
@dswigle