Another Beautiful Chapter Finished

Hello dear all,

It is hard to believe that in few days I will be leaving MoaAlm, mountain retreat that I have been calling home for the past year.

It is hard to believe that is the end somehow.

This place is so special and some of you who came to visit me experienced it. I still cannot believe the whole year passed. It's been such a wondeful ride. With ups and downs, with laughs and pains, with joy, with many new lessons, new friends, new family.

Cooking vegan food and inspiring people to make positive chnages in their lifestyles has been one of the highs. Lots of new faces, great friendships, amazing adventures, snowboarding, sledging, hiking, swimming- my life has been really spoiled with comfort!

I am so grateful for this beautiful place and I am a little bit sad about leaving it. I feel that I will come back one day but who knows where the next adventure is waiting for me.

I really got used to wake up each morning and see those glorious mountains with snow peaks around. I have been spoiled to live by the highest peak in Austria- beautiful Grossglockner. I have been spoiled to eat like a queen and let my creativity unfold in the kitchen. I have been spoiled with people around me- who accepts me the way I am-sometimes a bit weird or crazy, loud and in love with so many things around me. I have been spoiled with deer and marmottes as my only neighbours around. I have been spoiled for so many things, but the good thing with getting a bit older is that you realise it more. Not when you are in a death bed turning the pages of your photo album but actually in the present time.

Catching the beauty in the present time is my natural high. It gives me hope, it gives me inspiration and it gives me a sense of freedom.

I am feeling pretty emotional, like with all my places that I have called home. But in the same time I feel ready for  new adventures.

This week me, Lottie and Ryan with their dog Szuka will be getting on our bicycles and starting the bicycle tour around Austria. Since we can't leave Austria due to Corona madness we decided to have a bit of a challenge and explore the country on our bikes.

So send good vibes for our trip and perhaps I'll make some more blog posts or even little videos to catch out bike tour vibes.

Miss you a lot!!!! <3

Magic Believer

Servus!

I believe in magic. I believe in synchronicity, in things that meant to happen, in universe power and mystic unexplained stories. Without those beliefs my life would lose it's charm. I am that kind of person who likes to connect things and not call them coinsidences. If I meet a person that I know on the other side of the globe, it's not a coincidence for me, it definitely has more meaning than that.

I also like from time to time to reflect on where I am and retrack my life journey.

Since young age I always have been a person who likes trying new things, very curious about a lot of stuff. So when I left school and went exploring the world, I often found myself asking what is that makes me happy, what job, what activity that makes me want to wake up in the morning and do it. A lot of wise travellers always assured me that it is ok not to know what you want, as long as you keep on trying and keep on learning. I really believed them.

And then slowly I started to pick hobbies, activities and jobs that really made my life colourful and interesting.

When I left Sark nearly a year ago, I was quite confused and lost. And I often get these lost moments, I think they are pretty normal. I got a chalet host job quickly afterwards, without even knowing that I actually will be cooking, funny! As if Universe got something planned for me. I enjoyed it and then, again, very randonmly, I got another job, this time cooking the food that fits my moral and ethical standards.

So now I am actually getting paid to cook and experiment with plant based food. I am getting an opportunity to inspire more people and question meat and dairy industries. And I don't even need to go and protest or do other type of plant based lifestyle encouregemnet actions ( don't get me wrong, it's very very important too!). I can use my creativity in the kitchen and then enjoy it together with guests who perhaps later make changes in their lifes.

Now when I look back quite many years ago, I wouldn't have imagined doing such a job. And I am not saying that I reached the peak and now I just gonna do it all my life. No, I just really believe that without looking and exploring, I probably wouldn't be where I'm now. And all the little things that happened in my life are truly magical.

I keep on meeting so many wonderful people that keep on inspiring me a letting me grow. Feeling completely grateful for all of that.

Let everybody create magic in this world.

Sending love from high mountains,

Ligita

beautiful beautiful mountains

home sprouted lentils and courgette salad

Aubergine filled with buckwheat and seasonal veg sauce

Lemon tumeric cheesecake

I'm still obsessed with mandalas!

cool house

amazing Weissensee lake

Alpine strawberries!

ha, selfie in the forest!

i love those lights!

something magical about pine trees

Nettle soup with home made oatcakes. My colleagues Becca's photo. She is so good!

Sweet potato spinach paties with beetroot ketchup. Again Becca's photo

Berries and rhubarb crumble with home made strawberry nice cream. Becca's photo. You can tell, ha!

Mountains Life

Servus!

For the past 4-5 summers I have been living by the sea. I am in love with the water and spending time either on the island or by the coast gave me such happiness.

After this winter I got an amazing opportunity to work as a vegan cook in the Austrian Alps. Mountains took me away from the sea, ha!

The place where I live at the moment is so beautiful, so remote that the rest of world seems so far far away. Living on the edge of the biggest National Park in the Alps bring another joy- wild animals. Everytime I am out exploring, I spot deers, marmots and some beautiful birds. I feel so humble to be able to share such beautiful home with other creatures. It is their home, their mountains and I am here to observe and appreciate their habitat.

I am really enjoying to be part of the team creating beautiful plant based food. For quite a while now I am so passionate about veganism. I really believe it's the future. At least for me. Or at least now, haha. It really sits well with my life philosophies and ethos.

Ukulele comes handy in this envirnoment. There is something special about being able to create a beautiful sound while being in the mountains. Thanks to my friend Mohamed who introduced me to this wonderful instrument!

I feel like I have learnt a lot and it's only been a month. It is definitely challenging to live so remote and be away from so many friends and family but the nature is so nurturing. I am so so lucky and fortunate to be able to do what I love while living in such stunning location.

My german is not going at all, haha. I really start to think that I turned into lazy languages learner. We use English at work- that's my common excuse!

Apart from yoga and occasional climbing ( new hobby!), I try to get in the extremely cold mountain river. For connection, for healing and I guess for some sort of challenge. You should realy try cold water swimming- feels so good!

So that's my life at the moment. I will be here til the middle of October, if anybody passes by, let me know!

Much love to you all,

Ligita

new home 

my balcony view

beautiful valley

cold cold lake!

Speedy Becca!

wild rice and walnut stuffed mushrooms

cauliflower base pizza