Culture Shop

Whew!  These past few weeks have been crazy busy for me, with packing up, flying home to the US and then nonstop traveling ever since.  I'm just settling down to a few weeks of visiting back at home with my family, and I'm so excited to get to spend some time with everybody.

Everyone says that whenever you move home from another country you'll experience reverse culture shock.  Since it seems unavoidable, I'm sure it will happen to me, too, but so far I'm just enjoying being here.  One thing I do already miss, funny enough, is the amazing flea markets you can find in any big city in Europe, full of everything from junk to antiques, furs, china, silver--you name it.  We love strolling through ours in Vienna on a Saturday morning or the even bigger one in Berlin.

The fun thing about these markets is searching through the piles of things you wouldn't want and coming home with something special--and usually at a great deal.  

Happily, thrift stores and consignment shops abound here in the good ole' USA, so my love of an inexpensive treasure continues.  If you have a little time and patience, a quick run through these places in your area can give you some fantastic finds.  Don't be deterred by furniture that's painted an ugly color or even needs new upholstery-- you can always change those details to make it your own.

Happy treasure hunting.

Liza