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ABOUT ME AND MY WINDOW

"My favorite journey is looking out the window." - Edward Gorey, Author


This is the window through which I’ll be sharing my observations of life in a small village in central Istria and my experiences renovating an old house, while I ‘reconnect with my roots’. My Belgian husband and South Indian cat are joining me to share the adventure -- and the view.

Why ‘Istria Outside My Window’?

Because before moving here I was living in India and writing a popular blog called India Outside My Window. I liked the name and instead of thinking up something refreshingly new and original for my new blog, I just recycled the old name.

Why did we move to Istria?

Because my husband wanted to get off the hamster wheel of corporate life and instead of working on animated movies for Hollywood decided to focus on more important things, like baking bread and drawing cartoons.

Because having a house in Istria was one of our dreams for a very, very long time… 

 Because by renovating this little old house in Gračišće we’ll also be contributing to the restoration of this lovely little village which was almost completely abandoned for decades.

 Because we love this little unique corner of Europe sitting between East and West.

 And last but not least, because this is the land of my parents’ birth.

Where am I from and what do I do?

I happened to be born in Toronto, Canada but caught the travel bug at a young age. I've travelled to 45 countries and have lived in Austria, Belgium, the UK and India. When I'm not scribbling away here, I work as a freelance writer.

 If you'd like to get in touch...

 Write to me at: isabel(at)istriaoutsidemywindow.com

If you'd like to be informed of new blog posts as they're published, sign up for email updates here.


35 comments:

  1. Kit13 September 2013 at 21:45

    All the best to you in your new home. While I will miss your entries on life in India, I look forward to learning about this part of the world.

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    Replies
    1. Isabel16 September 2013 at 21:37

      Thanks Kit for following my adventures all these years!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous18 September 2013 at 12:36

    Great blog Isabel, looking forward to new articles ;)
    Krešo

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  3. Isabel19 September 2013 at 17:01

    Hvala Krešo!

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  4. Anonymous24 September 2013 at 15:26

    Isabel,
    I was sent from Japan to live in Bangalore. I used to follow your blog for the last 1 year. Its sad to see you leave Bangalore, but your new blog is also great. Good luck.
    J

    ReplyDelete
  5. Isabel24 September 2013 at 15:40

    Thanks J for following me from one window to the next!

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  6. Anna5 October 2013 at 21:21

    Hello! Lovely sparkling new blog. Hurrah. I'm looking forward to reading of your adventures.

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  7. Isabel5 October 2013 at 21:34

    Thank you Anna and welcome to my sparking new window!

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  8. Unknown16 October 2013 at 21:04

    Wonderful to e-meet you! I am sure we will have plenty to share :)

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  9. Isabel16 October 2013 at 21:19

    Nice to meet you too SJ Begonia and thanks for looking through my window!

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  10. Indian Bazaars22 October 2013 at 06:59

    Isabel, Istria looks like such a beautiful place! Hope you have great days ahead...

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  11. Isabel22 October 2013 at 08:18

    Thanks for visiting Kiran!

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  12. Anonymous4 December 2013 at 22:31

    Hi Isa!! kako mi je drago da sam nasla vas blog!!!! I would love to share your experience!! We move to Istria from France in mid december.........see you soon in Grasisce;) Isabelle Morini

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  13. Isabel5 December 2013 at 08:52

    Drago mi je da ste našli moj prozor Isabelle! Au plaisir de vous voir bientôt en Istrie.

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  14. Ramaa Bharadvaj18 February 2014 at 04:11

    I hope you visit many countries Isabel so I can visit them too through your awesome images and picturesque words - Ramaa Bharadvaj

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  15. Isabel18 February 2014 at 06:37

    Many thanks for looking through my window with me Ramaa and your kind words!

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  16. Anonymous22 February 2014 at 13:42

    Thank you for your which I enjoyed reading. My family wishes to move to Istria or Rijeka and your confirmed the idea !

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    Replies
    1. Isabel19 April 2014 at 13:54

      Thank you for your message. I'm glad to hear you're planning to move to Istria or Rijeka.

      Delete
  17. OurFarmAtChitrapur19 April 2014 at 13:38

    Hello; I came across your lovely blog while I was searching for ways to take a cat to EU. My daughter plans to do so and I really liked the way you have described it in detail.Thanks. And as for your blog :) :) :) It is marvellous. We moved recently from Mumbai to rural Karnataka and I too have started my blog about our farm experiences. We travelled with all our pets and yes -most people here think we are crazy to care about our animals the way we do. - Tanuja Nadkarni

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  18. Isabel19 April 2014 at 13:57

    Thanks so much for your message Tanuja and kind words. I would love to read your blog but I can't access it from your profile. I'll try googling it. I'm glad the cat post was useful!

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    Replies
    1. OurFarmAtChitrapur20 April 2014 at 10:16

      Thanks Isabel. Here is the link http://ourfarmatchitrapur.blogspot.in/

      Delete
  19. Lillian26 June 2014 at 03:25

    Dear Isabel,
    I discovered your blog today while searching for an elderflower syrup recipe. My flowers are now distilling their lovely taste on my kitchen counter and I have returned to read more of your beautiful Istria. Thanks for the recipe and a great armchair trip. I'll look forward to many more of both.

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    Replies
    1. Isabel26 June 2014 at 08:29

      Thanks for stopping by my window Lillian. Glad to hear you're making elderflower syrup!

      Delete
  20. Jeanne10 October 2014 at 16:38

    Isabel,
    I came across your blog today through the post about the India cat. I love the wonderful colorful pictures of your area. They are so beautiful it makes me want to visit Istria. You have a new follower.

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  21. Isabel10 October 2014 at 17:47

    Hi Jeanne, welcome to my window! I hope you have the chance to visit Istria. In the meantime you can have glimpses of it here. Thank you for following!

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  22. Unknown5 January 2015 at 10:03

    Hello Isabel
    i just wanted to welcome the blog about Istria that is not a tourist guide...I also lived in 3 countries in Europe untill I came here to my family house which I am restaurating little by little...should you come to Pula and feel like chatting about Istria ...here we are!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isabel5 January 2015 at 11:18

      Hi Nini, nice to meet you here! Do get in touch via email. Vidimo se!

      Delete
  23. Andrea Pisac1 February 2015 at 17:32

    I love your reasons for settling down in Istria - and I think it's really impressive that you're thinking about the village as a whole. Will be visiting your blog again!

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    Replies
    1. Isabel1 February 2015 at 17:35

      Welcome to my window Andrea! I'm enjoying your blog too.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous21 August 2015 at 22:19

    Hi Isabel,

    I was looking up the Salamon Palace and came across your Istria Out My Window. I notice you have spelled it Salomon--I believe this might be an incorrect spelling. When we visited the Palace a few years ago it was spelled Salamon on all of the historic signage and also in the guidebooks we had. Salamon is a common spelling in that area, and in fact, my husband's father is from that area of Istria and our last name is spelled Salamon.

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  25. Isabel26 August 2015 at 17:39

    Dear Anonymous,

    Thanks for your comment! I have moved it to the relevant post where I have also posted a reply. You can see it here: http://www.istriaoutsidemywindow.com/2014/10/crumbling-elegance-gracisces-salomon.html#.Vd3dYdKUffK

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  26. Anonymous20 September 2015 at 21:28

    We were just today in Gracisce, hiking the St Simeon trail. My wife is from Ontario, I am Istrian, we both live abroad, and this was my first visit to Gracisce! I was surprised how cute it is.

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    Replies
    1. Isabel21 September 2015 at 08:25

      I'm glad you enjoyed Gracisce and the St Simeon trail. I also walked part of the trail today. Maybe you were the couple I said hello to :-)

      Delete
  27. Anonymous19 June 2016 at 07:23

    Istria is the most interesting culturally diverse region in Europe..I was born in Labin...southeastern Istria.

    ReplyDelete

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