Summer Roundup

Although the heat still blazes on in NYC, Labor Day has signified the end of summer in the States. With no such holiday in Germany, luckily the wind and freeziness has made its point. But with sarcasm aside, summer is gone and thinking about what is coming in the months ahead let alone at the moment, is making me a bit depressed. So in the same vein as earlier this week, I am going to continue looking back instead of looking ahead and do a little summer 2010 roundup.

1) My Album of the Summer: Wild Nothing "Gemini" 

This airy 80stalgic album got more rotation than anything else in my iTunes and shows no sign of stopping. Good thing the dreamy beats will sound just as good with the sun beating down on me as the snow falling out my window. Or is it?

2) Throwback Song of the Summer: You Can Call Me Al

I can never get enough Paul Simon, but this summer I formed a new love for one of his most mainstream tunes. Just listen to the lyrics man and hey, Chevy Chase!

3) Favorite Summer Clothing Item: Leopard Print Dress

I found this wild little number at a Berlin thrift store when it actually wasn't so little. But after a quick hemming job it became the perfect thing to throw over a bathing suit at Badeschiff or the Baltic Sea. 

4) Favorite Summer Hangout: Badeschiff

Yes you guessed it, lounging by this pool in the river, reading, and drinking fresh mint tea (and admittedly sometimes playing a mean game of Kill, Marry, F**k) became the perfect Sunday ritual. 

5) Most Read Blog Entry: Berlin's First Taco Truck 

Looks like you guys love Mexican food as much as I do. Too bad I never found the little bugger. 

6)Favorite Summer Recipe: Watermelon Salad 
Refreshing and delicious and perfect to eat sitting on a balcony on a hot summer day, or a even a cold one at that.

7) Favorite Summer Street Style Blog: Mr. Newton 

Doesn't he just capture the cool kids of Brooklyn and all the summer romping so well? Enough to make me a little jealous that's for sure. 

8) Favorite Summer Day: July 17

I could live this day over and over again. 

9)Favorite Summer Read: Tie!

I finally read Everything is Illuminated and although it took me a minute to get into, once I did I was hooked and fascinated, involved and completely entertained by Jonothan Safran Foer´s unique story and writing style. But when it comes to a proper "summer read," T.C Boyle´s commune hippie drama Drop City was a true page-turner. It had me in its clenches from the first sentence on and I was done after one long week by the sea. 

10) ??? I am leaving 10 blank because honestly it doesn't feel like my summer was long enough to have 10 highlights. I know that sounds bitter, but honestly, at the moment I kinda am. Maybe one of you could fill me in with your favorite summer 2010 moment. That would be nice.

           

My Baltic Sea Vacay

All I have to say is that I wish I was still on vacation where all I had to worry about was whether I was finishing my book too quickly, if we had enough bread and cheese to eat, wine and Diebel beer to drink, whether it would be a sunny lay on the beach kind of day or a foggy long bike ride through the forest kind of day, whether I could handle the sauna for more than ten minutes or if a German massage would be up to my standards, whether we should eat fish in a restaurant or cook in the hotel, whether I should play cards or swim laps...

I'm Back

I have returned from a lovely holiday on an island in the Baltic Sea and let me tell you those East Germans have a whole lot more free beach behavior then us Americans. Appropriately my vacation reading took place in a commune in the 1960s, so it didn't take me too long to get into the spirit. More stories and of course pics to come.