My Blue and Gold Sunshine Day

Yesterday was a perfect day and my brother's last in Berlin. Although I was sad walking home after saying goodbye this morning, I am happy that we ended on such a high note — we road bikes, ate delicious food, listened to live music, played more cards, laughed and soaked in the sunniest day this city has seen in quite some time. 

I tried my hand at the blue and gold trend with a vintage polka-dot cropped blazer paired with my new silk Topshop top and the necklace I bought at the Mauerpark Flea last weekend. Certainly a more subdued version then some of the ladies I blogged about, but without their inspiration I might just have just thrown on a white tee underneath. Boring.

Berlin Weekend Roundup: Ping Pong, Cards and Karaoke

This was the first proper weekend I have had in Berlin in quite some time, and the first my brother has had since two summers ago, and it was a proper Berlin weekend indeed. The sun was shining (I have gone back to wearing cut-off jean shorts pretty much every day, with tights yes, but still, shorts), the skies were so blue (see!), everyone was out and despite the still chilly crispness in the air, we did all those outdoor things (biking and ping pong!) that make me love this city. Sadly, I also had the realization that I better get out of here quick before it actually heats up (and I can take off the tights) and the warm weather Berlin attitude kicks in and I start regretting my decision to leave — I really do love this city in the summer...almost as much as I love New York.   

The photos above were taken yesterday at and on the bike ride to the Mauerpark flea market — where it seems everyone else in the city went as well — to peruse the goods and take in some serious outdoor karaoke. Do you see how many people are sitting and watching in that pic up there? Yeah that is for karaoke, pretty insane. So all in all a fun weekend with my bro, but one that had a bittersweet undertone as the number of weekends left in this city widdles down to just a few. 

It all went something like this: greek chicken for three, juice for one, wine for one, dinner party for four, weird, Joaquin Pheonix documentary (warning: do not watch this!), doubles ping pong at Görlitzer Park, yummy street food, German card game and hot chocolate then dinner at Edleweiss, Hearts at a bar across the way, late night ride home, sleeping in again, long ride to Prenzlauer Berg, coffee and ice cream, flea market, ring, necklace and tote bag purchase, karaoke amphitheater, short story tears, Vietnamese food, Portlandia.

London Weekend Roundup-ish

I am back from London and my head is in a daze, maybe it is the welcoming -10 degree weather here in Berlin, or the interesting news about my job or now lack there of, that has got me feeling a little (a lot) out of it. Or maybe that is just what happens after a whirlwind getaway that flies by too quickly ends and you are faced with a cold reality.

So yeah, despite my state today, I couldn't be happier about my little long weekend full of friends I haven't seen in too long, serious shopping (I'll fill you in later), nail salons, wine in fancy places, amazing music, gypsy weddings, afternoon parties with cheese and meat and lots and lots of walking and talking. So much going on that I actually forgot to snap a single photo. Silly I know, but one of the things I love about going to London (plus the sandwiches at the airport) is I have been there enough to not feel the pressure to do lots of touristy things (I swear I will go to the Tower of London one day) or take photos, I suppose...

Good for me, not so good for the blog. Instead I have decided to include a few London Fashion Week (another thing I did not do) street style shots that caught my eye — some because I like how they look, some because they look ridiculous.

Photos from Mr. Newton, StreetFSN, Tommy Ton for Style.com, Marie Claire UK, Vogue, The Sartorialist and Garance 

Ramen Art

I guy I went to high school with, and a fellow expat, is currently living in Japan and has taken it upon himself to not only blog about his experience, but also to photograph all the ramen he has been consuming. He literally posted an album with 99 different ramen shots on Facebook — who knew any food could have such a variety. I find them fascinating, sometimes delicious looking and always like little works of art.

Read more about Abram's culinary adventures and more on Yo! Japan. 

Weekend Roundup: My Thanksgiving!

FOOD

AND FUN

I did it you guys! I successfully cooked my first Thanksgiving, turkey and all, see there it is. Yes yes, I know it was over a week late, but that is the amazing thing about living abroad, that just doesn't matter. Of course you don't get the day off in Germany and the weekend after was no good, so Saturday night we had 7 people over for a late feast, 5 of whom had never stuffed their faces with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and the works before (or been forced to play charades and tell everyone what they are thankful for against their will. Sorry about that guys....) Apparently not only have I turned into the type of person who does such aggressively cheesy things, I have also become the kind of person who obsesses about dinner parties. I spent the week before preparing, gathering recipes, treking all over Berlin in the snow to find all the not-so-common in Germany ingredients and laying in bed at night thinking about my turkey preparations. Weird I know, but the truth is I enjoyed it, such a project got me through a week of brutal cold nights that began at three in the afternoon. I mean, I truly don't think there is anything more fun than a good old house party, so a little obsessing can't hurt too much, right? But the real question is, what will my next project be?

Anyway, it is unfortunate that I did not take any photos of what I was wearing as I was running around preparing stuff until my friends arrived — just that awful one up there where you can just see a bit of the sheer below-the-knee dress from the 1970s I paired with vintage maroon flats. I am really loving the unexpected pink, red, orange color block combo that Rihanna (minus the hair) has been doing so much these days, so maybe there was some subtle inspiration there. I topped it all off with a gold belt and a gold floral headband that I only seem to wear on birthdays or special events, because you really can't be a host without dressing like a princess or a 1950s housewife, not in my book.

Paris Holiday Roundup

You know you are meant for a city when on your first visit it rains constantly and you still fall madly in love with the place. We were lucky that our first day was beautiful, but tromping through the rain on the next three didn't even dampen (ha ha!) our spirits. Paris was all that I expected and more, well except for the rudeness (people seemed to go out of their way to be nice to us). And the fashion, I have honestly never seen so many well-dressed people in my life: the Sartorialist must run out of film (if that still happened) when he goes there. And the food, seriously the best croissants, crème brûlée, oysters, cheese and everything I have ever had (we did a lot of walking but still I am now on a diet!). And the wine, and the museums, and the cafés, the shoes, the list goes on and on...I loved Paris so much I would never want to live there, but instead save it for a special and often vacation spot that I never take for granted and always feel the way about it that I did on this trip.

It all went something like this: Eiffel Tower, Jardin des Tuileries, Chanel and more window shopping, delicious salad/sandwich lunch, trying on shoes, first macaroons, cheese shops patisseries, café people watching, Parisian street catwalk watch, quiche snack, red wine on the steps of Montmartre church, tight squeeze escargot dinner, more red wine!, walk through the red light district, late night chat with our French host, more red wine!, croissant and pastry breakfast (and a bit of a hangover), Père Lachaise Cemetery, Jim Morrison's grave, Centre Georges Pompidou Modern Art Museum, clothing purchase (stay tuned), five course meal that included oysters, steak and the best crème brûlée, sleep, croissant and pastry breakfast number two, flea market, antique market, crepes, shoe purchase (stay tuned), the Louvre, the Mona Lisa, cheese plate and wine, evening walk, moules frites and wine under heating lamps, French bar playing The Doors (of course), late night sleep, farewell lunch, sad trip home.