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Leipzig – a wonderful day out
Das Essen soll zuerst das Augeerfreuen und dann den Magen [feast the eyes before feeding the stomach] . – Goethe My Japanese grandmother spends around two summer months in England every year, as Tokyo is just too hot and humid to breathe in, let alone live in. Once again she came to visit us in Berlin and this time we wanted to grab a car and see a new part of Germany, so off to Leipzig we went. We actually accidentally timed our arrival at 13:30 perfectly, as it was the beginning of the English-language walking and bus tour. It was around 35 degrees and blinding sunshine, so a quick…
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Grand Café Breitenbach Tomasa
Coz ya gotta have faith… It was the middle of the week and Jason and I were just chilling, listening to our bellies rumbling. Too hungry to even go to the kitchen and make a slice of toast, we grabbed some money and headed to our second-closest restaurant. We’ve been here before with an AirBnB guest and they have a lovely roof terrace – perfect on a sunny day. The staff is friendly, the food is pretty normal and I guess it’s a little pricey for Berlin, but compared to London it’s proper cheap. I don’t really know what kind of food type they are going for, last time we…
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A balcony full of nom…
Green fingers… I have been checking out German balconies recently and noticed yet another ‘reason’ I’m not German – they seem to fill their balconies with beautiful flowers of all colours. My balcony has food, food and a little more food. My friend bought me a flower for my birthday (she is also the reason I have one batch of flowers on the balcony – something needed to be bright and pretty apparently) and an AirBnB guest bought us a flower in a pot too. During college I even worked in a posh flower shop, but… I’m still all about the food. I want to be self-sufficient one day. When…
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Sabor Latino – best Peruvian in Berlin?
I’m just a little bit caught in the middle… A friend who also has the dream to go live in South America has been talking about going to this restaurant together for a while. She has a lot of Peruvian friends and Sabor Latino is their favourite place to eat. We were the only non-Spanish speaking people in the restaurant. It was buzzing with staff who knew all the customers and everyone was having a good time. It’s always a good sign when it’s full of Latinos who are obviously regulars here. We were recommended the Ceviche, which was by far the most delicious dish – a mix of seafood…
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Getting our craft on!
You’re one in a minion… Over the last few days we have gotten a little crafty! My Japanese grandmother left for Japan again (insert sad face here) and she misses her life in London a lot, so I made her some London-themed coasters. These are super easy and quick to make and I love how they turned out. As we will be finally going back to London for the shortest ever visit soon, I also made a fabric ball with pulley-tags for my lovely friend’s baby who I FINALLY get to meet – cannot wait! And last night, Jason and I sat down to paint. They turned out absolutely adorably…
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Back To School
Teacher’s Pet… So Jason’s back to the Japan School today, teaching English for the start of another year. When children in Germany start their primary school, they get an amazing treat on their first day – a Schultüte [School Cone] absolutely filled with goodies. I remember as a child starting the German school in the 3rd grade, so I didn’t get a Schultüte, but my brother began in the 1st grade and I was so jealous when I saw his tiny hands holding the most enormous cone-shaped present. I still haven’t received a Schultüte yet (Jason take note…) and I thought it would be hilarious to get one for Jason’s first day at school…
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Strandbad Wannsee
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside… It felt like we were on the beach in Barcelona again. Strandbad Wannsee must be the only beach in Berlin where you have to pay to enter, but for once it was definitely worth it. For €5.50 you get sand between your toes and some space to relax. We visited on a weekday and it was busy, but nothing compared to the free lakes which are just rammed full of screaming drunk people. Here it’s calm and shallow for a long way out, so the children stay in this part and the adults swim out. It was peaceful and clean, although…
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Sacrower See
The Big Bad Wolf… Known as possibly the ‘best water quality of all the lakes in and around Berlin‘, Sacrower See is just half an hour drive from the capital towards Potsdam. It’s a bit of a hidden gem that only the locals know about, so even on a boiling hot Sunday we managed to find a perfect spot on the sandy beach and have a picnic/ swim-fest. It felt like a holiday. Once you manage to get into the freezing cold water, you can swim out to wonderful views and the water is beautifully clear. There’s even a little restaurant and chip/ ice cream stand when you get peckish.…
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Pfaueninsel – Peacock Island
Last week, we finally paid a visit to a tourist spot for the locals in Berlin… the UNESCO World Heritage Site — Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island). The island is located in the middle of Havel river in Wannsee, just in the south-west of Berlin and not too far from the L&A headquarters. In order to get to the island, you have to have to take a bus (or cycle) from Wannsee station to a small jetty where a ferry pops back and forth over the 200m stretch of water between the mainland and island every few minutes. It costs just 4 EUR for a return trip on the ferry, and it is your only…
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The best Indian curry in Berlin?
What I would give for a good curry… My father’s proudest moment was feeding me curry when I was just two weeks old. Yup, you read that correctly. Once you have met the Abel Family, you probably won’t even be surprised at this. Another fun story was my dad cooking curry for his father a long time ago. Apparently the curry he made was too delicious to share, so instead, my dad went around the corner to get a takeaway curry for his father and saved his masterpiece for the next day. Curry is and always has been my absolutely most favourite food in the world and I miss it like…