riverbank

  

I've had two sets of visitors over the past ten days, and have had a lovely time with them -- which I'll write about soon! But first I need to tell you about how yesterday evening down by the Main was perfect. A Radler, some homemade pimiento cheese and pretzels, and a good book = all kinds of wonderful.

break

I bike past the adorable bar/cafe Darling every single day, and finally yesterday, after my second day in a row of weekend work (boo), I stopped in for a glass of Riesling and some marinated olives. My neighborhood is jam-packed with cute bars and restaurants that I have not even begun to take advantage of: Moksha, L'Apostrophe, m2o Bar, that tiny and adorable cafe on Burgstraße whose name I don't remember . . . Goal for summer 2011: try them all. (Along with spending more Friday evenings at Friedberger Markt, of course, because that place is fun.)

Upcoming:

+ May: a visit from Heather and Fitz? yes, please!
+ June: my cousin's wedding in Virginia Beach; a few days in NYC; and New Orleans, road tripping to gator farms, and eating our way through the Deep South with Katie
+ July: 4th of July in Stone Harbor
+ August: Sweden with Megan and Lucy
+ September: back to Stone Harbor for Bethany's wedding!

USA-heavy but excellent plans, I think!

sommerwind

1. Sommerwind = summer wind = a delicious and dangerous twist on a mimosa with blood orange juice and sparkling Riesling wine (yum)
2. Tortilla-less huevos rancheros with this salsa
3. Goetheplatz has some surprisingly nice buildings if you look up (thanks for the tip, Tom!)

poolside lounging and wine fests

We've hit the season of a fest or three every weekend, and I couldn't be more delighted. Friday night was my first return to Friedberger Markt of the year (I had forgotten just how packed that place gets!), Saturday night was Bornheimer Weinfest, and today Megan and I made out way across town to the pool in Hausen. Warm weather season is the best.

frohe ostern

  

I spent my four-day weekend lounging at Freibad Hausen (a heated outdoor pool in Frankfurt! amazing!), basking in the sun in Grüneburgpark, eating all-day Easter brunch with friends, and finally trying yogurt ice cream Eis Christina (not as good as the hype I'd been hearing about it, but delicious nonetheless!). Such a nice lazy Easter weekend.

frühsommer

According to the Main Café's website we're already in "Frühsommer", which I guess is like actual summer except for how it's not as sunny or as warm. But when the sun was out today, hanging on the Main, along with dinner on my balcony afterward, was pretty glorious.

gobble gobble

  




  

  





2011 travel goal #1 from this post: complete. Megan and I spent a four-day weekend in İstanbul two weekends ago, and even though we did not see the sun a single time while we were there, we still loved the city -- which is saying a lot, because it was freezing and also I love me some sunlight.

Highlights: the Harem at Topkapı Palace (I love Turkish tiles almost as much as I love sunlight); the Turkish bath experience at Çemberlitaş Hamamı; amazing homestyle lunch at Mücver in Cihangir (along with all the grocery stores/boutiques around it); taking the ferry to Asia (in spite being too sick to really enjoy the Asian side of the city); the top-floor bar at the Leb-i Derya Richmond with expensive delicious cocktails and an out-of-this-world view; and of course Megan's many Turkish boyfriends at the Grand Bazaar ("You already have a boyfriend? That's okay, you can have another!"). I'll definitely be returning to this city. Just hopefully when it's a little warmer.

berlin weekend

  


  





  




Ahh, this past weekend in Berlin with Megan and Lucy was perfect. Some things we loved:

+ Antipodes: adorable café in Prenzlauer Berg run by a couple from New Zealand with delicious coffee and sandwiches and the best brownie I've ever bought at a store
+ A visit to Tacheles (though things were looking grimmer there than they were last summer; the backyard sculpture garden/studio area/bars were gone)
+ Hanging out at Mauerpark on Sunday afternoon and enjoying the pure magic of hipster central (though we had to leave to catch our train before karaoke got going)
+ Fantastic turkey and mushroom salad at Strandbad-Mitte
+ Amazing live band and fabulous crowd at Clärchens Ballhaus
+ Renting bikes and riding lazily along the Spree, with breaks for beer and Thai food and buying cheap DVDs and vintage postcards at the Saturday flea market by the Pergamon Museum

Seriously, it would be difficult to imagine a more lovely weekend with friends.