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.