Berlin | Oh So Berlin
First of all, may I just politely ask: "Where the hell did the time go?!
I can't believe it was three years ago that I last visited the oh-ever-so-cool city of Berlin.
It's a quick 50 min flight from Copenhagen to Berlin and I got a window seat on the plane, so it almost felt like taking the train:). Just shortly after we took off, the landscape has already changed from a lot of lakes to a lot of trees. We were already 25 mins delayed when we took off but landed on time. Basically, we were teleported from one country to another.
Hi sunny Berlin!
I always had this very familiar feeling towards this capital city, ever since the first time I visited. It's so down on earth, but also ultimately cool. My friends keep telling me that I need to come here when it's summer, it would be really nice. As if Berlin is not beautiful enough for me already!
It's never the look that matters right? It's what you have inside!
If I am completely honest, my silly little plan for this trip was to sit on the sofa somewhere else with a blanket and feel sorry for myself. I did spend a lot of time on my friend's company sofa and the home couch too, and my friend did leave me and the dog in the house and went to Frankfurt for work. But for the pieces of memory that I was out and about, I had a great deal of fun too.
The Walk
I'm pretty good with direction and I even found the same cafe I went three years ago! The afternoon I walked from Mitte to Kantstrasse was something special. I was recommended to check out the new photography show in Camera Work Gallery. Google Maps shows it would take 1.5 hours to walk. I don't know what gets to me that I decided to walk down there. I mean If you check my daily steps back home in Shanghai, it would shamefully show three digitals only, like today, 684 steps to be precise. But that cold windy afternoon in Berlin, I decided to walk.
Of course, two blocks down, I was willing to give up. It was too cold, Uber sounded so tempting, and I forgot my headphone, I can't even listen to music! But somehow I just kept walking, I put one foot in front of another, and continued my journey. And while I was walking, I started to think about things, I chose to walk along the river by German Chancellery to Tiergarten, I noticed homeless people who're sleeping by the river, I smelled weed, hipsters were talking to me. But somehow, I felt they couldn't really see me, I'm not here, and as long as I'm moving, all these would disappear.
And it did eventually. I don't know if you can call this a meditation, but I definitely reached a higher place. I didn't even remember where I was. I guess I don't need to go to a mountain to find my inner peace, I can find it among the noises in the city, but maybe just not my city. Like the movie I watched many years ago--Anywhere but here.
Side note: Mobike is everywhere in the city! I was so happy to discover them in my last 15 mins of walk, I was freezing and decided to take the bike. Same as what we would do back home, scan the QR code through WeChat and the same old unlock sound and voila! Bear in mind though that it would cost not 1 yuan but 1 Euro at the end.:) Also, you might want to adjust the bike seat.:)
The Place
It was the perfect place to watch the day die.
I wouldn't know that there's this little hidden gem a bit outside of Berlin. Only David, a great friend, and more importantly, a wonderful human being, an interesting soul, would know what I like and take us here.
David works in Fashion and has an apartment to die for, not in the sense that it's so big or all designer furniture pieces but the feeling of it. He has a piano in the living room while all the books are causally sleeping on the floor. Giant green plants from the bedroom to the door.
Right, back to the place. For some, it's just a hill with nothing around. For me, it's perfect. I like the openness, the emptiness, and look down, there's a road goes up to somewhere I can't see, I'm pretty sure that's the path to the amazing OZs! It was surely windy, and David has two cashmere scarfs from Tibet prepared for us already, what a sweetheart.
I let them talk, and walked around listening to the wind kissing my ears.
A day is almost gone.
I've had this theory since little, before people telling me that we can't actually see time. I always felt that the wind is the host of time, or a carrier, or whatever you like to call it. If you put your hands out in the air, you can see it, smell it, feel it, hear it, and touch it even, that's time passing, fast. Also, when I was in elementary school, the only time in my life that I'd bike home everyday ( I can bike with both hands off:) #awesome), I would always stop somewhere and wait for the sky to fall. But it was always a mere moment of time, I tried so hard not to blink, but never captured that exact second when the day turns into night.
Everybody loves a sunset. I love it that it reminded me of " everything comes to an end, everything will be fine eventually, if there's tomorrow, tomorrow is another day, and what would you do if it's your last day on earth? " Along with the day goes by, we die a little too. And while life is a journey and we are just passing through, let's make it count each day, shall we?
The People
The reason why I love a place is always because of the people (not the animals), People make up a place.
Berlin is so cool, because of the cool humans living in, they are just generally at ease and chill, creative and fun.
P.s. German techno is the only music I listen to if I'm at a deadline or really try to get some work done.
Little did I know that an eye contact 5 years ago on the street of Shanghai would lead to a friendship of a lifetime. (How to? Hint: It involves a lot of international flights.) I won't trade with anyone or anything for MY germans, they are so unique and cool, and I love spent time with each of them. I won't shout out your names but you know who you are.
Some people just feel like home and if there's indeed such thing called safe harbor, I definitely have one here in Berlin, a city without sea.:)
Ugh, I hate to get all sentimental, but Ich Liebe Dich?
All photos my own shot in Berlin, Germany.
Copenhagen | 48 Hours Fairy Tale
You must like the capital city of a country full of coolness as much as I do. Whether it's the reputation of the "most livable city in the world", or the famous Danish design that you've collected a few pieces over the years. Copenhagen has its way to crack into every living human being's life. Not to mention the ultimate #hygge lifestyle that takes over Instagram, and dare I to remind everyone the birthplace of the Little Mermaid story?
I am a big fan of Scandinavian everything, and I believe that Fairy Tale lives on. So it's only right that I finally pay a visit to the city where literally everyone is cool, especially when they are on their bikes.
I spent four days in total in the city, but it's only until I returned from Berlin that I had a solid two days to wander around and discover the hidden gems of this beautiful city, even in the midst of winter.
Where to stay:
I only stayed in one place because if the hotel is so good why bother to change? But the city is full of design hotels with beautiful decors. I stayed at Skt. Petri (Taught by a Danish but I still don't know how to pronounce it correctly ) in the Latin quarter of downtown. I was looking for hotels in Instagram, (Nope not Booking, not Ctrip.) The number of Danish Bloggers I'm stalking is something I'm very ashamed of, they are literally the only people I follow apart from my friends IRL. I came across Skt. Petri in my feed, the theme color of the hotel is GREEN, so the search is instantly over.
The location is perfect, It's 400 meters walk from the Nørreport Metro Station and walkable distance to almost everything. I used my legs the whole time when I was there. The staff is super lovely and helpful and the bed is soooo comfy that I fall asleep the moment I lay down.
The "Two Duvets on one bed" question.
I have a question, I have it for some time now and I have experienced it before in Germany too. Why do they use two duvets on one bed? Skt. Petri has two duvets on one bed of course. I asked my friends and they didn't really explain it to me, it's like how we see our parents' bed has one duvet and our grandparents' bed has one duvet, they have seen their parents' and their grandparents' bed with two duvets, they think it's just the way it should be. But that doesn't satisfy me. I went to google about it, yep, I literally entered"Why Danish people have two duvets in their bed?" (my google history is so embarrassing TBH.) Then I discovered this article http://www.scandinaviastandard.com/two-duvets-in-scandinavia/, (cool website, already favorited.Dah) It answered my question and explained it very well. They are smart people, they figured it all out. Imagine you are 10 years married in, and your husband has ice cold feet when you have fireball body ( Temperature wise you guys.) Separate duvets would sound wonderful.
However, I wonder if I ever will have two duvets in my king size bed, I have this theory that sleeping is such an intimate thing, and whoever you share the bed with should be someone you love and if you love someone you want to cuddle and touch them, touching is feeling, feeling is emotion, and emotion should allow you to share one duvet! Ok, End of discussion. Moving on. ( Oh one more thing, they don't have a problem sharing a blanket with you when you nap together on the sofa. So I really don't know. )
Where to eat:
Skt. Petri has two restaurants and I was recommended by someone that P Eatery is where I should go. The cuisine is modern European, the decor is black and brown dark toned. I had the scallop and fish, totally recommending. The chef is cute too. Plus, you get a 10% discount as the hotel guest. Life is good.
Life is also just as good to have a burger with fries at Gasoline Grill. It is literally a burger joint doubles as a traditional gas station.
I'm not, but if you are, like the rest of the population, crazy about avocado toast, go to Atelier September for brunch, I went there for their croissant and coffee, as well as the avocado, cuz it just seems so wrong to pass on, BTW, I actually took away half of the food because I have an issue to never finish my food, and somehow I passed two security control and smuggled them into Shanghai, and my lovely wifey for lifey had a taste of Denmark's finest too! They say they open until 6 pm, but bear in mind that their kitchen actually closes at 3:30 pm, so make sure if you want to have food there, go early.
Even the humble cafeteria in SMK is something I highly recommend, they just know what they are doing and do everything better. Go have a bite and a cup of coffee after you admired some Danish art. It's worth it, in whichever way.
Where to go:
Literally, everywhere.
The city is a postcard at every damn corner, rain or shine. Go have a walk in the King's Garden. You have to go to Nyhavn as a human, I guess. And you need to snap that picture of the old historical Danish canal that you see everywhere for the little girl in you, for your little brother and sister.
I had my first stop at SMK- National Gallery of Denmark. What is the best way to know a country right? It was such a lovely experience too. The lady at reception assumed that I am a young adult under age 27, and charged for a lower price for the ticket. I told her my real age, but she's like, but you look younger to me so I will still give you the discount. Haha so sweet. And I asked her if they close at 5 pm, and she's like you are so lucky, normally we are, but tonight we have an event that will last until 10 pm, champagne and performances, you are more than welcome to stay! How wonderful!
The Saturday Market is a fun place to check out too. If you like colorful flowers, baked goodie, fresh fish and hot coffee, it's a must.
If you are planning your next trip, make it to Copenhagen if you haven't been. Make it to Copenhagen even if you have been before, some places are just worth going back again and again, I already have a picture of me sipping virgin something in a leafy courtyard by the canal in a sunny spring.
#copenhagendreamin'?
All photos my own shot in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Brighton | Where the Wild Things Are
It was only last summer, why do I feel like it's almost forever ago? I had this feeling so strongly that I decided to edit this post's photos in a nostalgia faded away feeling. I always liked something "long ago" and "far away". I must say I quite like how they turned out and I hope you can enjoy them too.
- I got a sunburn in England! -
Just a quick 45 mins train ride away, we are out from exciting London to England's most loved seaside city Brighton.
I never thought that I would get a sunburn in England, unheard of right? Or is it just me? Anyway, while we were waiting for a nice table at the famous seafood restaurant Riddle and Finns, we went to sunbathing on the cobblestone beach. It's a different kind of feeling over here than on a tropical island. The temperature is a lot lower but the sun is direct and hot just as much. We had a lovely nap with seabirds singing. Ah those long and easy summer afternoons.
After a nice little lunch, we went back to the beach to chill just a little longer and headed down to the seven sisters country park. While we were waiting for the bus to take us there, we went on a little tour to see the Royal Pavilion that is located in the heart of the city. The Roya pavilion is an exotic palace in the center of Brighton with a colorful history. Built as a seaside pleasure palace for King George IV, this historic house mixes Regency grandeur with the visual style of India and China. I will say it is very oriental and exotic decor for a British palace. I loved the sun and garden in the place, you gotta love an English garden.
- Where the wild things are -
Of course you need a seat on the second floor of the bus because the ride is just too damn beautiful. I couldn't stop thinking about how everyone's life is over here. Living in a little white two-story house with a rose garden and you can look out to see the cliff and the sea over your kitchen windows. Sunrise and sunset. I love people watching, so when the bus came to a stop, I would like to see who get off the bus, what did they do today? Are they happy? Most of them are young people who work in the city and going back to the small town or village, I can't really tell the expressions of their faces. Perhaps the same old everyday routine makes it less exciting.
An hour later, we came to our stop but the bus continued, and I kept wondering where is it heading to...
I've read and heard so much about the English Countryside, from Jane Austin to the Bronte sisters. From the movies to the magazines. And fellas, what you read and heard are all true. Normally, the places I visited are always come out from a different perspective in real life than I imagined in my head. But this is something exactly I imagined. The shade of the lights falls on the meadows, the pond, the ducks, even the sheep, and cows. Situated in the South Downs National Park, the Seven Sisters Country Park is made up of 280 hectares of chalk cliffs, meandering river valley and open chalk grassland. The Country Park is named after the famous Seven Sisters chalk cliffs on one of Britain’s finest unspoiled coastlines.
We chose to go up for a hike. Ah hikes, in all my travels I've been challenged to take up a hike multiple times, but still, my weak city legs, might be weak, always get the job done and I'm quite impressed by myself, with all the wrong shoes I wore, I still conquered the journey:) And the view, after all, is so so rewarding. The sea is so quiet that you hear the wind went through the flowers and weeds, the seagulls and other seabirds, and other bugs in the woods, It's almost 8 pm but the English summer had the sun still up and high, and it shone over the sea, like diamonds. We said nothing at all, didn't want to disturb the scenery, we just sat on the edge of the cliff, meditate, and take it all in.
It's almost 9 o'clock in the evening and we need to catch our train back to London. The old gentleman who we saw when we get here was making up space in the wood. He's gonna spend the night here. How romantic. The sun turned from golden to orange, and the full moon rose above the sea. I thought of Jane Eyer, the day when she ran out from Thornfield and spent the night in the wild, how sad, the poor little thing. I thought of Sade too, the half British singer, her low, smoky sentimental voice, singing "the Moon and the sky."
On our long long way home, the moonlight shone over the English Channel, I fall asleep on a shoulder next to me. Along with the hills up and down, I slowly closed my eyes, and in my dream, we went back to the little white two-story house with a rose garden, looking out from the kitchen window, It was spectacular blue after luxuriantly green.
All photos my own shot in Brighton, United Kingdom.