Micro-Makeover: Balcony – The Big Picture

Tata... today I am finally able to show you how my balcony looks after my micro-makeover. Just a short reminder – this is how it looked before...

... and now it looks like this:

Much better, isn’t it? I love it so much now that want to spend all my time outside, reading a book during the day, chatting and drinking a beer with my husband in the evening and doing a BBQ with friends on the weekend.

I am really surprised how much I even like the green balustrade now. In the beginning I had no idea what to do with it. Green is not my colour – neither in fashion nor in decoration. Since we live in a rented apartment with lots of similar balconies, however, painting the balustrade was not an option. I thought of covering it, but I also didn’t want to block the view. And then the whole dilemma was solved when I looked through my fabric stash and found this fabric which I have bought at IKEA years ago:

It was the solution to all my problems because it combines green and one of my favourite colours turquoise in such a beautiful way. So green-turquoise the colour scheme would be and the rest miraculously fell into place. I have so many turquoise pieces for decoration, which I all bought while we lived in Australia. So having these on my balcony doesn’t just look nice, for me they will also remind me of my ‘second hometown’ Melbourne all the time. They really add to my mid-city Berlin balcony a splash of Aussie lifestyle and interior design. Because since the climate is so pleasant in Australia, people put much more thought and effort in the planning, building, furnishing and decoration of their ‘outdoor spaces’ (auf Deutsch: Garten, Balkon, Terrasse, Loggia etc.). They make them stylish and most of all liveable. Well, most of them anyway. Of course doggy backyards full of rubbish exist as well ;-)

So that was the big picture of my new balcony. More on the details tomorrow.

Enjoy your evening!

See ya, Melbourne!

Hello and goodbye – Shopping

Hello and goodbye – Fashion

Hello and goodbye – Seaside

Hello and goodbye – Mountains & Cities

Hello and goodbye – Savoury & Sweet

Hello and goodbye – Breakfast

Hello and goodbye – Hip Suburbs & Midnight Snacks

Hello and goodbye – Shopping & Waterways

Hello and goodbye – Skyscraper & Parks

Hello and goodbye

We are off to Germany in 10 DAYS – 240 HOURS – 14400 MINUTES....

This week and a half will be crazy with packing boxes, saying farewell to our Australian friends, cleaning the apartment, getting the little one ready for her big trip... Crazy organisation and moving stuff!

Emotionally I am ambivalent.

One the one hand side I am so happy and excited to go back to my family. To my friends who know me for decades. To my country. To my Berlin. To people who speak the same mother language than I. To food that I have missed. To stores in which I haven’t shopped at in 3 years.

On the other hand I am sad to leave Australia. My new friends. My Melbourne. My travel adventures. My job challenges. The place that really has been home for the past 3 years. My fresh seafood.

I am afraid I won’t have much time to post on this little blog of mine. Therefore I have prepared some Hello-Goodbye posts for the next week. To show you all the things I look forward to in Germany and all the Australian things I will terribly miss.

Great Ocean Road

We had a wonderful trip to the Great Ocean Road. It was cold and rainy, but our apartment had a fireplace and we had lots of hot chocolates and hearty soups. So it was actually a very cosy family get away.

Everything was much easier than expected with the little one and this mini trip gave us great confidence for our big trip to Germany in two weeks. She slept even better than at home (her first all-night-sleep ever – 7 hours, woa!), she didn’t seem to mind the new environment, she kept her appetite and loved the wind and the salty air on her face. A real beach babe!

Surfer at Bells Beach

Cold Climate Rainforest near Lorne

Amazing Johanna Beach

I desperately need...

... a cupcake today.

Why?

Oh well, first of all I do not really need a reason for cupcakes. They always brighten up my day, put a smile on my face and are just so yummy.

Today, however, I deserve one even more. I hardly had any sleep in the last two days and nights, because the little one is going through a growth sprint + it is cold and rainy again + I have millions of things-to-do left on my list before we go back to Germany in 3 weeks – arrrrggghhhhh!

Enough reasons to stop at Little Cupcakes,my favourite cupcake shop :-)

Mutti’s Restaurant

You can tell that I am homesick, when I go to German restaurants abroad. Otherwise I would always prefer local cuisines.

Mutti’s, however, is well worth a visit, even if you are not home-sick. You really feel at home at Mutti’s (which means ”mum’s” in German): the atmosphere is warm, the service is very friendly, the beer is cold, the food is great and it is surprisingly affordable.

Last time we ate there with friends, the four of us shared the Brettljausen (a mixed platter for 2 with cured meats, pickled vegetables, terrine, goats cheese and bread) and some Brezn with butter as starter. Gosh it took me right back to all the wonderful skiing holidays, which I spent with my family in Austria as a child.

As main I had the Triple duck (glühwein poached duck breast, crispy leg of duck, and potato dumpling filled with duck crackling, served with speck and grüner veltliner braised savoy cabbage and lingon berry scented duck jus) and I can tell you I still dream about it. It is the perfect modern interpretation of a traditional German Christmas duck. As yummy, but less fatty and less rustic. Beautiful!!!

My lovely husband had “Kasnudeln” – a wonderful Austrian style pasta – which was a bit unusual for him, because it is 100% vegetarian. How un-German ;-) Our friends, however, made up for it and shared the Crisp roast pork hock for the ultimate German meat experience, which was yummy but enough for at least 3 very hungry people. So don’t worry about my hubby, he got his fare share of meat that evening.

Unfortunately, we were all way too full to have dessert, although they sounded so appetising and reminded me of my granny: Bienenstich, Black Forrest Cake, Apple Strudle...

Oh my god, even writing about these dishes makes me salivate. I think I’ll have to make myself a salami sandwich right now ;-)

Guten Appetit!

Muttis
118 Elgin St, Carlton VIC 3053
Phone (03) 9349 5008
Open Wed 4:30pm-11pm; Thu-Fri 12pm-11pm; Weekends 5pm-11pm

The best pizza in Melbourne...

... or at least a very good one.

Today we went to have lunch with very dear friends of us at The Boathouse. It is situated on the bank of the Maribyrnong River.

I loved the atmosphere – which is very casual, very child-friendly and very modern. The service was extremely friendly and quick, the Aboriginal art works on the wall were amazing, the views of the river extremely calming, the company charming as always...

... but most of all I enjoyed the food. We had wonderful pizzas – maybe not the best I have ever eaten but very close. For dessert we shared the dessert tasting plate for 2 – which easily satisfied the four of us: White chocolate filled profiteroles with dark chocolate sauce, chocolate brownies, mini muffins, coconut ice cream, watermelon-mint-sorbet, almond crunch, meringue with strawberry and crème brulee. Wow! What a treat!

After lunch we took a long walk along the Maribyrnong River, which was beautiful despite the cloudy weather. It also helped a lot in digesting all beautiful food.

Neither here nor there

Sorry, I know it has been a bit quiet around here recently. The reason for this is not my cute little bundle of joy. She is still incredible good - feeding well, sleeping good, being a happy baby unless there is wind in her little tummy.

No, the reason for me spending time away from my blog is that my lovely husband and I realised that we will be really moving to Germany in just 5 weeks. Aaaaahhhh! Therefore we spent the last few days putting together immense To-Do-Lists and throwing ourselves in getting them done: booking flights, applying for Vicky's passport at the embassy, organising the shipping of our container, starting to sell everything we don't want to take with us, meeting people we might not see for a long time,... I don't want to bother you with all the details, but it is a lot.

picture found here

But since we have also got a lot done in the last couple of days and feel very organised now, we decided to take the weekend off. So here I am sitting in front of my laptop with a beautiful cuppa (cup of tea), my lovely husband is still asleep and the little one is 'playing' on her baby quilt next to me. It is cold and stormy outside and life is good.

Wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Wedding Shoes

On Wednesdays I share everything wedding with you: tips, projects, organisation, photos, faux-pas, fun things and golden rules I ‘learned’ from my own wedding. I feel I need to give something back to the fabulous blog community who helped me stay sane and enjoy every second of my ‘big day’.

* * *

For many girls the shoes are the highlight of their wedding outfit.

I have to admit that for me they were less important. Partly because I am more into accessories than into shoes. Partly because my dress was very long and I knew that you would only be able to see the toe-cap of them.

Nevertheless I ended up with the two most beautiful pair of wedding shoes:

1. Pink Power at the registry office

The pinkest, highest, most extravagant, most comfortable and most special shoes of my life. A gift from my auntie. They were made just for me. They are one of a kind. Even buying them was such an amazing experience. We went to Schuh Hiegl in Munich and then we were in shoe heaven. This shop is full of beautiful shoes, but the most exciting thing is that they make all shoes themselves and that you can choose any combination of: style, height of heel, type of leather and colour. They also give you valuable advice on what works together well, what is comfortable to wear etc. We spent hours in the shop and it felt like minutes – so much fun. In the end I decided on a classic style with a playful little bow, smooth leader in a flashy pink and the highest heels I ever wore. But let me tell you, they are really comfortable. Obviously it has something to do with the gradient angle rather than the height itself. Anyway, the shoes arrived 2 weeks later, I wore them all day and felt amazing.

2. Dancing Queen on the big day

The story behind my shoes for the big day is considerably more profane. I had chosen the dress, I had a little sample of the fabric in my purse and knew that I needed to find shoes. The style was a bit secondary, because my dress would hide them mostly anyway. Still I wanted ones with a tip that was neither too pointed nor too rounded. I wanted them to be extremely comfortable but a bit more flattering than my usual ballerina. Finding white shoes in the middle of the Australian winter proofed to be somewhat of a challenge. But then a colleague gave me the crucial tip: Boyles on 460 High St, Prahran VIC 3181‎. They are specialised in dance shoes, which are the best wedding shoes in my opinion. Because they come in white and cream, in fabric and leather. Because they are super-comfortable due to cushions in high-pressure areas like the sole beneath your ball of the foot. Because they have heels but are not ridiculously high. So I spend the whole day in these shoes – from 2pm to 5am in the morning. I walked. I jumped. I ran. I danced. No blisters, no pain, no falls! Perfect!!!

Countdown starts today...

picture found here

... no, surprisingly it is not about baby countdowns today ;-). It is the start of our moving countdown. Three months to go before we are moving back to Germany. For good.

We had a wonderful, absolutely amazing time here down under in the last 3 years...

... but now it is time for us to go back. To our families. To our friends who have know us for decades. To cold climate and grumpy bus drivers.

Before we are ready to move, however, there are tons of things to organise: find a shipping company, sell some of our things and pack the others, book a flight, give notice on all Australian contracts, find an apartment in Berlin, buy a car, get a landline and internet access...

I know we can do it. We have done it the other way around 3 years ago. We still have 3 months of preparation. And therefore the clock started ticking for me today, because I want to avoid that we become frantic in the last couple of days before the flight.

Art Saturday

Today Andi and I headed to the city. For a bit of art window shopping. We really want to buy an original aboriginal piece of art before we go back to Germany in August. Something that will always remind us of the amazing time we spent down under. Of Australia’s unique landscapes. People. Traditions. Animals. Plants. Colours.

After being to a couple of galleries, it became clear to us again that Aboriginal art is not one but a multitude of different art schools. There are many as there are Aboriginal people and languages and environments.

Colourful & Abstract: Bush Yams by Evelyn Pultara

Monochrome & Minimalistic: Salt on Mina Mina by Dorothy Napangardi

Earthy & Folky: Uwalki Tjuta by Mitjili Napurrula

The next one is our favourite. Unfortunately it is a bit expensive. Worth every penny, but I am afraid we have to win the lottery before we can afford it. Still, just a pleasure to look at

Kangaroo Hunter by Kurun Warun

In general we had a wonderful inspirational day. It is amazing what art can do to you. Filling your heart and head with colours and thoughts and images.