London iPhonology

1 - Packing.
2 - When we arrived in London, we ate heaps of sushi in a park, whilst watching first two business men and then two construction workers playing pingpong right next to us.
3 - After walking along the Southbank, which was beautiful in too many ways, we sat by the Thames and drank a glass of Champagne outside but sheltered from the pouring rain. It was one of those moments we'll look back on in a few months or years and just smile because it happened.
4 - The best coffee I had in England, hands down. Look at that wooden spoon.
5 - London oh London, from the London Eye. I saw Michael Fielding near here, but wasn't sure it was him. It was him.
6 - Outside the Tate Modern there were these boys playing, they were probably around sixteen years old. I stood there for a while. The boy on the left, who was definitely the youngest, was just watching too while rolling a cigarette. I can't say exactly why, but the scene was perfect and I could have stayed there for much longer.
7 - In the hotel room before going to see Wicked, which was amazing!
8 - Did a touch of shopping in Topshop Oxford Street!

Even if you don't speak German, this song might make you feel good on the inside.

You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.

Isn't it true, that your whole view on life, the present and past and future, all changes when you leave the place you live?
After two weeks away I feel fresh and different, satisfied and ready. (Not sure for what yet...)

England was wonderful. Just as expected. Where can I start? The people. People are different there. How lovely it is to be smiled at all day and how lovely it is to be talked at and how lovely it is that everyone is capable of being with such ease. It's not bad, the way it is here, but the difference is like hot and cold after living in Frankfurt for so long.

I started the journey with my mother in a tiny car fighting its way through wicked rain to Canterbury where my beautiful grandmother awaited with chocolate digestives and tea. We continued onto London that week and honestly I feel that that city is special beyond words. It's intriguing, layered and seems never ending. Even in comparison to Tokyo (a city that I can safely say I love with ridiculous enthusiasm), it's different and inviting in so many ways. I want to go back and walk through every street and step into every eccentric little shop and cafe and talk to every eccentric human I meet. (Probably only possible if blessed with immortality...)
I hope my future husband resides in London currently, just putting that out there.

After a lot of walking, coffee drinking, sitting-by-Thames-with-Champagne-ing, shopping, show watching (Wicked, anyone?!), a warm safe feeling spread through me and I can still feel it now. Thank you Mum, it made up for everything. I really think it did.

The second week I spent drinking a massive amount of tea, relaxing, reading 50 Shades of Grey (simply hmm on that one) , reading about 124 Vice articles, going down to the sea, and spending time with family I rarely get to see.

But now I'm back and I'm glad. I literally dropped my bags at home before rushing to Annika's. There was a lot of relief and in the morning we ate these delicious savory pancakes with raspberries. (You should look at the pictures on Instagram to get excited like me.)

I'm making a seperate post for the photos I took in England, but for now just listen to this and watch Aaron Johnson.



REM - Überlin from peta on Vimeo.

Break

So this is summer. And I like it a lot. Who wouldn't enjoy days filled with friends and music and laughs and balconies in the shade.

Before I elaborate I need to proclaim my love for my first pair of Jeffrey Campbell Litas! I've been in love with these before I knew who they were by and before I could ever fathom owning a pair one day. So now I own the cliched Litas and am truly in love and so happy I could finally afford to order a pair off Solestruck. Getting them took weeks and a trip to the middle of nowhere to pay a helathy customs fee, but it was all worth it!

Here's a list, because everyone loves a list:

• One night last week we stayed up late and read horror stories about old ladies and dogs and dead dogs and murderers. We put on face masks took too many silly pictures and stayed up talking and rolling around until we finally weren't scared of murderers and fell asleep.
• Chopped some hair off on Wednesday.
• Still have not packed for England!
• Spent today eating soup with Anniman and laughing in Hugendubel ("Jeder von uns ist ein Engel mit nur einem Flügel. Und wir können nur fliegen, wenn wir uns umarmen.")
• I'm off to Albion the day after tomorrow and I can't believe it... I can't wait to: see smiling people, smile at people, see my family, spend time in London, go shopping, see the sea... (...), yet the return to Frankfurt will be beautiful too.

Taupe Suede mm, with these I finally have long legs!

Annika's jewelry and one of my bobby pins

Annika's hair and the best kitchen in Frankfurt (?!)

Bafta said that straws make everything taste better.

Music

Yum

I love this song and it's on repeat. I will write again after England and who knows what will happen, how we will feel, how life will feel- but I still have this warm feeling in my stomach that these holidays could be, will be, filled with memories that we won't want to forget.