notes for june
Well, my travel plans have unexpectedly rearranged themselves, and owing to a number of factors, I won't be able to travel to Romania as planned, which is rather a disappointment. After abandoning real work and with a bit of help from the Internet and a guidebook to the Czech Republic grabbed from the library, I have devised Plan B. I will still be travelling to Budapest, Vienna and Prague for work, but with the full 8 days I have before I need to return to Singapore, I've decided to venture to the Czech spa town Karlovy Vary, then to the countryside to do some light walks in the Ceske Svycarsko national park, then head up north to Dresden in Germany, and end my trip in Berlin, which I have not visited since I was a student, and would love to see again.
Please feel free to share travel trips for the cities I've mentioned as I hadn't had much time to plan my trip and pretty much improvised my travel plans over the last 24 hours, and I have slightly more than a week before I depart. I promise to put up a travel guide of my own when I return!
Meanwhile, other thoughts floating my head this month
- Linen weather is in full swing! As the picture above indicates, I did buy that linen shirt from Uniqlo that I wanted, and it is so good.
- I decided against the olive chinos. I only wanted them because my thighs have gotten bigger from yoga, but chinos are not essential to my wardrobe and I shall enjoy my other trousers instead. Does body change affect your shopping decisions?
- Sale season is great for lingerie/underwear shopping
- Non-shopping news aside: "Half The Sky" by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn is amazing - harrowing and inspiring at the same time. One of those books I want to buy for all my friends.
- Watched "Prometheus". After that I went home to watch "Alien" on DVD with running commentary by Ridley Scott and I decided "Prometheus", though beautifully shot and gripping at times, was largely redundant.
Comments
I love to wander around alleys and parks that aren't crammed with tourists, it's so tranquil.
Do you plan on visiting a spa in Karlovy Vary?
That national park must be gorgeous!! I’m afraid I start coming across as if I was making this up, but actually my dad is from that area, and I found old pictures from there in my grand mother’s album, what a stunning landscape – I would LOVE to go there too! And Dresden is also definitely worth a visit, I don’t have any insider recommendations for it, but I’m going to tell you what I liked! Moreover I might be in Berlin in mid July, too, but I don’t know yet for sure, would love to meet you!! (I’d excitedly try to make you come over to Munich because it’s so close to your route, if I hadn’t those “uncertainties” in my schedule in late June/early July, I’m sorry…)
Our notes are so similar this month, even though you're starting to dress for summer. I picked up a tonne of lingerie at the half yearly clearance at my work, I've finally dumped a pair of chinos that I've had in my wardrobe for SO LONG. Like years and I have only worn them once, but I liked the colour and I liked the idea of them but they did NOT Look good. Why did they last so long? I don't know.
And your new plans sound fantastic, there will be so much for you to do and see and enjoy and I am desperately jealous. Prague!!! Vienna!! And Germany. I will need your tips when you get back because I'm going in January of next year!!
xxx
My waist has gotten a teeny bit smaller as a result of more self-control and I am starting to look out for dresses with a more defined waist-line, compared to shapeless A-lines which could potentially look maternal.
The navy blazer sounds good..sale starts this week if I am not wrong. I have one navy linen jacket from Massimo Dutti that is from a couple of seasons ago. Its really a lovely neutral although I do admit that it is a special ocassion jacket. Do share if you decide to get it!
i agree - the end of season sales (still odd given summer is just starting) have been very good. isn't uniqlo's linen quality great? :) i love the linen blazers i got.
i'm going to have to read that Kristoff book, and adding some more to my summer reading list this week...
Is a spa a good idea? I've always been quite indifferent to spas although I like a good message, but I haven't had time to check out what the town has to offer...
Fleurette: That would be great, but I think I might just miss you by days - mine are 5 to 7 Jul, leaving Berlin on 8th. Email me if you think we can meet up!
Cato: I guess elderly German spa tourists would be an interesting change of scenery haha.
What a coincidence about Ceske Svycarsko! Your family history must be so interesting. I'll share any good pictures I get if I make it there so that you can compare the landscapes.
I wouldn't mind making a stop in Munich but I do think I wouldn't have enough time. I am in Berlin from Jul 5 to 7 so let me know if you are around. And do share recommendations for Dresden if you have the time :)
hannah-rose: The special effects are great: they're done with with great taste and style which isn't always the case with big-budget movies, haha. Alien gave me sleepless nights when I first watched it and Ellen Ripley is my all-time favourite cinema heroine, bar none.
I hope I get to share some interesting stuff from my trip...I am scrambling so much that I can only pray for some good luck to come my way!
Pret a Porter P: I have a thing for apocalyptic movies...I think it's because it frightens me. I did watch Snow White and Charlize Theron was incredible, not to mention her wardrobe. I pretty much wasn't keen on the scenes where she wasn't around though...
Ammu: How can I thank you for these great tips? The Helmut Newton Museum is already on my list, and I will take your word on Martin Gropius Pau. I'm a bit frightened of Sacher Torte though, it sounds painfully sweet.
Eileen: Thanks! It reminds me of my kindergarten uniform.
I wish my thighs weren't making my trousers too tight but I suppose if they are stronger, then so be it, haha.
Oh the Massimo Dutti sale! Must exercise control...
Café Sperl for authentic Viennese coffehouse-culture, sipping your Wiener Melange coffee and rosé amongst bearded men with large newspapers.
Café Hawelka for more of the above, though less well-kept than Sperl - very cozy.
Kleines Café for a drink where all the artists of Vienna once have sat.
Museum Leopold in Museumsquartier for the Egon Schiele exibition, they also have a nice collection of Wiener Werkstadte-furniture and some Klimt and Klee work. The whole Museumsquartier is a very nice place, I recommend the club sandwich at the café Halle, and the photobooth, and the quirky giftshop.
Trzesniewski for authentic bread with various toppings (sounds more boring than it is) for lunch.
Julius Meinl am Graben for the huge variations in foods, chocolate, wine, everything... Luxury.
The Schönbrunn Zoo is actually very nice, and the gardens by the palace of Schönbrunn are very nice. Not exactly for park-hanging, but nice to look at.
In general I'd recommend the area/street Neubaugasse for vintage shopping. Eat traditional food such as schnitzel and knödel at for instance Figlmüller. Eat sausage at any würsltstand. If you don't eat meat, the vegetarian food at Kantine in Museumsquartier is quite good. There are a lot of great museums, such as the Albertina. Also, make sure to eat a Sachertorte, not neccesarily at Hotel Sacher.
(I'd also recommend the bath Rudas in Budapest!)
Email me for further tips and addresses! Have a nice trip! :)
I have to say that quality looks decent! Thank you for recommending great stuff at your blog!
i would like to recommend you to visit also couple of other places while you are in Prague. First of them is
Karlštejn (Beroun District) - very close to Prague and magically nice. Most of the local people are going there to escape the tourist trap which their beautifull capital city obviously is..u can get ther on the bus or even bike. Second place is Kutna Hora - another medieval town placed on the hills.
The truth is i lived in Prague 9 years ago:) so some things may have changed...But Czech Republic to me was always like from the fairy tale about Cinderella-very popular movie for children in Soviet Union in
early eighties I enjoyed it every time i were there.
Have nice trip.
db
Fashion Tidbits: Will do!
Maria: I can't think you enough for giving me such a nice long list! Especially when it involves so many food choices - I find food the hardest part to get right as a tourist.
Eileen: The pink is lovely! Such a zesty colour. The shirt is so comfortable too...I've been wanting to wear it everyday in the hot weather - it makes cotton feel stifling.
db: Thanks for the recommendations! I have visited Prague and while its beauty can't be denied, I'm quite eager to explore more of the country. I expect I'll see plenty of tourists where I'm going but am cherishing a hope that it will be less crazy than the scene in Prague.
How about visiting and exploring Berlin? This is probably one of those european capitals which are still fresh and cool not being a total tourist destination-thoe a lot of Americans there. My question is about where would you like to go and what would you like to see in Berlin? I was staying there a lot recently-mostly somewhere between Mitte and Prenzlauerberg(for some reasons i don't like Kreuzberg..) Some time ago I saw some pictures on Dead Fleurette blog and guess it's East, where the most things are happening.
I hope my commenting activity is not overwhelming to you, I am following your blog for couple of years never living any foot prints:) and now suddenly decided to communicate.
one more idea for you in Prague-if you haven been yet to Villa Bertramka-the place where Mozart was staying during his visits to Prague. Its a quiet and intimate place on the southern partof the Petrin hill in the area of Smichov, perfect to visit on the late afternoon when they still have some concerts inside the building and you can sit on the bench around the fountain chilling out.
I will be staying in Mitte. I didn't like Kreuzberg either, haha.
That's a very interesting suggestion for Prague...I hope I can spare the time to check it out...I actually have a rather full schedule for work for Prague so I hope I can score some free time to explore the places I haven't been before.
Pls dont apologise for long comments, I always appreciate the time people take to respond to my posts!