When in...

Hannover

Between my last published blog post and now, a lot has happened. After a summer spent jobbing at home, catching up with old friends and two short trips to some of my favourite places, August suddenly rolled around and with it came my cue to pack up my life and move to a new place to start a new experience. Mid-August, I once again packed up my many pairs of shoes (I can see my dad rolling his eyes at me just by thinking of it), cook books and a couple of pots and pans and moved to Amsterdam to start a Master’s degree.

Almost three months later, I can say I’ve slowly settled into the new city, made friends with new people and (more or less) adapted to the busy student life (again). Even though the focus of my studies is new media, I’ve ironically felt uninspired when it comes to blogging, which I kept re-directing to the fact that I had to write blog posts as a form of assignment, so I didn’t want to be writing them in my free time, too. Ahem.

As so often, blogging inspiration comes and goes, and more often than not, my blogging motivation is influenced by the people around me. With a couple of days off after an intense first seven weeks of Uni last week, I jumped on a train to go visit my ex-roomie/live-in blogger Céline in Germany which resulted in a weekend with too much talking (just kidding, no such thing exists), a little bit too much booze and three new German cities to add to my list of places I’ve been to.

Sometimes, it seems all I need to start writing, photographing, documenting again, is a weekend trip away. With that being said, I thought I’d start my attempt at regular updating again with a couple of insights of what I did in Germany, and more precisely, what I got up to in Göttingen, Bremen and Hannover, even if I only spent about a day in each city.

Vegan Eats | Berlin: vegan capital of Europe

view from Klunkerkranich - a rooftop terrace on top of a shopping mall in Neukölln

Berlin is a great place for a trip for many reasons - laid back vibes, friendly people, culture, budget friendliness... and vegan food. Germany's capital has been named the Vegan capital of Europe more than once and not for no reason. Every time I get to spend a couple of days in Berlin (bless being able to stay with friends there!), I like to eat my way through the city and even though I love finding places to go to in advance and planning my food stops, I know that I can turn a corner here or stand in the middle of the city there and consult Happy Cow and I will always find tasty vegan food not far away. Here are a a couple of places I ate at this time - some newly discovered, some old favourites... too good not to share either way!

Pêle-Mêle [Neukölln]
Top notch place to brunch or have a slice of cake and coffee served in a mug the size of your head. Cosy interior, lovely staff and the café is advertised as a co-working space as well - perfect for all those digital nomads/bloggers/students/can't-work-at-home-people.

Innstrasse 26

12043 Berlin

Soya Vietnamese Vegan Kitchen [Kreuzberg]
Vietnamese restaurant offering an almost entirely vegan menu (only non-vegan item is condensed milk for traditional Vietnamese coffee). Lots of tofu dishes as well as mock meats; "chicken", "duck", "fake fish"...

Falckensteinstrasse 36

10997 Berlin

Yoyo Foodworld [Friedrichshain]
Perfect spot for some budget friendly vegan fast food like pizza, burgers and vegan fried calamari (!!). Simple interior, outside seating, situated in the hip neighbourhood Friedrichshain.

Gärtnerstrasse 27

10245 Berlin

Vegan Snackbar by Attila Hildmann [Charlottenburg]

German author of several cookbooks and my first inspiration to go vegan almost 4 years ago Attila Hildmann finally opened his first restaurant back in May. The place to be when you're looking for mouth watering burgers, pasta dishes with homemade sauces, matcha soft swerve, açaí bowls or healthy energy drinks. Slightly more expensive than your typical Berlin food place but well worth the price considering everything is freshly made, high quality and organic. You even get to chat to the owner himself as he's there most days of the week.

Schillerstrasse 71

10627 Berlin

Café Vux [Neukölln]
Brazilian café, entirely vegan, selling everything from paninis to cakes and waffles, including vegan versions of traditional Brazilian foods. Weekly Sunday brunch from 12 onwards (be on time!) for 9.50€ excluding drinks. Beautiful interior with small outside space.

Wipperstrasse 14

12055 Berlin

Superfoods & Organic Liquids [Mitte]
Drop by for bowls full of health, sweet pick-me-ups (about half are vegan), freshly made smoothies and filling açaí bowls. Comfortable and light interior, comfortable outside seating area, free infused water.

Weinbergsweg 23

10119 Berlin

Vöner [Friedrichshain]

All vegan place to get typical Berlin dishes like Döner (kebab) and Currywurst. Very affordable, extremely filling and not far from Veganz - the entirely vegan supermarket of your dreams.

Boxhagenerstrasse 56

10245 Berlin

Paletas Berlin [Friedrichshain]

Ice popsicle store just around the corner from Yoyo Foodworld, offering a wide range of vegan ice popsicle flavours ranging from fruity (mango, raspberry, ...) to creamy (chocolate, coffee, ...). Get it dipped in dark chocolate and your choice of nuts and you're ready to Instagram that beauty (before devouring it).

Wühlischstrasse 26

10245 Berlin

When in Chiang Mai...

Old and new

coat, jeans: h&m shirt: vintage bag: wilby shoes: adidas

MAN REPELLER - 4 POSTS TO READ

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Goodbye Obama - am I caught up now? 

A couple of days ago, I realised that I hadn't blogged in over a month, meaning I haven't been active on here since before Christmas, before spending some time off back home, figuring out the next couple of months of my life (well, I like to think so at least) and booking my biggest trip yet. As per usual every couple of weeks, my blogging/writing inspiration has reached a low point and even asking friends to take pictures of me in front of pretty London buildings seems like too much of an effort. That being said, the number one thing that always gets me back into the mood of snapping pictures and writing up blog posts is reading other writers' work. I've now long established that ELLE is my favourite magazine for both content and aesthetic pleasure and thanks to my being able to read it for free every month at work, at least one article always sparks my inner writer. That being said, there's only very few blogs or websites where I always find something interesting, funny and purely entertaining to read, and Man Repeller has slowly but surely become one of those sites. 

As I'm still feeling a bit uninspired and scrambling to come up with post ideas or a new way of combining the few jumpers I have here in London, I thought I'd share four Man Repeller posts that made me think, giggle or taught me something and question my decision not to work as a writer for the hundredth time in the past couple of months.

16 Haikus on the Horrors of Puberty

Because the horrors of puberty become incredibly hilarious about a decade later, even if some incidents still make you cringe like it happened just yesterday. Avoid thinking of your own puberty horrors by reading about others', written in poetry form. Endlessly entertaining.

10 New Yorkers Give Advice to New York Transplants

No matter how much time has passed since my last visit to New York (it's been over a year now... sigh), eventually moving to the city of cities, for however long that might be, is still at the very top of my wishlist. Even though that dream may still be far away, if doable at all, reading about other people's experience of moving to the Big Apple is a great way to get some insight and wisdom from now-New Yorkers and invites you to dream of strolling through the streets of Brooklyn as a resident for even just a little while...

How to Be Unemployed

Finishing University and not diving straight in to a job or further study tends to leave you in a limbo of not knowing what to do and when to do it. If you're lucky/successful, you might end up interning or otherwise gaining work experience and get to live in a place other than home but those things also tend to come to an end, so the chances of ending up somewhat unemployed are quite high. In times like those (or for upcoming times), it's always good to know how to use your time wisely and productively, and in a manner that will make you stop questioning your life decisions every half hour.

If You're Freezing, You're Layering Wrong

Granted, London's winter weather is nowhere close to New York's icy winter weather but any cold temperatures make it increasingly easier to fall into a rut of wearing your most comfortable jeans, thickest jumpers and boots your biggest socks fit into, so a little lesson on the right way to layer clothing might be just what you need.

Vegan Eats | Reykjavík: chilli, crêpes and hot chocolate

Having heard of the different places my friend had been to during her longer stay in Reykjavík, I was somewhat prepared to be taken around the city and eat tasty vegan food at different locations. The restaurants and cafes she took me did not disappoint and I was nonetheless positively surprised just how many places offered vegan options on their menus, despite Iceland being a country where meat, fish and dairy are consumed rather heavily. I decided to pack two places into one post and dedicate a third, entirely vegan place we had brunch at its own post. 

Before I get into where you can get the world's best veggie chilli, a comforting hot chocolate and great crêpes, I do want to disclaim that Iceland is expensive. No matter where we ate or how much we ate, eating out easily added up to fifteen to twenty euros, especially if we had a cup of coffee with our meal. That being said, we typically had lunch in the city and ended the day with big bowls of pasta at home to avoid spending too much money.

Interning at a fashion brand

After an initial couple of weeks of pinching-self-excitement that came with assisting at a LFW event, sitting front row at a fashion show (yeah, still can't believe that actually happened) and getting to assist during the filming of a new TV show, the hectic first impressions of London settled down and I started an internship at a fashion company. A good two months later and I've slowly picked up a routine of living and working in London, with the odd weekend trip to Brighton or abroad. Coming to London has somehow thrown me into the world of fashion magazines, show room events and volumes of clothes that leave me dizzy, and even though I've started to get accustomed to my role as an intern, some things still feel slightly crazy and perfectly normal at the same time... So here goes an attempt at giving you a glimpse what it's like to intern at a fashion company.

• Someone at Jimmy Choo was charming enough to send a thank you note for sending over clothes samples. Yes, people working at Jimmy Choo are regular people as well, but I smell "frame-and-hang-on-bedroom-wall" potential for this one.
• These jeans are not "destroyed", they are super loved destroy with a let our hem, mind you. Did you see the signature shirt in fatigue? No, not my current state - the colour, obviously. And what do you mean this t-shirt is black? It's caviar and the one over there is washed black oh and this one is true black. Got it?
• Dumbbell bicep raises are overrated. Just steam a couple of hundred shirts and you'll be on your way to arms made of steel!
• No need to pull an Andy and appear at work in a jumper too large and your grandma's skirt but when it comes to dress code, chances are that more people will be wearing jeans and trainers at the office than heels and lipstick.
• Not-so-vegan-fact: steaming cotton shirts is an absolute pain. Silk ones, however...
• Knowing what Ellie Goulding's perfume smelled like at last week's performance isn't unusual, sitting at your desk sniffing the shirt she wore, however... Serious question: does touching clothes Anna Kendrick wore bring you closer to immortality? Thought so.
• Saving cash has never been easier than when reading magazines isn't an option but compulsory as part of your job description.
• Instead of wearing a wrinkly coat that you can't be bothered to iron or get professionally treated, you can make the de-wrinkling-process a DIY project and steam it at the office once you're done with every other piece of clothing in the show room. Give it three to four hours.

A weekend in Reykjavík

Having some of your oldest, and often closest, friends live in a different country than you comes with the downsides of seeing them only around Christmas and maybe summer when it boils down to it. However, the beauty of having loved ones spread out all over Europe is that you get to plan weekend trips (or longer ones if you're lucky) to countries or cities you've never been before. Over the past three years, since I first moved away from home to go to University in the UK, I've been to Berlin, Amsterdam, Zurich and Hamburg - meeting old friends in each city. On top of getting to see dear ones and discovering new places to tick off your travel list, comes the benefit of occasionally being able to stay at said friend's place, making the trips easier on your bank account as well. 

Last Friday, I got on a plane to visit one of my closest friends - and long established travel buddy, in Reykjavík, Iceland. Whereas the two of us had previously visited the cities I just mentioned due to our common friends and living together at University, we no longer live in the same country (for now) but being the travel lovers we are, we're using this as an excuse for weekend trips to see each other. The fact that I was able to visit a country which I otherwise might've not gone to in the near future by visiting one of my closest friends was the cherry on top of the cake.

We spent a long weekend catching up whilst walking through the city of Reykjavík, eating delicious vegan food (Icelandic Vegan Eats edition? I've got you covered), fighting the rainy, grey and at times crazy windy weather, sitting in 40 degree outside hot tubs in chilly 4 degree temperatures and watching movies wrapped up in blankets, eating too many cookies. 

Even though I will get to work on a Vegan Eats post soon, I didn't plan any other specific Reykjavík related posts. I've decided to simply pull together some of my favourite photos that I took during my stay in this adorable city and share them with you.

Rediscovery

jumper: pull and bear trousers: h&m boots: faith

Before moving into my own flat (well, a bedroom in a flat with other people) next week, I flew home for a weekend visit to stuff a suitcase full of autumn and winter clothing to take back with me to London and to see the family before being away again until Christmas. During my first four weeks in London, where I only had one suitcase of clothing available to myself, I started to realise just how many clothes I have that I wanted to wear that were still at home and fantasising about all the different combinations I'd be able to wear with the cooler temperatures appearing all of a sudden once I would bring more clothes to the UK - I got inspired to be more creative when it comes to combining and wearing the things I already own instead of buying new things. Now, I'm not saying that I didn't/am not buying new things anymore (Topshop is a ten minute walk from my office, help?) but being at home and filling a suitcase with jeans, boots and jumpers (all the good autumny stuff) has made me incredibly excited to wear my own clothes and find new combinations.

One of the pieces I rediscovered during my crazy packing session were these great checked trousers from H&M which are a wonderful alternative to the usual skinny, potentially uncomfortable jeans and the simple pattern and colour scheme make them easy to combine with jumpers in neutral colours as well as brighter ones - these will definitely become a staple in my autumn/winter wardrobe this year!

Fall Must-Haves

The new season is officially underway, bringing with it the promise of cooler weather, rainy days, and, of course, jumpers - can I get a "yay!"?. While autumn is well-known for having its tried and true staples (aka skinny jeans and riding boots), it also provides the perfect opportunity to switch things up a bit. I've personally been loving these eye-catching pieces this season with their unexpected colours, flattering silhouettes, and modern design details - all of which I spotted when clicking through ELLE and VOGUE's NYFW street style photo album.

Vegan Eats | Rome: Universo Vegano

If I had to sum up my stay in Rome in one sentence, it would be "lots of walking and lots of eating." Whilst I've already started covering the walking part with my When in Rome post and will be sharing more photos soon, I thought it was about time to address the (obviously) more important part of the trip: food. As before any city trip, I had spent some time scrolling through HappyCow's Rome selection and marked a few good food places on our city map so we could check off as many restaurants as possible during our stay. Universo Vegano had also been recommended by a friend of mine who is from Rome, so that was at the top of our to-eat-at-list.

When in Rome...

Denim and ruffles

top: h&m shorts: vintage shoes: converse backpack: primark

When I was still in Rome a few days ago, I was certain that the hot summer days were coming to an end for me this year, with Autumn and new adventures approaching. It seemed to be one of the last occasions on which I could throw together an outfit consisting of a summery top that I've had for at least five years, vintage denim shorts and pre-worn converse but who would've thought; next week is bound to be hot again, and get this: in the UK, too! That being said, I'm currently in the process of struggling to pack all the clothes I want to take with me to London into a 20 kilo suitcase as I'm trying to find a balance between thinner clothing items I can layer and jumpers I can wear when I'm out and about in the evening and it starts getting chilly. After having wanted to live in London ever since I was sixteen, I'm finally (somewhat) moving there tomorrow and hopefully staying for longer than just the initial month I have planned out to stay there so far. 

Thankfully, I have a few Rome posts I want to write up and publish over the next week or two (or three.. depending on how much time I actually have to blog) which'll help me keep this place updated when I'm probably too busy running around the city like a tourist (I really do need to start memorising what's in which part of London) to take outfit pictures or come up with other ideas. Keep your eyes peeled for some Rome tips and of course some Vegan Eats posts because one does not go to Rome and not spend 90% of their time eating, right?

Simplicity

shirt: h&m shorts: topshop shoes: zara

The past week has been a strange mix of being busy catching up with friends or applying for numerous internships but also spending hours laying in my garden or near pools with the temperatures having gone up to 35 degrees. Somewhere along the way, I popped into ZARA (obviously) and picked up these stunning powder pink trainers. They immediately caught my eye and I figured a pair of trainers would be a good investment (my favourite word to use when buying something I don't actually "need") for my time in London when I'll be walking around all day and not willing to wear heels. The crazy heatwave has inspired me to borrow my dad's straw hat for tanning sessions (aka hiding it my room, hoping he forgets about it someday and it magically becomeing mine) and it once again reminded me of how great of an accessory hats are. Note to self: finally invest in a nice hat and actually wear it. 

On another note, I'll be off to Rome for a few days in the early hours on Friday, which I yet have to pack for (5 days - hand luggage only - interesting to say the least) but I'm beyond excited as I've spent my entire summer in either Brighton or Luxembourg, so it'll be nice to play tourist for a few days again soon. I will probably live off pizza and sorbet and do all the touristy stuff, but on the odd chance that you have any recommendations for me, make sure to drop them in the comments!

Mustard

top: bershka pants: miss selfridge jacket: zara shoes: h&m

As I'm working on my shopping habits, being more selective and buying pieces I know I'll get a lot of wear out of, this beauty of a (fake) leather jacket is beyond perfect. Don't get me wrong, I still buy silly t-shirts (I bought a t-shirt with a pizza slice on it the other day - don't ask) but eye catching, yet somewhat versatile pieces like a mustard coloured leather jacket are something I can never say no to. During the move out of my Brighton home, I came face to face to the fact that I really do have a shoe problem (my dad just shook his head in disbelief for three days) and I definitely have a weak spot for coats and jackets, but then again, those are the things I seem to get most wear out of! A pair of shoes or an interesting jacket are complete game changers. Exhibit A: I've had these striped pants for over a year now and only wore them a handful of times but the simple adding of a colourful leather jacket immediately gave the whole look that extra oomph.

Vegan Eats | Brighton: The Almond Tree

Even though I've finally moved out of my Brighton home for good last week (cue the waterfalls), I haven't quite finished - and probably never will - with the city that was my home for 3 years just yet. I'm already planning trips down to the most charming seaside city but meanwhile, I thought I'd share my latest food discovery for those of you that are lucky enough to pay Brighton a visit soon or just enjoy my posts about mouth watering vegan food (anyone?). 

5 things University has taught me

Even though it's been almost two weeks since my big graduation ceremony, it still hasn't quite hit me that my time as an (undergraduate) student has come to an end. It seems like only yesterday that I moved into my tiny on-campus room, experienced Freshers' week and got lost in Brighton's busy streets. Whilst I'm still trying to figure out what my next steps are, I can't help but compare my 18 year old pre-Uni self to 21 year old me now, having just finished her Bachelor's degree abroad. University has changed and shaped me, which sounds oh so cliché but it's also taught me a few things that I thought I'd share, including bits that might help you get through your own studies or work life.

Second hand finds

t-shirt: asos skirt: secondhand shoes: h&m bag: primark

Even though eating a plantbased/vegan helps towards living a more ethical and environmentally friendly life, I yet have to work on my shopping attitude. Even though I know that the fashion industry has more than just a few faults - excluding things like the use of leather, fur or silk, which I avoid already - I'm easily sucked into high street shops like Topshop and ZARA and the vast majority of my clothing is "made in China" or Bangladesh. I've been able to adapt my shopping habits slightly by being more selective with the clothes I buy, so that I at least end up buying less, but it's still a work in progress for sure. One thing that I'd been doing in the past and which I picked up again a bit recently, is going to second hand stores instead of H&M and during my last stroll through some of Brighton's best second hand and vintage stores (Brighton is quite literally heaven for second hand lovers), I picked up what is now one of my favourite skirts. I'm not sure how authentic the Tennis look to it is (any fashion experts want to chime in?) but I love everything about it, from the colour and style to its ridiculous shortness - inviting me to wear shorts underneath to avoid flashing half the city when Brighton's being windy again. And to add to its awesomeness, the skirt's waist is adjustable, so you can make some space for a food baby, he he he...

Vegan Eats | Brighton: Brunch at Brewed

With being free from any kind of Uni work and only working a few days a week, comes the urge to go out for brunch, coffee or dinner as many times as my bank account allows me. Over the past few weeks, I've been discovering and trying out places I hadn't eaten at yet in Brighton (there's just so many!) and with things like vegan doughnuts still on my to-do list, I had the chance to try out a new uber cute place on Lewes Road last week. It's situated dangerously close to my place here, as it's only a 10-15 min walk away and even though it's not a vegan (or even veggie) place, their vegan options are amazing.

Environmentally friendly, safe & comfortable periods: menstrual cups

Periods are a tricky business. On top of their monthly visits making you feel uncomfortable, moody, hungry, tired or simply in pain, they are also really damn expensive and wasteful. Whether you use tampons or pads (or a combination of both), the amount of waste that is produced every month, resulting not only from the product itself but also its packaging, isn't only potentially icky to dispose off but extremely bad for the environment. Apparently, the average woman uses up to 11 000 tampons during her lifetime, which all take centuries to degrade! With a box of tampons or pads costing between £2 and £5, the use of disposable feminine hygiene products amounts to a lot of money spent on periods during a lifetime, money that would definitely be more enjoyable to spend on a cup of coffee or a magazine.