Life Lately: Copenhagen

The boyfriend and I have always wanted to visit Copenhagen, having heard so many great things about it. So with a quiet weekend ahead of us we decided to hop on a plane to visit the world's most liveable city.

We spent a peaceful 4 days wandering around the city, visiting all the sights, drinking chai lattes and soaking up the sun, but to be honest we got a bit bored. Strike me down for being so unappreciative of all Copenhagen has to offer, but I felt like I was missing what everyone raves about. Perhaps 4 days is too long, perhaps the boyfriend and I have lost the ability to relax and just be, perhaps I'm not a sit with a beverage and watch the world go by for hours type of person, whatever, I don't think I need to go back (sorry Copenhagen).

We did however uncover some lovely things to see and do in Copenhagen.

EAT

Torvehallerne - This little food market housed some culinary gems. We ate spicy Vietnamese baguettes followed by fabulous ice cream. If you visit I beg you to try the cherry and nutella concoction, it had me going back everyday. The glass boxes that house the various food stalls are surrounded by lots of open air seating and is always bustling.

Hot Buns - After wandering for ages on Sunday night to find a bite to eat in a restaurant that wasn't deserted we stumbled across Hot Buns. We were pleasantly surprised with the creative vegetarian option (an almond, spinach and egg 'burger') with crispy sweet potato fries, but less impressed with the exorbitant charge for a glass of tap water. Regardless if you like burgers seek out Hot Buns.

Cafe Paludan - Tucked away down a side street and resembling a library inside was this cafe. We dined on sandwiches so large and yummy that I needed a doggy bag. The board games were a fun addition to help wile away some time.

SHOP

Stroget - This is the main shopping street housing all those high street favourites you'll find back home such as H&M, Topshop and Zara. Globalisation at it's finest. Use this street as a navigation point but search the surrounding area for more unique shops.

Acne Archive - The main Acne store resembles the red room in Twin Peaks and I loved it. The staff were super friendly and pointed us in the direction of the Acne sample shop, a 20 minute walk north of the main town past some beautiful lakes. The store is tiny but is well worth the trip as the discounts are hearty (at least 50% off) and the rails are full of last season stock and one off runway pieces. The boyfriend and I were suitably impressed.

HAY - The boyfriend and I love the Danish designs of Hay. We recently acquired the modular sofa; we have tea towels, stationary, cushions...it's fair to say that when department store Liberty recently opened a concession we were there salivating and stroking things. So it was with great happiness that we wandered around the flagship store wanting to buy more things for our home.

VISIT

Design Museum - If you love Danish furniture and design this museum is a must visit. The cafe has some yummy offerings and the gift shop has a great selection of greeting cards and jewellery.

Citadel - Having exhausted all of our to do list in a day or so we were clutching at straws at how to kill time so meandered to the Citadel. It was beautiful. Lots of green grass, meadow flowers, swans in the lakes, statues, trees in blossom. The boyfriend got excited as lots of runners were zooming around and he joined them that evening. A very pleasant surprise.

The Little Mermaid - Close to the Citadel is one of Copenhagen's main tourist attractions, The Little Mermaid. It's a brass statue sitting on a rock in the sea, the story behind it is pleasant. It's worth going to visit just to say you've been but more importantly to marvel at the hoards of tourists clambering over themselves to get a picture with it leaving you wondering what they are going to do with that picture.

Rundetaarn - Another place we had no intention of visiting but was actually good was this 17th century round tower in the centre of Copenhagen. If you're not very mobile it isn't for you as getting to the top involves a step climb up a cobbled incline. The views from the top show Copenhagen in all it's prettiness and there's a great gallery space halfway up with the most beautiful light wood floors. I wanted to live there!

Statens Museum for Kunst - A great freebie museum housing mainly Danish and some international artworks through the centuries. Definitely worth a stroll around. 

Maybe I've been too harsh on Copenhagen, it was a lovely little city. I sometimes think that I'm spoilt living in London. So don't take my word for it, go visit.

I'm Back!

Apologies for the naughty lack of blogging. This year kicked off with plenty of work, loads of travel and some life changes, meaning that I've been incredibly lazy about spending time with the blog. But I'm back and will be blogging on the regular again.

So what have I been up to lately...Travelling to Malta at the beginning of the year for a photo shoot. It looked much warner than it was!

 The renovation of the kitchen is finally happening...my beloved Smeg fridge now sits proudly in the kitchen awaiting the rest of the refit.

Then I flew half way around the world to Sydney to work on some TV programs with Gok Wan. It was so lovely to catch up with dear friends and enjoy some warmth and blue skies. And I finally got to tick something off my bucket list, swimming in the open air swimming pool, the Icebergs, at Bondi.

I've also been focusing on some investment purchases to add to my wardrobe, namely these outfit elevating Jimmy Choo flats and this Miu Miu across-body bag, a recent bargain find from Bicester Village.

And finally I celebrated my birthday last week with lots of cake and beautiful flowers.

Travel: Beautiful Berlin

Last week we took ourselves off to Berlin for a few days to see a friend and do some sightseeing. I cannot implore you enough to go visit this city, it is incredibly rich in history, the people are cool and considerate, there are so many good places to eat and drink and so many interesting things to see and do. If you've never been book a flight immediately! 

Here is a round up of my top 10 things to do while in Berlin.

Walking Tour 

This free walking tour lasts about 2 hours, takes you to the key places in Berlin and is vastly superior to the open bus tour. The guides work on a tip basis so you only pay what you think you think is fair. Our tour guide Theo was brilliant, filling our minds with so much interesting information as we wandered to key sites including The Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, The Berlin Wall, and to stand above Adolf Hitler's bunker where he committed suicide. This is a must-do when visiting Berlin.

Berlin Wall Memorial

While it's worth going to visit Checkpoint Charlie and the remains of the Berlin Wall nearby, we headed to another section of the wall in the north of the city where we could meander with less people around. The site contains listening towers and interesting personal accounts from families.

Tempelhofer Park

This airport with a fascinating history ceased to operate in 2008 and has now been turned into a park where you can run, skate, cycle and just hang out. It's a vast space and interesting to see, so hire some bikes and go and investigate!

Reichstag

Sadly we only walked past the Reichstag, Germany's Parliament building, and didn't get to go into the glass dome roof to take the tour, see Berlin from up high and spy on the German Parliament in session. You have to pre-book to do the free tours and all the spaces were taken, so next time we visit I will be signing up as soon as I've booked the flights.

Tiergarten

In the centre of Berlin you will find the picture perfect Tiergarten, perfect for a stroll or a cycle. If the weather is good take a picnic.

East Side Gallery

Take a wander along a 1.3km stretch of the Berlin Wall which has been covered with 105 images from artists all over the world. It's such a shame that most of the artwork has been damaged by sharpie wielding idiots who think it's their prerogative to tag or write their names. Thankfully the original images are in the process of being restored.

Memorial To The Murdered Jews Of Europe

This is by far my favourite place in Berlin and arguably the most stunning and poignant memorial I have ever set eyes on. I first visited it on a work trip to Berlin about 7 years ago and I've wanted to go back ever since. The huge concrete blocks of varying heights are spread over a vast area and the floor undulates, so one moment you can see over the blocks and the next the blocks tower over you. Underneath the memorial is a fascinating and emotional museum detailing the incomprehensible  treatment of the Jewish people in Europe during the Second World War.

Oderberger Strasse
A wide long pretty tree-lined street filled with vintage stores, bars and restaurants. Good for brunch and evening drinks.

Shiso Burger
I wish there was a Shiso Burger restaurant near my home in London. A simple menu of around 10 different burgers, two of which were vegetarian (yay I had a choice!), with crunchy yummy sweet potato fries or normal fries, and other delicious trimmings. If you like burgers you'll love Shiso's offerings.

Mauerpark Sunday Market
While we didn't do any shopping in Berlin we did visit the Mauerpark market which happens each Sunday. It was full to the brim with vintage clothing, incredible furniture, trinkets and home wares at incredible prices. It's one of the best flea markets I've ever been to, so if you like to rummage for bargains I wholeheartedly recommend you go.

Thanks for a great time Berlin, we'll be back soon!

Life Lately

Last week was filled with travel, sightseeing and cats. What could be more perfect! On the invite of a lovely new friend, we took ourselves to Berlin to explore the marvellous city, on which I will blog more later. 

Berlin's Victory Column

The Brandenburg Gate

While in Berlin we had to cat sit and since being home I've really missed the fur babies!

Jojo the cat, aka Jabba the Hutt

We then returned to London to play tourist for a few days, something I love to do as I tend to neglect this wonderful city I am fortunate to call home.

Dinosaur bones and little people at The Natural History Museum

We also went to see Gone Girl on the recommendation of many others. It's a good film but with a little too much artistic license at times. What did you think?

The villainous Rosamund Pike

I'm refusing to wear tights until the weather really gets cold, so am wearing socks, boots and cosy knits to compensate!

Jumper M&S, Skirt COS, Boots Topshop

I hope you have a lovely week.

Sx

What I Wore: Berlin

This week we hopped on a plane for a few days to play tourist in Berlin. The city is incredible and I will be writing a post shortly covering my top 10 things to do and see. But for now here is a little round up of what I wore.

I packed a wardrobe of comfy clothes, including only flat shoes, as I knew we would be spending hours walking around the city taking in the sights. The weather was unexpectedly dry and sunny so my new Cos cocoon coat in light grey wool came out to play.

COS coat, River Island sweater, Topshop trousers, Adidas trainers, Louis Vuitton bag, Miu Miu sunglasses

Acne Studios sweater, Topshop jeans, Miu Miu trainers

COS coat, Uniqlo jumper, Debenhams culottes, Adidas trainers, Louis Vuitton bag

Life Lately

Last week was a busy one, filled with prepping and photo shoots before we headed to Wales for the boyfriend to do his Ironman (that's 2.4 miles swimming in the sea, a 112 mile bike ride up the hills and a 26.2 mile run...phew!). It was a fantastic weekend filled with incredibly inspiring people!

Piles of clothes for a photo shoot.

I styled a shoot with some of the contestants from Strictly Come Dancing and can't wait to see the results!

Shoes by Anya Hindmarch

I re-discovered these Anya Hindmarch shoes I purchased in a sample sale many, many moons ago. Check out the squatting granny on the front!

Signs supporting the Ironman in Tenby

On Friday we headed to Wales. The entire town of Tenby came out to show it's love and support for the Ironman. There was such a special atmosphere in the air, with banners all over town. This crafted one was my favourite.

Picture perfect Tenby

We were blown away with how picture perfect Tenby is. Tiny cobbled streets, miles and miles of golden beaches and brightly coloured houses. Just stunning!

Nerdy tourist shot

I couldn't help myself. Well I was beside the seaside!

Supporting the Ironman competitors doggie style!

Even the dogs got into the spirit of the Ironman!

The Ironmen all ready to start their challenge!

On the morning of the race we were treated to the most spectacular sunrise. The picture above shows the 2000+ participants about to begin the first leg of the race, the sea swim.

Go Norris Go!

And here is my Ironman! The brilliant boyfriend completed the challenge in 12 hours and 35 minutes. Here he is racing his first lap of the marathon, after completing the swim and bike, and he still had the energy to muster a smile!

Congratulations to all the competitors who took part in the Ironman and to all the support along the course. It really was a weekend we'll never forget and will always cherish.

Thank you Tenby.

Sx