Maddie the Coonhound.

This project, which has got to be my favorite recent find, is absolutely adorable. Ive been wanting a pet, or a little snuggle partner for ages, so when I came across Maddie the Coonhound and her endeavors I couldnt help but smile. I think once I have my own furry friend, Ill do the same. Such a great idea, and such a great way (or excuse) to explore new things! 

{via}

To Do's.

I always carry around my Moleskine, right alongside my chapstick and camera. Whenever I see or hear about something neat, Ill jot it down for later...recently I came up with the (very original) idea that I should start compiling a list and actually do something about all these things that I have written down for some reason or other. Some call it a bucket list. Others call it a to do list. Check it out:

Looks like I need to get busy.

Crossed off the list:
Have a stiff drink (or two) at 20 Up Skybar.   15.01.2012
Take a walk around the Alster.  13.11.2011

Take a tour of the harbor.  01.09.2011 (most recently)
Day trip to Lüneburg. 09.11.2011
Take a walk along the Elbe in Blankenese.  16.10.2011
Find out what all the hype is about at the Strandperle. 15.09.2011

Check out the Ostsee. 09.10.2011

Breakdown in Germany.

Dont judge.

I may not know Axyl. I do, however, understand this situation:



Sometimes all you want is an Egg McMuffin (or in my case- a cookie dough blizzard).

Instagram. January.

Looking back, January wasnt even all that bad. Egypt, Switzerland, and of course Germany, treated me well. I cant wait to see what the rest of February has to offer! Warmer weather maybe? Lets hope so!

 

 

Alstervergnügen. For Reals.

Its Saturday! Yay!

After a pretty busy week at work (always good, it keeps me busy and busy means there's no time for boredom), I literally fell into my bed last night at an hour Im too embarrassed to reveal. Lets just say it was grandma worthy :) It felt good though. I slept through the night and woke up feeling like I could conquer the world- or in this case, the Alster. 

Since I didnt make it to the lake during the week, that was one of the first things I wanted to do today. Mainly because I had heard that Hamburg was expecting 1,000+ visitors since they had officially declared the Alstervergnügen on Thursday. Yikes!

In hindsight, I could kick myself for not making the time to go Thursday. You know, just sneak out a little earlier from work. No big deal. Because today, was pure mayhem. I had even thought about turning around and heading home by the time I got to the Altona trainstation- which is still a good 20 minutes away from the Alster- because there were so many people. Literally masses. Of course, it only got worse. I felt like I was queuing the entire walk from the subway station to the lake. Awful. However, I figured it was worth at least seeing. Who knows when itll happen next :)

While I was queueing (ha!), I noticed all these poor little geese just hanging out on the ice in the Binnenalster. They looked a little...lost. 

I feel like the following photos need captions.

Please notice how when I first made it up to the Alster, although it looks super crowded, it still looks relatively harmless (although Im still not sure why the ice is painted red, I know its not blood because the same red coloring was used to stop skaters from crossing into thinner patches of ice, but still...freaked me out at first)...

As I continued to make my way around the lake, with no more trees to hide the impact of the masses...I was honestly almost a little taken aback. The Alster is huge, but there were people everywhere! Im hoping it stays cold enough so I can go on Monday (wow, did I really just wish for the cold weather to stick?)  

The last photo was taken on the bridge between the Alster and the Binnenalster. Crazy.

Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht.

I know, I know, all youve been hearing from me is just how cold its been here. Boring. So, instead of posting the usual icy photographs of the city, I thought Id share these two beauties from last week. 

Now although Im not a fan of having to go to court (Ive been lucky, I havent had to actually step foot inside a justice building yet), I am a fan of the architecture. So regal. This building here, is the Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht.

P.S. You can tell its cold out though, right? ;) 

Work Blues.

These past weeks have been pretty hectic at work, and that right after a nice, relaxing two week break in the sun. Thats saying a lot. New clients. New projects. Personal Development Meetings. German & Dutch Inter-Company Meetings. All at once. 

Lucky for us, we have a lovely Office Manager. Who, Ive got to admit, is also the Office Momma. It was Sarah who made sure I was alright when I called in sick from work one day. She is so, so, so sweet. But, apart from her usual bright and cheery self, she graces our day to day activities with colorful surprises. Love her.