Magical Germany

I was extremely blessed this festive season to spend two weeks over Christmas and New Years with my family in Germany and Austria. I got to experience snow for the first time when we spent two nights on the slopes of Lermoos, Austria. What a magical experience! Our friends from Munich came along and I'm so glad they did. One night, they organised a horse-drawn sleigh ride around the snow-covered valley. With shooting stars above us, bells ringing on the horses necks, hot air smoking up around our chilly faces and glasses of sparkling wine in our hands...I was in winter wonderland heaven!

We spent six nights in Munich, which I know quite well as I stayed their for two weeks with my friend Natalie on our European adventure in 2012. I love it that a completely foreign place started to become so familiar. I knew my way around the U-bahn and where to find the best little cafes and shops in the city centre. It felt like my second home and that made it so special. And it was great to share that with my parents and brother.

Our trip concluded with five nights in Berlin. I was so excited to go because Natalie and I so regretted not visiting the city in 2012. We had heard so many amazing things about it only after we had planned our entire journey. We were told it is shrouded in intriguing history and a wealth of different cultures of people that have made it a fascinating creative hub in Europe and the world. Given that we were only there for five nights and that most of the city was closed over New Years, I still feel like we got an amazing taste of the city. But I feel like my appetite has been wet, but I NEED to go back and be drenched! I'm not usually one for history, but visiting Checkpoint Charlie and learning the stories about the Berlin Wall, as well as visiting some prominent places during the Nazi Regime was eye-opening and actually got me excited to learn more about the history of places when I visit them. I drove a segway for the first time when we did a segway tour around the city. It was scary at first and extremely freezing being exposed in the frosty air for 2 hours straight - but so fun and invigorating once I got the hang of driving it and we zipped around to see all the hotspots.

But I have one favourite point that I learned and one favourite place that I got to see during our trip. One thing that really struck me was the European lifestyle. While everything in Germany is known to run so regimentally and smoothly, I also learned that they take their time to get outside and do more and spend time with each other (despite the cold). I love it that everything shuts down over the holidays and people take that time off to see their family and relax! On New Years day we bundled up and went for a walk around an icy lake. I thought we'd be the only ones braving the cold, but the lake was surrounded with hundreds of families and friends. People were jogging, walking their dogs, families were chattering and pushing baby strollers with toddlers tottering along beside them. We were staying with an extremely hospitable family, mere acquaintances of my parents who completely opened their house to us and showed us everything we could see of the city in 5 nights. Their little 11 year old daughter, Lara, couldn't speak much English and took a while to open up, but after 3 days, she and I were teaching each other English and German (and even some Afrikaans) and talking about bunny rabbits and horses and dancing. It really was so special.

Then comes to my favourite place. It's more an area, but there was one shop in the area that really captured my attention because it encapsulates everything I'm about right now. On one of our days in Berlin, our friends had organised to take us to a parliament museum, and I opted out and caught the train to Mitte (the creative and shopping hub of the city) to browse and explore. I visited a lovely shop called '& other stories' that sold clothing, accessories and beauty products, all in impeccable packaging! But, my favourite of all was a shop called 14 oz. And I fell in love with it even more when I watched the film that I've pasted below. It's definitely not a reasonably priced shop on first glance, but when you think about what they stand for in terms of their philosophy and ethos, spending more is completely warranted. I love the advice the owner of the store, Karl-Heinz Muller, gives when talking about filling your closet with classical, timeless pieces: "Buy less stuff, buy something good, and don't wear it out." Watch the video below, and you'll get why I'm inlove.

And...go to Germany as soon as you get a chance!