le fabuleux destin

{ goodbye roadtrip } split

2012-02-03T01:46:00.000+01:00

After spending lovely days on Hvar, we finally had to make our way back to Switzerland. After arriving by ferry in Split, we decided to spent the rest of the morning in this pretty town and explore it by foot before heading up the coast to our last stop in Primosten. Turns out it was a morning well spent, as Split is simply a beauty...

Roaming the small backstreets was wonderful and we had a delicious lunch on a small terrace overlooking a courtyard. Lunch included refreshing Croatian white whine and a yummy octopus salad! Oh, how I miss the Mediterranean food already....

Last post: Primosten

// weekend stories // 04 //

2012-01-31T23:17:00.005+01:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

After a mostly quite week and a lovely, sunny Australian Day (pictures to come soon!) we headed out to the beach on the weekend. We packed our camping stuff and drove 2 hours south to Phillip Island. Oh, I love roadtrips!!

Such a pretty place - it is mostly know for its Penguin Parade, which we visited (of course)! It is really touristy, but it was too cute to see the little penguins walk up the beach to their burrows at sunset - unfortunately no photography is allowed to protect the little ones from flash light...

Besides the penguins, Phillip Island has some great surfing beaches, wonderful nature and a pretty coastline! Oh and also Australia's largest fur seal colonies, but they are so far away from the shore that you can barely see them...

Anyway, I have decided I need a surf board and a surfing lessons!! You simply cannot live in Australia and NOT surf, right?

Hope you are having a nice week, *K

PS: Please head over to Kay from Chronicled as she features me in her great Frequent Flyer series today! Thanks Kisha, love how it turned out!!

{ goodbye roadtrip } out on the boat

2012-01-30T02:38:00.001+01:00

Before we took of on our roadtrip we bought ourselves a small outdoor camera (Panasonic Lumix that is - in bright red!), which you can also use underwater. The sea around Hvar is so clear and blue, for sure we had to try it out - while kayaking, swimming, snorkeling and being out on a rented boat for the day! The pictures are surely no the best, but it was definitely fun to play around!

If you go to Hvar, make sure that you rent one of the small boats for the day (costs around 40 EUR if I remember correctly) and take it out to all the small islands and hidden beaches. It is wonderful, believe me!!

Why is it that I look ridiculous on 110% of all underwater pictures? Haha, just had a great time going through all of them!! :)

Hope you all have a great start into the week... We have 36 degrees here in Melbourne and I dream of some snow :)

Next up: Split and Primosten

{ goodbye roadtrip } hvar island

2012-01-27T05:43:00.000+01:00

Oh Hvar! What a beauty!

I let the pictures do the talking...

As we went mid-September most of the summer crowds had left the island, so we had it (almost) for ourselves. No, that was a joke, but everything was really winding down and it was super nice exactly the way it was!

Happy Friday and a nice weekend y'all!

Next up: Out on the boat

// weekend stories // 03 //

2012-01-25T00:19:00.000+01:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

After having finally received our container with all our belongings (yeay to that!!), we still had to run some boring errands over the weekend to get all the things together. Besides we spent time in the beautiful Botanical Garden (hiding from the sunshine in the shade, it has been really hot here the last days!) and took a walk along Fitzroy's Brunswick Street. So many great shops and cute cafés and bars in one place! Oh and we also spent a great deal watching the Australian Opens which take place just 3 km (at most) from our house!
Hope you had a great week so far, *K

{ goodbye roadtrip } open waters

2012-01-23T02:57:00.000+01:00

We left Rome and drove towards the town of Ancona situated at the Italian coast. From there we took the overnight ferry to Split, Croatia - having a picnic on deck when we pulled out of the harbor, drinking yummy red whine and looking back to the lights of Ancona was magical. Sleeping on the floor below the deck that night not so much! Haha!

We arrived in Split early in the morning, just to catch another ferry to the island of Hvar. I loved the light and the reflections of the water during that 90 minute ride, such a lovely welcome to Croatia!

We stayed a couple of amazing days on the island of Hvar - such a beautiful place... Taking a swim in the clear, blue and warm waters of the Adria; eating yummy octopus salad and fresh fish and taking long walks along the coastline. Wonderful!

Next up: Hvar

{ goodbye roadtrip } rome II

2012-01-20T00:49:00.000+01:00

I just realized that I never finished to share my pictures from our goodbye roadtrip through Italy and Croatia. In September, we decided to hit the roads of Europe for the last time before moving to Australia and drove from Switzerland to Rome via Firenze and Tuskany and further on to Croatia!

Shame on me for not posting earlier, I guess to many things going on the last couple of months.... But anyway, let's continue with some pictures of Rome, the city with the most amazing sights and the best espresso!!

I simply adore Rome, however I think that summer might not be the best time to visit. For sure, the sun is shining, the gelato tastes delicious and all, but the amount of tourists is just overwhelming! Never seen so many in one place!

Next up: Riding the ferry from Italy to Croatia

roadtripping into the new year

2012-01-18T01:10:00.000+01:00

I am back to Melbourne! Sorry for my absence during the past weeks, but we have been busy roadtripping along the Eastcoast all the way up to Sydney and back! It was a wonderful trip!! Highlights included seeing seals and dolphins in the wild, taking a swim at the world's whitest beach, watching kangaroos join us at the beach at sunset, hanging out in Manly and Bondi, bushwalking through Blue Mountains, climbing Mt Buffalo and the great museums in Canberra!

Australia is a beauty throughout! I am so grateful to be here!

Besides all that our container has arrived (after almost 12 weeks on the ocean) and we are finally settling in and enjoy the luxury of sleeping in my bed again!

Hope you all had a great start in the new year! I promise to be around here more often again, still have so many pictures to share with you - from our trip to Italy and Croatia last September, Beijing and Bali in November and so many new ones from our current roadtrip :) Hope you enjoy!! *K

2011 - the best of it

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000+01:00

Another year has passed.
Is it only me, or does time fly faster and faster the older I get?
The last year has been a very exciting and intense year. Another year of travel (in so many ways). Of big decisions and actions. Full of joy and laughter, but also the year of a loss that I still have no real words for. I loved the quote Sarah shared recently "do not regret growing older. it is a privilege denied to many". So many people leave us before their time has come and it breaks my heart to think about my dear friend who I miss every single day. I am thankful for every day I get to be happy, healthy and feel the love of my family and friends.

Being so far away from home right now hurts, but I am happy where I am in life right now. No regrets!

So, as I did last year, I would love to share a few of my favorite places I visited this year. Enjoy and a happy, healthy and wonderful new year to all of you!

No. 5 -- Hvar, Croatia

What a beauty! I did not expect anything when we drove to Croatia in September but I was blown away by the beauty of the island of Hvar. With all the summer crowds gone it was pure magic!

No. 4 -- Essaouira, Morocco

Marrakech is like a tale of 1001 nights ( I loved it), but I so much enjoyed the windswept beauty of the small city of Essaouira, with its city walls, blue doors, smell of sea and fish and the lovely rooftop bars! The perfect place to wind down after the excitement of Marrakech.

No. 3 -- Berlin, Germany

My most favorite German city is the place to which I long to return all the time. I adore the alternative vibe, the street art, the galleries and small cafés, the lovely affordable food and breakfast buffets, the history and and and. I already miss going there to see my friends....

No. 2 -- Ubud, Bali

I went to Bali all by myself to relax and so some yoga. Even though Ubud is really touristy there days, I loved to sit on my balcony and listen to the frogs in the rice fields and the Balinese music playing in the distance. Taking walks in the nearby rice fields was one of the most relaxing and beautiful things I did this year.

No. 1 -- Switzerland

My former home for 4 years. I miss it already!! It is a beautiful place, the nature is always close and breathtaking! I miss the rivers in which you can swim, the mountains, snowboarding and the cows :) And the cheese!! Don't even get me started about the cheese!! :)

Wishing you all a wonderful happy new year - thanks for all your comments, emails and tweets - you always make my day!! *K

// analog adventure // melbourne // (and merry christmas)

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000+01:00

So here we go with more analog pictures from my ramblings through Melbourne. It is a lovely and pretty city indeed with many places to discover! Looking forward to see them all :)

Flowers in my street / Flinders Street / City Tram / Melbourne Central / University / Hosier Lane / Flinders Lane / Flinders Street Station / Bikes

I would like to wish all of you Merry Christmas and I hope you have some happy, peaceful and relaxed days with the ones you love ahead of you.
We will be hitting the road on Friday to drive along the Great Ocean Road - we will be spending Christmas at the beach in Apollo Bay, enjoying sunshine (hopefully!) and seafood!!

Merry Christmas!! *K

PS: and yes, yes, yes - I am going to the Feist concert in St Kilda in Feb :)

// weekend stories // 50 //

2011-12-19T01:51:00.002+01:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

Another weekend mostly dedicated on shopping for the apartment and our upcoming camping trip plus generally getting settled. Not very exciting, but some things just need to be done I guess.

We found the time however to stroll around Melbourne CBD a couple of hours on Saturday and visited the beautiful State Library of Victoria. The reading room just blows my mind. Amazing. And they also have great exhibitions (for free), covering the history of books and book making plus one about the history of Victoria. Both were great! I had both my digital and analog camera with me, therefore the mixture above :)

Hope you had a nice (and a bit more exciting weekend)!
Enjoy the christmas week - happy holidays!! *K

let's do this!

2011-12-16T01:56:00.000+01:00

I'm really into anything DIY right now. With a new apartment to decorate, a large terrace to go crazy and empty walls to fill, let me tell you, my head is spinning with all the ideas I have. And Pinterest proved again to be a wonderful source of inspiration!!

So I was planning to do a painting feat. drops using watercolours. I have already bought the "beginner" set at a craft store in the city. Those who know me, know that this will be quite a challenge as I cannot even draw a straight line. Haha!!

I also want to use embroidery hoops for decoration, so either I will embroider something myself (loving the houses on the two shown above) or I was thinking of using old maps. For this I would need to buy transfer paper (quite expensive though), print maps on the paper and then transfer it to cloth.

Last but not least, now that I live so close to the ocean I love to collect shells and driftwood. Simply adore the idea to paint the driftwood with all colours of the rainbow and use it for hanging the keys! So adorable!!

More DIY ideas for our terrace and balcony coming up soon - also working on some vintage decoration ideas and must-buy posts (now that I live so close to vintage heaven)!

What is your favorite DIY project? Please do share!! :) *K

watercolour drawing:1 // 2 // 3 // 4
embroidery hoops: 1 // 2 // 3
coloured driftwood: 1 // 2

welcome to vintage heaven!!

2011-12-14T00:40:00.000+01:00

I have found my personal vintage heaven, wonderland, paradise - call it whatever you like! In the small town of Tyabb on the Mornington Peninsula, maybe about an hour from Melbourne, you will find everything vintage you have been dreaming about - from furniture, lamps, bikes, typewriters, to kitchen ware, maps, globes, old milk bottles, colorful tin containers...

There is no doubt, I will return to the Vintage Shed soon to get more treasures home with me! And besides, it is also perfect for taking photographs! :)

Isn´t it absolutely a-m-a-z-i-n-g?

Find it here:
Vintage Shed at
93 Mornington Tyabb Road, Tyabb
Australia

// weekend stories // 49 //

2011-12-12T00:32:00.000+01:00

So, this weekend was our moving weekend. Not that there was much to move from our temporary home to our new apartment in South Yarra as our container is still out on the sea. But still some boxes to carry and unpack, cleaning and visits to IKEA :)

With our furniture gone, we are forced to live rather "basic" for the next couple of weeks, which includes sleeping on the floor, having only two chairs and a camping table to sit, no fridge and no vacuum cleaner. You can imagine that I really do look forward for our things to arrive....

Anyway I have not been out much this weekend, so no new pictures to share, therefore I thought I do a small sum-up of the things I like here in Australia so far (and also the things I need to get used to). Enjoy!! :)

i like

- complete, pretty vintage overdose everywhere - oh those great vintage shops
- open, friendly people that are never to busy for a little chit-chat
- lovely cafés with great (!) coffee
- the alternative vibe of Melbourne with craft shops, street art and
- running along the beach! how great is it to live so close to a beach!
- beautiful nature at our doorstep
- my community library where I can lend books, DVD's, audiobooks etc for free!!!
- affordable and great sushi everywhere
- parrots in the trees behind our apartment
- acland street cake shops in St Kilda, sooo yummy!

maybe need to get used to

- people walking barefoot in supermarkets
- the bread (just NO comparison to German bread, all you Germans know that I talk about)
- this large hole in the ozone layer over Australia, kind of worried about sunburn all the time
- slow internet connections - really people this is the 21 century!!
- I do like the Australian accent, but I am having a hard time understanding
- critters! just terrified to someday find a large huntsman spider in our apartment!!
- the awful TV reception in our new apartment

Happy Monday, K*

// travel snapshots // vietnam

2011-12-09T02:04:00.000+01:00

Flora and Jeffrey moved from San Jose, California to Singapore and they have started the wonderful blog Jeffrey and Flora: Living in Singapore to document their live abroad, their travels and all the things they do and see along the way. Having lived in Singapore myself, I love to see the city through their eyes and I always feel a bit "homesick" after reading their posts. :)
They are lucky enough to be close to all those amazing Asian destinations and when I asked Flora to join the Travel Snapshots series she chose pretty Vietnam to be featured! Thanks so much for your support Flora, I love your post!

//

What is your most favorite place to take photographs?
Vietnam. More specifically, the southern parts of Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City.

What makes this place so photogenic in your eyes?
The people, the food, and the streets are so colorful and vibrant. About 60% of the population in Vietnam is under 30 years old, so there are lots of young, beautiful people all around. I also like the contrast of the old French colonial architecture mixed with modern things like streets full of scooters.

Which popular sights did you like best?
The markets of Ho Chi Minh City are some of my favorite places to take photos. Vendors' stalls are crammed in tight along a grid of narrow alleyways, each stall packed full of wares. I'm drawn to the bright colors, smells and sounds of locals going about their daily business. Some markets are more for locals, while others like Ben Thanh Market are popular with tourists.

Every place has its own beauty, essence and specialities. How can this be captured on film?
I think it's important to take photos of the things that touch you in a certain way, even if it might not be the most typically scenic photograph. I like taking photos of streets, signs (especially if they're in different languages), old buildings, and things from everyday life that remind me I'm just passing through someone else's neighborhood. There is beauty in everything, you just have to find it.

Are there any specifics to take into consideration while shooting and do you have any special recommendations on how to get the "perfect picture"?

I enjoy shooting in manual mode and finding the perfect settings to take a beautiful photo. But other times, I just set it to Av mode and let my camera do the work so that I can spend more time enjoying the moment. Sometimes, there's more to capturing a perfect moment than just taking a beautiful photograph.

I used to be afraid of taking photos of scenes where people were involved, because I thought they might be offended. But if you just let yourself become a part of the scene, you'll quickly become part of the background and people often forget you're there taking photos. It's these candid photos of people and situations that are often my favorites because they're organic.

While traveling, what camera equipment do you normally take?
I used to carry around a really beat up Canon Rebel xsi with a kit lens. Nothing fancy at all and often inadequate. Now I bring my Canon 60D with a 55-135mm lens, and my nifty 50 mm 1/8 lens too. I like to pack light so I rarely bring a tripod, but if I feel I'll need one I bring my Gorillapod.

What is your most favorite picture of this place and why?
I took this photo while at the Cao Dai temple in the Tay Ninh Province of Vietnam. Caodaiists pray several times a day at this temple, and I got a chance to see their beautiful prayer service. Men and women pray separately; their prayers and chants seem almost ethereal because they all chant and bow in unison like a choreographed performance. I like this picture because it reminds me of how calm and peaceful it was that day in the temple. I can hear the chanting and music in my head when I look at it.

All pictures by Flora, please visit her blog and follow her on twitter

small gift guide for travelers

2011-12-06T02:04:00.001+01:00

In the spirit of approaching Christmas I have put together a small gift guide for the travelers among us! Pretty illustrated maps to look at, a great camera for taking analog pictures, a lovely bag to pack for your next adventure, a journal for memory keeping, a vintage inspired calendar of the best city out there, a globe to plan your trips in 2012, a comfy pillow for those long-distance flights and super cute travel gift tags.

By the way, this is also "my" wishlist in case anybody reads who still needs a present for me...

:: hint, hint ::

1 // MAPS by Paula Scher // USD 50
2 // La Sardina camera // from USD 69
3 // Panel Block Tote // AUD 60
4 // Fly Fly Away Travel Journal // AUS 18
5 // Desk Calendar Paris Vintage // AUS 23
6 // Vintage Globe // USD 44
7 // Travel pillow // USD 18
8 // Travel gift tags // USD 17

Do you already have all your presents for your loved ones together?

I will make use of Internet this year, order it online and let it being sent straight under the christmas tree. :) Not sure if everything would arrive on time if I sent it from Australia...

// weekend stories // 48 //

2011-12-05T06:02:00.001+01:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

We took our first trip out of the city this weekend. And, oh my, this country blows me away! Simply amazing! We drove down the Mornington Peninsula, which is only 40 minutes from downtown Melbourne - well known for beaches, wineries, hot springs and good surf!
We went for walks along the southern coastline around the small town of Flinders and drove down to Cape Schanck - it was stormy and cold, but so pretty! Didn't see any kangaroos or koalas so far (where are they hiding?), but some kind of porcupine instead :)

And, I also found my personal paradise - besides its natural beauty, the Mornington Peninsula is also known for its many antique shops. I am speechless! Never have seen anything like this - sheds filled with vintage treasures!! Vintage furniture, maps, globes, bottles, kitchen supplies, clocks, frames, typewriters - I was in heaven! Will show you some pictures this week. As soon as we moved into our new apartment and got the bigger car we WILL return! Already bought some smaller things, simply could not resist. The prices are okay, nothing to compare to Europe! ::excitement::

Hope you had a lovely weekend and a good start in the new week! *K

melbourne moments

2011-12-01T03:25:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I took a break from my job search and took the Metro to downtown Melbourne. I wandered through laneways full of cafés and bars, photographed a lot of street art and had some great sushi!

And as I am into vintage / analog photography right now, I gave the pictures below a vintage twist :) Like it?

Happy Thursday! *K

// weekend stories // 47 //

2011-11-28T01:01:00.001+01:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

Another busy weekend. The highlight was definitely the Camberwell Weekend Market, which is held every Sunday morning in Camberwell, Victoria. Pretty vintage clothes, lovely flowers and super cute vintage suitcases! Once we move in our new apartment I will go back and shop!! So many treasures!

In general there are so many cute vintage shops all around Melbourne, I think that is pretty cool! Saw some great ones in Fitzroy and St Kilda! And such lovely cafes! And the beach! And the colorful parrots! And, and, and! Can you see that I already really like it here?!? :)

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

brighton beach

2011-11-23T03:51:00.000+01:00

The last days have been busy with apartment hunting and taking care of a bunch other rather dull administrative things... But, good news: we have found a nice and large apartment in South Yarra (close to Chapel Street) and we have already signed the lease contract yesterday! Looking forward to move in two weeks!!

Last weekend the weather was typical for Melbourne: a constant change of sun, rain and wind. You basically need to be prepared for everything when leaving the house in the morning :) We spent some time at the pretty Brighton Beach with its famous colorful beach houses - really lovely and the views towards Melbourne CBD are great as well....

Oh and I need your help, anybody of you have travelled between Melbourne and Sydney along the coast? Please fill me in on all the places worth to visit!! I need to pull a roadtrip together in the next couple of days and I am clueless :)

Thanks!! Hope you are enjoying your week so far! *K

first day and st kilda pier

2011-11-15T05:22:00.001+01:00

I finally made it to Melbourne! Wow! Can´t believe I am "down under" now! :)

Australia made it quite hard for me to get there. My A380 plane from Singapore was damaged (Qantas and me are not friends anymore!), so I had to stay one more night in Singapore - after sitting 3 hours in the plane and further 2 hours at the gate waiting for the hotel for 450 passangers to be arranged. A bit chaotic, but in the end it all worked out...

So, anyway, I am here now and I am as happy as can be :)

Yesterday night, we drove down to St Kilda to check the neighbourhood (we are looking for an apartment in this area), had some yummy Japanse dinner and took a walk at the beeeeeach!! I l-o-v-e the beach! I have always dreamed about living so close to the ocean, it is fantastic!
And, there are even small, cute (but a bit stinky) penguins living right at the St Kilda pier and they come out at dawn! Aren´t they so sweet? So we also had out first encounter with Australian wildlife!!

Such a wonderful sunset on my first day on the other side of the world... still cannot believe I am here!

enjoying the view

2011-11-10T14:13:00.000+01:00

This has been my view for the last couple of days in Ubud when waking up, reading my book on the balcony, sipping tea and coming home. Isn`t it simply beautiful and stunning?

I adore Bali - from all the places I have been to, Bali and its people are special. The sounds, the smells, the laughters, the spirituality, the architecture, the colours and a landscape that leaves me speechless.

I am so happy to be here, right in this moment! Is it perfect!

where my feet take me...

2011-11-08T15:52:00.000+01:00

// Singapore //

// Great wall of China //

// Ubud //

Selamat malam from Bali!

Right now, I am sitting on my balcony in the town of Ubud on Bali, looking over rice paddies, listening to the frogs and the yling-ylang of the balinese music ... so peaceful!!

The past two weeks have been super exciting - leaving Germany, saying hello to my fromer home Singapore, roaming smoggy Beijing, hiking the Great Wall of China and now, being on the beautiful island of Bali. So many impressions, new faces and many stories - my head will soon be full! :)

I am enjoying my last days here by taking long walks through the country side, reading my book, doing yoga, getting foot massages and eating delicious food. Travelling by myself has been better then expected, however I do feel lonely as soon as the night falls. As much as I enjoy my time "off", I am sooooo looking forward to see my love in our new home of Melbourne soon (in 5 days to be exact).

Until then, I am enjoying all the places my feet take me!
Hope you enjoyed the travel snapshots by Kylie and Mina in the meantime! How is everybody doing?

// travel snapshots // kruger national park

2011-11-05T13:00:00.003+01:00

Mina and Alex basically lived my dream - they quit their jobs, sold their house and traveled around the world!! Isn´t that simply fanastic? I loved to follow them on their beautiful blog ...sending postcards to places such as Costa Rica, Egypt and South Africa and now I am always curious to see which new place they show us from their new home Montreal. I am so glad that Mina chose the pictures of the Kruger National Park for the travel snapshots, they are fantastic!!! Enjoy :)

//

What is your most favorite place to take photographs?
Our favourite place to take photographs was in South Africa, specifically Kruger National Park.
We originally planned on spending 2 days in Kruger, but we extended it to 5 because we were having so much fun. Photographing animals in their natural habitat was a pretty amazing thing.

What makes this place so photogenic in your eyes?
The wildlife is the obvious answer, but we were also intrigued by everything from the insects to the flora and fauna.

Every place has its own beauty, essence and specialities. How can this be captured on film?
We were lucky enough to spot several lions on our final day on safari, after they had eluded us all week. We were surprised at how close they came to our vehicle and how little they cared about our presence.

Are there any specifics to take into consideration while shooting and do you have any special recommendations on how to get the "perfect picture"?
If you go on safari in South Africa, or anywhere really, I would recommend a zoom lens since you're unable to leave your vehicle to get closer.
We also turned the car engine off frequently to avoid disturbing the animals.

While traveling, what camera equipment do you normally take?
A DSLR, a point-and-shoot, and some lomo cameras usually. We liked using fixed lenses, but they're not always practical when you're out all day sightseeing.

What is your most favorite picture of this place and why?
We captured a photo of several zebras and giraffes grazing together in the wild, and it's one of our favourites because it was pretty unbelievable to witness in person.

All pictures by Mina and Alex from ...sending postcards

// travel snapshots // humanitarian photography

2011-11-01T14:49:00.001+01:00

I have been following Kylie on her adventures through South America for a while now and I love the humanitarian work she and her boyfriend are doing. The pictures and movies they take and create are simply wonderful, the portraits of the people they meet unforgetable. They always take my breath away!!
I am so happy that Kylie helps me out while I am in Beijing (blocked by the great Chinese firewall) and shares her pictures and thoughts with us. Please also visit spencer and kylie and traveling triplets to see more of her travels and work!! Keep it coming Kylie! :)

//

What is your most favorite place to take photographs?
My favorite place to take photographs is any place filled with children who live in conditions far different than my own. Currently, I live in Ecuador and work with rural communities, which is filled with photogenic opportunities!

What makes this place so photogenic in your eyes?
As a humanitarian photographer, it is my goal to bring to light the reality of how people live in other countries. It can be hard to imagine life in a mud hut with no running water or electricity for those who do not have that situation. To capture these images on film is to bring these differing lifestyles to life. As they surface, people are able to connect to others across the globe in an intimate way and feel inspired and humbled to both do something to help serve others and remember to count their many blessings.

Which popular sights did you like best?
Machu Picchu was absolutely fantastic. The views were majestic and the llamas really add to the fun, as they just cruise around the grounds all day and walk right up to tourists to be pet and photographed. MP really lives up to its expectations – when you see the well-known image of the ruins with the sun peaking behind and clouds floating through, it is equally breathtaking if not more in real life.

Every place has its own beauty, essence and specialities. How can this be captured on film?
The key is to have an eye for detail. As a photographer and videographer, it is important to select pieces that together work to create an entire masterpiece. Photographers capture moments that pass, simple and unexpected, and through these moments photos tell a story. Natural beauty requires patience and alertness, and as you document the feet, trunk, and ear of an elephant the viewer is able to see it up close and create the ultimate vision in their own mind of what the entire elephant would look like.

Are there any specifics to take into consideration while shooting and do you have any special recommendations on how to get the "perfect picture"?
To get the perfect picture, you need to understand your camera settings. Shooting in manual with a low aperture is the only way to go if you really want that bokeh and depth of field look. Be sure to invest in a decent fixed lens that can capture the details you want to display. Don’t rush and snap away over and over – it is often better to have a few superb shots instead of a hundred mediocre snaps.

While traveling, what camera equipment do you normally take?
I always take my Canon 7D and Canon 5D mk II with me. My lenses currently include the Canon 50 mm 1.8 and 17-40 mm L series. I am on the hunt for a good mid-range lens, but the fixed and wide lenses give me some variety in my shooting that always turns out great.

What is your favorite picture of this place and why?
I’d have to say my favorite picture from Ecuador would be of a sweet lady who lives in a community called Cochas. Every time we visit her home, she makes us papas, huevos y choclo with a delicious spicy sauce. The photo shows her slight smile with vibrant contrasting colors in front of her very own wheat field. She grows all her own food and lives with her old father, taking care of him and helping tend her own children.

Find me: www.spencerandkylie.blogspot.com and www.travelingtriplets.com

busy days and goodbye's

2011-10-18T17:46:00.000+02:00

Forgive me for being so quite the past days... I am missing posting and I am missing reading all of your posts!! I am a bad bad blogger friend right now, I know...

But it is really hectic around here for the time being....

Thursday our furniture gets packed and shipped; Friday is my last day of work!! And in between all of this madness I am trying to book flights, hotels, pack my bagpack, handle open issues with banks, insurances etc etc. Thursday I will also have a small goodbye party for all my friends here in Bern...

It is true, time is moving so darn fast and those are the last days I have here in Bern. Cannot really believe it!! I am moving to the other side of the world. Amazing!! But even if I am a bit scared (after all I have to admit that) I am so looking forward to what lies ahead and I am so grateful to get the chance to experience all of it... After having lived in the US, in Singapore and in Switzerland, I am ready to explore a new continent!! :)

Before I will be arriving at my new home in mid-November, I have planned to have two weeks vacation and I am really excited! I will be spent two days in my former home Singapore, followed by a week in Beijing, China (visiting an old friend of mine) and another week in Ubud, Bali (doing yoga all by myself, uhh!). But I am sooo excited! And then, finally off to Melbourne!!

So, I want to know: did you ever travel by yourself? Did you feel lonely? Anything I need to keep in mind? I am looking forward to spent days practicing yoga, reading books, wandering the streets of Ubud, drink coffee and take photographs - but I am also a bit nervous about being all by myself....

And, furthermore, do you have some nice recommendations for Beijing and Ubud by any chance?

Next week I will post more about Rome and finally Croatia. I also have some travel snapshots guest post planned for the time I am roaming China and Bali :) So, I promise, my silence is almost over :)
*K

{ goodbye roadtrip } rome I

2011-10-12T13:34:00.001+02:00

Back to Italy. :)
After driving to beautiful Tuscany we arrived in Rome where we stayed for three days. It was very hot (talking 33 degree hot, which means I had many gelati!!) and super crowded! We have both been to Rome before, but we still toured all the main tourist attractions again. No Rome visit is complete without seeing the St. Peter's Place and Basilica, right? We also went to the Vatican Museum which was actually too crowded to be fully appreciated, so my most favorite part of the museum was its ceilings. Mindblowingly beautiful!! See yourself, the gold is amazing!

The stairway at the end of the Vatican museum is the prettiest I have ever seen. We spent quite some time taking pictures - I was so mad I forgot my small tripod, would have been so cool to play around with the shutter speed!

Next up: more Rome

PS: Great souvenir we all brought from Madrid: we (all 6 of the girls) were down with foodpoisoning the last two days! Surely a trip to remember!! Haha. Luckily I am feeling slowly better!!

PPS:And the winner of the photography giveaway is Krystal from Village. Congrats!

// weekend stories // 40 //

2011-10-10T14:27:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

When I announed that I will be moving to Melbourne, my best friends and colleagues at work spontaniously decided that we all should go on a "goodbye-weekend" together (we have already been to Paris before together). So last weekend us six girls (2 French, 2 German, 1 Austrian and 1 Canadian - how much I love to work in an international company!!) flew together to Madrid to enjoy sunshine, tapas, sangria, shopping and dancing. We had a wonderful weekend and I will miss them soooo terribly much!

Now I am back to Bern with rain, grey skies and 14 degrees.... brrr.... Madrid was so much nicer!! :)

GIVEAWAY :)

2011-10-07T10:12:00.000+02:00

Good morning everybody! Lets start into this weekend with a small GIVEAWAY, shall we? I will be flying to Madrid later tonight together with my 5 best friends here from work. Girls weekend, yeay! But also a goodbye weekend.... Anyway, as always, this giveaway is suppose to be a special thank you for all your comments, emails, tweets and thoughts. So good to have you out there :)

The winner will receive pretty photography from this blog and can chose between one large picture in 8x12 inch or a set of three smaller pictures each in 5x7 inch.

Remember, every picture ever published on this blog can be chosen, so it could look like this:

{ purple flowers }

{ spiderwebs}

{ pink flowers}

{ under the bridge }

{ summer}

To enter this giveaway, you need to:

- follow my blog (either via GFC or bloglovin)
- leave a comment and tell me out of which post you would select a picture

For further entries you could either
- tweet about the giveaway
- pin one of the above pictures on pinterest
- add fabuleux destin to your blogroll on your blog

Please remember to leave comments seperately! Please enter until Wednesday, 12.10., 12 o'clock (Swiss time). The winner will be drawn on the same day by random.org.

Looking so much forward to send the pictures to the lucky winner! Spread the word!

Good luck, *K

{ goodbye roadtrip } tuscany II

2011-10-05T09:34:00.000+02:00

Back to Italy :) The drive from Pienza further on to Montepulciano is gorgeous. We rolled down the windows, sang to our favorite songs, stopped for a picnik next to a cypress alley and simply enjoyed the moment.

<

No trip to Tuscany is complete without buying some wine! So we headed further south to Montepulciano as this happens to be my most favorite Italian red wine. Lovely city and also not so crowded as San Gimignano. We did some wine tasting and then bought a couple of bottles of our favorite choice. Too bad we finished them all in the course of the vacation, not a single drop left. So good. Need to order more. Urgently. And I need to find an Australian red wine as good as this one. Any suggestions?

Next up: many pictures of Roma

// weekend stories // 39 //

2011-10-03T10:49:00.001+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

I was in Munich for the weekend to visit my best friend who recently moved there and say my goodbye's. We had a lovely weekend full of sunshine and a visit to my most favorite beergarden (in the English Garden at the Chinese tower) which included a big bowl of Radler (beer mixed with lemonade), Obazda (camembert cheese with herbs), a large brezel (as you can see above) and Kaiserschmarn (bavarian pancakes). I gained at least 2 kilos but it was worth it!! haha!
We also did some shopping, had delicious breakfast and talked, talked, talked. I miss her already....

And as it is Oktoberfest right now, the city was full with people wearing traditional bavarian clothing - the dirndl for girls and the lederhosen for boys! Loved it, looks so cute!!

Now off to start this week, so many things to do and organize!! Only 3 1/2 weeks left before we move! Still cannot believe it, time is flying by...

{ goodbye roadtrip } tuscany I

2011-09-30T09:37:00.001+02:00

After one day in Florence we hit the road again on the search for the picture-perfect Tuscan landscape... Happy to annouce that we found it and that I am in love - so much beauty in one place, incredible.
See for yourself :)

We drove from Florence to San Gimignano which was packed with tourists (a bit too many for my taste), so we tried to roam the backstreets and bought delicious bread, salami and cheese for a picnik. San Gimignano is famous for its many towers and it is a pretty place indeed!!

We made our way down south to an area called La Crete, which boasts the famous tuscan landscape that I have been dying to see and photograph. So imagine me sitting in the car, shooting out the window and screaming every 500 meters "stop the car". My boyfriend almost collapsed - haha.
Oh yes and on the last picture you see me with the best icecream I have ever tasted in my entire life: dark chocolate (no extra sugar), homemade by a small gelateria in the town of Pienza. D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

Next up: some more pics of pretty tuscany

{ goodbye roadtrip } firenze

2011-09-28T16:45:00.000+02:00

So, lets start the picture marathon from my two past weeks in Italy and Croatia, shall we? :)

We wanted to do a "goodbye europe roadtrip" before we leave to Australia and this is what we did.
14 days, 1 car, 3.000km, 2 happy travellers!

Our first stop on our way south was Firenze.

Firenze is all about museums, palazzos, Michelangelo and food. We spent a lovely day roaming the streets of the old town, soaking up the sunshine, eating icecream and fabulous buffalo caprese salad. Mmh, so good. I decided to never ever buy the normal Mozzarella cheese again in my life, such a difference!! We passed the long queues for the Uffizi museum and instead visited the Palazzo Pitti with its lovely gardens and a great view over Firenze and its surroundings. Ending the day with a glass of Spritz at the riverside.
Perfect day!!

Next up: Tuscany

// weekend stories // 36 - 38

2011-09-26T17:13:00.000+02:00

How were your last weekends?
Mine were like this:

Firenze. Roma. Hvar. Split. Primosten. Venezia.

I spent two wonderful weeks on our "goodbye-Europe" tour which took us all the way down to Rome and then with the ferry across the Adria to Croatia and back again to Switzerland.
Loved the Italian lifestyle, the red wine we bought in Montepulciano, the ferry rides, the blue water of Croatia's coast, the fresh seafood (octopus salad, I will miss you) and the freedom of vacations!! So lovely! And no worries, there are many more pictures to come :)

Now I am back to Switzerland in the office and the countdown starts to our big move! Only 5 weeks left to go, crazy!! I hope you enjoyed the // travel snapshots // during my absence, there are more to come in the near future. Thanks again to Sarah, Clare, Krystal and Liz! You girls rock!!

Have a good start into this new, sunny week! *K

// travel snapshots // cambodia

2011-09-22T11:00:00.001+02:00

I have been following Liz of devoured on her adventures through Asia (she used to live in Vietnam and Cambodia, you know!). Now she is back to Australia and I am looking forward to be soon on the same continent as her :) Liz will share her adventures in the small towns of Kep and Kampot in Southern Cambodia today. Such wonderful places! Enjoy!!

//

What is your most favorite place to take photographs?
I really enjoyed visiting and photographing the small towns of Kep and Kampot on Cambodia’s beautiful south coast. Kep was once the playground of Cambodian royalty, international stars and jetsetters in the 1960s (Jackie Onassis was a fan). It is now a low-key village with a ghost town feel, with a scattering of places to stay and a row of local crab shacks to eat at. Set amongst rich green tropical foliage, Kep is dotted with abandoned villas, most of which you can explore if you pay a small tip to their caretakers. Nearby Kampot is set slightly inland on a picturesque river backed by Bokor Mountain. The town itself has rows of gorgeous old shophouses and French colonial buildings, some in a state of disrepair and others restored by a new generation of entrepreneurial expats who have established small guesthouses and restaurants.

What makes this place so photogenic in your eyes?
Kep’s combination of a stunning oceanfront setting, tropical southeast Asian foliage, French colonial era relics and mid-century architecture, albeit crumbling, makes it a captivating place to photograph. Photographing the once palatial villas captures the essence of Kep as a shell of its former holiday hotspot self. Its heyday was during a happier time in Cambodia’s history pre the turbulent Khmer Rouge era, and the old buildings serve an eerie reminder of what Cambodia once was and how far it fell. Kampot has a charming ambience and is relatively unspoilt, hotel development on Bokor Mountain aside. Similar to Kep, the combination of aged yet charming buildings and a gorgeous natural scenery are immensely visually appealing.

Which popular sights did you like best?
In Kep, King Sihanouk’s deserted retro-style villa, perched high on a hill with stunning view of the sea, and in Kampot, the river and surrounding streets lined with old shophouses, the colourful local market and the vibrant green rice paddies and hot pink lotus flowers seen while driving between the two towns.

Every place has its own beauty, essence and specialities. How can this be captured on film?
In both Kep and Kampot, beauty can be found in the old, the crumbling and the abandoned. The architecture in both towns help tell the story of Cambodia’s rich history and cultural influences, from times of prosperity to war and back again, as the area is slowly revitalised. When captured on film, the details of these buildings can evoke another era, from a shot of an old patterned French colonial era tile, to a crumbling wooden doorway on an old shophouse. Scenes of everyday Cambodian life can also make fascinating subjects, from fishermen and their colourful wooden boats to people driving makeshift vehicles or tending their fields.

Are there any specifics to take into consideration while shooting and do you have any special

recommendations on how to get the "perfect picture"?
The Cambodian midday sun can be scorching, and like most places, the best photos can be taken in the early morning and at sunset. The sun setting over Bokor Mountain can be particularly stunning, and can be seen and photographed from hillside vantage points in Kep. Local caretakers may request or expect a small fee for entering and photographing Kep’s abandoned villas. It is polite to ask local people before photographing them close up.

While traveling, what camera equipment do you normally take?
I use a Canon EOS 450D with an EFS 18-55mm lens for most travel photography and a Canon Ixus 220 HS for everyday shots.

What is your most favorite picture of this place and why?
I like the picture of the abandoned villa in Kep behind the barbed wire fence, which belonged to a Cambodian royal, King Monivong. It reveals a bygone era of luxury when Kep was a seaside resort town, yet has an ominous look hinting at Cambodia’s dark and destructive past, and subsequent abandonment of the building.

All pictures by Liz of devoured

// travel snapshots // mexico

2011-09-19T11:00:00.000+02:00

Today my dear friend Krystal of Village will share wonderful details about Mexico, where she took fantastic pictures of the locals and their everyday lives. I have been to Mexico a couple of years ago and I agree with Krystal that every picture speaks a story. Enjoy!!

//

What is your most favorite place to take photographs?
Mexico, around the state of Michoacán.

What makes this place so photogenic in your eyes?
I can only speak for this area but it's photogenic to me because every picture seems to portray some of the sadness and despair that permeates some of the areas and people - I think it makes for some vivid photographs that has the potential to move the viewer. On the other hand, it also brings about the beauty of their culture... the people we interacted with were among the nicest, hospitable and giving people that i've ever met- even though they don't have much to give.

Which popular sights did you like best?
I was pretty amazed by an old pre-hispanic archeological site in Tzintzunzan that used to be pyramids I think - it was on a hill overlooking the city and Lake Patzcuaro - we got to walk around it, it was a gorgeous area (I barely took pictures and none are good!).

Every place has its own beauty, essence and specialities. How can this be captured on film?
I like to take an aerial photo of our meals so that you can see everyone's dishes...But I guess the thing that I like to do the most is to take pictures of the people going about their daily life in a city - I think the normalcy that is capture is pretty cool and does a lot to portray the essence of a place.

Are there any specifics to take into consideration while shooting and do you have any special recommendations on how to get the "perfect picture"?
I like to capture the movement of a place - I was actually inspired by our Kristina's venice pictures from awhile ago - I love how she used a long shutter speed to capture the movement of the boats in the canal and now, these are my favorite kind of pictures to take whether it's people, boats, cars, etc. Also, I've never done it but I think that getting up really early before everyone is out would be a great way to get some specific shots if you didn't want so many tourists in them. Oh and one more thing! To me, the perfect picture is of a sight or situation that moved me...so at least it is my favorite picture :)

While traveling, what camera equipment do you normally take?
I take my big camera and my small one for when I'm tired of carrying the huge one! And a camera bag. And always a cloth to dust off the lens. Oh and I've been obsessed with my wide angle lens lately.

What is your most favorite picture of this place and why?
My favorite picture of the place was taken by one of my best friends (below) who was also on that trip - it's of one of the little students playing with bubbles that we brought. They have SO little and were absolutely amazed and in love with the bubbles (and stickers too) - and so thankful! so seeing the picture always reminds me of being able to share that with them.

All pictures by Krystal of Village.

// travel snapshots // berlin

2011-09-15T11:00:00.000+02:00

Berlin! As you might know, my most favorite German city what-so-ever!!
I was so happy when I saw that Clare of Pampelmuse and Me chose Berlin for her favorite destination for travel snapshots. On top, she is also so lucky to actually live in Berlin and enjoy the great life there together with her sweet family! So jealous! Enjoy!!

//

What is your most favorite place to take photographs?
I have had such a hard time deciding a favourite! I was very, very tempted to choose Australia. Australia will always have a special place in my heart. It is where I grew up and the colours and the space are like nothing else. It is a wonderful place for landscape photography. The beaches, the desert, the enormous sky that seems to go one forever... it really is a landscape photographers dream.

(Central Australia, Dec 2010)

But as much as I like landscape photography, what I really love is people watching and capturing the mood of a city through it's street scenes. And whilst Melbourne and Sydney both have the feel of big cities they don't quite cut it for street cred in the same way that my current home town, Berlin, does.

What makes this place so photogenic in your eyes?
Berlin has a real urban, gritty, lived in feel. For a European city it's incredibly afordable and so it attracts lots of artists and musicians. The people watching is great and it has developed quite a reputation as a place of wonderful street art. Walking the streets of Berlin and taking picture of the street scenes is what makes Berlin so great for me.

Which popular sights did you like best?
The area around Museum Island is a popular tourist hang-out. There are lots of 'beach bar' style cafes along the Spree in the warmer months and the State museum's are just across the bridge. In terms of museums, for me the Pergamon is definitely a must, although the German History Museum is also great and offers some wonderful views down Unter den Linden from the first floor.

A little bit further a field, the suburbs of Prenzlauerberg, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain are wonderful to walk around. Lots of cafes, boutique shops and people watching if you have the time to slow down for a few hours and see how the locals live.

Every place has its own beauty, essence and specialities. How can this be captured on film?
For me Berlin's beauty or essence is in her flea markets and cafe culture. Every Sunday Berlin's fleamarkets come to life; my favourite is Boxhagenerplatz Flohmarkt although Mauerpark Flohmarkt is also great and for high-end things you can't go past the Flohmarkt in Charlottenberg. There are some great photo opportunities at all of the Flohmarkts and if you begin your morning with brunch at one of the local cafes you'll be on your way to capturing a 'typical' weekend for many Berlin locals.

Are there any specifics to take into consideration while shooting and do you have any special recommendations on how to get the "perfect picture"?

It rains a lot in Berlin and for a lot of the year it's pretty cold and grey. This doesn't necessarily make for great tourist photos with blue sky backgrounds, but if you embrace the weather in your photos you can end up with some interesting photos that really pick-up on Berlin's unique character. But don't forget to make the most of it when the sun does come out - the sunset over Museum Insel from the east bank is really quite wonderful as the colours of the sky are reflected in the sandstone of the buildings - definitely worth waiting for over an Aperol Spritz (or two!)

While traveling, what camera equipment do you normally take?
I always travel with my DSLR. For a long time I had an old and trusty Canon Rebel but I've recently stretched out and up-graded to a Canon 7D! I have two main lenses that I use; 90% of my photos are taken with a Canon 50mm f/1.4, although I also have a telephoto lens (80-300mm) which I occasionally use. I don't think this is necessarily the best combination, you loose out on lots of architectural shots, and on my wish-list is a wide-angled lens - something like a 24-70mm f/2.8, but I think I'm going to be dreaming about that for a long time before it becomes even close to reality!

What is your most favorite picture of this place and why?

For me this picture is quintessential Berlin. Cobbled footpaths, rain, bikes and people walking home on a chilly November evening. The picture isn't perfect - it was shot with a high ISO so there's a lot of noise and it's still not quite in focus but this somehow adds to the feel of the picture and also how I see Berlin - a little bit dirty and battered around the edges but with a look and feel that keeps you going back for more.

All pictures by Clare of Pampelmuse and Me.

// travel snapshots // italy

2011-09-12T11:00:00.000+02:00

You all know my love for travel and photography, right?
I have asked some of my dear blogger friends to share with you their most favorite destinations for taking photographs, along with special tips on what to capture and how to take "the" perfect picture!

Today my dear Sarah from fairy tales are true will share her love for Italy with us. Her travel snapshots are beautiful and I love to follow her travels. Still trying to look as sweet as she does while traveling, not so sure if I will ever succeed :) Enjoy!!

//

I'm so excited Kristina asked me to join in on this great series.

One, because I am a girl with a camera always around my neck.

Two, because it never ceases to make me deliriously happy to go through my Italy pictures (:

Thanks Kristina for having me!

What is your most favorite place to take photographs?

I realize this is super cliche ... but I have to say, ITALY! My obsession started young as I live in Milan for a bit as a kid. Now it is the place I will never be able to get enough of.

What makes this place so photogenic in your eyes?
Italy has it all in my eyes. It's stunning in so many ways. It's coastline is glorious, its people are authentic in their own unique way, and the landscape is just flat out ahhh-mazing.

Oh and do not get me started about the food ... their beautiful, perfect, and delicious food!

Which popular sights did you like best?

I love the Almafi Coast. I love the bug cliffs that just jut out from the water, the sunsets, and the scenic cities built on hills.

Other than that, it's hard to beat the rolling hills of Tuscany!!

The beauty you find so easily by just getting lost in Venice.

Every place has its own beauty, essence and specialities. How can this be captured on film?
I am definitely a lover of the little things, the details. My 50mm lense is best for that and what I typically have on my camera. So, if you are interested in details, I'd suggest one of those. I always try to soak up where I am, especially in Italy. I am a person who is easily excited, someone who literally squeals with delight when a dish tastes good or when I see something that catches my eyes. Anything that causes my heart to beat a little faster - I focus on those things. That's what I take a picture of, and it's usually the details.

Are there any specifics to take into consideration while shooting and do you have any special recommendations on how to get the "perfect picture"?

I find it's pretty easy to get a good picture in Italy. People are used to being snapped as well, since there is such an influx of tourists nearly all of the time. I also think there's nothing like that hour right around dusk, Italy is even more breathtaking then. But that is true of anywhere, it's when you can find that gorgeous golden light. As for getting the perfect picture, you may want to invest in a tripod; so you can turn your ISO low, and let it take a slow exposure photo. Those are my favorite, and still very tricky for me!

While traveling, what camera equipment do you normally take?
I take my Canon 60D, 50mm, 18-55mm, and a tripod.

What is your most favorite picture of this place and why?
I've got to say the picture I took of Positano at night, from Le Sirenuse. It just captures a moment in time that was so lovely for me. I was traveling with my husband, sipping a delicious cocktail in the prettiest hotel, and soaking in the beauty of Positano by nightfall. I will never forget that trip or those sweet moments.

All pictures by Sarah from fairy tales are true .

packing my suitcase

2011-09-09T09:48:00.000+02:00

Besides being terribly busy with working, having severe back pain and organizing our upcoming move to Australia (only 7 weeks left), I managed to squeeze in two weeks vacation for me any my love. Vacation is important right!! :)

So we are currently packing our suitcases - well, backpacks in our case - and we'll be hitting to road tonight. As I did not have time to properly plan (due to above mentioned issues), we are going more "freestyle" this time. This means, I know we will be going to Tuscany, Rome, take to ferry to Croatia and spent some time on the island of Hvar, but no real details yet. The rest we'll see on the road. Oh, and did I mention we go camping, sleeping in our van? :)

So I will not be around that often the next two weeks, therefore I have asked my favorite blogger friends to help me out, so you don't get bored of my silence in the meantime. All of them participated in my new guest post series called // travel snapshots //, combining my love for traveling with photography, filling you in with their most favorite places for taking photographs as well as sharing some insider tips and tricks. And for sure you will see their most favorite pictures of that special place. Some really cool posts are waiting for you, I promise!! :)

I will also share the rest of my Cairo pictures with you and then I guess I'll see you in two weeks. Probably with many many pictures from Italy and Croatia! haha
Be good, *K

// weekend stories // 35 //

2011-09-07T13:52:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

First of all - don't judge me by my horrible tourist outfit! Haha! It looks horrible, I know! :)

So as you know, I spent last week in Egypt for business, however me and my colleague found some time to visit the pyramids as well as the Egyptian museum (pictures will follow).
Could not leave Cairo without, right?
Our Egyptian colleague organized a complete tourist-package for us which included driving in a horse carriage, photosession with Charlie the camel and a visit to a papyrus "museum" (shop in reality). I felt a bit funny, because normally I try to avoid touris tours (also called traps), but here I was in the middle of a big one. However, the pyramids were still amazing, even if we did not stay long due to limited time and unbearable heat.

Anyone of you ever ride a camel?? :)

// weekend stories // 34 // (a bit late, I know...)

2011-09-05T12:06:00.001+02:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

We had to say our first goodbye's and it nearly broke my heart.

Spent a wonderful afternoon with my boyfriends nephews in the forest exploring. I love them both so much and I will miss them terribly. They are the best and sweetest kids out there. A lot of tears were cried this day (mainly from my side though, haha). I know I will see them via Skype and hear their voice on the phone, but nothing beats holding their small hands while taking a walk. So slowly reality hits what it means to move so far away from home...

Sorry, that this post is one week late, but since I was in Egypt last week my timing is a bit messed up. :)

Happy Monday! *K

// Inspiration //

2011-09-02T23:00:00.003+02:00

// foto focus // zagreb

2011-08-30T23:00:00.000+02:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was taking a group of colleagues to Zagreb, Croatia on a storetour. As we were finished ahead of the schedule, we took the taxi to the Old town of Zagreb and enjoyed the nice evening strolling around the small streets filled with bars, restaurants and cafés. Really nice!

And the light was amazing! So glad I brought my camera!

And, by the way, Aperol Spritz is still my most favorite summer drink ever! It is Prosecco, Aperol, Soda and a slice of orange - so refreshing and yummy! Have you tried it before? You should :)

Greetings from Cairo, happy week, *K

walk like an egyptian

2011-08-28T18:48:00.000+02:00

Next week I will walk like an Egyptian :) haha!

I am off on Monday morning and I will be staying in Cairo for business until next Saturday. We are opening our first store in Egypt and I will support and organize the opening. Nevertheless, I hope I will find some time to see the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum. Cannot leave without actually :)

So, I do hope to bring back some pictures for you like those beauties from Mina and Alex from ...sending postcards. Loving them!! Please go and see more of them here.

All pictures by Alex and Mina from ...sending postcards.

It will be bit quite around here next week, but you can come and see me on
Twitter to hear the latest news or chat a bit :)

Have a lovely Sunday and a nice week!!

my first homegrown beauties

2011-08-24T11:43:00.000+02:00

I am so proud of myself!! :)

You know, I am not blessed with a green thumb. Countless plants have not survived my care. But this spring I gave myself one more chance and planted herbs, flower seeds and a small tomato plant on our balcony.

The result: only the Moroccan mint and rosemary are still alive, but the flowers bloom and - the best - there were five red, firm and lovely tomatoes hanging on my little plant!! So exciting!

I would love to have a small garden and grow my own tomatoes, cucumbers, salad and berries (just like my grandma)! Hoping that I will be able to join a community garden project once we are in Melbourne!

That would be fantastic!

Anybody having there own garden?

// weekend stories // 33 //

2011-08-22T15:00:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

I escaped the blistering heat of Bern (35 degrees yesterday) and headed towards the Bernese Alps with two of my friends. Had a nice and sunny hike close to Wengen (Lauterbrunnen valley) at the base of three very famous mountains, the Eiger, Jungfrau and Moench. For me this is clearly the most breathtaking vista in the whole Alps. In the morning the view was quite hazy, but got better in the afternoon. Perfect!!

We spent a lovely day with a picnik and a highly deserved white wine sprizz once back in the valley.

On the downside I was stung by a wasp and got a bit sunburned - but nothing dramatic. So good it is finally summer in Switzerland - better late than never!!

Hope you had a nice, sunny and hot weekend!! *K

// analog adventure // flower power

2011-08-19T11:10:00.000+02:00

Captured some pretty flowers (and my feet again) with my film camera!

Enjoy and have lovely weekend, any plans? *K

// farbenfroh //

2011-08-17T09:25:00.000+02:00

// weekend stories // 32 //

2011-08-15T14:15:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

I spent my weekend at home with my family and friends back in Germany. Six hours driving on Friday thanks to crazy traffic in Switzerland. Shopping with my mom. Meeting friends for coffee, drinks and breakfast. Spending time with my grandma, enjoying her garden, eating fresh raspberries and tomatoes. So good. No final goodbye's yet, but I already feel bad when I think about that the time to say goodbye to everybody is coming closer and closer. Sigh. Finally arriving back to rainy Switzerland this morning and now looking forward to take a nap after finishing work...

Have a lovely week, send me some sunshine if you some to spare *K

// analog adventure // berlin again, part 2

2011-08-10T17:38:00.000+02:00

More analog pictures from Berlin, the last the set of my recent visit!

I will not have a chance to go back before we move to Melbourne (still cannot believe we are actually moving!!) and I am already missing it! Hope to find my own small Berlin somewhere in Melbourne - with cute cafés, yummy restaurants and cool street art!

1. The interior of the store Waahnsinn Berlin (Rosenthaler Strasse)

2. Great breakfast at Nola's set in a cute park serving Swiss food

3. Also at Nola - loved the vintage chairs and brick walls!

4. Old typing machines, my secret passion

5. Cool courtyard somewhere along Schönhauser Allee

6. Street art " we all stay"

7. Entrance at the Hackesche Höfe

8. Beautiful building at Senefelder Platz

Have a lovely Wednesday evening, I am back from my short business trip to Zagreb, now already preparing going home to Germany on the weekend to see family and friends! Looking forward!

// weekend stories // 31 //

2011-08-08T14:48:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

This weekend was mainly dedicated to furniture - buy and build-up furniture from my favorite Swedish store as well as refurbishing our new antique table. This was our DIY project for the whole last week, but we finally finished on Sunday. I love how it turned out! Now I only have to upholster the chairs and then it all can go into the container bound for Australia :)

Besides, I went for a lovely brunch on Sunday morning with the girls - we finished of the nice morning with a stroll to the local flower field in which we picked large bouquets of pretty flowers - now decorating my new table!! Perfect match!

Tomorrow I will be flying to Zagreb for business, only for one night, back on Wednesday! Hopefully the weather there is nicer then here in Bern! Have a lovely Monday, *K

// analog adventure // berlin again, part 1

2011-08-04T14:33:00.000+02:00

As promised, here is the first set of the film pictures I took in Berlin two weeks ago.

It is such a great city, each time I visit, I fall more and more in love with it!!

1. The famous TV tower at Alexanderplatz.
2. Cool vintage phones at Waahnsinn Berlin (Rosenthaler Strasse)
3. My feet :)
4. Great pictures of Berlin in a shopwindow
5. Cool courtyard somewhere along Schönhauser Allee
6. Architecture around Alexanderplatz

7. Loved those golden chairs at the Hackesche Höfe

8. Lost space at Senefelderplatz

Hope you are all having a great week! Anything new? *K

// weekend stories // 30 //

2011-08-02T10:49:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?

Mine was like this:

We had a long weekend over here in Switzerland due to Swiss National Holiday. Spent time in Konstanz at the Bodensee (big lake in Southern Germany). Days filled with shopping, eating ice cream, hanging our feet in the cool lake, yummy Indian food and bbq and enjoying the old town. Konstanz is such a pretty little town!

On top, we did some serious antique shopping - we found a beautiful dining table (from 1920) and two lovely chairs. I plan to upholster the cushions with pretty new fabrics and the table needs some restoration as well. Will do some before / after pictures!!

Also, thanks to everybody for the kind words and excitment for our upcoming big move!! I am so looking forward to live and play in Melbourne and to discover Australia!!

Have a great week everybody!! *K

--- news --- news --- news ---

2011-07-27T13:56:00.001+02:00

As I announced several weeks ago, there are big news that I have been dying to share with all of you... After signing contracts, quitting jobs, telling family and friends, now I am finally able to fill you in :)

Soooo, to make a long story short, we will be moving! After having lived in Germany, USA, Singapore and the last 4 years in Switzerland the time has come for something new and exciting!

Starting from November, I will be blogging and sharing my photographs with you from here:

Photocredits go to Andrew from Cuba Gallery, please check his flickr and website. Thanks Andrew!!

We will be moving to Melbourne, Australia! Juhu!!

Since college we wanted to live abroad again and now finally our dreams come true! My boyfriend is being sent over to Australia by his Swiss company for at least 3-4 years and I will be joining him trying to get my foot in the door of the Australian sports retail business! I am beyond excited!

So we have busy weeks ahead of us - full of organizing, packing, saying good-byes, planning vacation and then finally move! I am happy that I can take you along this journey - if everything goes as I currently plan, I will be heading to some wonderful places before my final move to Melbourne! Juhu!

I'll keep you posted!!! So glad you finally all know :)

// weekend stories // 29

2011-07-25T13:48:00.002+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

I was in Berlin to visit some friends and joining their birthday celebrations. As I only took analog pictures (just dropped the film for development), todays post only shows some snapshots from last visits. The last picture says it all (if you know German): the weather was nothing like it is supposed to be in July. But we still had a good time: shopping at Alte Schönhauser Strasse, eating yummy Vietnamese food, BBQ, having drinks at Claerchens Ballhaus, party with strictly 90s music, roaming the streets of Prenzlauer Berg, quality time with friends!! Sooo good, missing Berlin already. One of my favorite cities out there!

i heart // vienna //

2011-07-22T09:00:00.004+02:00

I have been on a store tour in Austria for business last summer and my most favorite colleague and me decided to make the best out of it and stay the weekend in Vienna. Neither of us has been before, so we were pretty excited and in Sissi-mode when we finally arrived at the train station.

Vienna is a wonderful city - the old buildings, glamorous palaces of former times, the vivid museum scene and for sure the biggest Wiener Schnitzel I have seen in my entire life help to make us fall in love quickly. It is also the city of Mozart and Klimt, so music and art is big!

To heart:

Royal Vienna

As I said, we were both pretty much in Sissi-mode when we arrived and we looking so much forward to go and visit her palace Schönbrunn. We were having a wonderful time exploring the palace and its beautiful gardens and fountains. Unfortunaltely you are not allowed to take pictures inside of the palace, but let me tell you, the interior is breathtaking. Clearly a must-see in Vienna.

Museums

Vienna is also quite famous for its many museums, such as the Albertina, Belvedere and the MUMOK. The MUMOK (Museum for Modern Art in English) can be found in the Museumsquartier, which is a large cultural area in the heart of Vienna. It features a couple of museums, lovely baroque and also modern architecture, dancing schools and great al fresco restaurants in the courtyard. We had lunch there, just taking in the lively athmosphere. I visited a very interesting exhibition showing paintings and art from North Korea in the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts).

Architecture

Many different styles of architecture can be found in Vienna, from baroque, to romanesque to modern. The architectual style that Vienna is most known for, however, is the Art Nouveau. The Vienna Secession building is one of the most popular representatives of this style. I loved it! Don't miss the nearby Naschmarkt, where all your culinary deams come true. The famous architect Friedrich Hundertwasser was also born in Vienna and you can find some of his masterpieces here.

For sure there is so much more to see such as the Hofburg, the giant ferris wheel, the Spanish riding school, Vienna's boys' choir and many more museums, churches and graves (Imperial Crypt). So go on and explore!

To sleep:

We have stayed directly downtown close to the St. Stephens Cathedral and in walking-distance to most of the sights in Vienna. Also many bars, cafés and restaurants around. I only can recommend this location. The main shopping street is just meters away. Perfect :)

To eat:

Ahhh, Vienna is Schnitzel-country. I have never seen such a huge Schnitzel before. Unbelievable. For sure, I only could finish only half of it, but it was so good. Another Autrian dish I love is the Kaiserschmarrn, which is pancakes with jam. So yummy!

And then there is the world famous Viennese café culture, which you should not miss - for the real touristy adventure head over to the famous Sacher Café and eat the yummy Sachertorte.

To cherish:

My photographers eye loved the many colourful signs...

... and entrances.

Simply walking without any plan and discovering what Vienna has to offer.

Have you been to Vienna? If yes, what did you enjoy the most?

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Please head over here to find more // i heart // posts (covering Switzerland, the Provence and Istanbul). I am in Berlin for a long, rainy weekend! Enyjoy yours!! *K

vintage photography { small town life }

2011-07-20T09:26:00.000+02:00

My grandmother grew up in a small town just outside of Frankfurt. During the war the whole extended family gathered in her parents house (during the worst time of the war, more than 25 people stayed there) to seek shelter and to support each other. My grandma still lives in the house today.
I love to take a closer look at the old pictures to take note of the background; so many amazing details, sometimes I simply cannot believe how much everything has changed since that time. Just look at the streets and the houses. I know exactly where the pictures were taken - and believe me, it is not recognizable today!

My dad and uncle in the street where my grandmother lives.

My dad and a friend on the stairs of my grandmothers house.

My dad riding on Olga, one of the working horses my great-grandparents owed.

Working on the field , my grandma with her father and brother.

Wedding procession - how often did I already pass those houses.

My great-grandfather with the working horses.

My grandfather (left) with his new bike.

Dad playing football.

See more of my family vintage pictures here.

// weekend stories // 28 //

2011-07-18T12:05:00.001+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Rainy weekend spent in Ticino, italian part of Switzerland. Highlight (besides Jack Johnson concert on the Piazza Grande, Locarno on Sunday evening) was the visit to my most favorite restaurant in the world - Grotto Baldoria in Ascona. Traditional "grotto ticinese" with stone tables, rustic interoior, basic food. But sooo good. Menu (the same every day) is salami, insalata ticinese, thin sliced cold beef meet, spicy pasta, polenta with meat, cheese, cake and grappa - you eat ALL of it, the plates just keep coming!! You sit next to strangers which become friends. The red wine is fabulous. And the best, above menu for 2 plus 1 litre wine & water costs only 66 CHF. Which is a absolute bargain for Switzerland!!! Make sure you go next time you are in Ascona!

// foto focus // pulau tioman

2011-07-14T09:38:00.000+02:00

I am so longing for beaches, sunshine, tropical flowers and a cold drink right now - therefore, I take you on another trip to Asia today. During my studies I lived one year in Singapore (loved every day of it), which allowed me to travel the region. On of my most favorite places in Malaysia is the small island Pulau Tioman. We would jump in a bus to Malaysia after work on Friday, take a taxi from there to the small coastal town of Mersing and take the speedboat the next morning! Nothing beats the feeling of speeding along the deep blue ocean with the wind in your hair!

Pulau Tioman is a small tropical beauty. Great fresh food. Some nice snorkeling (saw my first turtle there). Amazing walks in the jungle. No cars. Listening to reggea and drinking a cold beer. Pure bliss!

Lovely beaches and warm ocean.

Our cute bungalow in a green garden.

You also find great wildlife, like those "dragons" (they are normally not dangerous and walk around the island everywhere).

Paradise.

Such a wonderful place. I really left my heart in Asia.

Where did you leave yours?
*K

... and the winner is ...

2011-07-13T13:36:00.000+02:00

.... Sarah from wer braucht schon worte?

Sarah, please let me know which picture(s) you chose and send me your contact details!
Congrats again!!

So I hope you all are having a great week! I am looking forward to the weekend, as we will be going to see Jack Johnson playing in Locarno at the Moon & Stars Festival. Too bad the weather forecast is really bad at the moment... Looks like it is going to rain... buuuuh!

Have a great week! *K

// weekend stories // 27 //

2011-07-11T11:10:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Sunshine and thunder. Rescuing a baby bird from my apartment (puuh, almost died of a heart attack). Lovely hike with friends from work through the Lavaux, one of the most popular wine regions in Switzerland. Drinking refreshing, super good local wine with the beautiful view of the lake of Geneva and the vineyards. Putting our hot feet in the cool lake. Checking out the unbelievable huge villas at the lake shore (I know where all the Swiss money is - right there!!). Having yummy Thai food for dinner in Bern, listening to a saxophone street band.

----
Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!
Happy Monday everybody! *K

photography GIVEAWAY

2011-07-08T09:16:00.000+02:00

Good morning everybody! Lets start into this (hopefully sunny) weekend with a small GIVEAWAY, shall we? As always, this is suppose to be a special thank you for all your comments, emails, tweets and thoughts. So good to have you out there :)

The winner will receive pretty photography from this blog and can chose between one large picture in 8x12 inch or a set of three smaller pictures each in 5x7 inch. Every picture ever published on this blog can be chosen, so it could look like this:

{ french chalkboard }

{ flowers in switzerland }

{ macarons in paris }

{ flower shop in berlin }

{ globe in bern }

To enter this giveaway, you need to:

- follow my blog (either via GFC or bloglovin)
- leave a comment and tell me out of which post you would select a picture

For further entries you could either
- follow me on twitter
- tweet about the giveaway
- blog about the giveaway
- add my button to your blog (see sidebar)
- add fabuleux destin to your blogroll on your blog

Please remember to leave comments seperately! Please enter until Wednesday, 13.07., 12 o'clock (Swiss time). The winner will be drawn on the same day by random.org.

Looking so much forward to send the pictures to the lucky winner! Spread the word!

Good luck, *K

// foto focus // bangkok

2011-07-06T11:12:00.000+02:00

Due to a lack of new pictures, lets look at some old ones, alright?
Today I would love to introduce you to one of my favorite place ever - Bangkok. I think you either love or hate this place, there is not much in between. Yes, it is loud, dusty, often dirty - but I fell for this place and had crazy and exciting times there. I have been to Thailand already a couple of times and BKK serves as an "home-base" for exploring the rest of the country. There is so much to do and see in this huge city - and the shopping is great as well!

So, what shouldn't you miss while being in Bangkok?

The Khao San Road is probably the first thing that many backpackers see in Bangkok. It is the place for cheap beer, hostels and shopping. We always stay in the area (not directly on the street, I think the noise would drive me mad), but I kind of like the vibe of that part of the city.

My most favorite sight in Bangkok, the Golden Palace. The architecture is stunning, the gold is shiny and the emerald buddha housed in the palace is simply beautiful. Come early in the morning, it gets really hot during the day, let me tell you :)

We discovered Wat Saket during our last trip to Bangkok - it is the build on a hill and simply beautiful! Take the steamy walk uphill and enjoy a nice view and a cute temple.

Jim Thompson was an American businessman who revolutionized the Thai silk industry. Furthermore, he was collecting beautiful art and built himself a wonderful calm oasis in the middle of Bangkoks chaos. He mysterically disappeared in the Malaysian jungle, but you can still visit his beautiful Teak mansion.

For sure there are more great things to see: Wat Arun (or also called the Temple of Dawn), Wat Pho with the golden, laying Buddha, Chinatown, different Nightmarkets etc.
I am so looking forward to return sooner than later :)

Happy Wednesday! Have you been to Thailand before?

// weekend stories // 26 //

2011-07-04T09:43:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Good-bye party of a friend on Friday. Singing and dancing which made me lose my voice. Sad face. Really quiet Saturday and Sunday as I was not allowed to talk (not that I could). Drinking liters of sage tea. Taking long walks in the grain fields. Relaxing and taking a nap at the river bank. Reading the Lonely Planet magazine on the balcony next to my Hibiskus and dreaming of far away, exotic places.

Hope your weekend was more exciting! My voice has come back and I am in the office sounding like I drank Whiskey all weekend long. Haha :)

// foto focus // belize, caye caulker

2011-07-01T09:36:00.000+02:00

As the sky is grey today here in Bern, I bring some sunshine to you with pictures from Belize and its glorious island of Caye Caulker. While traveling through Mexico, we also went to Belize to visit the amazing coral reef and the jungles. It is such an amazing and beautiful country!

Caye Caulker is a small island with colourful wood houses, lobster for dinner and the best wildlife ever. We went on a snorkeling trip out in the reef and we were surrounded by turtles, rays, sharks, barracudas and many other colorful fish! One of the best days of my life!

Sho yur luv for di barefoot dem no throw trash in a fo we stand....
Kind of hard to understand :)

Best beach bar EVER - the "Lazy Lizard".

Amazing island life.

So longing to get out there and life the barefoot, sandy life again :)

Happy weekend - any special plans?

vintage photography { brothers }

2011-06-29T09:16:00.000+02:00

My dad and his brother were always very close and spent most of the childhood together playing, working and doing silly stuff. I especially love the fact that my grandma always dressed them similar, like if they were twins (which they are not, by dad is the younger of the two, so always the smaller one in the pictures).

Loving to see them both smile so much!
Despite the hard times after the war, their childhood seems to be filled of laughter, joy and love!

My grandparents spent a lot of time in the mountains as my grandfather was a passionate climber.

My dad and uncle in front of the school - each kid received a big brezel for the start of the school year.

Love this picture!! The shirts were sent by distant family members who emigrated to the USA and used to sent "care-packages" for many years after the war to my grandparents.

On a different note, I am sorry that I am so absent lately. There is much going on and on top of that I am sick... Great to have a fever with 33 degrees outside... Puuh! Hope you are all doing fine!! *K

// weekend stories // 25 //

2011-06-27T09:37:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Not much time to take pictures. Company party on Friday with lots of sports, bbq and mojitos. Train ride to Germany. Sting and the Symphonic orchestra live in an open-air concert (it was great!!). Summer heat. More BBQ. Sharing exciting and life-changing news with our parents and siblings (no wedding and baby, this is as much as I can tell you right now! More about it soon - I promise).

I hope you are all doing fine. I am sick and at home - not a great start into this new week. Off to bed now. Bern is expecting 33 degrees today, I am keeping all windows closed, my fever is enough heat. :)

{ russia } visiting kremlin

2011-06-22T10:13:00.000+02:00

One thing that is probably on each Moscow initeriary is a visit to the Kremlin. The Kremlin is a fortified complex in the heart of the city and it used to be the former residence of the Tsars. It boasts four palaces, four cathedrals, the state kremlin palace and serves as the officical residence for the President of the Russian Federation (thanks Wikipedia :D).

I liked the very diverse styles of architecture in this rather small place!

The heart of the Kremlin is the cathedral square with its four amazing cathedrals. Such a unique style and pretty look! I was so fortuante that the sun was shining during my visit - the colours came out quite nice against the blue sky. Love the golden roofs!!

This was my favorite one, the cathedral of the annuciation. Simply because it has the most golden roofs of all of them :) Inside the cathedrals are painted in the most beautiful colours - I was brave enough to snap a forbidden picture. Sorry for the low quality...

Before I left there was a parade with soldiers and horses. Some kind of changing of the guards I guess.

The security checks are very strict at the entrance, make sure you only bring small bag. They also do not like big camera with big lenses, I have read different stories on the www on what is allowed inside the Kremlin walls and which cameras are not allowed / permission is needed. As all of this left me rather confused, I decided to leave my 7D at home and take my small point & shoot Sony with me....

----

So this was all to my short visit to Moscow - an interesting, but somehow crazy place.
Made me curious to see more of Russia. Hope enjoyed the trip :)

// weekend stories // 24 //

2011-06-20T11:06:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Rain, rain, rain on Saturday. Relaxing. Taking a walk in the rain. Making yummy pancakes. Flower power at the Rosegarden in Bern. Peonies. Lovely views. Drinking Aperol Spritz down at the river. Fitness. Editing pictures for the wedding guestbook. Calming my nerves and discussing the future. Exciting! :)

{ russia } moscow red square

2011-06-17T10:15:00.000+02:00

One of the places you will definitely visit while being in Moscow is the Red Square. It is "the" square in Moscow, maybe even in whole Russia. Many of the most popular sights in Moscow are located on the Red Square or at least close by, including many churches, museums etc. Walking up to the square from the nearby metro station, I was greeted with below first glance of the St. Basil Cathedral. Isn't it too cute?

Those fur hats are so Russian :)

Looking over the square you spot the State History Mueseum in the back and the GUM department store to the right. Second picture is looking in the other direction, facing St. Basil cathedral as well as one of the towers of the Kremlin.

The GUM is the former State Department Store of Moscow- it is well known for the long queues of shoppers as it didn't have any shortages of consumer goods, even during the darkest communist years. :) Today it is a high-fashion temple with all major (and expensive) designer represented in beautiful stores. Remember, Moscow is actually one of the most expensive cities worldwide, this is definitely the place where the rich and pretty go shopping.

Another highlight of the Red Square is Lenin's mausoleum, in which the remains of the former Russian leader Lenin are on display. His embalmed body is there on display since 1924 - but I was so lucky to be in Moscow during his yearly "refreshment" session. Too bad, the mausoleum was closed...

And finally the heart of the Red Square - the St. Basil Cathedral. It was completed in 1561 and I think it is one of the most pretty churches I have ever seen. Straight out of a Russian fairytale!

The Red Square is a great place for people-watching as well. You also will see many people in many different uniforms that all kind of look important. And many expensive cars around the GUM.

---
Happy weekend to all of you!! Any fun plans?
I will be enjoying my sofa as it is supposed to rain tomorrow and we have no plans anyway :)

// farbenfroh vol. 2

2011-06-16T09:10:00.001+02:00

Loving the colours and textures of this metro station in Berlin (believe it was Gesundbrunnen).
I joined a tour from Unterwelten there, who specialized in taking you underground in old tunnels, bomb shelters and metro stations, most of them built during the war. It was super interesting!!

// weekend stories // 23 //

2011-06-14T11:56:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Wedding of two close friends. Super pretty location. Blue sky. Great time. Romantic ceremony. Tears. Love is in the air. Photoshooting with probs (self-made by me and loved by the guests). Delicious menu. Dancing until 5 am. Aperol Sprizz and Caipirinha. Wishing the lovely couple all the best in this world and for their love.

{ russia } moscow metro

2011-06-09T09:49:00.000+02:00

Most of the time a metro system is just a way to get from one place to another. Not so in Moscow.

Besides being the second most heavily used Metro system worldwide (carrying around 7 million passengers daily), it is also like an underground museum. Each station is differenty designed and you will find everything from communist-style peasant art to glitter-glamour gold chandeliers. Beautiful, believe me.

The great thing is you can buy one ticket (about 90 cent) and then you can take the Metro basically as long as you want if you stay underground in the stations. Great for visiting all the different stations. And the fact that there is a train almost every 90 seconds is perfect!

This type of sightseeing is also perfect for people-watching. For me, public transportation lets you look deep inside a country's soul. Nothing is more real then using the metro like the locals.

I would have loved to take more pictures, but unfortuantely the rules at the stations are quite strict as they belong to the Russian military. Noone really knows if you are allowed to take pictures inside the stations and as I did not want to risk to get caught by military guys on patrol that speak no word in English I was most of the time hiding. But I am still dreaming of taking my 7D and a tripod there one day...

Here you find a complete list of all stations with pictures to check which one you would like to see.
So pretty!

// farbenfroh //

2011-06-07T17:18:00.006+02:00

Working in the fashion industry, I am quite familiar with Pantone colours.
I loooove the Pantone charts and all the pretty pretty colours!

So I decided to add a new series on my little space here called "Colour Me Pretty"! Going all creative on colour palettes - hope you like it! Please let me know!

Happy Tuesday, *K

// weekend stories // 22 //

2011-06-06T14:38:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Camping. Sunshine and blue sky. Visiting lovely Colmar. Drinking Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Eating Flammekueche. Also eating macarons (raspberry and coco - sooo good). Sightseeing. Visiting Strasbourg. Shopping. Surrounded by many tourists. Picnik with fresh French cheese and baguette. Thrifting. Visiting good friends in Freiburg. Eating Sushi. Driving down the rue du vin in Alsace. Feeling summer.

{ russia } moscow randoms

2011-06-01T10:27:00.000+02:00

Remember that I was in Russia almost one month ago? Time flies. Anyway, I have visited Moscow for business and then extended my stay for one day to do some sight-seeing. First time in Russia for me and I was very excited!

Moscow is huge. The traffic is the worst I have seen in my life. It was very cold and somehow very grey. The first two days I was basically spending in the car of my Russian colleague, driving from one of our stores to the next, which took us ages. So most of the below pictures I took from the car - first glimpse of Moscow.

Somehow it was just how I imagined it to be. Many "russian-style" buildings. And many dirty cars. Haha.

Somehow I have this thing for communist signs, statues and artwork. It is not that I am a huge fan, but I guess I find it rather cool. And Moscow has many of those huge statues displaying heros of the Russian society. So as we were standing in traffic most of the time, I was able to take some shots.

I love the cyrillic signs! However, it makes navigating through the city rather difficult as even the metro stations are only announced in cyrillic. And also noone speaks English. Shop assisants were practically hiding behing their counter once they found out that I was not Russian. Funny.

So, this was the first glimpse. More posts about the Red Square, the Kremlin and the wonderful Metro coming up next week! Tomorrow we have a public holiday and as I took vacation on Friday, we are off to a short camping trip tomorrow morning. Most probably to Alsace (France) to visit places such as Colmar, Strasbourg and Nancy. See you next week!!

What are you up to? *K

// weekend stories // 21 //

2011-05-30T09:52:00.000+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was like this:

Sunshine. Blue Sky. Shopping on Saturday. Crafting. Watching movie. Aperol Spritz and popcorn. Sunday hike with friends. 800m altitude difference. Hurting calves. Beautiful vista and nature. Picnik. Birds singing the loveliest songs. Most refreshing summit beer - ever. Watching "Tatort".

(By the way, me and two friends were hiking to the Creux du van in the Swiss Jura mountains (close to the French border). It is called the Grand Canyon of Switzerland - highly recommendable!!)

vintage photography { family time }

2011-05-26T14:26:00.000+02:00

I have still so many random pictures from my grandparents, my dad , my uncle and all the rest of the family stowed on my drive. Therefore today is a bit a random family post. Enjoy and happy Thursday!

Love the colours of those pictures. And the good time they all seem to be having!! Such treasures!

{perfect weekend hideaway} - lyon

2011-05-25T09:40:00.002+02:00

In 2009 we took a long weekend break and drove down to Lyon (France), which is about three hours away from Bern. We were very lucky with the weather, it was warm and sunny.

We wandered through the streets of the old town, had some yummy crepe au chocolat, strolled through the lovely small shops, climbed the hill to take a look at the cathedral, visited a local farmer market and enjoyed the weather outside with a glass of red whine (Beaujolais and Cotes du Rhone being very close by). The city is famous for its food, no wonder with Paul Bocuse being born in Lyon. All in all. a really great place!

So, I guess summer has finally arrived to Switzerland! We had 26 degrees the last days, blue sky and beautiful sunshine. With so many amazing countries and places near by, summer in Switzerland is also the time of great weekend trips and escapes! Last year I already shared with you trips to Annecy, Ticino and Lago di Como. This summer I will continue to show you my perfect weekend hideaways, all within reach from Bern in 3-5 hours. Hope you enjoyed Lyon, there is more to come!
Follow your wanderlust! *K

// analog adventure // around home

2011-05-23T09:53:00.000+02:00

To finish my latest shots on film, here are some shots I did in and around Bern a couple of weeks ago.

1. The river Aare and the capitol building of Switzerland in the background
2. A typical house in Bern (beautiful!!)
3. Some crazy fountain in front of the Albert Einstein museum (he lived in Bern for some years)
4. Pretty pretty flowers
5. One of the huge bridges over the river Aare leading to the old town
6. Playing with the depth of field with my Kodak

Looking forward to finish the next roll, planning to load a b/w film. Or play with double exposure. We'll see. Happy Monday, hope you all had a great weekend!

... and the winner is ...

2011-05-20T13:19:00.001+02:00

... Janis from my suitcase heart!

Janis, please let me know which picture(s) you chose and send me your contact details!
Congrats again! :)

Thank you all for your participation and your kind words! There will for sure be another giveaway coming in the future, so don't be too sad if you did not win :)

Happy weekend to all of you, I am off this afternoon to Germany (5 hours driving ahead of me... that sucks!) to celebrate a bachelorette party of one of my friends from college tomorrow. So if you see a group of girls celebrating their way through Frankfurt, it could be me! Haha! *K

// a sparkle of yellow //

2011-05-18T11:56:00.000+02:00

I am loving spring.

Two weeks ago during my first camping trip of the season we came across this endless canola field.
Yellow wherever you looked, so pretty!

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY, it is still open until Friday!!

special thankyou and GIVEAWAY

2011-05-17T09:48:00.000+02:00

Today I welcomed the 100th follower to my little space here and I am so excited!
I want to thank all of you for your feedback, comments, ideas and inspiration - it really means so much to me and I am so happy to meet so wonderful people from all ove the world!

In order to celebrate together with you, I decided to do a small giveaway! My first one!

The winner will receive pretty photography and can chose between one large picture in 8x12 inch or a set of three smaller pictures each in 5x7 inch. Every picture ever published on this blog can be chosen, so it could look like this:

{ lavender in the provence }

{ bistro in paris}

{ passage in venice }

{ art in morocco }

{ entrance in france }

To enter this giveaway, you need to:

- follow my blog (either via GFC or bloglovin)
- leave a comment and tell me out of which post you would select a picture (don't forget to roam the archives for pictures of Paris, Venice, Morocco, Costa Rica etc.)

For further entries you could either

- follow me on twitter
- follow me on pinterest
- follow me on tumblr
- tweet about the giveaway
- add my button to your blog (see sidebar)
- add fabuleux destin to your blogroll on your blog

Please remember to leave comments seperately! Please enter until Friday, 20.05., 12 o'clock (Swiss time). The winner will be drawn on the same day by random.org.

Looking so much forward to send the pictures to the lucky winner! Spread the word!

Good luck, *K

// analog adventure // berlin III

2011-05-16T08:52:00.000+02:00

I am so in love with film photography at the moment, simply love the grain, the vintage look. And I love the process of making the picture, to really take time to frame and compose it. I am looking into black & white as well as double-exposure at the moment, so excited.

So here is the last set of pictures taken in Berlin. I just love this city so much!! I will be back there in July - looking so much forward!

1. Wandering around in Friedrichshain
2. Beautiful Magnolia tree in the courtyards at Hackesche Höfe
3. Stairway at the entrace of the Rosenhöfe
4. First signs of spring
5. Detail of unrenovated buidling in Friedrichshain
6. Peak inside along Schönhauser Allee
7. Lovely buildings somewhere in Friedrichshain
8. Street art at the Mauerpark

--
Hope you all had a great weekend! Cross your fingers for me and boyfriend today, there is hopefully something big going on soon (no baby) ;) Please!!

vintage photography { mountaineering }

2011-05-11T11:52:00.000+02:00

As I told you before, my grandfather was a passionate climber and mountaineer. He also worked for the German Railway, which allowed him and the rest of the family to travel for free on the trains throughout Germany.

According to my grandma, he spent a lot of time climbing in the Alps with his best friend (who eventually died in the mountains after a crash, how horrible is that?). He also took many pictures and I simply love the ones he took in the mountains. Back in the days, climbing and mountaineering was such an adventure!

Unfortunately I was never able to meet my grandfather as he died early (my dad was in his twenties). But from all I hear, he must have been a wonderful person.

I am still trying to sort all the pictures I have scanned (as I have quite a lot) and the more I look at them, the more I love them! Isn't photography great? All the memories that are kept for generations!

--
I will be flying to Helsinki tomorrow for business as well as visiting a old friend of mine from college for one night! Looking so much forward! I am back on Saturday! K*

// analog adventure // berlin II

2011-05-09T10:15:00.000+02:00

Some more moments I have captured on film during the weekend in Berlin. Enjoy!*

1. Old Tempelhof Airport on a stormy Saturday morning
2. Streetscene in Friedrichshain
3. Breakfast at Villa Kreuzberg - so good!
4. Strolling along the fleamarket at the Ostbahnhof
5. To die for fashion at Alte Schönhauser Strasse
6. Mauerpark on a Sunday afternoon
7. Lovely flea market at the Ostbahnhof - aren't the chandeliers great?
8. View from the Mauerpark towards to TV tower

---
Happy Monday to all of you, hope you had a sunny and beautiful weekend. We went on the first short camping trip and rode our bikes along the lak of Constance in Southern Germany! So pretty!

// analog adventure // berlin I

2011-05-05T13:27:00.000+02:00

For my 30th birthday in April me and my boyfriend flew to Berlin to spent a fabulous weekend with a couple of friends in my favorite German city. Thanks to Easyjets' luggage restrictions I was forced to leave my Canon at home, instead I took my grandfathers Kodak, loaded some films and set of to capture Berlin.

I am pretty excited about the results, simply love the grain and the vintage look!

1.   Street art on Alte Schönhauser Strasse
2.   Pretty flower shop somewhere around Prenzlauer Berg
3.   Simon-Dach-Strasse 41
4.   Lovely old tiles in entrance
5.   Fleamarket love at Boxhagner Platz
6.   Non-renovated building somewhere in Friedrichshain
7.   Reflection in shop window

vintage photography { my grandma }

2011-05-04T10:08:00.001+02:00

Over the long Easter weekend I was at home in Germany and spent much needed time with my family and friends. I especially spent a lot of time with my grandma, who I love and adore very much! We went through old photographs, letters and many memories and again I realized the value of those stories and "windows to the past". It is amazing to hear her talking about her childhood, the war, the times after the war. I look at the pictures and cannot believe that this was the life she was living back then.

I took the time to scan many of the old pictures and I would love to share them with you.
Looking at the pictures from my grandma, I see my face in hers - that makes me really happy.
She is the most amazing person in my life.

Grandma in school, between 1930 and 1934.

Grandma with her gymnastic friends in the early 1940s.

Grandma with my uncle at christmas.

Grandma and grandpa on the field.

Visiting her brother during wartime.

Wedding processing through her hometown.

For me, those pictures are precious. Seeing how everything looked back in the days when my grandma was young is simply amazing.
I have so many more old pictures of my dad and uncle and especially of my grandfather who was climbing in the Alps and took great pictures. Looking forward to share them soon!

----
My grandmom will be going to the hospital today to get a new hip - as she is almost 88 years old, you can imagine that I am more than worried that everything will be find. Please keep her in your thoughts!!

Do you like those vintage pictures and want to see more? Let me know!

{ essaouira } wanderings II

2011-05-02T09:47:00.000+02:00

To finally finish my long long recap of the trip to Morocco, I have once more a pretty set of pictures from Essaouira. Hope you enjoy!

Watch fishermen do their work. Beautiful sunsets.

Atlantic ocean. Wind. Tiles featuring camels.

Blue. blue. blue.

More blue doors. Pretty orange bikes.

Spices. Cityviews.

It has been a wonderful short break and Morocco is a beautiful and colourful country!
Thanks for all the lovely comments you left on the pictures, everyone of them is special to me! Thanks!
K*

{ essaouira } wanderings I

2011-04-28T16:24:00.000+02:00

After four fabulous days in Marrakech we hopped on a bus to the seaside town of Essaouira, which is a good two hour drive to the west. Essaouira is a quite famous small village directly located at the Atlantic ocean - it used to be a favorite hang-out place in the 70s for artists and musicians (Jimi Henrix was a regular visitor). Nowadays it is mainly famous for its strong constant winds, which attracts surfers of all sort - it is also called "the wind city of Africa".

We stayed at the beautiful Chems Bleu Riad in the Medina and did nothing but wandering through the small streets of the town, along the beach and enjoying our mint tea in the shade of fig trees.
Pure bliss!

The town used to be a fort and is famous for its old, blue wooden doors.

Hundred of cats roam the streets. Canons facing the ocean.

Mint tea in the shade of fig trees. Busy streets of the Medina.

Those colours just blow me away.

Beautiful little town, isn't it? Wanna go back just now...

{ marrakech } randoms

2011-04-27T09:13:00.000+02:00

To wrap up the beautiful trip we had to Marrakech, I just wanted to share some random pictures with you I took while we wandering around the city. Enjoy!

The most colourful tiles and pictures; old wood doors that completely stole my heart!

The best mint tea I ever tasted. Arabic signs.

Freshly prepared Tajine on the stove. Orange trees. Koutoubia Minarett.

Red walls everywehere. Donkeys roaming the small streets of the Medina.

I hope you enjoyed the this massive amount of pictures of Marrakech - it is really a pretty and amazing place. If you ever get the chance to go, go!!

Next up Essaouira, a cute little Moroccan town at the Atlantic ocean.

{ marrakech } carpet love

2011-04-25T18:43:00.000+02:00

I already fell in love with the colourful carpets while traveling through Turkey. But now, after Marrakech, I am infected with carpet love. Walking through the Medina you see the beauties everywhere; hanging from balconies, on walls, inside shops. They have the most amazing colours and wonderful designs.

Loving the bright colours of the two carpets below!

We went to the berber carpet market, where the local berber men have a daily auction on which they sell their carpets, which are produced in the North and South of the country.

Also we were able to sneak in some carpet stock rooms on the market. So many amazing carpets - the owner briefly explained us the differences between the designs and materials of the different regions of Morocco. Loved that!

So many pretty designs!

Don't you just want to buy one of those beauties and put them in your living room?

---
Happy Easter! Hope you had some fine days with family and friends, I just returned from three beautiful days in Germany.

{ personal } 7 things about me

2011-04-20T09:10:00.000+02:00

I enjoy blogging so much mainly due to the endless opportunities to express myself and share my work with everybody interested - but also for the chance of meeting so many amazing people!
Yes, I mean YOU! :)

Clare is one of those amazing people. I love to read her blog Pampelmuse and Me and look at her great pictures. She inspired me to start knitting. She gave my wonderful tips and insights for Berlin and Melbourne when I asked her for help. Thanks Clare!
I loved to read one of Clare's latest posts, in which she shared personal things about herself! And I was happily surprised to see that she has tagged me to play along this game. You see, I never done posts like this before, but remembering how much I love to learn personal things about you, I decided to play along and also give you some "insight" into my life in the offline world. Enjoy*

I have moved 8 times in the last 12 years. It all started when I moved to California in 1998 and ended in 2007 with moving to Switzerland. In between I was moving around Germany for college / internships as well as twice to Singapore in 2003 and 2005. I loved every move I made (literally), it gives me energy and inspiration. Looking foward to see where life will take me next!

You can ask my friends, my colleagues, my love and my family - I really cannot sing! But I still enjoy it sooo much, that I basically do it whenever and wherever I am. To make up for my bad singing skills, I have a very good memory when it comes to lyrics, so at least I am singing the correct words!

I am afraid of flying. Most people cannot believe this considering the amount of flights I take for work and for leisure. It is just one of those fears that you need to overcome if you want to live life a certain way. I am especially afraid of the take-off, so I have developed my personal rituals to keep me calm. This includes holding a locket my dad gave my mom as a present when they met in my hand (his picture is still inside), concentrate on my breathing and think about positive things. Don't laugh, it seems to help!

I adore bookshops and I can spent hours roaming the shelves and looking at books. When I need some time for myself, I schedule a trip to my favorite bookstore, sit down with a coffee and read through all those travel, art, photography and design books I would love to call my own. Oh, this love is shared with flea markets, maps and globes by the way. Call me a nerd, go ahead! :)

I am an only child. You know all the prejudices that come along, but I am definetely not as spoiled as I should be. Haha. I always wanted to have a sister and I am deeply sorry for myself that I will never able to be an aunt. This is really bothering me and makes my heart ache a bit from time to time. But instead of a sister, I had a friend. I met her when I was three months old and we spent most of our childhood together. Until now I consider her the closest I have to a sister and I adore her baby girl more than anything! So I consider myself to be an aunt by heart!

As mentioned before I lived in Asia twice and I would love to move back anytime soon. I miss Asia. The people. The landscapes. The food. The endless motives for my camera. It is one of my most favorite places in the whole world. And I am ready to return.

Looking at me today, nobody can really believe when I tell them that once upon a time I had purple and green hair, wore heavy army shoes, rugged clothes collected on local flea markets and considered myself to be a grunge chick. Luckily I still listen enough to my mom and got no piercings and tattoos! Ha! My world almost ended when Kurt Cobain killed himself, I was crying all day. My love for Nirvana has not changed though, even when the hair is brown now and I wear ballet flats.

So.... this was it!
If you fancy to play along, I tag Krystal, Galit and Janis! No worries if you won't :)

--
I will be travelling to Germany to see my family and friends over the long Easter weekend. Therefore, I am taking a short blog break - enjoy your free time and I see you next week! And by the way, both pictures are from my recently developed films, love them both! More analog adventures to come!

{ marrakech } bahia palace

2011-04-18T10:04:00.000+02:00

The Bahia Palace is a wonderful palace set in a garden in the South of the Medina. The palace was built in the late 19th century for the Sultan, his family and his extensive harem.

The level of details is breathtaking.
Wood carving, ceiling paintings, the orange trees in the court yard.

Capturing reflections.

Look at those ceilings, amazing, right?

I am so becoming a lover of photographing details... paint. tiles. decor. flowers. anything.

A wonderful and peaceful place, definitely one of my favorite places in Marrakech.
And sooo pretty, right?

---
So, I have returned from Moscow. Russia is really one crazy place. I wiill share some pictures soon. Also picked up my two film rolls this morning: I am so happy, only about 10 pictures of 72 turned out either white or black. Good ratio, right?
Have a lovely short Easter week, I am sooooo looking foward to return home to Germany on Friday and spent a lovely weekend with my oldest and dearest friends!! *K