Inspired

Those ladies' styles inspire me...

found here

found here

found here

found here

found here

And just because I like flowers and this photo:

found here

Teacher girl

My weekend so far...

Cleaned out my closet... It was even more satisfying to finally get rid of some clothes I haven't worn for ages, but after having had a look at the photos of the part of my closet where I actually keep my clothes, I decided not to post them - it obviously doesn't look as neat as I thought...oops!

Most of the time I sat on my little balcony and marked class tests. And there are still some left... :(

In between the marking of class tests I took some care of the lovely flowers on my balcony and wished I was one of them ;)

And as a reward afterwards, I had strawberries for tea!

Today it's raining, so I'll have to stay inside and get the work done.

How about your weekend?

Wanderlust

With all the marking I still have to do (will there ever be an end in sight...?) I can only daydream about leaving this place in the short minutes in between class tests... I promised myself to go to London at least one day every year, and as I haven't been there yet this year, I still have something to look forward too!

I love taking the tube! Every city should have one!

The last time I was there, there was an exhibition in Kensington Palace called "The Enchanted Palace". Very dreamlike and after my fancy - I loved it!

Borough Market - where Bridget Jones bought the vegetables for her blue birthday dinner ;)

Somewhere near Brick Lane - the place with the most stylish people I have ever seen... made me feel like a country bumpkin... ;)

Strawberry kisses

No school today... which unfortunately does't mean no work, however. I spent the day marking class tests and thinking of better times...

I've got a sensitive stomach so that I'm definitely not the rollercoaster type of girl. Yet, there's no reason to not enjoy a ride on the big wheel, especially one that is as pretty as this one. With the flowers, it looks a little Bavarian to me, but maybe that's just the German in me.

To make my day I had strawberries for dessert. Yummie! 

(No kisses though, my title might be a little misleading.)

Too little time

Photography Quotes

Somewhere over the rainbow

What a lovely weekend! For my brother's birthday I baked cupcakes the idea for which I had found on the internet. They turned out quite alright with all the food colouring I used.

I didn't want to destroy the good ones so I cut up the one that broke when I took it out of the baking tray and took a photo. That's why it looks a little strange and not too tasty with all the icing (I had too much of it left). However, I can tell you that they were delicious!

On my brother's party I finally saw my sister and my friends again! After such a long time of being away that was something I had been looking forward to. 

On Saturday I visited my parents again and enjoyed sitting outside in the garden. I've got a balcony and I love it, but it's still different with a big garden. They've got lovely flowers and the best grass to lie on and daydream ... 

 The last picture is of the flowers on my balcony. This year it's pink and violet flowers for me.

Ha, and with spring all around me, I needed colour on my toes, too ;)

The bluest blue

What I couldn't get enough of in Australia was the beaches. I saw most of the beaches around Adelaide and then again some at the east coast (I also went to Bondi at Sydney but wasn't too impressed), and as a person living about 3 hours from the sea I couldn't get enough of the wide view and the fresh smell...

 Part 3: Adelaide and east coast

 

When at the east coast we lived at Hervey Bay and made trips to the beautiful islands close to it. We spent one day on a bus trip at Fraser Island (which felt like riding a roller coaster with all the bumps in the sandy roads) where I saw tropical rainforest, aboriginal rocks and of course the sandy beaches.

 They've also got this ship wreck from WWII lying on the beach. Another day we took the smallest plane ever (10 people only including the pilot!) and flew to Lady Elliot Island, an absolute paradise!

 

 

Look at the incredibly clear water! At the southermost end of the Great Barrier Reef, LEI is the perfect place to snorkle and meet Nemo and his friends. I had never snorkled before and it was there that I had to find out that I will panick with my head under water and having to breathe through my mouth only... So no little fishes for me :( Instead I tried to see some through the glassbottom-boat and I was lucky enough to see a big turtle coming to the surface to breathe!! 

Not only the sea inspired me during my trip to the other side of the world, but also the wonderful blue of the sky and the way every other colour stood out against it.

 

I especially like the last photo as it shows the variety of the Australian vegetation with the typical palm tree and the imported European tree that showed signs of autumn. But being back in good old Europe I love the fact that we're right in the middle of spring!!

Waltzing Matilda

Okay, the title of this post is only remotely connected with what it will actually deal with, for this is the second instalment of "My time in Australia" (and Waltzing Matilda is the only Australian song that I could come up with right now).

Part 2: Melbourne

 Before I went to Sydney I spent two days in Melbourne. We were so lucky with the weather, walking through the town we even spontaneously sat down in a beer garden on the banks of the river Yarra to sip a beer (or in my case, a cider). Little had we expected that everything would be so expensive. We spent about AS$12 on a pint which is about €9!! That was just to give us a taste of what would happen when we went out at night (and I can tell you that it's worth it, for there were so many young people out and about...). We went to a bistro and several bars and ended the evening at the Cherry Bar in ACDC Lane. What a name!

There was a terrible smell in that venue but being able to spend your time watching the craziest people totally made up for that. Too bad I wasn't there with the girls, we would have had a great time! 

 I made a tour of the city and saw the CBD as well as some other places (e.g. the Melbourne gaol where the famous Ned Kelly - the Australian Robin Hood, I learned (there also exists a film starring Heath Ledger  which I will definitely have to see) - was put to death). I went to Brunswick Street and browsed through the lovely little shops there and kept my eyes open for other pretty things.

It's a pity I was on such a tight schedule, otherwise I might have contacted my old penfriend whom I know from teenage days and who lives in Melbourne.

Before and after the city trips I also saw a good deal of the Australian countryside, but more about that tomorrow...

Kiss the bride

Being the sucker for everything British that I am it's a shame I almost forgot to say some words about THE event of the year: the wedding of lovely Kate Middleton and Prince William. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to watch it as I had been in Australia at that time and wasn't sure if I would be sitting in my plane back at the very moment they said "I do". Yet, I was lucky and spent my last evening in Sydney in front of the tv with lots of Cadbury chocolate and the occasional tissue (even though I had the impression that the bride and groom weren't too emotional on their special day). The wedding got me into the mood to watch one of my favourite films again, Four weddings and a funeral. I'll definitely have to do that some time soon.

With my feet on the ground

Before I went to Australia for the whole month of April (yes, I've just come back!), my brother joked that I would be walking there upside down with my feet dangling in the air, just like all Australians do ;) (He also said something about wombats living on trees and jumping at you when you pass by...) Standing on my two feet again and not having been attacked by hungry wombats, I'd like to share some memories.

Part 1: Sydney

 

I took about a hundred photos of the opera house. It's so impressive when you stand there and finally get to see it yourself! We had the loveliest weather and the shell-like roof glistened in the sun.

At Circular Quay I took a ferry to Manly (according to the guidebook the place that Sydneysiders advise you to go after you've seen all the other sights). Of course the CBD of Sydney was impressive with its skyscrapers and all the hustle and bustle of a big city, but I wanted to get to know its other side to, so ignoring my fear of seasickness (I used to get seasick very easily whenever I got on a boat) I boarded the ferry to Manly. And I wasn't disappointed:

 

I went to the beach and then strolled around breathing in the fresh air and being surprised at the wildlife that I encountered.

I so watched out for the penguins, but I wasn't lucky, I didn't see any :(

 

 

Walking through the city I also crossed the famous Harbour Bridge and came across Luna Park, a theme park (which looks beautiful in the dark with all its lights when you're standing at the opera house) and Paddington with its terrace houses and the beautiful little market on Saturday where they sell handmade fashion and jewelry. I also came across a pop-up thrift store in what usually is a pub (I forgot the name though).

Sydney was very beautiful, as were the other places I saw. More about those next time!