birthday woop woop

It was my twentieth birthday last week (WHERE did my teenage years go?!) and I celebrated with plenty of cake and fabulous company at home with friends and family. ♥

Cakes were beautifully decorated and presented by...my boyfriend! He is now considering pursuing a career change in the line of baked goods...

silvester in berlin

New Year's Eve began as all days should - with a fantastically indulgent breakfast of Apfelstrudel and Rote Grütze (with lashings of vanilla sauce, of course) at Leysieffer, a wonderful chocolate shop.

With sufficient sugar to fuel our day's sightseeing, we visited Brandenburger Tor, (already busy ahead of the evening's Silvester celebrations), the Reichstag and the Holocaust Memorial.

We then visited Potsdamer Platz, had a bumpy ride on the 'Rodelbahn', and admired the beautiful Christmas decorations inside the shopping arcade there.

We weren't brave enough to face the freezing cold festivities at Brandenburger Tor that evening, but we nonetheless had a fantastic time at e4 Club - although our early morning flight home the next day wasn't quite so thrilling...!

feast of a frühstück

The following morning we had breakfast at Cross Finest Deli under the S-Bahn at Savignyplatz, an area which is full of cosy cafes and cute boutiques. My 'großer Teller' of fruit salad was absolutely colossal - it must have contained at least two whole pineapples, three melons, half a dozen apples and countless handfuls of starfruit, kumquats and pomegranate!

We then went to the Story of Berlin museum, which I found incredibly illuminating and engaging. Next stop: shopping on the Ku'Damm, marvelling at Europe's largest food hall in KaDeWe, and stopping for a cocktail at its Wintergarten restaurant on the top floor, with views over Berlin.

In the evening we went to Lutter & Wegner, famous for its Austrian cuisine and HUGE portions of Schnitzel. We gorged ourselves on Kalbsgulasch, Spätzle, Blutwurst and Kaiserschmarrn before finding room (not quite sure how) for a post-dinner cocktail at the trendy Newton Bar next door.

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brilliant berlin

My boyfriend and I recently spent a few days in Berlin to celebrate Weihnachten and Silvester. The Christmas atmosphere was wonderful, with dazzling lights adorning the streets and monuments.

Our fabulous hotel, the Hilton am Gendarmenmarkt

Berliner Dom

Christmas decorations at Checkpoint Charlie

We arrived in the afternoon, and took in some sights before going to the Pergamon Museum, which is a treasure trove of fascinating relics:

On our way back we stopped at Fassbender & Rausch, an amazing chocolate shop with famous sights such as the Reichstag, Brandenburger Tor, die Gedächtniskirche and even a volcano made out of chocolate - serious restraint had to kick in...

We had dinner at Gendarmerie, which has a wall with a huge painting across it - and the food was equally colourful and spectacular!

Guten Appetit!



gourmet grotto

Today my lovely friend Anna and I went to Well Walk Tea Rooms for tea and cake and a jolly good catch-up with each other's news. Inside they have a Santa's Grotto full of gorgeous Christmas decorations and the decor and crockery is almost as delicious as the homemade cakes they serve...

a passage to india

Despite the evident homage to India in Chanel's pre-autumn/winter 2012-13 collection - rich metallic shades, jewel-studded saris, embroidered fabrics - I couldn't help but think that the beautifully-clothed models wouldn't go amiss as angels decorating a Christmas tree (alongside a resplendent feast for optimum festive indulgence, of course).

Decorations from Monsoon, Accessorize, Paperchase, Vinegar Hill and Harrods.