Birthday week!!! My birthday was in the middle of this week and I am so happy with how my entire week went. On Monday I finished my ski trip in the Alps with a hike around Eibsee at the base of Zugspitze. On Wednesday, my actual birthday, there was actual sun in Berlin. I was able to frolic around my neighborhood with my film camera and explore the different areas with the warm sun and blue skies. Then, over the weekend I was able to squeeze in a birthday dinner, a birthday party and an entire Sunday adventure around Berlin. It was completely perfect and I am so happy that I was able to celebrate turning 27 in Europe in style!
Do you see what EIBSEE
Eibsee is only a short train ride away from Garmisch Partenkirchen, so on our last day of the ski trip we decided to take the Zugspitzbahn a few stops to the lake during a snowstorm. Eibsee is at the base of Germany’s tallest mountain, Zugspitze, and the crystal clear waters offer an amazing backdrop to the towering mountain. On the day we went there was a giant snowstorm and when we first arrived to the lake you couldn’t see in front of your face. We decided to wait out the storm in the Eibsee Pavilion Seerestaurant. We passed the time with vegetable soup, Weißwuascht, coffee and multiple rounds of Glühwein. It was the perfect way to pass the time and eventually the snowstorm passed and we were able to walk around and on the lake covered in freshly fallen snow. It was beautiful!
so Spice or No spice… Ramen in Germany
Before catching the last train home we decided to treat ourselves with some takeaway sushi and ramen for the train. This was such a bad decision on our part. Ramen… from the mountains of Germany… yeah no. There was absolutely zero spice in our ramen and it was honestly hilarious. We took one bite of our ramen and immediately realized we had made a crucial error in our dinner decision. On the bright side, the sushi was good and we had a quick layover in Munich, so we were able to buy more sandwiches and butterbrezel to tide us over until Berlin.
MORE PIZZA, MORE PASTERIES, MORE GYM
More gym time! This week we discovered that the room in the back of the gym has a giant tv and pre-saved workout classes. My schedule is never consistent, so being able to have classes on command is a huge win for my workout routine. This week was packed with extra pizza and pastries, but it was also my birthday week, so that’s okay with me.
DIES IST MEIN TAG!
This week was my birthday week! Dies ist mein tag! I had such an amazing birthday this year. Everything about it was perfect. The weekend before my birthday I got to ski in the Alps for the first time. On my actual birthday I kept the day chill and enjoyed the rare sunny day in Berlin with a long walk around Berlin with my film camera in hand. Then, at night I helped make Mexican food with my roommate and enjoyed a nice glass of white wine. I love exploring new cities and cooking meals from scratch, so it was really the perfect birthday day I could have asked for. On top of that, my roommates also gifted me a book in German, an orchid, a Brammibals vegan donut and a Sodastream bottle with a new Sodastream machine for the apartment. After only a few months living together, they all really nailed the presents. I love books, plants, sparkly water and food!
GEBURTSTAGS-ABENDESSEN GEBURTSTAGSGETRÄNKE, Geburtstagstanz
To continue the celebrations for my birthday, I had a birthday dinner at a Lebanese restaurant called Babel and then had a little party at a local bar called Kaminbar. While the drinks were delicious and the bar vibes were perfect, my favorite thing about my birthday party was being able to look around at all of my new friends in Berlin who came out to celebrate my big day. It makes my heart so happy 🙂
WFH VIBES
I love working from home! It’s so relaxing being able to workout, cook nice meals and hang out with Lola all while working a full work day. I can’t believe there was once a time where I packed my lunch and commuted to work each day.
Heimkino-Premiere
This week we built a home theater in our living room and watched our first film… Madagascar! We watched the entire movie in German without subtitles and surprisingly, I understood a lot of it. Granted, they were talking really fast and there’s no way to check if I understaood exactly what they were saying, but I got most of the jokes… I think. Also, as an appetizer to the movie, we watched the All Too Well short film and I Bet You Think About Me by the one and only, Taylor Swift.
COFFEE, FLEA MARKETS, FURNITURE and PFLANZEN
My Sunday this week was so cute. Dani and I drove to Lichtenburg and picked up my new plants from Facebook Marketplace. Right before we were about to go inside the apartment to pick up the plants, an old man drove off the highway and into the fence parked right next to our car. It was insane and definetly spooked us into getting the f out of Lichtenburg as quickly as possible. After our plant rescue and car fiasco, we drove to Friedrichshain and got brunch at Aprilkind. We were able to bring Lola into the restaurant and so our little Sunday coffee shop was extra cute because we had an adorable up the entre time. After fueling up on carrot bread and soup, we spent the remainder of our time in Friedrichshain exploring the Sunday flea markets in Boxhagener Platz and the Wollen furniture store on RAW-Gelände. The RAW area was once the Royal Prussian Railway Workshop Berlin II (in 1867), but now it a cool collection of bars, cafes, clubs shops and even a climbing hall! We continued on our lovely Sunday explorations with a walk around Berghain and a trip to Marzhan. I loved our Sunday exploring, I got to see so many areas of Berlin and eat delicious chocolate the entire time.
TO JELLYBEAN OR NOT TO JELLYBEAN
After my roommates were so amazing and lovely during my birthday week, naturally, I decided to play a little prank. While we were out shopping I found a bag of gross flavored Jellybeans by Bean Boozled and when I got home I traded the good Jellybeans with the “rotten egg” flavored candy. The perfect bait and switch to round out an amazing week.
