My Travel Diary: Germany 2019

This year, James and I were lucky enough to be able to spend 16 days in Germany visiting my family and shopping and exploring different parts of the country. If you want to see a vlog about it, part 1 is live on my YouTube already. You can see that via this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7OrD31LfJE&t=15s.

To listen to the playlist I was listening to while I was away, click here:


Day 1: We arrived in Hamburg on our first day, and went to see the lovely church 'Der Michel' before heading into the city centre to do some shopping. I have seen a lot of the famous sights of Hamburg before, and James and I both did a tour last time we visited so it wasn't so crucial to us to do something 'cultural' while we were there this time. We also only had half a day there as our flight only landed at lunch time.

Day 2: We weren't in a rush to do anything as we had 16 days of holiday, so on the second day we spent some time getting settled in and unpacking before heading into the local town (Bad Bevensen) for coffee and cake in this cute little riverside cafe.

Day 3: My Oma had a doctor's appointment in Luneburg, so we went with her and went into the town after. I love Luneburg, it's one of my favourite places in Germany. We walked around the old part of the town and had lunch in a restaurant which had been built in a converted cinema. Then we went to Uelzen where my aunt works as she had a meeting and we went to get an ice cream.

Day 4: My aunt showed us this amazing cafe that had been built in an old water mill. It was a short walk through the woods to get there, which was really pleasant in the hot weather we had while we were there! We also went to my great-aunt's for a barbecue in the evening which was delicious (poor James had to cook it, but did an excellent job).

Day 5: Sundays in Germany are always a very relaxed affair, shops and restaurants aren't usually open like they are in the UK. We spent this Sunday at a pottery market in Bevensen, and then we went river walking which is supposed to be excellent for your circulation.

Day 6: Berlin!!! We got an early train into the city and after dropping our stuff off in my aunt's flat, we headed to the zoo. I love the zoo, and as the summer holidays in Germany were already over it wasn't too busy. When we were done there, we met my uncle for a drink and a walk through the Tiergarten park. He knows so much about Berlin so it was really fascinating hearing what he had to say about everything around us. After he went home, we did a little shopping and then went to dinner at a Chinese where my uncle apparently once met Barbara Streisand.

Day 7: In the morning, we took the train out to Potsdam to visit the palace. We walked through the gardens which were beautiful, but when we reached the palace itself we discovered it was closed so we had lunch and then headed back to Berlin. We met up with my uncle again, who showed us Clarchen's Ballhaus and the Hackesche Hofe (both of which I highly recommend visiting). When he had to go back to work, James and I visited the museum island and the 'Neues Museum' before going back to the flat for tea.

Day 8: We went shopping on the Kurfurstendamm before catching our train back to my Oma's other house.

Day 9: We went to Arendsee, which is a sweet little historic town in what used to be East Germany. It has a ruined monastery which we loved exploring before going for a walk along the lakeside. When we were younger, my brothers and I often swam in the lake there but James and I decided we'd rather go another time and swim in an actual pool (much less cold).

Day 10: James and I went to play mini golf. We were both completely useless but it was so much fun!  We of course had an ice cream after (the ice cream in Germany is just phenomenal) and went for a walk in the park.

Day 11: We went to an event that my Oma's friend had got tickets for. It was at a riding stable, and it was a picnic followed by horse shows followed by a classical concert. The weather was lush and the horses were beautiful. Classical music isn't my favourite, but the musicians were extremely talented and the atmosphere was good so I can't complain.

Day 12: We had a family brunch and then spent the day reading, painting and playing scrabble.

Day 13: James and I returned to Luneburg to do some shopping and visit some of the sights in town that we didn't have time for last week. The highlight was having coffee and cake in a cafe that overlooked the town square with a gorgeous view.

Day 14: We went for lunch at Mr T's burger shop in Uelzen (I had a chilli cheese burger which was excellent), and then did some shopping. I also had a bright blue ice cream which tasted disappointingly of vanilla.

Day 15: We spent the day helping my aunt with some gardening jobs she had to do. After all that hard work, we decided to go for an evening swim at the local spa pool which is lovely and warm due to the thermal spring that earned Bevensen its title of a 'Bad' (Spa).

Day 16: We spent a lot of our last day at my Oma's, cooking lasagne and watching films but we also went to Deerberg which is a unique independent store which is in the middle of one of the tiny villages near my Oma's house. I got some snazzy purple jeans, and James enjoyed his free drink and free wifi from there.

We had a great time, and it was nice for me to be able to see all of my family who I normally don't get to see very often or for very long. Looking forward to my next trip already!

Books I Read on Holiday: Reviewed

Normal People by Sally Rooney.

I did not anticipate how sad this book would be. It is super thought provoking and deals with mental illness and certain social issues on a very personal level. I am not quite sure whether I really ENJOYED this book, but I definitely liked the way Sally makes you empathise with the characters, even if you don't necessarily sympathise with them. 8/10.

The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary.

This is a lovely, funny, romantic, feel good book. Serious themes such as racial profiling, abusive relationships and terminal illness make this book more interesting as it makes you think as well as being a nice story and it makes the book a little less 'mushy' too. My only issue is that I'm not sure how realistic the concept is. 9/10.

Every Colour of You by Amelia Mandeville.

This book ruined me for a good few days. I don't want to give the story away, so I won't say too much about it. However I will say that it reminded me of 'All the Bright Places' by Jennifer Niven. Do not read unless you're prepared to cry. 8/10.

Are We Nearly There Yet by Lucy Vine.

I heard about this book in Cosmopolitan, where it was described at the comedy of the summer. I however found it far more cringe than funny, and it was too long winded on the moral message section (there was a whole chapter on what the main character had 'learned about herself'). That being said I did manage to read the whole thing, so it wasn't unbearable. 5/10.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott.

Oh god, this was heart breaking. It tells the story of two terminally ill teenagers falling in love despite the probable consequences. This is love in its purest form: unstoppable. Read this and feel the immediate urge to donate to cystic fibrosis charities. I look forward to watching the movie soon too. 8/10.

Kindle Paperwhite Review

Those of you who are frequent visitors to this blog (hi to you all!) will know that I really enjoy reading. I have had a kindle for about 10 years now, starting with one with buttons and moving on to a paperwhite. I adored my paperwhite, so when I saw Amazon had a sale on I decided to upgrade to the newest model. I bought the 8GB wifi only and I got it for £80, but this version is usually £120 (for how long I had it, and how much I save on books this is well worth it). I have to say it is an improvement, it is faster, it's waterproof and the battery life is significantly better. The charger also fits better so it's easier to charge. I love reading on it, the screen lightning adjusts automatically so it's always comfortable to look at, and it has the capacity to store a huge number of books on device and a limitless amount on the cloud. My last one lasted for so long without any problems other than a reduced speed when buying books or typing (e.g. to enter a password), so I have high hopes that this one will too. The waterproof element remains untested, but I often read in the bath so I think it's a great idea. Definitely 10/10.

Ikea Vlog

My Month in 5 Photos: June 2019

Those of you who have been around since my depsoc days may remember that 'my month in 5 photos' was a regular section I used to do. As I spent a large part of June working I wanted to look back and have some fun memories too, so I decided to restart this segment on my new blog.

So I began the month with a trip to Hay-On-Wye with my mum for the Hay Festival. We had tickets to see Sindhu Vee (I can highly recommend going to see her, she was hysterical), and we also had a wander around the festival bookshop. As well as really enjoying the festival, it was lovely getting to spend some time with my mother.

My friends and I went on an awesome night out on the local town. There was much pink gin and many giggles involved.

My boyfriend and I spent the weekend in Swansea and Rhossili Bay. It was so nice to get away and I just love the beach. We ate loads of ice cream, stayed in a great hotel and enjoyed paddling in the surprisingly warm sea. The only way it could have been better is if it lasted at least a week longer!

Of course, since I am living at home for the summer, I spent plenty of time with my dog while I can.

I also popped into the church my primary school used to use for carol services and leavers assemblies. Great Witley Church is absolutely beautiful, and the tearooms next door are wonderful. Highly recommend a visit if you're ever in Worcestershire. To see more photos of this, check out my new travel blog on instagram or Tumblr @klaraonhertravels.

Getting lost, veggie lasagna and a mini ASOS haul | Weekly Vlog 1

Easy Ways to Help the Planet

This post isn't going to just give you the usual tips such as 'turn out your lights' and 'use a reusable coffee cup', because much as they're great ideas, we all know about those things already. This post is about small changes you may not have thought about making. We all want to save the planet, but not all of us have the willpower to go vegan or the money to buy an electric car, so here are some simple ways you can make a big difference.

• Switch out cow's milk for vegan alternatives. Even if you only do this for some things and not others, it can make a difference. For example, I still use my regular semi-skimmed on my cereal, but I use oat or almond milk in my coffee and my porridge. Just give it a try, you may surprise yourself and actually prefer it!
• Try a couple of meat free days a week. I love a good cheeseburger as much as the next girl, but I'd rather not die from a polluted planet. Even if it's just one day a week, it makes a surprising difference to the environment.
• Swap your single use sanitary products for washable period pants. If everyone did this, we'd use so much less plastic and it saves so much money in the long run. To read about the ones I use, click here.
• When it comes to clothes, save up and buy a piece that will last instead of just choosing the first cheap version you can find. Fast fashion can result in so much waste, so just think about how much use you will get out of something before you buy it. Obviously, I realise this is not an option for everyone or everything, but quality over quantity can actually help your wallet over time.
• Buy a fold away shopping bag. Bags for life are great, and for a weekly shop they're the perfect size, but when you're in town and just see something you want or need it can be super handy to have a small carrier bag tucked away in your purse.

Overall, what I'm trying to say is we don't have to save the planet in one day. Baby steps can make the whole thing seem so much less overwhelming! Just give it a try.