Where Do The Children Play?

Germany has the best playgrounds in the world. Okay, so I haven't exactly researched this fact very well, and being half-German I'm probably more than a little biased but I'll be damned if I didn't have the most fun childishly skipping, swinging and sliding since, well, being a child.

An Asterix and Obelix playground in Bad Vilbel, Frankfurt.

By the Wasserturm in Berlin.

A giant flying fox in Tiergarten, Berlin.

Addicted

Mmm... Clothes by the kilo. My favourite kind of clothes. I found Garage, on Ahornstraße, to be the best for Berliner vintage. The clothes were relatively inexpensive (if you stuck to the by-the-kilo bit) and if you spent enough time in there, you could be sure to find a few bits and bobs to delight and satisfy your craving. Because everyone has clothes cravings, right? Or is it just me? Like, don't tell my therapist or anything but when I don't go charity shopping for more than two or three days I start to go a bit mad. Okay, not a bit mad, kind of totally crazy, agitated, bored. Go on Tuesdays when it's happy hour (for two hours from 11am) when you only pay €10 per kilo.


I contentedly bounced around the city the next day, dressed up in a well loved fraction of my finds.

Shirt and leggings, both paid by the kilo from Garage.
Patent shoes: From Mauerpark Flohmarkt, a bustling market in Prenzlauer Berg.
Sunnies and bag, both from Eastbourne Charity shops. The sunnies only set me back 50p. Good thing too, considering how many times I have dropped them in the past month.

Baby's Coming Back Home.

Actually, baby IS back home. 'Erm... Why are you referring to yourself as baby?', you might ask. Well, Baby Spice's real name is Emma and MY name is Emma and you see the connection? I think the more important question is why am I referring to myself in third person. And, my friend, you've missed your chance to ask that.

Back to the pressing point of this post, I'M BACK IN ENGLAND AFTER MY THREE WEEK TRIP AROUND GERMANY AND SPAIN. Did that deserve capitals? Ryanair and their £2 flights would probably argue no. Me and my Australianism however, say YES YES YES (or rather, oi oi oi). I'm yet to upload my photos onto the big old computer but once I do, I'll be posting away (read: one or maybe possibly two posts).

Right now, I have more important things to do, like work on my pattern for a dress for a wedding we're going to in August. I picked up some super super cheap fabric at a Turkish market in Berlin. It's all light blue and yummy. Thus far all I have a few quick sketches and dreams of scallopping, netting, billowing, a bare shoulder or two and ribbon.


To be honest, the whole concept changes every hour or so. If, come August, all I have is a mess of material to show for myself, don't be surprised if all you find is photos of me floating around in a rubbish bag.

99 Luftballons

Tomorrow, I meet Spain. I'm staying in Santander, right by the beach. We'll only have a short time to get acquainted though, just three or four days, before I fly off to say a big 'Hallo!' to Germany. A week in Frankfurt followed by a week and a bit in Berlin. If any of you lovely folks have any recommendations of things to see or places to go that you'd like to share, or know of any cool (non-techno) nights, leave a comment or send me an email. I do love a good email.

So, there we have it, unless I come across the internet for more than a fleeting minute here and there during our adventures, I won't post until we get back. Tschuss!

Nena

P.S. If I come back with a perm, you know who to blame. More likely however, is that I'll just overdose on '80s clothes. In the words of badmongo0 (a commenter on the 99 Luftballons video on Youtube), "The '80s were the shit." Well said, badmongoo, well said.