High Tea with the girls

A close friend of mine arranged a high tea for our friends so I decided why not take some photos for the blog! Nice and easy especially as this hair post is providing its own set of challenges, Oh to have more time!

  These were all very delicious and I wish I could have bought something but with Disco Inferno being on I have very little time to do anything other than the basics! Luckily I have excellent, understanding friends!

Heres the outfit I wore. Hmmmm, The more I look at this photo the more it looks like a still taken from a Soap Opera. Actually can anyone name any captions that would go with this? 

Back in Business Baby!

Hello blog readers, I have been running away from blogging due to being super super busy and its something I've always wanted to do properly so now with my new camera I am able to officially being posting!

First thing (which all vintage bloggers must post) is an outfit post!

I wore this to work and I've decided I need to make some different coloured pencil skirts, Navy blue, Maroon, Red and maybe Light blue - Time for a trip to Spotlight methinks! 

Cardigan - Second hand cue

Dress - Vintage from Missy's room on Cuba street

Petticoat - Trademe

Belt - Valleygirl

Tights - We love colours

Shoes - Mischief shoes on Lambton quay

Mid Winter Swim

14 Degrees Celsius with 40km/h Winds and I went for a swim at Oriental Bay Beach! As you do.

No, it was actually part of the annual Mid Winter Swim  that the Harbour City masters put on every year and as my mother and her partner are in the masters swim club I've joined them the past three years (Including this one) and frozen my butt off! 

Here I am wearing my What katie Did Togs that I picked up in their London Boutique, I love them because as a woman with little on top the padded bust is excellent! 

Delicious Muesli and a Latte!

We enjoyed a mulled wine afterwards and then got changed and a couple of friends and I went to Beach Babylon and enjoyed Brunch! So all in all it was a very enjoyable start to the day! 

My USA Vintage/Second hand Purchases

Hey! Ho! What do you know? I like vintage! 

"No Way" you say, well duh 

I mean just look at me, I'm a walking op shop (even some of my undergarments are vintage*, ooh gasp!)

I think I enjoyed my trip the most because every item I bought will now be one of a kind but also from places like Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Munich, New York, San Francisco and London. You can't get more exclusive than that! 

Person "Hey thats a cool dress, where did you get it from?"

Me "Oh its vintage AND its from Paris" 

Shame on your face

:)

This Jacket was bought from Decades of Fashion which was only one of two vintage stores I had time to visit in San Francisco, I've pretty much decided I'm going back to San Francisco to shop only in the Haight Ashbury part of town because there will be so many beautiful items to find. Decades of Fashion is well worth a visit even just to look and touch all the amazing things, but shopping is definitely recommended! 

With New York I had made sure to do a little bit of research and found this great place called Auh2Oh Vintage. Its also close to a great Coffee bar called Abraco so its definitely worth a visit if you feel like a good coffee.

The shop was underwhelming when I turned up but after looking around I got a few really good pieces and I would say its definitely worth a look because the prices are so reasonable. The necklace above was $40 USD but in terms of the quality of the piece it was priced reasonably compared to what I would pay for it here in NZ!

I also bought some really simple, cute sweater clips and a Scarf that was so thick and warm it was more like a pashmina. It came in handy on the trip!

Here I am wearing the scarf in Paris

Later on during the day I decided to walk to the Parsons School of Design to check out some more of the city and I stumbled upon an amazing store called Beacons Closet . I had never heard of it and I am so pleased I went in because I spent the next 2 hours just trying clothing on and deciding on what pieces to buy because by that point I was running low on funds. I decided on a pair of Alexandre Herchcovitch for Melissa Purple Brogues which are made from gumboot material!

Overall I was pleased with the vintage/second hand items I bought and I urge you to check the stores out next time you're in those places. I have better photos coming also on the blog because I will be buying a proper DSLR camera in the next few weeks. Get ready for some outfit posts!!

*Disclaimer, my undergarments are all dry cleaned and not stained from previous use, despite what you may think vintage underwear is not dirty and has usually lasted because no-one has worn it or they have worn it but kept it in good condition.

My Mini OE - Munich Part 2

So I ended the last blog with Kai and I having a drink in the afternoon on monday, What happened next was we went and looked around a little more and then decided to head back to Kai's place where we would prepare our dinner to take with us to a beer garden near Kai's house. Kai introduced me to Obatzda which is a Bavarian dip/spread you can have with Pretzels, Its made from Camembert, Butter, Cream Cheese, Capsicum powder (Paprika), salt and pepper and Kai put diced Capsicum into it also.

Check out the lay out!!

I have to confess that Kai was the one who prepared everything and should take all the credit for the amazing spread, I just went on the computor and blogged. 

Yummy apple and radish salad

It was all so appetizing and I am so pleased Kai was able to show me all the things he did as I learnt so much during my stay in Munich.

When we had finished up Kai and I went back to his place where Max met us to take me back to his place, The next morning Max prepared an excellent breakfast and I was loving the pretzels, butter and bread with every meal (or so it seemed)

My failed attempt at poached eggs

It was a really bad day and Max had to study for a assessment due that night so I ended up staying in most of the day watching QI on Youtube and I loved it! That is my kind of holiday, lying in bed all warm when there's thunder, lightning and hail outside and you can relax and laugh along with Stephen Fry, Alan Davies and a raft of other excellent comedians.

Crappy weather, just like home ahhhhhh :)

I did get outside and go shopping where I found an excellent store called Kleidermarkt that was massive so I spent two hours shopping there, I'll have to show some of my dresses on this blog as I bought a gown that would be more suited to a really formal occasion and not Courtney place on a saturday night!

The next day we were able to get out because the weather had improved and Max had handed in his assignment the night before, He suggested we go for a drive to Tegernsee  where the  Herzoglich Bayerisches Brewery  was and have a drink there so we drove for about an hour, enjoying a really nice drive which included me getting a whiff of Bavarian countryside, us witnessing a convertible getting caught out in the rain and ending in a wander around the town and me getting chatted up by yet another old man who doesn't speak English or understand it, this time he was drunk :D (luckily Max could translate and talk to him) Despite not sounding great it actually was and I am glad I got out of the house and saw some more of Germany.

Later on in the day we had planned to meet up with Kai for drinks at a bar called Trader Vics which is downstairs from a very flash hotel so after getting ready we headed over but first Max took me to see Bavaria which is the name of a Statue of a Lady who looks over Oktoberfest every year, you can see her in the background with a Lion and she is the guardian of Bavaria. It was a massive space and you could see where different tents had marked out their space for during the Festival. I can't wait to go to back so I can enjoy the event! (and of course see Max, Kai and Laura!!)

We then met up with Kai and all had some delicious cocktails at Trader Vic's, which I would recommend to anyone who wants to try delicious cocktails in a really cool tiki bar. You can see Kai and I had our Hawaiian Shirts on so we could match the decor!

The next day I slept in and lay in bed pretty much all day watching QI, Luckily Max got me out of bed and we played a game of Squash which I was winning in until I lost my stamina and lost to Max. I'm really keen to play though so If you want to please challenge me to a game, I'd love the opportunity to play again. 

I sadly have no more photos to put in this blog so please bear with me and continue reading even though there will be no visual stimulation, I hope my words create a picture in your mind that is sufficient.

I was leaving in the evening to fly to London, so imagine me packing my bags trying different combinations in my checked and cabin bags equally until I found the right configuration and was satisfied with my efforts. Max and I had planned to meet Kai for lunch so I could see him one last time and we all sat down and enjoyed a meal and a drink in a bavarian pub, Once we said goodbye Max dropped me off at the flat and shortly after went to pick up his friend Ben who would be staying the night on the very comfortable blow up couch I had been using. The sun was shining and we went to the beer garden I went to my first night in Munich to enjoy one last Radler, after which Max, Ben and I went back to Max's flat where I got my luggage and Max took me to the airport.

I can say I really enjoyed my time and I am thankful to Max and Kai for taking the time to show me the best parts of Munich, they each made the experience an excellent and worthwhile one!

My Mini OE - Munich Part 1

Okay people, I'm writing this blog entry from Wellington, New Zealand and I have had such a good response from Friends, Colleagues and Family about their enjoyment of the blog that I think I will continue writing entries even though I have returned home. I don't know what topics I'll write about but I hope to interest as many people as possible and not waste anyone's time with bad writing and bad pictures, I think the key to a good blog is clarity, quality and comedy. Especially if you want to keep people coming back. I know I would like to do well enough at this to make money out of it but even if I don't it'll be good for my brain to work at my writing style and challenge myself with the experience.

Now to what you are here for which is how I went in Munich, Germany.

My flight from Barcelona to Munich went well and I felt excited to see Max and Kai who I meet in New Zealand when they both flatted out the back of our house (Kai with his Girlfriend Laura for 6 months and Max for 5 months after them) Laura was unfortunately on holiday with her Mother in France so I missed seeing her but I was very lucky to be shown around Munich by Kai and Max.

I was picked up at the airport by both Kai and Max and taken to Max's place where I would be sleeping on the blow up bed in Max's living room for my time. Kai also offered his place but he has flatmates so I thought It would probably be better to stay at Max's place. Once I dropped off my things Max and Kai took me to the underground and showed me the map and told me a little about it so I would not be confused, apparently its so confusing that even Germans need help understanding it.

We then went to a beer garden for a drink and dinner, I had my very first Radler with Paulaner Beer and It wasn't very good but I drank it all as I really want to be able to enjoy beer so why not start with Radlers (They are called a shandy in New Zealand, half beer, half lemonade) Max and Kai explained that Paulaner isn't the best brand in Munich and I had Radlers at other places which I enjoyed so much more.

Once we finished up Kai told me about a gig that was on that night with a DJ who played 1950's/1960's Pop and I was really keen to go but wasn't able to because my phone wasn't sending texts or receiving phone calls from Kai and Max's phones and I didn't feel good going out without a phone in a foreign country. Max wasn't going to go to the gig as he had to get up at 4:30 the next morning to go to his Half-sisters confirmation and Kai lived in a different part of Munich so I would be by myself after the gig. We ended up chilling out at Max's place and Kai and Max had another Beer, I learnt that it was a beer recipe that was 500 years old and they have a Beer Purity Law in Germany stating the only ingredients are to be water, barley and hops.

Sunday

Delicious!

The view from Kai's Balcony

The next day I woke up to sunshine and meet Kai for breakfast at his flat then a walk along the Isar. It was such a beautiful sunny day and I had a really lovely time, Kai made Yoghurt with Curd in it and I explained to him the only instance that familiarised me with Curd was the rhyme Little Miss Muffet.

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came a spider
That sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away

I couldn't remember it at the time so there it is for you Kai!

We spent the whole day walking along the Isar enjoying the views, especially the naked Germans sunbathing  right next to the bridges.

We then went out for a drink at the Viktualienmarkt Beer Garden and Kai pointed out some men decked out in their traditional Lederhosen and women in their Drindls. He also explained the decorations on a mans hat indicate his standing in society, whether he is a respected figure so if he was to buy an elaborate decoration for himself as a young man he would lose respect because you can only gain these things with age and experience.

After checking out a few more things like the opera house we went out for dinner at a Italian restaurant and I had yet another Tiramisu, It was really nice by the way ;)

Thats not an egg but a gooseberry

Monday

The next day we planned on meeting up for breakfast and doing some more sight seeing, particuarly seeing the glockenspiel that goes at 11am and 5pm every day. I missed the 11am one but when Kai turned up he told me that there would be another one at 12 so we headed to St Peters Church for a view of the city. I highly recommend doing this but be prepared for a climb up very skinny stairs! Once we got to the top there was a little cloud but the view was great and I really enjoyed seeing the glockenspiel performance. You can check it out here on youtube.

They have cafes on top of the buildings

We then checked out a few more sights in the city and decided to stop at a cafe, Kai had this drink made from rhubarb and I had one also as well as a coffee. It kind of tasted like feijoas but it was really delicious and refreshing, the coffee was really good also!

A painting inside the famous Hofbrauhaus

The mosaic pattern is leftover from Hitlers time, this building was commissioned by him.

This a a man made wave that is a popular place for surfers throughout the year. 

Ahhhhhh, Refreshing!

The Kinder was bought by me in the morning, A nice addition to the coffee!

I'll be posting a blog about the rest of my day and my trip in Munich next week but I thought I'd get this done so people can see some of what I've been up to!

Ciao xx