Brilliant Berlin

Hello twinkly Christmas-tree lights!! Wow it seems I have been gone so long from the world of blogging!  The last couple of weeks have been manic, a whirlwind of social events, meals out, trips to London (we saw the Nutcracker - completely wow!) and the last few days which we spent sightseeing and generally having an amazing time in Berlin! Tied in with all this was my last week at work which was busy busy with me staying late to get all my marking done so I am free to enjoy my Christmas holiday! I still can't quite believe I made it to the end of term, I am so grateful and in need of a lovely long rest now before the madness starts again!

Anyway, back to Berlin, well, what can I say, such an amazing city! I have previously visited Paris and Milan, and enjoyed them immensely, but I have to say, I think Berlin may edge past them in my affections just a bit (I adore Paris, so it feels slight blasphemous to say this!) There was so much to see and do, the city felt so cosmopolitan and buzzing, but not in the same manic and stressful way that London can sometimes feel. Even though it was Christmas, and people had travelled from all over for the Christmas markets, I never felt pushed along, or hemmed in, and we always got a seat on the tube, whatever time of day we were travelling! Our hotel was amazing, we enjoyed our free mini-bar, flat screen TV and amazingly massive bathroom.

We spent 3 full days in Berlin and used our time wisely. Being as acutely organised as I am, I had already planned where we were going, our routes and directions were all printed and ordered according to district. I tried to prioritise the main attractions, fully anticipating that we will one day return and continue to see other sights and attractions. We did a little shopping, however for once I was too enthralled and caught up in everything Berlin had to offer, shopping fell a little by the wayside! We did make a few purchases at the Christmas markets though, some lovely wooden tree decorations, and a wooden nutcracker to stand on my bookshelf at Christmas time. I also took full advantage of the duty free at the airport, and indulged myself in some Benefit products, some perfume and some gorgeous grey suede gloves. At Berlin Schoenefeld airport coming home, I spotted a Pandora shop, and am happy to say that hubby took the opportunity to re-purchase me a bracelet and 3 charms (I sadly lost my first bracelet a few months back). So I am well on my way to re-building my beloved Pandora bracelet again!

Just a few pics from our trip...

At the top of the Fernsehturm, a panoramic view over Berlin

One of the many Christmas markets. I tried to pack and dress for the weather but I was so not prepared for how cold it was going to be (hubby explained that Germany does not benefit from the Gulf stream in the same way we do, I thought he was talking about an airline...) On day one I wore my Forever 21 navy blue skirt with a vest top and cream Zara jumper tucked in. I tried to be 'winter ready' by wearing my warmest Armani Exchange coat, my new suede gloves, my Red or Dead boots and a Marks and Spencer scarf... needless to say I failed and I was bloody freezing!

Ferris wheel that we went in, I love the cute little carriages : )

Outside the Berliner Dom. We went on an audio tour around the Cathedral (by the end of the trip we were rather addicted to audio tours!)

We walked up 276 steps to reach the top of the Berliner Dom, so worth it for the amazing view.

On our first night we went to a lovely Italian restaurant in our neighbourhood. I wore my Urban Outfitters polka dot dress with a brown River Island belt and my warm boots.

Hubby outside the Schloss Charlottenburg. It snowed lightly on this day which was so Christmassy!

Outside the Reichstag buildings. I was blown away by the architecture and design of this building.

The Brandenburger Tor

By day two I had succumbed to the cold weather and purchased a hat in Jack and Jones. I am so not a hat person and resisted for as long as possible, but hubby kept insisting so in the end I caved. Glad I did, it did make me feel a lot warmer. (And will now be relegated to the back of a drawer!) This picture shows the Ritter chocolate factory where we made our own chocolate bars, I kept it simple and picked Smarties to go into mine. : )

Day three, I wore my Zara jeans with tights underneath, thick socks and my warm boots. I had a warm H & M jumper underneath my coat, and a lovely dark green scarf that I purchased in Vero Moda on Friedrich Strasse. This picture was taken inside the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz.

Just a little selection dolls, I took loads of pictures in total! I fully recommend Berlin for a city break, and even though it was soooo cold, it was so Christmassy too, which really put me in the festive spirit (as if I needed any help!) It was a great chance for hubby and I to just relax too, we chatted and laughed, made plans and just chilled in a way that its sometimes hard to when you lead such busy lives. Couple trips are so important for re-connecting, it was the perfect end to a perfect year : ) XOXO

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Happy Thursday cupcakes, hope you are all well, I am finally recovering from my sickness bug thank goodness. I went back to work today which I enjoyed, I do get bored sitting around at home when I'm ill! Today is my lightest day of the week so I taught a triple and then was free for the rest of the day. I say free, I obviously spend the day planning and marking books! Still, a lot slower paced which makes a nice change.


Today when I was writing my usual list of tasks to be completed today and tomorrow, I flicked to the 'Christmas' section of my notebook, checking what I have done so far and what still needs to be completed. As with all areas of my life, Christmas is tightly controlled and organised which I gain a great sense of achievement and sense of peace out of, as I know exactly what needs to be done and when. For example, my earliest preparations for Christmas begin in January, when I stocked up on cards, tags, beautiful tree decorations and wrapping in the sale. This is carefully stored away until Christmas time. I buy a few gifts throughout the year, as I see things that I think people will enjoy, and these are also carefully stored away. I do not do all my Christmas shopping throughout the year though, as being an absolute shopaholic, I adore Christmas shopping, on my local hight street, at Bluewater, or in London, with all the twinkly lights and festive music. I cannot wait for the lights to go up this year, it is something I really look forward to.

Twinkle twinkle little star... Christmas lights on London's Oxford Street

This year, hubby and I have already planned our Christmas shopping trip where we will get the bulk of our presents, for each other and other people. We will go in November, and spend the whole day browsing beautiful department stores such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols, perhaps a little trip to Westfield and an outdoor Christmas market. We will have a Christmassy afternoon tea in Harrods or somewhere similar, and finish off the day ice skating at Somerset House. I did this 2 years ago with my best friends and loved it (despite the fact that I was pretty useless and had to grip my friends arm the entire time!)

One of my favourite things about ice skating at Somerset house... the Tiffany tuck shop!  Cupcakes and jewelley, what more could a girl want?!

Me and Clare at Somerset house. Thinking back, one of the reasons I think I may have struggled to skate was because my hat was so huge I could barely see! It did keep my ears nice and snug though ; )

I have already written my Christmas list and know exactly what I want from hubby. Obviously, hubby has paid for Berlin and the Nutcracker tickets as my joint birthday and Christmas presents so I won't ask for too much more... I do have my heart set on a Thomas Sabo necklace though and some new pieces for my Pandora. Then of course there is the usual perfume, pyjamas, make up and beauty products for my stocking... I know what I am getting for hubby and have written a list and have already starting ticking it off. It would be nice and a bit special to get some presents for each other in Berlin so hopefully we will find some nice stuff. I have also written lists of exactly what I am buying for family members and have started to tick this off too... satisfaction indeed!

I want the long silver chain and a selection of charms (not necessarily the ones above but you get the idea!

Maybe a cute little handbag charm for my Pandora?

What are you guys looking forward to most about Christmas? Have you started to plan yet? I have already bought some magazines with ideas for Christmas recipes, card and all other things festive, sooo excited!! xoxo

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Dreaming of Berlin

Happy Friday everyone, it feels like I have done a full week at work when in fact I have only been back two days and haven't actually taught a lesson yet... still after all the rest I had over summer I guess i'm bound to feel tired!

My last few days have mostly consisted of research for our trip to Berlin. I am still unbelievably excited and now wishing the time away until December! I have started researching places to visit and things to do, logging the details in a folder on my desktop created especially for the trip. I know I definitely want to go to the Reichstag buildings, the Berlin wall, the Bundestag, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburger Tor and the Schloss Charlottenburg. Naturally I will spend a good portion of time on The Kurfürstendamm, one of the main shopping streets in Berlin which, luckily is only 400m from our hotel (wonder how that happened...!)

I took on the job of researching hotels, mainly because I enjoying researching and weighing up all the options before booking. Hubby was happy to take on this job as it is my birthday present after all, however, I have a certain 'vision' of the type of hotel I like to stay in, long gone are the days when we were students and had to find the cheapest 3 star accommodation around! So I volunteered, knowing I could devote more time and energy to the task, and, get us as near the Kurfürstendamm as possible!

Cool Bedroom at Hotel Sir F.K. Savigny Berlin

The hotel I chose is called the Hotel Sir F.K Savigny in the Charlottenburg district (another fact that made me very happy!) The hotel is 4 star and is billed as a cool, boutique style hotel with Nespresso machines in every room, iPod docks and free soft drinks in the mini-bar. According to Trip-advisor, the hotel is ranked number 37 out of 655 in Berlin so should be pretty good! : )

I am really enjoying researching and planning, being organised makes me happy (my OCD ways are a constant source of happiness to me, although perhaps not others around me!) I love the fact we are going just before Christmas too, the Christmas markets should be really good, and it will be a great way to get into  the Christmas spirit!

Swarovski Christmas Tree Berlin 2006

So I am officially in Christmas countdown mode! Which is cool, as my older students always insist on doing a Christmas countdown each week from the first week back in September anyway! Hope you are all excited for the weekend, I am, no 6.30 rise tomorrow! 

: ) xoxo

Ich bin ein Berliner

Hi dolls, how are you all on this fine Wednesday?? I am super happy because hubby took the day off work today and we got loads done, I have finally changed my name on our mortgage and my bank accounts so now I will get letters in my married name! We also stopped off at Frankie and Benny's and had a nice lunch, then had a browse around a new garden centre that has opened up where we live. When we arrived home, I set about organising my new stationery for work tomorrow, making sure everything is in order and packed neatly in my work bag. I bought a new diary and notebook the other day in Paperchase, as well as some new pens and a super cute pencil sharpener! I love buying new stationery for the new term, it makes me feel like a kid again! Paperchase has an amazing selection too, I literally spend hours drooling over all the gorgeous stuff and struggling to make up my mind!

My new Paperchase stationery. I bought a spiral bound notebook which is one of my everday work essentials, a new diary, a multi-coloured pen, a new yellow highlighter, 2 new pink marking pens (I only mark in pink!) and a cute bubble and sweet sharpener!

I also purchased a new lanyard from David and Goliath. Not normally a shop I like or purchase from, I do enjoy their tongue-in-cheek lanyards, and the fact it is green (which matches my school community colour).

In other news today, my hubby and I have booked a trip to Berlin this December! As my birthday is in December, hubby has recently been asking me what I want to do so he can get it booked and organised. At first I thought I wanted to go to Paris, but then I felt I should broaden my horizons, as I have been to Paris twice already. Berlin is a place I have wanted to visit for a while, my two best friends visited this year when I was on honeymoon and there is so much history there, I will be in heaven! (Not to mention the Ritter chocolate factory and the Christmas markets that will be on when we visit!) Hubby has booked the flights, so we just need to do a bit more research on hotels before we can book and we will be all set! I am so excited!! : ) xoxo