Memories

I recovered the following video in the morning. And it brings back so many adorable memories from Australia. Watching the very first impressions of the movie, warmed my heart so deeply that it felt to me, as I would stand again (right next to the actor) on the roof of that incredible building. Breathing the air of Sydney's cold autumn night, having a drink with my love and good friends. Watching the streets full of people below us and sharing our inspiring dreams with each other... priceless moments!

The other side

I live now for 5 years in the city and on sunday it was the first time that I went on the other side of the river. I guess you will know the situation, when a loved one of yours is in town and you can - still after years - get  a completely new view for your town. You go to "new" places, walk through "new" streets and enjoy your coffee or beer in "new" bars, all because somebody refreshes your daily life. Its like watching the things with a children's eye again. Its like an holiday-adventure at home...

I put some fruits, cookies and a bottle of water inside my backpack and our bike trip started. We went down the harbour, crossed a couple of bridges, went south to Veddel, further to Wilhelmsburg and turned there to the west again. We've watched the port (which i can watch from my window) so closed.  Hundreds and hundreds of containers and cranes everywhere. Finally we crossed the river again through the Elbe Tunnel and went back home. It was such an adorable trip, with stunning views of the town and the harbour. And although I was afraid to get lost, we've found our way easily. Just the weather couldn't decide between rain and sun. But thats something I know only too well about the city...

Changing of the seasons

 Autumn arrives,...again! Again? 
Well, when I knitted that cosy blackberry scarf above it was the 12th of may this year and our east coast-trip in Australia turned to the end. We arrived in Newcastle and noticed that it became step by step bleak and windy outside. And since we were not well prepared for low temperatures, I started to knit my first combination of a scarf and a head for T.

The fact, that T. loves to go snowboarding in the winter, inspired me to this new slightly beanie-style (which still has to come along with the old-fashioned pompom, for sure!). It makes it a bit more loose-hanging and man-styled I guess. What do you think? Which is your favourite Jaskulsky-Head? 

Some, as I think, autumn inspired tunes for today:  

“He falls asleep on her chest
The best sleep he'd ever met...“

Baking Mood

Today is German Unity Day! So come that I enjoyed a lazy day off at home in the middle of the week. And since I'm back from Australia, I'm really glad to have my own bedroom and our wonderful kitchen back. And today it finally happened - my baking mood recur.... 

I baked a Pear-Coconut-Pie! ...and realized again how difficult it is to make the perfect pie crust. But still -  my first Pie after years turned out really yummy!

The Recipe

for the dough:

150g plain flour

50g (cane) sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 egg

50g shredded coconut

80g butter

1. Mix the dough with all the ingredients above. Try to work quick,  that the dough doesn't become to warm. Wrapped in foil put it for 1 hour in the fridge.

2. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Flour your work space and roll out the dough really thin. Add this to your greased pie pan and create the edge about 3 cm high. Now take a fork and add some wholes in the bottom of the dough. Insert some baking paper with dry lentils on top and bake for about 15 minutes (I used walnuts instead of lentils and it worked quiet fine). Take it out and let it cool off. Take off the baking paper and the lentils.

for the filling:
80ml coconut milk
80ml cream
40g (cane) sugar
1 EL cornflour
2 eggs
500g pear
30g shredded coconut

3. For the filling whisk the coconut milk with cream, sugar, cornflour and eggs.

4. Wash, dry and cut the pear in slices, add them on the pre-baked bottom and the shredded coconut above. In the end spread the filling all-over and bake again for another 30-35 minutes.

Instead of pear you can also use nectarine, apples or any other fruits you want... mmh, enjoy!

Retrospect II "On the Road Again!"

Es war eine Entscheidung in letzter Sekunde und ich sollte es nicht bereuen! Bis heute bin ich stolz, dass ich im letzten Jahr viel an Spontanität gewonnen habe. Denn so stolperte ich in so manch hübschen Moment, traf außergewöhnliche Menschen und landete z.B. auch in diesem  Abenteuer...

Es war eine Filmabend wie jeder andere zuvor, in einem gemühtlichen Hostel in Cairns und ich war im Gespräch mit T. und V. Sie erzählten davon, mit einem Van loszureisen, der Unabhängigkeit, den Ersparnissen und natürlich dem absoluten Spassfaktor! Ich kalkulierte meine Kosten und Zeitpläne nocheinmal neu und entschied, alle bereits gebuchten Touren, mein Busticket und die gebuchten Hostels für die kommende Woche abzusagen und mich Ihnen anzuschliessen. Eine Reise entlang der Ostküste begann... 

first meal. 5 people - one plate

Retrospect Australia I

Friendship!

 I received the most adorable birthday-parcel with the postman today! 

Last wednesday I turned proudly 23 years old and maybe I'm getting a bit long in the tooth. But I forgot to organize my birthday-picnic early enough, so that I spend a really calm but wonderful day together with an italian friend.

Since my best friends don't live in town, we always stay in contact via skype, the phone or the postbox. And here they are with this cute filled parcel of incredible presents for me! They all three wrote lovely letters, shot some awesome black & white pics and surprised me with these beautiful earrings from Eva Thissen. The earrings are made of polymer clay that are carefully crafted by Eva herself (!) and gonna turn every day in a warm summerlove. Mina sewed a little jewely bag and baked some wonderful Rose-Chocolate-Muffins for me. They remind me of the traditional german "Gugelhupf" which we always bake with our family when there's a birthday. Yummi!

But there was so much more in this little parcel: the true precious love of friendship! Knowing you can always count on them, for sure. For good times and bad times. They'll be on your side forever more... 

And we shouldn't stop telling them: thank you for beeing my loved ones!

a stamp, cup-cake-papers & sweets from A.

"Finding Nemo"

 

On my first day in Cairns I found myself at 7 o' clock in the morning on boat 'Tusa' to cruise to the Great Barrier Reef. It is stated that the Great Barrier Reef is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms and can be seen from outer space. And when you think about the Reef, you might built up very colourful pictures of various corals and fish. You might think about Nemo, Dory, sharks and turtles. You imagine a wonderful breathtaking underwater world. But I have to say that Walt Disney gave us once more a very bright idea of reality.

It was a bit frightening to snorkel in that foggy water, while you had to paddle really hard against the strong current. I know i know, the open ocean is wild and wind and waves are common there. I guess i had a wrong idea of snorkeling before... But still, it was very impressive to watch all these exotic fish and to see so many coloured corals in the middle of the ocean. Nevertheless that we couldn't find Nemo and the world down there was not as candy-coloured as we imagined before, was it a rare and exciting day.

N.'s highlight of the day - a reef shark!

Hello again!

It's a long time ago that i've been around here and i'm very sorry for that! 

As my roommate back home already said, one backpacker-rule is: No news is good news! Though for all who were worried, I'm doing well! So many things happened, so many places have i seen and so I try to remember and document these days as many as possible after 6 weeks travelling.

In the last weeks of march it grew gently cold and rainy in Melbourne. Concisely, autumn was coming. And we had to recognise that also Australia is linked to the four seasons... But in the north of Queensland, Cities like Darwin and Cairns experiences a warm tropical climate and we knew it would be still very warm and sunny up there.

I definitely remember how cosy warm it was when I arrived in Cairns in the end of march. So cosy, that big black bugs were crawling between my feets while i had to wait for the shuttlebus at the airport. The warmer the weather, the more insects are around! But maybe it was already a sign how easily I will get in contact with many interesting and heartwarming people during the next two-and-a-half weeks.

Farewell

 Farewell Party time!
Last week started with many farewells. A lot of my room- and workmates left and also my friend N. from Germany flew already to Cairns. Tomorrow it will be the same for me. In the late afternoon, I'll leave Melbourne aswell as I'll leave many nice dudes and chicks (as M. from work would call them :)) behind... But as a traveller you have to get used to say goodbye. You meet so many lovely people on your way, that it would become one of the worst things on your journey.

I feel confident to keep on travelling! I'm excited to visit Queensland and can't wait to travel down the east coast for the next two months (!!!)... Cause it is like a bottle of wine in Sydney teached us:
All ends start with a beginning...

Lovely St.Kilda / Elwood