Archive for July 2015

The architecture, the festivals, the humor – Deutschland ist sehr wunderbar! Days 8 & 9 – Frankfurt, Germany

The timing for this post could not be any better. Frankfurt finishes my last year 10-days Europe adventure and coincidentally (ta-da!) is the beginning of this year 6-weeks Europe road trip, which starts…tomorrow! Yes, I could not be more happy and excited than I am right now. I am going through my last year pictures and memories of Frankfurt and smiling at the thought that tomorrow I will wake up IN Frankfurt and will do it all over again. I am one lucky girl!

To be totally honest about it, Frankfurt is not “my” kind of city. It is a bit too dark, reserved and conservative for my liking. I prefer warm, cozy and charming little towns lost in the abundance of greenery, hills and valleys. I would not call Frankfurt beautiful either. It is versatile, for sure. Charismatic, without doubt. But not beautiful. Not picture perfect, or flawless. And with this teaspoon of salt I am off to lots and lots of tablespoons of sugar.

I began exploring the city with the Zeil – Frankfurt’s main pedestrian promenade and one of the most famous shopping streets in Germany. I did not go there to shop, rather to get the feel of the city, to people watch and to wander aimlessly and happily. I did all that and more. The Zeil offered entertainment and countless street performers at every square – musicians, dancers, singers, you name it. It was crowded with people, however, did not feel suffocating; on the contrary, I felt comfortable and welcomed.

Windows Stories - Photography Series - Germany, France

A window tells a story... This series gathers pictures of windows and windows details in an attempt to depict different personalities, moods and esthetics of people in Germany and France and their dwellings.

Last summer, traveling in Europe, I got obsessed with the variety, creativity, charm and beauty of windows designs and decorations. Here in the States, in the air conditioned heaven, people rarely keep windows open and I figured that might be the reason they are often neglected, underappreciated and hence look impersonal and alike. In Europe, on the contrary, windows are probably the most intriguing, detailed and ornamented part of buildings designs. They were not necessarily eye candies - there were plenty of weird and creepy ones, seedy and abandoned, but they looked so peculiar and off beat that I could not pass a single one without snapping a shot! Here are just a few of my hundreds of window pictures.

The architecture, the festivals, the humor – Deutschland ist sehr wunderbar! Day 7 – Speyer, Germany

Speyer was an unplanned adventure. We did not have an itinerary to follow; we did not google Speyer’s attractions and points of interest. Well, my sister did visit Speyer before so she had an idea of where to go and what to see, but we ended up exploring the city rather aimlessly anyways.

That day in Speyer reassured me over again of the importance of our ability to find happiness in simple things. We did not do much that day; neither did we see any magnificent architectural or natural wonders, outstanding masterpieces, or incredible performances that leave one short of breath.

Instead, we ate heavenly delicious 2 euro walnut ice-cream, climbed the Speyer Cathedral’s dome and enjoyed the views of the city, had fun at a random children’s playground, watched street artists and listened to street musicians, soaked up the sun. I had my very best meal in Europe – creamy mushroom crepes with green salad and apple cider at Tor Zur Pfalz café. We enjoyed this slow, relaxed day and felt happy. Well, I did for sure. And I hope my sister felt the same :-)

One thing I would like to mention about Speyer – each year on August 29-30 Medieval Fantasy Festival takes place in the Domgarten. It is considered to be the largest festival of the medieval culture in the world and hosts numerous music concerts, a Renaissance fair and jousting. When we learned about the festival, it was too late and we did not have enough time to attend, but we enjoyed watching the most intriguingly dressed crowds on the streets. Consider visiting this Speyer’s festival if you are in the area (30 min from Frankfurt) during those dates!

Happy Monday and thanks for reading! :-)

"Miami Colors" Photography Series

Despite the common belief Miami is not always sunny. It can be rainy and gloomy and even sad-looking at times. But even under the cover of clouds Miami is always full of color. It’s bright and bold both in the happening districts and in the abandoned backwaters. I feel very attached to diversified cut-loose Miami now, 10 years past my 10,755 km passage from staid and reserved Tomsk, Russia.

This small series of photographs is an attempt to capture Miami color palette with random (totally nonconceptual) shots on a not-so-hot-and-sunny day.

Superfood Smoothie # 9 - Sea Buckthorn Papaya Smoothie

Back in Russia sea buckthorn was nothing near exotic or rare as it is here in the States. It was actually one of the most common berry bushes being cultivated in gardens or growing in the wild. The sweet and sour, astringent taste of sea buckthorn is an instant nostalgia trigger, which brings back happy childhood memories. Needless to say that I love these berries!

Sea buckthorns are deciduous shrubs with orange berry-like fruits. The berries are very rich in oil and nutrients and even get called the “miracle berry”. They are used to make edible oil, juice, jams, teas and, of course, can be added to smoothies. Anything prepared with sea buckthorn is guaranteed to be extra delicious - take my word for it!

#9 Sea Buckthorn Papaya Smoothie

Sea Buckthorn

Almond Milk

Papaya

Banana

Oatmeal

Health Benefits:

Contains 10 times more vitamin C than oranges.
It is the 3rd highest source of vitamin E in the plant world.
Rich in essential fatty acids, Omega 3,6,9 and very rare Omega 7.
High concentration of antioxidants, all essential vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
Fights irritation, promotes skin health, heals skin burns.
Heals gastric ulcers (It really does! Me and my father are living proof :)

This data comes from online research and serves solely as a short summary of the food's nutrition facts and estimated benefits.