A light leak

Light leaks are special to me and sometimes I think they make a photo even more perfect.

This time something went wrong with the film in my camera (the danger of shooting film I guess) and I had to already roll it up after only shooting half of it (which is annoying). However I am glad that at least a few photos made it and particularly those I took when I was at a little mountain hut with Matilda and friend and her daughter mid November.
It was snowy and just beautiful! This is where I took this photo.

Have a great start into the new year.

Maria

At the Isar

While the temperatures keep on dropping outside I came across this little series of photos I took this Summer when we went to the Isar on a Sunday afternoon exploring ....

Berlin I

A few weeks back I had some work to do in Berlin and was able to extend the trip by a few more extra days. It was the first time for me traveling on my own in 18 months since Matilda was born.
I was super lucky and blessed with the best Autumn weather one could wish for. It was sunny and a bit crisp but not freezing and I loved the signs of the season, the changing colours of the leaves, the light, for still being able to sit outside having a coffee....I rented a bike for the weekend which was the best decision as I was able to move around so quickly.

Here are a few impressions of my days there ....

An Autumn day in Munich

A few weeks back we went to a friends garden. They found the garden growing wildly in the middle of Munich after their owners were too old to take care of it. So these ladies took on the project and are taking care of this piece of land again and I can't wait to see how it will look like next year, they have already put in lots of time and I am sure once its Spring/Summer you will be able to see even more the result of all this hard work.

I have always been very fond of such places, like old gardens and could have taken a lot more photos as there were so many little corners and things to just have your eye stop and look a bit closer.

So here are a few for your eyes. .

Lake Starnberg

We feel very lucky that there are so many nice lakes around Munich which you can reach within an hour or two.

So what felt to be the last warm weekend of Summer we drove out to Lake Starnberg and found a little place where we could hang out, look at the water, through stones (for Matilda) and eat some leftover rice salad from the day before.

I will share the recipe soon on our Mostly Saturday blog!

On a golden Autumn day in Hamburg

Phew, this has been a big blog break. I hope you all had a great start into the new year. We were very lucky and spent the last five weeks in Australia, seeing family and friends and holidaying by visiting several places there. I look forward to showing you some photos over the next weeks even though I haven't taken that many this time.

I have taken the photos above on a wonderful sunny but crips Autumn day in Hamburg. I went on a long walk with Matilda and was able to take a few photos while she was sleeping.

Also, we only have a few more weeks left living in Hamburg. We will move to the South of Germany by the end of February. It seems so hard to find a good apartment in Munich. If you happen to know anything about a good place, please let me know!

Herbst in Hamburg

Autumn in Hamburg was stunning this year!

Lunch Scene

This was a quick lunch on a Saturday with leftovers from the night before and some egg and avocado (that always works well as add ons :)

Last rays of Summer

This photo was taken a few months back when you could realize that Autumn was about to start and Summer had a few days left.
In two weeks will go on a big trip with Matilda and visit her grandparents and lots of dear friends in Australia. Five weeks - we can't wait.

Cafe Johanna

On a beautiful sunny Autumn day in October I went with Matilda to the city to meet a friend for lunch. After we had left I thought we could also walk by Cafe Johanna on our way home for a quick stopover. As I had Matilda in the sling it took a lot longer than it would have with the pram and so we arrived a little late and the cafe was not as busy as it is usually during lunch hours and it was just perfect for Matilda and I to sit down and have a coffee [just me] and just be in that wonderful place.

Sundays

There are not many sleep ins and afternoons lying on the couch reading since little Matilda joined us, instead we try to go for lots of walks and be outside on the weekends. We chat and walk and try to get her to sleep and if we are lucky she is asleep when we pass the nice cafe in our neighbourhood, so we can actually sit down and really enjoy the coffee & a piece of cake. It is the small things these days ...

Bregenzerwald

On our way back from Italy to Germany we stopped for one night in Austria and stayed at this wonderful Hotel called Gasthof Krone within the Bregenzer Wald  area. It is so beautiful there and we wish we would have had a few more days there to explore and really would like to go back. The architecture in this area was so inspiring - a mix of very classic Austrian houses mixed with very modern elements.

Tide Café

The Tide café is a wonderful place in the heart of Ottensen with great food and drinks and a wonderful interior. I spent many hours in Summer with dear friends outside the café, drinking some rhubarb juice and eating some of their delicious cakes or other great snacks.

Northern Sea

Oh this August has been amazing!
Summer in general has been really good to us and we were waiting for it so badly after our arrival from Australia last November. We spent the last weeks with friends, outside, swimming, at the beach, lakes....I am waiting to get five rolls of film developed so I can show you what we have been up to. So long, this photo is from the Northern Sea where we went on a Sunday in the beginning of August.

From the market

Summer is here and we enjoy it to the fullest. Eat berries, spend lots of time outside, go for swims, meet friends.....these two photos are from a Tuesday morning when I went to the markets with my friend Trixi from FrauSieben

Summer I

The last days have been so nice and warm here in Germany. We have waited for the warmer weather for quite some time and now it is finally here and we really want to make the most of it. I love the feeling of the wind and air on my bare arms and legs. Matilda and I are spending most of our days outside, walking or me carrying her, enjoying the tickle of the sun on our face, meeting friends, wandering through the streets of Hamburg. We look forward to this weekend, just because there are no plans and that can be pretty nice sometimes. Above photos are from our trip to Copenhagen a few weeks back.

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Two photos I took in my aunties garden when I was back home in the South of Germany a few weeks back.

Things I enjoy lately:
The new Dawes album, particularly the song 'don't send me away'
Ryan Adams live album at Carnegie Hall - it is just a masterpiece.
I enjoy Susanne's recipes and food photography so much
Love Anna's new work
Mieke's wonderful Italy photos (can't wait for the film shots)

Bauhaus Archive Berlin

Last months we spent a few days in Berlin when Wills parents were here to visit us.
Berlin in Summer is really something else. The city is buzzing and the day doesn't seem to have enough hours to do all the things you want to do (or eat) :) We stayed in Mitte which made it very easy for us as to get around and also to check out all the great places we were surrounded by.

One day we took a bus to the Bauhaus Archive museum which is located close to the Tiergarten.

Leaving Sydney

And then our last week in Sydney arrived.

Even though we have made the decision to move to Germany a few months ago I feel now that we have actually left, we can slowly process the change and realize that it is not just a holiday we are here in Germany for but actually to set up our life again.

I am so grateful for the amazing time I had in my last 4.5 years living in Australia, most of all for the people I met, friends I made and places I have been to. It was a big move back in 2010 but I am so glad I did it and was able to collect all those different experiences and go on many adventures in the last years.

It was a hot Sydney Summer day last Friday, our last day. I got woken up from the noise of the birds outside our friends apartment. Those exotic birds whose songs became so familiar to me over the last years. The Summer light and smells coming through the window and realizing that this will be the last time for a while until I'll feel, hear and see this again. Our bags were all packed up and we had farewelled all our friends over the previous days. So we woke up early and walked through the Botanic Gardens to the Andrew Boy Charlton pool for a final swim. It was a 35C day and it was already quite warm...the Summer sun was standing high and hit the surface of the pool which was glowing in its inviting blue. I put on my goggles and cap and dived into the cool and salty water. Swimming my laps, like the many mornings before work in the last years or late afternoons after work. I put my head under the water, the blue of the tiles seemed so strong due to the midday light and with every move I could see the shades of my hands at the bottom of the tiles of the pool. It was a really nice moment which I wanted to remember as I said goodbye with every lap I swam and seemed to be getting ready to leave after finishing the ritual which I'd gotten so fond of over the years.

We left the pool, our towels around our hips still seeming to be people who are living in that great city but secretly saying goodbye. We went for a last coffee and breakfast to our favorite cafe (Room 10) before we took a taxi and left our street and neighbourhood behind. After an almost 30h trip we arrived in Hamburg, welcomed by dear friends and relieved to finally be here.

The last view days have been all about settling in, catching up with friends, getting used to the different season and trying to find an apartment. It is very exciting to be back and we look forward to everything which is about to come over the next few months. I still have a few photos from Australia which I would love to share with you over the next weeks....

I hope you are all well.
Maria

PS I took the photo earlier this year when we flew back to Sydney from Hobart, Tasmania :)