After a few days at my sister's house I decided to stroll through Roskilde's City Park on my way to the train station going back to Christianshavn. I couldn't help but ponder on what's ahead as we now have reached the last day of October.
It's slowly getting darker and I need to remember lights for my bike if I stay out longer than 4 pm. It's also getting colder so I have to wear my scarf and gloves and soon also a hat. It's time to slow down and cozy up inside with candles, books and movies - red wine, good food and long talks with friends and family. It's time to hit the museums and old fashioned movie theaters with plush velvet seats.
Have a great weekend, everyone!!
One thing I love about the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is (of course) Holly's simple and sophisticated wardrobe designed by Hubert de Givenchy. Where most people rave about the black floor length dress she wears in the opening scene, I've always had my eye on the red coat with the quarter length sleeves. Holly Golightly wears it on her day out with Paul Varjak.
I had the pleasure of seeing the coat in real life when I travelled to Rome in the fall of 2011 to see the exhibit "Audrey A Roma" curated by her son Luca Dotti.
With that coat in the back of my mind (minus Givenchy, unfortunately) I've been looking for something along that line for ages and now I finally have a red coat of my own. Late summer I noticed it at COS and promised myself I would snap it up when it came on sale. It has three quarter length sleeves, perfect fit and colour.
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| The Blue Mosque |
I just returned from Istanbul where East meets West. I had high hopes for this colourful city rich with history and culture and excited to be spending time with two of my best travel friends from Helsinki, Finland - yes, Laura and Riikka, that's you :-) It took me a little while to get "under the skin" of Istanbul but once I did the city enchanted me and certainly delivered what I'd hoped for.
When we visited the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar the smell of spices combined with burned coal from the street stalls selling roasted chestnuts and corn stopped me in my tracks several times as I immediately was transported back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.* It actually moved me and made me smile because I've come such a long way since then. I highly recommend anyone to follow their dreams even if it means stepping out of their comfort zone. The rewards are tenfold, trust me :-)
Anyway, Istanbul reminded me of this and that's what I love about traveling. You are challenged, reminded, educated and enriched at the same time. I will post pictures in random order to give you an idea of the city's diversity and total charming craziness - and honestly, the nicest people I've met in a long time. Enjoy - and oh...!**
*Part of a longer journey I embarked on three years ago as a way of leaving something old behind in the hope of building something new.
** Just a little word on food. We tried a lot but a few things especially caught my attention:
AYRAN, a cold yogurt beverage mixed with salt. The Turks consider it their national drink - and I'm totally with them on that one :-)
KUMPIR, a huge baked potato cut open, the white interior flesh smothered with condiments like butter, cheese and salt and then mixed with various fillings you choose yourself (olives, corn, meat, smoked aubergine etc.)
LOKUM, maybe better known as Turkish Delight (I have a thing with the rose scented kind) and brought home kilos whereas BAKLAVA is way too sweet for me.
CAY, Turkish tea, (pronounced Chai)
TURKISH COFFEE, although I am a huge coffee drinker it was too strong for me and became too sweet when adding sugar so I preferred their "Cay" without sugar or a regular cup of black coffee. But it's still worth trying. If you're into coffee I highly recommend buying a bag (or three) of whole beans from MEHMET EFENDI, a veery popular coffee shop located right by the Spice Bazaar. Don't be scared off by the looong line of people waiting because the staff is so efficient that the queue moves faster than any I've ever stood in. Wish it was the same way in airports ;-)
A little peak into my life of lately. Fall has arrived on Christianshavn and it's nice and puts me in a nostalgic mood. The weather in Copenhagen has been amazing - jeans, shirt and a light coat has been sufficient wear but you sense it soon won't do anymore. And that's okay!
I tip-toed out early yesterday morning and captured this rose in natural morning light. Fall has definitely arrived but there is something nostalgic and so pretty about the little array of roses my sister still have in her garden. They might look a little tired by now but as the poet John Keats wrote: A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever!
