Ever since the sun decided to make an appearance last week and the rain came to wash part of the pollen away, the one-way street that we live on has transformed itself.
The street is lined with various coloured flower petals. And when the wind blows it's like Spring is basically celebrating its presence by sprinkling her very own soft confetti for everyone to tread on. It's rather pretty with the blue back ground and the crispy greenery sprouting in every nook and cranny.
But J and i decided to be a little more productive this weekend. It's so much easier to be lazy during Winter and blame the shitty weather for keeping you indoors. And although Saturday wasn't exactly warm, we did get off our lazy arses and took advantage of those free Starbucks vouchers that the very kind lady gave to us when J helped jump start her car [here].
So J googled the nearest Starbucks, took along our books and were very pleased with ourselves that we actually followed through with our plan instead of turning back and tucking ourselves back into bed. My first Starbucks coffee in Germany. I can't tell whether it's the water here or i've been simply deprived of decent ground coffee but it tasted damn good.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at J's ex's place clearing away some boxes, rubbish and going through a few bags with items that were still in decent condition but were too good to throw away. It felt a bit strange going through his ex's things but then again, she did leave them behind AND we are being nice by helping store some of her stuff.
We even came across some old photos of J and her from back when they were a couple, as well as some shots of her ex before him. Mind you, they were all ripped up in half. The whole experience in itself was strange. I'm not sure what i was feeling at the time. I'm guessing since she ran off to Ireland to start her Life again, what better way to try and cut yourself from ones' Past by trying to remove evidence of it. But we all know the Past can't really ever be erased.
I looked at a few photos of them together but showed no emotion. After all, it was at the start of their relationship and it had nothing to do with me [now]. So i just continued going through another bag.
But for a second there, i felt like one of those scavengers. A bag lady. Like a crow or vulture swooping in and picking at leftovers - of a carcass. It was like a yard sale but not. Then i thought, Hell, if it saves me from buying it, why not?
It was a case of "One Mans Trash is Anothers' Treasure".
Then to add to our adventure-filled weekend, we went to the Kö on Sunday. Apparently that area is one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. There you'll find brand names lining the walkway and the high and mighty mingle over overpriced food and drinks. But we weren't there to shop, after all it was Sunday and Germany tends to cease operation on that day. Sunday is usually their rest day.
We were there to check out DTM. A chance for race car drivers, motorists, enthusiasts and the curious to check out fancy, fast cars. A chance to smell burnt rubber and possibly do some damage to your ear drum. Last year, they had about 200,000 people flocking to the area. But "a record crowd of 210,000 at Düsseldorf’s shopping street Königsallee attended the DTM’s start for the 2009 season. The DTM presentation four weeks prior to the season opener in Hockenheim was the fourth one in a row in Düsseldorf. For the first time in 2009, all eight Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers together introduced themselves to the public" [stolen from here].
They had big screens plotted in various locations for the benefit of short people or those stuck at the back. Some even went into great lengths to climb the buildings to get a better view.
I took a number of photos of the cars racing past but as you would guess by the time i clicked the button the car had already passed and was no where to be seen. But i did manage to capture one.
I took a few videos too. You could hear the roar of the engines just as they change gears and speed off. But the position that i was standing, all you could really see was the crowd on the opposite side trying their best to get a shot and heads whipping itself from left to right each time a car sped past.
But i can say i was there! J and i were part of the record breaking 210,000 people.
And that's not all, they also had guys and girls handing out FREE Haribo gummy bears...
Well they weren't actually "bears" but more like gummy "DTMs". Fancy pants! I haven't eaten so many gummy bears in one sitting/standing i almost felt sick aftwards. So once the cars did their rounds and we bought an expensive 3 Euro slice of pizza, we decided to drop by Starbucks... again.
Starbucks was open. Very smart move since what a perfect way to make extra money but open their doors when 210,000 flock the area. And since we had one more Starbucks voucher left, we ordered 2 coffees and threw a chocolate chip cookie in the mix too.
On the way back to the car we had to pass through the city park. The little river that ran through it had mini bridges so that the ducks could get out of the water and into the next stream. How considerate... and cute.
The sun was still shining bright and people were sprawled across the lawn. So we decided to join them, took our blankets from the car and found a vacant patch. After an hour or so lying in the sun we headed home.
The day before we went to the Asian shop to buy various ingredients and attempted to make our very first curry. J prepared and made his chicken curry and i did my own preparations for the vegetable curry. This is what J put in his plus a few random flavors he added later...
And then this is what i put in mine... minus the fried tofu in the white bowl since i cut them up too small and worried they'd just melt in the sauce. So instead i used the tofu as a side dish and it tasted just as good.
We let it sit in the pot to soak up the flavors and after an hour it was time to eat.
And my gawd, i was SO full after. The whole hallway in our apartment smelt of curry, thank gawd i closed our bedroom doors. But i wonder if our elderly neighbors could smell it too? They must have been curious to find a strange and very foreign stench in the stairwell.
Oh well, it's their loss. But i have to admit, the curries tasted damn good! I still don't eat meat but basing it on the sauce, J's curry was really good too. We're buying naan bread tonight so we can soak up the sauce... and add more fat to our bodies.
The street is lined with various coloured flower petals. And when the wind blows it's like Spring is basically celebrating its presence by sprinkling her very own soft confetti for everyone to tread on. It's rather pretty with the blue back ground and the crispy greenery sprouting in every nook and cranny.
But J and i decided to be a little more productive this weekend. It's so much easier to be lazy during Winter and blame the shitty weather for keeping you indoors. And although Saturday wasn't exactly warm, we did get off our lazy arses and took advantage of those free Starbucks vouchers that the very kind lady gave to us when J helped jump start her car [here].
So J googled the nearest Starbucks, took along our books and were very pleased with ourselves that we actually followed through with our plan instead of turning back and tucking ourselves back into bed. My first Starbucks coffee in Germany. I can't tell whether it's the water here or i've been simply deprived of decent ground coffee but it tasted damn good.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at J's ex's place clearing away some boxes, rubbish and going through a few bags with items that were still in decent condition but were too good to throw away. It felt a bit strange going through his ex's things but then again, she did leave them behind AND we are being nice by helping store some of her stuff.
We even came across some old photos of J and her from back when they were a couple, as well as some shots of her ex before him. Mind you, they were all ripped up in half. The whole experience in itself was strange. I'm not sure what i was feeling at the time. I'm guessing since she ran off to Ireland to start her Life again, what better way to try and cut yourself from ones' Past by trying to remove evidence of it. But we all know the Past can't really ever be erased.
I looked at a few photos of them together but showed no emotion. After all, it was at the start of their relationship and it had nothing to do with me [now]. So i just continued going through another bag.
But for a second there, i felt like one of those scavengers. A bag lady. Like a crow or vulture swooping in and picking at leftovers - of a carcass. It was like a yard sale but not. Then i thought, Hell, if it saves me from buying it, why not?
It was a case of "One Mans Trash is Anothers' Treasure".
Then to add to our adventure-filled weekend, we went to the Kö on Sunday. Apparently that area is one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. There you'll find brand names lining the walkway and the high and mighty mingle over overpriced food and drinks. But we weren't there to shop, after all it was Sunday and Germany tends to cease operation on that day. Sunday is usually their rest day.
We were there to check out DTM. A chance for race car drivers, motorists, enthusiasts and the curious to check out fancy, fast cars. A chance to smell burnt rubber and possibly do some damage to your ear drum. Last year, they had about 200,000 people flocking to the area. But "a record crowd of 210,000 at Düsseldorf’s shopping street Königsallee attended the DTM’s start for the 2009 season. The DTM presentation four weeks prior to the season opener in Hockenheim was the fourth one in a row in Düsseldorf. For the first time in 2009, all eight Mercedes-Benz DTM drivers together introduced themselves to the public" [stolen from here].
They had big screens plotted in various locations for the benefit of short people or those stuck at the back. Some even went into great lengths to climb the buildings to get a better view.
I took a number of photos of the cars racing past but as you would guess by the time i clicked the button the car had already passed and was no where to be seen. But i did manage to capture one.
I took a few videos too. You could hear the roar of the engines just as they change gears and speed off. But the position that i was standing, all you could really see was the crowd on the opposite side trying their best to get a shot and heads whipping itself from left to right each time a car sped past.
But i can say i was there! J and i were part of the record breaking 210,000 people.
And that's not all, they also had guys and girls handing out FREE Haribo gummy bears...
Well they weren't actually "bears" but more like gummy "DTMs". Fancy pants! I haven't eaten so many gummy bears in one sitting/standing i almost felt sick aftwards. So once the cars did their rounds and we bought an expensive 3 Euro slice of pizza, we decided to drop by Starbucks... again.
Starbucks was open. Very smart move since what a perfect way to make extra money but open their doors when 210,000 flock the area. And since we had one more Starbucks voucher left, we ordered 2 coffees and threw a chocolate chip cookie in the mix too.
On the way back to the car we had to pass through the city park. The little river that ran through it had mini bridges so that the ducks could get out of the water and into the next stream. How considerate... and cute.
The sun was still shining bright and people were sprawled across the lawn. So we decided to join them, took our blankets from the car and found a vacant patch. After an hour or so lying in the sun we headed home.
The day before we went to the Asian shop to buy various ingredients and attempted to make our very first curry. J prepared and made his chicken curry and i did my own preparations for the vegetable curry. This is what J put in his plus a few random flavors he added later...
And then this is what i put in mine... minus the fried tofu in the white bowl since i cut them up too small and worried they'd just melt in the sauce. So instead i used the tofu as a side dish and it tasted just as good.
We let it sit in the pot to soak up the flavors and after an hour it was time to eat.
And my gawd, i was SO full after. The whole hallway in our apartment smelt of curry, thank gawd i closed our bedroom doors. But i wonder if our elderly neighbors could smell it too? They must have been curious to find a strange and very foreign stench in the stairwell.
Oh well, it's their loss. But i have to admit, the curries tasted damn good! I still don't eat meat but basing it on the sauce, J's curry was really good too. We're buying naan bread tonight so we can soak up the sauce... and add more fat to our bodies.
2 comments:
wow, looks like spring spells out b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l over there!
and the duck bridge? hahah omg its such a cute gesture of consideration. i'm picturing a duck family walking down the bridge with papa duck leading the pack. hahaha
Yea it's absolutely gorgeous now! Typical German weather is grey and moody - it's gross. I don't remember last Spring to be as beautiful though, if anything i think it drizzled and was nowhere as hot.
Yea the duck bridges were really cute. I'm guessing Germans really care for their wildlife and animals.
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