Regional Fashion Distinctions

I have already learned that girls wear less the further up North you get. For example, in Newcastle they never wear tights in the winter and only tiny dresses.
In Essex, however, it's all about fake! Fake tan, fake eyelashes, fake hair, fake nails and some other fake body parts too. If you wanna see some great examples, just watch "The Only Way is Essex":

Thanks to TOWIE I know now about Vajazzles and fake tan, but this week I have learned about a trend in Liverpool: The Scouse Brow!
The Scouse Brows are tattooed eyebrows. They are not in normal eyebrow shape, though, but huge big fat jet-black caterpillars on top of the girls' eyes. They are favoured by WAGs (footballer's wives) and reality TV stars like Katie Price. There was even a TV show called "Desperate Scousewives". Brilliant! 

When it comes to London, there is a difference between East London where young people look basically like the hipsters in Berlin, West London where you shouldn't forget your ballet flats and Chanel bag, and Central London where you should make sure that you wear ridiculously high heels no matter where you are:

First BBQ of the Year

The first "summery" Saturday afternoon. The sun is shining. The thermometer shows 15°C. The perfect day in London Town for the first BBQ of the year:

We were a little short of men (had some very experienced Aussies amongst us though), because in general I would say the art of barbecuing is a male domain worldwide. The woman prepares the food, but the man is the barbecue mastermind. At least for Germany, Australia and Canada I can confirm that.

A barbecue has always an event-feeling attached to it or have you ever barbecued all by yourself? No, you invite family members and friends and for hours you sit together and eat, drink and talk. In Bavaria preferably in your backyard, in Berlin in a jam-packed park. Often there is also music involved as well as a football/ frisbee/ volleyball.

The same applies for BBQs in the United Kingdom. But with lots of immigrants from barbecue-championing countries such as Australia and with regards to their not greatest reputation when it comes to food, the Brits are a bit insecure in terms of barbecuing. But luckily, you can join the British Barbecue Society http://bbbqs.com/content/ now which has been set up "to provide a place for BBQ enthusiasts in the UK to share their knowledge, learn from their peers and spread the word that BBQ is more than burnt bangers and botulism burgers".

In this spirit, I would like to finish this by quoting Albert Einstein: 
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop barbecuing.

An Afternoon at the Museum

So, what do you do on a rainy, cold Sunday afternoon end of April, when it's supposed to be spring? All your European friends enjoy some sunshine and you don't even wanna go outside? Go to a museum!
I have been to a lot of museums lately: National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, British Museum, V&A, Natural History Museum, Science Museum...
The absolutely fabulous thing about London's museums is that they are free of charge and since there are 240 museums to choose from and they frequently change their exhibitions, it never gets boring.
My Top 3 are the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate Modern and the V&A.

The V&A is described as the world's greatest museum of art and design. I love its Performance and Theatre section. They copied Kylie Minogue's dressroom, you can see one of Mick Jagger's stage outfits, and the best part, you can dress up yourself: 

The Tate Modern is just THE place to be. Wikipedia says "it is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year" which is very impressive. The MoMA in NYC by comparison had "only" 3 million last year. The Tate Modern even hosted the Universal Records Brit Awards 2012 after party.

The National Portrait Gallery is not that hip, but I like that it combines century-old paintings with comtemporary photography. On each floor you find pictures of a different generation of the royal family. I like particularly the Late Shift every Thursday and Friday until 21.00 where you can enjoy a wide range of events including tours, talks, live music, DJs, films, art workshops, lectures, philosophy salons and drop-in drawing sessions while having a cocktail.

One of the museums I still wanna check out is the Cartoon Museum for British cartoons, caricatures, comic strips and animation in Camden. It has a library of over 5,000 books and 4,000 comics relating to the subject. Also, the Design Museum in Southwark that covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. And the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret which is a museum of surgical history and one of the oldest surviving operating theatres. Gross? Interesting? Well, worth a visit...

Happy Record Store Day!

I was celebrating Record Store Day yesterday right off Brick Lane at Rough Trade East. Some of you might know the other stores in Notting Hill and Covent Garden or some of you might know the Rough Trade Label that represents artists like Arcade Fire, The Libertines, The Smiths, and Belle & Sebastian.

If you go to the Record Store Day website http://www.recordstoreday.com, you can read lots of quotes by lots of great artists, such as Jack White, Tom Waits, Norah Jones, and Paul McCartney, regarding Record Store Day. Here are two quotes that express what I was experiencing yesterday:

“My local independent record shop (Honest Jons) is a library, where you can go to listen to music, learn about it, exchange ideas about it and be inspired by it. I think independent record shops will outlive the music industry as we know it because long term their value to people is far greater, because even in our era of file-sharing and blogs, you cant replace the actual look on someone’s face when they are playing something they really rate and think you should listen to it too. It’s special.”
- Damon Albarn (Blur, The Gorillaz, etc.)

“Record stores have a magic about them that’s totally unique. They are a place where you can come across music and culture that you’re not open to in any other way, often by accident. I love that hands-on experience of browsing and buying music, and so I wish the Record Store Day every success “
- James Morrison

I have to admit I don't own a record player and I mostly get introduced to new artists and songs by friends and my favourite radio station: http://www.fritz.de/ that also promotes a lot of unsigned artists. But I very much liked the atmosphere at Rough Trade East. They have a Café and a "snug area" with sofas and desks. So, it's a great place to spend a rainy afternoon and just listen to amazing songs and discover new artists. I think Record Stores are all about discovery, diversity and passion. As Store Director Stephen Godfroy says: "You've got to create an environment where people want to spend time. It's got to be complementary to modern lifestyles, distinctive and competitive on pricing and have confidence in recommending exciting new products and not rely on chart product." If you are interested in exploring, check their website: http://www.roughtrade.com/

But the best thing about Record Store Day was of course that we saw Little Boots and Keane playing live on a small stage a couple of metres away from us. Amazing!!
If you don't live in the UK, you might not have heard of Little Boots yet, but you should definitely check out her website: http://www.littlebootsmusic.co.uk
I really liked her new song "Every Night I say a  Prayer".

Well, and what can I say about Keane? Spectacular! If you have a chance to see them live, do it! That's their website: http://www.keanemusic.com/

I love, love, love "Silenced by the night":

Street Art London

I have lived in Berlin for several years and Berlin has a very vibrant street art scene, too. Especially in the hip neighbourhoods such as Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain you can see a lot of great urban art. I personally enjoyed the chalk slogans on Berlin's streets, such as:

And of course the East Side Gallery which is a 1.3 km long section of the Berlin wall that has been covered by approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world and is the largest open air gallery in the world:

If you are interested in knowing more about Berlin's street art, check out this blog: http://streetart.berlinpiraten.de/

And even though Berlin has a long history of street art, I would argue that especially since Banksy became a worldwide icon London is the hub of street art. In particular Brick Lane and Camden Town are famous for its graffitis:

There are even tours that take you to the best pieces. Have a look at: http://streetartlondon.co.uk/tours/ and book your East London street art tour. Street art in London is incredibly dynamic and changes every day as older pieces get painted over by other artists or get removed by the Council. That means these tours are always fresh and these guys always know where the latest street art is to be found.

If you wanna watch a great movie about street art, watch Banksy's "Exit through the gift shop" - the world's first street art disaster movie. I watched this very ironic documentary at the Berlinale Film Festival and laughed A LOT.

Language Barriers

Sometimes I get a little coaching regarding the English language. The other day my colleague sent me a very useful table and I would like to share it with you to shed light on these confusing expressions:

Can you discover a pattern? Yes, they always say the opposite of what they mean. So next time someone invites you for dinner, don't wait for the invitation! Oh well, I'll do it anyway...

Snow in England

Unfortunately, I missed the only snowy weekend in London this year - so far.
But I've heard that the English got so excited about the white cover that they packed their skis and snowboards and went to the park. Just to remind you, England is pretty much flat. There aren't any mountains, just what I would call little hills.
I went for a walk yesterday and people were still going for a sleigh ride even though there was only a little snow left and you could already see the grass show through. To me it seems quite strange and funny having grown up close to the Alps.

Another phenomenon that strikes me every winter is the following:

I'm not sure if you can actually see it properly (I was too shocked to find my camera right away), but the girl who went for a run in the snow covered park is only wearing hot pants!!
How do English girls manage to wear mini skirts and ballerina shoes when it's absolutely freezing outside? A friend explained to me that she just tries to deny it's winter and she is too lazy to buy boots. That's the explanation? Seriously? What makes me wonder even more is the fact that when you take a closer look at their bare arms, legs and feet you can actually see that the skin is already stained and turning blue.
I would be very happy if any English girl out there could explain that to me...
Many thanks!

The TV series everyone is talking about

It's the first Sunday in 2012 that I don't spend watching the brilliant BBC series Sherlock. We were left last Sunday with one of the greatest series cliffhanger ever. I'm still trying to figure out, how he could jump off this building without being dead? Yes, it has something to do with Molly, the pathologist. But how could Dr. Watson not get it? What do you think?

Some friends and colleagues claimd the falling man was really Moriarty, who moments earlier had himself committed suicide on the rooftop by putting a gun in his mouth. They suggested Holmes had wrapped his nemesis in his overcoat and tipped his body over the ledge. Dr Watson is hit by a cyclist and tumbles dazed to the pavement, as he runs to reach his apparently dying friend. Sherlock had enough time to run from the rooftop to the street and pretend to be fatally injured before being whisked away....
I have also read that some viewers suggested the suicide act Dr Watson had witnessed never took place. In the episode before, The Hounds of Baskerville, a hallucinogenic drug was used to trick the pair into seeing a terrifying wild dog. Could Sherlock have used a similar chemical agent to trick his friend?
The mystery is thickened by the fact that in the book by Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes actually dies in the short story on which the episode was based.

I was very happy last week when co-creator and co-writer Steven Moffat tweeted the following:
"Yes of course there's going to be a third series - it was commissioned at the same time as the second. Gotcha!"
If anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about at all, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Benedict Cumberbatch, the 21st century Sherlock:

I could spend hours talking about Benedict Cumberbatch's blue eyes, the amazing storytelling, witty references, how Holmes uses his iPhone to solve his cases and Dr. Watson writes a blog, but I suggest you just watch it yourself! 

Tea is a Cup of Life

Yesterday, I bought some tea and when I opened the box there was the following written:

"If you are cold, tea will warm you.
If you are too heated, it will cool you.
If you are depressed, it will cheer you.
If you are excited, it will calm you."

Tea is a cure-all in England. Whether you have a broken heart or a broken bone, the first-aid will always be: I'll put the kettle on!

It's also the perfect displacement activity in an awkward or uncomfortable social situation. You know, when the conversation isn't flowing anymore or you are supposed to talk about a sensitive issue, well just put the kettle on first.

Tea even effects magicians like Harry Potter: 
"Harry found the tea seemed to burn away a little of the fear fluttering in his chest"   J.K. Rowling. 

So, next time you are cold or hot or depressed or excited, you know what to do.
I'll have a cup of tea now...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of you! Ich hoffe, Ihr seid alle gut reingerutscht - as we say in German.
NYE in London is quite overwhelming. There are lots of (expensive) parties everywhere. Too many probably. Because most of my friends decided to stay at home or go to house parties, including me. I couldn't be bothered waiting for 12 hours at the riverside to watch the 12 minutes fireworks at midnight. If you couldn't be bothered either and missed it on TV, because you were too busy celebrating with your friends at your house party, here is the whole spectacle again:

Christmas time was very interesting, too. Every time I went to a Christmas Market I could order my German drink (Glühwein) and German food (Dinnele/ Bratwurst) in German and while eating it, listened to German music. It was amazing. At Winder Wonderland in Hyde Park they even had a Bavarian Village where you could get original French fries from Germany, served by original girls from Germany (they just look Asian):

Another thing I found quite odd, were the Christmas paper crowns. What is that all about? Are we all kings and queens at Christmas? When I first saw a couple of drunk middle-aged men wearing these crowns at a Christmas party at my local pub, I laughed at them. One week later I was wearing one as well at my own company's Christmas party. At least my colleague affirmed me that I rock the medieval look.
You probably ask yourself now, how do you get these crownes. Many Christmas meals in the UK are accompanied by Christmas Crackers. These are brightly coloured paper tubes which are twisted at both ends and two people have to pull on each end and when it breaks the already mentioned paper crown, a small gift (I got a sparkly heart-shaped key fob) and a joke written on a piece of paper appear. Supposedly, the Christmas Crackers have already been invented in 1846.
Ham wa wieder was gelernt!