© aNadventures
I own three different types of perfume: The first one is my standard aNa fragrance that I’ve worn since I was seventeen. I’m almost twice as old these days, so that’s been quite a long time. The second one is my weekend smell. I use it from Friday to Sunday. It’s as sweet as the weekend. The third one is a perfume I put on for dates or any other special occasions. It boosts my confidence and makes me feel particularly charming and flirty.
Today I’ve put on the third one. I’ve decided to make this a date with myself. I’ve noticed that taking a day or two to myself is important every once in a while in order to reorganize my inner balance, to focus on my goals in life and to simply concentrate on my wellbeing.
One of the things I enjoy doing during such me time is writing. It helps me to get my thoughts sorted. My fellow bloggers most probably know this feeling.
As I logged into WordPress today, I was reminded of the following anniversary: Read more…
© aNadventures
Just another Berlin night,
The tv tower shining bright.
A walk through the warm summer breeze,
The smell of flowers makes me sneeze.
I set one foot after the next,
Will write a poem or a text, Read more…
© aNadventures
April 30th 2017: I woke up noticing it was the last day of the month. According to the mission I set myself on New Year’s Eve, I would choose to travel somewhere near or far at least once a month. I considered my options for the day: I could still make it over to Poland and spend the day there. Or at least have a coffee right across the border. But I had already arranged to meet a friend for breakfast. So here’s what I did instead:
After enjoying a delicious Turkish breakfast and catching up with my friend who I hadn’t seen in quite a while, I decided to go for a walk in the area of Kreuzberg. I found a tiny flea market near Bergmannstraße and ended up in a conversation with an earring vendor from Turkey. Of course I couldn’t resist purchasing a pair.
As I continued walking, I soon found myself in the Volkspark Hasenheide which I had not yet explored in previous years. I took advantage of the fact that it was one of the first warm and sunny days of the year to walk around, people watch and simply set one foot after the other without knowing where the next step would end up taking me. Read more…
© aNadventures
By the end of March, it was once more time for me to leave the comfort zone. I travelled down to Austria for a training session with a group of customers from the steel industry. Sounds exciting, right? Not being entirely familiar with the topics I was going to teach them, I felt a little nervous. But I managed to make the best out of it and it actually all turned out to be quite fun.
I found myself on a small propeller plane flying through beautiful sunshine and as we approached the Austrian border, I started spotting mountain after mountain and idyllic valleys in between. The airport in Graz is quite small with not more than ten gates. After landing, I headed to the nearby train station where I waited an hour for the next train to arrive. I had just missed the previous one. So I made myself comfortable on one of the chairs, started chatting away with another person and had a look at the vending machine which sells Kägi, which is actually a Swiss chocolate bar. I remember this caught my attention. Then there was also a gipsy family. The youngest daughter kept smiling at me as she was reaching into her bag of crisps.
I changed trains twice and it took me about two hours to reach Kindberg-Aumühl, my final destination. Read more…
My love for pizza is a known fact. Ever since I can remember, pizza has been one of my favourite foods. When I was little, I was particularly fond of pizza salami. Later, I developed a keen interest in all sorts of other types as well. Last year, I came upon one of the best pizzas I’ve tried so far when in Naples, Italy. But let me tell you that Berlin, a foodie paradise in itself, has quite a few great pizza places to offer as well. Here’s a selection:
1. I Due Forni
One of my favourites in town. I lack the words to describe it. Go find out for yourself: Read more…
I recently helped some friends move flats. That’s when we came upon the following notice posted in the entry hall of the new building:
© aNadventures
I guess there have been some parties recently. Or other sources of noise. Oh well, at least I know my friends’ new neighbour has a good sense of humour.
For other interpretations of Surprise have a look here.
© aNadventures
The World’s Leading Travel Trade Show (ITB) takes place in Berlin every year in March. Countries, regions and cities from all over the globe as well as tour operators, booking portals and hotels from up to 180 different countries gather in this huge tourism trade fair.
The first three days of the event are generally reserved to specialist visitors whereas the last two days are open to the general public. That’s how, this year, I decided to take an extended walk around the world in just about seven hours. Read more…
The grey winter months are just perfect for snuggling up with a movie or a series. Why not improve your language skills at the same time? My friends from Turkish class have appreciated the Turkish TV series I recently recommended to them. If you’re into a decent portion of drama, suspense, intrigues and beautiful people, you may be interested in my suggestions as well:
Aşkı memnu (~ Forbidden love)
Photo courtesy of Ay Yapım.
Bihter marries Adnan, a rich man twice her age, and enjoys being part of Istanbul’s high society. But soon things start getting complicated as she has an affair with Behlül who is like a son to her husband and lives under the same roof with them. But it turns out Nihal, Adnan’s teenage daughter (not Behlül’s real sister), is also in love with Behlül. And she again is loved by Beşir, one of the family’s employees who happens to know more about the affair than he probably should.
And this is just the simple plot so imagine how twisted things can still get. Read more…
© aNadventures
This year’s travel mission is going great so far. Two weeks ago, I found myself on a business trip to Madrid. I was lucky to get to spend a full fifty hours in the Spanish capital.
Apart from working hard, of course, I had the opportunity to explore some corners of this beautiful city. I enjoyed trying some delicious food and being among friendly people. I was welcomed by a bright blue sky and felt the sun caress my cheeks. This felt quite wonderful after its absence throughout the grey winter months in Berlin.
Here’s a list of recommendations for a Madrid stop over: Read more…
As I’ve started a new job this year, January has been filled with lots of information and food for thought. New procedures, new products, new tasks and new colleagues all take some time to adjust to. But I know from previous experiences that leaving the comfort zone generally leads to growth. As someone who’s very fond of adventures, I’ve come to consider growth a basic need for me to enjoy life.
Apart from getting used to my new work environment and fighting an evil flu, I’ve spent some time in Ulm recently. That’s where the main branch of the company I work with is located. The main aim of the trip was for me to take part in an introduction week and to receive a formation on the most relevant topics. In the evenings, though, I’ve had a chance to explore this charming middle-sized Southern German town by the Danube river:
What’s there to know about Ulm?
Ulm is located in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, right on the frontier to Bavaria. The cathedral (Ulmer Münster) is one of its main sights. I also spotted some nice places in the old town when wandering around, among them a lopsided house (to be seen in one of the above pictures). Furthermore, Read more…
