Of all the posts floating around the internet A-Z posts are amongst my favourite: they are a lot of fun to write and they allow you to step into the world of another blogger and to get to know her or him a bit better. Although I have always loved this post I have never actually written one myself so I thought that today it was time to change that. So here you go xx
A - A, xx. Pretty Little Liars is my favourite series and when I got to visit the set last year I was over the moon. I got to see the school and the police station - fun fact: in real life they are next to each other - the Brew and the classroom. I even bought a fan shirt at the end of our visit which says ‘Rosewood High’. We also learnt many facts about movie production and visited the set of The Big Bang Theory which was definitely another highlight although I don’t usually watch this sitcom.
B - Big Cities. I love the buzz of the city and I would prefer living in a big city to living in the countryside any time. Small villages make me feel enclosed and I’m feeling way more at ease within the anonymity of a big city - I also love how there is always something left to explore, might that be a gallery or a new restaurant. My favourite big city of all is London, I am in love with the architecture and well, everything else.
C - Christmas. If you know me this won’t surprise you. I love festivities and Christmas is surely on top of my list. I love Christmas songs, Christmas markets & all the food, cosy nights at home with a hot cocoa and fairy lights. In fact I love Christmas so much that each year I keep wishing that we’d just skip summer and head straight to October or November.
D - Destiny. I do believe that things happen for a reason although I also think that we should ‘work’ towards our happiness and contribute as much as we can towards it. But I believe that bad things are often lessons for us and we can either learn from them or let them bring us down. I am interested in philosophical questions and to be honest, it bugs me that there is so much we cannot explain.
E - Exploring. I am really passionate about exploring. Whether that is a new country, a culture or an art gallery. I’d rather say that I got a passion for exploring than for travelling as I find the act of actually getting to a new place pretty stressful and as I’d rather spend 6 months at a place then constantly travel to another one.
F - Friends & Family. This is a very obvious one but it is also the most important one of my A-Z. My friends and my family mean the world to me and I honestly don’t know what I would do without their support. I also got friends all over the world and when we’re chatting it always feels like I have only seen them yesterday. Although that’s wishful-thinking.
G - Guitar. I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar and now that my dad has got me one for Christmas I can finally do it. I can already play Jingle Bells haha. Apart from playing the guitar I can play the piano, I had lessons when I was younger and I’d love to continue one day.
H - Horseback riding. If I had to describe my childhood with two words I’d say horseback riding and friends. I have already talked about this in another post but as a young teenager I took care of a small pony called Candy and went to the stable three times a week. I still love horse riding and my dream would be to explore Iceland on the back of an Icelandic horse.
I - Italian cuisine. I absolutely love Italian food although no, I’m not a big fan of pizza, I am talking about antipasti and pasta. I honestly wouldn’t mind eating pasta everyday for the rest of my life, I just love the taste and there are so many different combinations. A few years ago my mother and me went on holiday in Sicily and this might have been my favourite holidays of all time. J - Jogging. Fitness and healthy eating is important to me (although I can’t do without small cheats) and going for a run is my favourite way of getting in shape. It is also a great way to let go of your worries and to get a bit of fresh air. Here is a secret: I have always been jealous of those people going for a run in Hyde Park or Central Park as in the meantime I was jogging around a senior residence. Yay.
K - Köln. If someone asks me where exactly I am from I always reply ‘near Cologne’ as it is pretty well known and my city surely isn’t. It isn’t super small but there is just an incredible amount of big cities near Cologne and Düsseldorf. I don’t think I’d ever move to Cologne but it’s really pretty, the cathedral is worth visiting (although climbing to the top always kills me) and there even is a chocolate museum.
L - Languages. I am really passionate about foreign languages and I’m fully blaming my middle school English teacher. His courses inspired me to study the English language in depth and to spend half a year abroad in Devon. I am currently in France, trying to learn French - it isn’t as easy as learning English but I’m getting there.
M - Music. Music has always played a big role in my life as everyone in my family plays an instrument and as we’re all passionate about music. As a young child I was part of a choir even though I was pretty bad at singing and still am. I honestly wish I could sing and maybe I’ll take singing lessons one day so that I can at least sing all these Christmas songs properly haha.
N - Nice. Like I just mentioned I am travelling France to get to know the culture and learn the language. I am currently staying in the beautiful city of Nice, where I am working at a hostel. After that my journey will come to an end (that somehow sounds dramatic, ups).
O - Ocean. Nothing calms be down as much as spending time at the seaside. I love relaxing at the beach, listening to the crashing of the waves and letting my thoughts flow. As much as I love big cities, I’d prefer my children to grow up at the seaside, maybe in a middle-sized town (not with less than 200,000 inhabitants though please).
P - Psychology. I have always been interested in the human mind and brain and now I’m planning on turning this interest into a career. I am starting my studies in September and even though I know that uni will be tough I am very excited for this change. I am hoping to make an impact and to help others.
Q - Québec. My travel bucket list seems to be endless but Canada has been my number one for ages. I would love to visit Québec, Montréal, Vancouver, Toronto etc and I am hoping to travel across the country one day. Or maybe study in Canada for half a year, if I ever get the opportunity.
R - Reading. I am a huge bookworm and all I’ll ever need in life is a good book. And maybe a Starbucks Hot Cocoa. I love reading old classics, new novels and everything in between and whenever my family and me go on vacation I spend all day at the beach reading. In fact I really have to stop myself from finishing a book in a day.
S - Self-Expression. I consider expressing myself on a daily basis really important and my favourite form of doing that is through fashion. I do not have a specific style, instead my outfit depends on the mood I’m in and you’ll sometimes find me dressed in jeans and a black top and then on another day, dressed in a fancy skirt, a blouse wearing a hat.
T - Train Rides. Although I am not a fan of buses I really enjoy going by train - not so much in my own country though as trains are always delayed. So much about German efficiency.
U - Urban Outfitters. If I had the money I would buy almost every single homeware item at U.O. I just adore the retro/vintage style and even though my room is kept in a simple design I secretly dream about having a room that looks ‘tumblr’.
V - Volunteering. After finishing school I worked as a volunteer in South Africa for half a year and it was a really inspiring and rewarding experience. South Africa has a very special place in my heart and from my tweets and all the posts about my stay you can probably guess that I miss it a lot. Especially Cape Town of course. I miss the people, the Waterfront, the stunning beaches and having dinner at Vovo Telo.
W - West Coast. Last year I travelled down the coast of California and all the way to Nevada and Arizona. It was my first proper journey alone and although I was scared at first I turned out to be the best three weeks of my life filled with amazing experiences and amazing people. I saw many different cities, went to In’n’Out a bit too often and sat around the bonfire at Ocean Beach in San Diego.
X - Xylophone. My first instrument was a xylophone (or the version for children) and I always loved playing it. After that I got a triangle and during my music lessons at school I always asked to play the triangle or the xylophone as I was a bit too shy to play the piano.
Y - Yosemite Park. That is where my craziest experience happened. After spending a couple of days in San Diego, I went to Vegas and from there I took a plane back to San Francisco, to visit the Yosemite Park. The experience itself was mind-blowing but in the park something crazy happened: during my visit I kept thinking about the guys at the hostel in San Diego, especially about an Australian group that I got to know there, and when we stopped at the next photo point someone suddenly called my name and I found myself standing next to the is particular Australian group. I was honestly lost for words.
Z - Zooming. Apart from blogging I am really interested in photography and I am currently saving up for a new camera and a new lens. I love taking pictures of others, focusing on their facial expressions or taking pictures of their reactions. I really want to know more about the technical side of photography and I’d love to improve the quality of my blog photos.
