Hello Darlings,
I have been gone for ages- I actually feel so bad:( I ended up taking a long break because I have been blogging for 5+ years and I wanted to just archive a few blogposts; I ended up archiving 300 blogposts and then I had a blogging identity crisis. I have written a blogpost on why I have archived mostly all of the blogposts. But also some of them might be republished again. So, I was already to return but then my blogging hiatus was like slightly extended because of quite a strange situation which you can read about at the end of this post, its a long read :) But yeah I am really happy to be back and looking forward to the future of Happy Hippo.
Anyway I have a long revenge Friday blogpost for you so enjoy x
Berlin Recommendations
So before I took my blogging break I was in Berlin and so I thought I would share my recommendations with you because my sis and I just had so much fun and we did some like really good things.
Things to do:
Humana- Humana is a chain of second hand shops (I think its a charity shop) that my sister and I went to. I got a pin striped blazer and my sister got a denim jacket and a belt which were both really 80s. It is a bit spenny but its still worth popping to, we went to one which was four stories tall.
Stasi Museum- This is so so worth going to. I was on my own at this point of the hols because my sister hadn't arrived yet and I have such vivid memories of the walk there because I got caught in snow and it was my first day and I was so excited for my hols. I had gone to the Stasi Museum previously on a school trip but I think it was a bit lost on me but I found it so engrossing this time- you just wanted to read everything because all the stories were soo interesting. It is a museum in the former Stasi headquarters and its very eerie.
Hackesche Höfe- This is like a nice courtyard of boutiques and there is a really nice sweet shop called Aseli, that does like marshmellow mice, crocodiles and dolphins. Seriously delicious. My parents brought my sister and I back some of these sweets when they went to Berlin a few months before and they were so yummy that we made it a priority to go to this shop when we were in Berlin. There is also like a really nice row of shops and cafes on a street nearby too- I think it was called Rosenthaler Strasse.
Boros Bunker- I so so recommend this. So Boros Bunker is a private art collection owned by a family and the gallery is a former WWII bunker- the family live in a penthouse on top. The gallery sells out very quickly so you have to book a few months in advance. You get a guide who takes you round the gallery and tells you about the art and the history of the bunker- it was a war bunker, then a fruit storage warehouse and then a techno club. The art work is really cool and the lady was saying how the artists get to choose how they curate their work in the building.
TV Tower- My sister and I went here for lunch because my parents said they really enjoyed it. The restaurant spins round so you get like a 360 view of the city. Its really cool. The food is slightly weird but like the staff were very sweet and it was a really chilled out. I had a lovely cocktail I want to recreate. From the building you could see the Radisson Blue Hotel which had a fishtank that exploded killing 1500 fish and we could see like the barricade was up.
Other Galleries- We went to the Konig Gallery which is in a brutalist former church. There were only a few rooms but we enjoyed our visit. I think we were recommended it by the lady doing the tour of Boros Bunker and my sister wanted to go because the church was called Saint Agnes. We also went to the Hermit Newton Foundation- he was like a fashion photographer. We really enjoyed that and it was near some department stores KaDeWe and shopping centre Bikini Berlin. Then we went to a gallery which was in a former hospital which was interesting.
My sister and I ate so well when we were in Berlin, the food is really great and vegans are well catered for. There are some nice Lebanese restaurants in Berlin which is always a shout. There a hotdog stand called Curry 36 (I believe its a chain) and they do a really good Vegan currywurst- so yummy. Also I would recommend a burger chain called Burgermeister- this is unexpected for me as I have never been a burger person (I am veggie) but my sister and I decided to try one of the branches because it was in the guidebook (we were also very cold and hungry). The vegan burger was really good and the vibe was so nice- everyone was really cool. Then if you are in the Friedrichshain area there is a really nice restaurant called 1990 Vegan Living which did Vietnamese small plates and my sister wasn't so sure about going here but I sort of insisted but she really liked it- there was one dish I hardly had any of because she was hogging it. It was really nice. Also this is a bit random but there is a supermarket chain called Rewe and they did the nicest vegan sausage rolls in the bakery section and then we would pick up a smoothie. I loved that supermarket. Also my sister and I really got into chai lattes when we were in Berlin and there were loads of cool independant cafes to try.
Important tip
Also slightly important tip is to carry cash and get some euros before you go, a lot of places don't do card, my sister and I nearly got caught out several times. Also you are going to struggle to find a bank to take out money, there are lots of cashpoints on the streets but they charge a fee and my sister and I were just a bit nervous about using them because we were not sure about the exchange rate. We did manage to find a bank and it was okay.
Craft Sesh
So another thing that kept me away from blogging for a little while was because I had a few essays due which honestly I felt so out of my depth with. I have found it so difficult with all the university strikes, they just really effected my motivation. Anyway I did hand in something and then the day after I went to Hobbycraft as a treat to myself.
So from Hobbycraft I ended up getting a embroidery hoop- I swear I must have loads of these but I can never find one when I need it. I brought some paintbrushes because I actually really enjoy painting and I didn't have any brushes with me in Cardiff. I got some black embroidery thread and aida cloth because I had run out of both.
Then I was sort of interested in getting into making bracelets- I can do the macramé ones with embroidery thread but wanted to try making the type you can adjust. So I worked out I needed some waxed cord and when I was in Hobbycraft I also saw these cute heart beads which will probs tarnish in two mins lol.
So when I got home I watched a few YouTube videos and learnt how to do the knots that adjust. Also yes I am using a sanitary towel tin for the beads- I so hope they bring back the tins at some point, I liked collecting them.
As you can see I had a crack at making some bracelets and I think they turned out really nice. I have more exciting beads back in London- I just need to find them they are in a box somewhere. I am still in the process of unpacking things.
When I was back in London I did manage to find an abandoned project. I think about two years ago I had made a gingham top for my sister and she is always saying how much she wears it and she really loves it and she wanted another top made in the same style. So I picked this really cool flower power vibe fabric which has a slight seersucked texture. Anyway, I completed it and I think it looks really cute. This sewing pattern is always a quick sew, and yeah if my sister sees another fabric she likes I would be happy to make her another one.
Here is a picture of me wearing it. Ignore that I am totally not doing it justice and my parting is non existent. The top looks wonky- it is not!
The Strange Mystery
So this is a bit of a strange mystery. Basically one Saturday I was feeling a bit under the weather, I was meeting my friend that day- that was lovely actually and I did not think much of it. Sunday morning I am awoken by the taste of chemicals (there was no smell). I am getting changed because I was going to go for breakfast at Metchys. As I am putting on my top though (I had worn it for a few hours the day before) it occurs to me that it really stinks of chemicals. I come back after breakfast but the chemical taste hits me again once I am in my house, so I stay out the house and I am just feeling really nauseous all day. I go to my friends that night to sleep because it was so unpleasant. So I am quite unwell that night, stinging eyes, heartburn, lungs aching and a really strong chemical taste in my mouth. It was like Chernobyl or something. My friend was very intrigued by the situation (particularly intrigued by the top) so he suggests we take a late night walk and we can pass by my house and see if he can find what's causing it. But when he gets to mine he just cannot taste it (neither could I that time) and he could not smell the chemicals on my top. So basically three days pass and I was staying at my friend house and each day I would return to my house expecting it to be gone but it wasn't, even if I was there for half an hour to get changed and collect a book, hours later I would taste chemicals in my mouth which would last an hour +, it had like a burning sensation.
My friend was really sweet letting me stay at his and making me breakfast every morning but by Thursday I was outstaying my welcome (he had an essay due that evening) and he was very concerned about the chemical taste but he was very sceptical about what I was saying. I felt really low because I felt like I was going mad tbh, because no one but me could taste it or like had felt the symptoms. But I drag my friend away from his desk to mine to see if he could taste it this time and he was very apprehensive and after being there for like 2 minutes he was ready to leave lol. However I wasn't letting him leave and after 10 mins he did start feeling it too and he was actually shook. So basically for the next two nights I sleep at my friends house and I take the train back to London on Saturday. I haven't been back for nearly two weeks. So its a bit of an unsatisfying ending because I have no idea what was causing it. I have so many questions.
When I went to stay with my sister over a week later, I brought my black top and she could smell it. Anyway sorry for the really long story. I am so confused.
Revenge Shoe and Quote
Anyway, I am off but I will be back soon with a blogpost. I have recently gone on revenge holiday to France, so I will share what I got up to.
Love Happy Hippo x
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