Monthly Fitness Roundup: October

Hi everybody! Here is a quick summary of my favorite things from the previous month, related to fitness and healthy eating:

Workout of the month: Zumba Fitness Core Video Game. This shouldn’t be called a workout of the month because I have been doing it for 2,5 years now, but it’s my favorite type of exercise and I had to share it with you. I like how it doesn’t even feel like exercise at all. I have so much fun dancing to the music, but I still can see great results as I would with any other type of exercise. I have tried all of the Zumba Fitness video games for Xbox 360, but the Zumba Fitness Core is my favorite because the choreography is specifically designed to target the core muscles, which have always been my trouble spot.

Recipe of the month: Blogilates Banana Pancakes. I love, love, love these pancakes! I am trying to eat healthy and avoid processed foods, so these pancakes are a perfect option for me when I am having a craving for something sweet. They only have 2 ingredients (1 ripe banana and 2 eggs), they are very easy to make and they taste amazing. They are gluten free, dairy free, low calorie and high in protein.

All you have to do is mash the banana and mix it with the two eggs. I like to fry them in a pan coated with coconut oil because it gives the pancakes a light coconut flavor. I serve them usually with fresh fruit and agave syrup, but you can choose whatever toppings you like.

Inspiration of the month: Ella Woodward. She is a healthy-eating blogger and book author, who after being diagnosed with a rare medical condition, completely changed her diet by starting to eat a whole foods plant-based diet and giving up all meat, dairy, sugar, gluten and processed foods. These changes helped her combat the symptoms of her illness, have more energy and transform her life.

Although I strongly believe in healing through conventional medicine, I do think that what you choose to put inside your body has a huge influence on your health and well-being. That is why I try to avoid eating processed foods as much as possible.

I really liked reading Ella Woodward’s book Deliciosly Ella. I am not vegan (as you might have noticed from my banana pancake recipe) and I am not even vegetarian, but I have already tried some of her recipes and they were easy to make, filling and quite tasty.

Workout song of the month: Robert Randolph & the Family Band - Ain't Nothing Wrong With That. This is one of the songs that are featured on the Zumba Fitness Core video game and every time this song comes up in the workout, no matter how tired or out of breath I am, I get a new burst of energy and I give my all dancing to the song.

Brunch at restaurant September

I think I found a new favorite place to go for brunch! Two weeks ago we went with friends to the September restaurant and it was amazing.

I reserved a table for us online. I like when restaurants offer that option, because I don’t like having to wait to call at a certain time in order to reserve a table.

When we came at the restaurant, we were assigned a table, but because we were there with our friends who have two kids and were there with their stroller, we asked the waiters if they can find a more isolated table for us, so that we don’t bother the other guests and the children can move and play more freely. The waiters were really nice and friendly and happily found us another table. 

The food was delicious, the service was great and if you have a big sweet tooth like me then this is a perfect restaurant for you. They had waffle maker, so you can make your own waffles (I had mine with Nutella and sour cherries), very tasty tiramisu AND fresh fruit that you can dip in a chocolate fountain!

Of course I had to have a little bit of everything, so in the end I had a headache from all that sugar, but it was totally worth it! I am sure that I will be going again to the September restaurant very soon.

Collaboration with hamburg.de

Hi everybody! I am very happy to announce that I was asked to collaborate with hamburg.de as part of their “So bloggt Hamburg” initiative. My first post was published this week. It’s about the open air gallery called FrauenFreiluftGalerie. You can check out my post here.

Bavarian brunch in Hofbräu an der Alster

Today we went with a couple of friends to the Hofbräu an der Alster. Because I won’t be able to go to any of the Oktoberfest parties that are organized in Hamburg this year, I wanted to at least experience a little bit of the Oktoberfest atmosphere during brunch. 

If you like Bavarian food, Bavarian music and cold Hofbräu beer, than the “Hofbräu an der Alster” is the right place for brunch for you. With their huge buffet, filled with Bavarian delicacies, live music and friendly waiters dressed in Dirndl (traditional folk dress) and Lederhosen (traditional knee-length leather trousers) they will not leave you disappointed.

I don’t drink beer and I don’t need so much food, but I like going to this restaurant because of the atmosphere. I like that people are relaxed, happy and enjoying themselves. A lot of them are singing and dancing and having a good time.

And of course I cannot go to “Hofbräu an der Alster” and not have their tasty pretzels with Weißwurst and sweet mustard.

If you are in Hamburg the next couple of weeks and are not able to go to the Oktoberfest in Munich here are some dates and locations for you in Hamburg:

19.09.2015 – Hofbräu an der Alster
18.09.-03.10.2015 – Wandsbeker Marktplatz
Several dates in Oktober – Fischauktionshalle
03.09. – 26.09.2015 – Karstadt Mönckebergstraße

Planten un blomen - Japanese tea ceremony

Planten un blomen is my favorite park in Hamburg. It is a large L-shaped urban park in the inner-city of Hamburg, stretching from St. Pauli to the television tower. I like that it has so much to offer, beautiful gardens (the old botanical garden, Japanese garden, rose garden…), stunning lakes and water cascades and entertainment for children and adults.

I feel like I can visit the park every day and still be able to discover something new each day.

 

One of my favorite parts of Planten un Blomen is the Japanese garden with its lovely tranquil landscape and the tea pavilion.

At the tea pavilion are organized different events each Sunday, the most popular being the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

During the tea ceremony you are shown the traditional form of preparing, serving and drinking of Matcha tea (green tea prepared from Matcha powder). It is really interesting to learn about all of the intricate details of this traditional ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony each visitor can try the prepared tea with a piece of cake.

The tea ceremony takes place every other Sunday from 3pm till around 4pm, but because there are always lots of people who want to see it, I would suggest you come at least half an hour earlier to make sure that you have a place to sit inside.

Romantic nights at Tierpark Hagenbeck

Last Saturday my husband and I went to the “Romantic nights” at the Tierpark Hagenbeck in Hamburg. Every year the zoo organizes two events, the “Jungle nights” in May/June and the “Romantic nights” in August.

Tierpark Hagenbeck is a beautiful place to visit. You not only get to see different animals but you also get to enjoy a beautiful park with wonderful landscape with several small lakes. The zoo is definitely worth visiting on its own, but it is even more spectacular during the two events. 

Both events take place on 3 consecutive Saturdays and begin around 6pm and last till 10:30pm. During that time there are several stages set up on different locations in the park, where the visitors can enjoy in a wonderful surrounding live music, parts of musicals, poetry slams, literature readings and much more. All of that is offered for the same price for a ticket, which you would buy any other day.

During the “Romantic nights” you can also go on a gondola ride (free of charge) on one of the lakes, which I found really cool. 

Each event ends at 10pm with wonderful Fireworks.

We had a lot of fun on Saturday. My favorite moments were the gondola ride and the “Musical stage” at the Japanese bridge. If you would like to go to the “Romantic nights” you still have a chance. Next Saturday will be the last date for this year. If you do go, I wish you lots of fun!

Monthly Fitness Roundup: July

So, this is a new type of posts that I will be writing every first Sunday of the month on my blog. Healthy eating and fitness have always been a big part of my life and I wanted to share my fitness journey with you guys.  

 

Here is some brief information about me. My mom is a pediatrician and she always prepared healthy meals with lots of vegetables and fruit for my sister and me when we were young and that habit of eating healthy has stuck with me throughout the years. I started swimming in a club when I was 4 years old and trained and competed in swimming till I was 11. I then started playing tennis and trained and competed in tennis tournaments nationally till I was 18. Afterwards I started studying and after graduating at my university I came to Germany and started working, so I didn’t have so much time for sports like I had before, but I still tried to be active in one way or other.

I envisioned these posts as a quick summary of my favorite things from the previous month, related to fitness and healthy eating, as a way of keeping myself accountable and motivated to continue to stay fit and healthy, as well as hopefully motivating some of you guys to do the same.

Workout of the month: Tone It Up Bikini Body Routine. I like this workout because each exercise engages multiple muscles in your body, so in a short amount of time you get to work out your entire body, which is a big plus in my book. All you need is a mat and some handheld waits. The Tone It Up Girls are really inspiring, they look awesome and they explain the exercises in such an easy and fun way, that they are very easy to follow. I also find it very useful that you can print out the exercises, so you can do them when you are not at home.

Recipe of the month: Blueberry Smoothie. My husband and I love making smoothies for dinner. They taste soo good and at the same time are quite filling and packed with nutrients, fiber and protein. For one blueberry smoothie you will need:

1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup kale
2/3 cup kefir or yogurt
1 tbsp. ground flaxseeds

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy!

Inspiration of the month: Shape Magazine (American Version). I stumbled upon this magazine 13 years ago when I was on vacation in Turkey with friends and we met an American couple that had this magazine with them. I was so fascinated by the articles in the magazine, that I subscribed to it right away when we got back home and I have been reading the magazine ever since. With its interesting and informative articles about nutrition, sport and fitness, inspirational interviews with real women that try to stay fit and healthy and its delicious recipes, Shape Magazine was very motivational for me back then, when I was younger and not yet comfortable in my own body and it has helped me throughout the years to stay motivated to work out and take care of myself even when it is hard to find time for it. Nowadays I don’t really have that much time to read a whole issue of the magazine every month, but I still like to visit their website and get my monthly fix.

Workout song of the month: Woodkid - Run Boy Run. A perfect song for … running! Obvious, right? But still, I find that the song has really good tempo and it’s perfect for the middle of my run, to give me that extra jolt of energy to push myself harder and run faster.

StadtRAD – City bikes in Hamburg

One of my favorite things to do when the weather gets warmer is to ride a bike. There is nothing better than the feel of fresh breeze on my skin as I ride and enjoy the beauties of Hamburg. I have my own bike, but most of the time I use the bikes from StadtRAD Hamburg.

 

 

I like that they have stations all over Hamburg, so I can find a bike every time I need one, ride to my destination, leave the bike at the nearest station and not have to worry about it afterwards. If I take my own bike I have to worry about finding a place to lock it, worry if it gets stolen and then I have to plan to take it home afterwards, even if it’s raining or I have plans to go out with friends or something like that. With the city bikes it’s much simpler. I just ride the bike to my destination, return it and that’s it. 

 

 

Another perk about using the StadtRAD bikes is that the first half hour is free of charge. Most of the time half an hour is more than enough for me to reach my destination. And if I do use the bike for a longer time I am relaxed because I know that it can’t cost me more than 12€ for the whole day.

 

If you are registered at StadtRAD you can rent up to 2 bikes at the same time. I find it very useful when my parents come to visit me. I then rent two bikes for them and I take my own bike or my husband rents bikes for both of us and that way we can all go on bike tours together around and in Hamburg.

 

I really like their mobile app too. Before if you wanted to see at which station there are still available bikes, you had to either go on their web site or directly check on the terminal at one of the stations. Now you can use the app to easily find a nearby station. 

 

American brunch at Sausalitos and a giveaway

I have been to Sausalitos many times in the past, but always to their after work parties on Thursdays. They make very tasty cocktails, the atmosphere is really nice, there are always lots of people and they play great music for dancing. When I saw on their web site that they started to offer American brunch on Sundays, I knew I had to try it out.

 

We went there for brunch two weeks ago and we were definitely not disappointed. There was a big buffet filled with lots and lots of options. There were the typical American breakfast staples like American pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, scrambled eggs and sausages, but also lots of fresh fruit, cheese, ham, donuts, and other tasty stuff.

 

 

 

There were also lunch options like fajitas and chicken wings and if you still have some space left, you can make your own waffles.

 

In the price of 14,50€ you also get one glass of juice, one hot drink and one glass of champagne, which I think is great, because there aren’t a lot of restaurants in Hamburg that include drinks in the brunch anymore. 

 

We sat inside the restaurant, because the weather wasn’t so nice, but Sausalitos would also be a great option for brunch outside on a sunny day, because they have a nice terrace in front of the beautiful Chile house.

 

 

To celebrate 6 months since starting my blog I am organizing a small giveaway for you guys. The prize are two coupons that were given to me for brunch at Sausalitos. To win the coupons, all you have to do is:

1. follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram,
2. share my blog with a friend and
3. your friend, after subscribing to the blog (on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram), should write a comment: “Invited by <your name>”

I will announce the winner (and their friend) on Friday, 17.07.2015. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winners of the vouchers have been chosen! Congratulations Gesine and Corrina!

 

4 Days in Paris

To celebrate our one year anniversary, my husband and I went to Paris for 4 days. Those were 4 wonderful days. Paris was magical and I think the sunny and warm weather made it even more beautiful.

During this trip we had several new experiences:

We used airbnb for the first time. – Because most of the hotels in the center of Paris were too expensive for us, we decided to stay in an apartment, which we found through airbnb. To be honest, I was hesitant at first and had doubts about the whole process, but our trip changed my mind. The booking process was easy, the woman that rent us the apartment was very friendly and the apartment had everything that was promised in the description. We also had a balcony with a nice view of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

We tried out food that we would normally not eat. – Usually when I travel I don’t like spending a lot of money for food. I could enjoy a four course meal at a nice restaurant, but I would rather spend the money on an excursion, on a show or for sightseeing. This time though, my husband and I decided to try some of the specialties that are offered in Paris as a part of the experience and we were very happy that we did. We ate snails with garlic sauce for the first time and they were surprisingly very tasty.

We tried steak tartare (raw steak), which I didn’t like that much, but I was still happy that I tried it. We had macarons from Ladurée (they have a very beautiful store and restaurant on Champs-Élysées), we bought beautifully decorated éclairs from L'éclair de génie and in the evenings we sat outside in the cafes, drank kir and wine, had a cheese plate or warm goat cheese salad and watched the people go by. We really enjoyed all of those moments and we will definitely be more open to try local food specialties in our next travels.

We used the city bikes and boat transport instead of using the metro all the time. – Bikes are a great way to see more of the city than the tourist locations. And the city bikes in Paris are very easy to use. All you have to do is register online or at one of the terminals for one day or for a week and then you can rent one of the bikes at the stations that are all over Paris. 

Just keep in mind that every time you register they reserve 150€ on your credit card as insurance. After a couple of times registering for a bike, we couldn’t use our credit card anymore, because all of the money was reserved. In our case, it took a couple of days till the money was freed to be used again and by that time our trip was already over. So if you are planning to use the bikes for several days, you should think about registering for a whole week. 

Also plan ahead where you want to drive your bikes. Around most of the tourist locations in Paris there are pedestrian zones or there are roads, which are also open for bikes, but are filled with so many people, making it very difficult to ride a bike.

One of the things that I really enjoyed in Paris was our boat trip on the river Seine. We decided to buy tickets for the Batobus cruises. That way we only paid 16€ per person and we could use any of the Batobus boats during the whole day and we could hop on and off at any of the 9 locations where the Batobus boats stop. That way we could see Paris from the river Seine during the day and as well as at night, all lit up.

But if you only want to go one time on a boat cruise, then you should take the Bateux Parisiens Tour. It costs 14-15€ but on their boats there are a lot of seats outside which the Batobus boats don’t have.

During the 4 days we saw and experienced so much that I can write about it for days. But I would like to hear from you. What are your tips and favorite experiences in Paris?

Dinning in the dark

Last Sunday my husband and I tried something totally new to us: eating in complete darkness. We went to the unsicht-Bar restaurant in the Schanzenviertel. 

When we went inside we didn’t know what to expect. We were there with a Groupon Coupon for a surprise 4 course menu. We were greeted by a very friendly lady, which explained to us how the whole concept works. At the restaurant they not only offer the surprise menu which they change up twice a year, but also fish, lamb, poultry, cheese and vegetarian 4 course menus. The menus are predefined and are kept as a surprise for the guests. But don’t worry, they ask you at the beginning if there are foods that you are allergic to or you don’t like to eat and then they adapt the meals accordingly.

After we left the coats in the wardrobe and chose what we want to drink, we were escorted into the dark room. Before the dark room there is a small corridor with two doors, one leading outside and one leading to the dark room. You can only go inside the dark room after the door towards outside is closed. That way it is insured that inside the dark room there is complete darkness at all time. Even the guests are asked to turn off their mobiles and stow away their watches or any other source of light.

In the corridor we were greeted by our waiter for the evening. He is near-blind. He has only 7% vision. He was really nice and friendly during the whole evening. And it was fascinating to experience how he moved effortlessly through the dark room between the tables and how he knew exactly where to put the plates and glasses.

We went inside the darkroom in a line, one behind another, with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front, with our waiter at the front of the line leading the way. While we were moving in a line between the tables in complete darkness I felt insecure and unable to orient myself in the room, but as soon as I was seated at our table and the waiter explained to us where our cutlery was positioned, I was able to relax. It made me realize, how much I rely on my sight in my everyday life and gave me a small glimpse into what it means to only be able to rely on your other 4 senses to perform simplest everyday activities, like walking. 

My husband and I were seated on a long table for 8 people with couples seating on our left and right side. Usually in a restaurant I would like us to sit on a separate table, but here I think it is even better that you have other people around you because you can talk with each other and guess together what you are eating. It is also very interesting to observe how different people experience eating in the dark completely different.

The food was good, but I won’t tell you guys exactly what we had, in case some of you want to go to the unsicht-Bar restaurant. I can tell you that it was easier for me to eat in the dark then I thought it would be. I was scared with the soup, that I will spill it all over me and burn myself, but somehow from the first sip I knew exactly how high I need to bring the spoon and where I need to position my head. The only thing I found difficult to do, is to eat with fork and knife. Unlike my husband, who was quite disciplined and managed to eat only with fork and knife, I must admit, I was impatient and used my fingers as well.

It was interesting to feel how my other 4 senses were heightened due to the fact that I was not able to use my eyes. The taste of the food was more intense, the smells from the food were stronger, I noticed the structure of the food more and I heard the other guests in the restaurant louder than I would in another restaurant.

The whole experience was a lot of fun. I liked the fact that we didn’t know what we were eating. It was fun to guess what each meal consisted of. There were some things, which I wasn’t able to guess and which I found out only after we went outside of the dark room and the lady that greeted us at the beginning showed us the whole menu.

Brunch at Roxie

One of the places where I often go for brunch is the Roxie restaurant in Rotherbaum. I especially like going there when the weather is sunny and warm, because they have a nice terrace in the back of the restaurant where we can sit with friends and enjoy the weather.

 

Last week when we went there it was unfortunately windy and cold, so we were not able to sit outside, but we still had a nice table inside, near the windows, from where we could enjoy the sun.

 

Brunch costs 9,90€ without drinks and 5€ for children till the age of 8. The buffet is quite big, filled with delicious warm and cold dishes and they refill it regularly.

 

Like in every restaurant I am always looking forward to the dessert the most. My favorite are the waffles that every person can make for themselves.

 

The restaurant is very centrally located. Usually when the weather is warm we like to go for a walk after brunch in the “Planten un Blomen” Park that is only 10 minutes away.