summer – that lemon life

The Italian Flair

Hola everyone.

How are you all doing today? I hope so far you’ve had a great week and a nice Friday, considering the current situation. This just seems to never end, does it? To be honest, I’ve had quite enough of it now, Covid can really go eff off now. I’ve had to move my flight twice already and will hopefully be able to finally go back to London next Sunday (fingers crossed). I truly can’t wait to be back in my favourite city and to see my friends again, I’ve really been missing them like hell.

As probably just about everyone, I’ve been trying to stay as positive as possible. And one way I’ve been doing this is looking back on some happy moments of 2020 – because there were actually quite a lot of them, surprisingly – and I recently got the chance to go through pictures on my camera. And that’s when I saw that I still had some pictures of my holiday in Venice left on there that I had not seen before. As some of you might have read and seen in my first post about the trip that I published a few months ago, the time my mum and I got to spend in the beautiful city of Venice was one of the most amazing weeks of the whole year and I’m still so incredibly glad that we went. Definitely one of the best ideas ever.

As the pictures are so nice to look at and kinda brought me back to the trailing streets of the fantastic city, I thought it would be nice to share them with all of you, to maybe add some sunshine and Italian flair to our Friday. As always, I hope you enjoy the pictures and would love to hear your thoughts and comments. And, naturally, I wish you all a lovely weekend and thanks for reading. x

Bella Venezia

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog and also a new week. I hope so far your Monday has been nice and that you enjoyed the past weekend. I personally spent most of the weekend exploring London and working on our uni magazine LDN. So far, I’m honestly super proud of what my team and I have achieved with the mag so far and I truly can’t wait to finally hold the first print issue in my hands. Although this is technically not even my own magazine, the past few weeks have felt like I’ve been building up something that is mine. Something I can pour all my heart and creativity into. And although I spend almost every free hour either working on or thinking about the magazine without really getting anything back in return, by which I mean money and such, it has made me happier than I could have ever imagined. It almost feels like I was meant to be the editor of the paper. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

On the other side, it could also be that I’m spending so much time working on the mag to get my mind off of missing my family and my home, especially my cat and my dog. Unfortunately, both haven’t been doing super well, which has left me feeling completely useless and helpless. Thankfully my parents are doing the most amazing job at looking after both my babies and I can’t wait to be with them again in two months. I think it’s just also been very tough for me to live without a pet for the first time in what feels like an eternity. It’s like a piece of myself, of my soul was left behind when I moved away from home. Actually, my flatmate Elena was meant to come with her feline friend Gatto, but getting him to London from Italy has proven more complicated than we thought. So getting our new furry child has been our number one mission ever since. So that might be another reason why I’m busying myself with the magazine and also basically burying myself in plants. It’s as if my brain and soul are looking for anything that is alive besides my flatmates for me to look after and give my love to. To be honest, you could probably do some psychological study on this, because, I’m not gonna lie, this is a bit weird. But hey, it’s what’s keeping me sane and happy these days, so there we go.

Additionally, looking back on my amazing summer – despite Corona and all that crap – has helped me a lot with staying positive. And part of that utterly beautiful summer was the trip to Venice with my mum, which is what I want to share with you guys today. Finally. I know, I’ve been talking about this for so long and never got around to showing you the pictures of our phenomenal trip, but I guess better late than never, right? So here they are, finally. My favorite shots from Venice.

To be honest, my mum and I both came to the conclusion pretty quickly that a trip to Venice could never possibly have been any better than ours. Although it was a risk to go to Italy in the middle of Corona, we knew that it would be worth it all and it truly was. I don’t think Venice will ever be this beautiful again. We all know what Venice looks like in the summer – now imagine that same city but just without the people. Because that’s what it was like. Empty. Not like Zombie Apocalypse empty, but empty for Venice standards. And gosh, the weather was just so amazing. And the food was even better. I remember not really loving the city the first time I went there, but that trip definitely made me fall head over heels in love with it. It is definitely a trip I will never ever forget. And one that rewarded me with memories and pictures filled with some much beauty that they will prolong into eternity. But, just see for yourself.

And yeah, now we’ve already reached the end of today’s post. As always, I hope you enjoyed the pictures and me babbling a bit about my life and my time in Venice. I truly hope you’re doing good in these rather stressful times and that maybe this post helped you get your mind off stuff for a short while. I’d really love to hear all your thoughts and opinions, so please don’t hesitate to leave any comments down below. And until then, I wish you all the best week and, of course, thanks for reading. x

Hello again

Hola everybody.

And welcome back to my blog. I’m officially and finally back from my study/exam break and I seriously can’t even describe how much I’ve missed posting stuff on here and talking to you guys. I mean, I have, like, such a long list of topics for different blogposts, that I don’t even know where to start. And even just writing this right now fills me with so much joy. God, what would I do without this blog? I seriously have no idea.

I’m beyond sorry that it took me so long to get back again, but I just started my summer break, which basically means that I began working this Monday and I just had to get used to that – for example to having to wake up at 7 am every single freaking morning. I still haven’t fully found my perfect rhythm, but I’m hoping to accomplish that within the next few days, so I can actually start writing my bachelor thesis and my last few projects for uni.

But I have to say, I’m really really happy to be back home again. I’m currently sitting in bed and Peaches is lying next to me and seriously guys, whatever I’m feeling right now, I know it’s pure, unconditional love. This cat is the love of my life. No joke. And I can’t wait to spend the upcoming months with her. And the rest of my family and friends too, of course.

I actually just wanted to use this post as some kind of update and welcome. But I know that you’re all curious about what happened during my break, so here’s a little sneak peek. So, first of all, all my exams went down pretty good and if I’m not mistaken, I think I’ve passed every single one of them. Which means that I just have to finish my thesis now and then I’m officially graduating from uni, which is the craziest thing ever. It’s so weird to actually finish something you’ve been working your butt off for years. I mean, all I could think about in secondary school was uni. And now I’m already graduating. That’s so unbelievable. I mean, I’m not finished finished, you guys know about me moving to the UK to continue studying, but I’m leaving Vienna and basically my home country and that’s crazy enough, trust me. And if we’re already talking about moving to the UK – guys, I’ve finally found a place to live in. And holy moly, I actually can’t believe that I seriously managed to find myself such a great place and such an amazing family. I’ll be sharing the house with a couple and gosh, they are so cool. I mean, they’re basically me, just with a few more years of life experience. I couldn’t be happier, really. And the house is located just two minutes from the sea and the beach, which is like pretty much the most amazing aspect of the house. I mean, I’ll be basically spending the upcoming year at the beach, I can already tell you that. God, I’m so excited, this is going to be so so awesome.

And last but not least, as I already mentioned in my latest posts, I need to tell you all about my time at the festival that I got to work at. It was so freaking amazing. Oh my god. I can’t even describe it. It was one of those moments and experiences in life that basically change everything. Like when you first try Nutella. That changes you. And that’s what this week at the festival did to me. I seriously can’t wait to spend the rest of my life in that environment. I just love it so much, with all my heart. But before I’m starting to give away too much, I’ll just stop right here and keep the rest for the extra post in which I’m going to tell you all about my time there, from the beginning to the very end.

So yeah guys, there you go. Those are basically the most important things that happened during the time I’ve been away. Apart from that there are quite some new albums and songs waiting to be discussed about and I did a little photoshoot with what could be the dreamiest dress ever and I have so many new tv shows I want to tell you guys about, so please stay tuned for more. Like I said, I’m officially back again and yeah, I’d say let’s bring this blog back to life, shall we?

Anyways, I hope you guys are doing great and enjoying the summer. And, as always, I hope you enjoyed this little post and I wish you an amazing weekend. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Taking pictures with my iPhone

Hola everyone.

I’m not quite sure whether I’m saying this too early or not, but it really seems like Summer is literally just around the corner. Which means the weather gets warmer, people start crawling out of their dark caves into the light and the nature all around us is finally coming back to life. And that actually has to be my most favorite part of Spring/early Summer season – all these different pops of color in the landscape.

That also means I’ve spent the past few weeks walking around in Vienna and at home, admiring all this beauty of the nature. Which also gave me a good reason to start photographing again. But this time I thought I’d give the whole photography part a new twist and take the pictures with my iPhone camera instead of my professional one. You guys know that I usually use my Sony Alpha 6000 to take my pictures, but I thought I’d give the phone a chance to prove itself. And holy moly, I wasn’t let down.

Just so you guys know, I took all of these pictures with my iPhone 6S. And I don’t even know what to say, because these pictures are bloody amazing. Before this phone, I owned a Samsung Galaxy S5 (I think) and I never really enjoyed taking pictures with it, but the iPhone totally changed my mind. I love these pictures so so much. I mean, of course they aren’t as good as the pictures I take with my Sony, but holy moly, for a phone these look absolutely fantastic. So, props to the makers, really.

I actually wanted to make this post to show you guys that sometimes a phone can really be a good choice and substitute if you want to take nice pictures but don’t have a professional camera. I’m seriously so happy with how these pictures turned out and I hope you enjoy them too. As always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. Oh and I hope you’re doing well and wish you an awesome weekend. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

New Music Friday

Hola everyone.

And we’re back with a new “New Music Friday“. I hope you’re all doing good and had an awesome week. Just a little update from my side: this week has been pretty amazing and god, guys, the sun is finally out and it’s just so nice. Walking around in Vienna at night has been my favorite thing to do lately, it’s so warm. I’m also already looking forward to the weekend and I hope you are too and that this little selection of songs can contribute to your weekend playlist. Please enjoy.

Thought I Told You – The Academic

If you’ve been following some of my latest posts, then you know that this is the band I just saw live last week (here’s the post). And I mean, I loved their music before, but since then I’ve learned to really appreciate the fact that I got to see them live. They’re really awesome.

Standing On Ghosts – Two Door Cinema Club

Well, well, well. Who would’ve known that TDCC was hiding such a bop from me all these years. You guys know my relationship with this band and I just adore their music, especially their older songs, and this is one of those. They just recently released it again to celebrate the anniversary of their very first album. And thank god they did, because this here is freaking amazing.

Moving On – Sarah and the Sundays

This is one of the songs, that Spotify recommended to me and I just adore it. I mean, it perfectly fits this time of the year, when everything starts to bloom and become alive again. The perfect song to listen to while lying in the sun, maybe reading a good book or chatting with a friend.

Fresh Air – FLOWVERS

The same goes for this sun. Such a fantastic spring/sommer song. I don’t know how the algorithms of Spotify work, but hell, whatever they are doing, they are doing it bloody well. They give me exactly what I need.

Sad Boys / All I Wanna Do – TRASH

This here is one of those bands where I love listening to their music but never really go into my fangirl mode. But that doesn’t change the fact that their music is freaking amazing. And again, thanks to Spotify for recommending this and pretty much all their other songs to me, I owe you one.

Ride Or Die – The Knocks ft. Foster The People

Guys, if you want to listen to the spring/summer song of the moment, then you just reached the right place. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty convinced that it’s this one. I’ve seriously heard this song in pretty much every single store I’ve been to the past week. It’s literally everywhere. And the thing is, it’s actually so awesome. I mean, I love Foster The People and their sound is perfect for this song. It just fits.

Cos Love (If You Miss It) – Tom Rosenthal

I’m sorry guys, but it wouldn’t be a music playlist without Tom being a part of it. I just love his music so much. Tom, can you please go on tour, like, right now? Or at least when I’ve moved to the UK? Please. He’s literally my number one on my list of musicians I want to see live. I need to hear this song live. I need to hear all of his songs live. According to him, this song right here is the best song he’s ever written and I mean, I can’t deny that. It’s just so cute and romantic and sad. I love it.

So yeah guys, there you go. Those are the songs I’ve been loving the past days and weeks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Oh and please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts down below. And, as always, I wish you all an amazing weekend and thanks for reading. x

Paris

Hola everyone.

I’m baaaack. Yeeeeeey. And oh my god guys, I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing Paris was. God, I love this city so much.

First of all, the architecture is so freaking beautiful. I mean, the whole city feels like a huge museum. There are so many sightseeing points and even when there’s no palace, historic building or gallery near you, all of the residential buildings are literally breathtaking. The whole city is so romantic, you can really feel it in the atmosphere. And we had the cutest apartment ever. Seriously. It was one of three rooms in a huge building that all belong to one big apartment complex. It felt like we were actually living in Paris, in our own little, cute flat. We had to climb the coolest and narrowest spiral staircase ever to get to our own room. And the most amazing part was the little french balcony we had. I immediately fell in love with it. And I can tell you, having breakfast in the middle of Paris on the cutest balcony ever while looking over the city and watching other people starting their day while the sun is shining in your face is literally the best way to start your own day. I miss the balcony, I really do.

Apart from that I seriously, overly fell in love with the city. It’s beautiful, cute, historic, really damn elegant and it just glows. If I had to describe it in one word, I’d probably say decadent. The whole city is pure decadence. Every day we would walk around long after midnight, strolling around the city and looking at the buildings glistening in the city lights. I can’t decide when Paris is more beautiful – at daytime or at night. It’s such a tough decision. And I think I took like about 800 pictures, most of them are photographs of buildings. Paris really drew me into the whole street photography stuff and I just let myself fall into it. So please excuse the massive amount of pictures (right down below).

But what did we do? Actually, I think we had the perfect mix of everything. We pretty much walked around the whole day, we didn’t even buy a card for the metro. I think mum is still a little bit “mad” at me for dragging her around all day and night. But hey, this way we literally saw everything. We visited museums, of course took a look at the most important sights like the eiffel tower – which I absolutely love -, we went shopping, enjoyed the amazing food, sat in bistros and watched people walk by and live their lives and just spent time in Paris, basically. Oh and we drove to Giverny for one day to visit Monet’s garden and house, you know the famous painter. He’s one of my faves and when I found out that you could actually walk through the garden where he painted his famous works, I just had to put it on our to-do-list.

What I also loved is the amount of art and culture that is packed into the city. Literature, art, music, photography, fashion – all in one single place. It’s crazy. And all the famous people who lived there, like Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald or Picasso. You can really sense the history while walking the streets of Paris and even more so when visiting the most amazing places like the historic bookshop Shakespeare & Company or the Café de Flore. That’s one of the things I enjoyed most on our trip. Every few minutes mum and I basically had to stop and google things we just came across to know more about the city and it’s fascinating history.

Oh, and another really mind-blowing thing happened. Now that I can’t decry it because it already happened, I can finally tell you that me and my mum seriously got our tattoo appointments in Paris. Yes, I know, how freaking crazy is that? I still can’t believe it, no joke. Let me tell you the little story of how we got an appointment that actually would have never been one. A few weeks before our trip I stumbled across the artist Carin Silver who works at a tattoo studio in Paris called Les Maux Bleus. You can probably guess what happened afterwards. I actually had the wish of getting a new tattoo done for quite a while now and when I saw that Carin even specialized in doing exactly what I dreamed of – flower bouquets and thin lines – I completely went crazy. Unfortunately I had to wait quite a while for a reply and after some mails the studio told me that she was completely full the week we would visit Paris. And yes, I was sad. Really sad. So, after a few days we were already in Paris, at 11 pm at night, right in front of the eiffel tower. Did you know that it sparkles at night for 5 minutes? It’s so damn beautiful. Anyways, after sharing that amazing moment, mum and me realized that my phone was blinking, meaning that I had received a text. It was a mail. From Carin. Telling us that she had found literally the perfect appointment for us both. I couldn’t believe my eyes. And I still can’t. I now have the most beautiful flower bouquet on my right arm and I couldn’t be happier with it. But I’ll tell you more about the appointment in one of my next posts.

So yeah guys, that was my trip to Paris together with my mum. Actually I took so many pictures and we had so many adventures, I think I’ll split the whole week in Paris in a few different posts. That’s why I thought I’d limit this post to a summary of the whole week and leave the rest for the pictures. I hope you enjoy them and this post. Oh and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. And until then I wish you all an amazing weekend and, as always, thanks for reading. x