flying floordrobe: 2016

I know. I have been a bad girl. A very bad girl. I totally neglected my duty to take care of this precious little blog for completely silly reasons. I told myself I had no time to write. I‘m too busy. I don't know what to write about. But, to be honest, the main reason why I have not written anything the last couple of months was probably the feeling of senselessness that was creeping up. Nobody reads it anyway. People like to watch 6-seconds-videos and read a handful of words on memes. They do not bother to read a whole article. I did not see why I should spend hours on writing a post when my only three readers were my parents and my roommate. And all this Social Media stuff to gain more readers exhausts the hell out of me. It is a science, did you know?

It took me months to figure out that I actually do not care how many people exactly read what I write. It is the writing process itself, the telling of a story. I guess, that is pretty much it...I love telling stories and that is what I will continue to do. Follow your dreams, yaaay!

To get to my point and yes, I know I have said this before: I am back. And no, this was not an invitation to stop reading.

This summer I have spent ten wonderful weeks traveling around North America. It felt so good to be back in the country that feels like home to me, see my former host family again and visit my favorite places from my year abroad in the States. One of these places is New York City.

It was my fourth time visiting this unique city and it still kept taking my breath away. There is this song "New York's Got A Piece Of My Chest" and, boy, it could not be more accurate. I definitely left part of my heart somewhere in between Brooklyn and Washington Square Park.

My trip this summer confirmed this yet again, but it also made sure that I was reminded of the fact that I hate hate hate Times Square. And people. Gosh, these humongous crowds of people pushing and shoving their way through Times Square and Broadway to be the first to see whatever there is to see. I took my boyfriend there, because I mistakenly was under the impression that it was something he just had to see. I considered it part of the whole New York experience. My dear friends, let me give you one piece of advice: It is not. In fact, nothing is.

I am so tired of lines like "X is an absolute must-see" and "If you haven't seen Y, then you haven't seen this city at all". Lines I am, too, guilty of using and believing in. If there is one thing I have learned and finally understood on this trip, it is, that traveling is not about seeing, but experiencing. Let us be honest here: Most sights kind of suck anyway and hurrying from one sight to the next is just downright stressful. I mean, do you actually miss anything if you have not seen the Statue of Liberty up close? I dare say, no.

Really, there is only one thing that you have to do: Wander around the streets and try all the food you find along the way - you know, soak up local culture and all. That is what we ended up doing and here‘s my selection of the best spots we encountered:

Big Daddy‘s Diner

Address: 239 Park Ave South, btw 19th & 20th St, New York, NY 10003
Lord of the Fries: $5
Best thing on the menu: Bow Wow Wow (Waffle Sandwich with Fries, Hash-Browns, Eggs, Cheese
and Bacon, but I got mine with Avocado instead)

Find them on Facebook (here)

If you seek the perfect American Diner experience, then Big Daddy‘s is the right place for you. Cosy interior design, great music, friendly staff and delicious food - what more could you possibly ask for? They also give their food funny names, which is a definite plus.

My best friend T and I discovered it in December 2013 during a snowstorm on our way back to our Couchsurfing host and fell in love right away. Since then, I came back every single time I was in the City to introduce it to my travel buddies and Big Daddy‘s has never disappointed.

T-Bone & the best breakfast on earth

Pokéworks

Address: 63 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018
Hawaiian Classic: $10,50
Best thing on the menu: Poké Burrito

Find them on Facebook (here)

Traditionally, Poke is a Hawaiian speciality - a raw fish salad served as an appetizer. Luckily for sushi lovers like me, you can now get this treat outside of Hawaii, as well. Please do no get me wrong, I would love to go to Hawaii, but I am miles away from being able to afford the flight. Sooo...Pokéworks in New York it is!

You can enjoy the raw fish in a salad, bowl or burrito. My personal favorite is the burrito as it is basically a giant maki roll. Just let that sink in for a minute.

Choose one of their signature works or build your own poké and mix and match to your satisfaction.

this is what happiness looks like

Baker‘s Pizza

Address: 201 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
Pesto knots: 4 for $2,50
Best thing on the menu: all the Pizza!!

Find them on Facebook (here)

Baker‘s Pizza is this tiny little pizza shop with a great atmosphere and checks all over the place. I know I use the expression "heaven on earth" far too often, but I am telling you, that is the only one that comes anywhere near to how their Pizza tastes. And wait until you have tried their Pesto knots! They sell their Pizza in a typical New York manner, by-the-slice, but definitely stand out from the crowd. You want to know how good it tastes? So good I went back three times during my eight days in NYC.

xx Lena

Photos taken in: New York City, USA

The kids are cheering. Sparkles in their eyes are competing with the shooting star shower that’s happening above us. They are jumping up and down in excitement next to the “grown-up kids”, who are just as excited, as they are watching the campfire burn higher and higher. I look around at all those faces I know so well, at the people who have been my summer family for a very long time. The ones I might not have a lot in common with, but I definitely share a deep love for a very special place and uncountable amazing memories with…

“This year, we need to vacation at a farm, before I am too old for that kind of stuff” My ten year old self knew exactly what she wanted to do that summer of 2004. My golf-obsessed dad, on the other hand, had a very good understanding of how his ideal summer holiday would look like. You might have guessed it, it was not a farm. But because I was a spoiled kid – and because my dad is the best at researching things he wants – we found a compromise. Austria’s first farm offering a driving range to golf obsessed parents like my dad. While I wasn’t sure about my dad’s choice in the beginning – I needed attention, after all – I changed my mind as soon as I stepped out of the car and into the magical world they call Zechnerhof. Screaming kids were chasing a donkey, sheep and goats through the backyard, their parents were watching as it was the most normal thing in the world and I loved it instantly. Of course I did. Which 10-year old wouldn’t? It took me all of 2 minutes to find friends and for the rest of the week we were chasing animals, jumping into haystacks, taking care of baby rabbits, riding horses and most importantly: playing cops and robbers together. My parents only saw me whenever I was hungry that week – ok, I am hungry a lot, but I think you get the point. The rest of the time I was off going on adventures with my new friends. At the end of the week I cried rivers because leaving that happy place broke my heart a bit.

Back then, I didn’t know you could fall in love with a place, but that summer I did. Little did I know how many places would follow that first love straight into my heart. I’ve seen my fair share of the world, lived in truly amazing places, but none of them stuck with me quite as much as Zechnerhof did.

Of course we went back the summer after. And every summer ever since. With all the other friends my parents and I had made. Year after year, our group got bigger. Some people stopped coming for a while, but eventually, they all found their way back. As our group changed, not only we got older but also the farm changed. We watched it grow and evolve just the same way it watched us “mature” – if we really did is still questionable, though. Obviously, we don’t chase animals through the backyard anymore. We do, however, jump into haystacks, still. We also still spend rainy days playing board and card games for hours. We go hiking and mushroom picking and fishing and biking and partying and everything in between and it is simply the best.

It’s hard to describe that perfect simplicity and bliss I feel every summer. It’s like even though we don’t really see each other throughout the year, we’re all a big family that week. We’re all taking care of each other, go hiking in weird combinations of people, leaving strangers wondering how we’re all related. We take care of the others’ kids, support each other and at the end of the week, we all have drinks around the campfire, sing songs and get a bit sentimental. It’s so simple, yet so special. It’s one of those rare places were the guests don’t feel like they’re kings, but more like family members. Don’t get me wrong, the Glanzer’s are doing everything to make their guests happy. But it’s little things like sitting in the kitchen to clean the mushrooms we’ve just picked while G, the Glanzer’s son and chef at the farm, is preparing our dinner and cracking jokes. Or when C, boss and entertainer, sits down at the campfire with us. These things might be tiny but they do make you feel special.

For years now, two English families go on the long journey from London to Zechnerhof, because they can't stay away either. When they left to go to Venice and Sicily last week, I asked O, 12 years old, if he was excited for the trip. “I’d rather stay here”, was his answer. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

Some of the people around me won’t come back next year. I think of all the people I’ve met here over the years and the memories we’ve made. I know I will see them again in the future. Because everybody comes back, eventually. There will be loads of opportunities to annoy the other guests with how loud we are, to leave our stuff all around the place, to show the others that a little part of us belongs to this place and a little part of it belongs to us.

What is left to say to my 10-year old self is this: I might be too old to go on a farm holiday. But I will never be too old to go on a Zechnerhof one.

Pension Zechnerhof
Marbachstraße 67
8861 St. Georgen

Tel: +43 3537 258
Fax: +43 3537 258-4
e-Mail: info@zechnerhof.at
Web: www.zechnerhof.at

YINGDEAW homemade - bake from heart

Address: Siam Square One (4th floor ), Bangkok 10330
Ice cream: 75 THB (roughly €1,90)
Best thing on the menu: homemade waffles - my personal
fave: Strawberry Honey Lover)

Find them on Facebook (here)

To all the coconut lovers out there: Thailand is the place for you. Coconut pancake, coconut ice cream, coconut drink, coconut waffle, coconut cake - all coconut everything. As luck would have it, my friend A is madly obsessed with anything that contains the tiniest bit of coconut and proclaimed Thailand her personal heaven. And exactly that passionate and unconditional love for coconuts lead us right to my personal heaven: YINGDEAW homemade.

Back in February, A and I attended a basic course at a traditional Thai cooking school, where we learned to make five different dishes and yes, you guessed it, two of them had coconut in them. You can imagine how happy A was - not even our cooking instructor could have overlooked the fact that she loves this particular drupe. On account of this, he gave us several tips on where to find his personal favorite coconut dishes in Bangkok. To make sure we actually get to the places he was talking about, he was kind enough to provide a note - only problem was: everything was written in hieroglyphs, uh, Thai.

So, after a pathetic attempt of decoding, we had precisely two things on our to-find and eat list:

1) coconut pancakes at a local market just around the corner

2) coconut cake at a cafe in a shopping mall

Long story short: the coconut pancakes are yet to be found and the coconut cake turned out to be rather disappointing. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was quite tasty, but it reminded me of the Austrian quark cake too much. Now you must think, we wasted a whole lot of time for nothing, but no! Right next to the notorious chain cafe that serves the oh-so-famous coconut cake, I spotted a cute little cafe that wanted to be checked out. And, oh, was it worth checking out!!

pure deliciousness

Not only do YINGDEAW homemade serve waffles satisfying every single taste bud in your entire body and a variety of homemade ice creams and cakes, but they also score with their friendly staff and their cosy atmosphere. Can someone please take me back?

So this story confirms once again this one old saying that - I'm pretty sure - goes something like this: "The best things in life you stumble upon while you are on a coconut hunt with your crazy coconut-loving friend."

xx Lena

Photos taken in: Bangkok, Thailand

The thing you need to know before coming to Estonia is this: they are not the most outgoing bunch, these Estonians. A tiny little detail that I just couldn’t wrap my head around when I first got here and one that I tend to ignore like a pro nowadays. After all, overwhelming them with all my joy and love was how I got most of my Estonian friends. The fact that it took quite some time to convince them that I am not a crazy person, on the other hand, is also something I like to ignore like a pro.

So you can imagine how weirded out Krõõt Kukkur, the funniest Estonian illustrator and designer I have met so far, was, when I found her booth at a design market and got a little too excited about her products. After our Papetri Paperworks post I’m sure all of you know that Lena and I take our designer hunts seriously. And that we can get a bit overjoyed when we find something we really like. Well, Krõõt didn’t know that. All she knew was that a random girl asked her out for coffee to talk some more about her designs after coming back to her booth a billion times and touching her amazing backpacks twice as much. Amazingly enough, she agreed to meet up with me anyways, once again proving that my approach of just overwhelming them with emotions can work sometimes.

Picture: coucou.ee

Speaking of overwhelming situations, I’ve spent the last two hours trying to figure out how to fit everything there is to say about the girl with the thick black stripe tattooed around her arm into one blogpost. Because to be honest, I wish I could just put our whole hilarious conversation up on here. During our one hour long chat a couple of things happened: 1) the sun was shining – worth mentioning because this doesn’t happen that often in Estonia. 2) I couldn’t stop laughing about her funny comments on her own life. 3) Turns out that Krõõt has the most random things to tell about herself. Exactly my kind of person.

She carries a board game with her wherever she goes. Quit art school due to a lack of interest in perfectly parallel lines. Doesn’t consider herself a crazy cat lady but is scared of her own cats’ – who sometimes think they are dogs – anger. Loves making people uncomfortable with her postcard collection of road kills. Has the most amazing bike. Doesn’t only design backpacks and illustrates whatever she can – from beerbottles to CD-covers – but is also working on a career in the tattoo industry. (I’ve got a feeling I need to support that…) And she doesn’t care about marketing and promoting her products. She just creates. I think that’s my favorite thing about her. And that she made me feel better about being lazy sometimes. Apparently this happens to the best of us.

Picture: coucou.ee

But speaking of Krõõt’s creations: let’s “briefly” talk about why I got so excited when I found her booth. First of all, her illustrations are super cool. I know, that is probably the worst description you’ve ever heard. But in lack of the right art vocabulary, this is what you have to deal with for now. I’ll work on it. In any case, I’ll just give you a list of my favorite things in her collection:

Her backpacks. Because they are completely made by herself. And because the inside is covered in one of Krõõt’s prints. And because they just look cool. Again, amazing vocabulary, Kathi.
Her packs of cards. Because each card has a different illustration of some person’s face on it. And because the joker is a cat. And because every time I look at my pack – of course I bought one – I am reminded of that time when I was playing cards with Lena and her family – and L lost. Let’s just say she is not good at loosing. To be fair, I had been warned by her brother. And her mom. And her dad. So just take this as a warning from me. If you want to have a nice afternoon in the sun with L, don’t bring any games. Might ruin the atmosphere a bit. (I love you, Lena!)
Her “Why did you cut down the tree…”-collection. Because she says she doesn’t fight for our planet being saved while she actually raises awareness with more than one of her collections. And because she does it in such an easy way. And because cute animals staring at you, asking you why you destroyed their home really does make you think.

Photo: coucou.ee

That was the longest and most rambling post I have written in a long time. I hope you got a glimpse of the awesome person behind the name Krõõt Kukkur. If you ever want to meet her, she works in one of Tallinn’s best restaurants. Not going to tell you which one, though. You’ll have to find out yourself. Or hit the next design market. Or check out her homepage or instagram and contact her on there. Don’t forget: Overwhelming them with emotions works best!

Have a lovely Monday, everybody!

xx Kathi

P.S.: Due to a lack of photographic skills I didn't feature any of the pictures I took of her. I want people to like me, after all.

In a country with the highest top model per capita ratio in the world, where the Prime Minister is mostly known for his brightly colored socks and the President is never seen without a bowtie, nothing surprises me anymore – at least fashion-wise. This being said, everything was different when I first moved to Estonia. All I knew before coming here was that 50% of Estonia is covered in trees. Nobody ever mentioned an obsession with bowties.

So I was quite confused when I started school last September and saw a couple of people wearing bowties every single day. Was there a secret uniform I didn’t know of? Frankly, I didn’t care. All I wanted to know was exactly where these amazingly stylish pieces came from. Why they are so special, you ask? They are wooden - because when in Estonia, you should take advantage of all the trees – and oh-so pretty.

Well, it turned out that one of my fellow Student Council members and friend, Kristjan Oro, is the source of this amazingness. About a year ago he co-founded his own company – ŠIKK – with his best friend, Ats Jõgi, dedicated to crafting wooden bowties in all sorts of shapes. After six months of rummaging through his magic box of bowties over and over again and giving everybody the same present for Christmas – you guessed it, ŠIKK bowties – it was long overdue to sit down with Kristjan and talk about his startup journey, the biggest struggles of being an entrepreneur and his plans for the future.

Photo: ŠIKK

The two major things I learned during our extremely serious chat were these: When in business with your best friend of eight years, yell at each other every now and again. Helps you clear the air. And stay sane. And friends, for that matter. It seems to work for Kristjan and Ats. After a year of yelling at each other, they are still best friends. They even like to spend their free time together – if they have any. Which leads me to the second thing Kristjan taught me, this being how to manage your time and simultaneously not to get completely confused by to-do lists. (Something I really need to work on.) I quite like his system: A to do list classified from A – if you don’t do this immediately, you’re fucked to D – tell somebody else to do it.

But all jokes aside, I am sure that these two have a bright future ahead. I am not just saying this because Kristjan is my friend. I truly believe it. Because their bowties are just too cool not to love them. And because the personal touch the products come with is amazing in this impersonal world. And because in just one year, they managed to be featured in the Estonian Song Contest and the Estonian version of “Got Talent”, thus making ŠIKK bowties something that is worn by stars. Next challenge: The President.

For everybody who really wants one of these unique accessories now, it is your lucky week. ŠIKK will be launching their brand new online store in the next couple of days and they are shipping anywhere in this world. But you should be quick; I am planning to fill up my suitcase with them. Can’t guarantee there will be any left when I’m done shopping.

Show them the flying floordrobe love and check out ŠIKK's Facebook page and its Instagram account to see more pretty photos of the bowties and to be up to date on the exciting new product that will be launched very soon!

Photo: www.facebook.com/sikkdesign/

Have a great week, everybody!

xx, Kathi

BJÖRN Espresso BAR

Address: Maakri 28, 10145 Tallinn

Cappuccino: €2

Best thing on the menu: ALL the coffee

CASH ONLY!

Find them on Facebook (here)

One of the horrible moments after moving out of your parents’ house – that amazing wonderland of clean laundry and full fridges – is waking up in the morning, realizing you haven’t been to the store in too long and no matter how long you stare at the fridge, it won’t magically fill up. This happens to me approximately five times a week. Let’s just say I am not the biggest fan of going to the grocery store. Too far away. Too much of a hassle. And the store is located in the mall’s basement, which means stairs. No thank you.

So, whenever I open my fridge and face the ugly truth of its emptiness, there is one thing that freaks me out in particular. No milk. Which means black coffee. Which means the day is off to a rocky start. Coffee is the one thing that makes me get up in the morning. And yes, I own more than one bag with some kind of coffee quote on it, given to me by friends who know me too well. But while I just need that delicious stuff in whatever form in the morning, I am a coffee snob. Without milk in it it’s just not the same. And I am not happy.

On mornings like this I have three options:

Just suck it up and drink it black – this is the option I go for at the end of the month, for obvious reasons.
Stop by the kiosk around the corner, get two cappuccinos instead of one because it’s cheaper – thanks for supporting my addiction, R-Kiosk – and get yelled at by the kiosk lady because I still don’t understand this language they call Estonian. My preferred option when I’m late for class. Not going to say this happens a lot, but, you know…
And my favorite one: Spend a couple of hours at Björn’s, because it is just too cozy to leave earlier than necessary and enjoy the best and most stylish coffee in town.

BJÖRN Espresso BAR is a fabulous new café that was opened only two months ago in the cutest little wooden house a little outside of Tallinn’s Old Town. The little grey house with the red window frames looks way out of place, surrounded by office buildings and schools, which makes it incredibly exciting to enter it. Walking through those bright red doors feels like entering a different world. All of a sudden the stress of the day is gone and you are now part of the cosy, relaxed world of amazing coffee, delicious pastries, fluffy cushions, cosy fireplaces, and chilled people. I am not kidding. It really feels like that.

Conveniently, Björn’s is really close to my university which solved my horrible problem of having to drink burnt cafeteria coffee all day long. The coffee is out of this world, the variety of beans changing constantly and the staff is crazy friendly - and they know everything about coffee - heeeeaven! I always feel very fancy when I’m there. And amazingly, the coffee is still cheap. All of these things explain why I may have spent a lot of time there lately. I just realized this last week, when I walked in and Kalle, one of the owners, looked at me with a knowing expression, saying: “Big cappucino as always?”

For now, Björn’s is definitely one of Tallinn’s best kept secrets, but to be honest, I can’t imagine it to be a secret for long. If you ever find yourself in Tallinn, I really urge you to give this place a try. It is more than worth the walk out of the Old Town. Less crowded & commercialized than the coffee shops in the center. Oh and tourists? Nowhere to be seen. So, what are you waiting for?

xx Kathi

Photos taken in: Tallinn, Estonia

Once a wise guy named Will Rogers said
"A stranger is just a friend I haven't met yet."

This could not be any more accurate. It describes the experiences I made with fellow travelers in Thailand perfectly. I met likeminded people in the most random situations: sharing a taxi, while waiting for my Aspirin C to dissolve, on the metro, at the foot of a waterfall, on a hike though the jungle, in dorm rooms or even at the check-in desk.

All the beautiful landscapes, cities and natural wonders would not have been the same without those kick-ass travelers I met along the way and the random encounters with folks from all over the world:

Two German girls, just as unoriented as me, one of them actually recently moved to Vienna. Two friends from the Netherlands and Scotland, having to be taught the best card game in the world. One guy from the United States, who was an expert in making wine and even more so in making it very hard to say goodbye. Two twin brothers from England, one currently traveling the world. One lad from Singapore, who I am super jealous of, because he can just hop on a plane and go to Thailand every other weekend. One Israeli, who had some difficulties bringing his message across. One French girl, who was just as excited as me about hitchhiking in the open trunk of a truck and, who introduced me to the sheer endless deliciousness of the Night Market. One girl from Thailand, who surprised us with her perfect German and, who is coming to study in Vienna this fall. Three Canadians, who got us hooked up with the idea of getting a tailored blouse - or a whole business outfit, for that matter. One Dane, whose parents sounded like the coolest people ever. The whole staff of a random hostel in Bangkok, making it our favorite. One Spanish fellow, who looked like a Frenchman and liked us so much he followed us across Thailand - all creepiness aside. One English lad, who jumped off a fifteen meter cliff and managed to land face and butt first. Four Viennese climbers, who seem to love a game that I hate - yeah, I don't like to loose. One guy, born in Russia, raised in Germany, but having a British accent, whose curiosity lead us to paradise. One girl from Luxemburg, who had the most beautiful tattoos I have ever seen and immediately offered to draw one for me into five minutes of knowing each other. One hipster Thai, who stayed sane while driving us around busy Bangkok and watching us go crazy for sticky rice and, who also convinced a shop owner to open up on a Sunday so I could get my little wooden elephant. Three creative Canadians, who went to the weirdest but coolest school ever in Toronto, where 17-year-olds can easily take a three-week break to visit Thailand. One guy from Israel, who took the most stunning pictures with his Go Pro and, who was totally rocking a spectacular beard. One Italian, who was not afraid to skinny dip with strangers and, who was typical Italian: hilarious as hell. Two friends from England and the U.S., sharing a house in the middle of the jungle and jamming their nights away. One Australian guy, who truly loves his wife and enjoys to tell weird stories about their marriage. One beautiful soul from Florida, who protects her loved ones at any cost, even if that means she has to flip a tea tray. One artist from Hungary, who was duct-taping his analog camera and paying for his stay with his drawings. One Hawaiian freethinker, who is taking photography and kindness to the next level.

To all of you I would like to say "Thank you" for sharing unforgettable days & nights together and making my trip so special! And all the others, please keep in mind: Traveling is not only about the places you have been to or the sights you have seen - it is mostly about the amazing people that cross your path and truly enrich your journey.

xx Lena

Photo taken in: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Have you guys heard about the Full Moon Party in Thailand? You probably have. There is this beautiful beach on Koh Phangan - Haad Rin Beach - that is transformed into one massive party zone once a month: Loud techno music, enormous amounts of (probably not the most trustworthy) alcohol, fire and thousands of people dancing, screaming, shoving you around and - best of all - urinating and vomiting into the ocean. How wonderful!

Most people A and I met along our trip through Thailand asked us if we'll see each other again at the Full Moon Party - as if that was even possible in a crazy crowd like that. No, of course not. I had no intention whatsoever of going there. It seemed like every backpacker traveling in Thailand planned his or her whole trip around the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. Except us. We ended up there, anyway.

Our original plan was to relax on the beaches of Koh Jum for a few days - which we did - and then quickly hop onto a ferry, a bus and a ferry to find ourselves on a beautiful little island called Koh Tao ten hours later. Perfect plan, in theory. There have just been small problems with the practical implementation of this plan. First mistake: We did not buy tickets when we had the chance to on the mainland, because we thought there will come a better time. We had not considered the fact that Koh Jum is - unlike most islands in Thailand - close to a deserted island and does not come with a bunch of travel agencies. So we booked our tickets through our hotel, which seemed like the safest way. Spoiler alert: That was mistake number two.

So, after four days of doing nothing at all on this paradisiac island, we entered the ferry back to the mainland in the morning, totally unaware of where we would end up by the end of the day. The woman who was supposed to give us our tickets for further transport to Koh Tao casually walked up to A and me and told us that Koh Tao won't happen for us today. No seats available. She did not seem to care about the fact that we booked these tickets three days before nor that we had a room reserved for the night - Welcome to Thailand!
Clearly, I was not happy about that. We had a wild discussion with the ticket lady and I might have said some things I am not particularly proud of. In the end, there was only one thing we could do that brought us closer to the island we wanted to go to in the first place: spend a night on Koh Phangan, which is the island right next to Koh Tao. The more I think about it, the more it baffles me that there were no seats available to Koh Tao, but apparently more than enough to Koh Phangan, where it just "happened" to be the Full Moon Party that same night. Strange...

As you see, we were kind of forced into it, but we tried to make the best out of it - true traveler spirit and all. On the way over to Koh Phangan we met two lovely ladies from New York City, with whom we connected from the very start and who turned into really good friends after this faithful night we had together.

Looking back at the turning of events that day, I would not change a thing. Frankly, I am glad that we got scammed into going to Koh Phangan. Otherwise, we would have never met P and C and had one of the best nights of our lives. Also, we would not have met the Australian Professor who taught us how to be happy and appreciate what we have. And we would not have spent a magical morning on the heavenly white beach with people whom we just met but felt like old friends, swimming in the crystal clear water, sipping coconuts, exchanging compliments and hugs and as for A: Getting sunburnt to a rather unhealthy extent. So, thank you, ticket lady, for making all of this possibe!

The moral of this story, my dear friends, is: Everything happens for a reason. Seriously, it does. Just be spontaneous and happy and live a little. You will not regret it!

xx Lena

PS: If you ever find yourself at the Full Moon Party, leave immediately and take a boat to Garden Eden instead. Why? First of all: The Full Moon Party itself sucks so bad (just as I had imagined) and: Garden Eden will change your life, trust me!

Photos taken in: Koh Phangan, Thailand

I usually have Tuesday’s off. And every Monday I tell myself that I will write loads of amazing blog posts and columns on Tuesday. But you know, Tuesday comes and Tuesday goes. And I am busy with other things - mostly procrastinating. My productiveness goes south when I decide to pop over to our Student Council office “just to talk over a couple of things and see my friends” real quick. Right. Spending money on coffee on my way there is another thing I should not do on Tuesdays. Four hours later I walk out of the office, not knowing where the hell my day went. My to-do list is still as long as it was before but my life is a day shorter.

So this week I decided to trick myself into not going there by taking my laptop out on a date to one of Tallinn’s nicest coffee shops – August – where I would be surrounded by people but not talking to any of them. Because you shouldn’t talk to strangers. In theory. Naturally, that didn’t work out so well. Pretty soon I was having an intense conversation about American politics with the Canadian woman at the table next to me.

Three pretty unproductive but entertaining hours later I left August, hyped up on way too much coffee and a great conversation. Because of the amazing weather I decided to walk through the Old Town like I hadn’t done in ages. Another hour later I had seen the inside of most of Tallinn’s designer stores and galleries, had spent way too much money and have had plenty of good conversations with Estonia’s creatives. My day got better and better and I had to force myself not to skip through town, but rather act like a normal human being. I think you get the point, talking to all these inspiring people made me really happy. I didn’t think the day could get any better. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong. Never in a million years would I have guessed what happened next.

Climbing up the stairs to Toompea - Tallinn’s Dome Hill – I found myself facing a group of four –tourists – as I thought – with American accents. Obviously, I was intrigued. After offering to take a group shot of them they told me that they were actually on a photoshoot. For Lonely Planet. The sane part of me managed to say “Oh cool, have fun then!” and leave it at that. But as I walked away, more and more crazy voices took over in my head. “They are from Lonely Planet. No big deal. Just the publisher of the best travel guides ever. What the hell am I doing walking away right now? They seemed like the coolest bunch. I want to be their friend. But what am I supposed to say? Hey, I don’t have anything to do, can we be friends? Also, could you please hire me? Right. No, that's too crazy, I can't do that.”

Of course I went back. After listening to the voices in my head for a bit I decided that I should just go for it. Because as the saying says "We only regret the chances we didn't take" - And I am so glad I don't have to regret not taking that one. Because the four of them were lovely. Turns out the two photographers of the group had just met the other two guys at lunch. And then the coolest thing happened. Just like that, they asked me if I had time to come with them and take some more pictures because they needed another person in the pictures anyways. Me. Casually, in pictures of Lonely Planet. Just what we normally do on a Tuesday afternoon in Estonia. I am not kidding. This was real life. Not imagining that in any way. (Yes, I am still pretty excited.)

After taking pictures for some time we all went out for dinner and just talked. These guys were truly incredible. An American photographer living in Norway, a Norvegian photographer traveling all over, a Norvegian living in Estonia, an Estonian Event Manager who changed careers is now producing and selling honey. And me. It was the most random group of people but that's exactly what made it so interesting. I listened to travel stories from the weirdest places, learned about bees and was just in awe of everything these people had done in their life.

It still makes me so happy that five people who are - for the most part - so different from each other and didn't know each other a couple of hours earlier could just sit together like a group of old friends and chat about anything. I loved it. It reminded me why I love traveling so much. And why I like talking to strangers. And why I will never stop doing it. Yes, it is scary sometimes. And yes, there are times when I am too "scared" to talk to somebody. But to be honest, that is stupid. Because we are all human. We all have our baggage to carry. Nobody needs to be scared. And meeting new people is just so good. It gives you so much more perspective on this world. And it is so much fun. Everybody has a story to tell, we just need to listen. (And as a bonus you get to be part of a photoshoot - sometimes.)

So what is your take on talking to strangers? Yes? No? Maybe? Let us know!

xx Kathi

Photo taken in: Tallinn, Estonia

Kohvik Must Puudel (Coffeeshop Black Poodle - CUTE!!)

Address: Müürivahe 20, 10140 Tallinn

Coffee: €1,80

Best meal on the menu: Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad with Berries

or: Coconut Soup with Mushrooms & Salmon

Find them on Facebook (here) & Instagram (here)

So let’s talk about Must Puudel. A Tallinn favorite. I don’t think there is a single person in this town that doesn’t like it. It’s got everything. Great food, the best retro playlists, cool, retro furniture and the coziest retro atmosphere. Basically retro everything. AND its name means Black Poodle in English - can it get any better? It’s a restaurant/coffeeshop during the day and turns into a hip bar at night. The "Black Poodle" is the kind of place you keep going back to – for literally everything. It’s my safe haven. Need to study but can’t concentrate? Must Puudel. Have to write blog posts but feel too lonely writing at home? Must Puudel. No food in the fridge? Must Puudel. Need a place to work on a project with your team? Must Puudel (& a glass of wine). Plan a date with a random guy you met at a bar one night? Must Puudel (& even more wine). Every single time. Must Puudel.

I was lucky enough to find this place in my first week in Tallinn, when I was standing in line to get into a horrific club that, for some reason, is very popular with exchange students. I was with my flatmates back then. And a German guy that I had met at the airport in Vienna a couple of days earlier and whose arrogant look made me fall for him only one day into knowing him. The two of us couldn’t be bothered to be pushed around by all the drunk people anymore and decided to pop into that interesting bar right next to the club. That night at Must Puudel I decided I liked him not only for his arrogant facial expression, but also for his personality. Worst idea ever. That's what I found out three very flirtatious weeks later. He had forgotten to mention a tiny little detail. His girlfriend. Well, let’s just say that guy is not around anymore.

Months later, when I went on a date with a guy I had briefly met at a bar a couple of days before, I ended up at the same table I had been sitting at that first night in Must Puudel with the German guy. My date was 20 minutes late and once he did show up two Finnish tourists sat down at the same table – because they couldn’t find any other free seats in the bar. Turns out they were super interesting people – a barista who was reconsidering his career path and a stylist for Helsinki fashion week. We ended up talking the whole night and I found myself flirting with the Finish guy instead of my date. Whooopsies. To be fair, he was late. Does that justify it? I don’t know. In any case, I probably shouldn’t take guys there anymore. I feel like the waiters greet me with a knowing look everytime I walk in. But then again, I am paranoid sometimes.

There are more stories about Must Puudel. Can you tell I spend a lot of time there? But this is enough for now. Enough to make you think the only thing I do in Tallinn is date random guys. Which I am not. But whatever. It makes for great stories every now and again.

If you ever find yourself in Tallinn, make sure not to miss out on this goodie. You won't regret it. I promise. Oh, and Tallinn locals: Let me know what your favorite place in Tallinn is. I need to branch out a bit.

xx Kathi

Photos taken in: Tallinn, Estonia

Hello, it's me. I am back in freezing Austria and so far I have been trying to ignore all my responsibilities. Obviously, that is not the best strategy, I know that. I was just not ready for reality quite yet. An abundance of unread and unanswered mails and messages for my birthday made me realize: I can't hide forever. So, here I am, telling you a short story of how I got sick in Thailand. Yeah, we all know I can't keep it short.

So, as Kathi has already mentioned: I was traveling around Thailand for one month, most of the time with my friend A. After we spent a few days in Bangkok together, we took a night train to Chiang Mai, which is located in the North of Thailand. Oh, how much I love Chiang Mai! A and I went on a three day-trekking tour where we got to bathe elephants, jump off waterfalls, sleep in the middle of the jungle and eat delicious Thai food. It was magical. And dirty.

pure nature

As you can imagine, we were kind of exhausted after three days of hardcore trekking - I swear, there were moments where only the anticipation of Mango Sticky Rice kept us going - so, A thought it would be a great idea to get a Thai Massage afterwards.

You know how people tell you that Thai Massages really hurt and you don't believe them because you think they are just overreacting little babies? Well, you better believe them, before you actually get one and end up scarred for life.

After my barely-survival of the Thai Massage, A and I decided to visit the Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai, which is an old quarry filled with water. It is almost as exciting as the "real" Grand Canyon in the States, but you can cliff jump and swim in there, so, it is basically the Grand Canyon in cool. We went there by scooter and for the first time in my life I felt confident driving, well, anything, to be honest, and I think, also for the very first time someone actually felt safe while I was driving. Anyway, we spent the day there jumping off 15 meter-high rocks, which led to heavy bruises on A's thighs and arms, because she was paying too much attention to overcoming her fear of heights and too little to the whereabouts of her limbs.

Grand Canyon, Chiang Mai

I am not sure whether it was the search for a certain association that did not want to be found or one too many cigarettes smoked by a certain someone that led to a certain scenario where we were racing through Chiang Mai trying to get ourselves and our backpacks to the train station in time and the scooter back before the rental place was closing. Classic race against the time. Long story short: We lost.

I tried to cry several times during this hell of a ride, but my body just did not let me. Can you believe it?! You must be thinking: She cannot even get this tiny bit of satisfaction during dark times like these?! I know, I was just as upset about the absence of my tears then as you are now. But hey, life is unfair.

In the end, I got my passport back - even though the rental store was already closed - and I made it to the train station safely. We missed the train anyway, because it was seriously ON TIME - for the first time ever in Thailand. Our only chance to catch that train was to pay one lucky taxi driver enough money for him to feed his children for the next two months to chase our train down to the next scheduled stop. During my most expensive taxi ride ever, I started feeling very unwell and thought I might throw up, but my body knew very well that I couldn't afford to clean that taxi, so it waited until we arrived - but only right until we entered the building and tried to figure out if we missed the train. (Of course, we did not. It was late, duh!) The next toilet was out of sight, so a trash can had to do it. Apparently, me throwing up into a trash can with a huge backpack on has been an amusing sight as A had a good laugh over it and even considered taking a picture of this weak moment of mine. At least one of us thought it was funny.

Good news: We made it onto the train and our beds were - surprisingly - comfortable. Bad news: I did not sleep. At all. I am going to spare you the details, but I can tell you this much: the toilet and I became quite good friends that night.

xx Lena

Photos taken in: Chiang Mai, Thailand

You know what I really hate? People who go on an amazing trip and post the most beautiful pictures afterwards. Makes me so jealous. Because first of all: I wish I would have been on that trip as well. And secondly: because I envy everybody who is actually capable of taking nice pictures. Yes, I’m talking about you, Lena! I really really hate you right now. Especially because all these pictures of you guys made me regret my decision not to go on this trip. And most of all, they made me realize how much I actually miss you.

For everybody who doesn’t know, it’s L’s special day today. And I have a tendency of writing incredibly cheesy and soppy texts on birthdays. So be prepared. Last year Lena got the lamest story about how we met. This year she gets an official statement. Is that an upgrade or what?

Just before writing this I was looking through all the photos we took together. And for some reason they reminded me of why I admire this girl so much. She is the only person I know who is actually able to spend three hours in Forever 21 on Time Square without freaking out or getting tired. “Shopping is my cardio” truly is her motto. This also falls into the category of “Things I wish I had known before I agreed to go shopping with L”. She did teach me how to differentiate a bad quality T-shirt from a good quality one, though. How? A whole day of T-shirt touching in Manhattan.

Jokes aside: I admire her for always chasing her dreams. She wants to travel the world, so she does. And she does so with a smile on her face. Most of the time. This girl keeps reminding me that I should live life to the fullest and not hide behind my “responsibilities”. She doesn’t settle for anything less than she thinks she deserves. And she makes everything a little more fun.

I love her for that and for so many other things. For judging gossipy people, not realizing that she is the queen of them sometimes. For freaking out when she has to drive a car in Austria. For the fact that she always has to have the last word. And for making me miss her so much today. I wish I could go home, just to spend one day with her.

So, Linahasi, I love you loads. And I can’t wait to go see a little more of this world with you!

Happy birthday, babycakes ♡

Photo taken in: Boston, USA

So Brussels. After one of my longest and best friends had asked me to come see her in her “new” home for two and a half years, I finally booked my tickets this Christmas. Two reasons: I kind of do value our friendship and didn’t want her to end it over the fact that I never came to see her. The other one: Why not go when you have a place to stay at for free? (Kidding, I love you, Eva!)

To be honest I wasn’t really excited about Brussels itself, given the fact that most people I talked to didn’t like the city that much. My question to all of them after my trip: Have we been to the same place?

Now, keep in mind that I have only seen a tiny bit of the city and I am obviously not an expert but the bits and pieces I saw had me in awe. That might be due to the fact that I had two excellent tour guides. Up until they wouldn’t wake up Sunday morning and I had to set off on my own. Which led to getting lost. And cold. And discovering really cool places.

Even though the weather was more than annoying – after all I didn’t leave -25° C cold Estonia to deal with snow in Belgium – I tried to think of a reason to move there only one day into the trip. I might or might not do that in pretty much every city. But still, Brussels got me. For several reasons:

Dutch is the funniest language ever.

How is this even a language? I feel like somebody had it with German sounding so harsh and just tried to create a cute version of it. It is hilarious and I want to hear more of it.

The street art is incredible.

Murals wherever you go. Is there anything better? I only stopped taking pictures of them because my hands were about to freeze off.

Now to the important part: Food! Their fries are out of this world.

If you haven’t tried them yet, don’t do it. It will ruin you for life. There is no chance I’ll see fries the same way after trying Belgian ones. I wouldn’t believe it until the girls took me on a trip JUST to get some from a booth somewhere in the depths of Brussels, but they are truly amazing and way better than any I have ever tried before.
The freezing cold and the crazy rain didn’t stop us from having Belgian frites on a bus stop bench. Oh the classiness. But you know what? It was the best damn meal I had on that trip.
Great, now I can't stop thinking about it. Getting upset because I can’t have any right now.

(Just in case you were wondering what the secret behind this golden deliciousness is: Belgians fry them twice at two different temperatures. Such geniuses. Somebody give them a medal!)

Random balconies pop up wherever you go,
It makes getting lost in the city so much more enjoyable. You unexpectedly turn a corner and all of a sudden face the nicest view over a part of the city. It really is great. And dangerous, if you try to climb the stairs descending from the balconies in winter. Just saying. Not that I fell or anything.

Beer!
Do I need to say more? I don’t even like beer but I did drink it there. Because there is no other way. It is cheap. And surprisingly good. Not as good as the fries though…

Because best friends and stuff.

That trip once again reminded me that some friends really do become your family. And wherever they are, it feels like home. I could go on with the cheesiness but I think you get the point.

I hope one of these reasons made you want to go to Brussels. Mostly the fries, I guess. But you’ve been warned. Either you need to learn how to make them yourself or you’ll lead a frie-less life after trying them. In any case, I’ll stop rambling.

Thanks for the great days, Eva, Naddy & all you amazing VeCo-people. You're the best!

xxx Kathi

Photos taken in: Brussels, Belgium

This is flying floordrobe

Instagram

Popular Posts

Topics

Blog Archive