New shoes!

German kids are giant kids. How do I know? Because I bought myself some new runners that are actually for kids. 

But I really like the berry accents

Also, much cheaper than adult women's shoes!

Topiary

I was walking around Bremen when I saw this totally cute thing...

OMG!!! It's a topiary lavender bush!!!

So year, I bought this and took it home, conveniently forgetting the three lavender bushes I killed in Munich. I seriously hope this works. 

Now I am Bavarian

Caro dropped me off at Hohenzollernplatz and there was a mini Bavarian market going on that was selling local sausages, cheese etc. And then there was the stall that was selling things with comments written in Bavarian dialect. Despite being in Bavaria for the last few years, I won't say that I can really understand the language, but I can figure things out, especially when they're said out loud. And so I definitely had to invest in this bag.

Translation: my other bag is a Louis Vuitton (it's only really funny if you understand how Bavarian sounds though)

Spanish shopping

When planning this trip, a lot of thought was put into who I should fly and how much luggage I should bring. The fact of the matter was, I was going to shop and everyone knew it. In the end, it was decided that I would fly Vueling to San Seb with a backpack that was about half full, and then I would fly Iberia back to Munich because I would then receive baggage allowance!

And I needed it. Here are the clothes I bought!

I found the shop where I bought Pooey's strawberry dress a few years ago, but this time I walked away empty handed. The fact was, the dress that I wanted (elephant print) wasn't in my size :(. But then I tried on this dress a few streets later and...well, I didn't really need it but it's super cute so hey!

A couple of streets later, I bought these wedges at the same shop where I'd purchased these sandals a few years before. They were on sale and damn comfy. CuzJen and Fremma actually encouraged me to buy two pairs but I waved it off with a, "That's crazy - I can only wear these maybe 2 month of the year in Germany." I am regretting being so responsible.

Jacket from Zara. I don't know if you can tell from the photo but the lining is leopard print and it looks totally funky. It was also on super-sale (I think it was only €30) so I took it. I'll admit to being slightly freaked out that this was my first day in Spain and I'd already basically bought an entire new outfit.  

But the next purchase wasn't until pretty much the last full day in Spain when I got this singlet...

And these strappy heels (also on sale!). I had an interesting conversation with the guy at the Camper store about why someone would want to move from Australia to Germany. He basically thought I was mad :D 

And finally, I actually bought this at Zara in Barcelona airport. It will be a good replacement for my Kookai cardi (which I seem to have lost). 

So see? I really did need the baggage allowance :D

Fundon Shopping!

So what exactly did I buy that resulted in 10kg of new weight? Here are some of the highlights

Satin crop overlay dress from Karen Millen/Harrods. Yes, it is a rip off of a Chanel design! That's why I'll pair it with those pearls!

Jersey blazer from Uniqlo. I also got another pair of jeans here because uniqlo jeans suit me best.

Dress from Primmy. There's a bit of a story behind this find. Pooey first found it with a different pattern but there weren't many in my size left. When I tried it on in the change room, the zip got stuck around the waist due to the fabric and there was definitely no way I would have been able to do it myself if I purchased the dress. We decided that if we couldnt' find one in my size that would zip, we would leave it. BUT THEN!!! Not only did we find one with this pattern - which we both agreed was better than the other one, it zipped up very easily so into the trolley it went. Being the last one on the rack in this size and pattern, it was missing its barcode. The shopgirl said I could run back and get another one and she would scan it when I got back, but she said she knew it was a bit of a bargain. She was right. Even though the dress was tagged as £16 or something like that, it scanned as....SEVEN POUNDS!!!

White batik scarf and Union Jack scarf, also from Primmy. That Union Jack one really came in handy too - it was pretty cold when I arrived.

Assorted Primmy bags. Sharp-eyed readers will note that the clutch and red polka dot were also used on my trip to Bristol/Bath!

And a couple of skirts also from Primmy. I also got a bikini top, a singlet, leggings and socks but...yeah you don't need to see those.

My Dune purchases! Pooey said I should have gotten two pairs of the flower ballet flats since I was planning on buying them at full price the day before...so I did! She was a bit upset that it appears I got the last pair of hot pink leopard print flats and the normal leopard print wedges in our size in London, but she consoled herself by buying a pair of peach leopard print flats and a pair of black suede wedges instead.

A new pair of converse dance from Office. Unfortunately not on sale but still so good. 

Pooey and I were walking along Regent St. between Book of Mormon and The Bodyguard when we saw a huge sign on the Furla window declaring discounts of up to 40%. Furla wasn't on our shopping list but with discounts like that, hey, why not?! My. God. This sale was INSANE. Pooey had been looking forward to getting herself a new satchel from Mulberry, but when she saw the Alissa satchel was 40% - at the ridiculous price of £140, she got two! Okay, one of the ones she purchased was a smaller size, and therefore cheaper, but...for that price, I wanted one as well! My sanity prevailed and I ended up getting this two-toned clutch and the keyring/cardholder instead. The two combined were less than £60. SCORE!!!

Okay, here's a moment where my sanity failed. Pooey and I went to Fenwick and saw that Longchamp bags were reduced and these Le Pliage bags were £40, down from £59. Pooey was all, "I'm getting one!" and I was "That's insane! We went to Furla the other day, you got two bags!" Her reply, "I don't care! This is such a deal!" and I caved and said she should get me one as well. I was pretty happy but also, starting to hate myself hahahahaha. 

But all things must end and so did my trip. So here's the last important purchase I made in London - Fortnum and Mason lemon curd at the airport duty free. 

FUNDON Day 4

Pooey and I discussed that since I was in London for so long, we should do some actual tourist activities rather than only shopping and eating. We bandied about ideas like visiting Highclere castle (it wasn't open for visitors in June) or a trip to Dover (decided there wasn't enough for us there), before deciding to just go to Kensington Palace. Pooey had never been there at all; I had only been to the gardens and Orangery, and it's close to Harrods for post-tourism shopping so off we went! 

The gates leading to the palace. I approached the palace from the rear and ended up in the wrong place before a guard came out of the palace and told us where to go. He knew we were lost because he could hear me singing.

The palace has been a royal residence for centuries and had a banquette with embroidered portraits of various residents.

Me with cushions of two current residents - Kate and Wills!

There was also an exhibition of dresses worn by the Queen, and Princesses Margaret and Diana. It was quite interesting in how it displayed how the dresses are designed and chosen.

For example, in their youth, the Queen and Princess Margaret would wear dresses in light colours so that they would stand out in a crowd of dignitaries, who would be likely wearing dark clothes.

The Queen would also wear more 'traditional' and feminine designs. Also....(whisper...the Queen was stacked).

Princess Margaret had a teeeeeeeeeny waist that was accentuated by her clothes.

She could also be more daring with her outfits than the Queen due to having less restrictions. 

Also, I'm just going to put in this portrait of Princess Margaret taken by her photographer husband Lord Snowdon. I think we looked at this and then me and Pooey commented to each other that Princess Margaret was clearly a hottie of her time.

Diana's dresses were less codified, say compared the Queen's, and instead reflected the direct fashions of the time - lots of drop waists and shoulder pads. Also, looking at these dresses made me realise how tall she was. 

After this, we went through the rooms, starting with the Georgian state apartments and then onto Victoria's rooms.

We had a bit of fun with the displays.

And Pooey dressed me up in a costume so that we could have the experience. It was quite heavy to wear.

Seriously, the panniers were a bit ridiculous

There were some actors pretending to be nobility wandering around, and they showed us that women had to walk through the doors sideways to accommodate their dreses.

The Victoria apartments had a section on Queen Victoria's lonely childhood and examples of the toys she would have had. As I played with them, Pooey pointed out that I also really looked like a child. 

And after all that history, we walked past the Albert Memorial to get to Harrods.

For dinner that night, Pooey and I met up with Aussies Amandine & Justin, Liz & Chris, and Cam & Esther. I had been craving steak and Pooey suggested we head to Goodmans, with the City location convenient to all. We also made the best decision ever to have a 3 course meal but to share all the courses rather than have each of our own because we both wanted the same things.

Entree of pan fried foie gras with brioche and fig chutney. As I was eating this, I realised that it's been a long time since I had foie gras...

Our main - Irish fillet cooked medium rare. Mmmm, look at that blood.

Shared sides of beans, fries, and truffled macaroni and cheese. To be honest, I couldn't really taste the truffle in the mac & cheese. That was kind of annoying. Also, I realise I didn't take an photos of my friends! But that's Amandine's arms opposite me!

Finally, our dessert of fried pineapple. So retro 80s :D

Sharing our meal was the best decision we ever made. Pooey and I usually eat until our eyes can't handle it anymore but this time when we stood up, we felt full but not overly, needing to sleep on our sides full. It was a good feeling to have after many days of continuous overfeeding.

OBERPOLLINGER!!!!

Tha hell?! How is it that for the last 3 years that I've been living in Munich, I don't appear to have ventured above the ground floor of this department store?! I bring this up now because for some reason, I went upstairs...and discovered a whole heap of concessions from brands that I usually go looking at when I'm in London! Labels like Reiss, French Connection, Topshop, Karen Millen, Dune...IT WAS LIKE I WAS BLIND AND CAN NOW SEE!!! If I can defend myself, when I expressed my shock to some friends, a local girl (MUC born and bred) also didn't know this. She also said that Oberpollinger underwent some major renovations in the last few years so it's possible that the brands weren't stocked when/if I ever visited before.

Regardless of the proximity, the products there are still cheaper in London - I saw my Dune boots there and they were more expensive than what I paid in Runds, but something is better than nothing! And this is also a dangerous development - I nearly bought this Ted Baker dress.

The only thing that stopped me was that this size was a bit tight across the chest while the next size up was too loose across the hips. *phew!*

London shopping

Here's the entry most people want to read - what I bought on my trip! I've also ordered it chronologically so you can pretend you're shopping along with me!

Boots from Dune. Even though I bought some boots recently, I also wanted new heeled boots as my previous pair are pointy-toed and therefore a bit passe. I decided to head to New Change because I figured that if I were to buy boots, I didn't want to be lugging them around the Tube with me, and I knew New Change had Office and Dune, and that Jones isn't too far away. I zoned in pretty quickly on these guys even though I hadn't seen them on the website. The shortish heel (okay, it's about 5cm) is so damn comfy and £40 off. SOLD!!! 

Puffa and straight-leg jeans from Uniqlo. I love my Uniqlo puffa. Unfortunately, I made a tactical error when I purchased it because I wear it so much that the formerly dazzling white is now kinda greyish. This time, I have made no error and I purchased a new one in grey! And as usual, I got a new pair of jeans. It's hard to beat the fact that they make it in my waist size but also offer free tailoring to make up for the fact I'm pretty short...

Limited edition patterned thermals from Uniqlo. I really have no idea why this brand isn't in Germany because they make the kind of clothes I think Germans would love. Cheap, multifunctional clothes that work in warm and cold weather. COME TO GERMANY, UNIQLO!!!

Tops from Primmy. Last week, I was frustrated by the fact that most of my going out clothes are dresses meaning that I die when I'm out and it snows. Pooey counselled patience - just wait a few days and go to Primmy and invest in some dressy tops that I can wear with jeans. Primmy delivered like crazy. The one on the right with lace was a bit see-through so I also invested in a seamless camisole.

The white one on the left was also a bit transparent so I invested in a white camisole :D. Normally, I'm a girl who loves red but I've decided that I also really love this cobalt colour. I tried on the same top in hot pink but Pooey and I decided the blue was more versatile. Yes, it's true, while I was trying on the tops, I was sending photos to Pooey to get her opinion. Her opinion was that Primmy had a lot of good stuff this time around.

Costume jewellery, also from Primmy. I normally don't wear (or therefore buy) this kind of stuff, but I was wearing a dress last week and I thought it looked a bit plain. This ought to change it up a bit. 

New teapot and teamugs!

I was always slightly devastated that I had to leave my teapot behind in Melbs. It was a Bodum Assam 500ml clear white pot and perfect for me. Well, my devastation is at an end. I was in Karstadt when I saw that 1L Assam teapots were on sale! From €33 down to €20?! SOLD!!!

There were no white ones though. I figured black would do. 

Meanwhile, Crabtree & Evelyn were having a sale on these Cath Kidston mugs - two for €11. SOLD!!!

I will give one of the mugs to Pooey but the others are Xmas presents to me!

Outlet shopping, ja!

There's an outlet centre along the lines of Bicester and Woodbury Common that's near Munich, Ingolstadt Village. It is about 45 minutes away but despite its proximity and the number of times that I've told Markus (who is from Ingolstadt) that he should take me and his gf there, I never seemed to make it. This has now been rectified. Last week I received an email telling me that due to my membership to an online community, I could have a voucher for an extra 20-40% off selected stores and a free shuttle bus voucher. With this news, I shot off a few messages to the girls, resulting in plans for Barbie, Demi, Ziad (okay, he's not a girl), and myself to take advantage of the free shuttle and head off!

First things first, IV is nowhere near as large as the other two. Secondly, being in Germany, it was loaded with German shops that I normally don't shop at. Having said that, I was still able to find everything I'd listed in my head for that I was to only spend my money on!

Those who have read my Antwerp entry will know that I've been looking for a new pair of boots! I got these riding-boots from GK Mayer. 

Chic to Peak ski jacket from Columbia! Or rather, it's two interchangeable jackets - the pink is the outer shell and it contains a fleecy/quilted jacket inside (green). The inner fleece is also reversible!  When we asked a shopgirl if this jacket was appropriate for skiing, it was pointed out to us that this is actually a kid's jacket, but then the looked at me and said it would fit. And it did, perfectly!

Nylon + leather trim handbag from Liebeskind. Despite my German friends being mad for this brand, I'm not a real big fan of the distressed leather look of Liebeskind bags, and to be honest, this  design is also a bit of a rip on Longchamp's le Pliage. But on the other hand, it's a small handbag that came with a shoulder strap AND there are leathery bits on the corners that will stop the fraying that occurs on the Longchamp bags!

Scarf and woolen shift dress from Hallhuber. These weren't actually on my list of things to buy, but I was within my (generous) budget so hey, why not?