IGNANT Hashtag - Colour Coding

iGNANT are a multidisciplinary online magazine that feature art, design, travel and architecture in the most tasteful way possible, they also just happen to be " Berlin Based" as well. I recently started  following them on Instagram due to their content brightening up my feed every so often, when I came across something they title as their weekly Hashtag projects. Iv never quite been one to enter Instagram competitions, but this one really got me inspired. Withing minutes of reading the brief, I grabbed my camera and went scouring the streets of Berlin , looking at each color that passed me by in a more artistic and "color coded" way. I must admit, I became quite obsessed after a day or two and even had my boyfriend submit some of my images on his account, needless to say neither of us won or were 1 of the 10 of the featured submissions.

South African Snapshots- Part One

Having lived overseas for just over a year and a half, returning back to South Africa and seeing everything for the first time was like I was on some serious psychedelic drug. I suppose it really put the saying "being high on life"to a whole new level.

The most overwhelming feeling was in actual fact the sense of space that surrounded me everywhere. On first waking into my parents living room (which is not big, but most certainly double the size of our apartment), the closest description I can come to is that of being in a museum hall. I suppose the fact that the space I had lived in and been surrounded by on an almost daily basis whilst growing up felt strange by seeing it "for the first time"again. Needles to say, I threw myself onto my old bed with the linen smelling just like home and with fond memories.

On one of the first few days of being back, I casually went to Pick n' Pay, a South African Supermarket, to buy some essentials. I felt completely gobsmacked by all the food options and variety of absolutely everything! I became so used to shopping at  The Netherlands's Albert Heijn and Berlin's Netto, where there is literally just one brand of each item. I must have looked like a tourist with all the snapping away I was doing with my camera and small notes made in my sketchbook. When paying for all my items at the cashier, I felt  absolutely spoiled when a lady (Spongile) personally came and bagged my things. If you may not already know, here in Europe, you have to bag your own things at such a fast pace due to the 'production line' of customers behind you. I was quite traumatized by this experience in the first few months of living in Europe, but realized that all along I was quite spoilt with the service I had in S.A 

What I anticipated most about being in South Africa was going back to Johannesburg and seeing the city I fell so deeply in love with whilst studying there. I never in my life though I would be so overjoyed at seeing Taxi's clog up the city's CBD and hearing their never ending honking. On one occasion, I quickly snapped a photograph of a taxi whilst at a robot (what we call a traffic light in South Africa). The light turned green before I managed to finish taking the photograph, but the starstruck taxi driver  stood still and waited for me to finish taking the picture before driving off. 

The overall energy of South Africa is truly something I cannot explain. Perhaps it's just what I have ever known growing up, or maybe I just love that damn place so much, despite all of it's flaws. One such flaw is a serious lack of funding towards public museums and culture. I visited the Johannesburg Art Gallery ( JAG), to view an installation by renowned South African Artist William Kentridge. The building itself was in absolute deterioration, and not a soul around to view ay of the incredible works despite the museum being free of charge. I realized as we drove out of the museum parking lot and out into the crowded, chaotic and rubbish piled streets of the CBD and Hillbrow, that there are far bigger problems to take care of. If you are ever in need of a reality check, thats most certainly the place to go to.

Johannesburg Arts Galery, Pick n' Pay, Fort Klapperkop, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Maboneng Precinct, Protea (South African National Flower), Braamfontein, Voortrekker Monument, Juta Street, Askari Game Lodge

Berlin, you son of a bitch

I mean this term in the absolute best possible way, that Berlin, you may just be the best place I have been to. There is something about this place that just does something to you. Of course the people I met and the things I did may influence this considerably, but the entirety of my time in this city consisted of a no bullshit Berlin.

No more words can really describe this place, so I will keep the rest for myself, sorry folks...

kreuzberg canal // wohnzimmer café // bauhaus archive museum // mauer park beauty in the spring// glory whole  kaffeehäuschen // lovers at a protest in front of brandenburg gate  // mauer park childishness in the spring // deep chill at adalbertbrücke // jewish museum // lichtpark // selfie time at the bauhaus archive museum // kaffee pause // portraits at  my good friends café journale

START SPREADING THE NEWS

So with all the drama and hype everyone usually places on getting around New York City, I managed to easily navigate my way from Newark airport, to the front door of my sister’s apartment in Lower Manhattan.  Having taken numerous means of transport in Paris, Barcelona, Holland, and Belgium over the past 7 months, New York was but a mere piece of cake.

After a long sleepless flight and a 4 hour Opera show at the MET the previous night, my day only began by 11 (as all my days seem to go whilst travelling it seems). I casually took the respective metro lines (have I mentioned how much I love the Metro?) to where I had to be and admired the greatness that the Metropolitan Art Museum and The Guggenheim had to offer. I braved the ridiculous minus degree weather (and my equally ridiculous down feather coat) to stroll through Central Park and purchase a famous New York City hotdog to somewhat warm myself up.

My Friday morning got off to a better early morning start and a full day ahead, although in all honesty, much of the day's itinerary had only been thought out that morning. I reminisced at the 9/11 memorial, gawked at the Statue of Liberty, and suited up in Wall Street (whilst getting lost somewhere in between). For the most part, I really wasn’t that hungry or even peckish, but I simply couldn’t resist trying all the American candy I had heard and seen so much of. Twizzlers were by far the most disgusting, with a taste and texture similar to that of soap and Tootsie roll visually resembling something along the likes of..er poop. Hershey's Candy Bars and Reese’s peanut cups were by far the tastiest of the lot.

After much debate about where we would be spending our Friday evening, we opted for the cosy bar around the corner from the apartment. The whole thing felt very New York as we had to wait outside on the sidewalk for a table whilst passer-by's complained. Like something out of Sex and the City!

The Saturday morning miraculously presented us the warmest weather since I had arrived,  and we made full advantage of it by using our Citi-Bike passes to head to Brooklyn Bridge. It really is like something out the movies, all the people jogging, walking, biking and pushing strollers. Everything except seeing two lovers meeting halfway across the bridge. Our mornings adventure was followed by watching a real Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Gardens. We munched on popcorn and kept our eyes peeled for any celebrities seated in the front row.

PRAGUE CITY GUIDE - PART 2

If you're anything like me, you will love the fact that you can sleep late on a Saturday morning in Prague. The locals, as well as tourists, only really start to show their faces from noon onwards.  We however managed to pull ourselves out of our hotel room  by 10 AM, getting our day started with a cup of coffee and a pastry in the park. If you're feeling a bit lazy, there is the Funicular Railway that will take you all the way to the top of the hill to the Petrin Tower, or you could get some fresh air and brave the steep hills on foot like we did. It really is worth it to go up the tower and check out the view (which is surprisingly not crowded with tourists) and see the city from all angles.
 

 

Its great to wander through the forests of Petrin Hill and exit through a different gate than the one you came in with. The steps leading up to Prague Castle were within walking distance from us and we braved yet another steep set of stairs to reach our destination. There is an abundance of tourists pacing all over the place, leaving us with but a mere glimpse of the area (and more than enough time in my opinion). I was fascinated by all the old Czech woman walking around in their best church attire and managed to sneakily photograph them in all their glory. If you're feeling peckish, try the traditional Balkan pastry, a Trdelnik. In English its translated as 'sweet bread' and are baked fresh on a daily basis and served 'natural' - with powdered sugar, or with Nutella.

 

 

The remainder of the afternoon gave us some time to make our way to DOX, the centre for contemporary art, situated just outside the city. A 20 minute tram ride will get you there, for which we didn't even have to scan our ticket in, so didn't bother buying one back.  The centre is relatively new but had some interesting exhibitions showcasing propaganda posters and a 'Pharmatopia' installation by Marek Schovanek.

If youre planning on eating out for dinner, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from, many of them being commercial eateries targeting tourists. We opted for the less touristy Leone and Anna, a quaint restaurant in the Mala Strana area not far from our hotel with a quiet atmosphere, great music and good food. Their Goulash was not quite to my liking but their service was impeccable. What's great about the city is you can go for evening strolls at any time of the night followed by a cup of hot chocolate to get the feeling back in your fingers and toes. T centre of The Old Town Square boasts several street musicians sitting in t-shirts ( even in the winter) playing a wide array of musical instruments whilst tourists half heartedly listen to their melodies and sip on their Glühwein from the street vendors.

 

RISE AND FALL

I awoke to a late Saturday morning and jumped out of bed to set out on my journey to Amsterdam for the weekend, yet again. Driebergen to Utrecht, and Utrecht Centraal to Amstel station, a mere block away from Basti's flat. On arrival we went to a local street market for fresh orange juice and a bite to eat followed by coffee at the cafe' we seem to have made our regular spot on my Amsterdam weekend stays in the city. Basti and I speak about a lot of things, mostly relationships, people and generally just wanting to be happy. He's cool like that.

Later on in the day I met up with Marie, a South African Friend who I had met a few months ago in SA through a mutual friend we shared. Our initial plan of visiting the Rijks museum was short lived once our eyes set sight on the queue.

Instead we opted to walk through Vondel park and catch up. The weather had cleared up quite nicely with sunny skies all around. We wandered through the red light disctrict and Dam square and I even spotted  the Old Amsterdam cheese store that I had seen so much about on design blogs and magazines.

We also may have set foot inside a coffee shop or two, as one does in Amsterdam. This stopover lasted longer than Marie and I anticipated. We ended up sitting on a few steps just watching people walk by for hours. We eventually set out to a friends place via tram. I was completely freaked out at this thought. I had never taken one before and in all honesty felt claustrophobic in the people moving machine. A lot of deep breaths were taken, but we prevailed and after what felt like 2 hours of walking around and taking one tram to the next we were greeted with open arms by my good old friend Reinoud.

The rest of the night was followed by drinks at Bar Nel and shocking service at Café de Fles. Their food however was incredible, as expensive as it was. Marie and I shared the "Geitenkaas salade" (goats cheese salad) which had goats cheese wrapped up in phyllo pastry on a bed of leaves with a dash of balsamic vinegar, fresh berries and some sort of caramelised nut shard thing ( a whopping 14 Euros= 150 ZAR), It was tastebud heaven and although I paid an arm and a leg for a salad, I was pretty pleased the meal didn't involve any bread or potatoes!

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Sunday was by far the most miserable day. It rained, and rained and rained, and it just didn't stop, I had left my bike outside the Rijks museum the previous day and had been putting off collecting by telling myself  I'd go when it stopped raining, It didn't. Resulting in facing my fear of taking the tram to the museum and biking back in rain and wind. It took me the entire day to convince myself to go and do such a meagre task. Sometimes the rainy weather here can make you the laziest person in the world. To justify this, as I write this post I am lying in bed whilst it rains quite severely outside...