LNDN! Day 8

Hello dear readers!

I haven't had the time to write anything on my blog for the last almost one and a half months, for I was so busy studying for exams.

However, now I really have to hurry writing about my last days of my (now kind of long ago) trip to London, for I will be flying there again this coming Monday, to spend New Year's there and then I might have some new things to write about!

So here I go... Day 8 mesdames and messieurs!

http://uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/tourists/

I cannot post the small map of my walk, because I went to the mall in Stratford with Domi.

"

Westfield Stratford City

Europe’s largest urban shopping and leisure destination

With 250 shops plus 70 places to dine, Westfield Stratford City is the largest urban shopping and leisure mall in Europe and a stunning new lifestyle destination for East London.

As well as the many shops and restaurants, you’ll find a range of world-class leisure facilities.   Boasting 17 screens, Westfield Stratford City’s Vue Cinema is one of largest, most innovative all-digital cinemas in Europe.   You can also enjoy a luxury bowling experience at All Star Lanes while Aspers Casino, with its two bars and an 80-seat restaurant, sets a benchmark in the UK for modern entertainment.

Westfield Stratford City is part of one of the largest urban regeneration projects ever undertaken in the UK, and it is ideally positioned on the doorstep of the Olympic Park.   With so much to explore, don’t miss out on this iconic new shopping destination.

"
This is the exact description of the mall taken from the mall's website.

This mall is only a few stops away from Canary Wharf, and you can get there with the Jubilee Line all the way to the stop "Stratford".

We checked out almost every store in the main building, and I think there is also an outdoor area which belongs to the mall.

It was pretty tiring after a while, roaming around in the mall and we decided to eat lunch in the food court.

We both decided to eat at "Pho" where we also ordered the Vietnamese dish Pho.

Pho is a noodle soup with different ingredients in it.
At the restaurant "Pho" you can choose between two types of noodles and then they offer a variety of fifteen different types of Pho you can choose from.

The good thing is: They do not add any cilantro (I really don't like the taste!) or chili, but you get a plate with everything on it, so you can season it the way you want it!

Domi chose a Beef Pho and I chose a King Prawn Pho.
I must say: Both were very delicious, and it was a lot to eat!

There is not much more to say about our trip to the mall, except that there for sure is a variety of stores and also a variety of food to choose from in the food court!

It's worth a trip if you enjoy shopping! :)


x J.

"I don't need to be treated like a princess!"

Hello dear readers!

I recently talked with one of my friends about men [our boyfriends to be exact], and how it is sooo nice to be invited to dinner, lunch or any other kind of meal (haha this is especially very important for me because I'm always hungry!), or getting (surprise) gifts, or really nice gifts when we already expect to get one (like for Christmas or our birthday).

Supposedly, most of the women out there will sit in front of their screen nodding their head, but apparently there are also women who don't need any of this!

WHAT?

Yes, it's true! 

For instance: Once, I talked with a girl who had a boyfriend (or still has, I really don't care though...)  and she said, that her boyfriend didn't really treat her to ANYTHING (or only on very rare occasions), and she was (still!) happy to give him some surprise gifts, or invite HIM!

The moment she told me about that -and I was single back then - my jaw dropped to the floor and I was staring at her in disbelief: 

She firmly said she didn't want to be treated like a princess, or she at least didn't need to be treated like one!

Even worst: I once heard about a girl who had a boyfriend, and she sometimes had to bring her OWN BOTTLED WATER to his house, because he didn't have any although he knew she normally only drinks bottled water.
Like seriously: A bottle of water costs 0,19€ (approx. $0,26)
Omg, I am (again!) laughing with tears in my eyes, for this is so unbelievable to me..

Even being single back then, I knew that what I wanted (and what I until then supposed EVERY girl wants) was to be treated like a princess (or at least get a glass of water I don't have to bring with me hahaha)!

To be honest, my impression was: They both were happy that there is/was this someone who agreed to be their boyfriend and that's about all they needed.

My question is: Do women really have to be that desperate when it comes to relationships and love?

HELL TO THE NO!!!

I must admit, I was a very happy little single lady back then when I heard about those stories, which might also have been a reason why I wasn't really that desperate to just be happy about some man being at my side, but another reason is that THAT'S JUST NOT ME (even if I should have been an unhappy little single lady haha)!

Another thing I really consider to be a big NO-NO is to treat a man you like to a drink FIRST! Or shortly after he treated you to a drink, or the first time you ever saw him in your life...
I mean just NO, why would you?? Only if he's your buddy and supposed to stay your buddy forever, but NOT when you really like him and would like for it to develop to something more!
If you want it to be more than just friends and still treat him to a drink although it's nothing official yet (or you see him for the first time), then you're getting yourself friend zoned (or a grasping person will fall in love with you because he would look forward to a future in which he has a girlfriend while not having to treat her to anything, and in fact being treated himself!)

Actually, I once was on a date and the guy didn't pay, and even the waitress looked at me in pity and also shared my shock about him saying: "We'll pay separately".

That was the last time I saw that guy. 

The way I see it is:  If a man is not ready to treat you like a princess when you start going out on dates, then he never will! In fact: it might even get worst.

So: What actually makes a boyfriend a BOYFRIEND?

In my opinion it is of course not about material things like treating you to dinner or giving you presents all the time.

It is about letting you know and feel you're the center of his attention, and he's like your biggest fan (ok this might sound cheesy, but I just want to make a point here)!

But then also, being treated to different kinds of stuff is such a nice plus, and definitely a plus I wouldn't want to miss! Otherwise it would remind me of going out for dinner/lunch/whatever with my regular friends..

However, don't forget to give back!

Cook his favorite dish for him, also if you start dating that might be a very nice thing to do, for one of the ways to win a man's heart is going through his stomach (at least that's a famous saying in German...I hope English speaking people have a similar saying, so it won't end up making no sense just like "A Cheers to Coziness" hahaha)

But also: Give him some (surprise) gifts in return (not on the same day, for it shouldn't look like a refund haha), or gifts he can really look forward to!

I usually enjoy spontaneously buying things I see in stores, which I think will look good on Domi, and he's also been very happy with it so far!

Then: Also invite him to lunch/dinner at times! 

Or: bring some chocolate/chips/fruits for your movie/TV night together, or get him his favorite pizza if you go grocery shopping!

Those are little things to easily give back, to say thank you for being treated like a princess! 

For most men really give their best to make us happy!

And if the man doesn't meet your standards (for - EXCUSE ME - in my opinion he has to -to put it friendly haha- get a "head start" in treating us to things... like... the first 3 to 4 months! He really has to win you over first!) then just let it go, for it will not make you any happier if you proceed taking the "train to hopeless town", might even make you miserable!

Don't "sell yourself" under your standards, for then you'll also really only meet the men who will "buy you at the cheapest possible price" (ok, not talking about human traffic here, but I guess you get what I want to say).

Be one of those "old school" girls, who enjoy when a man courts you!

Stay true to yourself and don't let love (or a lot of interest) make you blind!

And dear men -in case there are any male readers here-, please don't get the wrong ideas reading about apparently existing girls being fine with nothing! 

In fact, please be classy gentlemen, for what I still firmly believe is that only because a girl claims not NEEDING to be treated like a princess, she may still WISH to be treated like a princess deep inside.

x J.

Do I have to dress up to shop?

¡Buenos dias! everyone!

The topic of this post came to my mind just half an hour ago, when I was walking through a store.

I just came from university, so I was dressed in simple dark blue slacks, grey chelsea boots, a dark blue Trenchcoat like coat and wearing my backpack (how else should I have transported my laptop and the heavy books??).

For the lock of my bike broke yesterday, I had to walk to uni and of course also back home, and thus, after looking for a new lock, I decided to walk through the city.

Last week or so I saw a very cute little Longchamp Le Pliage in dark violet, and then -of course- I started looking online, when I also found the Longchamp Planètes bag and now I wanted to see how they look and feel in reality!

So I went into one shop, which seems to be THE hotspot for everyone looking for a pricy designer bag (not talking about "Le Pliage"-pricy, for the price is quite fair I guess, but also the leather Longchamps, Chloé, Givenchy and MCM to give you some examples).

Of course the ladies in the store were watching me wander through the store, "trying on" different bags (I always have to see if the bag "fits to me" and my style, if you know what I mean...) and I noticed it, but just kept on looking at every bag I liked (which were about 10 bags).

Looking around the store, I only saw elderly ladies (people you would probably consider being "rich"), wearing their chic coats, being all dolled up, when the question popped up in my mind:

Do I have to dress up to shop?

Firstly, I guess the sales ladies were looking at me, because I'm young, and people apparently seem to think young people are poor (at least that's what I read in their faces while they were watching my every step).

Secondly, I was there with my fully packed backpack, which has a flower print (but was also blue, so it actually "matched" my outfit).

Thirdly, my hair was tied up in a "messy" ponytail (but that's the way I like it!).


So my question is: Why am I (apparently) not allowed to walk around with my fat backpack and a casual hairstyle when shopping in such places?

There was a report, or an article - I can't remember which one- where someone said that most rich people dress very casually, meaning even jeans and a plain white t-shirt!

Also, why is Cara Delevingne allowed to walk around with her baseball cap and funny backpacks, and normal girls like me are being watched although obviously coming back from uni with a fully packed backpack (ok, because we're not famous, but what kind of standard would that be?)

Just to let you know: I didn't feel intimidated being watched while walking around checking out bags, but still... I don't think it's nice of the sales ladies to give younger people who just come there the way they are those side glances.

However, I know it is sometimes also about the image of the store, which might be (or is!) a big reason why they wouldn't want anyone to lurk around in their store being poorly dressed.

Finally, in my opinion the things that should count for them are:

1. People don't look too trashy (and hey: you can't discriminate my backpack like that!)
2. People shouldn't steal anything (obviously!)
3. ideally, people should have enough money to buy something, for then the sales ladies can even profit from "us", because most people working in sales get a small percentage of commission for every sale they made.


To give you an impression of my look (and so you hopefully believe that I wasn't too poorly dressed ;) ) here is a selfie I just took (in a poor quality though, sorry for that!).

So those are my thoughts of the day! 

I wish you a nice weekend!

x J.

LNDN! Day 7

Hello again!

I spent day 7 doing walk 8 through Notting Hill!

MERIAN LIVE! Spaziergänge London

You start at Notting Hill Gate and then you start off walking through some neighborhood there, and then you basically walk through Portobello Road and its famous Portobello Market!

They sell lots of crafts, hats, and other nice things there!

I basically spent most of my time wandering through shops, stopping at almost every stand and I even found a vintage market further down the road!
..and people really looked vintage there.

Then I found a small stand and a nice cardigan for 5GBP (sorry, I don't know how to do the Pound sign on my mac and I'm to lazy to copy it from wikipedia right now haha..)!
So that's a good deal!

I actually went back right after I saw all of Portobello Market, so I didn't get to see Holland Park (but my boyfriend said it has a nice waterfall there). Oh well, there's always a next time!

Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for the next walk :)
x J.

neighborhood I walked through...

cute china!

simple pastel colored houses

Noble pastel colored houses

loved the white roses on pink with a green background :)

Vintage Market

LNDN! Day 6

Buenas tardes!

MERIAN LIVE! Spaziergänge London

This is my FAVORITE WALK- walk 9 through Kensington!

You start at Knightsbridge and end at High Street.

Harrods

Getting out of the tube station Knightsbridge, you stand in front of the famous Harrods!

I went inside to see how it is, and it's -obviously- all about designer goods, gourmet food, and everything else that's expensive.

Harvey Nichols, a department store with a similar concept as Harrods'

Then, I went across the street to Topshop (I haven't been there ever since I got to London, so DON'T JUDGE!) and found a sweater that was kind of cute. I was already convinced I would want to buy this sweater, but checked if it would look better in a larger size...
And then I saw, what I was actually looking for: A half-fake-leather-leggings!

Half, because only the front is leather-ish and the back is a normal black leggings!

I put the sweater away, tried on the leggings and fell in love!

On top of that, they had a student discount on everything in Topshop, as long as you have your student ID with you. Luckily I got an international student ID just before I left for London, so I even got a discount! :)

my "new" leggings! (topshop.com)

The Berkeley's

Afterwards I continued the walk, and passed by "The Berkeley's", a hotel where famous people often stay, then a bit through a very noble area, where they had the buildings lined up to look like a crescent!

Cute little spot!

Then I also passed by Lady Diana's favorite Italian restaurant, and several designer boutiques and then I found two things, that I love!

Lady Di's favorite Italian (so it says in my travel guide!)

First: I found a shop -I forgot the name though..- where they sell second hand things from very decent labels, such as Joseph, Max Mara, and several other labels and they give their earnings to charity (I think for cancer, but I am not sure!).

There I found a beautiful dress from the Max Mara Sport Collection which I am wearing on pictures in my Berlin post (the black dress).

What I love about this shop (and there are several other shops like this in London!) is that you find clothes with a very good quality (and name) for a very fair price and you also do something for charity!

After buying this -in my opinion- gorgeous dress I happily continued my walk, which led me to the Brompton Oratory, the second thing I loved so much about this walk!

Brompton Oratory

The Brompton Oratory is a huge church, with a beautiful (and huge!) Virgin Mary statue with a very nice lace gown! The statue is really something special, and I think the only time I saw a Virgin Mary statue with such a beautiful dress was in the Philippines.

The church itself is also very beautiful, and was built like a church in Rome.

Sadly I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but I highly recommend everyone to go there!

Exhibition Road

Afterwards I passed by the Victoria&Albert museum and other museums in the Exhibition Road.

I also passed by Imperial College, and I thought student's there must feel very happy and lucky to study there, for the area is soooo nice!! At least I would be happy if I were in their place hahaha

Imperial College

Next, I passed by the Royal Albert Hall, where they had an international ballroom dancing contest that "night" (ok it was maybe 4PM, so not really night..). Everyone there was all dressed-up, and I also wanted to go see the contest!! Oh well...

At this point I'd also like to mention how much I miss ballroom dancing classes! 

Royal Albert Hall

Albert Memorial

Well, then I just continued my walk, and I did not walk back to High Street, but I took a bus to Notting Hill Gate and then took the tube to Mile End and then back home.

So this was walk 6!

I highly recommend this walk, for -as I've mentioned earlier- this was really my favorite walk! 

Got to love Kensington!!

Stay tuned for the next walk,

x. J.