I can’t recommend you to drive off Highway 1 in one day. The distance definitely longer than expected. Of course, you should also take the one or other stop and not rush through. We started in San Francisco at noon and arrived in Monterey in the late afternoon.
MONTEREY – 17-Mile Drive
The 17-Mile Drive is the coastal road of the Monterey Peninsula between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey. For the whole tour we needed about one hour. But that was because we were so late that we arrived at the famous Lone Cypress at dusk.
the Shell by Mark Mills
ARCHITECTURE on the 17-mile drive
<“The Shell by Mark Mills
3137, 17 Miles Drive, Carmel, CA 93953
Walker House by Frank Lloyd Wright
26336 Scenic Road, Carmel, CA 93923
The Loney Cypress
Early morning continue Bixby Creek Bridge
6 o’clock in the morning our alarm clock rang and we set off for the famous Bixby Creek Bridge. Getting up early was definitely worth it. The sky slowly turned pink and the quiet moment with a view of the bridge was beautiful. Afterwards we drove further south.
beautiful morning mood on the 17-Miles-Drivewith my dear Julia
Hearst Castle
We drove down the track quite relaxed. The Hearst Castle was no longer on my screen. But I had read on Amandine’s blog before that it was unfortunately closed. Suddenly the sign popped up. The castle was also recommended to me by my friend who lives in LA. And yes – it was a dream. We did the Upper Suites Tour, which was less visited than the classic tour. The tour was really worth it.
The last few hours down to LA dragged on a bit. We stopped briefly in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately we were a bit tired, so we just wanted to arrive in Los Angeles.
Matching the photos, the sun is shining again here in Berlin. At the moment I am full of work. At the moment there is simply nothing exciting. I use the grey winter months to plan my current construction project, among other things. That will be super exciting! One project after the other… but that’s what keeps me going!
Today I’m going to have a relaxed winter look with a cosy sweater and a bit of glitter. Why not wear sequins in everyday life?
OUTFIT DETAILS
Warehouse pullover here Asos sunglasses here H&M sequin skirt old Ted Baker boots
7:50 and I am sitting under my roof window while the rain is pouring down softly on the glass. Berlin shows itself again from its most beautiful side. I am a little bit proud. Proud that I made it out of bed before 8:40. Vicky, what’s wrong with you? Me, who usually got up at 7:15-7:30. For the past few months, I’ve been adjusting to my partner’s rhythm. Always going to bed after midnight and woke up just in time for going to work.
What I really miss is my morning rest, the time for myself, the time for writing blog articles. Early in the morning I’m usually full of energy (given that I have enough sleep) and can develop creatively much better. I would say that 80% of my texts here on the blog were written before 9 am. And as important as the morning routine is, so are the evening habits to get the most out of your sleep. Together with TEMPUR® I’ll tell you what works well for me.
TEMPUR®sleep survey
Impressive here are some results of the TEMPUR® Sleep Survey on the habits of Germans.
SATISFACTION
70% are satisfied with their sleep. I would have estimated this at much less, since in today’s environment one hears very frequent messages about stressed, exhausted people. I am glad that only 30% of them sleep badly.
THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE STORM
I can only emphasize. Especially in spring and summer I love the early hours. I enjoy my first hot drink and sit in the sun for a few minutes. This makes me one of the 54% of Germans who are early risers.
SIDE SLEEPER & YOU
I’ve been a side sleeper forever. I’ve been wanting to get used to a disciplined back sleep for so long now (yes, allegedly one hardly gets wrinkles from ;-) ). In the end the body does what it wants at night, I always wake up turned to the side.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY – MAKES US FUNNY!
Yeah, there’s probably a lot of that going around. The Tempur study also found another interesting fact that the quality of sleep increases with income. People with high income usually have a very high pressure, so I would have classified the result differently.
SNOOZE FOR THE WIN
And how many alarms do you need in the morning? Usually I only need one alarm clock and I belong to the 49% of Germans. Currently I like to sleep over several alarm clocks.
I want to read more in the evening, put the mobile away and just fall into bed well exhausted. All ideal ideas that are really difficult to realize. I would like to implement a mobile phone ban in our bedroom, but I still need a lot of persuasion from my boyfriend. I am not completely innocent, because most of the time I scroll on my mobile phone and watch a last YouTube video before I fall asleep. I really envy people who just go to bed and fall asleep immediately.
The evening routine
I haven’t come back to my old morning routine yet, but 5 points of my evening routine can be implemented super:
Sport – yes I know At the top of every list. It helps me a lot, though. 2-3 a week I currently make it to the sport. And yes, it just feels so good!
My evening preparation usually starts around 9pm. I put on tea and we enjoy a few cups on the sofa (that just sounds so stuffy).
Clean up helps me a lot. I tidy up the kitchen every day. I cook a lot and since we don’t have so many pots, there is no way to do the dishes. But I find this work very relaxing.
I’ve become a strong evening shower. I find there’s nothing more sleepy than a hot shower in the evening.
Last but not least I spray a little Sleep well spray around the bed area. That helps me a lot.
With my morning creativity this article shot out of the blue. And in the background I already hear the 3rd alarm clock of my friend, who probably ignores it. But in this horrible weather, I can understand too well why no ten horses can get him out of bed. I cuddle up for a few more minutes.
This article was created in cooperation with TEMPUR® but reflects my personal views.
LA Restaurant Guide. What beautiful memories we’ve created in Los Angeles. We spent two days with dear friends in LA. Of course, I was very excited about the city, because probably everybody has a certain idea of the city because of the movies. However, you clearly need more time than two days for the city of stars. It is huge and you’re going to spend a lot of time in the car. The traffic is really unbearable. But LA has incredibly cool restaurants, cafés and great architectural masterpieces. And this is exactly the reason why you need a lot of time and planning beforehand, because many of the sights can be visited on certain days only.
In the 2,5 days we have been testing a lot. Luckily, my friends were also foodies and been living for some years in LA now. Of course, they’d brought us to super cool places. Also, I thought the restaurant prices in LA were humane. In fact, there are many local, authentic restaurants in the respective districts (Korean, Japanese, African … districts).
Here are my LA restaurant recommendations. At the end you will also find an overview where the restaurants are located.
If there was one place I’d go back immediately it is Gjusta Bakery. The location in Venice is so, so great. You come in and find a long banquet that starts with bread, continues with small appetizers, fish, sweet pastries and ends at a long marble counter. In the backyard there is a small terrace. We found it close to the action at the counter way cooler.
Order here the Salmon Rye Bagel or Shashuka. Both were super good. Otherwise you can get inspired at the bar. And the bread, the bread was so good.
320 Sunset Ave, Venice, CA 90291
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In-N-Out, Hollywood Amp; more locations
Yes fast food, but what a fast food! I couldn’t believe the hype about In-N-Out. In California, everybody loves the chain. Even after the Oscars, the stars and starlets meet after the event for a burger. But I have to admit that the price and performance is just right here. The burgers are fantastic. The meat is not frozen like with other fast food chains, because In-N-Out sets great store by fresh products. There are only classic burgers here, which is backed up by the good price discount and no waste of food. Insiders know that there are still different secret menus. The only thing that is not good at In-N-Out are the fries. But as my girlfriend said, that’s just part of In-N-Out. So always order “Animal Style Fry”!
8731 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069, United States
Little tip: break open the Japalenos and put the spicy juice on the burger! Yumm!
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LEO’S TACOS TRUCK, Wildshire & more locations
An absolute must-do for us was to go for tacos once. My girlfriend’s husband is Mexican, so we were in good hands. In her opinion, the best tacos are at Leo’s Tacos. The tacos cost $1 and you can top them off as much as you want. A highlight was that the meat is cut from the spit and then from the top a piece of pineapple. We went to the one in Wildshire, which is apparently the best one.
1515 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90019, United States
5525 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
1533 Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006
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CAFÉ STELLA,Silverlake
The Café Stella in Silverlake was recommended to me by a friend. The interior is super nice and inviting. Outside you can find some seats in the small courtyard.
3932 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029, United States
How beautiful is the beard counter please?
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PINE AND CRANE, Silverlake
For a quick lunch I can highly recommend Pine & Crane. Like Cafe Stella, it is also located in Silverlake and only a few meters away. The Taiwanese-Chinese restaurant offers delicious noodles and rice dishes as well as various salads. We found it very tasty there.
1521 Griffith Park Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026, United States
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BAR CALÓ, Sunset Boulevard
The Bar Caló is a new bar in LA, where a dream in pink has come true. The interior is super nice. Supposedly even nicer during the day. The cocktails are also very good – what more could you want. We were really lucky that it was so empty. Supposedly it’s always super crowded.
1498 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026, United States
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ACE HOTEL, Los Angeles
A visit to the ACE Hotel is not to be missed. The interior is unbelievably beautiful and on the terrace one can stay very well. For us, it was a very nice ending.
929 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015, United States
You should not miss these recommendations under any circumstances. Here are some addresses I’ve saved.
Did you also have such a weird start into the new decade? I definitely had. Even though I started the new year with maximum relaxation a little down phase followed back in Berlin. Moreover, I got sick. Was it a little winter depression? I do not know. Maybe it was. Then finally the sun came back and warmed up the sad winter Berlin. I was full of energy again. The thought that 2020 is probably one of my most planned years at the beginning of the year reawakened the joy of life in me. What a little bit of sun can do…
Last year there was a stop sometime. As much as I loved shooting outfits, I lacked inspiration. But exactly these posts were missing, where I could share my thoughts with you besides looks. In the “editorial” travel and culinary articles I find this more difficult to accommodate. After almost ten years of blogging, I’m constantly asking myself how the journey should continue. Everyone is always talking about change and variety. I have to admit, it does me good to blog about exactly the same things as I did three years ago, five years, ten years ago when I was 18.
OUTFIT DETAILS
Bohoo dotted chiffon blouse here Oasis metallic skirt similar here Sandro Pepita bag here Pura Lopez boots
the Shell by Mark Mills
The Loney Cypress
beautiful morning mood on the 17-Miles-Drive
with my dear Julia
