Stockholm Part 2

First of all, I would like to welcome all those people that have started following this blog since the last couple of weeks, I hope you will enjoy some of my posts and find something to inspire you.

Now, let's go on with the holiday pictures. In Stockholm there is this lovely botanic garden that my friend and I visited. I wanted to share some of the pictures I took there with you even though I only have a mobile camera. My friend Imke took loads of beautiful pictures with her proper camera but I didn't have the chance to get them from her yet. Anyways, I hope you like them. It was great to stroll through the glass houses and the garden, I love plants of all kind and some were extremely impressive. They have the biggest sea rose in the world there but unfortunately, it didn't have any flowers when we visited.

What is your favourite flower or plant? I love sunflowers but I have a thing for herbs, too!

Have a great day,

The Countess

This summer

Today I had two exams (Elections in Medieval History and Psychology) in a row which was really exhausting but now I only have to go to my Early Modern English class tomorrow and then I am free until Octobre. I do have another exam in September and there also is that paper about Clara Zetkin but all in all I have holidays! Hip hip hooray!

In order to celebrate that fact properly I have decided to share my list of things I want to do this summer in order to make the best out of it. The notes in italics show how far these projects have gone so far

- go to Sweden and Estonia with my friend Imke 

-> everything is booked and fixed

- read Edgar Allan Poe

-> started reading his short novels

- watch a play at a theatre in Cologne

-> I have a double ticket...Since 2010...

- visit a bunch of museums

-> I went to the Cologne History Museum today after my exams

- learn all elements of the periodic table

-> I know about 25 right now

- go to the Spa with friends

-> We bought coupons months ago

- stich more

-> There are some vague ideas...

- visit Aachen with the Count

-> I have to wait until he has written all of his exams

- create my family tree

-> I downloaded a programme and put my 20 closest relatives in it.

- go to the Botanic Garden of the Uni of Bonn

-> Again, I have to wait for the count...

- go to the opera for the very first time

-> A friend told me she wanted to go with me

- sew something

-> I know i want a black skirt...

- practice calligraphy

-> bought a new quill and new ink in gold

The Cologne City Museum was amazing! I never went to a museum on my own without friends or family but i must say it was absolutely briliant! The museum is in the old Zeughaus which is the armoury. 

Source

They have an impressive collection of medieval and early modern art and parts of the museum are reserved for the themes jews in Cologne, women in Cologne, childhood in Cologne, the founding of the University or science. I loved some of the paintings and especially the two huge old globes that are part of the science exhibiton.

They also had to special exhibitons, one was about the Cologne painter and revolutionist of 1848/49 Wilhelm Kleinenbroich and the other one was about Cologne's Churches and their decorations. I liked the original exhibition better but those two were still really good.

One random fact I learned: In Early Modern times children up to six years were dressed in girl's clothes without any regard to their gender. There are some features and hints on painting though that declare a child as male or female. One feature for example could be a bird on the arm of the child which is a sign that the child is male.

What are your plans for the summer? And what should I add to my list?

Have a great day,

The Countess

Playing snow white...

Last year when I went to Berlin during the holidays the Count and I made some new friends:

Aren't they adorable?

Winter blues

It's official: I have the winter blues.

I really want to hide my boot in the darkest corner of the closet and trade umbrellas for parasols. A few days ago I got really excited over the singing of some birds that were sitting in a tree in my neighbourhood and that was when I realized: 
I want spring. Now. ASAP . I want leaves on the trees, waking up because the sun shines in your face and most importantly: Butterflies.

Unfortunately, even though I am the Good Fairy I can neither change the weather nor the season. So basically all I can do is wait. Wait and think of warmer days. So here we go:

These were all taken last summer in Berlin.