Autumnal Scarf 2016

Since learning how to crochet it's become a bit of a tradition to make an Autumnal cowl (you can see 2015 here and 2014 here) . This year the tradition has been extended to a scarf, and it's particularly cosy.

The yarn I used was Jarol Shetland Mist which is acrylic with a dmall wool percentage - it's nice and warm and soft to touch.

Looking forward to some crisp cold weather to wear it in!

A Taste of Munich

Last weekend we went to Munich. Despite learning German since the age of 11 I have never been to Munich. I've travelled through it, but never seen it. I think I missed out!

It's a really lovely city, with lots to look at. It was badly bombed during WWII and many of the buildings are reconstructions. The statue above is of Juliet, a gift from Verona, with which Munich is twinned. A certain part of her anatomy is considered lucky to touch for wannabe wooers, as you can probably see...

My favourite part of Munich was the beer halls and cellars. My favourite was the Hofbraeuhaus, which was the royal Bavarian brewery and now belongs to the state of Bavaria. It's one of Munich's oldest beer halls and really rather pretty. I was a bit sceptical of beer kellers and halls before we went - I just thought they would be full of tourists - but actually they were full of tourists and locals, and one of the friendliest environments I've ever been in! While we were there we got chatting to people who lived around the corner, American tourists, the atmosphere was just so friendly and welcoming. You basically just sit down whereever there is space on a bench, and chances are you'll get chatting away to whoever is next to you. 

This quote summed up the atmosphere for me - 'Thirst is worst than homesickness' - grab a beer and join in no matter where you're from!

Traditional music to accompany us as we drank and chatted

We drank the Mass (1 litre), needless to say it took a while to get through one of those! (well, some got through them quicker than others ;))

We also explored the English Garden, which is one of the biggest public parks in Europe. It was so vast and spacious it didn't feel like we were in a city any more. It also felt super Autumal which was really nice.

On our last day we went to Schloss Nymphenburg, which was the summer residence for Bavarian royalty. It was a lovely sunny day so we didn't go in, instead wandering around the extensive grounds. Again, felt like we had left the city completely!

Such a wonderful weekend, and it was great to see our friends again :)

Hope you're enjoying Autumn, whereever you are!

First Autumnal Weekend - Calke Abbey

Last weekend C's mum came to stay and we decided to explore Calke Abbey, a local National Trust property. Whilst there I managed to convince C to get joint membership, finally - I've been trying for years! Calke Abbey isn't actually an Abbey itself, but a stately home built on the site of a former religious house by the Harpur family

The house had the most beautiful grounds, which  we explored before heading to the house. It felt lovely and autumnal as we wandered around the various paths, gardens and buildings

The house itself was extraordinary - it's been left in the state of slight neglect in which it was passed to the NT, as a monument to the struggles of the large stately houses mid-twentieth century. One of the previous Harpurs was obsessed with natural history, and a large portion of the rooms were filled with glass cases of dead animals. It was a bit eerie to be honest.

My favourite room was the library, look at all those books!

After our visit to the house we went back to the gardens and had a wander around the kitchen garden. I loved the scarecrows!

As always a brilliant day out with the National Trust - looking forward to making the most of the membership!!!