FOOD GUIDES

WANDER STORIES | FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH AMSTERDAM AND (ITS) COFFEE

08/13/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 6 Comments

The fresh smell of coffee soon wafted through the apartment, the smell that separates night from day. – Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki

I still remember my first trip to Amsterdam. I must have been 16 or so, maybe even younger. My dad and I went on a motorcycle trip from his town in Northern Germany to Amsterdam. I’m not sure how long the trip lasted but I still vividly recall sitting on the back of his motorcycle thinking this was the coolest thing ever. Until we arrived in Amsterdam. Because my dad preferred to stay in a hotel outside the city. So we had to drive to the city centre fully equipped. Leather jacket and pants, helmet and all the weight that comes with it. Considering that at the tender age of 15/16 I was tall, thin and lanky, leather clothes didn’t look very cool on me. Needless to say, I felt slightly embarrassed walking the streets of hip and trendy Amsterdam with an hideous outfit and my dad by my side. …

WANDER STORIES | MOSCOW FOOD & TRAVEL GUIDE

07/27/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. Leave a Comment

Her Time
She has been feeling it for awhile – that sense of awaking. There is a gentle rage simmering inside her, and it is getting stronger by the day. She will hold it close to her – she will nurture it and let it grow. She won’t let anyone take it away from her. It is her rocket fuel and finally, she is going places. She can feel it down to her very core – this is her time. She will not only climb mountains – she will move them too.”
― Lang Leav

I put this post off for as long as possible. I edited all the photos, I noted the places, I set up this post with all the links. And yet, it took me 3 weeks to start writing. I find it hard to grasp Moscow. It’s vibe and people and culture. Though, it should be familiar to me. I was born in the former GDR and the country’s relationship to Russia was strong. My parents and family used to tell me about their adventurous trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg. They talked about their beauty and pomp and glory. But they also remembered Moscow as a lively city with an amazing bar scene. For them travelling to Russia was like a dream come true. It was one of the only countries they were allowed to visit, though not everyone went or was allowed or could afford it like my mum.
…

A QUICK FOOD GUIDE TO ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND

06/05/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 1 Comment

When I knew that I was going to Zürich, what did I do first? That’s right – dived into Google searches looking for the best places to eat. Luckily my hotel in Zürich was already sorted and so was my breakfast. But I still had ‘food slots’ available for late morning snacks, lunch, early afternoon snacks, late afternoon snacks and dinner. If you just spend two days in a city, there is only so much you can eat. But I tried my best and found some pretty tasty spots, from traditional Swiss cuisine to cold pressed juices and delicious coffee. Many of the food and coffee spots are recommendations from my friends Heike of @tastyasheck and Fanny of @fannythefoodie. I have also listed all their other tips further down below….

A QUICK TRAVEL & FOOD GUIDE TO OLD ISTANBUL

05/05/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 5 Comments

Hands up who has always been dreaming about travelling to Istanbul? And hands up again who is now hesitant due to disturbances and political unrest? It’s probably one of the most frequently asked question I get: “Is it safe to visit Istanbul at the moment?” That’s the same question my dad kept on asking me since we moved to Istanbul, Turkey 1.5 years ago. Usually he is one of the first guests who hops on a plane to visit me, no matter where I live. In general I don’t like to convince people or talk them into something because it must be their decision only. I can only tell them stories of my life, show them photos and answer all questions truthfully. As for my dad, talking about the delicious Turkish food probably did the trick eventually….

A QUICK FOOD GUIDE TO VALLETTA & MALTA

03/23/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 6 Comments

I remember, when I was little, around the age of 10, a lot of my mum’s friends would go to Malta on vacation. I always thought, who wants to go to Malta if you can go to Italy. When I turned 12 I had the option of going on a language course, either to the UK or Malta. And again I though London and the rough British weather sounds much more tempting than Malta. Almost 20 years later and I finally did it. I went to Malta with a friend of mine mid of March. With Malta I even hit a little milestone, I visited my 70th country. Honestly I probably wouldn’t have travelled to Malta if it wasn’t for three reasons.

First of all, my friend, who is living in Hamburg didn’t want to fly very long so it had to be something in Europe. Secondly, I only wanted to go somewhere where there was a somewhat good guarantee of sunshine and mild temperature, so it had to be in the South of Europe. And last but not least, and that was the difficult part, I wanted to visit a new country. …

A QUICK FOOD GUIDE TO TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

03/09/2017 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 10 Comments

Israel has been on my bucket list for the longest time. First and foremost, there is the food. Some of my favorite dishes come from that region. Some recipes have its origin from bordering countries like Palestine and Irak which makes a culinary tour through Israel even more interesting. And then you have the religious influences. Jewish food meets Muslim food meets Christian food. Not everything you eat in Israel is Israeli and I would have much preferred to travel to all surrounding countries. But that’s not always easy and so I enjoyed my time in Israel as a melting pot of food from the region and diverse religions.

Before I continue with my post, let me say one thing. Believe it or not but you will eat the best hummus and pita in your life when coming to Israel. I could have never imagined that hummus could taste even better than I know. It just blew my mind and if you can’t find any reasons yourself why to visit Israel. The hummus will be justification enough. Trust me on this one….

A QUICK FOOD GUIDE TO STOCKHOLM

12/05/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 6 Comments

Back in November I spent a few days in Stockholm with my boyfriend. We booked our flights spontaneously and hopped on the plan a few days later. We stayed at the very beautiful and super stylish Miss Clara Hotel. Unfortunately or fortunately we were only half lucky with the weather. We had lots of rain but we also had a couple if days of sunshine. Though the weather conditions and low light made this trip slightly challenging.

Photo-wise I couldn’t capture the best moments, neither of the food nor of the city. But there wasn’t a single place we ate at that we didn’t like. So just trust me on this and try all the recommendations of my food guide to Stockholm. It’s not a comprehensive list as we only spent 3 full days (and we had breakfast included in the hotel) in Stockholm. However you’ll find something for everyone. Healthy eats and sweet buns, vegetarian Swedish classics as well as veggie and acai bowls. …

A HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY

11/05/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 3 Comments

This post is long overdue. I’ve been back from NYC for more than a month now. But it was quite difficult for me to start writing. I didn’t know if I wanted this post to be something like “OMG! I had such an amazing time, met the most brilliant people, made wonderful friendships, finally got to know so many Instagram friends in real life and oh yes, also ate some nice food”. Or if I wanted it to be more like “I enjoyed the most delicious food, explored every corner of the health scene, tried out so many new things, brought back even more inspiration and met some nice people at the SAVEUR Blog Awards”. You probably guessed it by now. My NYC trip was neither solely about the food nor was it only about the SAVEUR Blog Awards. But let me start from the beginning….

24 HOURS IN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA – A QUICK FOOD GUIDE

10/08/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. Leave a Comment

After a week of mountains, curvy roads, cute sheep herds and endless landscape beauty we arrived at the last stop of our Romania trip – Bucharest. I started my research a few days before we went to Bucharest and you usually find two kinds of opinions about this city. Either people love it or hate it. I think you should visit it but you don’t need to stay more than 24 hours. I love its dynamic and lively vibe. You’ll find lots of communist-era institutions paired with trendy cafes, an energetic nightlife as well as lush parks and an eclectic mix of architecture. In comparison to the rest of Romania, I loved Bucharest’s food scene….

A QUICK GUIDE TO LISBON

09/04/2016 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 7 Comments

For most people it might seem adventurous and exciting that I’ve been to over 60 countries. And I myself have to pinch my arm sometimes. Have I really seen so much of this world? And what is more to come? Will there ever be more fascinating places than the ones I have already seen? And that is when the downside, my very personal downside, of traveling begins. It’s like getting overloaded with toys as a little child. The first few dolls and trucks and puzzles were exciting but then the excitement slowly fades. Then you find yourself thinking that country x or city y is actually quite boring. And you wonder if this is because your mind and soul are overwhelmed with impressions and experiences from previous trips. Or is that certain city or country just not as fun as you expected it to be.

I tell you, it’s a nagging thought. It’s an unpleasant thought because you don’t want to end up with a life that seeks for the next more challenging, more thrilling, more adventurous, more exciting trip. You also want to appreciate quiet moments and soothing journeys. You want to wander a city, walk aimlessly through its hilly streets, enjoy a refreshing drink on cobbled squares, stop at the bakery to inhale the smell and a freshly baked pastry shortly after. And you want to think “Oh, this city is simply beautiful”. Then you realise that all your worries were for nothing. Because just when you thought you had seen it all and will never be impressed again, then there is Lisbon. Portugal’s quite capital. Not in terms of noise. But in comparison to other European capitals like London, Paris or Berlin, Lisbon is not the most popular travel destination. Wrongfully….