Foggy outlook

I'm back since last week but I don't feel like I've arrived... Not that I have any jet lag. I'm actually surprised. It's probably really the best to start working the next day because transitions only mess with your system. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the weather...

This is what it looks like when I get up and go to work. And it's going to look like this every day until spring starts. I'm not ready for fall yet! What a shame...

How can a place be so beautiful when the sun shines and so ugly when it doesn't?

Galletas de Ajo

This is one of my favorite salty snacks in the Dominican Republic: garlic bread chips. They are way better than German bread chips. Not as hard and also more delicious. Also this brand is better than others I've tried... It's where my boyfriend had a part-time job as a student.

 

Almost got a forbidden Souvenir

This is Taina, my boyfriend's mother's turtle pet. She is very old but still quick on her feet. Besides she loves to climb into bags and underneath the laundry.

If we weren't looking for her, I might have taken a forbidden souvenir in my hand luggage...

I can imagine how the police would have reacted...

"Oh you didn't notice the turtle in your bag? Yeah. Sure... She wanted to come by herself... Turtles climb into carry on bags all the time..."

I'm glad, I checked before we left... ;-)

 

Juan Dolio Beach

The best beach around Santo Domingo is Juan Dolio. It's even better than Boca Chica... The beach is cleaner and more quiet than Boca Chica. I even like it better than Punta Cana (Bavaro).

But see for yourself...

This is how you get to the beach, if you're in Santo Domingo. The bus stop is in La Duarte, close to the bus stop to Punta Cana:

Astrapu Bus Stop
Calle Jose Martí
10214 Santo Domingo

This is how the bus stop in Santo Domingo looks like. The last stop is San Pedro where also most of the people go. Therefore, it's important to tell the driver where you would like to go.

Go inside. This is how the ticket office looks like.

The bus is clean and has air-condition. It's also quite large and comfortable. I can highly recommend it.

Be sure to buy the ticket before you enter the bus. The ticket costs 110 Pesos, which are about 2€. Furthermore, tell the driver where you would like to go so he will stop and tell you. The trip lasts about 45-50 minutes depending on traffic. Sit on the right-hand side, if you want to enjoy the scenery. It is quite beautiful, as the route is along the coast.

This is where the bus stops. The bus to Santo Domingo stops on the other side of the road. Be careful when you cross the street! It's dangerous.

When you follow this street and turn left, there's the beach.

Enjoy your stay! There will also be an upcoming blog post about wooden figures which you can buy at the beach...

 

Exotic fruits

These are nispero and zapote, exotic fruits from the Dominican Republic.
From the outside they look a bit like kiwi but they taste completely different. Somehow like papaya but sweeter. They taste similar but zapote is much bigger, almost like a honey melon.
They also taste great as juice or batida (milk mix).

New In... Jewelry

50% on all pieces of the jewelry store "Mariale Accesorios" en el Conde of Santo Domingo. Who could possibly say no?

I don't wear these at work but when going out I love these big earrings...

 

Mr. Crab says hi

Electricity was back within 24 hours. So last night was bliss! :-)

Aren't they cute? I found these little guys at the beach of the Barcelo Bavaro Beach Resort.

The latter walked between my feet when I had breakfast. Before I could take a picture, he tried to get away but I got him before he disappeared.

 

Blackout for over 12 hours

Yesterday we had a really bad thunderstorm. There were so many lightnings that I couldn't count to the thunder because I didn't know to which lightning it belonged. I haven't seen any thunderstorms like that in my life...

As much as I love thunderstorms, I do not like the blackout following the event. Damn, it's freaking hot and the fan wouldn't work...

At least the sun is shining again today but I hope electricity will be on again today... Did you know that the water circuit is connected to the electricity? It's good that my boyfriend's mom has a generator so some of the electric devices still work, such as the internet and the fridge. We also have several containers of water to be able to shower and brush our teeth. Until now I had no idea why we had so many containers in the bathroom...

 

Outdoor Gym

How cool is this outdoor gym with ocean view? It's located at the Malecon in Santo Domingo.

No air conditioning needed. There's wind. Unfortunately, there are no weights but it's still better than nothing...

Outfit #22 New In... Black Tops

Besides mint tops I also bought black airy tops. As I'm into mint recently, I paired them both with my mint pants.

The only downside of these airy tops is that I have to hand wash them.

 

 

Apartments in Taipei, Taiwan

Prices for apartments in Taipei, Taiwan are ridiculous.

The price of a new 150qm apartment in this building is 1.4 million EUR (56 million NTD).

The building has 14 floors. Of course it includes an elevator as well as a doorman. The price also includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies, and 1 large living room including an open kitchen.

If you want the parking lot to go with this apartment, you've got to pay even 62000€ (5.6 million NTD) extra.

The price is especially ridiculous if you think about what a freshly graduated master earns: 500€ per month.

 

Skin Conditioner

This is a must-have beauty product for going to tropical countries or for hot summer days or nights. This is my second bottle. The first I bought in Japan, the second in Taiwan but I haven't seen anything like this in German drugstores... It kind of looks like a toner because it's clear but it's not. It nourishes the skin but it's very light which is perfect for summer, maybe not for 2014 but normally it would be great.

I refilled the liquid to a mini spray bottle of 30ml for light traveling which I got in Muji.

 

 

New In... Hello Kitty

I found this little 8GB USB stick at Tchibo for 12€. I'm sure I won't get it mixed up anymore and I'll take good care of this cute little baby USB.

I just can't imagine taking it to work meetings. Just think of all these serious men and then me with little hello kitty in my hand!

 

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐

Din Tai Fung is a Taiwanese franchise restaurant with high-quality food. They are especially famous for their mini dumplings (Xiao Long Bao 小籠包).

Do you see the people outside this restaurant? That's during lunch time and they all wait to be seated. Don't imagine how dinner time looks like...

I've been to one in Beijing with my cousin and his wife and this one is in Taiwan. But they are also located in Australia, USA, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and other cities in China. I can't wait for them to come to Europe.

It's also easy for foreigners because their menu has pictures and is written in several languages including English.

Anyway a must-eat is the dim sum dish Xiao Long Bao 小籠包

 

 

Empties #1

I love to watch Empties videos on YouTube. Using up a complete beauty product really shows if you like a product or if it totally doesn't work for you... So here are my first Empties.

1. S-Quito free: I've only used it for 6 days, spraying my arms and legs twice a day, and it's already empty. Besides, it claims to even work against tropical Mosquitos but I've already got 4 mosquito bites on my legs. So it doesn't even work properly. I definitely won't buy this again!
2. P2 bronzer #030 Bali heat: This bronzer is actually quite good. I like the color and that it shows up on my skin, even when I'm tanned. It's neither matte nor glittery. It has more of a sattin finish. I consider buying it again but I have a couple other bronzers at home. Right now, I use KIKO #103 which is matte but has a similar color.
3. Maybelline - illegal length mascara: It is waterproof and has fibers in it. It dried quickly and was clumpy. Besides, I didn't like the brush either. I won't rebuy it as I've found a better mascara, the Max Factor - masterpiece.
4. Essence - SOS spot killer: It worked but was too aggressive for my skin.
5. The Body Shop - Mango body scrub: Amazing. My holy grail body scrub. I love the scent, the efficacy and it actually nourishes the skin.
6. Maybelline - pure cover mineral concealer: I loved it but it was discontinued.
7. Balea - peeling gel: It's not bad but nothing special...
8. Florena: I used both day- and night creme. They were both not bad.
9. Clinique - All about eyes: It's a great eye cream. I even bought the full size "All about eyes rich". But I think the normal version is better.

 

Flowerception

I've got a couple new plants for my apartment. Although I'm not the big gardener I do enjoy my little green space.

I even got herbs which normally die but this time I bought a self-watering pot. I never actually knew herbs needed that much water.

Hopefully they will all still be alive when I get back. I put almost everything outside on the balcony to get some rain.

 

Outfit #21 New In... Mint Tops

I love airy colorful tops and blouses. It's simple but still elegant.

These two beauties I've found in el Conde in the Dominican Republic for less than 5€ each. Perfect for my vacation...

 

 

 

 

Vienna, Austria

My first visit to Vienna was for a job interview last year. It was 2 days after my job interview in Switzerland. I drove all the way to both interviews on my own. It took forever - 3 hours to Switzerland and almost a day to Vienna. And I most certainly won't ever drive that much in a day anymore. My nerves were shattered, I was tired and I needed more and more breaks on my way...

The job interview in Vienna wasn't bad but I wasn't at my best state of mind. Take my word for it... Don't ever drive a whole day to have a job interview. Flying would have saved me so much nerves.

If I didn't accept the Swiss offer first, this would have been my second choice. The job would have been interesting as well as I would have traveled a lot all over the world. Even more than I do now. But it would also be more difficult to see my boyfriend. I'm sure I made the right choice.

Vienna has all these amazing huge buildings. Isn't it beautiful?

It is a huge city but it doesn't feel too big.

The food is made for meat lovers. It's great for a couple days but maybe not for every day. Otherwise it's even more difficult to stay in shape...

New wine is called "Sturm" btw. I'm a big fan of it, so fresh and sweet.

 

New In... For my apartment

I can't tell you how much I enjoy having graduated and earning money now... Not the ridiculous salary as a phd student but a real salary.

Do you remember the blank space? I finally got a sofa after a couple months went by. I just couldn't decide what to get...

• Red sofa bed: from xxxlshop.de.
  
• Lantern: from Ikea.
  
• Tray: from Depot (5€)
  
• Chinese tea set: from my mom (probably from Taiwan)

The sofa could be a little bigger but I didn't want it to look humongous. For my apartment it's perfectly fine.

Nails: Mint and Turquoise

I like accent nails. I usually either choose the nails of my ring finger and thumb or index and small finger.

I love this color combination of mint and turquoise. This picture is actually from last year but I haven't blogged about it yet.

I used p2 #560 "who cares" and manhattan & buffalo LE #19 "pepper in my mint" nail polish.

I can't recommend the manhattan LE polish, although it's such a pretty color. It transferred to my nail and made it green even though I used a base. Big no go. Haven't worn it since...

 

Bern, Switzerland

When Chinese guests came visiting, we had an appointment in Bern, Switzerland. We were very lucky with the weather as it was quite crappy this summer. It was my second time visiting Bern. Last time it was also only due to business and I couldn't do any sight seeing. This time around we actually stayed downtown and visited these beautiful tiny stores. They are hidden in arcades at the left and right.

As my Chinese guests are used to bargains I also learned two new lessons.

1. You can get 10% discount on almost everything. Just ask. Sometimes even more, if you buy a lot...
2. Also you can get tax refund, if you spend more than 300 CHF in a store.

So here is my new pair of Italian nude leather pumps... I don't know the brand Bagatt but they have really beautiful leather shoes and bags.

This pair was reduced from 200 CHF to 90 CHF and I got them for 75€. They are soooo comfortable! I think they are perfect for work and elegant nights out. Hopefully they are going to last me a long time...

Don't you love them too?

 

Miyako - Japanese Restaurant in Geneva

I made a business trip to Geneva a couple months ago. Since my colleague and me were early, we decided to have sushi.

This is seriously the best sushi I've had in Europe. But the price is ridiculous. We paid about 70 CHF each for a little bit of sushi - I got one roll of six pieces, a tea and a tofu.

The menu is amazing. I haven't seen that many dishes in a long time. This guy above did my fried tofu.

Sorry I didn't take many pictures because I was hungry and wanted to eat it immediate.

Since everything is expensive in Geneva it probably wasn't all that expensive but coming from Germany it definitely is.

If you've got too much money and appreciate great Japanese food, you can take a look. It got great reviews on trip advisor.

http://www.miyako.ch/

Restaurant Japonais Miyako
Rue de Chantepoulet 11
1201 Genève
Switzerland

 

Chaotic Start

This trip has started a little chaotic.

First we took the ADAC bus which was 1.5 hours late. Luckily I planned plenty of time to our trip and we still got to the airport more than 2 hours before our flight.

When we got to the Condor check in, it was pretty empty. So far everything was fine until we got our boarding passes. I got a seat but my boyfriend somehow didn't. Maybe some failure in the system?! But the chick told us it's our fault cause we were late. We're supposed to proceed to the gate and ask.

We were almost the first at the gate - still 90 min before our flight... WE - who were supposed to be late... Of course they didn't have any free seats and told us to wait until we were called. The seating area was inside and we had to stand for over an hour.

After some people upgraded their seats and after some yelling, finally we got inside.

The flight was fine. Did you know that Condor has individual touch screens now? They even have USB so you can actually charge your electronic devices in the flight. It's very fancy. Unfortunately they want to charge extra for movies. Everyone is making fun of how cheap everything from Asia is but seriously, service in Asian airlines is a million times better!!!

Flowers from my boss

A couple months ago, my boss went on a trip to the other side of the world. Coming back he decided to buy flowers for all the ladies of the company.

Isn't it charming?

I was lucky I wore something purple that day. He chose to give them to us based on our outfit of the day.

All the other flowers weren't as beautiful as these. And they lasted for almost a whole month. Amazing...