Hello everybody, it's Aya here and I am officially back from holidays in Japan! Actually, it's been a few days since I've been back and all I've been doing is eating cake and playing this Tsum Tsum game on my tablet that I downloaded off of the Play Store in Japan. I think I'm officially in denial that I turned one year older while I was away.

To make the transition even harder, I'm importing all of my photos and videos onto my computer and I realized that it would just be an awful shame not to bombard you all with post photos of my beautiful vacation in Japan. Sorry that it won't be a recipe post this time around but I hope that some of the food shots here will be enticing enough!

I went to Japan with Oli and we terrorized 3 cities together: Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I'm going in no specific order here with my photos so let's just jump over to Kyoto and see what we did there.

We stayed in a residential part of Kyoto and the area was very quiet.

On our first day, we decided to rent bikes into the city. What was supposed to be a ride to this vegan restaurant I found on happycow.net ended up being a crazy adventure into unfamiliar territory. That is, until we found out the restaurant was closed that day but nearby there was something familiar after all.




I normally like to stay away from food I already know when in a foreign country but I basically couldn't resist the coincidence of finding a German bakery in a random part of Kyoto. Also because we walked inside and realized none of the goodies were German.




But who says no to a Japanese pastry? I'll tell you: nobody.



I thought I was tired of Japanese bread but looking at this makes me want some again.

After a short trip into an area that we thought looked cool (which ended up being an incredibly popular area near the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine), we found one of the purposes of our trip: a cat cafe.


Many Japanese residences don't allow pets so the cat cafe is the perfect place to come, drink a coffee, and enjoy being in the presence of adorable furriness.


She was my favorite: a calico by the name of Ringo (it means apple in Japanese). Unfortunately, she was also the shyest and didn't really want to play, but she watched us all through a little house she went into later.

Cat cafes require you to pay a certain amount for your time there. From there, you can choose to order drinks or pay for snacks for cats. It can get a bit pricey but if you love cats or are missing your cat back home (as we were), it's worth a visit. The ones here were very friendly and even finished my tea as we were leaving.

Neko Café TiME
Fukakusa Ichinotsubocho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto
Kyoto Prefecture 612-0012, Japan

German (?) Bakery and Cat Cafe in Kyoto

• , •
• bakery cafe japan lunch snacks summer travel •
• 1 comment •
• by Aya S
  Aya S

— Continue Reading —

Christmas in Germany is what I imagine most families everywhere do. Family you haven't seen in a year drive over and you gather at one place to eat until you don't ever want to hear the word 'food' again. I never experienced such a Christmas because my family outside of its immediate members reside in Japan and living in NY never made it easy to come together. Now it's almost routine to ask Oli which house we're going to on which day and what we should bring and wear.

The morning of Christmas Eve was a peaceful one.



The tree was ready and I had finally finished wrapping the gifts to put under the tree!!


I also made some pancakes! Pancakes are kinda my specialty. If I'm not feeling creative but want a nice breakfast, pancakes are my go to. Pancakes + holiday music = the best way to spend the morning.

After breakfast we went to Oli's mother's house. Her house was literally covered in cute Christmas decorations.





After many hours of tea, coffee, cake, card games, and dinner, we went back home to sleep. It's normal in Germany to open gifts on Christmas Eve but to stay true to my American tradition of opening gifts on Christmas morning, we decided to sleep and wait til the next day to open presents.


The smoking figure Oli put out for Christmas.




Sorry for the photos from blursville and my red puffy face (was a bit under the weather) but we were excited to open gifts!

The gift I was most excited about was the one I gave Oli.

Oli has a pair of Adidas sneakers that he literally wore TO DEATH in the past 3 years. I had several ideas for gifts over the past 2 months or so but then it hit me to replace his sneakers because I knew that unless they fell apart on his feet, he probably wouldn't replace them. I got him the same exact model and great gaggling goose, look at the difference!!! Mind blown.

After present opening and cat feeding, we got to work in the kitchen preparing food for ourselves.


Honestly doesn't get much more German than this, does it?

It was a really nice few days just talking, eating, and playing games. I think it's kind of crazy how this year just flew by and it's already nearing the end of 2014 and the start of 2k15! I am super excited for what's to come. Hopefully this blog will see some positive changes as well. Look forward to my next post, which will be a continuation of some Christmas fun!

Christmas in Brandenburg

• , •
• brandenburg christmas dinner german food germany holiday travel vacation winter •
• No Comments •
• by Aya S
  Aya S

— Continue Reading —

I always dread rain more than any other type of weather. There's just something about rain that makes me tired and unmotivated to get out of bed. Not to mention taking photos when you want natural lighting is one frustrating task.

There are many fun activities that I find are reserved for those days. Going to the movies, taking a sports class, walking around the mall, and of course, a good ole museum visit. I LOVE museums but I rarely go to them in Berlin. Maybe it's knowing that I have to shell out full admission now that I'm not a student. Or perhaps finding a partner in crime on a weekday afternoon is just difficult. Luckily my friend Marinka from Finland was in town so we decided to head to the Pergamon to gaze at ancient artifacts.



The rug collection was so pretty! I love textile everything!





After leaving the museum, Marinka wanted to do a headstand so I caught one of her warming up between columns.



Finally, my remedy for rainy day sadness is always soup! If you're going to roll around on your bed like a panda, you might as well be waiting on soup to cook! This is my fail-safe recipe because it is so stinkin' easy and good for you.



Carrot Ginger Soup
Serves 4

4 big carrots washed, peeled, and cut into 1 cm rounds
2 medium sized (or 4 small) potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium sized onion, diced 1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups of water (enough to cover vegetables when cooking) 3 tbsp non-dairy creamer (optional)
parsley for garnish (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Place a soup pot* on the stove over high heat. Once heated, put in oil, garlic, and onions and toss until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, potatoes, and ginger and toss for an extra minute. Pour the water into the pot and wiggle the vegetables around until everything is immersed in water. Cover the pot and let the water come to a boil before reducing the soup down to low heat. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes.
Pierce a fork into the carrots and potatoes to make sure they are tender. Take an immersion blender and puree to liking (I prefer mind a bit chunky). At this point, you can add the creamer and mix it in with a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or parsley flakes. Serve with noodles if desired.

*The soup pot should be big enough to hold all vegetables and the water needed but not too wide that the water spreads out and is not enough to cover the vegetables.

Rainy Day at the Pergamon and Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe

• , •
• berlin lunch recipe travel vegan vegetables winter •
• No Comments •
• by Aya S
  Aya S

— Continue Reading —

My trip to Italy in August consisted of only two things: art and food. Not to mention the time before that and the time before that and, well, you get the drift. There's something about hopping from church to museum to random-cool-building-facade-I've-seen -a-million-times-in-cities-around-Italia that leave me completely content. Of course, not without a good handful of stops in between to pick up gelato, a glass of wine, espresso, bread, pasta, cheese; you name it, I probably ingested it.

The challenge is finding a spot that serves good Italian food. Despite what some people may think, not all Italian food is good and much of it can be overpriced. Oli and I definitely landed ourselves in a few situations where we left feeling unsatisfied and slightly foolish, so imagine how delighted we were when we found this gem of a place on our last day in Verona.

The interior was very warm and inviting. There was a lot of natural lighting from outside and small little decorations hanging around the dining space. The servers were also very kind and never hesitated to answer questions. Definitely the best service we had eating out in Verona!



We tried a deal of two local wines: one red and one white. Oli and I both agreed wine in Verona is strong! Definitely not to be had on an empty stomach.



I snapped shots while Oli was busy preparing his pasta for his mouth.


I believe most, if not all, of the pasta is homemade. The prices also range from 7 euros for pasta to over 10 euros for main entrees (nothing above 15 euros). I saw one woman eating a soup which I thought was huge and her main course, only to see her eat a second chicken entree that was even bigger, so I guess they're very generous with portions as well!


We sealed the deal with chocolate salami! It's said to be a Veronese specialty and I highly recommend it. It's also very similar to Kalter Hund, which is a treat in Germany.

If you're ever in Verona, do check this place out!

Osteria il Ciottolo
Corso Cavour, 39
37121 Verona, Italy

Osteria il Ciottolo in Verona, Italy

• , •
• dinner going out italy lunch restaurant reviews travel vacation •
• No Comments •
• by Aya S
  Aya S

— Continue Reading —

Now that we're officially in fall season, I decided to rewind to a time not too long ago (a month ago to be exact), when New York was scorching hot and I thought I was going to melt into a little puddle and dribble into New York sewage. Gross? Yes, that's exactly how I felt! But looking back at these pictures now, I long for this kind of weather (I am a Summer baby after all)!

One of my favorite places in the city is the Museum of Natural History. Growing up, this museum was my playground. I crawled in Ocean Life, fooled around in North American Mammals, and made my way through the various halls of dinosaur fossils. Even as I got older, I went to special exhibits and IMAX shows. There is a reason why Night at the Museum takes place here--magic lives in every corner!

Mom and I got tickets to see the new Pterosaur exhibit.

Pterosaurs were living when dinosaurs were around but they were much more evolved and had different traits among them depending on their location and diet. The exhibit compiled the fossil data that already existed with some animations, installations, and games. I suppose since there are still many questions regarding them that the exhibition seemed a tad repetitive but it was fun nonetheless.

The rest of the time we spent trying to make our way to the Hall of Gems.


Quick stop at the Hall of Biodiversity.




I used to collect rocks as a kid. When I first discovered this place, you can assume I went nuts.

On another day in town, I met up with my lovely friend Crysbel for some Southern style vegan noms aka Red Bamboo restaurant.


It's kind of our vegan joint. I mean, we don't own it (we're good kids, we share) but if we're choosing a vegan place and I'm not actively looking for a new one to try out, this is our go-to. Why? Because the food is delicious, service is friendly, and there is a clearly labeled dessert menu on the wall with vegan cheesecake options.

Speaking of which . . .


Yes, look at that sexiness. Like directing a porno when I told my friend to pierce the fork into it. The glory of vegan cheesecake everyone.

If you're ever in Greenwich village, you know where to pop into!

Red Bamboo
140 W 4th St
New York, NY 10012

American Museum of Natural History and Red Bamboo Restaurant

• , •
• dinner new york restaurant summer travel vegan •
• 1 comment •
• by Aya S
  Aya S

— Continue Reading —