"Let's have some sushi", said Bae as we did our weekly shopping. We usually cook every day, but not today. We both are taking our days off today and decided to finish some things, like getting the balcony door repaired, doing our weekly grocery shopping etc. After finishing the to do list, we just want to lay back and enjoy the rest of the day. So we decided to just eat near the appartment.

Thirty minute later, we sit already in a small restaurant called TTP Sushi in Olivaerplatz, Berlin. Looking down at the menu card, I marvel the broad choices of food they offer. They have all kind of sushi, sashimi, don and even udon! We admit we were afraid that we take a wrong choice.

For this dinner, I made my choice for suzuki sushi. It is a avocado-cheese rolled sushi with unagi and special sauce on top. Bae decided to take a sushi menu which has maki, inside out, nigiri and fried roll sushi in it. So these sushi will be our first trial of our dinner today.

Me Enjoying Miso Soup and Green Tea

As we waited for our sushi, they give us one miso soup and one green tea as a complimentary for order one sushi menu. I ended up eating the soup and drinking the tea because bae refused to eat/drink it as he ordered one glass of beer. Lucky me! The miso is nice, not too salty like instant miso in other restaurant. I think the miso was freshly made and also the tea. I hint some green tea leaves in my cup, it was nice thou!

 Our Sushi Platter

By the time bae and I finish our sushi,it is a generous portion for menu. The rice was nice, seasoned with smooth rice vinegar. The fish are fresh. I am the fan of their suzuki! They torch the eel that is already marinated with sweet sauce, making a caramel layer on it.

Though we are almost full, we are all excited and ready to try their udon. Having curiousity in tasting their udon, we ordered once more. This time for their udon.

 Beef Udon

Ebi Tempura Udon

Moments later we enjoy our udon. It was my bae's first udon. And he admit that it was good. The beef is grilled and the broth is so tasteful and the udon is toothy and not  chewy. I must say that the beef udon was good even though its not original japan, more of modern cooking or fusion between vietnam and japan. My ebi tempura udon was well but maybe it is just not my taste.

Savvy loves... Suzuki!

Savvy tips... Try their beef udon! It's so interesting.

Sushi does have a way of satisfying our cravings, maybe that verges on addiction.

I would suggest that you make a reservation before you come there. Since it is located in olivaer platz that is famoust as tourist attraction area, it can be crowded everytime and anytime.

It was a cloudy Saturday evening as I picked up bae from his work to have dinner. He had no idea what to eat, and bae was so hungry. Afraid that we might go wrong, I decided to show him one of my favorite thai restaurant that I know in Berlin, Papaya. It took around 7-10 minutes walk from S-bahn station Savignyplatz. I was kinda afraid that we won't get seat because it is usually full and bae was in a grumpy mood (because he was tired after work and he was hungry). Lucky us, this evening we could find a table for two.

The decoration of the restaurant was pretty simple, dominated by the light green colour. Even they put light green seat pillow on the wooden chair. The tables were decorated with candle light and orchid.

Why go?

Friendly service and the choices of the menu is wide! Less than 5 minutes that we sat there, there was a waiter brought us two menus. The menus they're offering are authentic thai food. You know it is serious because they do not serve sushi like any other asian restaurant in Berlin. 😆

Even though it is not the first time I go there, this time is different. I usually eat catfish salad there, but not this time. My bae speaks thai so he did order for us and let me surprised with the chosen dishes. Yes, in thai language! For you who do not speak thai, don't worry. The menu is written in thai, german, and english. The waiters speak both of those three languages and they offer a lot of guidance so you won't get any trouble in ordering even when you are a tourist.

A moment later, the waiter came out and brought us the drink. He got me oliang tea, and thai tea for himself. Oliang tea is one of my favorite thai drink. Well, based on my knowledge, I can not really call it a tea because this oliang is a drink made of coffee mixed with seeds and other ingredients. They can be soybean, corn, or sesame. But I think there's the brewing process in it so maybe that's why they call it as a tea. Compared with an oliang tea that I have tasted before in Thai Park, the version that papaya has was sweeter. My bae also claimed the same. But it was still rewarding.

Oliang tea (behind) and thai tea

Few moment after that, the foods came out. I was so confused because I did not think that we would order that much. But he did! I did not have any idea what food did he order. They look like mistery dishes to me, except one. My pad thai gai. He ordered two kind of menus with noodles (one of them was my pad thai), one kind of sausages menu (I think it should be as a snack) and one dish with beef and dipping sauce.

Pad Thai Gai

As I wanted to start eating my pad thai, bae sliced the misterious grilled sausage dish and handed it to me. I took a bite. The skin which I think from pork collon has a light crunch and shiny with fat. The transparent crunchy sausage skin was filled with soft minced pork and seasoned with strong herbs, chili and I think curry sauce too. The taste is perfect. Even though for some of people it is too spicy. For example for me, from the scale from 1 to 10, it was level 3; but for bae it was level 6. Later on I know that the name of the dish is Sai Ua. It is served as appetizer ot snack.

The next misterious dish was Suea Rong Hai that is served as salad. It is a grilled beef with basil leaves and chilli dipping sauce. "Try this", bae told me as he took one stripe of beef and dipped it in chilli sauce to show me how to eat that. I tugged a piece of smaller cut of beef. It was tender, moist, juicy and flavorful. The chemistry of this deliciousness? I am pretty sure that they infuse the beef with a kind of sauce (maybe a mixture of fish sauce, soy sauce, pepper and coriander) and then grill it so it has amazing smoky and salty flavor with caramel brown colour.

Like many people I have been crazy for pad thai for as long as i can remember. It is one of my obsession and real deal. It is a stir fried thin noodle ala thailand with tasty egg, crunchy soybean sprouts and any kind of meat or shrimp that you can choose. But today I had it with chicken breast. The taste is a mixture of wonderful sweet, salty and savory that I can not describe. Just great!

Sai Ua and Suea Rong Hai

The portion was generous and my stomach was so full. But my bae did not stop there. He ordered dessert, mango sticky rice. The mango radiate fresh yellow colour, the sticky rice peeking out underneath glossy sliced mango. How it tastes? The mango is especially sweet and smooth, the sticky rice was combined with coconut milk gives creamy and velvet texture. It is extraordinarily delicious!

Mango sticky rice

Savvy loves... Suea Rong Hai!

Savvy tips... Try their catfish salad, I promise you won't regret it.

I think I will never forget this dinner. Because they have good taste and authenticity. But maybe also because I was accompanied by my bae who graciously introduced me to new thai dishes and instructed me how to eat it. But I believe that the secret of excellence dinner is the balance of those factors. 😏

For a while I forget that I am not in Europe. The exquisite dinner today let me find a taste of Thailand in Berlin.

I was standing in a church at Prenzlauer Berg area on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Schönhauser Allee is one famous street in Prenzlauer Berg area in Berlin. It has lots of cafes, restaurants, name it and you'll find it there.

I had an appointment with a friend of mine who'd been coming to Germany to pursue  his study in chemical engineering. We have skipped our morning coffee so we decided to chit chat over coffee since it has been so long since we last met, and also we both love coffee. We arrived in U bahn Rosenthaler Platz and walked to The Barn Coffee Roastery.

Why go?

As we came in to the roastery, we found all kinds of coffee there. We were so indecisive in choosing our coffee. Don't get me wrong, it's not because nothing's interesting there. But because all of the coffee and their descriptions appeared in the menu sounds promising. Lucky for us, the barista was ready there to assist us. We described our coffee that we want to have that day, and less than a minute he already came up with suggestion for us. He explained about the coffee expertly. (I have no doubt in that!) Then we decided to have Ninho Da Aguia and an espresso shake. As we waited for our coffee, we sat down and took in the ambience of the roastery. It was pretty quiet as a cafe.

Coffees of the day

Though I have drunk espresso many times before (almost every day), the first impression of its icy exterior and taste are unexpected as it was my first time I sipped one. First flavor came in mouth was pleasant acid, followed by fruity taste and closed by smoky aftertaste. Just perfect! The Ninho Da Aguia was just as satisfying as the iced espresso. It has smooth and luscious impression in my mouth. It is also fruity but not as sour as the espresso.

Savvy tips... when enjoying is associated with learning to you, the barn roastery offers lots of workshops from manual brewing to masterclass. Even tailor made course!

As I tried both coffee, I know why the ambience was so quiet. Everyone there, including me and my friend, was so stunned by the taste of the coffee. So we just wanted to enjoy our coffee without bothering anything or anyone.

But as we leave the roastery and step out into the windy-warm air of berlin, I realized that I didn't talk or chit chat much with my friend (even though it was actually our first mission). Okay, but I know we were so convinced and I comprehended that it was the language of coffee.

On a summer afternoon, I sat with a friend by the Hohenzollern-bridge, gazing the Kölner Dome from far and fell in love with the city. My favorite thing about visiting Cologne in summer 2016 was the chocolate museum. Growing up in cocoa plantation, I have never lost my interest in chocolate and its processing.

Why go?

Chocolate may not have been invented in Germany, but it was perfected here. Lindt is a giant producer of chocolate, known for their dark chocolate and truffle. This museum highlights chocolate supply chain, production process, chocolate products, and traditions. We can see the transformation from cocoa fruits to chocolate products for consumers. From harvesting the cacao fruits fresh in plantation, fermentation, shipping, processing, packaging, their standard ingredients, and even their seasonal ingredients! Seeing and knowing all of these is very much of awesome experience.

Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate Factory (Processing)

But there's a lot more to explore in chocolate museum! Chocolate fountain is an in-building treasure. It is literally a large fountain with real melted chocolate in it. Yes, and it is real! (dream does come true) While near the fountain, we found a lady holding waffer so we could dip our waffers in the chocolate fountain and eat it right away.

Chocolate School

Chocolate History Museum

If travelling equates to learning for you, this chocolate museum offers lot of courses and tasting sessions with extraordinary goal : understanding chocolate processing and making your own chocolate. I would suggest that you pre-book online to join, because we didn't get a chance to join due to lots of interests.

Our Personalized Chocolate Bar

Museum Cafe and Store

For more chocolate experience, we also ordered a lindt chocolate bar with three toppings that we chose. We could even see how it is made! We found a lot of variations of chocolate product in museum store, ranging from "normal" and common variants that you can find easily in supermarket to gourmet and special prepared chocolate.

Savvy loves ... The chocolate factory!

The museum has gorgeous smell (of chocolate!) and view (it has glass walls so you can even see rhine river). And more, you can be sure that chocolate is always on the menu all year long! We celebrated that day with drinking chocolate beer, took that summer trip as one of my spectacular trip and put Cologne in my favorite city list.

All of these unique experiences and sweetness of Cologne are waiting for me. Yes, only in Cologne. 

It was the end summer 2016, and I was in a city called Cologne, the largest city in North-Rhine-Westphalia. I was traveling with a friend, a photo-and videographer who'd been coming to Germany to pursue a study in mechanical engineering. We arrived in Cologne Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), grabbed a quick breakfast on the go, put our luggage in luggage storage (with awesome system), and go out from the central station.

Why go?

That Cologne Cathedral appeared like magic while I was walking outside the central station. It is impossible not to like this building. I spent my first 10 minutes stood there admiring what I saw there. We walked the steps, and then through the doorway, which leads to the left side of the church.

Cologne Cathedral from outside

The Bronze Altar

Cathedral Window

It is said that the cathedral first built in 1248 and miraculously survived the World War eventhough badly damaged. The cathedral was built really well. I love its bronze big altar and impressive mosaics in each window make such a perfect shiny light when I stare at them.

Top of the South Tower

South Tower

The View from the Observation Deck

Savvy loves ... More than anything, though, I love its observation deck. I can look outside and see cologne from the top! I have to admit, I adored what I found. It's like travelling the time sitting in the cathedral with its ancient gothic ceiling, but when I see cologne from the observation deck, I can see the modern buildings from top.

On that three days visit, I fell in love with Cologne. Though it is smaller than Berlin, it was not hard to feel at home there. I was intrigued by its architecture, which has a mixture of modern, gothic, and neo-roman charm. I looked around the church, capturing the view, the people, the feeling of being here. That escape was just perfect as a summer 2016 closing, I want to freeze this moment in time forever and making it an everlasting summer!

It was a hot summer day in July when I walked in Hackescher Markt area with the heat and sunlight. The sun was blinding, and I suddenly heard the church bells chimming. Interested with the bell, I walked near the church and pushed the giant door of the church.

Nothing is small about Berlin.There is Berlin Cathedral, its pillars, its domes, its statues, which the first time I see it, I am feeling small. Now, it is exciting. My heart was already going like the clappers.

Why go?

Berlin Cathedral is the largest church in Berlin, stands in Museum Island, with neo-baroque art. It is more than 100 years old already. Berlin cathedral was built as a protestant counterweight to the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. By the way, actually it is not really a cathedral, because it has never been the seat for Bishop. But people call it cathedral anyway.

The Top of the Dome

The Altar

I always admire the top of the dome and don't mind staying there one hour just to enjoy the mosaics. Flooded with light, the dove on the top of the dome represents the presence of the Holy Spirit and the mosaics portray the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. The altar is made of white marble and onyx. Arriving at the Berlin Cathedral, I'd quickly decided that this last minute thinking had been a right decission. It is like stepping into another world, heaven!

Four Evangelists

Finally, I also found really gorgeous paintings.There are four paintings on the side of the dome dedicated for four Evangelists : Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke. The writings on the wall are magical too, in gold, framed by beautiful sculptures. They are taken from the Bible and seemingly everywhere, bring hopes to everyone visiting the cathedral.

Savvy tip ... Visit the crypt then take a chance to climb 270 steps to the observation deck, and you will be rewarded with a fascinating view of Berlin city!

With calm and peaceful heart, I am pleased to report, it is one of my favorite place in Berlin. Because I can have both: a place that is not only my eyes can enjoy, but also my soul. A place where dreams live and hopes are born.

As I mentioned before in my last post, I have moved to Darmstadt since October due to internship. It is a quite small city compared to Berlin and Frankfurt. But the good thing is, you can go everywhere with bike even in autumn because here is warmer than Berlin. I like to go everywhere with my bike, because since I moved here I don't do yoga, pilates, or body balance anymore. So I am not feeling bad because at least I do a bit sport :D

Russian Chapel Darmstadt (front)

Why go?

Russian Chapel is a wonderful place to start the journey in Darmstadt. It is in Mathildenhöhe, an art scene, where the artists live, with backdrops of parks in the hill. Surprisingly, this Russian Chapel stands there way long before the artists come to that area and built colony.

Russian Chapel Darmstadt (behind)

The Chapel was made in 1897-1899 by Leontij Nikolavic Benois on behalf of Russian Czar Nikolaus II and his wife Alexandra. Alexandra come originaly from Darmstadt. Nikolaus II built it because he wanted to be able to worship in orthodox church when visiting his in law. This chapel is still used until now.

Russian Chapel Darmstadt

PS: Pardon the poor quality of the images. I left my camera in Berlin so I took them with phone