Monday 26 May 2014

#inmyelement with Timberland

You know that feeling when you really want to do something creative but just can’t seem to make yourself start something? I know this feeling well. Fortunately, Timberland was on hand to scratch my growing creative itch. It’s not everyday you are offered the chance to make your own skateboard, and I headed to their Autumn/Winter ’14 showcase feeling very excited indeed. 

Timberland took over a large warehouse space on Worship Street (East London) transforming it into a creative pace to ‘bring versatility, craft and style together’. To celebrate the season’s ‘outdoors in the city’ theme, the brand hand-picked four stylish Londoners to teach guests the tricks and intricacies of their trade. We were divided into teams and broke off to the different craft areas.

My team started with the barbecue. Christian Stevenson (A.K.A DJ BBQ) took us for a spin on the Weber Barbecue, teaching us how to make a ‘Juicy Lucy’ burger with cheese in the middle. The quality of the ingredients he used made a massive difference as did the tips we collected along the way. Top tip: Stick a can of beer (only about a quarter full) up a chicken’s behind and it will steam it from the inside. Simply season it and cover with the barbecue lid. DJ BBQ had plenty of experienced people to help him out, including a charcoal supplier to London’s top restaurants and a sous chef from Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa restaurant in St Pauls (it’s amazing there - a bit pricy but very delish). Of course, we were able to eat what we prepared and I have to say, the results were quite spectacular. I also picked up some great ideas of where to eat meat next; apparently Pitt Cue and the Ember Yard are well worth a visit. 

Our second stop was the skateboard-designing station! We learnt how to screen print and were left with colourful Sharpie pens (my favourite pens) to come up with our own designs. This was my favourite station; it was very rewarding to see everything come together and work with the talented people from Inky Fingers. Admittedly, I have not given my new skateboard an outing yet; too many cocktails were consumed on the night and we all secretly know that the Bank Holiday was invented for getting drunk and then sleeping/watching telly all day. 

My group took on wood-aged spirits on the next stand, learning all about their history and taste from the ‘Thinking Drinkers’. They’re performing at the next Edinburgh Fringe festival so get your ticket if you haven’t already. Did you know that Whiskey was invented by the Irish? No, I didn't either. Johnnie Walker made their bottles square so they were easier to pack and saved on breakages. All very interesting and tasty to boot. I loved Buffalo Trace. 

Our final stop was a DJ workshop. We used professional Pioneer DJ equipment to spin some tracks. Who knew I could scratch? I don’t think Goldierocks has anything to worry about just yet though. 

It was great to attend such a fun, creative event and I love that Timberland is encouraging people to get outdoors in the city. I promise to do exactly that, post-Bank Holiday. 

#inmyelement 



































Back to Berlin

Delicious Currywurst, beautiful parks and interesting history and landmarks; Berlin is a city with a lot to offer. I recently returned for the fourth time to visit a friend and was more impressed than ever. On the first day, my boyfriend and I went up to the dome of the Reichstag. It’s free to go, you just have to pre-book online. What was supposed to be a low-key night out quickly turned out to be anything but; typically Berlin! It’s truly a 24 hour city and locals think nothing of hitting a club at 3am. It’s pretty normal for a party to continue for two or three days. My kind of place. On the second day (slightly bleary-eyed) we headed to Potsdam, a city about 40 minutes away from Berlin. Potsdam has an incredible park, ‘Sans Souci’, which hosts several incredible palaces. I’d strongly recommend hiring bikes if you decide on a trip as the palaces are quite spread out. The New Palace and its grounds are truly breathtaking. In the evening, we ate in ‘Transit’, a trendy Thai and Indonesian restaurant. The restaurant serves delicious food in bowls and each bowl is only three euros! You only need three (maximum four) to feel completely stuffed. Afterwards we hit Odessa bar which was chic, elegant and served the most lethal cocktails. The remaining bit of wall is worth seeing, stop at Pirates for a drink and then grab a 5 euro lunch of currywurst, chips and a beer next door (the food in Pirates is priced for tourists). We stayed with my old housemate Niels in Mitte, but if you’re looking for a cheap base, I’d highly recommend the Wombats hostel where I stayed last time I visited the city.


The Reichstag dome



Rocking a headset and and H&M necklace




So cute!





A book in a vending machine! Loved this






The incredible New Palace






Neil's first curry wurst!


Argh! Donkey terror!!


The boys enjoy their beer


And so does the girl








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