yellow pasta




i was shopping some groceries when these yellow and green pumpkins smiled at me from the vegetable and fruit section. they wanted to come with me and - of course - i obliged them.

at home the first thing i had to do was looking up what kind of pumpkins i just had bought, as i had never used them before. i soon decided to make a simple pasta with mint and lemon zest in it - a dish that combines the produce of autumn with the flavour of summer. and it tasted great!

pasta with minted pattypan squash

1 pound farfalle pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1¾ pounds small pattypan squash, quartered
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon grated zest
½ onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
¾ cup finely chopped fresh mint
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

in a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water.

meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. add the squash and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. transfer to a large bowl; stir in the lemon juice.

lower the heat to medium-high; add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. stir in the garlic, lemon peel and reserved pasta cooking water.

add the pasta to the squash mixture. toss in the mint and cheese; season with salt and pepper.

i found the recipe: here. enjoy!

 munich | lehel














when i winded up in lehel the other day, a part of munich i hadn't been to yet, i figured that i always spend time in the same areas in munich and know not so much about the others. and since my time in munich is running out (slowly but surely), i've set myself the goal to visit each district of munich and treasure it in my photo album.

so this here is 'lehel', very neat, very upper class, with cute, colourful houses and those typical munich streetlights i grew so fond of over the last years. they look like they're already up there for a long, long time, shining upon generations of people. i also think, that lehel has got one of the most impressive buildings i've ever seen; i must have stared for ages at those white and black paintings outside 'hotel opera' - and i made tons of photos. a few years ago i was always very shy when it came to taking photos in public. i thought people would examine every move i make, but i got so used to taking pictures and it feels so natural to me that i forget about everything as soon a i feel the camera in my hand.

 elsewhere


i am very much of an old fashioned girl - in nearly every part of my life. so it kind of fits that i still like blogs the best although they seem to be a bit outdated nowadays. my blog gives me the chance to show you pieces of my world but also is a place where i can leave behind some of my thoughts or write down things i experience. however, sometimes it is very hard for me to chose between the pictures i take - i can't show all of them to you, but believe me, there are many more, that remain unseen. and this is something i want to change. i was thinking a lot about getting another space where i could post photos of my everyday life - not all of it, but i wanted to get a bit closer to my here and now. just like a stream of consciousness.

so there you go, this is my new space. i hope, you like it.

PLEASE NOTE:
i did some thinking. and i figured, that maybe another platform would suit my ideas in a better way. this is why i chose instagram in the end. i will keep my tumblr space though. i hope, i will find another way of filling it with life.

 wasserburg
































wasserburg is an explosion of colours bound by a river that looks like a giant stream of milk.

i had been planning to go visit wasserburg for quite a while now but never managed to do so. a few weeks ago i had one of those rare weekends without any plans (which i really love, because you don't have to think twice and you can do whatever you feel like). it was a hot saturday then, the air was shimmering and the sun was shining bright and illuminated the trees and the beautifully painted houses of wasserburg. as always i kind of drifted through the town with no paticular destination or plan. i just wandered along and was surprised each time i entered a new street and saw even more rainbow coloured houses and corners.

 september


my favourite season is here. the mild and gracious autumn sun bathes the world in golden light. the trees turn yellow and orange and a calm, almost tranquil mood has taken the place of the summer months and their screaming garishness.

it's not the end of december but the first days of september that always make me feel like a new year has begun. i ascribe this to my schooldays when classes started again and i was very much aware of the fact that things move along. this year, however, it's different. i think a lot about last year's autumn and about how an exciting time that was. ideas filled my head then and i was curious about what was waiting for me on my way through the upcoming year. i wish i could go back although i know i can't. but everything around me is an echo of something i miss so very much, i thought i had to let you know.

 isarrauschen










these photos were taken on the very last hot day in munich. i was on my way to the ice cream market and walked alongside the isar when i witnessed this scenery. i think it perfectly captures the very essence of summer life in munich.

once having reached the praterinsel, i had to admit that the ice cream market-team had done quite a good job in advertising because the market was flooded with people. so i chose not to queue up for ages but got me some ice tea instead (with lots of mint in it) and walked through lehel - a part of munich i don't get to see much often. then i turned southwards heading towards gärtnerplatz and finally stopped by at one of my favourite ice cream shops, café del fiore. their mascarpone ice cream with toasted sesame seeds tastes just like a creamy piece of heaven. it's true.

hope, you have a nice week!
susanne

 farewell, gargnano


















back to the start! here are some shots i took on our first evening in gargnano. after sitting in the car for long hours, buying some local food at the grocery store, sitting on the balcony and eating deliciously fried courgette flowers while looking at lake garda, we decided to finish the day and explore gargnano a bit. the sun had already set and the evening had drawn a veil of blues over the town and the lake. the air was still warm. at a little harbour people were sitting outside, chatting and eating ice cream on a park bench or dinner in one of the many restaurants. it was so peaceful there and it felt good to be a part of it.

now that i'm back in germany i notice a change of mind that always happens to me after i've been away and seen something new. it's not only that back home i discovered that the shadows have grown longer and that the light is much softer now - something i would have been unaware of if i had stayed. it's also that for a couple of months i had the feeling that i am so used to the streets i walk, to the houses i pass and to what i do everyday. i felt used to my life. being away always gives you the chance to come back and see everything with a fresh mind and a fresh eye. i did and i am still astounded by how much beauty i find everday.

 bogliaco




















on the day we had to leave, my sister and i decided not to rush in order to get back home early. we took our time, drove to gargnano and bought some pastries and also some cake for breakfast. again we chose that sweet chocolate cake with apricot marmalade in it - just like a 'sacher torte' but much softer and moister as well. before heading back to our apartment and enjoying our fantastic view over lake garda for the last time, we strolled around bogliaco, which is a part of gargnano. i tried to suck in every inch of the atmosphere and bade farewell to all those piazzas and streets, the little harbour, the huge palm trees, the cornershops selling 'alimentari', and the 'palazzo bettoni' we were driving by nearly every day - being stunned each time. the images were stuck in my head when i sat in the car and crossed the border to germany just a few hours later. they are still very much alive and i hope i can keep them close to me as long as possible.