I mentioned earlier in the week that I was considering pushing my bike over the threshold this weekend, but I haven't. And I'm glad I haven't, it's been quite chilly here in Norfolk.
It seems I'm a fair weather cyclist. And I'm ok with that.
This photo isn't from Norfolk though, it's another I snapped on my recent visit to the Hofgarten in Munich.
It's a pretty special shot isn't it?
It's just over a year ago that I shared my first visit to Munich's Hofgarten here on the blog, despite our visit having taken place some six months earlier. It's a lovely central space and one that's well used by visitors and locals alike. So when the coach dropped me off just around the corner from the Hofgarten on my recent visit to Munich, I knew that my first stop would be to see how it looked in winter, and how it dealt with the snow.
As I arrived at the arched entrance I was half expecting to see the cheery guy who'd been there before, but no such luck. There were though fabulous blue skies, blue enough to rival any summer's day. The temperatures were something else entirely, and that's in the negative, I had my big woolly scarf though to keep me warm.
The view down the avenue of trees was breathtaking. It was good without the snow, but somehow better with it. And yes, this is still me writing this, the snow-detesting me. But look, and I'm sure you'll see what I mean.
I looked over to my left and the central pavilion glistened in the snow and sunlight. I remembered how its inside was clad partly in shells and hoped to get better pictures than on my first visit.
But first, I'd spotted some swaying on the branch of a tree. And yes, that's a snow topped bird table.
It's great isn't it, and hopefully its visitors and/or inhabitants welcomed the greenery as well as the food supply. Onto the central pavilion. I think with the clear blue skies, and the snow it was even more stunning than on my first visit.
On my tentative walk along the path I stopped to capture snow resting on the top of the hedge, and like the picture of the frost on my fence, I was amazed at how much detail my iPhone picked up.
Sadly the pavilion was chained off so I wasn't able to improve on my existing pictures. I learnt that leaning in and around to get a picture didn't work and after a couple of attempts I gave up and decided to head towards the strange dome shape in the distance. As I approached I remembered that under the cover was probably a fountain, and sure enough when I got closer it was obvious that the cover was made from wood. And covered with snow. Looking back at my photos confirmed they were fountains, and that gave me an idea for a future post comparing a summer and winter shots. I wonder how many of the same shots I've got...
What I liked about the garden in the winter was the starkness of it. The snow definitely gave a blank canvas and the lack of greenery on the hedges and trees gave a clear idea of the garden's structure. And the importance of that too.
By now I'd covered half of the garden and it was getting chilly, so with the shops calling my name I headed back towards that central avenue and back towards the centre of Munich, but not without first stopping to admire the ironwork.
You really didn't expect anything else did you?
* While this post isn't in collaboration with Viking or Stihl, it was only possible because of the UK press trip arranged by them.
On my visit to the London Graphic Centre in Covent Garden before Christmas I spotted some unusual looking bags, made from recycled tarpaulins, displayed in the shape of a Christmas Tree. My interest was piqued and I decided to look into them further and discovered a fascinating story of how two brothers were looking for a robust and waterproof bag to hold their creative work and hit on the idea to reuse tarpaulins from trucks.
There are now over forty different models, with each bag unique and incredibly strong. With an overnight trip to Kufstein on the horizon and Christmas ahead of me, my own idea started to form and so during our Christmas shopping we ended up back at the London Graphic Centre. In my mind I thought I'd leave with a yellow or green bag, but it turned out I was wrong.
We left with this red and blue F251 Kowalski.
Not yellow. Or green. At all.
In the shop, this was the one that spoke to me.
My biggest concern was if it was practical for a short break.
And having travelled light on my recent trip to Kufstein and Munich, it was.
It was also much admired, and drew comments on just how light I was travelling. But with careful outfit planning, I had plenty of options.
I packed a pair of trousers, pyjamas, two long sleeved T-shirts, a vest top and cardigan, toiletries, my bag of liquids to get through airport security and a big wooly scarf to help combat the expected negative temperatures. I didn't pack a pair of shoes, because I didn't think I'd need them for two nights away, especially if it was that cold and with the information that heels weren't permitted in the fortress at Kufstein where we were dining.
I didn't realise it but packing our panniers back in the summer was good practice!
It's quite a clever design, apart from the tarpaulin I mean. Pushing the shoulder straps to the side frees the top opening, and then it does look a lot more like a (stylish) cycling pannier. On the Freitag website they say the bag is "automatically weatherproof and closed when on your back" and they're not wrong.
Inside there's a couple of smaller side pockets which came in handy for my passport and smaller items. It's a bit dark in there, but you get the gist.
And it's strong. I pushed it to the limits, adding more papers and paraphernalia for the return journey, like always seems to be the way. But it's tarpaulin, from trucks, it's made for hard work.
But I bet no one expected them to be recycled into something so stylish in their next life. There's plenty more colourways on the Freitag site, and a short video showing how the design works.
I think this has to be one of my most stylish Christmas presents ever, and over the coming year (and beyond) I'm hoping to put it to good use.
Gorgeous isn't it?
