The last days of summer

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I can’t believe summer is almost over. Yesterday, I took advantage of what may have been the last warm day of summer. It was sunny and warm, perfect weather to spend some time outside. I met up with a friend for coffee. We went to Starbucks and got a Crème Brulée Frappuccino and then went out to Hofgarten, a park in Munich, where we sat on a bench by a fountain for two hours, just catching up on our lives, enjoying the sunshine and the relaxing sounds of the fountain.

In the afternoon, I met up with my friend Julia and we went to the Oktoberfest. The weather was fantastic, and the Wiesn was super crowded. It was the first day which is always crowded and with the beautiful weather, it was just madness.

But we also had a great time. I am not a fan of all the drunk people but I love the atmosphere. There are rides everywhere, women in dirndl, men in lederhosen, and lots of different food stalls. Of course there are the beer tents too, but if you want to get in on the first day, you need to be there at 8am to get in line. Considering that I don’t even drink beer, it has never been worth it for me.

We walked around a bit, went on one ride (my favorite), I ate an ochsensemmel, Julia bought a gingerbread heart for her boyfriend, and ate a chocolate banana. After about 1 1/2 hours we had had enough and we decided to go back home. It was getting really cloudy and we didn’t want to get wet. It was a short visit to the Wiesn, but absolutely worth it. I am going to be back in town in a couple of weeks, and I hope to go again one more time.

I think next year, I will try to take a day or two off during the Wiesn, though, so I can go during the week. Weekends are just a little too crazy for me.

20SB Blog Swap #9: Summer

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TwentyTwenty

Hello everyone! I’m Dani and you can usually find me blogging at Daniela Yvonne. Karen and I were matched up in the 20 Something Bloggers’ 9th Blog Swap so you can find her posting on my blog today. Make sure to head over to check out Karen’s post. The topic for this blog swap is:

As summer nears its end and it’s back to school time for many, we think it would be fun to reflect on SUMMER. Did you take any great vacations? Did you melt in the heat? Do you have a favorite summer memory from your childhood? Share anything summer-related with us!

Growing up, summers back home in south Texas meant dry heat, raspas (also known as snow cones), family BBQs, running through sprinklers and adventures with my childhood friends and neighbors. Oh, and my birthday of course. Some of my best childhood memories come from those sweaty days, but it’s been my summers here in Chicago that I think I’ve loved the most so far.

The summer of 2007 was my first one in the city. I lived in an apartment with 4 of my college friends that had zero air-conditioning and had 3 different jobs (an internship, a part-time job at a cafe and an editor position at the summer edition of our college newspaper). We had to battle a few bugs and a bat invasion (and ok, by invasion I mean one lonely bat who was more terrified of us than we were of him). I was constantly running around, taking the train everywhere and working hard. I bought my Macbook as my 21st birthday present to myself. I went to festivals and markets and drank with all my friends. It was fun and hectic and I wouldn’t change a single thing about those 3 months.

Last summer, I moved back to Chicago with two suitcases, whatever money I had in my pocket and no jobs. I freelanced, I traveled and I made the most of my situation. I fell in love with this city and my neighborhood all over again. I enjoyed the time I had off to renew friendships and make new ones. I was fortunate enough to find my full-time job in early September, thus being able to enjoy that first summer back to the fullest. And then there’s this summer. It has served as the mark of my one year anniversary back in my favorite city. One year older, one year wiser, space of time filled with just as many laughs and adventures as the last one. Except this summer was also filled with love, as I met my wonderful boyfriend Alex back in May.

As a summer baby, the hottest time of the year is easily my favorite. The last few have shown me that each one can be even better than the next, as long as you remember to make the most of it. I can’t wait to see what next summer will bring.

Review: Whooga Ugg Boots

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A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a representative of Whooga Ugg Boots about reviewing their boots on my blog. I picked a pair of their Classic Short in chocolate and received them within a day of being shipped from the UK. I love that their prices include customs and taxes – something that always makes me hesitant about ordering from abroad.

But anyway, let’s talk about the boots. They come wrapped in a beautiful box (great for gift-giving!). The order confirmation e-mail includes a welcome kit, including instructions on how to care for your ugg boots. I thought that was super-helpful because if I am going to buy a pair of ugg boots, I want to make sure they last.

They are really well-made, though the color is a little lighter than I had expected (though not in a bad way). But they are also not as light as they appear in the picture above – I used the flash for taking the pictures.

As recommended on their website, I wear the boots without socks. And? They really are amazingly comfortable. And I really do forget that I’m not wearing socks. The boots’ inner and outer lining are all natural materials (sheepskin and merino fleece), and thanks to the thermofleece lining, the boots are soft and warm but they do not make my feet sweat (or smell).

Now I am all about sandals and flip flops in the summer (and ballerina flats on less sunny days), so you are not likely to find me wearing boots regardless of how comfy they are, but I did wear these outside for a couple of days just to see how they would feel and they were great. My feet didn’t get hot or sweaty.

Being that I have quite big calves and usually have trouble finding boots that fit me, I decided to get the Classic Short boots and I was glad I did. They fit but they are snug so I think the only kind of jeans I could wear inside them are skinny jeans. The Classic Tall almost certainly wouldn’t have fit me. I am just saying this in case anyone else is reading this who has trouble finding boots that fit them, you would probably want to get the Classic Short or Mini. Most women are probably not going to have this problem, though (and how I envy you!).

And now, just some words of advice: These boots are not to be worn in the rain as they are not waterproof. Also, if you live in a climate that gets snow and ice in the winter, you probably want to leave them at home on those days too. The sole does not look like it would provide enough traction. Obviously I haven’t tried wearing the Whooga boots outdoors during winter (nor do I plan to) but did manage to get a nasty bruise on my knee when I slipped on ice wearing some cheap uggs I got a few years ago. I don’t think the Whooga ugg boots would fare much better but to me that is not a downside as they were not made for being worn out in snow and ice.

Speaking of – My Whooga boots? So much better than those cheap Ugg boots (bought at a local store for about €20). I have never worn ugg boots by Ugg Australia so I cannot comment on how they compare but I have no complaints at all about Whooga boots so I personally wouldn’t know how to justify spending nearly twice as much on Ugg Australia boots.

I am not sure if I will be wearing these outside much, but I will definitely be making good use of them indoors. In fact, they almost make me look forward to fall & winter. Hello warm and toasty feet! If I had to use one word to describe these boots, it would be comfy – wait, make that supercomfy. And that is a pretty important thing for boots to be.

If you’d like to order your own Whooga boots after reading my review, you can do so at the Whooga website (they are currently doing a sale!) & feel free to use the following gift card code to get a discount: 2CW809911.

Disclaimer: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative in order to conduct an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way for this post.  The thoughts, experiences, and opinions included are entirely my own and may differ from that of others.  I am not liable for any issues you may incur from use of said product(s). If you have any questions or if you represent a company that would like me to review your product, you can contact me here or leave a comment.