Einen schönen Sonntag!

Today has been a very nice Sunday! First, we went to a little "junk" and antiques market where I found two handmade pot holders (I like the color combination), a small leather wallet that I can use in the summer with my white leather tote, and a pretty hand-painted porcelain plate that isn't that old (circa 1975) but I find the design very sweet! I found all of these things for 15, euro so I think that is okay.

After the flea market, we went for coffee at one of my favorite cafes in List, Tom Maas, and then to Bagel Brothers for a quick bite. Next, we headed downtown because today all of the shops are open in the city center. Normally on Sundays only flower shops, cafes, bars and restaurants are open (though all of the stores in the train station are open, including Virgin, the grocery store, etc.) but today is a special Sunday where all shops are open downtown. The weather is fresh and spring-like and so it was nice to walk around in the city. I went to visit my friend Esra, who had to work today, and also saw my other friend Susan. While shopping, found some things on sale that I've been wanting so I gave in and ching! ching! blew some cash but on some things that I need -- and also for Thorsten -- so it was money well spent.

For me I found: Rollerblades (yay! Rollerblade Spark Pro W SMU Inline Skates on sale for 98, Euros regularly 229!) so I can skate through the forest on the bike path, knee pads and wrist guards, a Nike gym bag, a shoe bag for the gym bag, a CD (Cheryl Cole, I like her) and a tennis racket.

Thorsten found: a tennis racket, balls and a really nice bag for these things.

So now that we're home, I'm going to rest for a bit with some tea (we're been shopping for 5 hours) and then I'm going to take my skates down to the bike path and see how I do. I haven't skated in a little while so I'm definitely going to wipe out a few times, I'm sure of it! But I don't care -- I need to get back into it again. I started roller skating (four wheels, old school) when I was 2 and then seriously when I was 6 and I didn't stop skating until recently, maybe a few years ago. In fact, when I was a child and teenager, I frequently competed in speed skating races at the local rink. I still remember the first time my father took me to the pro shop to get my first part of Speed Skates with Zinger wheels. I loved those skates. I remember this was the early 80's and he spent $200 on them -- that was how much of a little "pro" I was -- but I kept those skates for many years. I still have them in fact, I couldn't part with them when I moved over from the states. They are buried in my cellar but I know they are there and they serve as a reminder to me of how dedicated I once was to my sport and how I need to get back into it again. I started inline skating when I was 22, and went through several pairs since. I donated my last pair to Goodwill when we moved here because they were worn out anyway and so today, as I skated around Kaufhof for 20 minutes (yes, I couldn't sit down once I had them on, I was so excited!) I felt very glad to find skates that felt like the perfect fit after trying on 5 pairs.

I hope you have a nice Sunday, I'm going to start organizing my living room now, it's a bit chaotic on my dining room table and my pile of magazines is starting to overwhelm me so it's time to downsize! Have a nice day!

xo,
Holly