City Snapshot: Berlin

I have been a little sick for the past few weeks- on and off. One of the reasons why this blog has not had many posts (the other reason is I have been too busy!). When you are sick there isn't too much to do but watch movies and read. Being a creative person, I find sitting and doing nothing really difficult, so I have a little more time now to blog...

I have been looking through some of my old photos recently, and I realised that I haven't finished doing my city snapshots. It is a fun excuse to look back at my travels and show you! So without further ado, here is my city snapshot of Berlin!



I visited Berlin over 6 years ago. This was around the same time I visited Paris, Rome, Vienna and Budapest on my own. So because of the time lapse, I can't tell you the names of the buildings or other landmarks, but I can tell you a little bit about the impression Berlin gave me.

Every time I have been to Germany, the locals have always been the friendliest I have ever met when travelling- and Berlin seemed to be no exception.

I can remember some of them mistook me for being one of them- which is always quite funny when they start speaking, and I reply in my Aussie accent, "Sprecken ze English?". This kind of happened to me all over Northern Europe.



They had loads of war memorials, "checkpoint Charlie" - where you once crossed from East to Western Europe, and loads of buildings where you could see the damage that bombs had made.

I thought it was really interesting how they had kept some of these bombed buildings- an old church, like the one pictured below- and created something new and exciting from it. Some of the old facade is still there, but from memory it had atleast three huge holes on the side where the bombs had hit it. The modern sky-scraper type building to the left is actually part of the church, and another part went through the middle of the church.

I guess it is a reminder of their past, but also a way of moving forward and looking to the future.







Berlin is very big city, with many suburbs. Some entirely modern, and others with buildings that probably hadn't changed for over 100 years- in Australian terms, that is a long time.


I was there in late March or early April, and the weather was perfect, as you can see. Much warmer compared to my first ever visit to Germany, in Frankfurt!


From memory, I quite enjoyed Berlin. It was easy to get around, clean, friendly people, great food, and full of a very interesting history and culture.

Obviously if you are a history buff, Berlin is one of the places you should go, but I think Berlin has much more to offer than just relics from the war. I think the modern parts of the city were very pretty (which is unusual for me to say- as I usually would say the older the better), or maybe its the ingenious way they have mixed their old and new together. Either way, if you were into architecture, perhaps Berlin would be a place for you to visit too.

Autumn 2011 Inspiration

Oh, how I love Gustav Klimt's paintings! Such decadence and over the top decoration- no wonder I love it! I guess I truly became a massive fan once I visited Vienna, and viewed the real thing! The detail and beauty of these paintings do not show up in the photos. Read about my visit to Vienna here.



Ever since I was in high school, I have been intrigued by the mythical and cultural aspects of Ancient History; Egypt in particular. I love their Hieroglyphics (and I still wish I could read them), I love the ancient stories, and the mystery of this foreign and ancient culture.



So... without further ado, I wanted to share with you the first little sneak peak into what I am thinking for the Penelope Red Autumn 2011 Collection. I will fuse the idea of Egyptian costume, with the beautiful paintings of Gustav Klimt!

Above, Portrait of Emilie Floge by Gustav Klimt

To me, I feel like the Klimt paintings actually already have an Egyptian influence... for instance, the painting below: Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer 1

... take a look at the detail in her skirt... note the hieroglyphic-like eyes!



Above, Water Snakes 1 by Gustav Klimt


And of course, as I was researching Egyptian costume, I couldn't go past the costumes and styling used in Elizabeth Taylor's, "Cleopatra". Ok, so I know they are not historically accurate, but I think they are a perfect of example of how a modern interpretation of costume can be achieved.









Now it is my job to create designs inspired by all of this, while still making them functional for my customers to wear! It won't be easy... but it will certainly be FUN!

City Snapshot: Moscow

Back in 2006, my husband and I were lucky enough to travel to Moscow, and stay with our good friends Alex and Anna. If you are looking for a completely different experience when travelling to a city, look no further than Moscow.


As Moscow is not one the easiest of cities for most people to travel to, I thought I would share some of our photos with you.

The above photo is taken in a small town, about 1 hours train ride from Moscow city centre, named Sergiyev Posad. Even the train ride there is quite different from other countries... at each stop new people will come on board and try to sell to you. They will sell anything from hair combs, to toilet paper, to alcohol, to food- you name it, they probably have it- any opportunity to sell something!



The main attraction in Sergiyev Posad is the monastery. As you can see from these photos, the colours and architecture are very different to anything seen in Western Europe (and Australia for that matter). You can definitely see the Byzantine influence in the structure of the buildings- this is one of the things I truly loved about Russia.







One night was spent at a free open air concert, in the middle of Moscow city. Gotan Project were performing that night- they were fantastic!


The above photo and below were taken in the Red Square and Kremlin. If you ever get the chance to visit the Red Square, go to the Army and Military Museum. In there you will find the most amazing jewels, Fabergé eggs, and decorated books, royal robes, etc. AMAZING!





I have always liked over-the-top, highly decorated and embellished designs and artwork. It is amazing to think that the above room is basically covered in gold gilding! Imagine the work involved!

Another difference to Moscow, and Russia in general that I noticed, if you ever go there- dress up! If you go casual, you will stand out. Even when we visited parks and outdoor areas, the local women would wear heels and dresses. As Anna explained, Summer is a very short time for them, and they spend most of their time covered in coats and jackets, so while the weather is nice, they will take any opportunity to wear something nice! My kind of place!

If you have the chance to visit Russia, I recommend it. Moscow is not as tourist friendly as
St. Petersburg, but it has a distinct flavour that is certainly different to any other! Make sure you arrange either a tour guide or someone who speaks Russian to show you around- as you will need it, but it is well worth it!


Follow me on twitter or facebook for more updates of my latest designs and finds!

City Snapshot: Vienna

Quite a few years ago, I visited Vienna, in Austria. I was only there for two nights (unfortunately), but the city had a lasting impression on me- so far my favourite city in Europe!



One of the reasons why I love Vienna so much is because I love the Schonbrunn Palace- until I saw the Neuschwanstein Castle, near Munich, Schonbrunn Palace was my favourite Palace/Castle I had ever seen (and this included all the Palace's in Russia as well).

The photos above and below of the interior of the Schonbrunn Palace are not my own. They are from the palace website: http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/home.html



The Palace website is well worth a look to find out more information about each room, the royal family that once lived there, and you can even view a 360 degree video of each room.



However, as much as photos and videos can capture images, there is nothing like standing inside the actual room. The above room is the Millions Room, named this because the magnificent decoration allegedly cost one million gold pieces! I wouldn't be surprised by this either.

Each room in this palace has its own theme, and its own look. I was in awe of the craftsmanship; such detail and beauty- it is hard to forget that all of this was made such a long time ago! If I could, I would decorate my whole house in this style... I love over the top, ornate detail. My husband the opposite- minimalist.



Even if you don't like the wall and ceiling decorations, anyone can appreciate the effort it takes to make a parquetry floor... take a look at the above and below photos- amazing aren't they. Imagine how long it would've taken to do this! Imagine the effort, expertise and work involved...



...Now take a look at the below photo, and the floor in this. Yes, that is again parquetry. Amazing isn't it!? How did they do it?


The above room is probably one of my favourites, The Chinese Cabinets. Everything about this room is simply stunning, and I love Oriental and Chinese art.


Below is the outside of the Schonbrunn Palace. I visited Vienna in the end of March, when it was still quite cold, and Europe was celebrating Easter- which is great time to go. I notice no one celebrates Easter like Europeans do! They had a lovely market out the front of the Palace- I wish I had've bought more there. They had amazing cookies too!



While in Vienna, I attended the opera; a great experience!




St.Stephen's Cathedral- I remember this cathedral especially as it was situated in the exact middle of the city, howver, mainly because of the amazing mosaic tiled roof.







The Belvedere Palace houses the beautiful Gustav Klimt collection- where I truly fell in love with Gustav Klimt paintings. Again, the detail is amazing in real life- something you just don't recognise in prints, no matter how good the reproduction is.


Above, Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" and below "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I"


Vienna is city of great food, amazing culture- a slight mixture of east meets west as they have a Hungarian influence, stunning art and architecture, and friendly people. Surprisingly, it was one of the cheaper cities to visit as well. Definitely worth the detour to get there!