That would be “Beauty &The Beast” in German. I think. Yo hablo espanol y no aleman. And that would be “I speak Spanish (it’s true) not German”. Okay, enough of the language lessons. I’ll let you pick up Rosetta Stone instead of listening to me ramble.
Today’s post is about beauties & beasts I have encountered the past couple of days. It is in German because I will also include some beauties and beasts from today’s flashback – Berlin, Germany! I don’t expect you to follow along with my logic. I just hope I haven’t lost you and you will still read this post. Pretty “bitte” (or please for us non-Germans)? 😉
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Beauty: Having a playdate with a good friend yesterday afternoon to help keep me busy.
Beast: Deciding to meet at the park in 90 degree weather and sweat bullets just after showering.
Beauty: Having some time to read my new book. Caught by Harlan Coben, which is very good already.
Beast: Having to read while sitting in my car waiting for my friend and her parents to show up 45 minutes late for us to pick up her wedding dress.
Beauty: Seeing my friend in her dress. She really does look amazing!
Beast: Listening to her comment on her weight and how “Oh my I will have to get it taken in and I thought I might not fit in the four” over and over and over and over. A couple times is fine…but this was overkill.
Beauty: Being invited to go to dinner with her and her family. That meant not having to cook and being able to avoid rush hour traffic on my way home. I’m in!
Beast: My friend choosing Taco Mac, which I have never really liked. My dislike was further deepened when I ordered the California Portabella Mushroom Wrap that maybe had 5 mushrooms in it. The rest was soggy iceberg lettuce, a few onions, and a tomato.
Beauty: Going to yoga to reenergize.
Beast: Feel reenergized just to have to turn around and go grocery shopping. Grocery shopping with a budget where you can’t buy a ton of fun foodie items is not as fun as it used to be.
Beauty: I had my first Oats In A Jar experience. Wow. That was very filling. Definitely a beautiful thing.
Beast: When it ends.
Beauty: It’s Friday!
Beast: Only two more days until Mother’s Day. Get things in order to love on your momma. I bet she needs it!
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Now it is time to Flashback to my stay in Berlin and all of the beauties and beasts found there. It was an interesting part of the trip, that’s for sure.
Beauty: Arriving to Berlin after a long train ride. Our train to Berlin was almost 3 hours late for departure…meaning we were waiting on a train platform until 2:30 am before leaving. We were happy to finally make it.
Beast: Despite being exhausted, we decided to walk to our hostel. Wouldn’t you know we walked to the wrong Baxpax location…12 miles out of the way.
Beauty: Receiving a free drink upon our arrival because the hostel clerks felt sorry for us.
Beast: Making our way to our rooms and having to shower together. I do not remember WHY we had to shower together…but it was in my journal. LOL
Beauty: Going on a free tour to see lots of interesting places. Brandenburg Gate – Dead Man’s Land Memorial.
Beast: Knowing how much sadness is tied up in Berlin’s history and seeing evidence of it everywhere. Berlin was by far the least beautiful place we visited because it is still rebuilding from WWII and the Cold War.
Beauty: Being able to have a laugh at how the Berlin Wall “came down”. It was apparently an accident. One of the officials was giving a press conference about plans for new lessened restrictions that were supposed to be instated gradually. The story goes he wasn’t well prepared and when asked when the changes were going to happen said “Right now”. People flooded the gates; the guards felt they had to let people through; and the rest is history.
Beast: After leaving such a “victorious” memory, going to the Holocaust Memorial. They have a bunch of uneven blocks that are supposed to resemble a massive graveyard and the uneasiness that time period represented in the world. Inside they have names of all the Holocaust victims. It would apparently take 6 years, 7 months, and 27 days to read through all of them.
Beauty: Being amidst the World Cup excitement.
Beast: Being amidst the World Cup excitement. It was madness in the streets!
Beast: Having to pay to pee in public restrooms.
Beauty: Figuring out that McDonald’s have restrooms that you can easily use for free. I don’t think I was ever so happy to see Golden Arches.
Beauty: Heading to Italy next.
Beast: Already being 1/3 of the way done with our trip. Stay tuned for the remaining flashbacks!
- What restaurant do you hate others suggest going to?
- Have you ever been in a city when a major sporting event was going on? Was it exciting or a pain? Or have you ever actually attended something like the World Cup?
living a life of FAITH, FITNESS, & FUN 
Hey Tina, I just discovered your blog and I love reading through your posts! As I am thinking about becoming a mum soon it’s just really nice and refreshing to read your blog!
Hugs from Germany – and *smile* the beauty & the beast in German is “Die Schöne und das Biest” 🙂 .. but your translation made me smile and that’s great!
I hate going to any chain restaurant. Well not any, but most. I have such a hard time finding something to eat.
I lived in Boston the last 10 years and am finally heading back. Talk about sports! When the Sox won in 2004 it was complete and total madness!
That Holocaust Memorial looks so intense. They always, always make me cry. Yad Vashem in Jerusalem was the toughest.
Sorry you had some beasts in your day, but at least you had beauties too!!
We actually love taco mac!! BUT, there are a few locations that have bad service… thankfully the one right by our house is pretty good. I’ve gotten that wrap before and have loved it, so maybe it was just that location?? I hate when people suggest to go to boring restaurants like Ruby Tuesdays, TGIFridays, Olive Garden, etc. I hate chain restaurants like that! I know taco mac is a chain in atlanta, but for some reason I just really like it b/c both Andrew and I can find something that makes us both happy on the menu.
I forget, were you a spanish teacher? Did you learn spanish in high school and college? I’m amazed that you are fluent – that is hard to do unless you’re exposed to it from a young age. But not surprising because you one smart chica!! 😉
Happy Friday!! 🙂
I am not a huge chain resturaunt eater but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a few faves! haha! Chilis, PF Changs, and Houstons are a few that make me smile! 🙂
I second Taco Mac as a beast. I really don’t care for that place! 🙂
I’m usually really easy going when it comes to others picking a place to eat.
I LOVE Harlan Coben books!! I finished “Caught” not long ago, and it was great.
Comments like those from your friend bug me a lot, too. I try not to get upset or angry, but when it’s over and over and over again it starts to get irritating. About 5 years ago I was a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding and every time we saw each other she would talk forever about how she was so stressed, couldn’t eat and was losing more and more weight. She never looked thinner to me, but she would always talk about how she “couldn’t afford to lose another pound” but couldn’t eat. It drove me insane!
I’m not a big fan of Chinese food so I hate it when friends suggest eating at those places! Although now everyone knows that so more often than not we never eat there. 🙂
My brother and dad were in Germany for the World Cup! My family is big into soccer so touring around following the games was a big deal for them. I was in Portugal during an Expo about 10 years ago, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.
this is such a cute way to post…LOVE 🙂 there’s a local sushi place that’s supposed to be amazing, but i think it tastes like crap…i would NEVER recommend going there!
and i’ve been in dallas and denver, where there are always big sporting events. it’s pure craziness too!
Oh that just stinks on that wrap. Nothing irritates me more than something sounding good but being sparse like that. Being vegetarian, there are tons of places that people suggest that I basically won’t go to b/c they don’t have anything for me to eat (or worth paying for).
You walked…12 miles….in one day??? WOW, I am amazed! That is VERY impressive!
Sorry about the beasts of your day, including your friend. YOU will look absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day – maybe she is really just insecure about her size?
Hmmm….there really aren’t many restaurants I hate, I guess! 😉 Well, Mexican food (the American version) isn’t always my fave, because it upsets my tummy. But anything else I’m *usually* down for!
I love the beauty and the beast aspect of this post!
I’ve never been in another country when a major sporting event has been going on.. then again, I’ve never really been out of Canada at all. I can imagine it being annoying and such a pain though.
Berlin is awesome! Your pictures remind me of when I was there this summer and when I ate lots of yummy falafel there. But sorry for your taco wrap being a downer. It sucks when you go somewhere you don’t like and your opinion is only confirmed.
I hate when people suggest going to any and all Persian restaurants. Since I was pregnant with Maya I cannot stand Persian food. Weird because I use to LOVE it. Just chalk it up to the long list of things Maya has stolen away from me including my metabolism!
Love the Berlin pictures. What a beautiful place.
Fun post! I hate the North American chain restaurants as they never have good veg options around here!
haha I loved the set up of this post!! boo on the 3 mushrooms in a mushroom wrap! i hate when descriptions are so decieving!!!
OIAJ–I had it once and not a fan…I prefer my PB right on top where I can see it 😉
glad you liked it though!
happy early mother day!!
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So much going on! That’s awesome about the World Cup! I love it! I was in Italy when they played in the cup and it was CRRRRAAAZZZZY!
The bride friend with the unwarranted fat talk – that would get old quickly! Hope she doesn’t read your blog 😉
ENJOY!! I love all the pictures! Jealous you’re off to Italy!
I hear ya on the Taco Mac thing. Although they do have a fun beer selection if you’re a beer fan. I don’t like it when people suggest Ruby Tuesdsay, Applebee’s – that type of restaurant.
This past weekend we went to Boston for a playoff hockey game, and it was fabulous to see the excitement in the city after they won!
Loved the format of your blog today. It was a fun read!!!
Don’t you love OATS IN A JAR? So good. And this post makes me want to watch the Disney movie now :>
Hee, I like this blog post. It’s fun to read. And ew, soggy iceberg lettuce….yuck!
I hate when people suggest a Korean place, a vegan/health/raw place, or a hot pot place, or a chain restaurant. Haha, I’m picky!
this theme was SUCH a cute idea! and i love how you carried it through to the flashback.
clever idea with beauty and the best! love this post
Berlin sounds like an amazing experience for sure!
There are definitely restaurants that others love but I don’t really… mostly fast food that I can think of right now.
What a fun way to recount your day 🙂 Sorry there were several beasts in the day, but it sounds like the good times outweighed the bad. My biggest pet peeve is waiting for people who are late. 45 minutes is a long time to wait!
Such a cute post tina! I love your flashbacks. Sorry I jumped to cinque terre 🙂 I didn’t get a chance to go to Berlin when I was backpacking across Europe, so this was fun to read. I have to get there someday!
I haven’t been to a big city during a major sporting event YET, but I am going to Cape Town in a little over a month for the WORLD CUP! It is going to be really insane, but I am SO excited to get swept up in the madness.
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