Annabel Fielding's Blog, page 3

What to do in Berlin in 3 Days: A Full Itinerary

Berlin is a very atypical European city. It doesn’t  boast creamy Baroque facades like Paris or Vienna, or picturesque mews like London; and, according to my sources at least (my sources being two expat friends I’ve met via Facebook), when it comes to pretty old-timey spots in general, it actually loses out to New York....

5 Best Things to Do in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

The neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg is, in my opinion at least, one of the prettiest ones in Berlin. If you find yourself staying (or even, you lucky thing, living) there, here are 5 things you could enjoy there regardless of if it’s rain or shine (because, this being Berlin, it’s probably rain). Get lost in...

Auf Achse: Street Food Market in Berlin

I’ve mostly discovered the street food market of Streetfood auf Achse by accident. Not that I was walking past and suddenly found myself drawn by the scent of Mexican food and organic waffles like by some magical pipe, but close enough. Planning initially to write a post about the Kulturbrauerei itself, I ended up googling...

4 best hot chocolate spots in London

Rococo Cafe Rococo Cafe is set among the sleek, white-columned opulence of Belgravia – so I prepared myself for some disconcerting lavishness. However, instead I was greeted by a Platonic idea of an English country cottage – a concentrated dream of rural bliss. Sunlight upon blue geraniums on wooden tables, a teddy bear sleeping on...

Southwark Cathedral: the gem of South London

For those looking for things to do in South London, the offered range it dazzling: from the lovingly restored Elizabethan Globe to the Brutalist National Theatre, from street food to cocktail bars. Although I’ve enjoyed all these things (well, except the cocktail bars – I never seem to have the money for that!), out of...

Book review: The Eight, by Katherine Neville

I’ve been on a historical thriller kick lately, so strap yourself for a ride. Now, a lot of marketers thought it a good idea to compare Katherine Neville’s cult classic thriller, The Eight, to Da Vinci’s Code. I admit, that there is some superficial resemblance –ancient conspiracies and ancient adversities, mystical secrets and alternative explanations of...

Book review: Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy, by Jacqueline Carey

Here, I’m reviewing Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy, which belongs to the list of – I won’t hesitate to say it – best fantasy novels ever. These three pretty minimalist covers (as far as epic fantasy goes) are actually portals to a world of grand political conspiracies, lavish settings, breathtaking twists and inventive sex scenes...

Short guide to London’s Regent’s Park

I always prefer to bite away the sweet decorations on the cake first before plunging my teeth into its midst; therefore, I start with circling Regent’s Park. The white Regency buildings on its outlines shone with hard, sunlit brilliance. However, even this harsh glare couldn’t defeat the grace of their classical lines. I am walking...

Book Review: The Illumination of Ursula Flight, by Anna-Marie Crowhurst

Once I’ve heard this book being compared to Sarah Waters, I immediately pressed ‘Buy Now’. And it wasn’t as if Ursula Flight turned out to be a disappointment per se – rather, it was a case of a spectacularly misleading blurb. After a promise of the ‘glittering world of Restoration-era theatre’ and ‘giddy world of actors,...

Short Guide to London’s Greenwich Market

The market at Greenwich rolls over me with the echoes of the bygone decades. This place, one of those places in London that are located where the city peters out, starts for me with the rows of milk-white cups on one stall. They are clear and pure if somewhat faded, they clearly didn’t bear the...