Sunday Best at Newhaven Fort

Firstly, thank you for all your lovely comments on my Special Occasion outfit! It's so lovely to receive a nice comment, and I'm making sure I'm being more proactive about giving them out in public when I see someone looking lovely. However, as many of you have mentioned in some of your posts, it's sometimes hard to know how to react, and often try and make some sort of excuse up for it. Let's demonstrate:

L.J. walks into the office

colleague: 'What a lovely dress today, and your hair looks brilliant!'

L.J.: 'umm thanks! It was 4quid from the boot sales yesterday, and it took me 5 mins with my hair....there's a sponge in there! It's cheating!'

colleague looks perplexed and walks off...

Perhaps if we all give out compliments more often, it wont be such an odd thing when we receive them. I'm learning to accept them more 'normally' now after having been on the receiving end of the weird compliment rejector too, heh.

So as suggested, I have now adopted the 'Sunday Best' principle. Every Sunday, I shall dress up in my Sunday Best. Or at least as many Sunday's as I possibly can.

We both got dressed up, and off we drove in Tilly Triumph to Newhaven Fort, just a short drive along the coast from Brighton.

For a moderate entrance fee, you gain access to the little museum's in the buildings above ground, seeing what it was like to live there, short films, artifacts that had been found there, and personal items donated by the soldier's families. A very very interesting place indeed!

After finishing with the museum part's, we sat down for a spot of cream tea. Yum Yum! What a treat! haven't had one of these for a long time!

Naughty Naughty!

After filling up we decided to go and explore the tunnels below. How exciting! We had to walk down what felt like at least 100+ steps to get to the bottom, but once there, discovered a load of tiny passage ways, one of which led to this rather creepy looking room....who painted this?! It was in bright neon yellow to boot!

One of those tiny passageways I mentioned. Spooooky!

When we got to the next part, the tunnels right into the heart of the cliff the fort stands on, we found a lovely little note, informing us that these parts were thought to be haunted, with many people hearing very strange noises, and feeling like the were either being pushed back out the tunnel while walking through, or being rushed back out on your return. Apart from the Mister running off and then jumping out at me, I experienced no such feelings....shame!

Back out on the surface, we climbed up to the guns. What amazing views!! We were so distracted by them we both forgot to take any pictures!

So here I am in my Sunday Best. 1950's Suit picked up from Vintage Nation at Brighton racecourse. It needs a tiny bit of adjustment to the jacket's waist, but that can be done some other time! The fabric is just amazing. It's a silk with a Chinese dragon print. I fell in love with the Chinese collar and the cut of the pockets on the front, and when i saw that the label read 'Emmer clothing' it had to be!



More tunnel action:

And a close up of the fabric. Love it!

And a view back across the fort:

Great day out had by the both of us, and the lady at the entrance even told us about a 1940's Swing Dance they are going to have soon! Will need to double check the details, but if anyone is about, I think it would be the perfect setting for an evening of dressing up and dancing the night away (apart from those spooky tunnels)!

Much Love from Newhaven Fort,

L.J.

xxx



Art Deco Garage, East Preston

In the sleepy village of East Preston, just along from Worthing, lies a little hidden gem I'd heard of. My manager had told me about a little garage that had been let to rot for many many years, but had recently been rescued by a redevelopement plan.

I couldn't find any pictures of what it looked like when it was first finished back in the day, but stumbled across this one before we headed over to explore. What a sorry sorry sight this was:

Now I don't normally like what redevelopers do with Art Deco buildings along the south coast. Far too many have been left to rot away, then get knocked down and turned into more boring high rise blocks. But not this time. These designers were real geniuses. They have kept the front facade as it was, and have cleverly extended backwards, to provide multiple flats in this now restored garage.

I LOVE IT! Now all I need to do is win the lottery to live here.....

We couldn't resist a few poses with the car. The people who live opposite found it highly amusing while they did their gardening!

Let's see more of this on the coast please! I have my heart set on them restoring the old Art Deco Odeon on the Level in Brighton next. Now that's a place I'd pay good money to live in.

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

Ostel - The DDR Design Hostel

Oh yes, my pretties, I found me another retro home-from-home to stay at during our trip to Berlin.

Let me introduce you to Ostel, Berlin's DDR themed Hostel. 

If you follow the brightly coloured building directly opposite Ostbahnhoff, you'll reach the front door to a place where you will be transported back to 1970's East Berlin, complete with an old Trabbie out the front. No Idea if they hire this out, but I would love to have gone for a ride! I did see another company hire them out for a few hours, bit out of my price range but perhaps one day!

The reception area was brilliant! As soon as you stepped in you heard music being played through the old stereo at the side, and vintage videos being played through the old DDR TV. 

I do love hunting out alternative places to stay, and have actually found that the hostels wherever I have travelled in europe have always had the edge. Local businesses, with amazing ideas, make staying somewhere abroad a much more exciting place to rest your head than the run of the mill Hotels all over the place. The extra bonus is that 9/10 they will be cheaper than any budget hotel, and this one really was worth every single penny! I loved going from room to room exploring, and noticing all the little details they had put in to really make this a time warp back to communist Germany. 

Whether you have studied the DDR period of German history or not, you will enjoy this thoroughly. Makes me want to pop to the library and brush up again now! Seeing how it actually would have been like, instead of just reading books and seeing pictures really brings it to life. 

The hallways were decked out too. I love all the attention to detail. This really has re-awakened my love of German design and form.  

The Sitting Room next to the reception:

Stairway up to our room. Luckily we were only one flight up, I wouldn't have wanted to have walked all the way to the top!

Finally up into our room! I'd splashed out a little in terms of staying at a Hostel and booked us a private bathroom. I don't do sharing bathrooms any more I'm afraid! It was just outside our room, so not so bad!

They'd placed DDR approved books around the room too, so I spent a little time reading next to the heater before heading back out into the snow later on!

I couldn't fault the room. I wanted to steal everything in it and take it home with me. I want that wallpaper!!

And the bedside tables too. Actually, I just want to swap my bedroom for this one, and slap in my own twist please. Up for a swap?? 

The radio, all still working! Although it's been a while since I last listened to German radio, so hadn't a clue what channels we were listening too! It was actually really nice not having a TV or the laptop with us. It was the same at Vintage Vacations, and it was really good to just disconnect for a little bit and have no distractions. 

Also wanted to steal the light shade....I trawled through so many flea markets to try and find one, to no avail! I will keep trying though back in Blighty.

The next morning, after a well deserved 10am lie in, we wondered around the corner to the front of the apartment block for Breakfast, at Das Deutsche Restaurant (DDR....Get it?! ha)

During the day and evening it is a regualr restaurant, but serving DDR themed food with a twist. We only had a chance to have breakfast there, but would definitely try it next time.

Decked out all festive, it really put me in the spirit! I miss German style Christmas, especially all the food...droool....lebkuchen.........

Again, notice all the attention to detail, even the flags and pictures on the walls! Where did they get all this stuff from? Imagine walking into a warehouse with a ready to kit out retro restaurant? Dream come true!

Another piece of stunning German Art, showing the TV Tower and view across Berlin. I'd love to have a print of this at home.

A yummy continental style breakfast was on the menu. The Mister grumbled a little as he does like a cooked breakfast,  but he soon livened up when I told him there would be Nutella and Salami on the menu. In separate dishes of course.

I want these eggcup holders. I actually managed to find one of these while Christmas shopping in Brighton today. May have to go back to the shop and get some more.

Time to tuck in!

I would recommend this place to anyone contemplating a trip to Berlin. Not only is it a brilliant experience in itself, you're located right at the heart of the 'alternative' corner of the city, which we sadly only realised on the last day there, after spending most our time either in the museums or in the touristy bits and Christmas markets, d'oh!

You're only one train hop away from some of the best market squares, miles of street art, a lot of second hand and vintage stores, as well as a humongous charity shop/second hand store called Humana. It has 4 floors!! 4!!! In a huge warehouse....insane! More on that some other time.

The staff were all lovely, and really helpful in pointing us in the right directions and provide us tips on which areas to go to. Although the walls were super thin (I'm guessing this was due to the fact you would have been able to listen in on your neighbours conversations and making sure they weren't saying anything they shouldn't have!), we didn't hear too many people, and had a really good nights sleep there. The only thing I would say is bring your own towel, the one they give you is tiny, unless you want to do a mad dash between your room and the bathroom and risk showing your fellow travellers more than they were expecting.

The room was great, the location super easy being only two train stops from the airport, and the breakfast certainly filled you up! A fabulous experience and I would definitely stay again, although next time I think I will save up and go for one of their full apartments instead. My word....you should take a look on their website and see for yourselves!

10/10

Much Love from Berlin,

L.J.

xxx