The Beat That My Heart Skipped – A blog dedicated to daily design inspirations. By Rohini Wahi.

Mr Kebab – tick
Some of the best street art in the world – tick
Great bar snacks – tick

Apparently Hamburg’s official name is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. I’ve had to look up ‘Hanseatic’ and I still don’t entirely understand what it means – something about trading. Anyway, that’s not important because we need to talk kebabs. Immediately!

I’m going to jump straight into food and the wonderous place that is Mr Kebab. Found in St Pauli, we were recommended this haven of Turkish goodness by a local. Note, having had an all you can eat breakfast only two hours earlier is a mistake. Despite this error in judgement, we made the vital stop before heading back to the airport. And while we walked out feeling 10 pounds heavier, it was well worth it. It was cheap, local and the food fresh and tasty.

Image Courtesy of Flickr

Other eating options are: Das Weisse Haus but make sure you book well in advance. And for breakfast , try Die Herren Simpel.

For vintage shopping try the Schanzenviertel or Karolinenviertel, particularly Marktstrasse. There are loads of cool boutique stores dotted around.

Kunst Kiosk for design products and their monthly art exhibitions.

If you want to mix coffee with shopping try Kaffee Stark.

Around the city, Hamburg really is a lovely place. It’s not the first place you’d think of going, but that’s the charm of it. Surrounded by water, it’s easy to get around. There aren’t hoards of tourists and the inner city has a very student feel. As usual, if I mentioned everything to do there, this would end up being an essay. But quickly:

Reeperbahn: Europe’s biggest red light districts, with Herbertstraße closed off by a wall for minors and women. By all means, walk past, but if you do down there, you’ll be greeted with some hostility. Still, worth checking out as there is some great street art around the Reeperbahn.

Planten un Blomen: it’s Europe’s largest Japanese garden and it’s lovely.

Image Courtesy of Flickr

Alster Arkaden: if you have money to burn, come here to shop.

Image courtesy of Flickr

Finally, if you’re coming to Hamburg via Lübeck, be prepared for over an hour bus ride to get into the city. If you can, try and fly into Fuhlsbüttel. -Vanessa.

This week I am here to tell you about one of my favourite cities. While I was writing this article I realised that I have been to Edinburgh five times. Each time, it has always been as a student or a first jobber with small means, but Edinburgh is a city for everyone.

The first thing that strikes me about Edinburgh is how beautiful it is. As soon as I pull up near the castle and see the windy cobbled streets that could have been built a 1000 or 100 years ago, I find it has a timeless quality. It is like a city carved of rock, the stones standing for ever. The castle is breathtaking, set high upon a mound it rises up from the city. The roads that lead to the top harbour shops, boutiques and hotels. All of these are jumbled together in a wonderfully quaint quality.
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So, I am stepping in this week to talk about ski resorts which apart from reading, is probably the subject my life centres on most this time of year. Whether it’s colleagues in my office popping over for questions on which resort is best [I am thinking about opening a helpline], booking my own trip, or waving goodbye to my sister who is heading back to Morzine for another season in a week – I do spend an inordinate amount of time talking about skiing.

For me, my precious week [or two if I can squeeze it in!] needs careful thought and consideration. With so many resorts out there I love and want to revisit how can I possibly choose?! Of course there are a few that stand out for me over the others filled with great memories. This year I will be heading back to St Anton am Arlberg, Austria. Why, you ask? Well read on…

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In my opinion, Europe is one of the most magical places to spend the winter. I’ll be spending Christmas in London for the first time in a few years this year, and am so thrilled!

I decided to take a look around and see what other cities and towns in Europe are up to over Christmas, be they big or small, I really enjoyed getting an insight into how everyone else will be spending this magical season…

Rome… 26th Nov to 6th Dec

Piazza Navona, one of Rome’s most beautiful and popular squares, becomes a huge Christmas market in December with stands selling nativity figures, Christmas treats, toys and houses a merry-go-round. There you’ll also find presents from the Befana, a kind old witch who traditionally brings good children toys at Epiphany!

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The most amazing and interesting geography imaginable – tick
Icy wind that chills you straight to the bone – tick
Natural phenomena – tick

Iceland is amazing. Hands down incredible. Beautiful, mysterious, interesting; everything you want from an adventure. Well, that’s if you don’t mind the bone chilling cold or putting up with 24 hours of sunlight in summer. However, these are small things for the experiences you’ll get in return.

Arriving at almost midnight into Keflavik airport, I found myself on a bus that had, for the past hour, stopped at every hotel in Reykjavik except mine. This caused a lot of eye rolling on my part, and as I went to look out of the window mid sigh, I found myself faced with one of the most surreal and unexpected experiences of my life.

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