DS and I had a wonderful time away, and it was no coincidence that we arrived in Cologne, Germany for the 'fifth season', which is how the locals refer to their week long carnival. It is an amazing event, the festivities being crowned by the annual Rose Monday parade..
More than 10.000 participants (on horseback, floats or foot) throw 'Strüssje' and 'Kamellen' (flowers and sweets) into the crowds, DS could not believe that it was actually 'raining' sweets and chocolate bars...
DS's loot, already greatly reduced by the time the pic was taken ;-)
Everyone on the streets is masqueraded, adults and children alike. I've been scarf-ing up my pirate hat with De Madras à Zakynthos Carré as a headscarf, and my Monsieur et Madame to go with Ms Caramel fur.
We watched the parade at the foot of Cologne's most famous landmark, the Cologne Cathedral (the Kölner Dom, which took 600 years to be completed, starting in 1248)
..and as luck had it, our grand stand was literally around the corner from Cologne's H boutique,
which of course was closed, as the whole town was out to party. With temperatures below freezing, H's window displays gave a glimpse of hope that spring will come around soon..
a 50 Kelly with a canvas strap
and scarves draped as lamp shades, such a pretty sight!
You're back - hurray!
ReplyDeleteAlmost forgot: Thanks for the lovely pictures of cologne and even more thanks for the lovely pics of spring in the windows of hermès.:-) going to have dinner now, but hope to "see" you around tomorrow. hugs, HM.
ReplyDeleteHi darling HM and thank you for the lovely welcome back <3 Bon appetit to you, à demain x
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, MaiTai. Your holidays with DS to cologne sounds great. Hope you have enjoyed it. LOve those pics of Hermès in Köln - too bad it was closed. Did I spot the csmc jersey scarf - the one my local H didn't order (they apparently are not following the hype on the TPF :-) ) Wish you a nice weekend
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear Butterfly! Great keyboard Umlaut skills (I have an english keyboard, took me ages to figure out how to do them) Your eagle eyes did not betray you, and yes, H is missing out on tpf trends ;-) Have a wonderful weekend too <3
ReplyDeletethose window displays are divine.x
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed them, Faux Fuchsia. x
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, MT - thanks for the pictures, glad you had a good time, and missed you!
ReplyDeleteI am going to Cologne this summer; I am thrilled to learn that it has an Hermes!
ReplyDeleteMissed you too, Joanne, thank you for the warm welcome back! x
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful trip to Cologne, CashmereLibrarian, and yes, the store could not be more conviniently located ;-) Also, there is an H store in nearby Düsseldorf, only 30min away. Düsseldorf is a fabulous town too, with great restaurants, galleries and shopping. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteYay you're back! What a fabulous trip :) Glad you enjoyed it with DS? Spotted the lovely CSMC and the toile kelly is beautiful too! Thank you for sharing the amazing pics, just looking at the loot of sweets DS got away with, he must have had a ball! Fab weekend to you xx
ReplyDeleteMissed you too, dear DD. I thought you'd spot the CSMC in a heartbeat, lol! We truly had a fabulous time, and DS loved every moment of it too. A wonderful weekend to you as well <3
ReplyDeleteIve enjoyed looking through these photo's. I have a request, if possible?, would it be possible to include more information on what shoes you wear with different looks? I struggle with knowing what shoes to put with different outfits. Just a suggestion to help us mere mortals.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back dear MaiTai-you have been missed. So glad you and DS had a nice holiday. Thank you for the pictures as Germany is on my sights for our next trip.
ReplyDeleteYea, you are back. I've missed your lovely posts. They often brighten my day. You can tell those of us who are on TPF because we all instantly spotted the CSMC jersey scarf. Lol. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed the photos, Tae and thank you for your request :-) In winter I wear mostly boots, ankle boots or low heeled pumps. In summer it gets very hot here, so it's sandals or wedges. Flip flops at the beach or in the garden. Will try to include some shoe pics in the future!
ReplyDeleteDear andiamo, missed you too!! Please PM me before you go to Germany, I'd happily pass you some tips x
ReplyDeleteSMR, hahaha..too funny with the TPF brigade! It's lovely to be back, I truly missed my blog and cyber friends! :-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome back and what a colourful return! Great you and DS enjoyed your time out. You look fabulous as pirate. Was DS masqueraded, too?
ReplyDeleteWelcome back MaiTai - I missed you, here and on tPF!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, MaiTai. I missed you!
ReplyDeleteThe Koeln pictures left me with great "Heimweh". I have not been in Cologne during Karneval - love the pictures, the creativity and the candy loot. This is such a fun time in Germany. You look gorgeous. The succulents and plants in your other picture remind me of the Hermes scarf with the paths through a rock garden.
MaiTai I have njoyed your blog very much. Have you always been in Provence? Are you French? Jenna
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're back. What a beautiful, colorful post. It did remind me of spring. We've had an exceptionally cold winter here in FL, so I'm anxiously awaiting warmer temperatures!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more fabulous outfits... you are the Audrey Hepburn of our day~
Merci, Anissa. So happy to hear you had a great time in Cologne. Isn't the Hermès boutique just in the best location? So easy to 'stumble' upon it while sightseeing ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the warm welcome back, angolfa. Happy you like my costume, and yes, DS was in disguise too. Because of the temperatures (below freezing) and the duration of the parade (5 hours), I dressed him in layers after layers, in the end it all contributed to the authentic look of his ice hockey player costume!
ReplyDeleteMissed you too, dear dance, it's great to be back. Will try and catch up on tPF later <3
ReplyDeleteDear adsense, hugs to you re the 'Heimweh', hope you'll make it to one of the next Karnevals to Cologne. In the meantime, a joyous Kölle Alaaf to you!
ReplyDeleteJenna, thank you for your kind words, happy you enjoy it here. I moved to France seven years ago, but I am not french.. I have a finnish mother and german father :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed the post, dear Teri and thank you for your lovely words <3 Like you, we had an exeptionally cold winter, hopefully spring will make it up to us! :-)
ReplyDeleteWow looks like you had a fab time in Koln MaiTai!! What a lovely city thanks for showing us. Love the H window pics too! So glad you are back - have really missed your blogs and posts, SA.
ReplyDeleteMaiTai you are so slim and elegant, how is this maintained?do you smoke?
ReplyDeleteThank you Scarf Addict, so happy you liked the pics, especially since I always enjoy your travelling pics so much :-)
ReplyDeleteJenna, you are so sweet, thank you. No smoking for me, I have a pretty healthy life style, and eat a lot of fruit and vege :-)
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