I just got back from a jam-packed trip to Germany for Le Book Connections, Berlin. My ready-for-anything assistant Haven accompanied me – along with fourteen pieces of luggage! Here is a day-by-day account of our adventure:
DAY 1: Tuesday, October 18th
We left my house at 10am, but didn’t leave LAX ‘til 4:45pm (delays on the runway…). So, we landed at Heathrow late, missed our flight, and sat in the airport for eight hours. Our trip was off to a bumpy start.
DAY 2: Wednesday, October 19th
We finally got to Berlin around 9pm and even got through customs without any hassle. We loaded all fourteen bags onto carts by ourselves – while jet-lagged – with each bag at fifty pounds or more! Some passersby felt bad for us and helped us wheel our carts. They even hailed us a taxi!
We got to The Weinmeister hotel around 10pm. We checked in and loaded everything into our rooms by 10:30pm. We sleepily wandered around the hotel for a bit, then went to our respective rooms around 11:30pm.
DAY 3: Thursday, October 20th
We got up at 7:30am, ate breakfast, and were out the door by 9am, with bags for Le Book in tow. We got to Cafe Moskau for the Le Book Connections Show. People started arriving around 11am and we worked non-stop ‘til 9:30pm. A crazy day, but so fun! And our booth looked fabulous.
DAY 4: Wednesday, October 21st
Back to work. We met Dawn from Boden at Einstein Cafe and were back at Cafe Moskau by 11am. We worked until 9pm, went back to the hotel, got changed, and went to a much-awaited and much-earned dinner at Grill Royal. We almost fell asleep in our unbelievable meals. We were back to the hotel around 11pm and went straight to bed.
DAY 5: Thursday, October 22nd
Our last full day in Berlin: free for sightseeing! We ate breakfast around 9am at our hotel and left to wander around Mitte. We came across a Farmer’s Market, went into a bunch of stores, and made necklaces atTukadu (the highlight of the trip for me!). We also got some cute things at YAYALOVE.
Next, we hopped in a cab to the Helmut Newton Foundation, where we saw an exhibit of his personal belongings as well as his Polaroids (this was Haven’s trip highlight). We hopped in another cab to KaDeWe, an absolutely beautiful department store, and looked around for a while. Went to Checkpoint Charlie, people watched, and Haven cheesy-souvenir shopped. Then we stopped by Quartier 206 and Galeries Lafayette, where we just grabbed a quick bite to eat. Took a cab back to the hotel. Packed and crashed.
DAY 6: Friday, October 23rd
Time to head back to normal life in LA. We were up at 3am and out the door by 4am. We got to the airport at 4:30am, were first in line for check in, and went through security. I got taken to a different area for more screening. They checked me for explosives because of my numerous iPads!
We boarded the plane 6:55am and left at 7:20am. Got to Heathrow, through security, boarded our plane at 9:20am, and left at 9:55am. We were back to LA at 1pm. Got through customs and retrieved all of our bags no problem. We hopped in a cab to my place, where Haven’s sweet boyfriend Joe met us and helped us unload.
Haven went home and crashed. I somehow managed to run a few errands and then crashed as well. The energy of the trip is still keeping me buzzing!
Here are a few of the photos Haven Hartman took on our trip :
