Roadtrip: Seattle to Portland

On my second day in Seattle, we did the unthinkable. We skipped Seattle entirely and started our roadtrip through Oregon. If you ever head out to see the Pacific Northwest I highly recommend renting a car and trying to see as much of the surrounding nature as possible. Start out in either Seattle or Portland, but make sure you see the other city too! They're only 2.5 hours apart! I've driven in the states before, but this time it hit me again how vast this country really is.

We got up bright and early at 6 so we could make use of the whole day properly. This strategy of course included massive cups of coffee and keeping ourselves awake and alert by continuously eating.  Our first stop were the infamous Multnomah Falls. I'd seen this waterfall so many times in pictures, but I was so impressed by the scale of it, not to mention how great it was to be able to walk across it on a bridge.

Our next stop on the agenda was Trillium Lake with views of Mt Hood. We were hoping to capture the reflection of the mountains across the lake, but the weather was against us. It was extremely sunny and windy so we decided to just rest and take in the scenery instead of walking around the lake to get good shots of every angle.

After Trillium Lake we were hit with a sever case of hunger after over four hours of driving so we decided to head into Portland. The first stop on our list was Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel. It was so interesting to be in the city were Stumptown began!

Stumptown left us recaffeinated and ready to continue exploring Downtown Portland. I was amazed at how many oldtimers we saw during my time there and I think I started annoying Vincent with my fangirling every time I saw one. If you're ever in Portland I would also highly recommend Heart Coffee, Blue Star Donuts (they're made of brioche dough!!) and make sure you check out Nob Hill for a stoll in an adorable neighborhood.

Last, but certainly not least, Salt and Straw ice cream. Over the past two years I had increasingly heard about Salt and Straw, so naturally I needed to see what all the fuss was about. When we arrived on location there was a line that wrapped around the block and while I don't usually participate in queues I patiently got in line. However, my patience soon wore thin so I figured out an alternative to waiting for another hour: you can skip the line if you buy a pint! With a pint of Sea Salt ice cream and caramel ribbons in hand, the world immediately looked much rosier and it was the perfect end to our time in Portland before we headed back to Seattle

As always you can follow along in real time over Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat (sophiesvob).

The London Plane

I just got back from my trip to Seattle at 1 am today, but even after a long day back at work I feel incredibly inspired and refreshed. Before I share the pictures from our crazy road trips around Oregon and Washington State (and of course a Seattle Shortlist), I wanted to devote one post entirely to The London Plane. Half restaurant, a quarter flower shop and a quarter concept store, but 100% beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Not to mention the food was amazing (any restaurant that serves home made hazelnut butter with salt on toast earns a solid place in my heart). Before we had our main courses, we all had a round of warm biscuits with seasonal preserve and creme fraiche. I immediately knew we were in for a treat, the kind of treat I wouldn't be mad about having every day. We also shared the chicken salad, focaccia, avocado toast and snap pea salad. I was so happy to hang out with Cory and Bethany again and meet Daniel for the first time to chat about our passions, photography and travel!

Find them right off of leafy green Occidental Square in Downtown Seattle:

 

Reading List

This week's installment of our reading list:

1. The photography for this recipe of Lilac syrup is just stunning. If you want to use that in lemonade, here's a recipe for you.
2. Rachel from Pink Peonies makes the best shopping lists, like this one for summer totes.
3. If you're always looking for great instagram accounts to follow, check out this post we wrote a while back.
4. As if my wanderlust wasn't bad enough already, this list of the most amazing lakes (or natural swimming pools) across the world really doesn't help.
5. I recently discovered a new high street brand (I've been trying to diversify my closet beyond 100% Zara right now). How great are their dresses?
6. Real estate and interior design are some of my biggest obsessions, especially when it comes to New York City and more specifically West Village. This townhouse would be an absolute dream.
7. I would love try out all of these flower cocktail recipes this summer.
8. One of my favorite film makes, Ben Brown just posted a new video about his trip to South Africa, and it's insanely stunning.

Infused Water II - Pineapple

So simple and so delicious! A floating slice of pineapple and the summer feelings are near. Add some lemon juice and mint leaves. These ingredients cool the body and help to get through a hot summer day without sweating too much.
When I offered this drink to new friend who happened to come by this morning, he offered in return he would be my hand model and pour the drink while I shoot the photo. Great new friend!

 Thanks, this is refreshing!

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Brooklyn Public Library

For their first event, NYC GO (New York City's Board of Tourism) decided to take us to the Brooklyn Public Library. We were allowed behind the scenes access to the archives (which included a matchbox collection and old album covers) and the rooftop of the building. Situated on a corner between Prospect Park and the Grand Army Plaza we had stunning views from the rooftop of the library. We could even see Manhattan and One World Trade in the distance. I also had the chance to meet the beautiful Natalie (@misshattan) and shoot some portraits on the roof. It's moments like these, watching the sun set over this stunning city, that make me so grateful to be fortunate enough to live here.

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Infused Water I - Lemongrass and Lemon Balm

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It has been really hot today and the first thing that comes to mind is that summer is right here and as the temperatures are climbing we must drink more as usual. The best way to stay healthy and hydrated is to drink between meal times and plenty of water is the best. Ignore the sodas and the sugary drinks, sometimes those tasty waters hide a ton of sugar in them and the calorie intake along with the unwanted hunger attacks after 20 minutes are unreal. 

Not so with these waters made by you, tasty and really pretty, your hydration plan gets an upgrade, your mood swings to green and you will get inspired to come up with your own creative ideas on how to prep your jug of water.

I must add that we are fortunate here in Vienna with the best quality tap water of the planet for a city with almost 2 million inhabitants. More than 150 years ago smart engineers built a water pipeline from the mountains into Vienna with fresh water. This system is so amazing that no matter how high our buildings are we need no pressure pumps. We open our tabs and the water runs freely. We shower with it and we even use the water to flush our toilettes. Sounds insane for everyone else - yes, we are so blessed with fresh water!

Crack a stalk of lemon grass and wash a sprig of lemon balm that's all you need and a little time outside the fridge. After 2 hours your water is infused and ready to be enjoyed.

All ideas work as well with sparkling water, but I prefer the natural water for this by far. It brings out the taste so beautifully ! Enjoy and feel your beauty inside out.

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I have been told by friends that one cannot drink too much water and so they keep a bottle with them everywhere they go but that is not true. Essential minerals can be washed out by excessive drinking as well and that can weaken a body. The rule with almost everything in life is moderation. 2 liters of water are perfect for your body and will keep you hydrated well unless yo spend your days in a dessert under a scorching sun. Your body counts fruit, vegetables and soups as liquid as well.

Reading List

Hi everyone! This week I'm introducing a new segment called "Reading List", essentially made up of links I found while online, favorite apps, shopping items, recipes and the best blog posts by other bloggers. I spend a fairly decent amount of time online searching for inspiration and I figured it would be fun to share them with you!

1. This Rhubarb Mojito looks like the perfect summer drink.
2. I recently found and downloaded the app Moves and I'm already obsessed! It tracks how many steps you take, calories you burn and how far you walk and even tracks your runs. I try to walk at least over 10000 steps a day (about 10km) and this really helps me keep track of my goal! The best part? It's free!
3. If you still need a great summer sandal, I love these ones by Vince Camuto.
4. The first thing I make when I go home this summer, will be this Dulce de Leche Crepe Cake!
5. The number one place I want to travel to right now is Tokyo, and I loved this 3 day guide by CN traveler.
6. I'm going to try to work my way through this list of rooftop bars in New York before I leave for Europe.
7. This style post by Nicola Warne is giving me serious excitement for going to the beach this summer.

Hope you have a great week!

Spot Dessert Bar: Summer Edition

If you guys have been following along for while, you might remember this post about Spot Dessert Bar. Last week, they invited us in to taste and photograph some of their classics along with some upcoming specials that will be featured on their summer menu. And who in their right mind says no to free dessert? They work closely with Ian Kittichai from Iron Chef Thailand to develop new and creative dessert tapas year round. I also decided to include some behind the scenes photos here, because I'm so impressed at the effort that goes into each of their dessert creations. You already know how much I love food, but you might not know that I currently work in the food industry. If you're interested in behind the scenes from food photo shoots, NYC restaurants and locations and of course my travels, follow me on snap chat: sophiesvob (for more professional photos, as always, instagram). Keep scrolling for more precise descriptions of these desserts! Thank you for reading as always!

The classics: Green Tea chocolate lava cake and golden french toast with vanilla ice cream (my personal favorite).

Pistachio dusted chocolate mousse cake.

Coconut smoke infused coconut truffle.

Lychee Panna Cotta with raspberry sorbet, chocolate caviar and edible flowers.

May Recap

May was a bit of a crazy month between finishing finals at university, transitioning into my summer internship and having friends staying over at my place. I'm looking forward to spending June in New York working and traveling to Portland and Seattle next week for the first time! Let me know if you have any tips for me while I'm there! Here's a roundup of our favorite posts this month in case you happened to miss one!

1. My mom finally wrote down the recipe for her infamous Cilantro Salsa, good with anything from steak to omelettes to bread.
2. I wrote this post on transitioning style from spring to summer in New York City.
3. We posted this fun cake recipe using olive oil and almond flour.
4. My mom traveled to Grüner See (Green Lake) in Austria and took these wonderful pictures.
5. I decided to share some highly personal life lessons I've learned after turning 20 this year.
6. If you're looking for a refreshing summer recipe, try out these Melon shooters!
7. Always in search of new views of my city, I finally went to the top of the Empire State Building in the fog.
8. If you want to imitate Austria's most famous chef, try out this new take on preparing lemons.

What were your May highlights?

10 Things Learned Since Turning 20

For as long as I can remember I've felt a lot older than my official, passport printed age. My mom claims I started to speak at barely 1 years old and acted like a calm 30 year old during dinners at Jean Georges when I was 3. In a lot of ways, the past 4 years have been incredibly difficult. I have felt more lost, confused and helpless than I ever deemed possible. I had my heart broken more times than I care to recall, attended 4 different schools, went through countless family hardships, never ending insomnia, changed career paths, moved 3 times and lost more close friends than I thought I could ever recover from.

But, I survived. Even through my tears and disillusionment I learned that the beauty in life is just that. The ups and downs and the inability to exact control over any given area in life. I've learned to come to terms with loving without expecting anything in return and that this world we live in is absolutely wonderful. If you're anything like me and you sometimes feel like there's no light at the end of all this madness I hope these 10 things encourage you to carry on.

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1. Everything good and worth having takes time.
So you're not exactly where you want to be in life at this very moment. Chances are, you never will be. Life never gives us exactly what we want, when and how we want it (to be honest that would be pretty awesome though). I've never been good at being patient, so this is something I really need to work on. I always tell my friends, have a positive attitude and set your mind to be open to liking this new experience and it will work out in the end. I'm really trying to take my own advice more often in terms of life in general. I'll let you know how I get on.

2. But, life is short, so eat the damn cupcake.
Seriously though. I mean, if you feel like you really need a cupcake, chances are, you actually do. Be kind to yourself and cut yourself some slack. If you feel like you need to cry, cry in public, we've all been there. There isn't enough time in life to get hung up on the petty little things. Eating that one cupcake will not make you gain 5 kilos, everything in moderation. The same thing goes for toxic friendships and relationships. Life is far too short to constantly run after people that don't have your back. Looking back over the past few years I know I've lost more friends than I intended to, but at the end of the day they weren't worth having around.

3. Remember to always be kind above all else.
Be kind to everyone around you, including yourself. Your kindness will impact those around you and encourage them to be kind in return. Always aim to treat people in the best possible way and don't expect anything in return. Learning to be loving towards others without expectation is ridiculously painful, but it's also beyond rewarding.

4. Your family always comes first.
Never push away the people that have always been there for you unconditionally. Also, never take them for granted and all the things they do for you.

5. Find your passion.
Not everyone can afford to make their passion their job. But, if you are fortunate enough to do it, you absolutely must make it your living. If not, make sure that you always set aside time to pursue your passions and the things that make you happiest.

6. Explore.
And don't forget to stop along the way to take pictures. I love the way that photography has changed my life over the past year and how much I enjoy the little things in life and admire my surroundings. If there's one thing I know I don't want to regret later in life is not taking advantage of this world I live in and exploring every single corner of it.

7. Be Grateful.
Being appreciative of everything around you eventually allows you to feel more content. Always remember that some people would be happy to have your bad days. Photography has definitely taught me to appreciate the little moments and beauties.

8. Be confident in your insecurities.
As much as some people love to pretend that they own the world with confidence, everyone is insecure about one thing or another. It's the way you choose to deal with your insecurities that matters. Never allow your felt shortcomings to get you down, but let them make you stronger in the long run.

9. Share in abundance.
Nothing impacts me more than a generous soul. We can all learn so much from the people around us and we should never stop sharing our time, experiences and our love with others. It really is true that the more you share the richer you feel in return.

10. Be positive about the future and what it holds.
And by that I mean be a positive person rather than a cynical one. It's so easy to get caught up in a vicious cycle of depression and despair simply because we allow ourselves to believe that we deserve the things that come our way. Life is far too unpredictable to let you blame yourself for anything that happens in your life. Live. Live a full life. And wear a smile while doing it.

Is there anything you guys have learned in life over the years?