30.12.2014

christmas.

V.




H E Y   T H E R E   EV E R Y O N E!

First and foremost I would like to apologize for being M.I.A. the last couple of months. Saying that  it's been a busy time for me sounds like the oldest excuse in the history of mankind, I know, - it's even worse than "my dog ate my homework". But it really is true. While it sounds like complaining right now, I would like to emphasize that I'm extremely lucky to have a well-working photography business at the moment and I really enjoy my masters degree in art history, which is why I'm putting a little more effort in it than I used to before. So there you have it! November and December were quite stressful and since I simply couldn't force myself to go out on the street and take some pictures or write a funny story, I ended up posting absolutely nothing on Esthoria, which, indeed, is a shame. I apologize and hope you guys are still interested in our daily - more or less - adventures we would like to share with you on this blog. :) So now let's get back to the original title of today's comeback blogpost! Christmas! :)

To me, December 24th is always about family, being together, eating good food and enjoying each other's company. Unfortunately, this year there's been an unexpected twist. My dad had to go to the hospital to undergo an operation (everything's fine now)! and therefore even had to stay in the clinic on Christmas eve. It was weird sitting there with only mum and grandma, which, don't get me wrong, was nice too, but I definitely didn't feel cheery. What can be called cheerful was the next day, December 25th. My sister, her husband and their daughter Olivia had planned to visit my dad at the hospital, who we thought had to stay in there for another two days. You can only imagine our happy faces when all 4 of them surprisingly hopped out of the car in our courtyard,- as my dad's been released early to be with his family. We were so glad that everyone was there,- healthy and happy. In the end, that's all that matters, really.
































Isn't Olivia the cutest? :)

Besides receiving many wonderful and thoughtful gifts this Christmas, I also put a lot of effort into the presents I chose for my family and friends. Some of my favourites were a Polaroid camera I got for my sister and her husband, a trip to Paris to my boyfriend and a self-made cartoon I made of Esther, characterizing her on 25 pages. I guess, she really loves it. Esther herself got me something absolutely astonishing, as she does every year,- this present however really made me speechless. It's a selfmade book of our San Francisco trip that we took two years ago in which she writes little articles about where we've eaten, where we've lived, where we've been ... It's amazing. Thank you very much for your gift, Esther, you're so talented.



I hope you guys have had a wonderful time with your beloved ones as well! -And since this will be the last blogpost this year, - Esthoria wishes you the best possible start to the New Year! :)




07.11.2014

one year ago.

E.

Around this time last year I went for a walk with my parents and took a lot of pictures, planning on using them for a blog post but I never got around creating that post (because I am lazy). However, today I was avoiding studying for tomorrow's University course again (like I said, I am lazy) – and yes, you've read correctly. Tomorrow. On Saturday. The whole day. Anyhow, as I was pretending the articles I had to read weren't situated right next to me on my desk (I put my teapot on it – I am very innovative when it comes to blocking unwanted reading material for University), I came across the pictures from a year ago and decided to show them to you now. 

Enjoy. 





































































































































































































































































04.11.2014

vegan day.

E.

Today I decided to have a vegan day which turned out to be a rather great idea. For breakfast I only had a smoothie because I wasn't feeling particularly hungry in the morning. After staring at all the work I had to do for university, I quickly fled from my desk into the kitchen and baked some vegan chocolate brownies.

And because it's already November, I decided to listen to this magnificent medley the entire time I spent in the kitchen: 



(Like I said: it's already November! Therefore I am allowed to listen to this. Don't give me that look!)


Vegan chocolate brownies

Ingredients

1 cup bananas (mashed)
1/4 cup soy milk (or almond milk, ...)
1/4 cup oil 
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

First, mash the bananas in a bowl.

Add oil (I used coconut oil), soy milk, sugar, vanilla and salt and mix it all together.

Then add flour, cocoa and baking powder to the banana mixture.



Mix it all together and fill the mixture into a baking tray.

Let it bake for about half an hour.

Enjoy!

After I had shoved the brownies into the oven it was time to prepare lunch. I decided to make some zucchini »pasta« with pea purée and sautéed mushrooms, which tasted amazing. Though next time I am going to try switching the pea purée for an avocado sauce. 



26.10.2014

excursion.

V.



As some of you might know, I'm an art history student and currently in my second master semester. Just like all my fellow students I have to absolve two so called "excursions", one inland and one abroad. The inland excursion started about a week ago and ended yesterday evening, including travel destinations such as Upper Austria, Salzburg, Bavaria (not so much inland, I guess), East Tyrol and Styria. Since our teacher is an expert in Byzantine art and architecture, we only visited churches that in some way were inspired by this particular style. In each city, 4-6 people gave a speech on the characteristic features of the building we were in and later started a discussion with the whole group. As you can imagine, we were always quite exhausted after 12-hour church analysis and were happy to go back to bed. Looking back at all of it know, I really must say though that I absolutely treasure the whole experience. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true. I am definitely not a flagship-student, however I do feel that the whole excursion sharpened my perception of architecture and encouraged me to think more critically and observe more precisely. But enough with the boring talks, let's get to the pictures, shall we? :) Even though I didn't want to take my camera with me at first, I am now extremely happy that I did. I totally fell in love with my homecountry, exploring the beautiful landscapes and villages that we had passed through. I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming impressions as much as I do. 

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