12 1/2 months ago when mini-me started dribbling for the first time, I was 100% sure his first tooth was on its way. Well, more than a year later, we're still waiting over here. It's become a routine to feel his gums every other day, especially during sleepless nights or clingy days. Today he was really happy and smiling and I saw a little bright line on his gum (it's been swallen for a while, but I swear, over a year ago, it was aswell!). So I did my mandatory gum-touch and, oh my, there is a incisor corner on the way. No more gummy smiles? I'm almost sad!

Edit: There's two teeth coming!! And they are fast! OMG! Three!


Photo: Carolin Weinkopf

No words, just pictures.
























All photos: Carolin Weinkopf via iPhone (edited with vscocam and/or instagram)

Happy 2014!

We spent the turn of the year calm and relaxed in Lucerne, Switzerland, with a daytrip of skiing (yay!) and sledding on the 31st and a lovely raclette dinner with friends and friends of friends in the evening. We slept in on the 1st (as long as mini-me let us) and relaxed for two more days, with walks by the lake, good food and good company.







2013 has been a challenging year, with very sad and a very desperate moments, but a lot of lovely memories as well. We lost a loved one to cancer after a long struggle and sadly had to light even more candles on our window sill over the course of the year, plus multiple occasions that made me cry.

Mini-me taught us never to crow too soon, after three months of wonderful, wonderful sleep in the beginning of the year, we learned about sudden high fevers, colics and endless, sleepless nights. I have not slept for more than a few hours in a row since march (!) and never have I been so close to my limits, mentally and physically. It's crazy how important sleep is, and never did I know this until now. I feel like I have gotten rusty over these crazy past nine months, I have grown grey hair, I have gained weight, I have become grumpy. The past weeks have been a tiny bit better and I am optimistic that we have turned the corner, but I am definately not sure (as I have thought so multiple times already and got disappointed, and the past two nights have been incredibly painful).




As bad as our nights are, the days are bright. If mini-me processes all of his negative energy during the nights, he has none left for the days. He's the happiest baby toddler, blinking and smiling, hugging and loving. We are incredibly lucky and grateful. And when we are out and about, I am the happiest person on this very planet.



2013 was also a year of travelling: We went to India for two weeks, to Oxford twice, had beach vacations at Lake Müritz and Lake Constance, two weeks in Catalunya, spent a week in Oman and a few days in Istanbul. Most of our traveling contained work for me and I am so happy to be back photographing, and actually it was one of my best and most successful years so far. Though I don't feel like I am back at 100% just yet. I guess that's ok, but I still wish it wasn't so. Thinking back, my lecture in Oxford in January, tuktuk riding with my favourite driver in New Delhi in March, asking a totally perplex Lily to be mini-me's godmother in August, walking through the Catalan woods breathing deep in September and being on a boat encircled by hundreds of dolphins in Oman in November have been some of my favourite and treasured memories.







This hasn't been my favourite year personally, but a good one. I am incredibly thankful for my little family and am sure that once the sleep comes back I will be able to look totally different at the adventures of 2013.

My new year's resolution is to look more positive on everything and to relax when I can. Insomnia has built up a tension I've never known, and my goal is to find back to my positive, optimistic and happy self. Maybe some yoga will do. Amen.

(I also want to read more, eat better, start working out, see my friends more often and YES, I want to sleep more!)

All photos: Carolin Weinkopf

Time is running, we're battling sickness and lack of sleep, juggling daily errands, work and life as good as possible, it's as chaotic as it can be - but especially in this cold, stormy, foggy weather that makes me thoughful and melancholic, I am thankful for a lot of things that have gone well this year. And there's a tiny trooper reminding me daily what we fight for, and hey, that's the best proof that life is great after all. I have big plans for the next year and am grateful for the last, even though things aren't always as perfect, that's something I've had to learn in the past months.

I am taking off to see the grandparents this week and we'll spend New Year's in Switzerland, and as always I might be pretty much offline during the holidays because my mom refuses to get wi-fi (though we're thinking of solving that issue this year, shhhhh!).

Last week I went to take pictures in my favourite weather, fog (!) at the Holiday Market next to Alexa in Mitte. What a magical scenery, almost like Skopje, a bit. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. All I want for Christmas is SLEEP! ♥








All photos: Carolin Weinkopf

No words, just pictures.


























All photos: Carolin Weinkopf via iPhone

Istanbul had been on my top travel list for years, but somehow I never made it there. On my way to Macedonia right after finding out I was >>pregnant<< almost two years ago, I actually had a >>10 hour stopover<< there, but hey, I definately had other things in mind that day, and couldn't enjoy the city that much, plus it was only a few hours in a rush.

This year we took Turkish Airlines to and from >>Oman<< and both times had a stopover in Istanbul (plus a really annoying extra stop in Bahrain we didn't know about...). On the way back we made our Istanbul stopover four days long, because it just seemed so damn convenient.

My dear friend and co-photographer Rosie, mini-me and I rented ourselves a beautiful and charming apartment up the hill in Beyoğlu in a little alleyway, with a balcony and life music at night. We ate great food and did quite a bit of sightseeing for my standards (as in Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market and a ferry ride to the Bosphorus Bridge) - and even though I usually neglect all kinds of classical tourist stuff, Istanbul was just so nice that even the touristy stuff was beautiful and very fun!

The rest of the time I mostly strolled around with mini-me either tied to my back or in the push chair (which is quite a task in Istanbul), exploring the every day life and just breathing after that crazy week in Oman. I was so tired and exhausted that most nights I fell asleep while taking mini-me to bed around 7 or 8pm and didn't wake up until the next morning.

If you happen to come here and are looking for a lovely apartment and some amazing hosts, we can warmly recommend >>Evrim and Aydin<< to you.






















All photos: Carolin Weinkopf

Mini-me has been growing like weed lately. He is standing on his own for a few moments now and will walk a few steps if you cheer him up properly. He talks in full sentences (in Chinese, of course) and even makes proper phonecalls. He also slept almost through the whole night a few times in the past week (this topic has been extra tough for us in the past - like - seven months?!). I can't believe the tiny newborn has grown into a person in such little time. Love.


Photo: Carolin Weinkopf via iPhone

When I first landed in Oman in the middle of the night two years ago, I remember not being able to sleep because the view from my bedroom window was just too exciting. I had never been to the middle east and it was really too bewitching to just sleep.

Muscat is a mix of desert, beautiful, rocky mountains, traditional houses and a futurama-like network of modern superhighways with big, shiny white trucks driving on them. Contrasting scenes of wealthy, organized and clean Omani life and the more rough and lively class of migrant workers from Asia. All observed by beautiful Sultan Quaboos looking down at you from any possible angle in different outfits and gestures and always (!) dipped into the fine smell of Arabian frankincense. It was lovely coming back this time, adding new perspectives from the boat (big and small) and being reminded how damn hot it could possibly get (and, unique to Oman's coastline, it doesn't even cool down at night!).

Unfortunately, there were not so many chances to explore besides working, but Oman, I will be back, and then I'll stay a little longer.

(These pictures are a combination of the ones I took in 2011 and the ones I took recently in 2013.)































All photos: Carolin Weinkopf 2011/2013

[Photography] [Travel] [Middle East] [Oman] [Muscat]

It's cold and rainy and we are back in Berlin after 11 days on the road, more specifically Muscat, Oman for a job and Istanbul, Turkey for a long stopover to explore a bit and for photography, of course.

We had a great time, distressed by all kinds of stomach sicknesses (brought to us from Berlin, apparently), a lot of doctors and hospital visits, which definately is no fun, and even worse when being at the other end of the world, and even worse when your caretaker gets sick aswell. As I had to work and mini-me was feeling terrible, I was absolutely torn and tangled leaving him behind - what do you do if your baby is sick but you just definately have to finish that job?

Fortunately we managed somehow to survive these days, with the great help and devotion of my lovely friend J. (who magically managed to stay on his feet the days I needed him most, THANK YOU so much...) and little sleep and a good amount of tunnel vision.

Istanbul was lovely, relaxed and mostly healthy (Oh no, R.!), and definately needed to walk the stress out of our bones after Oman. I loved it all so much, though now I couldn't be more happy to just be back home again. Travel is my life elixir and always will be, but man, it's hard work these days! I feel so blessed to have these opportunities, but it's just a whole different story now compared to before. I might have to write a book about it, for therapy, you know.

The great thing is I always have a beauiful travel companion, smiling at me in the morning, reminding me to eat and sleep and breathe and who breaks the ice with the locals in a twinkle. Thank you, mini-me, for traveling with me and for being so damn patient most of the time.

Here's a sneak peak of my journey to the East. More to come, very soon.












All photos: Carolin Weinkopf

Earlier this year my dad invited mini-me and I on a little beach adventure at the Müritz, a gigantic lake in Mecklenburg, also called the "little sea". At the time I was so sleep- and breathless that I never came around to post these pictures. I just found them, got tangled in good time memories and thought I'd share a few. I also have a ton of iphone pictures from here, so beware, there's more to come.

















All photos: Carolin Weinkopf