This week’s Link Love, we feature a delicious crisp potato recipe, fab news out of Germany where anyone can go to college tuition-free (even foreigners), Pharrell rocking pink, living on water and why millennials can’t care for their clothes.

Are you a millennial? Chances are you’re caring for your clothes all wrong. [via Ecouterre]

OMG. College for anyone in Germany is now totally F R E E even for foreigners. [via Slate]

Drool. Crispy smashed potatoes with avocado garlic aioli. [via Oh She Glows]

Pharrell looks amazing in pink, and you can too. [via Vogue]

Could you live on 16 cups of water a day? [Via Eat Drink Better]

Related on EcoSalon

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Link Love: The Return of Mod + Kate Bush + iPhone 6 is Coming Soon!

Image via Vogue

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Munich designates six areas for nude sunbathing. What does that say about the rest of us?

When statewide laws in Bavaria regulating public nudity expired last fall, the city of Munich decided to take the issue of nude sunbathing into its own hands, by officially declaring six urban naked zones, where people can partake in as much nude sunbathing  as they like.

While public nudity is a rarity in the United States, and many other Western countries, German culture is much more well accustomed to going sans clothing in public saunas and thermal springs. In fact, in most of those places, it’s odder to wear a bathing suit than not.

Munich’s large park Englischer Garten has long been home to people basking in the sun in the nude. But the urban naked zones make six designated areas specifically for nudists who don’t want to be bothered by their clothing (or lack thereof) choices. (Atlantic Cities has a map of all of them in case you are interested.)

This may seem as extremely progressive to some, but this is a culture that has much less prudish attachment to nudity. When you grow up in a culture that often has same-sex, public saunas you get used to it. Nudity isn’t sexualized. It’s just natural. As Andrew Welch wrote in an editorial in The Independent in regards to the British views towards nudity, “Our society is still obsessed with Victorian attitudes towards the body, and the idea that skin equals sex.”

You can sort of envision prospective tourists to Munich snorting about how funny it will be to see naked people sunbathing in a park. But if there’s one thing about German culture to know, it’s that being nude is normal. Certainly, not everyone chooses to go nude sunbathing, but German, and other Northern European cultures, have a much more normalized relationship to nudity that makes these types of citywide decision not as shocking as they seem to us in more reserved cultures. “[S]tripping off in public is the voluntary removal of a heavy mask, a return to unvarnished honesty rather than some titter-worthy peek-a-boo,” wrote Feargus O’Sullivan in Atlantic Cities.

Spread out across the city, the six areas are all in parkland, meaning that you’re not going to come across a nude sunbather just anywhere, and it certainly isn’t acceptable to go and hop on a Munich bus without your clothes on. Instead, areas in natural spaces are open for enjoyment, and if you want to do that without your clothes on, then you are more than welcome to. In a culture that has a lot of respect for the outdoors and nature, when you think about it, it’s not that odd or radical of a decision.

Maybe it’s time to rethink our own Victorian ideal-induced relationship to nudity. Look at things like the World Naked Bike Ride. Nudity doesn’t always have to mean sex, and while there are few that advocate for going naked 100 percent of the time, we’re certainly at a point in our culture where most of us have become entirely removed from our natural state of being. Because even if we don’t want to go nude in public, we could all spend a little more time being okay with our naked bodies.

Related on EcoSalon

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Image: leo gonzales

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Berlin Fashion Week has a reputation for being one of the greenest around, with a strong, ongoing commitment to eco and sustainable fashion. In fact, it is often regarded as the major European platform for fairly produced fashions. Each Fashion Week, there are a number of dedicated eco fashion events as part of the program. We look at some of the highlights from this year’s event, which was held from 2-7 July.

1. Showfloor Berlin

Showfloor Berlin has taken place every six months since 2009. This year, it returned to its traditional summer location, KOSMOS BERLIN at Karl-Marx-Alle, a historically preserved cinema in East Berlin. The event itself played host to 16 collections with a range of individually designed shows, with each label bringing its own unique approach to responsible production methods. Interestingly, on 3 July, the showroom runway showcased innovative avant-garde designs from Portugal, as part of a partnership arrangement with the Portuguese Embassy. It proudly presented the well known avant-garde fashion labels Dino Alves, V!tor, and “Os Burgueses” from Lisbon. Some of the big local names which were part of the showcase included ANSOHO, Ellen Eisemann and AUGUST. Showfloor Berlin is particularly unique as it is open to the public and extremely accessible to fashion lovers.

2. GREENShowroom

The GREENShowroom is traditionally a very unconventional trade fair and this time proved to be no different, as it presented the high-end trends for 2014 in quirky and unusual ways. Approaching its 10th season, Berlin’s Adlon Hotel was the backdrop for the event which caters mainly to trade and business professionals. This July, the focus was very much on avant-garde with innovative German labels Aleks Kurkowski, Cocccon and Katharina Kaiser, among the selections. This year, the event also welcomed French label Johanna Riplinger, which is known for turning high-end fabrics into modern business styles. Also debuting at GreenShowroom this year were the three finalists from the Humanity in Fashion Award. To start the show, a Salonshow event was held on 2 July, showing 54 looks from 20 of the participating brands. Some of the trends predicted for next summer include bright, beautiful pops and relaxed knitwear.

3. Ethical Fashion Show

The Ethical Fashion Show is a highlight of Berlin Fashion Week and showcases international labels, which presented spring/summer 2014 collections across innovative street and casual wear. The fashion show itself is complemented by panel discussions and educational seminars to highlight the ethics behind the designs. This year, the focus was firmly on social standards in the manufacturing process and transparency of the supply chain. After a successful start at Berlin Fashion Week in January 2013, the Knowledge Lounge initiative continued this season, which is a seminar series on eco fashion issues. This time around, the Fair Wear Foundation invited people to attend the premiere of its WellMade seminar series, where they threw a spotlight on the clothing industry’s social standards and provided hands on expertise and solutions for improvement of related working conditions. The Ethical Fashion Show Berlin also hosted a Create Green Breakfast with a focus on Innovative Sales Concepts, which featured keynote speakers Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci.

Images: Ethical Fashion Show Berlin, dpa, Schroder and Schombs PR , GreenShowroom

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Bringing meaning to the joy of eating.

When the “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” proverb is the only adage in your arsenal of food wisdom, it’s time to bulk up on new things to say. From Ireland to China and the likes of Helen Keller to Ronald Reagan, these 20 quotes will bring even more meaning and joy to the act of eating.

When I am eating I am deaf and dumb. –Russia

To eat is human, to digest, divine. –Mark Twain

Life is too short to drink bad wine. –France

Whose bread I eat, his song I sing. –Germany

Too many cooks spoil the broth. –Italy

At the table with good friends and family you do not become old. –Italy

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one. –Mother Theresa

Fine words do not produce food. –Nigeria

If you are looking for a fly in your food, it means that you are full. –South Africa

Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat. –Jim Davis (Garfield)

Who fasts but does no other good saves his bread but goes to hell. –Italy

There is no sincerer love than the love of food. –Bernard Shaw

He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skill of his doctors. –China

It is easier to halve the potato when there’s love. –Ireland

A piece of bread in one’s pocket is better than a feather in one’s hat. –Sweden

You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jelly beans. –Ronald Reagan

Give a man a fish, you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime. –China

The good Lord has changed water into wine, so how can drinking beer be a sin? –Belgium

Happiness rarely keeps company with an empty stomach. –Helen Keller

Food tastes best when you eat it with your own spoon. –Denmark

Images: B@ni

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Check out our article on 50 pick up lines for foodies

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Every day is better with a new track.

The Rapture – Sail Away (Digitalism Remix) -> atelierdusample.tumblr.com by Calliste

Every day we bring you one track for a little musical inspiration. Have a track you want to submit? Email us at contact@ecosalon.com.

Image: Calliste

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Want a little krautrock?

My Italian mother has always taught me that food may not be love, but it’s more than alright to love food. In celebration of the fact that it’s Mother’s Day this weekend, and that summer – also known as prime German Potato Salad time) is just around the corner – I hope you all enjoy this Irish/Italian’s German Potato Salad Mix. All of the artists are mostly electronic German synth krautrock artists… with the exception of the gem at #10. Mangi!

German Potato Salad by BehindTheWalk-In

1. Synthesist – Harald Grosskopf

2. Ein Jahr (Es Geht Voran) – Fehlfarben

3. I Want More – Can

4. The Model – Snakefinger

5. Du Weibt Schon – Faust

6. Trans Europe Express – Kraftwerk

7. Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA – Devo

8. Isi – Neu!

9. Exit – Tangerine Dream

10. Solid Potato Salad – The Ross Sisters

Like what you hear? Check out our entire 10 Songs series. 

Image: jules:stonesoup

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A love letter from Winston Churchill to his wife, Clementine.

Who better to write the world’s most memorable love letters than the world’s most famous writers? Proving romance isn’t always confined to courtship, we turn to a letter from future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to his wife Clementine, written during Winston’s trip to Germany after one year of marriage:

15 September 1909 Kronprinz Hotel

Wurzburg

My darling, We have been out all day watching these great manoeuvres. . . .

I have a very nice horse from the Emperor’s stable, & am able to ride about wherever I choose with a suitable retinue. As I am supposed to be an ‘Excellency’ I get a vy good place. Freddie on the other hand is ill-used. These people are so amazingly routinière that anything the least out of the ordinary – anything they have not considered officially & for months – upsets them dreadfully….I saw the Emperor today & had a few minutes’ talk with him. He is vy sallow – but otherwise looks quite well. . . . .

We have had a banquet tonight at the Bavarian palace. A crowd of princes & princelets & the foreign officers of various countries. It began at 6 p.m. & was extremely dull. . . .

This army is a terrible engine. It marches sometimes 35 miles in a day. It is in number as the sands of the sea – & with all the modern conveniences. There is a complete divorce between the two sides of German life – the Imperialists & Socialist. Nothing unites them. They are two different nations. With us there are so many shades. Here it is all black & white (the Prussian colours). I think another 50 years will see a wiser & gentler world. But we shall not be spectators of it. Only the P.K. [“puppy kitten” – their nickname for their first child] will glitter in a happier scene. How easily men could make things much better than they are – if only all tried together! Much as was attracts me & fascinates my mind with its tremendous situation – I feel more deeply every year – & can measure the feeling here in the midst of arms – what vile & wicked folly & barbarism it all is.

Sweet cat – I kiss your vision as it rises before my mind. Your dear heart throbs often in my own. God bless you darling keep you safe & sound.

Kiss the P.K. for me all over

With fondest love

W.

Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill’s later fame as wartime Prime Minister has overshadowed his prowess as an artist, historian and writer – regarding the latter, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. His love affair with the written word was matched only by his devotion to the love of his life, Clementine Hozier – they first met in 1904, were married in 1908, would have 5 children and would still be together at Winston’s death in 1965, aged 90.

Images/Reference: The Library Of Congress.

The post The Love Letters Project #7: Winston & Clementine Churchill appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Grand Tour and beyond.

We’re all familiar with the rolling hills of Tuscany, the cliffs of Santorini, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. But Europe is so much more than classic postcard images. As the continent’s Eastern half becomes more accessible, spots like the ports of Dubrovnik, the caves of Slovenia, and the Renaissance towns of the Czech Republic are becoming more popular as travelers venture off the traditional backpacker’s route. As everywhere, sustainable tourism practices are needed to protect this region’s intense natural beauty.

(above) Appenzell Innerrhoden, Switzerland

Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK

Telc, Czech Republic

Cyprus

Bua, Sweden

Reykjavik, Iceland

Istanbul, Turkey

Mariazell, Austria

Kiev, Ukraine

Crete, Greece

St. Petersburg, Russia

The Pyrenees, Aquitaine, France

Wick, Scotland

Aalesund, Norway

Berlin, Germany

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

Capri, Italy 

Karkonosze, Poland

Postojna Cave, Slovenia

Paris, France

Margam Park, Wales, UK

Dresden, Germany

Barbarin, Spain

Berg, Austria

Florence, Italy

Copenhagen, Denmark

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Luster Kommune, Norway

Porto, Portugal

Boka Kotorska, Montenegro

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Lanzada, Spain

Castelluccio di Norcia, Italy

Moscow, Russia

Skradinski Buk, Croatia

London, England, UK

Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia

Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Santorini, Greece

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ColumnStaving off depression during a dark Berlin winter sometimes means a communal sauna and a cold beer.

In the popular American imagination, Western Europe is still a bastion for in-the-buff recreation. The mere mention of the Mediterranean, for many of us, calls to mind glorified, sun soaked stretches of impossibly beautiful coastline crawling with tan-line-free bodies. Yes, Europeans exhibit a comparatively relaxed approach to sexuality, but for a current generation, nudism is on the downswing – a past time relegated to the territory of grandfathers influenced by hippie zeitgeist now past.

While the growing disinclination to disrobe in public holds true in many countries across the pond, the phenomenon hasn’t fallen out of favor in East Germany – especially not in Berlin. In this former Soviet stronghold, plenty of culturally-enshrined opportunities exist to enjoy oneself sans cumbersome clothing and, oddly enough, this is perhaps best evidenced during winter.

Here, the sauna – in import of the historic Finnish variety – reigns. Typically co-ed, these clothing non-optional environments help stave off the depression that attends not only the grisly German winters, but also dearth of daylight at such a northerly latitude. At the season’s height, daybreak doesn’t come until late morning, and the sun again sets before the end of the work day. With winter comes a world of bone chilling cold and a smothering cloak of darkness seeming without end. The antidote? Frequent trips to one’s neighborhood sauna, where a multi-hour visit costs mere euros – about the same price as a decent bottle of red wine.

In the U.S., saunas are usually a costly luxury and in same-sex company; in Germany, it’s not only a quotidian luxury that comes at little expense, but also one that proffers a mild, mixed gender thrill. Far from the terrain of socially inappropriate lechers, sauna culture is so commonplace that families come with their children, groups of university students gather and hang out, and even business people (although typically groups of men) converge to talk shop and sweat it out together.

And, of course, the body’s fluids must be replenished after subjection to such extreme heat. While an uptight doctor might classify a post-sauna beer as ill advised, rest assured the Germans aren’t wary of its indulgence and, in fact, consider it a tidy closure to the evening. In a land where the average life expectancy is long; the men, brave and strong; and all of the women beautiful – well, they might just be on to something. The sauna isn’t just a recipe for enduring the long slog of winter, but also the crux of enjoying a good life and aging well.

Berlin-based Abigail Wick is a contributor to The New York Times and National Public Radio. ‘From an Ex-Pat…with Love’ is her weekly EcoSalon column about cultural dislocation, romantic relationships and lifestyle choices – filtered through the lens of an American woman living and working abroad in Europe.

Bio Image: Alina Rudya, Article Image: thomaswanhoff

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With well over 12,000 stones in existence, some critics argue that the ubiquitous Stolpersteine are offensive.

Imagine if 98% of your community was eradicated from your city. The remembrance of such decimation, seemingly, would be etched in the psyches of generations to come. Certainly carved into the soul of the city.

That’s exactly what happened in Munich, what many call the birthplace of National Socialism (aka Nazism), where out of the 10,000 Jewish citizens living there when Hitler came to power only 200 remained by the end of World War II.

But if there’s one observation to be made about Germany and the rest of Europe post-WWII, it’s that they do not shame away from Holocaust memorials. Subsequent generations, from this outsider’s eye, are committed to upholding the promise to “never forget” with an abundance of prominent memorials, museums, commemorated sites, and more.

The “Stolpersteine” Project is an example of this. Created by the German artist Gunter Demnig, it marks domiciles with paving stones made out of brass, memorializing Jewish citizens that lived in them before being deported and killed in Nazi concentration camps. The paving-stones-cum-plaques show their names along with the dates and locations of their births, and deaths in places like Dachau and Auschwitz.

Demnig has been installing commemorative plaques all over Europe since 1993. The story goes, part of the reason he installs the plaques on the ground instead of the facades of the buildings they’re meant to mark is because many landlords don’t allow such a display to be fixed on their buildings.

Bringing us to the controversy. According to AnArchitecture and Initiative Stolpersteine für München, Munich – Hitler’s ideological cradle – remains the only major city in Germany without the stumbling blocks. Critics argue that the stones are an inappropriate way to remember the victims, some citing fears of vandalism and others concerns that the stones amount to Jews being stomped on, all over again. Literally.

What do you think? Highly lauded and (with well over 12,000 stones in existence) ubiquitous, could the Stolpersteine be construed as offensive?

Images: Art Daily; The Smithsonian; The Wip

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