SAKURA CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES // AT WUHAN UNIVERSITY - CHINA

Rose Tinted Photography

Spring has officially sprung in Wuhan, China and my husband and I took the opportunity to go on a special date to see the Japanese Sakura blossoms in full bloom at the Wuhan University. These splendid trees line an entire street near the traditional style buildings of the University grounds in an area which used to be occupied by the Japanese. They are a renowned attraction in China bringing thousands, if not millions of people to see them for the few short weeks they are in bloom. I was sure to wear my new blush & rose kimono style top that I recently bought on sale at H&M.

Seeing these cherry blossoms me makes me reminisce to one of my favourite photo shoots which you can see here.

I WOKE UP NEAR THE SEA // CHRISTMAS IN XIAMEN - CHINA

Rose Tinted Photography

For our Christmas break, my love (Ludwig) and I decided to do a little travelling. Our hearts settled on Xiamen, which is an island in the South East of China.. Being from New Zealand, we wanted to be by the sea as that feels more homely at a time where we really miss our families.

Christmas day was spent visiting a temple and hiking a mountain, followed by a hot chocolate / brewed coffee at the biggest Starbucks in China. We are not major café goers in NZ but there's something about the western influence that feels cosy. Especially when it's raining outside and jazzy Christmas carols are playing in the background.

For most of the time we stayed in the cobbled, boutique streets of Siming, which was a very eclectic place full of unique stores, street food (mostly seafood, which we do not like to eat) and small bars. The place was bustling and had a really great atmosphere.

We also stayed a night on the small island of Gulangyu which is where many British settlers came to live in the late 19th / early 20th centuries. Because of this, the island is filled with many European style manors, many of which were Art Deco in style.We wandered through winding streets, had a moonlit walk along the beach and overall had a wonderful little romantic getaway.

Read more about our trip on our travelling blog; Hopeful Wanderers.

HOPEFUL WANDERERS // A TRAVEL BLOG ABOUT OUR JOURNEY IN CHINA

Logo design by Rose Tinted Illustration & Design

Photograph of us two by Stephan & Nakita

If you are interested in seeing images and updates of our travels in China then feel free to head over to a new blog my husband and I have set up. Hopeful Wanderers is a journal of our time abroad and shows glimpses of our life in China.

The logo and banner image of this blog is of my own design and features a quote from one of our favourite songs by Mighty Oaks.

"It's a big old world we live in now

And mighty it can be

All this time I pictured you standing next to me

So we could go find things we'd never seen"

- JUST ONE DAY // MIGHTY OAKS

VIEW FROM THE TWENTY THIRD FLOOR // THIS IS CHINA

Rose Tinted Photography

I have been in Wuhan, China with my husband for just over five weeks and so far it's been really great. We have always wanted to know what it is like to live in an apartment building in the central city, not forever, but for a time in our lives. We have a one room studio apartment (with separate bathroom that has a western toilet). The space is perfect for a couple who do not need a lot of space. Check out the view from our balcony!

Living in China has so far been an amazing experience and we love the buzz of being in the city. Sure it can be noisy with the endless horns beeping and the constant construction sounds. But how great is it to leave your building and immediately be amongst it. We are close to many great places to eat out and it's so cheap that we often do. We are picking up on our Chinese enough to be able to order for ourselves. 

I must admit, I have not taken as many photo's as I should, but I promise I will post some before too long. Part of the reason is because it's a pain lugging a DSLR camera around when your main mode of transportation is your feet. I also feel there's a difference though between visiting a place and living in a place. When you're visiting, you only have the one opportunity to capture the sites that you see, but when you have made roots for the next couple of years, it seems unnecessary to record it all. In saying that, I do realize the importance of capturing memories in the form of a photograph, but only if it's not getting in the way of you seeing/experiencing it first hand.

M E L B O U R N E

Rose Tinted Photography

On our way to China, my husband and I decided to have a little holiday in between. We visited the beautiful city of Melbourne which is known for being the most liveable city in the world! Initially we were hoping to go to the Gold Coast to visit Louis' sister and our two gorgeous nephews, but unfortunately it was just too expensive. So we decided on our second choice in Melbourne which was more in line with the flight path to Asia.

I have always wanted to visit Melbourne as it is renowned for being a very creative and vibrant city. There is such a great atmosphere in the Metropolis with stunning architecture in various but complimenting styles. The musicians that played on the streets were top notch and had serious talent. They were so much more than your usual buskers with a profound skill.

It was amazing to catch up with some good friends who have recently moved there from NZ in the last few months. We had dinner along the river with the sounds of an incredible jazz saxophonist providing the soundtrack for the evening. It was a truly wonderful way to spend a Saturday night.

We were so blessed to have some friends (Hi Tom & Kate!) to house us during our stay in a close by suburb of Bacchus Marsh. Louis had previously stayed with them on a work trip when a few teachers and some students had crossed the ditch to visit their sister school. They really went above and beyond to make us feel at home. Kate even took a day off work to take us to the Zoo and Manor House at Werribee Park.

We had such a great time in Melbourne and I would highly recommend a visit if you haven't already. The CBD is easy to get around and we took great advantage of the free tram service that loops around the inner city. There is so much to see and do!