Last week was an absolute blast. Having finally got home from Scotland (a two day storm meant we were stuck on the island for a little longer than planned) we had a very quick turn around to join the Quintessentially lifestyle team for two days of adventure as part of Aston Martin Lagonda's new Art of Living experiences.

I'm no car expert, but I like fast and good looking ones. Aston Martin is one of those brands every one knows, every one associates with luxury but yet few actually get the chance to drive one. So when we were invited to do just that and be some of the first people in the world to drive their new DB11 it was an instant yes (and I never need buy G a Christmas present ever again...).

We arrived at their head office for a tour of the factory which really was fascinating. I had no idea how intricate the processes are when building a car, and Aston Martin really let the car owner get involved - they can come in and see their car being built and are notified when the car is at each stage of development.

It was really apparent that they are a "quality over quantity" brand - with only 85,000 car ever made in the last 104 years (90% of which are still on the road) which is the same as other car manufacturers you might otherwise put alongside AM produce in 6 months... Having learned all of this, I could hear the DB11s being revved up outside and I was itching to get in and give it a go...

I really wish I was better at describing how it felt to drive, other than just saying "OMG it's unreal." Other words that could just about work include: incredible, unbelievable, brilliant... You get the drift. I've been in some nice cars in my time, but this one really is on a new level.

We drove in pairs across the Cotswolds with routes carefully planned out so we got a real sense of the car's performance, stopping for lunch at Cowley Manor before driving on to our home for the night, newly refurbished hotel, The Painswick. This place was my kind of hotel; boutique feel with very cool interiors, good sheets, excellent bath stuff (I'm a stickler for this, it was all Neom Organics which is one of my favourite brands). Their veranda (above) felt like it was in Italy, so beautiful!

After a great dinner with the group it was straight to bed to get up bright and early for day two. We drove back to Aston Martin Lagonda HQ through some gorgeous villages like Bourton on the Water and Stow on the Wold (stopping to take a few pictures with Lucy and Etienne) before a morning discovering how every Aston Martin design starts off it's life in clay.

We met the man behind it (John) who was so interesting, and it was great to meet someone clearly so in love with what he does for a living. The craftsmanship involved was incredible, and it was almost relieving to know that in this day and age some skills are required away from a computer to make something like an Aston Martin.

A few hours later, having all failed miserably at trying to craft a car from clay, we reluctantly left to go back to London. If you're looking to treat yourself or someone you know to a unique experience, do this. Just do it. I can't put into words the feeling of driving a car like that, and I'm now itching to do it again. Aston Martin now do all kinds of exciting trips around the world as part of the Art of Living series; check them out here. 

As part of the #makeitpop4 campaign with Alcatel (check it out on Instagram here) I was asked to go and explore Berlin for 48 hours. Having visited the city on business before - so only getting a glimpse of what was to be seen - I was so keen to go back and jumped at the chance. Dragging Emma along for the ride, we caught a very early morning flight with Norwegian (they have wifi on board, perfect for trip planning) and landed in Germany in time for breakfast on Monday morning.

Berlin is a city so rich in history and culture it's difficult to know where to start. We decided that we'd concentrate on two districts, Kollwitzkiez and Mitte, and really mine them for all they had. Having inhaled our avocado and eggs at Soho House (we're bloggers, what else do we eat for breakfast!?) we decided to hit Mitte first, as it's so great for shopping and we had a fix that needed, errr, fixing.

Mitte has a unique offering for shopping that I really don't think you get anywhere else. There are several really strong independent boutiques that are genuinely a joy to spend time in. The pieces and designers the store owners find are incredible. Using my phone (the POP 4, obviously) as our guide, we found all the shops we were looking for really quickly - we'd been recommended Rebecca, The Store, Isobel Gowdie and April First and were not disappointed.

I bought a few things (oops), discovering labels like Leon and Harper as well as getting my fix of Maison La Biche with an exclusive tee from a collaboration with Alex Eagle, here. We also strolled into stores you'd find in the UK like And Other Stories and Urban Outfitters - which seem so much better stocked than at home - finding bargains like this gorgeous bag for the equivalent of £12.

Food wise, Berlin has so much to offer and really needs more credit for the surplus of cool bars and outdoor settings for you to grab a bite. We stumbled upon an incredible burger place, but in truth if you stick around streets like Linienstrasse and Alte Schonhauser Strasse you really cannot go wrong.

In the evening we stuck to Soho House so we could catch up on emails and enjoy the rooftop view. New for the hotel, it also has an infinity pool looking over the city with brilliant views of the major monuments like the Reichstag. Bose Museum and the infamous Fernsehturm (essentially like our BT Tower in London, but better).

The next morning Emma got me up bright an early promising a day of graffiti exploration and book trees. Street art really cannot be ignored in Berlin as it's absolutely everywhere. I wish I'd done more research as you could spend days on the hunt for the famous artists' work - we tried to find the Banksys and failed miserably... That said we did discover some amazing work by artists like Dede and C215. Even if you aren't into art as such, I challenge you not to enjoy going on a bit of a bear hunt for the stand-out pieces.

All in all, you just have to go to Berlin. I'm already planning my next trip back - it was that good. We didn't touch on the historical elements of the city which I'd really like to do; the older buildings in the centre of the city and by the river look absolutely incredible, and locations like Checkpoint Charlie are very much on my bucket list...

I used the POP 4 for the whole trip - it was fantastic - everything from the camera (super strong, especially in the midday sun) to the maps and planning options made it the perfect city break partner... Please don't forget that anyone who buys the POP4 handset this summer gets return flights to one of nine cities in Europe, so if you're looking for an excuse to get away to have a break like this this could be your answer. Discover more here. 

Outfit Details
white t shirt, Alex Eagle x The Stores / striped tee shirt, Boden / jeans, Topshop / denim jean shorts, Topshop / white sandals, Birkenstock / blue jumper, LK Bennett London / tortoiseshell sunglasses, Fendi / red sunglasses, Gucci