Graz Again

Hello together, hallo zusammen,

you might already know that I am a huge Graz lover (and Katja liked it very much too)! Two weeks ago, David and I finally found the time to go there again to visit his dad and his wonderful grandma. It was really, really lovely, also because we were really lucky with the weather and spent almost all the time outside. We also detected some really nice stores and places, which I'm sharing with you below. :)

manche von euch haben sicher schon mitbekommen, dass ich ein riesiger Graz-Fan bin (Katja mochte es übrigens auch sehr gern)! In der Woche nach Ostern haben David und ich endlich mal wieder die Zeit gefunden runterzufahren um seinen Papa und seine wunderbare Oma zu besuchen. Es war wirklich wunderbar, auch deshalb weil wir richtig Glück mit dem Wetter hatten und fast die ganze Zeit nur draußen verbracht haben. Außerdem haben wir auch ein paar richtig nette Läden und Plätze entdeckt, die ich unten mit euch teile. :)

Lovely Ljubljana

Hey folks,

please apologize my absence during the last week, but first, I've been busy studying for an exam and then I've been busy relaxing in Ljubljana. :) The Slovenian capital is actually the perfect place to do so, as it is not that big that one would feel obliged to go sightseeing all day long but still big enough to have a lovely time for a few days. David and I mostly strolled through the picturesque historic district (which actually reminded me a lot of Graz - there is even a castle rock too), went shopping a bit and ate tons and tons of delicious food. :)

Strasbourg in Pictures

Hello everybody,

last week I spent some lovely days in Strasbourg, France together with my mum for a little mother-daughter-vacation. :) Here are some impressions from our trip to the beautiful Alsation capital.

We took the train to Strasbourg and arrived at its very cool train station, which in my opinion is a great combination of old and new architectural elements.

Strasbourg's major sight is its famous cathedral - the Münster - which is really an impressive building from the outside as well as from the inside.

I don't know if you have seen Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris". It's one of my favourite movies and there is this wonderful scene when Adriana (Marion Cotillard) shows Gil (Owen Wilson) this beautiful carrousel from the Belle Epoque. Well, you can imagine my joy when we found a very similar one in the middle of Strasbourg... :)

La Petite France is a small and lovely Strasbourg district, where the Ill river splits up into a number of canals and you can watch the boats come by.

If you prefer the modern to the medieval architecture you should check out the Museum of Modern Art, a very cool and colourful building next to the river.

 The European Parliament is also worth a visit.

To relax a bit after our sightseeing tour to the "European district" we went to L'Orangerie. This is Strasbourg's biggest park, where you cannot only find the most beautiful flowers, buts also two small lakes and a stork breeding station. Beautiful!

  
But the Orangerie is not the only green spot in the city. Opposite the Palais du Rhin at the Place de la Republique you can also find a lovely small park with beautiful flowerbeds.

  
A fire flower for the "Fire Street".

Strasbourg is the perfect place for food lovers and fans of meat in particular. One national dish is choucrote, which is basically a plate full of sourcrout combined with differents sorts of bacon, sausages and potatoes. It's actually really tasty, altough I wouldn't recommend it on a daily basis (unless you want to get a heart attack at a young age)... ;) A great alternative to  choucrote is the tarte flambeé, a kind of very thin pizza with sour cream, onions, bacon and/or vegetables. Yummy!

If you have a sweet tooth, Strasbourg will serve you too.

Have a wonderful day!

Yours,
Tulip

All images by Stefanie Reichl/Veronika Reichl

La Dolce Vita - Ischia Part II

Hello blog-friends,

as promised, here comes the second part of our Ischia travel story plus traveling tips. :)

Accomodation in Ischia

To find accomodation in Ischia shouldn't be that difficult. The island is very well prepared for tourists and there are many hotels. David and I booked over airbnb and are really lucky we did, because we found the lovliest Bed and Breakfast and that for a reasonable price. The B&B La Cycas di Giannina lies between Ischia Porto and Casamicciola Terme along the old road on the hill (we had the best view over the sea from our room) and our host Isabella was very caring and helpful. She answered all our questions with patience and gave us many great tips for the island but most importantly she made the best breakfast which filled us well into to the afternoon every day (She is my personal Queen of Cakes! ;) ). Another advantage is that the B&B is close to the port in Ischia Porto. Most probably you'll arrive via ferry from Naples or Sorrento (unless you can afford to get there via helicopter which might be an alternative as well ;) ) and probably won't like to drive for another 30 minutes to an hour to get to your final destination.

The view from our room

Transport

As Ischia is bigger than you probably expect you should think about transportation on the island in advance. Of course it's possible to rent a car (if you do, make sure it's a small one - the streets are narrow) but personally I think the more authentic way to travel the island would be with a motor scooter. As unfortunately neither David nor I are able to drive a scooter we used the public transport system with busses and that worked quite fine. There are a number of busses which take you all around the island and I totally recommend a drive with the CD or CS busses which go all the way up to Serrara Fontana (from there you can walk up the Epomeo as well) and travel the small Ischian mountain villages. The view up there is gorgeous and you'll almost feel a little adventurous as you'll always be wondering if the bus hits the next oncoming car on the narrow mountain road... But no worries! The Ischian bus drivers really know their craft, so this is extremely unlikely to happen. ;)

Waiting at the main bus station in Ischia Porto

Food

Concerning food, I don't even know where to start with my storm of enthusiasm. I'm totally in love with the South Italian cuisine! Actually I think I want to marry it and get some beautiful pasta babies...
Most of the Ischian restaurants offer a great variety of pizza and pasta and of course seafood (Spaghetti alle Vongole! Yummy!), but one major Ischian classic is the Coniglia all' Ischitana (Ischian rabbit), which you totally shouldn't miss in case you eat meat. And of course you'll have to eat Pizza Margaritha which got allegedly invented in Napoli, preferably with the wonderful mozzarella di buffala. Furthermore I can also really recommend the great variety of sweet delights that are offered: of course you get wonderful ice cream but in my opinion even greater are the Neapolitan pastries. I fall especially for the sfolgliatelle ricce, a kind of Danish pastry with a ricotta and lemon filling. Mhmmmm... Our new French friends Antoine (Tom) and Antoine also highly recommended the caffè del nonno, which is a kind of coffee frappé.     
Now, after I've hopefully whet your appetite, you probably want to know where you can get als these beautiful dainties. ;)

Good restaurants/bars:

• Le Ventarole: There I had really good Bruschetta and (really good) Buccatini con coniglio all'Ischitana.
• Pane & Vino in Via Porto in Ischia Porto and is a really good fish restaurant and is right beside the sea.
• Cocó is directly on the bridge which connects Ischia Ponte and the Castello Aragonese and offers really good pasta and seafood dishes. There you can also get the Caffè del Nuno
• At Da Ciccio in Ischia Porto you'll get really good pastries and ice cream.

Bruschetta

Bucatini con coniglio all'Ischitana

Neapolitan Pastries

Shopping

What I totally liked about Ischia in terms of clothes shopping was the fact that you hardly find branches of international brands but mostly small boutiques which reflect the personal taste of their owners in some ways. I didn't shop around the whole island but my favourite store in Ischia Porto was called Annasofia at Via Alfreddo de Lucca, where you can find many beautiful dresses and handbags and accessories (I helped myself to a beautiful white dress and some earrings). Furthermore I can recommend the Grifo Girl store near and the Silvian Heach shop on Via Roma. In addition there is one local brand called La Caprese Più which you will find all around the island and offers really beautiful clothes. However, I would only enter one of their branches if you calculated a generous shopping budget.
If you are a book lover you should definitely enter the Libreria Imagaenaria in Ischia Ponte, where you can also get really beautiful vintage postcards from the early 20th century.   

Have a great day everybody!

Yours,
Tulip

La Dolce Vita - Ischia Part I

Ischia Porto from above

Ciao everybody,

as I already mentioned in my last post I spent two wonderful weeks in Ischia in the Bay of Naples. And wow, there is actually a lot to discover on this beautiful South Italian island! Therefore I decided to dedicate the two upcoming posts to this wonderful place with its turquoise sea, the mediterranean vegetation and hot springs that partly spring up directly into the ocean. :)
The first post will deal with Ischia in general and which sights we explored there and the second one with topics such as accomodation, transport, shopping and most important: FOOD. ;)

Things to know about Ischia

Ischia from the ferry

With 46 square kilometres Ischia is the biggest island in the Bay of Naples before Capri and Procida. The island is of volcanic origin and until today hot water fumeroles raise to the surface, in some places directly into the sea. The volcanic origin is also the reason for Ischia's rich biodiversity. The highest elevation is the Monte Epomeo with 789 m. It can also be crest with the help of mules if anybody is interested. :)
Ischia is divided into six different communities (Ischia (with Ischia Porto and Ischia Ponte), Casamicciola Terme, Lacco Ameno, Forio, Serrara Fontana and Bario d'Ischia). Each of those has its own mayor and in total there live about 60.000 people on the island (although I guess it's a lot more in summer ;) ).

Sights & Events

One of the main attractions on Ischia is definitely the Castello Aragonese in Ischia Ponte which exists in its current form since 1441. The castle flourished especially in the 16th century when it hosted more than 1800 families, an abbey, a bishop's see, the ruler and his family, many important rennaissance artists as guests as well as a kind of eccentric bunch of Clarissines who entombed their fellow sisters in a seated position in a special chamber and prayed there every day until the dead bodies had completely putrefied. Brrr...
However, the Castello is a really impressive building and definitely worth a visit! Just a tip: Don't go there in the midday heat - we did that and it was not our best idea...;)

Castello Aragonese

If you come to Ischia in July you definitely shouldn't miss la Festa di Sant' Anna which takes place on July 26th in front of the Castello. The main attraction of the event is the judging of specially built floats. They are built by the different Ischian communities and represent themes which are somehow related to the island and its history. After the judging of the boats there is a firework and in the end the Castello gets symbolically wrapped in flames with the help of Bengal lights. This is really an impressive sight!!

Festa di Sant' Anna

Concerning sights my absolute favourite were the Giardini La Mortella, the botanical garden of British composer Sir William Walton and his wife Susana near Forio. This beautiful and grand garden (designed by British garden architect Russell Page) with its great and colourful variety of plants from all over the world is an oasis of peace and contemplation where you can stroll around for hours without getting bored. In the centre of the garden you'll also find a lovely little tea house where you can enjoy a cup of tea and indulge in super tasty Torta Caprese. Lovers of classical music can also come in the evening and enjoy one of the concerts which are regulary offered throughout the summer.

Drinking tea at Giardini La Mortella

If you are a movie fan you shouldn't miss out on the Villa Colombaia, the former mansion of Italian director Luchino Visconti. It's well hidden in the woods and not too easy to find but it's a nice small film museum and still worth a visit especially if the weather is not as good as it could be.
In July there also takes place the Ischia Global Fest, an international movie festival. One of the festival venues is the Albergo della Regina Isabella, a very fancy hotel in Lacco Ameno, where the movies are shown outdoors next to the sea. Not all of the movies, that are shown there, are open to the public, but the ones that are, are all shown in original language with English and Italian subtitles and the venue is definitely worth a visit. 

Movie screen next to the sea at Albergo della Regina Isabella

Another museum which is supposed to be interesting (also we didn't go there) is the Museo Archeologico Pithecusa, an archaeological museum in the Villa Arbusto in Lacco Ameno.
Apart from these sights you should definitely check out all of Ischia's communities, which I mentioned above plus the little and car-free fischermen's village Sant' Angelo.
In any case you should ever get bored in Ischia (which won't happen) you can always visit one of the neighbouring islands Procida and Capri or make a trip to Naples or the Amalfi coast.

Procida

Beaches and Thermal Parks
  
In terms of water Ischia has many beautiful beaches all around the islands! The longest one is called Maronti and located in the South of the island. Our favourite was the Spiaggia degli Inglesi, a small beach with black sand in Ischia Porto which you will only find if an actual Ischian inhabitant describes you the way, so make sure to make some Italian friends... ;) 
What I also recommend is a visit of la Baia di Sorgeto. That's a lovely small bay near Forio where hot thermal water springs directly into the sea. The thermal water mixes immediately with the sea water: the nearer you are to the spring the warmer the water, the farer the colder.

La Baia di Sorgeto

If that is too much nature for some of you, you can also check out one of the many thermal parks on the island. We went to Castiglione Thermal Park near our B&B twice and really loved it there but of course there are many more, such as the well-known Poseidon Giardini Terme.

Hope you got a little wanderlust! :)

Have a great evening,
Tulip

All images by Stefanie Reichl

Bol, Island of Brac: The Caribbean of the Mediterranean Sea

Hey folks,

I spent a wonderful week in Bol, a picturesquely little port town on the Croatian island Brac.
Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home, so please don't blame me for the small iPhone pictures ;)

I would describe Brac as the Carribbean of the Mediterranean Sea. The water is turquoise blue and crystal clear.

 

Bol was build in 1475 and is renowned for its most popular beach, the Zlatni Rat ("Golden cape"). We spent most of our evenings in the lovely harbour and had some amazing food.

I can recommend the following restaurants:

• Pumparela: best cevapcici in town and amazing seafood
• Pizzeria Topolino: they also serve great Croatian dishes and yummy seafood. Plus: there is a great musician playing live music every night. I couldn't decide what I liked more: him or the food ;)
• Varadero Cocktail bar: a great place with chillout music for your after-dinner cocktail ;)
  

My favourite dish was definitely grilled octopus with mangold-potatoe-mash (a Croatian speciality). OH SO YUMMY :))

In Bol I tried out stand-up-paddling for the very first time - and I instantly felt in love with this relaxing water-sport! You should try it out aswell. It isn't hard at all, but it still trains most of your core muscles.

There are also many windsurfing- and kitesurfing-schools in Bol. I borrowed my stand-up-paddleboard from "Johnny's" surfschool - super nice and cool dudes over there :)

On our last evening we walked along the coast and found this lovely zen-stone-sculpture.

I can really recommend the Island of Brac for a relaxing, chill-out holiday. It is also perfectly suited for families and elderly people :)

Better, Best, Budapest

Hello everybody,

as I already mentioned in this post I spent parts of my Christmas vacation in Budapest which I consider as one of the coolest cities in Europe (despite of all the political problems Hungary may have at the moment). It was my third visit there and I still haven't seen even half of the sights let alone all the other lovely places one may want to visit. Nevertheless I want to share my little knowledge about the city and hope you'll consider some of it useful... ;)

Living

The last two times we stayed at Art Boutique Hostel which is a really cute hostel near Andrássy út, a big boulevard that leads to Budapest's Hösök tere (Heroes' square). It's perfect if you are rather looking for a calm place. It's basically a big flat in an old building directly opposite Szent István Bazilika with two sleeping rooms (for 2 or 3 people), a cosy living room, bathroom and kitchen. The owners are really nice and will give you some good tips what to explore in the city and there are 3 metro lines within the distance of a 5 minutes walk. This was by the way the view from our room:

Szent István Bazilika

Sights

Apart from the classics such as Hősök tere, Andrássy út, the Buda Castle District (which are by the way all listed on the UNESCO world heritage list) I would definitely go see the Museum of Fine Arts as well as the big synagogue. Furthermore I highly recommend a visit of one of the many thermal baths, especially in winter. I mean, what can be better than sitting in hot water all afternoon when it's cold outside? ;) The biggest one is Széchenyi Bath close to City Park behind Hősök tere but personally I prefer Gellért Bath which was built in the early 20th century in a beautiful secession style. Another nice winter activity I can recommend is iceskating. In the city park is a big ice skating ring directly in front of Vajdahunyad castle - lovely!

Budapest's opera house

Hősök tere

Fine Arts Museum

Budapest's synagoge

entrance area of Gellért Bath

ice skating ring

ice skating

Eating and Drinking Out

dessert at Balettcipő

Budapest is full of lovely and very good restaurants, cafés and bars. These are some of the ones I've visited in the last two years and really liked. If you search for a good breakfast location I can highly recommend Briós Cafe, where they offer a great variety of breakfast and what's more cronuts. A cronut is the lovely alliance of a donut and a croissant and tastes heavenly. Interestingly enough Briós Cafe seems to import the cronuts from Vienna every morning altough I have never seen a single cronut in the city in my life before.
Another lovely breakfast location is Keksz, where you get abnormally big and very good breakfast portions. Keksz is probably also a very nice bar in the evening, although I didn't try that out. A very cool bar is however Központ, right around the corner of Keksz. 
If you are looking for something real to eat you could go to Balettcipö, a very nice restaurant where you will get among other stuff typical Hungarian dishes. Another good tip is Noir et L'Or which also serves Hungarian dishes although the name suggests something else. ;) If you like retro bars you should check out Táskáradió Eszpresszó and if you just want to grab a little something inbetween visiting sights I would recommend Hummus Bar. That's a little chain that can be found all over the city and offers really good oriental snacks. The falafel sandwiches are top!   
 

Központ

 Shopping

Ludovika

Personally I love shopping in Budapest as the city offers a wide variety of stores. Of course you can also find all the classic brands on Andrássy út but I actually prefer the numerous little boutiques and vintage shops. Here are my (so far) favourites: If you are looking for cool vintage clothes you should definitely check out Ludovika. I've been there for the first time this year and immediately felt like in vintage clothing heaven. Another nice store is Retrock where they offer a mixture of clothes by young Hungarian designers and vintage clothes. The same thing does Szputnyik which I can recommend if you are looking for extravagant hats. Another lovely young designers' shop is Printa where you cannot only buy clothes but also prints and coffee. They actually opened up a store in Vienna too some time ago.

I hope you could need some of this information. Have a great time in Budapest! :)

Yours,
Steffi