Trip to Maribor

Unexpectedly I ended up in Maribor at the end of this summer. It wasn't planned, but since another long-scheduled trip was cancelled, my sister surprised me with a short visit to Slovenia's second largest city.

I have never been to Maribor before and was quite surprised that it only takes a little more than one hour by train to reach this city from Graz. My sister chose the new B&B hotel in Maribor for us, which turned out to be a nice accommodation for our short stay.

Maribor Old Town Walk

Most of the pictures you can see here were taken during a morning walk. I cannot recommend enough getting up early, grabbing your camera and going for a walk - it has so many rewarding benefits. Firstly, the temperatures are still moderate and you don't have to shoot in the summer heat. The light is usually fantastic and gives your pictures a special touch. Most of the time the city is not crowded - so you can walk slowly and discover any new place at your own pace - it feels like you own the city because almost no one is out there yet and you have the main square and the streets for yourself.

Maribor Architecture

I liked Maribor a lot - especially because of its flaws. On the one hand, there are really beautiful buildings with breathtaking facades, but on the other hand, you can also discover very old, desolate houses. Walking through the city, you get the feeling that the streets tell their own story and you can imagine that it wasn't always easy. It feels authentic and real - because life is not only made up of infinitely beautiful moments, there are also difficult and hard times. Especially the darkest places can be inspiring and shape us the most. Something about these houses fascinates me a lot, much more than any other renovated building.

We spent three days in Maribor and because of the rain on the first day we didn't manage to do all the things we wanted to do. But I am sure it was not our last visit - since it is so close, we will definitely come back again.

Glavni Trg – Maribor’s Main Square

Plague Column

Železniški most | Blue bridge

Franciscan Church

Maribor University

Dessert shop Ilich with the best ice cream in town

Maribor Cathedral

Lent

Pyramid Hill

Mestni Park

Trije Angeli | Three Angels

All pictures taken with my Leica Q2

All eyes on Graz

One city I always like to visit in Austria is Graz. It’s a beautiful city with many sights to discover; it has a great size, not too small and not too big. In my case many memories are connected to Graz. The first things that come to my mind are my study exchange year, my first-time employment, my first boyfriend and the many concerts I have attended there.
It always feels familiar to come back and enjoy the city anew. Since my stays are limited for a few hours, I like to combine my activities, like going for a walk, doing some shopping and/or visiting the sights. Luckily the shops and the must-see sights in the city center are easy to reach. No matter where you go you will always see the clock tower (or “Grazer Uhrturm” how we call it) on the hill. In the middle of the Herrengasse you will find the Landhaus courtyard which is definitely worth taking  a break at to enjoy the beautiful Renaissance surroundings. The modern art museum (“Kunsthaus Graz”) is one of the most spectacular buildings of the city that also offers a glazed viewing platform called the “Needle”.
In case you would like to take some pictures of Graz I would recommend exploring the city in the early morning. During these times there are just a few people on the streets, you are in no rush and you can take a closer look at the old houses with their red-tiled roofs and beautiful facades.

Another 25hours experience

This year’s fall vacation took us to Vienna, to be precise to the 25hours hotel at MuseumsQuartier. I have been there two years ago with my sister and was really fascinated by our hotel room and the personal touch of the hotel. I am not a huge fan of staying in hotels, but the 25hours hotel is an exception: the rooms make you feel like home, they are beautifully equipped and have a breathtaking view. We even had a small cooking place, a refrigerator and a dishwasher this time. If you don’t want to cook for yourself you can use the room service – especially during Corona times it is a great and safe alternative instead of going out for dinner. We ordered pizza from the Italian restaurant Ribelli which is located on the ground floor of the hotel and spent a lovely evening in our room. We did not have too much luck with the weather – it was raining most of the time during our stay. Nevertheless we explored the neighborhood and visited Spittelberg on the day we travelled back home.

If you would like to know more about the hotel, please check my last blog post from May 2018:

Romantic Vienna

Anyone who has visited Vienna in summer knows that the city is a tourist hotspot – that includes crowded places, lots of noise and hectic happenings. I was curious if I could find nevertheless a sense of romance in Vienna: I decided to go for a walk in the evening exploring the old town of Vienna. It was the perfect timing for my little walk because the last rays of light hit the historic buildings and the mild summer evening contributed to the romantic charm: I passed by art galleries, old book stores and beautiful inner courtyards. Surprisingly there were just a few people on the streets and I could actually enjoy the city and its treasures. A small guided tourist group came along my way and I listened to the interesting words of the guide about the narrow allays while walking to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral where a young woman sang French ballades with her band in front of the church. I spotted a Vespa in an inner courtyard and imagined how lovely it must be to explore the town this way. To sum it up, it was a really lovely evening and I was surprised that it was actually possible to find a little bit of silence and romance – even if there were many tourists around, I could still enjoy some quality time.

Destination: North Paradise

Every year I am eagerly waiting for my beautiful escape to Finland. I often get asked why I always travel to the same destination – it’s because I can’t imagine any better place for my holidays. This year I already went to Finland in June to get the chance to experience Midsummer, a celebration of the summer solstice. I can totally understand why Finns celebrate the endless and beautiful light of this season – together with the bright greens of the forests it’s breathtakingly beautiful and brightens your mood. Not just the city and its light spectacle were gems, but also this year’s accommodation: I found a beautiful, spacious apartment on Airbnb with so many details to discover. Every single room was gifted with a sense of beauty – an interior dream coming true! All in all my holidays were really nice and I am already daydreaming of my next visit which is hopefully soon to come.

Lost in Dresden

Recently I visited Dresden due to a business trip. The weather forecast didn’t seem promising; it predicted rain all three days. And of course as forecasted it rained when I arrived and left. But there was one beautiful morning, the alarm clock rang at 5.50 am and I jumped out of bed, took my camera and decided to take a walk through the historic city of Dresden. I knew that I would be busy the whole day, so it was the only chance to actually enjoy the city and follow my passion for photography. I was really happy that I didn’t stay in bed because it was so rewarding: the beautiful morning light transformed the city into a beautiful and calm place. There was nearly no one on the street and I could savour the moment all by myself. I wish I would have had more time to see the newer part of the city too, but maybe there is a next time. I am ready for it.

Grado on my mind

Sometimes spontaneousness is the key – just focus on the possibilities of the weekends and on the little surprises they hold. It was time to head out and leave the city and my thoughts behind. Grado is perfect for a spontaneous trip to the sea. The off-season turned the iconic tourist destination into a calm place. It was still very warm and it would have been possible to go for a swim in October. Not only the beach, but also the city had its own charm.

Tampere in Autumn

With a notebook filled with adventures to embrace the autumn season I was travelling in late August to Tampere. Of course everything turned out differently than expected: I got sick, not just a few days, the whole stay. I was so looking forward to enjoying these holidays; at least it was still possible to get some beautiful activities done after lowering my ambitious plans.

Here are some tips what to do in the end of summer and/or in the beginning of autumn in Tampere:

Arboretum

The best place to recharge your batteries is in nature. The arboretum is a wonderful source of happiness to me. You know that you are close to the arboretum when you can spot beautiful old buildings and smell scents from roses to herbs. It was great to look at the transition of the flowers: Some roses were still in bloom, others already transformed to rosehips. There is also a rose variety called “Austriana” – a beautiful (of course) red coloured rose that attracted my attention.
The arboretum is a great place to calm down while watching the squirrels playing around, ducks swimming across the lake or elderly couples walking hand in hand. There’s also a lovely café to rest and to be happy with a drink of your choice.

Finlayson Art Area and Moomin Museum

Every year a large event for the visual arts takes place at the Finlayson area. For an art enthusiast like me it’s the place to be: you can find wonderful street paintings, sculptures, video and photo art as well as plenty of other free activities like workshops etc. This year I was really pleased to see that Rut Bryk was one of the participating artists. I always wanted to see her ceramics and I was really happy that it was finally possible. The exhibitions unfortunately last until the end of August. The Finlayson area is nevertheless a wonderful place to stroll around in autumn – it’s in central Tampere, but it’s probably the most beautiful part of the city that’s not currently under construction.
I also highly recommend the Moomin Museum in the Tampere Hall. I took part in the Moomin Museum Guest of Honour Competition earlier this year and my video got under the top 5 entries. I received lovely Moomin gifts and a free entry to the Moomin Museum. Actually it was already my third visit to the Moomin museum and I am still fascinated by the original Moomin illustrations by Tove Jansson: they are so little and so detailed – amazing! It’s definitely a must-see for all art lovers and Moomin fans of all ages.

Onkiniemi Beach

No holidays without visiting a beach – watching the sun set along a shore or a beach is always breathtaking. Also in autumn it’s a magical feeling. There was no one else – just me, the lake and the wonderful golden hour light. I had to share this beautiful scenery with someone and so I decided to make a video call to show my parents how beautiful Tampere actually is. The Onkiniemi beach is close to the Särkännniemi Amusement Park and is easily to reach from the city centre. I also highly recommend the Pyynikki and Rauhaniemi beach.

Nature in the City

The Pyynikki area stole my heart a long time ago. Whenever I am in Tampere I always try to stay close to this area – so I can easily take a walk there. It’s the place where it feels like home and where I can relax the most. Coming along the Pyynikki tower where you already can smell the best doughnuts in town there is a lovely path to Pispala. Pispala is probably the most romantic area in Tampere with its lovely wooden houses and a gorgeous view over the lakes. From Pispala you can go to Tahmela which is another favourite place of mine where you can also find a great beach. And from there you can return to Pyynikki. All along the way you can find beautiful viewpoints to rest and to simply enjoy nature. And if you take a closer look you might find some berries or see some squirrels or hedgehogs.

Before starting to write this blog entry I already caught myself at looking at flights to Tampere again.
I would have loved to walk on duckboards in the National Park, enjoy the view over Tampere from the Moro Sky Bar, take a look at the beautiful graffiti at Hiedanranta, have fun at Särkänniemi and attend some concerts. But there is always a next time...

My Top 3

Top 3 Souvenirs

• Mine Güngör Earrings from the Design On Tampere Market (otherwise they can be found at Forgemetnot or Seele)
• Marimekko Hieta Socks with the classic Unikko pattern from the Marimekko store in the Koskikeskus Shopping Centre (or in the store in Hämeenkatu 19)
• and of course some Moomin souvenirs from the Moomin Museum (I bought the Moomin Valley Poster which you can exclusively buy at the museum)
  

Top 3 Soundtrack

• Rea Garvey - Beautiful Life
• James Bay - The Best
• Idiomatic - Ready to Depart

Top 3 Spots that are new in town

• The Ratina Shopping Centre (with a Monki Store!)
• The Saunaravintola Kuuma
• the tracks for the Tram lines in Hämeenkatu

Take me to the Waterfall

Last week my family and I went for a little roadtrip through Austria. Our first stop was in Oberkrimml to explore the Krimml Waterfalls. To be honest I didn’t expect too much, because I have already seen a few waterfalls and they didn’t differ from one to another. I was really impressed by the Krimml Waterfalls, because they are the largest ones in Europe and the fifth highest in the world. It was really refreshing to walk next to the water and enjoy the views at the numerous viewing points along the path.

The Lapland Experience

Today it’s time for the last post of the Lapland series. We have been in Saariselkä just a few days and we had so many different light conditions which is always great when you would like to shoot a variety of different moods. It’s just my guess, but the colder it is, the more beautiful it gets. Our last day in Lapland was the coldest and already the morning offered a wonderful lightening sky in a purple/pinkish colour. I have never seen such a sleepy and beautiful mood before. After breakfast the sky turned light blue and half an hour later the sun came out. It was really sad to leave this beautiful place, but I am sure this was not my last Lapland trip. All in all the whole experience was just breathtaking and I am very thankful for all these amazing moments.

The East and the West

The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is divided into an east and a west village. While the east village is the older and more charming one, the west village is definitely the one where the magic happens. We stayed in the east village and really enjoyed the hygge feeling there. While we were walking around in our village we rarely met any other guests even when all igloos and cabins were booked out. The west village is the starting point for many activities like the reindeer or husky safaris. They also have an igloo tower which provides an amazing view all over the village. Another treat is the art gallery inside the igloo tower. During Christmas time it must be the most wonderful place on earth, because you can visit Santa Claus (called Joulupukki in Finnish). There is not only Santa’s home, but also a Christmas crib, you can spot an elf tower and a huge celebration house. Another special accommodation possibility is the kelo-glass igloo which is a combination of a cabin and a glass igloo located in the west village. During our stay we visited both villages and even came across some reindeers.

Lapland by Night

There aren’t many places in winter which are also breathtaking by night, but Lapland definitely is. I have never felt so excited just because it turned dark. The view out of the glass igloo turned into a dreamy and magical winter fairytale. Just watching those snow-covered trees and hundreds of stars makes you feel calm, but also thankful and entirely happy. And then, all of a sudden, there was a light spectacle in the sky. Yet visible, although very weak a long-cherished dream came true. It actually makes you forget the cold and all you want to do is to get outside and get closer to the northern lights. Yes, now after I have seen the aurora borealis, all I want to do is go back there one day and watch them again.

Lago di Fusine

Last week we went to Italy and came across the Fusine Lakes which are surrounded by the Mount Mangart mountain range. I have been there a few times before and it was always worth visiting. While I was taking a walk by the lake the weather changed from cloudy to sunny and later on to foggy. Not only the weather, but also the colours of the lake were changing. Those unique shades and the beautiful reflections made this place even more magical.