Last week I had a business meeting in Vienna. I decided to take my camera with me to help me pass the wait for my train back home. The weather was beautiful on that day – sunshine welcomed me with a touch of spring. I strolled through the streets of Vienna and took pictures of facades that caught my attention. With the sun on my face and the camera in my hands I explored Vienna without even knowing where I am right now and where I am going next. I really missed these short city trips and the therapeutic benefit of taking pictures and forgetting the world around you.
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.
Happy Midsummer!
Summer Nostalgia
I spent my most beautiful summer holidays in Scandinavia. I believe that enjoying small things during your vacation and committing to the pleasure of the present moment is making a holiday extraordinary. Whether it’s a specific feeling, the wideness of the country, the creativity of the Scandinavian cities or the sounds of waves – I am delighted with the north.
During my holidays I love to capture those precious moments with my camera and try to take those deeply felt feelings back home.
When Lina from Once Upon asked me if I would like to create a photo book with their app, I immediately knew that it will be about my last summer holidays. I am a bit nostalgic when thinking back of them, because they felt like a fairytale dream.
Once Upon is a company from Skellefteå/Sweden with the aim to create an app that makes it easy and fun to save memories. They offer three photo book versions: a “casual” (20x20cm, softcover), a “compact” (20x20cm hardcover) and a “classic” (27x27cm, hardcover) one.
Creating a photo book always takes a lot of time and usually when you are coming back home from abroad you are busy doing your laundry, stowing away your clothes and you are getting back to work. What I really like about the Once Upon app is that you can work little by little on your book. Most of the time I have taken a few hundred photographs during my holidays and it can feel intimidating to create a photo book entirely. With Once Upon you can divide your book into entries and as you are creating your book on your phone it also allows you to work on those chapters wherever and whenever you want. The minimalistic design of the book is aesthetically pleasing and helps you to find the right balance between your pictures and the white space. Another great feature of this determined layout is that you don’t need to worry that the type size of your text is too big or too small. As I am a huge fan of matte photo book pages, I am pleased you can choose between semi-gloss or silk matte paper – you just have to keep in mind that the matte version is a little bit more expensive than the semi-gloss one. The print quality is really good and I can warmly recommend using this app. For this book I chose the classic version and for me it was really helpful to read the information about the cover, layout and the prizes on their support page beforehand.
Whenever the longing for Scandinavia gets too big, I take a look at this lovely book and it immediately brings me back to this beautiful summer and its precious moments.
25hours in Vienna
So far it was always the charm of a city and its attractions that made me want to extend my holidays, but the last days turned around my vacation expectations. It was definitely the hotel that made me want to stay for a couple of more days. It all started with a voucher for a stay in Vienna as a belated birthday gift and ended as one of the most exciting short trips I have ever done in my home country: Our journey led us to a totally different world offered by an incredible hotel – we spent 25hours in Vienna.
The 25hours hotel is a circus themed hotel in the middle of Vienna, near the MuseumsQuartier. DREIMETA - an Augsburg based design team - created this colourful hotel which is definitely a place for sensations. The first time I have heard of this hotel was in association with Manfred Baumann who did a photo shoot with Conchita Wurst. I remembered the brightly coloured rooms with those amazing wallpapers from Berlin illustrator Olaf Hayek.
I think it’s the passion for details that makes this hotel extraordinary. There are different sized rooms with various wallpapers and interior. I really love the personal touch: You can find plenty of books about art, graphic design or fashion, but also their own magazine named Companion as well as a Bluetooth speaker in your room. Listening to my favourite music makes me always feel like home – which is definitely not a bad thing when you are travelling. I am not a sporty person, but the available sports equipment (hula hoop, yoga mat and juggling balls) turned me into a (clumsy) circus performer. It was so much fun to experiment with these things – even during the early morning hours.
Also the aspect of sustainability filled me with enthusiasm. 25hours hotels support companies like “Stop the water while using me” who – in this particular case – are drawing attention to protect water and saving money for Good Water Projects to bring clean water to those who otherwise would not have access to it. Also a part of each online booking on 25hours-hotels.com goes towards supporting water projects in Nepal.
Not only our room, but also the hotel itself invited us to an exploring journey. As a photographer I really loved the wall with the old Polaroid cameras at the entrance hall. Also the Mermaid’s Cave (a sauna, steam bath and fitness room) in the basement as well as the Dachboden bar with a view over the rooftops of Vienna was worth a visit. If you like burgers as much as I do, I can recommend you the Burger de Ville summer garden. There is also a little shop at the reception area where you can buy lovely stuff like the Schlaffant, a cuddly stuffed elephant.
This was definitely not my last stay at a 25Hours hotel and I hope I am able to explore different concepts in other cities in the future.
Our TOP 3
Top 3 Places:
The Panorama Suite at sunrise (room no. 613), 1500 Foodmakers outdoor breakfast, Dachboden bar at evenings
Top 3 Details:
The scent of the showergel, the book "Banksy in New York", Kipferlkoch at the breakfast
Top 3 Soundtrack:
"Nothing but love" (by The Bloody Beetroots feat. Jay Buchanan), Live Version of "Just for Tonight" (by James Bay), "Zirkus" (by Mia.)
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.
Nordic Wilderness
The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Saariselkä is located 250 km north of the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland. We stayed in a glass igloo on a little hill in the east village, which made our stay truly unforgettable. From inside the igloo you could admire the beautiful nature at any time. There is also the possibility to stay inside and watch the beautiful northern lights when the sky is clear. The village itself was really nice to explore. There was a traditional Finnish house, lovely log chalets, a temple of Nordic lights as well as a wedding chamber. We loved it to walk around and enjoy the gorgeous snow-covered landscape.
The Husky Safari
Hello, I hope you all had a great start into 2018. It’s already February and I am finally back with new photos. I had the great chance to spend some days in Lapland. I would like to start my Lapland series with one of the most beautiful memories: the husky safari.
Yes, I love dogs and driving a traditional wooden husky pulled sled was on my bucket list for a long time. We had great weather conditions (cold, but not too cold); even the sun showed up during the ride. We went for a two hours safari through the wonderful winter landscape of Finland. It was really enjoyable and such a great adventure. I liked it so much that I actually started thinking about how great it must be to work there on the farm with 150 huskies or at least how lovely it would be to own six huskies. Hopefully one day I can return there and hug all those cute huskies again.
Desire
The last months I was impatiently waiting for the Hurts concert in Vienna and then one day before the show I got ill. This was some kind of worst case scenario for me, but nevertheless I managed to travel to Vienna and attend the concert in the evening. I’m glad I did it, because the gig was absolutely brilliant and otherwise I would have missed their only show in Austria. I really liked the mix of the old and new songs and of course it was a great pleasure for me to take pictures of my favourite band.
For more pictures of the concert please take a look here: