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:
Strolling through Klagenfurt
I always get excited when I can explore places I haven’t visited before. When everything is new and is waiting to get discovered it is really easy to find great subjects to photograph. I get inspired by the unknown; it helps me to look differently and to find unusual perspectives.
Right now I am feeling a bit stuck because travelling is limited due to the current world and health situation. So I decided to explore Klagenfurt - a city very close to me.
I live close to Klagenfurt for already 20 years, but actually never took any pictures there – I guess this resonates with the thought that when something is near and could be seen every day, it is not that special or interesting to discover. You already know every corner and your eyes don’t look at the surroundings the same way as if it would be something completely new and exciting. You most probably associate the city with daily routines like going to work or visiting a doctor instead of focusing on the beauty the city has to offer. Without any doubt Klagenfurt is a lovely city which is wonderfully located and definitely worth a stroll. If you take a closer look you can find great architecture, a wonderful old town centre and lots of nature. I am already looking forward to my next stroll through this city.
From nature to urban living
I mostly get inspired by other artists. It’s wonderful to watch someone doing something creative; whether it is drawing, crafting, singing or manufacturing. There is nothing more beautiful than turning your own ideas into reality and bringing joy to others due to your pieces of art. I think it’s the passion of the creator that releases a powerful energy which makes you want to get creative too.
Last month I started to collaborate with Papurino, a design brand from Finland. Papurino is a small family business of three talented artists called Anna, Olli and Kaarlo who design and manufacture beautiful interior products using natural materials. It’s all in their hands: from sketching the idea to creating prototypes and finally releasing a fascinating visual product. It’s interesting to see how they work together as a collective, sharing their talents, bringing in their personal skills and helping each other to create beautiful products. Their passion of creating is part of their life: The whole family is involved in the business and not only the process of creating something new, but also how they incorporate all aspects of operating a business in their daily life feels inspiring to me.
I was really excited when Papurino asked me to become one of their brand representatives, because I already liked their products for a long time. The first thing I have ever spotted from Papurino was one of their city maps on Instragram. The city maps come in round or rectangular shape and are geometric minimal scenes from a city. They are available in black or natural wood, are lightweight and look like an abstract version of a city where you can spot your favourite streets, rivers and more. I guess everyone has a favourite city for various reasons and the map could be a beautiful reminder of your memories connected with this city. Maybe you met your love of your life on a street in this city, you found your dream job there, you bought your own home in this popular district, you like to travel there whenever possible, you just love the vibe of the city or maybe it reminds you of your lovely and carefree childhood and the great and funny times with your best friend. There are plenty of reasons to decide for a city map and there is also a huge variety of sizes available so it could always find a lovely place in your home.
As a photographer I also love their wooden magnetic poster hangers to showcase my photographs. They are light and stylish and make hanging up a picture or drawing very easy. Anna is also an illustrator and offers beautiful prints too – some of them are even printed on plywood.
Since I appreciate all things that are connected with nature I can also highly recommend their wooden ornaments which bring the spirit of nature to your home: Not only the animals of the forest, but also the more abstract shapes of nature like leaves or cones are a wonderful decoration all over the year. There are plenty of possibilities to use them and it’s nice to get creative with these pieces too.
Anna, Olli and Kaarlo not only offer wooden city maps, poster hangers or ornaments: From toys for children to clocks, textiles or jewellery you can find many unique and high quality products. It’s great to see how they develop their products and probably next time when you are visiting their store or webshop you will find another brand-new piece. If you want to make your home a little bit more beautiful, please check out Papurino!
A Year full of Surprises
I live for the beautiful moments in my life. In the past years I have experienced a number of wonderful surprises that I never expected to happen.
At the top of this list you can find my trip to Lapland where we stayed in a glass igloo and had an amazing time driving a traditional wooden sled with huskies and keeping an eye out for the northern lights. By this time I could have never afforded such a trip myself; fortunately I was very lucky and won a photo competition so I was able to travel to my favourite destination for free. I remember me and my sister smiling the whole time during this trip and I am still so grateful for this experience. Another surprise which I will never forget was the possibility to take part in a meet & greet with my favourite band Hurts. I received a mail from Sony Music at the beginning of the New Year; I was so excited to finally meet Theo and Adam and love to think back to this amazing evening. Not only these big surprises, but also the little ones brought a lot of happiness into my life. It can be someone taking time or going an extra mile for you, a home-baked cake, tickets for a concert or just a smile from a stranger – especially in difficult times little surprises and unexpected beautiful moments can cheer you up a lot.
Another great surprise occurred in February this year. I received a collaboration request from the Berlin based company Pickmotion asking if I am interested in turning one of my pictures into a postcard. I couldn’t believe my luck - it was always one of my dreams to create my own postcard. I so love the idea that someone uses my card to write something nice to their partner, friend or colleague. I personally use Pickmotion cards already for years and admire the vintage look due to the Polaroid shape of the cards together with a cheerful or beautiful photograph a lot.
You can find my card in the New Years section, but it actually can be used all over the year for birthdays, as a reminder of beautiful memories or that great moments are just around the corner. The card is available in German and in two different English versions (one of them is glittery) and should be available all over Europe. In case you spot my card in a shop near to you I would appreciate it if you could let me know about it.
If you take a close look at the card you might find out how this motif is connected to one of my favourite moments I shared at the beginning of this post. The audio cassette is titled “wonderful life” – one of my favourite songs by Hurts. The picture does not only refer to this song, but is also a metaphor that life is actually beautiful and it’s in your hands how you want to create it.
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.
Hello Vienna
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.
