An autumnal week in Tampere

I got off the bus at midnight at the Ratina bus stop. I had often imagined what it would be like to be back in Finland after such a long time. Although it was a pitch black night, I noticed that the city had changed. Massive buildings like the Nokia arena and the surrounding buildings gave the impression that the city had grown since we last met. Had I grown too, had I changed? At the latest when I turned the key and stepped into the hallway of the old building, I noticed the smell of freshly washed laundry - memories flashed in front of my eyes - I knew I was right, I was back home.

The loft was in the middle of Tampere. It was the end of September and a little adventure was still waiting for me: my heart was warm, the radiators cold. My fluffy autumn jacket, an additional electric heater, long city walks and cuddling up in two blankets at night became my friends that week.

Sometimes I wonder how life would have turned out if everything had gone right or wrong. My plans were different this year. I should have travelled to Lapland in August, but life got in the way. Standing there at Laukontori watching the beautiful sunset made me feel so grateful: I knew I was at the right place at the right time and that there was a reason to be there at that moment.

The city walks had a therapeutic effect. The colourful leaves formed a perfect symbiosis with the reddish-brown bricks of the city's buildings. It seemed as if the city had been built to match the season. I stopped at the Pyynikki Tower a few times to get a hot chocolate and a munkki for my forest walks. Step by step - reflect - recharge. Just a week with a desire to stay longer. Memories, photos, snippets of city sounds - little impressions to collect and remember. I am sure I have changed, but the love for this city won’t go away.

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Tampere travel guide

Is it worth visiting Tampere?

If you love the Nordic countries, I would definitely say yes!
I really like the fact that city and nature are so close together and you can enjoy both without having to compromise. 

How to get to Tampere?

AirBaltic offers direct flights from Munich, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Milan, Nice, Rhodes and Riga. You can also choose Finnair (coming from Austria: from Vienna or Ljubljana airport), AirBaltic from Vienna or Lufthansa (with a stopover in Munich) to get to Helsinki and then take the train or bus to Tampere.

I booked a Lufthansa flight from Graz to Frankfurt and then changed airlines to get to Tampere with AirBaltic. The Frankfurt airport was really crowded - I would recommend getting there in time: I luckily had more than 4 hours waiting time between my flights and was only travelling with hand luggage - otherwise it would not have been possible to catch the second flight.

The Tampere airport is rather small, but nice and comfortable - you can find and get everything you need.

The bus schedule is adapted to the flights. I arrived around midnight, the bus leaves right outside the airport. You can't pay with cash on the bus - if you have a travel card, you can use this one or use a mobile ticket or pay contactless. I used bus number 103 and it took me 20 minutes to reach the city centre. The bus zones from the airport to the city centre are CBA (or ABC). For a timetable, I can recommend downloading the app "Nysse mobili", which is also available in English. You can buy tickets, but also search for the best connections directly in the app.

What to do in Tampere in autumn?

On sunny days I recommend talking walks, e.g. in the city centre, in the Pyynikki or Pispala area. The Hatanpää arboretum is also worth a visit not only in summer but also in autumn: you can still find some sunflowers there, but also wonderfully coloured trees. The Tallipiha stables are also a great place to visit and to buy little gifts for your loved ones.

On rainy days, it's time for cultural activities or a shopping trip: I would recommend visiting the Moomin Museum, Vaprikki or the Sara Hildén Art Museum. During my stay, I visited the exhibition of Brad Pitt, Nick Cave and Thomas Houseago at the Sara Hildèn musem and really enjoyed it.

It's also a great experience to find some design treasures in the second-hand shops in Tampere: My favourite second-hand shops are Kirpputori Tarina, UFF and Radiokirppis.

Where to stay in Tampere?

Personally, I prefer Airbnb apartments because it makes you feel like a Tampere resident and you have a whole place for yourself. Especially if you are staying for a longer period of time, it's a good opportunity because the apartments are well equipped and most of them have a washing machine or even a sauna in the house. If you book well in advance, you can find more than a handful of nice options. The loft I chose was right in the city centre, so I could reach everything within a few minutes. If you're more into all-round service, I would recommend a hotel: Lillan Hotel & Kök, 1.5 km from the centre, looks like a lovely boutique hotel, but also the Lapland Hotels or Unity Tampere in the Pyynikki district (which also has a great working area) are worth checking out.

What is the most beautiful district in Tampere?

Tampere is divided into many districts and most of them have their own charm. If you like Scandinavian and Nordic wooden houses, you should definitely check out upper Pispala. If you want to go for a walk near the city centre, I recommend the Pyynikki area with its nature reserve and Pyynikki Tower, which is a nice destination not only for tourists but also for Tampere residents. There you can not only enjoy a wonderful view over Tampere, but also get a munkki – a kind of donut – and a hot chocolate or a coffee.
If you like red bricks, visit the Finlayson district in the city centre. Fans of amusement parks should visit Särkänniemi - there you can also find a restaurant in the Näsinneula tower, an aquarium and the Sara Hildén art museum.

How to get around Tampere?

It's pretty easy to get around Tampere - on foot, by bike (you can rent Tampere City Bikes, for example), by scooter, by bus or by tram. The only time I used a taxi was when I had to arrive early at the airport, e.g. on weekends. Taksi Tampere is my preferred choice here. You can also download the app (also in English) and book your trip directly from there.

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Tampere in autumn

All pictures were taken in late September with my Leica Q2

Relaxing days in Pürgg

The year 2023 still feels like an open book with many blank pages waiting to be filled with memories. While editing some pictures from last summer, I was immediately reminded of this beautiful and peaceful place I visited last year and set my first vacation for 2023: I will visit Pürgg again in May!

Pürgg is a small, in my eyes romantic looking village in Styria, Austria. It is located on a small plateau with a significant view on the impressive Grimming mountain. The village has a few narrow streets which are largely for pedestrian traffic only. Pürgg is known for its two churches – “Pfarrkirche zum Heiligen Georg” (Church of St. George) and Johanneskapelle (Chapel of St. John) with its really old frecoes from the 12th century as well as for its beautiful Christmas market.

Summer vacation in Pürgg

To be honest, I did not know the village before, although it is only a 2 hours drive from home. Our cousin recommended the place to us - and so we decided to book the residency, an apartment of Gasthaus Krenn for our stay. The pictures on the website already looked great and we didn’t get disappointed: the reception was really nice, the apartment looked fantastic with all its artwork, lovely decoration and the huge balcony with a great view of the Trautenfels Castle.

I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed as during this stay. I took a book with me and enjoyed lying on the sun lounger on the balcony listening to the leaves rustle. I couldn't think of a better way to calm down and take a rest. Walking through the little town in the morning hours was also very special - there are many second homes in Pürgg, so it is very quiet. The village has its own charm: Also worth mentioning are the natural swimming pool (“Naturbad Pürgg”) and the beautiful flower meadows.

Gasthaus Krenn

Whenever you are in Pürgg, I highly recommend checking out Gasthaus Krenn. They offer beautiful hotel rooms, a guest house and a residency. They have a small vintage looking grocery store called “Greisslerei” with lovely (regional) treasures as well as a rustic restaurant with a divine cuisine.

Pictures taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and Leica Q2.

Ljubljana in autumn

I really like the early stage of autumn, when it is still warm and you can enjoy being outside, going for  a walk, spotting all the colourful leaves and enjoying the sun. It's also a perfect time for travelling, especially for city breaks, as it is not so hot anymore and there are fewer travellers. I haven't been to Ljubljana in the last four years, so we decided to visit Slovenia's capital in October again.

How to get to Ljubljana

For day trips, we often take the car, but since we were staying overnight, we took the train. There are only a few stops from Villach (Faak am See, Jesenice, Bled, Kranj, Ljubljana) and you can be in Ljubljana in less than two hours.

Where to stay

We decided to stay in an Airbnb apartment, which was located in the old town near the town hall and the Robba fountain. The house we stayed in was built in 1580 and had a large courtyard and the living room had a beautiful wooden ceiling. Despite the fact that it was in the middle of Ljubljana, the flat was quiet and it was a great feeling to just step out of the house and be in the centre of Ljubljana.

What to do in Ljubljana

I really like it when my vacation is not completely planned and I have enough time to discover a new city without schedules. We spent most of our time walking around and chatting. One of our highlights was exploring Ljubljana in the morning hours when it was still foggy and no one was around. Especially the old town with its beautiful buildings had a lot of charm and a romantic touch.

But not only the morning hours, also the evening hours when the sun was setting were fantastic. We took a walk to Ljubljana Castle, ordered a few drinks and enjoyed the sunset above the city.

All in all it was a really nice stay with a nice accommodation, good food and lots of discoveries. I'm sure it won't be another four years until the next visit.

Ljubljanica river

Metelkova

Breakfast at EK Bistro, Ljubljana

Ljubljana castle

Pop`s Pizza Place Ljubljana

Airbnb Apartment in the center of Ljubljana

All pictures taken with my Leica Q2

Pickmotion calendar for 2023

One of my favourite subjects to photograph are flowers. I just love stepping barefoot into our garden, walking straight to the flowerbeds, watching the blossoms grow and photographing them. Their uniqueness, bright colours, different shapes and textures fascinate me - and certainly make me happy.

Researchers found out that the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions and enhances feelings, they can make us feel less depressed, anxious or upset - honestly, has a bouquet of flowers ever made you unhappy? Unless you react allergic to it - but I hope that's not the case.

I believe that flowers have a positive impact on my emotional wellbeing, and if you take a look on Instagram and check the hashtag #flowersmakemehappy, 1.7 million people currently feel the same way.

Pickmotion Calendar “Blütenzauber”

Not only do flowers belong in our garden, but I also like to display them in our home. Since their flowering time is limited to certain seasons, I'm more than happy that Pickmotion has created a flower calendar for 2023 called “Blütenzauber” - the calendar helps to create an inviting, floral space all year round.

One theme - three sizes

The Pickmotion calendar is available in three different sizes: as a wall calendar with large-format photographs, as a monthly planner and as a family planner. Each calendar has a different cover - the covers of the wall calendar and the family planner feature my pictures and there are also two of my photographs inside the calendars.

I decided to dedicate this blog post to the brand new calendar format: the family planner. The planner is a bit wider than the monthly planner and offers a lot of space to write down appointments of the family, the team or the flat-sharing community. The selection of photos is definitely a best of 2023 - each image represents a month beautifully and in addition, a lovely mindful quote has been added to the calendar page.

You can see my favourite photos from the calendar here:

Pickmotion Blütenzauber Cover (also August) | love grows here

January | winter magic

February | believe in yourself

March | spring awakening

June | enchanting world

September | small things, great happiness

December | magical moments

My photographs can be found on the cover and on the calendar pages August and December.

If you too would like to own a calendar to brighten up your days in 2023, you can use the promo code PICKMOTION25 until the end of the year to get 25% off a purchase in the Pickmotion online shop. The code is not only valid for the calendars, but also for all Pickmotion products such as postcards, magnets, bookmarks, art posters, etc. This post btw. is not sponsored.

You can also find the calendar in the Thalia or Weltbild, Buchhaus.ch online shop.

Many thanks to Pickmotion for another wonderful collaboration!

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

Munich for a day

In July a little dream of mine came true: I won tickets for the Harry Styles show at the Olympia Halle in Munich which has been sold out for years. Unfortunately I only have a few mobile phone pictures from the concert, but I can show you my Munich impressions with my Leica Q2.

My sister and I decided to add an extra day after the concert so we could do some sightseeing and shopping in Germany. Our journey to Munich started adventurously with a long and exhausting train ride with many unexpected stops - including Tyrol. Also our hotel had a few negative surprises in store for us.

Nevertheless Munich is a great city to visit. We had perfect, not too warm weather to stroll around: On the very first evening, we visited the Olympia Park and explored our neighborhood where we discovered beautiful historic buildings during sunset.

The 9€ ticket was a great opportunity to explore Munich with all kinds of public transport at a very reasonable price. Munich has so many sights, museums and great places to visit that one day is not enough to experience the city in all its facets.

We tried to do as much as possible: We tried Bavarian cuisine and ate sausages and lots (really lots) of pretzels, we had a great time in a beer garden next to the Marienkirche where we drank spezis and beers, we visited the Viktualienmarkt, the famous market in the city centre where you can find not only all kinds of fruits and vegetables, but also some nice souvenirs. Of course, we also spent some time at the Marienplatz and saw the impressive New Town Hall, which is home to the city government, as well as the Old Town Hall.

It was a great short trip; I would be happy to do it again!

Hetkinen – natural cosmetics and design items

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that every now and then I take pictures of beautiful products with a minimalist design. Luckily, after a great collaboration in 2021, Hetkinen invited me back as a brand ambassador.

As I already use their products on a daily basis and have placed them in every room of our house including my office at work, it was a really joyful task to photograph new products and share them on my Instagram profile.

About the Finnish brand Hetkinen

Hetkinen is a small company from Turku, located on the southwest coast of Finland. Since 2018, founder Mona Isotupa and her team have been developing and producing natural cosmetics and design items. All products are natural and plastic-free, even the packaging of the products is mostly made of Finnish pine wood. Recently, Hetkinen was awarded with the Finnish key flag mark - which indicates that all products are designed and manufactured in Finland. In addition, a campaign was launched this year to show that Hetkinen strictly rejects animal testing and that they stand for cruelty-free and vegan products.

All of Hetkinen's products have a stunning design. Hetkinen often collaborates with artists and designers, such as Saana and Olli, an award-winning designer couple from Turku.

From last year to this year, many products have been added to the wide product range, which consists of 18 categories, and I was excited to try out the latest products.

Hetkinen Metsä collection – inspiration from the Finnish forest and trees

“Metsä” is a Finnish word and it means forest. The Hetkinen metsä series in one of my current favourites of Hetkinen. The series consists of 12 products from a spa collection to design products for your home. If you have ever been to Finland, you might know that the Finnish forest landscape is quite unique and filled with pure raw materials such as lichen, birches, cranberries which form the basis for the sauna and spa products.
With this series everyone can enjoy the forest - even when there is no possibility to actually visit it – and have a forest spa day at home.

The Hetkinen birch hand and foot bath helps your tired as well as swollen feet and hands feel refreshed again; birch leaves are amongst other things beneficial for circulation. The lichen mask has the same circulation effect on your face - it cleanses the face deeply and provides the skin with moisture and nutrients. The cranberry cream is a dream come true: it is made from cold-pressed cranberries and smells wonderful. The mild and sweet scent of the cream comes from the northern cranberries and the essential oil of geranium.

The spa day is complete with a lovely feeling at home: therefore you can use the veggie candle called metsä and the scent diffuser metsä. I love the needles in the natural candle made from rapeseed and soy wax and the fragrance diffuser with top notes of birch, heart notes of cypress and base notes of black spruce not only smells fantastic but also looks wonderful.

Hetkinen cosmetics

This year Hetkinen kindly gifted me the pine-coffee lip balm. To be honest, I already owned one – even though I don’t drink coffee, I love the smell of coffee beans. The lip balm – which became an essential product of my daily morning routine – reminds me of freshly brewed coffee and the Finnish forest. There is no better way to start the day than with this lip balm!

One product I was particularly excited about was the sense oil. I got to try the Hetkinen rowan berry-mountain ash sense oil, which makes your skin looks healthy. It can be used for many different areas - for super dry spots on the body like elbows or knees, for the face and lips, for dry hair and it can also be used as a massage oil.

Especially in summer, it is very important for me to feel good in my skin and a great deodorant contributes a lot to this. I've been avoiding aluminum-based deodorants for years and was very excited to try Hetkinen's aluminum-free and alcohol-free deodorant. It has a creamy texture and not only removes unpleasant odours, but also moisturizes the sensitive underarm skin. I would highly recommend storing the deodorant in the fridge from time to time - the cool temperature acts as a freshness booster, but also helps to maintain the original consistency of the natural product.

Hetkinen home

Hetkinen is already known for its great veggie candles, which are a special experience due to their wooden wick and the fire-place crackling sounds. In stores and online you can find about 5 to 6 different versions/natural scents – either in square or round shape.
The melted wax burns off in beautiful layers. It reminds me of the annual rings of trees that my father and I often counted together when we went for walks when I was young.

Another beautiful wooden object with a great function is the drop wood diffuser. I just add a few drops of essential oil into the groove of the lid from where the scent unfolds. The bottle with the essential oil (there are five different scents; I picked organic eucalyptus and pine oil) can be stored inside the wooden object. The drop wood diffuser comes in different sizes. I own a small one for my workspace and a wide one for my living room. There is also a tall diffuser available.

Hetkinen summer products

All seasons in Finland have their benefits, but the best, in my opinion, is Finnish summer with its bright nights and blossoming nature. I was very pleased to see that Hetkinen has also created two products inspired by the most significant aromas of Finnish summer.

The summer seizure fragrance is a lovely scent of a lively summer that smells sweet and fresh at the same time thanks to the top notes of Finnish white rose, rose pepper and lemon. It's always a bit difficult to order a perfume online because you can't smell it beforehand, but I'm so glad I chose this one. The scent is perfect for this season: it is a light and bright fragrance for hot summer days.

But not only you, also your room can smell fantastic with the Hetkinen other summer scent diffuser. To me, the natural room scent smells very similar to the summer seizure fragrance for your body. The perfect little extra for your room, not only in summer but also in any other season.

A big thank you to Hetkinen for the great ambassador program as well as the surprise gifts. It is always a pleasure and honour to work with you!

If you want to try some Hetkinen products, visit the Mangolds shop in Graz or have a look at the official online shop. There is also the possibility to buy Hetkinen products during your flight with Finnair!

Donauwellenreiter in Althofen

My first point of contact with Treibacher had to do with the art initiative "Kunst im Werk" in 2015. In that year I started as an intern and helped to organise the concert during the summer months. I liked the tasks and the whole concept so much that I happily agreed helping in the following year again.
Now many years have passed and a lot has changed, but the Kunst im Werk concert is still one of my favourite projects at work.

Donauwellenreiter meets Kunst im Werk

Luckily, it was time for a new concert this year: amidst the industrial hustle and bustle, Donauwellenreiter played a very special concert in one of our production halls in Althofen on 18 June 2022. It is always impressive how quickly a place can change: The production hall for ferroalloys transformed into a wonderful concert location within a few hours! The whole location looks so magical and different in those colourful lights. It's always a pleasure to work with the guys from T.C. consult, who are so passionate about creating this beautiful atmosphere.

About the concert

This year's concert was all about Donauwellenreiter, an ensemble from Vienna - consisting of a violinist and singer (Maria Craffonara), a cellist (Lukas Lauermann), a pianist (Thom Castañeda) and a drummer (Jörg Mikula). It already felt nostalgic looking at the brochures from 2015 and 2016 and preparing all kinds of marketing tools for this year’s concert.

Not only the location was wonderful, but also the band virtuously played many songs from their current album "Delta". I was pleased to hear them play songs like "Le Papillon", "Nemophila", “4K” and "Jump'n'run" - my favourites from their latest album. The audience seemed to enjoy the show and the location as much as I did - the applause lasted for minutes and there were several standing ovations.

And overnight everything has changed and the venue is again a production hall for ferroalloys. But here's a proof of the wonderful concert evening, some pictures from the Donauwellenreiter gig in Althofen:

Happy New Year 2022

Doing something good can be so simple sometimes: I contributed one of my photographs to the Radio FM4 calendar 2022 – every calendar sold supports the FM4’s "Licht ins Dunkel" project and benefits women and children affected by violence.

I wish you all the best for 2022, lots of health and happiness!

A botanical year

A week ago I was travelling for the first time after two years. I was just arriving at the airport in Vienna and was waiting for my connection flight to Klagenfurt when I decided to visit the book shop at the gate in hope of finding a lovely magazine until boarding. In front of the shop there was a display with postcards when I remembered that I still need a birthday card for one of my friends. While looking for the right card, a special one in the lower third of the display immediately caught my attention: it was my own!

Although the collaboration with Pickmotion already happened two years ago, it still fills me with joy and happiness whenever I spot my card somewhere in a shop. It is really lovely to see my work out there, waiting for others to get discovered and bringing joy to the recipients.
In case I have ever sent you a card and you were wondering why you get the same motif again and again, that’s because I always buy my own card as an act of gratitude whenever I see it somewhere.

New collaboration

In July Eszter from Pickmotion contacted me for a new collaboration and I was really excited about the offer that my pictures could be part of their new product line, a photo calendar series for 2022.

Although we all might have a digital calendar these days, there is no comparison to a traditional paper calendar. There are two different versions of the calendar available – a wall calendar and a monthly planner – and there are different themes like mountains, coast & sea, magical world, travel, botanicals, city spotlights etc. You can find two of my pictures in the botanical series.

Wall calendar

The wall calendar comes in a great size of 30x40cm and features 12 botanical motifs – one for each month. The motifs represent the diversity and beauty of nature. Pickmotion picked the designs by searching for great, minimalistic photographs on Instagram. The calendar is printed on thick and matte high-quality paper. In case you like the motifs you can cut them out afterwards and frame them or use them as wrapping paper.
The wall calendar makes a great gift and/or is a wonderful decoration item for your home.
My pictures represent the months October and December. We have a huge print of the fern photograph in our living room and I am happy that my pictures will be soon on your walls too and accompany you during two months.

Monthly planner

The monthly planner is a great aid especially for those who like to plan and organize the next year. The pictures are printed in square-format so there is enough space for all your appointments and notes. There are three columns for each month which you can use individually for your needs: you can share the calendar with your family and fill in all important tasks of each person or you can use the calendar just for yourself dividing the columns e.g. in birthdays, self-care and work appointments or travel, friends, and social media postings – as you can see there are unlimited possibilities to make the calendar your own.
The design of the calendar with the square-shaped pictures and motivational quotes on the photographs reminds me of the traditional Pickmotion postcards – so if you like the cards, you will definitely like the calendar too.

The calendars are available in German and designed for Austria and Germany (due to the mentioned holidays on the calendar). You can buy them in selected shops as well as in online shops such as Amazon (wall calendar / planner) or Rivashop (wall calendar / planner).

The Finland guide for Vienna – a travelogue for the Scandi & Nordic heart

I wish is was in Finland. That’s a thought that regularly pops up in my mind. Diving into another world or country can be so easy if you have a little bit of imagination. Especially if you can’t travel due to a pandemic or due to time, health or money issues, a little bit of creativity can lead to a great exploration and discovery too.
One week ago I took some days off to discover the most Finnish places in Vienna. To prepare, I did a lot of research using Google and asking friends for recommendations to find the right places for my intended mission. So this was the first time travelling to “Finland” without using a Finnair plane to get there – just a few hours bus ride within my home country was necessary to find what I was looking for: a little bit of Finland in the middle of Vienna.
So here are my favourite spots in town that you should definitely check out too.

Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design Wien

Finding a Finnish themed accommodation was the most difficult part of the whole journey. Now you might think that Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design doesn’t sound too Finnish, but they are offering a hotel room in cooperation with the Scandinavian Design House and the Hästens Store Vienna. The junior suite is located on the fourth floor and offers a wonderful view over the city. But not the view, the interior was the main reason why we chose to stay there: The room was filled with beautiful furniture and decorations from prestigious Scandinavian designers like Swedese, &tradition, Montana, Design Letters, Skagerak or Hay. When you get it down right, Finland is not part of Scandinavia, but we were really happy to find some Finnish design items from Iittala and Marimekko in the room too. The highlight of the stay was without doubt the wonderful Hästens bed, a handcrafted luxury bed from Sweden, which I would love to own in silver beige too. The hotel room felt more like a small apartment and reminded me of the beautiful Airbnb accommodations in Finland.
It would also like to mention the friendly hotel staff and the great location of the hotel close to the Finnshop which leads me to our second spot.

Lange Gasse 13
1080 Wien

Update: The cooperation with the Scandinavian Design House has unfortunately ended. The junior suite no longer has Scandinavian-style furnishings.

Finnshop

Finnshop is the main address if you want to own a piece of Finland and make your home a little bit more beautiful. It’s definitely a paradise not only for Finland-, but also for design lovers. In three rooms you can find the newest collections of well-known design brands like Marimekko, Aarikka or Iittala in addition to design classics like the Alvar Aalto vase or the Marimekko unikko series.
If you have ever been to Finland, you might have noticed that you can find design everywhere –  even in the most isolated Mökki somewhere in the deep forest. Design is so much more than just a pretty object in Finland, it’s an important essence and a way of living. Since many Finnish designers are inspired by nature, especially by the forest and the archipelago, you can recognize a lot of forms and shapes from nature in their designs – and I feel a little bit more connected to my favourite country through these pieces, even at home in Austria. I will never get tired of the joyful and colorful Marimekko designs or the timeless Iittala Kastehelmi collection. It’s always a pleasure to visit the Finnshop and get a bit carried away by the beautiful items you can find there. Also if you are a Moomin lover and a fan of the Moomin themed Arabia mugs you can find a lovely variety to add to your collection. For those with a sweet tooth you can also buy some Finnish sweets like Fazer chocolate or my favourite Geisha bar there.
I can also highly recommend checking out their online shop where you can find even more clothing, jewelry and home items etc. If you are looking for inspiration or just want to learn some Finnish words, check out their Instagram account which is one of my personal favourite accounts from Austria.

Siebensterngasse 17
1070 Wien

Café Ihana

After spending countless time in the Finnshop we got a little bit hungry and there is definitely no better place for a Finland-inspired trip than visting Café Ihana. “Ihana” already says it all – the Finnish word means “wonderful” and there is no better way to describe this place.
If you want to feel Scandi vibes and get the feeling of being in a “kahvila” in Finland while smelling freshly brewed coffee and warm korvapuustit (cinnamon rolls) you are at the right spot. The coffee place is a small and very cozy gem with a wonderful selection of coffee, wine and bites. The different versions of “smörrebröds“ with ham, cheese, salmon, roast beef or shrimps are beautifully decorated and taste delicious. If you would like to try something really traditional you have to order a “Karjalanpiirakka”, a Karelian pasty – if you wish with “munavoi” (egg butter). After a few smörrebröds it’s time to eat something sweet: We ordered cinnamon rolls and a blueberry cake while getting a little bit sentimental as we could listen to some Finnish conversations.
If I would live in Vienna, Café Ihana would definitely be my go-to-place and I can’t wait to go there again.

Kleine Pfarrgasse 3/1
1020 Wien

My top 3 shops:
1. Finnshop
2. Scandinavian Design House
3. & Other Stories (for Scandinavian-inspired clothing)

My top 3 food locations:
1. Café Ihana
2. Das Tortenstudio (for vegan korvapuustit)
3. Julius Meindl am Graben (for buying some Fazer sweets)

My top 3 Finnish activities in Vienna:
1. Go for a walk e.g. in the Augarten park to get some forest vibes
2. Look out for some cool thrift shops and try to find some design classics
3. Eat some fresh berries or peas as a tasty Finnish summer snack

If you still have some other Finnish tips for me – e.g. for the whole Austrian area, I would be happy if you could write them in the comments.

(Kunst (Haus (Graz

Last year I took part in a photo competition of the Museum Joanneum. I am happy to announce that my picture has been selected as a “special Kunsthaus photo” and has been printed in the new architecture book - available in German and English.

Find out more about the publication:

Hetkinen - a moment for yourself

Imagine a morning on a warm summer day. The first rays of light hit the bedroom and you are excited what the new day will bring. You just put on some clothes, take your keys, walk out the door to cross the street, walk through that little park with the statue in golden sandals. Just a little uphill walk and you are there: in the middle of the forest. Silence welcomes you, the fresh nordic breeze and the rustling leaves are your companions. Here and there you can hear a bird chirping a lovely melody from afar. While you walk on this little path covered with needles, the sun gently shines through the trees on your face and a squirrel crosses your path, not too shy, wondering where you might go.
You walk to this wooden bench on the little rock where you have a wonderful view over the lake with the island. Once you reach this place you lay down on the bench and slowly the stress of the last weeks starts to fall off your shoulders. A big smile overcomes you because you are happy where you are right now: it’s just you and the Finnish forest and it feels amazing.

For weeks, ok to be honest for months, me and my heart are ready to depart. To Finland. It has been a long year and also this one seems to turn out not very promising to be able to leave soon. But little wonders can also happen at home: In March I was chosen to be an ambassador for the Finnish brand Hetkinen.
Hetkinen is a Turku based company that manufactures natural cosmetics and minimalist interiors. Most of their products look like the Finnish forest and also smell like it.
Hetkinen is a Finnish word, “hetki” means moment. The brand’s name should be interpreted in this way that you should take a moment for yourself, you should stop for a while and calm down - with the help of Hetkinen products. Similar to my holiday memories in the beginning of this post, the products create a feeling of a relaxing forest walk which suits body and soul – just that you are at home or in your office. Hetkinen’s mission is to bring people closer to nature in their busy everyday lives.

To me the forest has always been a place to escape. A place to recover. A place of joy.

It’s great to see that there is a brand that drives inspiration from the Finnish forests too and dedicates their time to mindfully develop natural products by using purest essential oils that both smell and do good.
Their product line is made of 100% natural ingredients – no artificial smells or substances like parabens or polyethylenes are used – and it’s fully vegan.
You can find essentials of pine in many of their products, a very common tree variety in Finland with a sustainable population; they use spruce resin which has been collected from Kuusamo, all kind of berries like rowan berry, crowberry, cranberry or juniper which can be found in the Finnish forest. Everything is made in harmony with nature.

Even the product packaging is worth mentioning: it is beautifully designed and plastic-free.
Most of their products come in wooden jars from Finnish pine heart wood. No chemicals are used in the process as the tree is naturally antibacterial. During a virtual company tour we found out that Kari, who is a carpenter, is creating these beautiful jars. Each jar is unique because no tree is like the other. Once the products are consumed, you can reuse the jars as little storage boxes or recycle them (e.g. compost them or take them to a wood recycling centre).

In the last three months I learned a lot about the forest – now I can distinguish all kind of tree species – about Hetkinen and their product line which is growing every time whenever I take a look at their website.

 The candles

Candles are the first things that come to my mind when thinking of creating a beautiful moment for myself.
I really like to use them all around the year, for example while eating dinner to make the moment a little bit more special and hygge.
Hetkinen offers a great selection of veggie candles. You can separate them in two sections: The traditional veggie candles and the happiness candles.
The traditional veggie candles smell for example like spruce resin or smoke sauna. If you don’t have a fireplace, use one of the candles because the wooden wick creates a crackling and relaxing sound. Hetkinen also offers a candle refill set: you get all components to create your own candle except of the jar which we all have plenty at home. It was really easy and fun to do; the active candle making process didn’t take longer than three minutes.
The happiness candles are the fancier candles for design lovers: they come in round or tree shapes, have a cotton wick and a pine root holder as a design element. The round/globe version is available in three different sizes.

The scents

Every day you can find me near the pine forest scent diffuser trying to inhale the great scent when leaving the room. My room already turned into a Finnish forest thanks to this beautifully looking and smelling diffuser. It has a neutral and most important natural scent of pine needles which calms me down and makes me feel relaxed. There are also a few other scent options: “Finnish sisu” which empowers your senses with menthol and black pepper, the spicy “shinrin yoku” which means “forest bathing” and the festive “happy holidays” scent with cinnamon for a cosy atmosphere.
If you want to take the forest everywhere you go, I can recommend checking out the perfume section where you can find two fragrances called “forest riot” and “bark bout”.

The creams (& the lip balms)

On my desk next to me you can find a staple of beautiful boxes of pine heart wood. I immediately think of trees and the forest while looking at them. What I love about the body butter, the resin salve and the hand balm is that these are solid products – they are waterless and very sufficient – you just need a very small amount of the product.
Buy less, but better is another aim of the brand which they want to state with their product line.
All Hetkinen products are manufactured in their own company in Turku. It’s amazing how a small team with less than ten persons can design products from pure and minimal ingredients, bearing in mind the safety of the product for the user and nature.

 If you would like to create a Hetkinen moment for yourself, please check out their website:

My top 3 Hetkinen interiors:

1. Pine forest scent diffuser
2. DIY/ refill candle
3. Happiness globe candle

My top 3 Hetkinen natural cosmetics:

1. Spruce resin salve
2. Pine lip balm
3. Pine peppermint salt soap

My top 3 songs:

1. “Time to Escape” by Idiomatic
2. “ASAP” by Milow
3. “Ready to Depart” by Idiomatic