After a longer break I’m finally back here on the blog. Summer is finally here. Next week I will finally go on the long awaited vacation. I have a nice week of home vacation in South Tyrol planned, followed by a week of sea vacation at the Côte d’Azur. I am so looking forward to staying home for a whole week since visiting last time for Christmas. I’m definitely going to post lots of impressions from my beautiful home region.
Today there is an airy office summer look. Unfortunately I could not find this beautiful blouse from & other stories online. But you can still find it in the stores. I combine it with a simple white fabric pant with crease from Mango, which is super comfortable for the office. And then there are classic espadrilles with wedge heels, which are one of my favourite summer shoes.
OUTFIT Details
other stories white blouse mango pants & bags Asos espadrilles
How wonderful that the borders with Austria are to be reopened on 15 June. From 29 June onwards, the hotels will also be allowed to open again. A time out in the mountains would definitely do me a lot of good again – walking sore legs, enjoying the “worked out” view and then relaxing in a beautiful sauna. How wonderful.
Meanwhile, it is certainly already flourishing and thriving in the Salzburger Land. I have been to the holiday region three times in winter and autumn. Our shortest visit was already a few months ago. We were lucky that we were able to spend a few days in the beautiful mountain region before the lock-down. For this reason there is still some snow on the mountains and enough to “push down” the slopes as we say so beautifully in the South Tyrolean dialect. I was also following in the footsteps of my brother, who had worked the winter preseason at the Holzhotel Forsthofalm.
The Four Stars Superior Hotel Forsthofalm scores points not only because of its isolated location at 1050 meters, but also because of its ecological commitment. It belongs to the sustainable and ecological hotels in Austria. In my opinion, the wooden hotel has managed very well to create a all-round concept for sustainability and “wellbeing”. The hotel also has its own water, energy and waste disposal concept. In the kitchen, regional and local organic products are used. The hotel’s own mountain herbs are also used for relaxation in the wellness area.
Enjoy the fresh mountain air for the first time after your arrival!
The pleasure of a winter holiday withSKI IN – SKI OUT
For all future skiing holidays, I have been spoiled too much in the Forsthofalm. It is incredibly comfortable to be able to ski almost directly from the piste to the ski cellar. The Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn is right on the doorstep. In fact, it felt like getting out of bed and onto the piste.
You wouldn’t have to worry about the ski tickets in advance either, because most hotels in the region can issue them directly at the hotel.
After a sporty day of skiing, you are expected to enjoy a sundowner at the Forsthofalm. A small “Jausen” (snack) is a good way to recharge your batteries. Afterwards – put on your bathrobe. Off to the SKY SPA or let yourself be pampered with a massage in the SPAnorama!
Recommendation! for extra fortification or lunch, try the Club Sandwich. That was so good!
Forsthofalm SKY SPA
The modern wellness area SKY SPA and SPAnorama is located on the last floor of the house. My highlight was the relaxation room, “the nest”. In the lower area you will find a cosy fireplace lounge, the spacious fitness room with all-round glazing. I especially enjoyed the bio-herbal sauna, Finnish sauna, infrared sauna and brine steam bath. After some sauna sessions I always retired to “The Nest”. The generous window areas increased the feeling of space and brought the mountain landscape even closer. We completely forgot the time. Switch off. Rest. The sun set behind the mountains.
the view from the SPAnorama directly onto the slopesRooftop Pool with 360 degree wide view over the Leoganger Steinberge. During the day in summer, fitness and yoga classes are offered on the 300 square metre roof terrace.The Nest – my favourite place to rest!
small hotel library between the hotel rooms
Forsthofalm Rainbow cuisine – regional and local
The Forsthofalm serves a varied and aromatic gourmet cuisine. In the evening, a typical Austrian dish is always offered. Vegetarians and vegans are of course also considered. A dish for these is always on the menu and there is plenty of choice at the buffet for substitute products.
extract from the evening menu
Ceviche of pikeperch
Celery consommé
Ox pastry with potatoes, port wine and carrots or
Sea bass with leaf spinach and rice or Chicken breast in herb marinade and tomato risotto
or Risotto with herb sideburns and cherry tomatoes
Fruit sabayones or
Caramel Mouse
Ceviche of pikeperch
Celery consommé
Ox pastrySea bass
After a sporty day a delicious evening menu is just the right thing. However, I did not want to overeat every evening, so I always chose the lighter fish variant.
Cozy lounge area next to the bar
We had a very pleasant stay at the Hotel Forsthofalm. Many thanks to the Widauer family for the invitation!
Going on a skiing holiday by train? Never. How uncomplicated and comfortable it can be. The Hotel Forsthofalm offers a free shuttle service from the train station, which already awaited us at the station. With the Europe-Special fare we then arrived comfortably for about 40€ per trip. We had to change trains twice, but then we were faster than by car. We sent a big suitcase in advance with the luggage service of the Deutsche Bahn, which arrived punctually on the day of arrival.
My wanderlust heart skips a beat when seeing these photos. On our road trip at the American West Coast we got to know many beautiful places like San Francisco or the beautiful Yosemite National Park. However, one place I truly loved was Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.
Palm Springs is a popular resort for actors, artists, architects and more from Los Angeles and surroundings. Moreover it is paradise for hippies and free souls who meet at festivals and art gatherings in the desert. Given the name, you’ll find tons of beautiful palm trees and may spot wonderful villas and holiday houses. I think of all the lucky architects of that time, who realized stunning properties like Frank Sinatra’s “Twin Plams”. Palm Springs is where “Chichi” and “Laissez-Faire” meet. In the surrounding area, the nation’s artists live under the stars and the famous yucca palms. This is exactly what we wanted to experience!
Here are my highlights (& at the end there are some tips for you, which we unfortunately didn’t manage to do).
5 cool things to do inPALM SPRINGS
Palm Springs and LA are only a two to three hour drive apart. The distance is perfect to escape the “cooler” temperatures in Los Angeles. But phew, it was hot! Who would have thought that in Palm Springs it’s a balmy 30°+ Celsius even in autumn. To be honest, I’ve really enjoyed the hot temperatures. The sunny days were perfect to relax during our last days.
Check into a stylish BOUTIQUE HOTEL
In the low season you will find some stylish hotels or holiday homes. The most famous hotel among young people is probably the Ace Hotel Palm Springs. Very recommendable is also the Sands Hotel & Spa Hotel, which is a dream for all interior lovers (unfortunately not for photographers, because there you are only allowed to take pictures with your mobile phone). We found a good rate for the The Westcott, where we extended one night.
Lust for something more exotic? At the nudist hotel InnDulge you can move around the public areas without any clothes on. In conservative America this is extraordinary.
Instagramable spots at Sands & Spa Hotelfloating at The Westcott
A visit to Palm SpringsART MUSEUM
The Palm Springs Art Museum was only a few miles away from our hotel. Especially during the midday heat I can only recommend a visit to the Palm Springs Art Museum.
Brunch atCHEEKY’S
Cheeky’s is a very popular brunch place, which is known for its “Bacon Flights”. Crispy fried bacon in different flavours. I couldn’t have eaten five of them, but we ordered one as a sample. Very recommendable here are the Eggs Benedict or the avocado toast with poached eggs.
Drive around to see some ARCHITECTURE
In Palm Springs the “Holiday Style” of the holiday homes is brought to the point again. Beside classical architecture, one or the other architect has had a go at it again. In Palm Springs there are also some Case Study Houses by Alexander Steel for example.
Recommendation! On the N Sunnyview Drive/E Molino Drive you can admire 7 Case Study Houses by Alexander Steel from the outside
Don’t miss a day trip to JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
A day trip to Joshua Tree National Park is not to be missed. From Palm Springs it takes about one hour to get to the National Park. Near Joshua Tree live some famous artists, whose works of art you can visit by appointment. Unfortunately it was too short notice for us.
Joshua Tree Park Access & Route
If you come from Palm Springs, it makes sense to enter from the West Entrance Station. You will be guided along Park Blvd through the park. An intersection will take you to the northern exit, the Twentynine Palms Fairy Entrance. If you want to go to the famous Cholla Cactus Garden, you have to drive towards South Entrance. You will pass some view points, for example Keys View, Hall of Horror or Skull Rock. I was really impressed how smooth the rocks have been deformed over the years. In some places the rocks lay on top of each other so smoothly and they have adapted perfectly to each other over the years.
Unfortunately, we drove through the National Park relatively quickly, because the heat was unbearable even in the car.
Tip: I recommend to arrive in the late afternoon and take the evening blush with you. A friend of mine had recommended this unfortunately only after our trip. The atmosphere on the pictures was simply super nice.
Best option would be to camp outside to enjoy the full sky of stars!
When exiting don’t miss the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Sculpture Museum!
… If you have more time in Palm Springs.
Last but not least, I will not keep my other tips from you. I had done some research in advance and in the meantime, what you can still see in Palm Springs. Unfortunately the routes were a bit longer then, so we decided to spend more time at the pool and relax.
Here are two more activities you can do:
The famous Salvation Mountain art installation is about 1.5 hours drive from Palm Springs.
Drive the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Station to the Desert View The Peaks Restaurant is one of the best cliff restaurants in the world according to the AD.
I hope you enjoyed my recommendations. If you have more, please let me know!
What a nice weekend – even if we all have and should to stay at home. The grey winter is over for the first time and the sun is shining wonderfully at the moment.
Today for the first time there is a last springlike look with my new round Crossbody bag from NYZE. In many areas I try to buy more sustainable and consciously. In the household and traveling it worked wonderfully this year. However, I have not yet been able to change my shopping behaviour 100% to sustainable purchases. However, I buy much less and try to buy second hand parts.
A new Crossbody Bag from NYZE
My rule of “one bag per year” has worked wonderfully for me over the last few years. I am very happy with my small collection – a mix of designer and highstreet brands. Besides big shoppers I am missing some smaller shoulder bags. Up to now I put great emphasis on high quality leather goods that last a lifetime. But meanwhile there are some great brands with vegan “leather” variations, including the brand NYZE.
All bags are made of high-quality, naturally recyclable polyurethane, 100% vegan and PETA-certified.
sportyMEETSelegancy
All new in spring! Beside the Crossbody bag from NYZE finally a new vegan leather pants from Mango and some new sneakers from Victoria moved in. I like the sporty look underneath and I like to combine elegant pieces on top.
Since I like to wear red, white and blue pieces anyway, the bag is very easy for me to combine.
At the moment I also love the lemon yellow model – perfect for the summer!
My Crossbodyround model from Nyze is not your style? Then have a look at my selection here. I also like a Crossbody bag in snake print (1), this Bucket Bag in navy (2), an elegant Hobo Doubleface model (3) and a Hobo bag in taupe (4). All models are available in several colours, so I am sure you will find what you are looking for.
No I do not want to be pitied in this article that we had to break off our long awaited skiing holiday. That I could wave down the slopes three days less. I know that there is one serious topic right now. For me as a “small” private person this holiday “damage” was clearly smaller than the one which affected the whole tourism. Meanwhile the corona virus was already spreading wildly in Italy. We had completely underestimated that it could also spread so quickly in Austria, which had been stable until then.
I would like to continue sharing nice impressions with you here on the blog. Fortunately, we still had a few nice days. The holiday was incredibly good – skiing on empty slopes, taking a sauna alone in the spa and a lot of time for two in the hotel room. On the other hand, the whole thing had a bad taste. Waking up every morning with bad news, as well as during the day. We didn’t think that the situation would change so quickly. After the virus started to spread in Tyrol after our arrival, it was clear that Austria would soon close its borders. Then the not awaited messages reached us – Austria was going to close all ski resorts until Sunday and with Monday the last day of return for all tourists. One thing was clear – our and other people’s health comes first!
We breathed in the fresh mountain air one last time. Enjoyed the last day of skiing on empty slopes with the locals. Here are a few impressions from Saalbach. I would like to continue to share some nice impressions with you here.
Since our return we both are sitting in the home office. My boyfriend’s company had already reacted last week and sent all employees to the home office. Fortunately, my office made everything possible over the weekend in order we could work from home. In the architectural field this is definitely harder. Personal contact and meetings make working, decisions, developing ideas easier in our industry. But I’m sure we’ll handle the situation.
My family and friends at home in South Tyrol are already in complete lock-down. The situation is much worse there, as you know. At the moment it just makes me sad not to know when I can hold my loved ones in my arms again. Yes, video calls are nice, but it’s not the same. Who knows how long it will take for us to move freely in Europe again… I stay positive!
One of the things that makes me feel positive is the power of social media. Well-known influencers have managed to carry out successful fundraising campaigns for Italian hospitals. People offer their help to people in the risk group. For each other is now more important than ever!
#flattenthecurve – be so smart and stay at home! Avoid social contacts offline and maintain them online!
I consider myself lucky that my environment is healthy. Although my grandparents belong to the risk group, they stay at home and avoid social contacts. However, there are many people whose family members or acquaintances already suffer from illnesses and cannot be cared for by you at the moment. There are also many professionals who are currently unable to stay at home and look after their children. There are plenty of services online where you can offer or search for help near you.
