Mother Daughter Weekend. Since long I have been looking forward to this extended weekend in Austria. We planned a stay at Bad Hofgastein, but a booking error has conceded us a beautiful stopover at Leogang. Just the name Leogang in itself makes my heart beat faster, as some years ago I enjoyed some fantastic downhill training days there together with my brother and the Tyrolean Downhill Cycling Team. During my birthday last October I spent some wonderful moments with my mum in Salzburg country. This small detour led us into the newly opened 4*S PURADIES – the name combination of pure and paradise in itself sounded already promising.
Mother Daughter weekendPuradies
After a car trip of three hours we arrived at the PURADIES. The huge wood construction made a majestic impression and turned us curious. The hotel complex is a mixture of the newly added annex, the older building and the chalet village. My architect eye recognised immediately the successful architecture that continued also in the interior. The Madreiter Family made it possible erecting the new building in just seven months thus opening the winter season right in time. In Italy this would have been impossible. Good planning, perfect organisation and full dedication of all concerned made this possible.
PuradiesThe interior
The PURADIES interior is elegant, coherent, harmonious and warm. The Madreiter Family wanted to avoid the old-fashioned bric-a-brac and pointed at minimalist solutions through purist design. Beautiful! I did not feel any desire of more decoration. The weighty curved bar of oak wood is particularly eye-catching. This masterpiece of craftsmanship required 1000 cubic meters of oakwood. Who knows his way around with wood is aware of the hardness of this intractable type of wood. To find the right tools for working this wood was already a challenge.
PuradiesThe rooms
We spent the night in a PURADIES Deluxe Suite in the new annex. When entering, its clean but homely design immediately enthralled us, as did the inviting sun terrace offering a breath-taking view on the Leoganger Steinberge.
Gourmet room including half pension 300€ / night PURADIES Deluxe Suite including half pension 372€ / nightAt best you book directly on their page, where you get the best prices.
PuradiesThe Bathhouse “innere Mitte”
Originally we had the idea of exploring the skiing area, but unfortunately it was a little late for that. After a short walk past the chalets we intended using the remaining time before dinner for a sauna tour. Mum was immediately enthused by the elegant ambiance and the beautiful relaxing rooms. Offering refreshments on all floors is very pleasant, but it would be more ecological to offer reusable beakers or glasses. Wonderful sunshine invited us outside to the resting pool. We could still rest a while on the wooden sun loungers enjoying the sun and the mountain view.
above relaxing in the mountain sun – amazing! below you’ll find my white bathing suit here
pastel coloured evening atmosphere in the mountains
PuradiesToque kitchen at its top
All our experienced impressions and our appetite made us curious at the largely praised bonnet kitchen. The chef cook André Stahl had earned two bonnets and 16 Gault Milleau for this resta and did certainly not deceive us. The evening menu was really an enjoyment.
A finely mixed antipasto dish
Tomato essence with crisp breadpieces
Rib Eye from Salzburg alpine cattle with potato gratin or yello fin tuna fish on wasabi risotto with herbs
Raspberry mousse in a pyramid cake coat
Choosing mainly products from the region is very commendable.
A cool cocktail at the FREIRAUM Bar and a nice chat with the owner of the hotel topped it all off.
Advertisement*. Upon invitation of Okinawa prefecture. Thank you!
Okinawa Food Guide.What was the Sushi like? Most of my friends asked when I got back home. Also, one of my first desires was to try the real sushi. It’s a common fact that the first Japanese dish, which comes into people’s mind is sushi followed by ramen or udon noodles. Therefore, I was curious to taste more authentic meals. Of course, Okinawa had so many more specialities to offer than the stereotypical dish sushi. As I said, the Okinawan islands are quite unlike than the rest of Japan. Not in a bad way, obviously. So are their Okinawan specialities. Given that Okinawa’s islands once belonged to the independent Ryukyu Kingdom it was an important trading hub linking Japan, China, Korea, South East Asia but also America. All this influence helped to form the local cuisine, which is still served in most Okinawan restaurants.
China brought the pork to Okinawa, for instance. Also, they use every part of it, like Chinese do, except for its squeal. Moreover, one of the signature dishes is Goya Champuru. Champuru simply means ‘something mixed’ while goya is a bitter vegetable, which was delivered from South East Asia once. Goya is full with Vitamin C and is apparently invigorating during steamy hot summers on the island. In my opinion, it is horribly bitter and inedible. Regardless, Japanese people are willing to eat a lot of un-tasty meals justifying it with being good for your health.
Admittedly, Okinawan dishes were so delicious. Sometimes slightly too bold for my taste but with intriguing flavours and accompanied with some fresh side dishes. Compared to the meals I had in Tokyo, where also a lot of meals are packaged, I could definitely taste the difference regarding freshness of the products. So let’s start my little introduction to Okinawan specialities.
Okinawa Restaurant GuideAwase fish market
Firstly, a visit to a local market is a must. One great recommendation is the Awase fish market where you can buy fish directly or have lunch/dinner. I’ve had a lot of sashimi the days before, hence I went for half a lobster set (most of the meals come in sets in Japan). My lobster was served with a bowl of rice, miso soup and some slices of sashimi. It was so delicious!
First tip: Never ever dip your rice into soy sauce. Rice is a piece of art in Japan! Therefore, for example you dip the fish of your sushi into the sauce instead of the rice.
Okinawa Restaurant GuideFirst Japanese sushi at 和食処ばん傘
I’ve read in a guide that you don’t usually find sushi in a local Okinawa restaurant. But how can I leave the country without having tried the real sushi? Yes, it tastes a lot better than in Europe! But I feel like I can still eat sushi here in Europe (ok, we’ll see when I try it the first time here again). To begin with, there only exists either sushi (nigiri), sashimi, maki, gunkans or temaki. Their toppings are sufficiently distinct that you don’t need anything else. In fact, inside-out rolls, California rolls and so on – forget about it! You won’t find these in Japan.
I stopped eating fresh tuna here in Europe. Nonetheless I had to make an exception for Japan and try the delicious one there. There are various sorts of tuna – from Ohtoro, broiled fatty tuna to Chutoro, medium fatty tuna up to Maguro, the super fatty one. However, I prefer salmon a lot more and I started to like the egg nigiris, Tamago, a lot too.
Second tip: always eat a sushi in one go, somehow you’ll always manage. It is offensive not to do so!
A great address to have reasonable lunch sets is the Japanese restaurant 和食処ばん傘 at Plaza House Shopping Center (Nr. 325 – 2nd floor adjacent to the Indian restaurant Krishna). My lunch set cost around 1500 ¥ (∼12,50€). You should also try the Japanese schnitzel, which was super delicious.
Okinawa Restaurant GuideOhki seafood restaurant
Let’s head onto another super local and authentic restaurant – Ohki seafood restaurant. Yes, we had a sushi (1200¥ ∼ 10€) and sashimi platter (1500¥ ∼ 12.50€) again but we’ve ordered also some typical dishes like the Okinawan So-Men Chicken Noodles (600¥ ∼ 5€), Sea grapes (500¥ ∼ 4€), Ji-ma-mi tofu (300¥ ∼ 2.5€), a miso soup with mussels and a buttered batayakai machi fish, peas and lots of garlic. Everything was so delicious and I could go back there every single day. The atmosphere of the restaurant is relaxed and perfect for a night out.
above Umibudo – Japanese “sea grapes”, type of sea weed below typical Okinawan chicken rice
above buttered fish – Batayakai Machi
Okinawa Restaurant GuideDinner at Murasaki Mura
One of the main specialities of Okinawa are the Sukugarasu, which is tofu with a salty baby fish on top and Mimiga, which are thinly cut pig ears. I wasn’t quite a fan of the pig ears but really loved the Sukugarasu. Also, you have to try the Rafute here, which is a long braised pork belly and it’s so delicious!
aboveSukugarasu – tofu topped with salty baby fish & Mimiga – thinly cut pig ears belowleftRafute – delicious pork belly | rightGurukun fish – double-lined fusilier
Okinawa Restaurant GuideDinner at Juri in Naha
Once we were back in Naha city we had dinner at Juri, a lively pub, which also serves great food. As you can see we took the Jimami tofu again. When on Okinawa you need to try the fried sweet potatoes, too, and have some tempura. Orion beer is also known here in Europe and you should definitely have one with your meal! If you want to try something more local have Awamori, the area’s indigenous liquor.
above Jimami tofu – peanut tofu
aboveGoya tempura belowfried purple sweet potato – so delicious
Okinawa Restaurant GuideTaco Rice at King Tacos
Taco rice is probably the dish with the most influence from American occupation. The Japanese/American fast food is definitely something you should try, because it tasted surprisingly delicious. Also, it is probably the cheapest and filling meal I had on Okinawa. In case you go to King Tacos take one taco rice for two as the portions are huge. One taco rice costs between 400 – 600¥ (∼ 3,3 – 5€).
below the famous Taco Rice
Okinawa Restaurant GuideBlue Seal’s Ice Cream
The journalist colleague Samantha told me that her Japanese friends would be really jealous that we had ice cream at Blue Seal. You’ll find the chain all over Okinawa but in Tokyo they only have one branch. Try the mango ice cream!
Okinawa Restaurant GuideJapanese steak at Ryukyu No Ushi
To conclude my Okinawa food guide I have another great tip for you. One dinner we tried the fantastic steak at Ryukyu no Ushi Chatan (location here). Apparently, the chain offers the best Japanese barbecue & steak. Don’t be afraid to go there because you’ll smell of fried food. They have a modern technology where you don’t smell at all, which is great. We had various sorts of steak: e.g. Rib eye roll steak (3,200¥ ∼ 26€), Prime diced tenderloin steak (4,600¥ ∼ 38€) and the most delicious Okinawan Wagyu Beef sirloin thick-cut steak (6,000¥ ∼ 50€). All accompanied with a bowl of rice – so good! I could eat rice bowls every day.
Immer spät mit Trends. Ich bin wieder gut zurück in Südtirol und sitze gerade in der Unibibliothek in Bozen. Unser Internet wird nämlich erst Anfang nächsten Monats eingerichtet und ab dann kann ich mir mein Home Office zuhause schön einrichten (wenn ich dann auch Mal länger zuhause wäre). Meine Reiseplanung ist derzeit intensiver denn je und ich habe meinen Freunden von einen iCal Kalender eingerichtet, damit sie den Überblick nicht verlieren, wann ich wo bin. Am Wochenende geht es für meine Mam und mich vier Tage nach Österreich zum Skifahren und Wellnessen, worauf ich mich schon sehr freue. Ich hoffe es ist dort kälter, damit ich nochmal die Pisten runterwedeln kann. In Südtirol sind die Temperaturen nämlich sehr gestiegen in den vergangenen Wochen. In der Tat laufe ich zuhause nur noch mit einem leichten Wintermantel herum. Auf Frühlingskleidung habe ich allerdings noch keine Lust, so werden meine dünneren Mäntel auch Mal mehr getragen.
Bin ich eigentlich immer die letzte, die sich an gewisse Trends heranwagt? Netzstrumpfhosen sind bereits voll en vogue, aber bei mir sind sie dennoch nicht ganz angekommen. Ich finde den Look bei vielen toll. Bei manchen auch weniger gut, da er teilweise schon sehr vulgär gestyled ist, wie ihn manches Influencer-Girl präsentiert. Und hier ist mein Selbstversuch mit Netzstrumpfhosen. Der Fakt, dass sie keine klassischen Netzstrümpfe sind, gefällt mir umso mehr. Ihr könnt euch vorstellen, wie sehr ich mich über den Fund dieses Paares aus den Tiefen meines Kleiderschrankes freute. Ich wurde schon mehrmals nach dem Modell gefragt, aber leider gab es weder ein Etikett, noch erinnere ich mich daran wo ich sie her habe. Diesen lässigen und coolen Look habe ich in den vergangenen Wochen ständig getragen. Das schöne Topshop Kleid kann man super kombinieren und war eindeutig ein guter Kauf.
Advertisement*. Upon invitation of Okinawa prefecture. Thank you!
The Okinawa Guide.Can someone, please pinch me? This was my reaction when I opened my mails and got an invitation for a press trip to Okinawa, the southernmost island of Japan. I’d actually planned to finally fly to Japan this year but my visit came earlier than expected. Okinawa? I’m sure most of you have never heard about that island. Don’t worry, because that is what I’m here for. To show you all the interesting and beautiful spots Okinawa has to offer. A blogger colleague from Munich had visited the island a while ago and I remembered her posts (see them here). Of course, I had to look them up immediately. There they were – beautiful pictures of stunning bays with the bluest and clearest water along with impressions of fish markets and more. I was already head over heels.
So there I was three weeks later I got the invitation holding my flight ticket in my hands and was about to board a 9 hours direct flight to Tokyo. Tokyo was only a pit stop for the night as I hopped on an early 3 hours flight down to Okinawa the next day. My travel companion for the 5 days was Samantha, who has been living in Tokyo for many years now and luckily spoke Japanese fluently. As soon as we’ve arrived at the airport we were welcomed by the team who accompanied us on our trip. The sightseeing program was about to start.
Here are ten great activities you shouldn’t miss on your Okinawa trip!
Please note that our team focused on the middle part of Okinawa’s main island. You should combine your stay with a couple of days on the main island and then hop on a boat to the surrounding islands.
above breathtaking bay seen from the Happy Cliffs
Visit Okinawa 1. Breathe in some salty air at the marvellous beaches
Okinawa offers the most beautiful beaches. We visited quite off the season and even caught some low tides. The view was still breath taking, though. I recommend driving to the Happy Cliffs or Emerald Beach take a walk at the Maeda Beach & Beach51 and enjoy the sunset at the Sunset Beach. Also, Hotel Nikko Alivila, where we stayed for two nights, has a beautiful beach adjacent to the hotel area.
Okinawa 2. Visit the most beautiful Futenma Shintō-Shrine and its cave
Little did I know about Japanese culture and tradition. Therefore, a first visit of a Shinto-Shrine was a must. The shrine and its cave were built around 500 years ago. One of the main characteristics of a shrine is the Torii, which is a gateway made up of two vertical and two horizontal posts. From there you’ll enter the zone of the shrine and you will need to cleanse your sins at the water display. This purification ritual is called chozuya or temizuya. After that you are ready to pray. Also, you can buy your luck at the Shintō shrine. In case you got bad luck you can hang it on one of the ropes and the priest will come and get it and pray for you. I was lucky and got one of the highest luck. Good times ahead for me. The cave is located very beautifully behind the Futenma shrine. Also, usually you don’t get to see the house of the god/goddess behind the shrine, which is quite special here. There is no entrance fee.
above one of the most beautiful Shintō shrines – the Futenma shrine
above beautiful Futenma shrine cave below usually you don’t get to see the house of the god/goddess behind the shrine, which makes this one special
Visit Okinawa 3. Sleep in a traditional old Japanese hotel
This may not be for everyone but you should definitely experience to sleep in a traditional Japanese hotel. You’ll sleep on a futon mattress on the traditional tatami, which is a type of mat made from rice straws used as a flooring material. Nowadays they use compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam. There are not a lot of old Japanese hotels left. This is the one we visited in Okinawa City: Goyah-So Guesthouse. If you’re searching for more you can look it up on Tripadvisor here.
above beautiful dark cherry blossoms on Okinawa – Sakura was already in full bloom
Okinawa is full of history, which is evident for Okinawan inhabitants. I knew a thing or two about the history of Okinawa and of Japan in general but little did I know about their traditions. If you are interested in dipping into some antique sights the Shuri Castle and the Nakagusuku Castle Ruins are a must.
The original building of the Shuri Castle dates back to the 14th Century but it was destroyed in the Okinawa Battle in 1945. Years later, in 1992 reconstruction work began. The Shuri Castle is probably the best sight to see the influence of China. When I entered the main square called Kyo-no-uchi it reminded me of my visit to the Forbidden City. For instance, the roof of the main palace has Chinese architectural elements.
Moreover, the Ruins of the Nakagusuku Castle are highly recommendable. The castle was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2000. These days they are doing a lot of renovation work. Also, you have an amazing view on the surrounding area and the Nakagusuku Bay.
Here are some further suggestions:
Shuri Castle
Ruins of Nakagusuku
Tropical Dream Center
Fukushen-Gardens
Shikina-en
above view on the Island from the Shuriji castle
above Tea time and trying some Okinawan biscuits belowleft loved the round shaped wall at Nakagusuku Castle Ruins | right enchanted house close to the ruins
Visit Okinawa 5. Visit a local fish market … or two
I could spend hours and hours at a local market. The Awase fish market was definitely one of my highlights. You’ll see kinds of fish you’ve never seen in your life before. Not to mention how cheap a platter of sashimi is. I tried the ½ lobster set, which was so delicious. The rice bowls with sashimi on top are also to die for. I could eat them every single day!
above cute Sake bottle – Japanese characters are so beautiful
Visit Okinawa 6. Visit the Ryukyu Lantern Festival at Murasaki Mura
The Ryukyu Lantern Festival at Murasaki Mura was opening its door to the public for the second time. It’s a romantic theme park filled with over 5000 Chinese lanterns. Moreover, a variety of food stalls and typical Japanese restaurants are offered.
Visit Okinawa 7. Learn more about the art of Sake distillery … no, it’s not drunk hot!
I thought I was a fan of Sake until I’ve tried the real one. In fact, I was grateful to get the chance to take part in a real Sake tasting. We visited the Kamimura Distillery on Okinawa and got an exclusive tour through the distillery by Mrs Nakazato. The distillery produces special Sake creations. Therefore, it is a real insider tip, if you are into Sake.
Of course, I brought some bottles of Sake back home and presented one to my friends. The eye fell immediately on the high percentage of alcohol. In fact, the bottles I’d brought had between 50-70% alcohol. That’s quite strong but here’s another fun fact: Sorts of Sake with a high percentage of alcohol are blended with either sparkling or still water.
We were also taken to the cellar, where people store their bottles. Usually they buy one of the expensive bottles, store them for years and whenever they have a special occasion they come back and add some photos to their bottles.
above かんぱい！Kanpai!
above people store their bottles and hang pictures on them on special occasions
Visit Okinawa 8. Visit the traditional Nakamura House
The Nakamura House is an architectural example how extravagant a farmer was living. More importantly, it contains all the main characteristics of an Okinawa style house. It is located on a hillside in central Okinawa and dates back to the 18th century. It measures around 1700 square metres. See more information here.
Entrance fee costs 500¥
above sitting on the traditional tatami
Visit Okinawa 9. Experience the traditional art of making pottery
Pottery is an important craft and old traditions are still preserved on Okinawa. We visited the Yomitan Pottery Village and got the chance to talk to the master Kyoushi Matsuda. This pottery doesn’t date back to a long history as he is the first of his generation. The aim of the Yomitan Pottery Village is to preserve the traditional handcraft not to pass over into mass production. In fact, all is still handmade and the factory is overbooked for more than a year. Imagine that there are only around 25 people working there.
aboveright Noborigama chambered climbing kiln, ancient pottery kiln
A Noborigama chambered climbing kiln is also built on a slope, and each succeeding chamber is situated higher than the one before it. The chambers in a noborigama are pierced at intervals with stoking ports. Such climbing kilns have been used in Japan since the 17th century. The largest working Noborigama kiln in Japan is located in Shigaraki, in the southern portion of Shiga Prefecture.
Visit Okinawa 10. Get lost in the streets of Naha City
A visit to Okinawa’s capital is definitely a must for dining, shopping and there is also a lot of cultural offer. You may immediately notice that there is a lot of traffic in the cities. In fact, the public transport isn’t developed so well and most destinations are only reachable by car. However, you’ll see many hybrid and electric cars driving around. Japanese are very eco-conscious and always have the newest technologies. We only stayed a couple of hours in Naha, which included a walk on the main street, where you can do a lot of shopping and make a visit to a local market Makishi Kosetsu Ichiba market, whereof I will show you more pictures soon.
above Yui Rail in Naha City – only train system on Okinawa connecting Naha City with the airport
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little insight into the beautiful island of Okinawa! Some more posts are still coming up – until then I say Sayounara! さようなら！
Wochenende-Brunch. Ich war ganz schön oft in Berlin die letzten Monate. Langsam entwickle ich schon eine gewisse Routine, wenn ich in der Stadt bin. Wie oft man am selben Ort ist, merkt man schnell daran, sobald man immer wieder in dieselben Restaurants geht. Le Bon Berlin ist eindeutig eines dieser Adressen. Perfekt platziert in Kreuzberg und nur wenige Minuten von Amandines Wohnung. Julia und mich hat es am Sonntag wieder dorthin gezogen und ich war jetzt schon zum 3. Mal im Le Bon. Bald habe ich alle Gerichte der Karte probiert und muss es nur noch abends testen.
Dieses Mal gab es Shashuka (8,20€), Yogi Tea French Toast (7,50€) und eine karamellisierte pinke Grapefruit (3,80€). Das Shashuka war nicht das allerbeste, denn es fehlte ein bisschen an Würze und Schärfe. Ich bin auch kein großer Fan von Grapefruits, aber hier im Le Bon fand ich sie richtig lecker – schön süß und gar nicht bitter. Wir kamen wieder vor dem großen Sturm gleich bei Ladeneröffnung. Als wir das Lokal wieder verließen, war der Andrang wieder groß.
