After this long rain period I am looking forward to a comfortable weekend in Lana in South Tyrol. The Mediterranean climate is sunny and nothing stands in the way of my relaxation. The village is very idyllic surrounded by orchards and vineyards with historical buildings and castles and is ideal for leisurely hikes and excursions into the surrounding valleys and mountains. From the tourism association www.visitlana.com I get numerous tips for interesting leisure activities in Lana and the surrounding area: churches, monasteries, residences and art galleries and countless wineries and cellars.
Holiday region Lana TIME AND KULINARY ENJOYMENTS IN THE SMALL PARADISE
I enjoy a cosy and relaxing stroll through the village of Lana, the holiday region of Lana, without time pressure – passing small and large shops and shopping facilities, artists’ studios and handicrafts. Village shops offer local products and in the backyards vinoteques and restaurants invite you to stay.
Kakibäume currently decorate the entire area. You have to taste the fruits or buy them at home.
That feels good. Walking through the orchards and vineyards in their wonderful autumn colours or along the sculpture trail, an art and nature route that can be taken from the village centre.
THE FITTING HOTEL
Accommodation is available in Lana and the surrounding area in every price range and the choice is not easy.
Time for time-out in deep well GARDENSUITES & BREAKFAST
This modern, inviting house Tiefenbrunn Gardensuites & Breakfast is situated in a wonderfully quiet location amidst apple orchards and vineyards. It has a well-kept, spacious garden, natural pond and pool.
From the steam bath flows an inviting orange fragrance and the bio sauna does not only let sweat properly, but offers a wonderfully calming view into the Mediterranean garden. In the quiet area you will find absolute relaxation and recreation.
A indoor swimming pool with whirlpool completes this wonderful small but very fine wellness oasis.
After this time out I get my stomach back and look forward to the planned evening in the village centre of Lana.
Today Mr. Baumgartner brings us the boss of the house with his Fiat Oldtimer to the restaurant. Sporty guests can Bicycles can be rented in the Tiefenbrunn.
For the evening we were recommended the Restaurant – Osteria OW des Renato in the historical centre of the village. A detailed review of the restaurant, can be found here.
SUNDAY BREAKNESS
Extensive brunch until noon with a rich selection of homemade delicacies, you can at Tiefenbrunn in all peace and quiet. Afterwards we went up into the mountains…
Excursion to WINTER
It’s a lovely sunny day with a sky that can hardly be bluer. The orchards and vineyards shine in autumnal colours. Looking at the snow-covered mountains, I feel like snow and the Vigiljoch, the local mountain of Land. And we don’t have to drive far to get there.
From Lana you can easily reach the car-free hiking area Vigiljoch by cable car. At the valley station we rent snowshoes and then we start with the second oldest cable car in Europe.
The view of Lana, the Adige valley and the mountains while driving up.
Somehow time seems to have stopped here at 1,500 m and one can hardly get enough of the almost untouched landscape.
Under the old chairlift we hike up to the snow-covered Vigljocher church at 1,800 m.
The way back to the cable car with a view of King Laurin and his rose garden.
The historic mountain station
Christmas Market Lana – Star Thaler over the Capuchin Garden
The Lana Christmas Market is located this year for the first time in the historic Capuchin Garden. Red balls hang from the branches and it glitters and shines at the lovingly decorated stalls. Here mainly South Tyrolean premium products are offered for sale: Bacon and sausage products, farmer’s bread and local cheeses, South Tyrolean honey and a variety of herbal tea blends, high-quality distillates and products from Swiss stone pine wood and sheep wool. And it smells of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts.
At the gastronomy stands you will find an interesting selection of culinary delicacies from the region
Cheese Carniola and Christmas hamburger at the “s’Gaulstandl” taste delicious and matching a forest Christmas beer.The Star Valley Light Show of the artist Alex Rowbotham in the Capuchin Garden
DEPARTURE
So much could still be explored here in Lana, the Gaulschlucht for example or the seven gardens in the old Gothic residence Kränzelhof in the neighbouring village of Tscherms, the Golf Club Lana and a wine tasting in one of the nearby wineries. All that gladly with the next attendance.
Infos and contacts: In Tiefenbrunn – Garden Suites & Breakfast
And what is part of a good city trip? Food, of course. In this article I show you the restaurants we visited during our stay in San Francisco. San Francisco restaurants and it’s whole food scene is just amazing (at least from what we’ve tried and put on the endless food list) – from food truck markets to Michelin starred restaurants.
Did you know that food trucks were legalized 25 years ago in California. Nonetheless “Food Carts” and “Sidewalk Vending” were only legalized in September last year. Since then, the food truck markets in California have been experiencing an upswing. A very well-known one is the “Off The Grid” market. Unfortunately we didn’t make it there. The places and times can be found on the website.
Here are a few recommendations where we went to eat. In general, San Francisco restaurants are very expensive. Once we paid 180$ including tips for one breakfast of five. In addition there are still the 15-20% taxes, which you shouldn’t forget in the USA. However, you can also eat quite reasonable when eating streetfood and fast food. But trust me, you’ll get bored super quickly and will crave anything but healthy. Unless it’s a delicious In-Out-Burger (we been there all the time!).
At the end there is also another map, which I made on the recommendations of a couple we met on Highway One. Allegedly they were super foodies – me likey!
CHINA LIVE the trendiest latest restaurant opening in China town
China Live is currently being praised as hippest restaurant in China Town. In fact, three restaurants and cafes belong to China Live. We ate at The Market. The first time you enter, you end up in a shop for the first time and are then brought to the table by a nice waitress. At 20:00 o’clock the restaurant was crowded. This is above all also because of the fact that the inhabitants of San Francisco go to eat already very early. From 20:30 the restaurant emptied slowly. We passed an open show kitchen where delicious Peking ducks were prepared.
The menu of China Live offers a good selection of Chinese and Asian dishes:
Minced Tofu Lettuce Cups ($20)
Shanghai Xiao Long Bao ‘XLB’ Soup Dumplings (15$)
Chinese ‘Pigs in a Blanket’ Gua Bao, Lap Cheong Sausage, Cucumber & Cashew Aioli (14$)
Charred Chinese Broccoli, King Oyster Mushrooms, Roasted Sesame $16.00
My favorite dishes were the Chinese “Pigs in a Blanket”, which was very tasty. I can also recommend the Chinese broccoli to you. Sichuan cuisine is one of my favourite Chinese cuisines, so I can highly recommend the green beans with Sichuan pepper.
All in all, I liked the restaurant very much. The interior is very modern and traditional. However, I find the prices a bit steep for the size of the portions. In addition, the volume level of the restaurant disturbed me. Around 9 pm it was almost extinct, because the San Franciscans go to eat very early. Then it was nice and pleasant.
Le Marais Bakery has several San Francisco restaurants. We visited the cute French restaurant in The Castro. Delicious vinnoiserie, brunch dishes and good coffee – what more could you want? Here you can put together small breakfast tapas, a “Breakfast Board” (5 for 15$, 7 for 19$). Unfortunately there were only baked goods on order. Very recommendable are the Eggs Benedict (any style 16$) and the Homemade Granola (11$).
I did the croissant test again. My Croissant Aux Amande (5$) was unfortunately, like all other Croissants, which I tried relatively dry and doughy. A classic “Au beurre” here costs 3.5$, which is fine. By comparison, the classic butter croissants in LA even cost up to $5.
The Eagle Café is a popular tourist spot on Pier 39. Eating fish once is a must! Here I tried a “Crab Roll” for the first time – the king of shellfisch sandwiches. The Eagle Café serves the crab meat in a Brioche-Bun (19$). I found the crab roll delicious, but the dish is not my favorite. I think a classic seafood pasta ($20) is better. The Linguine seafood was definitely good (almost al Dente ;-) ).
You can get hearty breakfast classics at Rose’s Café. Have you ever tried a breakfast pizza? You shouldn’t miss the Breakfast Pizza with Smoked Ham, Fontina & Eggs (19$) of the Rosés Café. Julia was blown away – she also looked very tasty. I tried the lush Yukon Gold Potato Hash with Mushrooms, Onions, Cheddar & Poached Eggs ($16). Optically not at all appealing, but taste super good. The Rose’s French Toast Bread Pudding with Caramelized Apple & Whipped Cream (12$) was excellent. The best we ate on the trip (I only tasted it, of course, because I don’t like sweetness so much else). A visit to Rose’s Café is definitely a must!
A walk in the Presisio Park offers the possibility to get involved in a case. Here you will find lunch at the Presidio Social Cluban. If you like American classics, this is the place for you: Mac’n’Cheese, Club sandwiches, classic burgers and more. I chose the classic PSC® Hamburger ($16.00), the very tasty war. I’m not a big macaroni and cheese ($13.50) fan and just don’t understand that Art of Court. Allegedly there are better ones than those from the Presidio Social Club. All in all it’s a nice place.
These were all the San Francisco restaurants we visited. I have summarized the recommendations of the nice couple here in this map. If you visit the map once, it will be saved in your Google Maps and you can easily retrieve it locally.
MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
I hope my San Francisco restaurant recommendations were helpful for your next SF trip. Let me know if you have more recommendations.
Seven Miles by Seven Miles, 7×7 – so small is San Francisco. In comparison, Berlin is 7.3 times as big. Well, who calculates how big Berlin is? I prefer to leave it alone. And yet San Francisco seemed huge to me. Huge because it is an incredibly exciting, moving, young and hip city. The Californian city has left an incredible vibe on me. As a matter of fact, I would get back on the plane tomorrow and go on a city trip… or explore the vicinity of San Francisco, which has also has a lot to offer.
San Francisco can be visited very well in three to four days. But more time is always worth it. When we drove into San Francisco for the first time (of course we took the road from the north and over the Golden Gate Bridge), we were immediately enchanted by the pretty, colorful houses and the steep streets. In addition, San Francisco has the full package: the big city life, many big and small parks as retreats (Presidio, Golden Gate Park and Lake Merced are among the biggest) and a pulsating food scene. In addition to a classic city trip, San Francisco offers the opportunity to spend a few quiet hours at the booth in or outside the city, a bicycle tour through Muir Woods or to Sausalito. Along the coast of the Golden Gate Bridge you can even go for relaxed hikes.
The NEIGHBORHOODS
I’ve been thinking for a long time about the best way to introduce you to the city. A San Francisco Neighborhoods Guideseemed to me to be the most suitable one. Let’s do this!
In the north of San Francisco you will find the districts Presidio, Marina, Cow Hollow and Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, North Waterfront along the water to Financial District and Down Town.
In the centerHaight with the hip micro-neihgborhoods Haight-Ashbury, Haightfilmore, Buena Vista, west of it Sunset, Castro, Mission and Potrero Hill.
In the south you will find mostly quiet residential areas.
Please don’t stone me if I mix neighborhoods and micro-hoods here. Allegedly arise, in SF always new subnames for the neighborhoods.
For a classic Touri-Trip you will be mainly in the San Francisco neighborhoodsaround the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean Bay. Of course, we also had a look far away from the Touri spots.
DOWN TOWN / FINANCIAL DISTRICT / CHINA
We stayed in Down Town near China Town. The Hotel Triton, a sweet boutique hotel, was the perfect starting point for us. From there we were super fast everywhere. The famous Union Square, for example, is only a 5 minute walk away. The most southerly, which you will probably explore in San Francisco, is the Mission District (10-15 minutes by car). By comparison, the most westerly point on the sightseeing list, Baker Beach, is only a 15-20 minute drive. But for my next trip I would rather stay in one of the “hip” neighborhoods like Castro. More about why.
The famous Union Square
Down Town and the Financial District is quite small, but the skyscrapers make them look huge. Here I hopped several times on and off the traditional Cable Car, saw the impressive Transamerica Pyramid from below, admired the San Francisco counterpart to the Flat Iron Building and strolled through the banker neighborhood in the evening. These San Francisco neighborhoods spray American metropolitan flair, but that’s all I think it is.
Tip: On Saturday Union Square is always one of the most famous fruit and vegetable market, where supposedly all known chefs send their chefs to shop early in the morning.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s V.C. Morris Gift Shop
the famous Transamerica Pyramid with a height of 260 meters and 48 floors
China Town is a nice place to stroll in the evening, but here the shops close relatively early. At 19:30 it was completely extinct. Is there more going on this weekend? Certainly.
Down Town San Francisco
MARINA / NORTH WATERFRONT / NORTH BEACH
The north coast of the city can be explored wonderfully by bicycle, or also with a guided E-Scooter tour up to the Golden Gate Bridge. Most tours or rentals can be found at Fisherman’s Warf. If you haven’t done enough sports yet, you can drive as far as Sausalito on the other side of the road. We chose the more comfortable option and drove over by car. Pier 37 is of course also a must. After we had a snack in the Eagle Café with a classic crab roll, we visited the seals at the water. In the late afternoon we boarded a sailing ship and sailed past Alcatraz to the Golden Gate Bridge into the sunset. Marvellous!
We booked the E-Scooter Tour via Electric Tour Company. The tour is not quite cheap and costs 85$ – 105$.
Tip: In addition, many recommended a visit to Alcatraz. But you have to book a ticket in time (can you do here), because it is always fully booked. I would prefer the Sunset Sail to visiting Alcatraz in any case.
GET THERE
From Union Square you can take the famous Cable Car to the last stop at the Marina / Nort Waterfront.
never get’s old – no matter from which perspective, always impressivethe famous seals at the pier 37
PACIFIC HEIGHTS
Pacific Heights is the most expensive San Francisco neighborhood. The famous Fillmore Street or as locals say, The Fillmore, invites you on a little shopping tour. You will also find numerous Michelin-star restaurants such as SPQR, State Bird Provisions and The Progress.
I recommend the Lion Street Steps, where we started our walk through the Presidio Park. Once at the top of the steps, you can enjoy the view of the bay.
Tip!! from Alta Plaza or Lafayette Park you have a great view of the city.
Lion Street Steps
PRESIDIO
Preisdio was an active base of the U.S. Army until the mid-90s. The 790 buildings that once served as accommodation are now an interesting example of military architecture in combination with the changing times.
95% of the quartier (correct me if I’m wrong) consists of the beautiful Presidio Park. For a few hours recreation and sports it’s the perfect place. The flora and fauna reminds me strongly of the Mediterranean of Sardinia. The Presidio Park also offers interesting art installations “Art in the Park” by Andy Goldsworthy. If you get hungry, there are delicious, not quite cheap sandwiches or burgers in the Presidio Social Club.
In summer you can relax at the Crissy Field at the Barbecue Pits grill.
Spots not to miss: the Yoda-Fountain, Sunset at the Baker Beach, cosy by the fireplace in Inn at the Presidio for a few minutes or visit the Palace of Fine Arts.
Good to know: there is a free shuttle bus “Presidio Go” from Downtown.
You can combine a visit to Presidio with a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Cozy hours at the Inn at the Presidio
“Art in the Park” by Andy Goldsworthy
San Francisco National Cemeterythe famous Yoda fountain
… the Golden Gate Bridge also sometimes in fog
MISSION
We only drove through the Mission by car for a short time. The lively quarter is characterised by numerous graffiti, art galleries, old theatres and much more. Furthermore, it is probably the best neighborhood for food & drinks. You can’t leave California without a classic taco. The best Taquerias are said to be found in Mission, for example Taqueria Cancun or El Farlito.
Sunset was once one of the boring, sleepy neighborhoods in the west of San Francisco. The boredom is already visible on the map – it is the largest grid of the city, with the most inhabitants.
In the meantime it has been enlivened by the many students of San Francisco State University and City College San Francisco. And what would a student district be without (affordable) cool bars and restaurants? In Sunset, San Tung’s Chicken is said to have the best Chicken Wings in town, the best Pho in town at Quan Ngnon or the best burritos outside Mission at Gordos. Another food highlight is Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club for his famous Cinnamon Toast. But enough food spoiled, otherwise you won’t read my restaurant guide anymore.
Painted ladies you’ll see all over San Francisco. The colorful Victorian Houses were built towards the end of the 19th century. Did you know that a house is called Painted Lady when its facade contains more than three wall colors? Now you know.
The most popular Painted Ladies or also Seven Sisters called, are those from Full House known. They are located at Alamo Square in the west of Hayes Valley. From Alamo Square you also have a fantastic view of Down Town in the background. Otherwise the neighborhood is quite nice to stroll around.
Castro is probably the most colorful San Francisco neighborhoods, and not without reason. It is also called the “Gayberhood” of San Francisco. The LGBTQ neighbourhood was also the home of the gay-right activist Harvey Milk. Here well-known parades take place throughout the year. Indeed, Castro was one of my highlights. We took part in an Urban Hike and explored the lively neighborhood with our local Kevin showing us its beautiful houses and stories. From the Castro Theater you can walk up Tank Hill to Twin Peaks. Don’t take the short cut up – it’s way too step and exhausting! And the hike definitely pays off – the view from up there is magnificent.
Shopping tip!!Community Thrift at 623 Valencia St. Here you can find great Second Hand articles.
our “Urban Hiker” Kevin
the center of San Francisco
Twin Peaks
süße Hunde werdet ihr in San Francisco en masse see!
SAN FRANCISCO Travel Time
I flew to San Francisco in mid-October, which I can highly recommend. My otherwise “holy” autumn month, which I love to spend in Europe, turned out to be the perfect travel time. In San Francisco we met pleasant temperatures and at the end of our trip it was even 30° (which is very unusual for this time). If you think about going to Yosemite or Napa Valley afterwards, you will encounter an incredible autumn landscape. But let’s talk about Yosemite another time.
Getting around
Good to know: Compared to Los Angeles, the public transport network is super developed. You can relax in the bus, tram, cable car or in the BART (regional train). However, for many routes it is worthwhile to order a Lyft or Uber (especially during the “Prime Times” Lyft is cheaper than Uber. Overall both are cheaper than a taxi).
Car parking in San Francisco
Combining San Francisco with a West Coast or longer road trip is definitely an option and highly recommended. We have conveniently parked our rental car in a (safe) underground car park (never leave anything in your car in SF!). We had booked this in advance via Bestparking.
Note! Most parking garages charge additional fees for SUVs and In-Out’s. But there are also many free parking spaces in the residential areas.
MyHIGHLIGHTS
My absolute highlight of San Francisco was the first time to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. It is definitely worthwhile to drive in from the north. The view of the bridge and the city in the background is super impressive. (Small note you only pay toll if you drive into the city. This will be debited directly and you get the bill directly from the car rental. Here is a short article about it)
One more highlight was our Urban Hike with the Urban Hikers. This one I can very much recommend to you. The walk through the hilly neighborhood of Castro was super interesting and offers the concentrated number of house inspiration.
Always a Jeans Girl. So oft versucht mehr Kleider und Röcke zu tragen, doch bin ich immer wieder zur heiß geliebten Jeans zurückgekehrt. Wenn man nicht gerade in der Modebranche arbeitet, ist man auch nicht täglich einem gewissen Modedruck ausgesetzt. Das bedeutet aber nicht, dass ich meine Jeans nicht mit Stil kombiniere und trage. Jeans in Blau oder Schwarz – Hauptsache die Form passt perfekt.
In meine kleine Jeans-Kollektion ist ein neues Modell eingezogen. Ich habe nun wirklich sehr lange nicht mehr Anziehsachen geshopped (konnte gar nicht glauben, dass ich das letzte Mal bei Asos im März bestellt hatte). Ich bin auf dem Weg zur Besserung und wenn ich was kaufe sind es nun Teile, die ich wirklich sehr häufig trage. Dieses Modell Luz von Replay ist etwas ausgefallener, doch so dezent, dass man sie perfekt täglich tragen kann.
die perfekte SKINNY JEANS FÜR DAMEN
Trendy Modelle mit klassischen Schnitten funktionieren sowohl im Sommer als auch im Winter. Ich bevorzuge geradlinigen Skinny Jeans für Damen. Diese lassen sich classy aber auch rockig stylen. Heute zeige ich euch einen lässigen Look, den ich so gerne ins Büro anziehe. Unkompliziert, doch mit dem gewissen Etwas und vor allem gemütlich. Meine neue Jeans ist etwas elastisch, was tagsüber viel angenehmer ist.
Eine gut sitzende Jeans ist das A und O beim Styling. Insbesondere die Jeanslänge ist hier super wichtig. Mittlerweile trage ich meistens eine 27/28 Jeans bei 170cm. Welche Länge trägt ihr? Ob man die richtige Länge zu den Winterstiefeletten trägt, sieht man sofort. Ich mag es beispielsweise, wenn sie mit etwas Abstand über dem Stiefel sitzen. Der eine oder andere trägt sie auch gern höher (die klassische Hochwasserjeans – kennt ihr den Ausdruck noch?).
Accessoires und Applikationen sind dann das i-Tüpfelchen auf den klassischen Jeans. Ein bisschen “bling bling” kann ja nicht schaden. Dies dachte ich mir auch beim Kauf meiner neuen Replay Jeans. Ich habe wirklich lange zwischen einem sehr klassischen Modell geschwankt, bis dann doch wieder meine Liebe zum Detail hervorkam. Jetzt trage ich etwas Metall am Knöchel meiner Skinny Jeans namensLuz. Beim ersten Mal, als ich die Skinny Jeans für Damen anhatte war es etwas umgewohnt noch am Jeansbein etwas mitschwingen zu haben. Glücklicherweise machen die Applikationen aber keine Geräusche, denn im Büro klappere ich mit den Stiefeletten eh schon genug rum.
Ein bisschen Bling Bling kann nie schaden!
Beim nächsten Mal geht es mit meinen USA-Posts los. Ich tippe derzeit schon fleißig in die Tasten. Die Fotos sind glücklicherweise schon aussortiert. Ich bin schon sehr gespannt wie ihr sie findet.
October 3rd is always a wonderful day for me to drive home from Germany. Since it’s not a holiday in Italy I never have to wonder if something might be closed. Moreover, perfect to just run errands. From my last visit I’m bringing you a few new recommendations for restaurants. So what’s new Bozen?
TREE BRASSERIE Fine cuisine to share in the middle of the old town of Bolzano
Bolzano wins a new restaurant with a modern sharing concept. The new Tree Brasserie in the Parkhotel Mondschein serves classic Italian and French dishes in fine dining style. The portions are intended for sharing. The beef tartare (12€), the vineyard snails á la Bourguignonne (13€) and the schiaccata with Lardo are highly recommended. In summer you can sit beautifully on the terrace in the quiet Parkhotel garden.
The prices are a bit higher here. We also ordered the suckling pig from the Cinta Senese (26€ for four small pieces), which I found very expensive. Here it goes to the menu!
Michelin star recommendation! Bolzano has a Michelin star again since this year. The Restaurant Claudio Melis is located right next to the Tree Brasserie.
Winey snails á la Bourguignonne
Pig from the Cinta Senese
TREE BRASSERIE
@ Parkhotel Moonlight
Piavestraße, 15
39100 Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy
Three new restaurants have opened on Grieser Platz. Two of them are here on the blog. Since the end of September, the new Konditorei Heini has been spoiling its customers with delicious cakes, pastries and everything the sweet heart desires. Of course, a good macchiato or cappuccino is a must. In autumn there are the famous chestnut hearts, which we South Tyroleans abroad always miss.
KONDITOREI HEINI
Grieser Square, 13
39100 Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy
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GRIES13 Lunch at the wine bistro
Right next to the confectionery Heini there is the new WineBistro Gries 13 led by Didi and Sibylle. So far they ran a restaurant together in Tramin, where I worked the first opening month. The restaurant is perfect for a relaxed lunch or a glass of wine after work.
Kakibäume currently decorate the entire area. You have to taste the fruits or buy them at home.
A indoor swimming pool with whirlpool completes this wonderful small but very fine wellness oasis.
The view of Lana, the Adige valley and the mountains while driving up.
The historic mountain station
Cheese Carniola and Christmas hamburger at the “s’Gaulstandl” taste delicious and matching a forest Christmas beer.
The Star Valley Light Show of the artist Alex Rowbotham in the Capuchin Garden
