Beautiful Birmingham

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

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I know beautiful might not be the first word that comes to mind when you think about Birmingham. Nevertheless I found it surprisingly beautiful when I had to go there for a number of business trips. What I really like about is that it is so unpretentious, yet there have beautiful architecture, beautiful restaurants, a beautiful pedestrian area which is perfect for shopping, beautiful coffee shops and this beautiful hotel (although the website is horrible!)

The Hotel du Vin itself, however, is a classic design hotel. Simple and sophisticated, a historical house with all the modern luxuries you can think off. It is also a perfect example for the fact that little things can make all the difference:

How nice is it to have a range of really nice glossy magazines in the room? And not only the standard hotel  brochures or the advertising folders of the city you stay in.

And how sweet is this little reminder which invites you to take the lovely shower product home with you? Come-on everybody does that. And they don’t cost the earth, do they?

And how yummy is this sweet and savoury assortment of snacks above the mini bar? Yes they are expensive, but so are the standard Mars bars which you usually find in the mini bar. And they are just for emergencies in the middle of the night anyway ;-)

Don't you wanna go there straight away?

Where: Hotel du Vin & Bistro Birmingham,  Church Street, Birmingham B3 2NR, UK

Phone: (0044)0121 200 0600 , email: info.birmingham@hotelduvin.com

 Highlight: all those little nice things that make your stay just special

More photos, information and ideas:  Hotel du VinBirmingham, Bullring Shopping Centre – it is more than a shopping centre, it is modern architecture at its best

Frankfurter Villa

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

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After a bit far-away dreaming last month, I want to share a beautiful hotel with you today that is a bit closer by. If you live in Europe anyway ;-)

I have been in Frankfurt on business trips quite a bit and I haven’t found many nice hotels. None to be honest. Until a colleague recommended this one to me – and from then on I never stayed anywhere else. It is lovely! It is close to the centre, but a bit away from the action. The staff is very friendly and helpful, the food is so yummy that once I was almost late for my meeting because I could finish breakfast and the drinks at the little bar are not bad either. There is nothing more relaxing than reading a book at the library with a wonderful red in your hand, before soaking yourself in one of the old-fashioned bath tubs and then falling into a canopy bed. After such an evening, I promise, it doesn’t feels like a business trip anymore.

The most amazing canopy bad I have ever seen – so modern, so luxurious, so big and not a sign of romantic princess style. I love it!!!

The modern yet luxurious style continues in the bathroom. Old-fashioned lion-footed tub meets clean chic.

Aren’t these door plates just the cutest? I wish I would have a pair like these at home and someone would act according to these adorable orders. Please don’t disturb – I need my beauty sleep ;-)

Where: Hebelstraße 1, 60318 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
phone: (0049) 069 40584-0, fax (0049) 069 40584-100, email: contact@villa-orange.de

Highlight: well-stocked library with great books and not only trashy novels like in so many other hotel libraries

More photos, information and ideas: Villa Orange, Museum fuer Moderne Kunst, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt

A Piece of Tibet in Beijing

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

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Today I am taking you to a exotic place. Exotic in more than one way. First of all it is in Beijing, china. Secondly it is a Tibetan hotel, which is very unusual due to the independency aspirations of Tibet from China. And then it is right in the middle of one of the old quarters of Beijing – so called Hutongs. They are not only one-storeyed buildings, but complex communities and unfortunately they are torn down to make room for 90-storey high skyscrapers of modern Beijing every day. So hurry up and you may be able to see this incredible area before it disappears forever.

The entrance to the Qomolangma hotel and temple complex

The rooms and suites in the garden houses are particularly beautiful – there is lots of green around you (very rare in Beijing!), it is quiet (even rarer!!) and the rooms are decorated in the traditional Chinese style (gold, dark wood, lots of China and other pieces of art)

The only downside of this amazing hotel is the dining room which is located in the basement of the main house. It is lavishly decorated, but still there is no natural light. It is okay for having breakfast and watching some Chinese soap operas in the morning, but for lunch and dinner I highly recommend leaving the hotel (which I strongly suggest no matter where you are!). There are lovely restaurants near Lake Longtanhu or plenty of food vendors on West Gulou Street.

The food is always good, because Chinese people LOVE their food. They simply wouldn’t accept anything but great food – no matter whether you pay 10 cents or 30 dollars per dish. Ordering food is usually simple as well – either you point at what you want (especially easy at food stalls in the street or at markets) or you order something of a menu with photos (they show very vividly what chicken feet look like) or you just order ‘blindly’ something of an all-Chinese menu (believe me the English ‘translations’ won’t help you a bit!). If you opt for the adventurous ‘blind’ order, but want to avoid too adventurous food (Chinese people seem eat all kinds of meat and all parts of an animal!), my advice is to order something more on the cheap side, because these are usually the vegetable or chicken dishes. Turtle, guinea pig, snake and chicken tongue are Chinese specialties and therefore usually the most expensive dishes on the menu. Even if your Chinese host or waiter strongly recommends them, I would rather insist on something simple ;-) That said during my three trips to China I spend about 30 days there, I ate three times a day (at least!), I had several dishes at every lunch and dinner (due to the great tradition of sharing dishes), at chic as well as dodgy restaurants, at cafes, markets and on the street, in big cities and small towns, I tried lots of new dishes, I wasn’t always sure what was on my plate, but ... I NEVER EVER had one dish that didn’t taste amazing. So, I am sure you’ll enjoy trying out new restaurants.

Where: 149 West Gulou Street, Beijing, China; between Drum Tower and Deshengmen
phone: (010) 640 188 22, fax (010) 640 11 330, email: hwelcome@qomolangmahotel.com

Highlight: situated in the over 100-year-old Guan Temple inside a beautiful park

More photos, information and ideas: Hotel Qomolangma, amazing photos of Beijing’s hutons, Hutong tour

Beautiful Beach House

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

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Today I want to show you a beach house which I have rented for my birthday weekend two years ago. It is in Australia, near Melbourne, close to one of the most beautiful National Parks in Australia – and I think probably the world: Wilsons Promontory. If you want a sneak peak of the park, have a look here, at its abundance of animals here, at its amazing beaches here and the landscape after the bushfire here.

But today I want to talk about a beautiful beach house on the other side of the bay. It is located in the little town of Walkerville North, but you can hardly see any other house due to the lush vegetation around the house. Actually I have to admit that Walkerville is not a town, it is hardly a village. So make sure to refuel and bring all your food and drinks with you. We found it a bit hard to buy coffee which we had forgotten. But on the other hand, who need coffee when you can sleep as long as you want to ;-)

It is the perfect spot to get away from the buzz of Melbourne. It is just a 3 hours drive to the south-east. You can either take the scenic road close to the coast (which is a bit longer) or the beeline inland.

The house accommodates easily 6 people – it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a huge living room with open kitchen, dining table, TV, fireplace and a broad terrace. The view over the sea really takes your breath away!

And because of the view, because of the sun and the wind which tasted a bit salty, we spent most of our weekend on the terrace. We set up a hammock and took our turns in dozing in the sun. In the evenings we heated up the barbeque and stayed outside until Pirate, the one-eyed possum payed us a visit.

The most important part of a beach house is, of course, the beach or the sea. And both of them are beautiful at Walkerville North. True, the sea is always cold – it is Bass Strait after all and the next landmass to the south is Antarctica. – but it is not as rough as it can get at other points on the southern coast because of the bay. And the beach is wonderfully quiet, deserted at all times of the day (even on weekends), full of shells and close to the Cape Liptrap Coastal Park.

Where: 12 Waratah St, Walkerville North, Victoria, Australia
phone: Richard 0438-864252 or Sam 0418-878911 email: here

Highlight: 180degree view of the sea and Wilsons Promontory NP across the bay, possums and birds visiting you on the terrace

More photos, information and ideas: Blue Waters Beach House Accommodation, Wilsons Promontory NP

TOP 5 Taschen Books

It is the 15th again – so it is time for reading. And time for sharing my favourite books with you. This month it is all about Taschen books.

The other day I passed the wonderful Taschen shop on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse in my daily lunch walk with the little one. I spend ages in there. Just gazing at all the amazing books they have. And these are my favourites:

Costume History

Great Escapes Around the World, Vol. 2

Audrey Hepburn

1000 Signs

The Polaroid Book

With prices starting at EUR 7.99, they make great Christmas presents too!

Hello and goodbye – Seaside

Hello and goodbye – Mountains & Cities

Bella, bella Umbria

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

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It is cold and rainy in Melbourne.

I am terribly busy with getting organised for our move to Germany.

So I dream of Italy. Naturally ;-). Of a warm and sunny place. Of a peaceful place with the most amazing food: Umbria.

Last year we celebrated my mum’s 60th birthday in a wonderful villa in Umbria. Just 2 hours north of Rom.

The main villa and the pool to cool off from the midday heat

The amazing garden full of fragrant roses and rosemary hedges

A beautiful decal in the former stable

Where: Villa Zuccari, Località San Luca - 06036 Montefalco (Pg) Italy
Tel: +39.0742.399.402, Fax: +39.0742.399.194,

Highlight: la dolce vita, the history and culture in every little village and town nearby, the food!!!

More photos, information and ideas: Villa Zuccari, Assisi , Spoleto, Umbrian Cusine

Great Ocean Road

We had a wonderful trip to the Great Ocean Road. It was cold and rainy, but our apartment had a fireplace and we had lots of hot chocolates and hearty soups. So it was actually a very cosy family get away.

Everything was much easier than expected with the little one and this mini trip gave us great confidence for our big trip to Germany in two weeks. She slept even better than at home (her first all-night-sleep ever – 7 hours, woa!), she didn’t seem to mind the new environment, she kept her appetite and loved the wind and the salty air on her face. A real beach babe!

Surfer at Bells Beach

Cold Climate Rainforest near Lorne

Amazing Johanna Beach

Travel Baby – mini trip

Every Monday I will post something related to babies: inspiration, craft projects, baby news, and discoveries I have made in this new and exciting world for me. I hope you come along on that rollercoaster ride with me.

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My lovely husband and I decided to do one more trip here in Australia. Although we have been to the Great Ocean Road a couple of times before, we still want to see it one more time. And show to our little one: the winding road, the wide beaches, the spectacular views, the wild Southern Ocean, the fresh wind, the yummy seafood and the best scones in the world.

So we will hit the road tomorrow. The Great Ocean Road is just a 2-hour-drive away, but still it feels like a big trip with a 2-months-old baby. Although I promised myself that I would be still spontaneous and travel a lot when I am a mum, I already discovered some differences.

Travelling without children:
Starting around noon – planned coffee stops – spontaneous hotel choice – double room – late checkout – carry-on luggage – walk at the beach – exploring the bush – change clothes – fine dining...

Travelling with children:
Starting early in the morning – spontaneous feeding stops – booking in advance – apartment – early checkout – car full of luggage – walk with the pram - exploring the baby facilities – change nappies – one-handed dining...

Although everything will be different, I cannot wait to start our first family trip tomorrow. How exciting! I will be back on Thursday with a report and some photos. Have a great week!

Moin Hamburg

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

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Today I want to take you to Hamburg with me. When I worked in Berlin, I often had to go to Hamburg on business trips. So I got to know a lot of hotels in Hamburg. And I have never found a nicer, more comfortable and friendlier place than the Hotel Wedina. It is in St.Georg, which used to be a quite doggy area near Central Station. Now it is quite hip as you can tell by all the amazing shops, cafes and restaurants in ‘Lange Reihe’. The Hotel Wedina is just around the corner from towards the Aussenalster. So you have a hip street on the one end of little side road and the beautiful waterfront at the other end. And it is just a quick 10 minute walk from Central Station.

The Hotel Wedina actually consists of four different houses (as opposed to one big chunky one) and each of them has its own character. My favourite house is the green one, which is in a quite backyard and has amazing studios. The yellow and blue houses are lovely as well. The red one is the smallest and the rooms can be tiny there, but that is also reflected in the price so it really depends on what you are after.

The interior is just a constant inspiration for me. Look at the amazing bathrooms. Isn’t it beautiful how they combined honey-coloured wood, modern appliances and blank concrete walls?

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I also love the modern architecture of the studios. They are build over four levels: level one entrance and kitchen, level two living room and balcony, level three bathroom and wardrobe, level four bedroom. These levels are connected via a beautiful open staircase, which makes the space incredibly big and light.

They don’t have a bar or mini-bar at the Wedina. Which is no problem, taking into consideration that the most amazing bars are just around the corner. Nevertheless if you feel like a nightcap the lovely people at Wedina are more than happy to bring you a perfect Campari Orange to your room. Ahhhh, what more do you need after a long day of work or shopping in the city.

Where: 21 Gurlittstraße, 20099 Hamburg , Germany

phone: 040 280890-0, email: info@wedina.de

Highlight: breakfast in the beautiful courtyard with freshly baked little bread rolls, amazing ‘Kräuterquark’ and freshly brewed coffee

More photos, information and ideas: Hotel Wedina, Lange Reihe, Turnhalle, Restaurant Central  

Honeymoon Escape

At the beginning of each month I want to show you places where I’d rather be at that very moment. As you know I am constantly either travelling or dreaming of travelling and I want to share my favourite bars, restaurants, hotels, cities and countries around the world with you. And I am looking for your recommendations for my next trips.

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After a busy week like the last one, I always feel like wanting to escape to a lonely island. I have to admit I haven’t been to many secluded islands, yet, but one of the most relaxing places I have ever been was definitely Palau Rebak. A little isle off Langkawi, an island in the north of Malaysia close to the boarder to Thailand.

Andi and I spent our honeymoon there. And boy, we needed a good rest to recover from our big party and the emotional time in Germany. It turned out that we were really lucky with our choice. It is my favourite honeymoon destination EVER. Exotic. Relaxing. Quiet. Luxurious. Romantic. Secluded. What else would you want on this special trip?

Beach life – fresh fruit, a thrilling book, a deckchair in the shade, crystal blue water, little pirate island in view, little crabs running around on the bright beach...

Malaysian style architecture – dark wooden structures, high ceilings, rotating fans, water features, light blinds in the wind, exotic flowers everywhere...

Rainforest background – lush greenery all around, huge palm trees, blue skies, shallow sea, empty beach, little monkeys stealing food...

Where: Rebak Island, off Langkawi Island, Malaysia

Highlight: Sitting in the traditional long house, sipping cocktails, playing backgammon and watching the tropical rain washing down all the heat and humidity of the day before having a beautiful dinner with traditional Malaysian dishes...

More photos, information and ideas: Rebak Island Resort, Langkawi

Wilsons Prom - Part I - Beautiful beaches

The beach near the campground Tidal River – the water is cold but isn’t the view amazing?

Squeaky Beach – called after the squeaky sound that your feet make on the dry sand. The sand is incredible fine and consists of rounded grains of sand which make the funny sound:

A Weekend Away

I know it is only Thursday, but still all I can think of is the next weekend. And our trip to Wilsons Prom . All Victorians, please skip the next paragraph, because OF COURSE you know what Wilsons Prom is. All others please keep on reading...

Wilsons Promontory is supposed to be one of the most beautiful national parks in Victoria, if not Australia. It is at the south-most point of the Australian mainland and only a three-hour drive from Melbourne. There are beautiful sandy beaches (Squeaky Beach with its pure white quartz sand being the most famous for its funny noise when you walk over it), rainforest and costal walks (from 30min to 6 hours), mountains with amazing views of the coast and Bass Strait, several hundred species of birds, koalas, wallabies and wombats.

Which all makes it even more incomprehensible and unforgivable that in 2.5 years we haven’t managed to go there. Maybe it is because it is almost too close to home. So you always think you can go there any weekend. Without any planning or preparations. And so it never happens. But now with the birth of our first child, we suddenly try really hard to make all kinds of things happen. Go to fancy restaurants where you have to book 6 weeks in advance. See exhibitions we always wanted to go to. Go to the movies. Go camping and hiking. ... In short do everything which might still be possible with a baby, but potentially requires much more preparation and stress.

I will try to finish work tomorrow as soon as possible and head straight out of the city. I hope by doing that I can avoid the Friday-afternoon-traffic. Which is as any Friday-afternoon-traffic in any city of the world – just crazy, nerve-wracking, annoying, insanely slow and aggressive. Andi will already go there in the morning and take his ‘baby’ aka Harley Davidson motorcycle. Ah, these are the great advantages of being your own boss. I almost forgot about them ;-)

Anyway, the weather forecast is good, the camp ground is booked (which is not as easy as it sounds – this national park is just insanely popular and the accommodation possibilities inside the park are so limited, that there is a), the car will be packed tonight (with tent, air-mattress, sleeping bags, camping chairs, esky full of canned food, sunglasses and raincoats, cameras...) and we are ready to go. Finally!!!

So, dear readers, I hope you survive the rest of your working week and look as much forward to your weekend as I do! Enjoy! I will be back on Sunday night. Hopefully with tons of pictures and the success story of seeing a wombat in the wild. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please!

picture from here