May Day hike

May 1st is a public holiday in Austria and most of the time people go hiking. Why? I have no idea, but I was really motivated to get outside and walk. I called on the entire family and one after one kept telling me that they were working. On a holiday!!!
Anyway my mum was up for it and as my brother had the morning off we decided to walk from my parents place to his place. It's a 12km hike through the Vienna Woods, there are perks when you live close to vineyards and hills :)

lush spring greenery

It took us 3.5 hours but we made it, thankfully most of the path leads through the woods otherwise we'd be burned to a crisp in the ridiculously hot sun. Ulrich met us about five minutes from his house but cooked lunch for us never the less haha.
Nothing better than to get out into the open and see creation in its splendour. Thank you God x

Grein visit

Last weekend three girls piled into a car in Vienna and went to see their friend, who moved to a village next to the Danube river when she got married last year  :)
I hadn't seen Margit since her wedding last June and thought that it's about time that I get to see her. So on a very sunny day, accompanied by Karin and Tini, we made our way to Grein.
What followed was lots of good food, walks around town and along the Danube river, a concert, having drinks with the band afterwards, a tour of the theatre and much more but most of all catching up with everyone!

couldn't get enough of the river!!!!

this boat, a traditional Zille, was supposed to get back into the water after a long winter but something needed to be fixed... might have to go back for a little cruise

Greinburg - a bit of a mix between castle and palace

these boots were definitely not made for walking in such terrain :)

if you look close enough you can see snowcapped mountains in the back

Trio Lepschi

Margit and Lothar on the opposite side as we sat in the box!

Until the 18th century theatres used to be exclusively for royalty, at or close to court. This theatre is the oldest citizen theatre in the German-speaking world, founded in 1791 and is really worth a visit. 

standing in front of the first ever poster

Always good to see and catch up with friends, I had a great time and will definitely be back. Maybe one day I'll cycle there. Apparently Grein is the exact middle between Passau and Vienna, therefore a lot of bikers who cycle the Danube path, in either direction, stop there for a visit. 

Hope everyone starts into an amazing weekend x

evening bike rides

Last week I took my bike over to see Romy and after hanging out all afternoon we went exploring on our bikes before I cycled home :) The sunset was ridiculous, gotta love spring.

spur of the moment getaway

My friend Claudia messaged me last week that she needs a change of scenery and if I'd be up for a city trip anywhere from Budapest to Salzburg. Being the gal that I am of course I said that I would come along.
Friday night we decided to go to Graz and stay at flashy Hotel Daniel, after our friend Steve couldn't recommend it highly enough.
The next morning the sun was shining in full force and we were off :)

 ridiculous spring time weather invited us to relax in the park

funny story: for the entire summer I listened to one of the gentleman of the choir talk about how lovely the tiled roofs are in Graz. A very opinionated person slagging off every other city compared to the beauty of these roofs. Now I'd have to admit that they are quite pretty :)

the design hotel - whatever that means haha - if you want to visit Graz, I'd totally recommend it!

 funniest thing about the rooms: the shower has this massive glass panel looking into the room

a tiny bit weird but nice to have that much light while showering :)

It was a short trip filled with excellent food, great chats, time with God, walking around a pretty city, going to cafes just for the sake of reading the newspapers (if you've never done that, please do yourself a favour and do it), hanging out in the park getting some sun, browsing through lots of little shops, an early night and an unexpected breakfast with the lovely Chris.
Sometimes you need to get away from it all and a mini city trip plus a close friend will make all the difference. Happy weekend everyone x

an afternoon with ringlringl

Last week I had coffee with the lovely Romy of ringlringl fame. She is one of a kind and I swear no-one can laugh like her, it's awesome!
We met at Pure Living Bakery, a cute little coffee shop with delicious cakes and yummy coffees, and headed to the vast gardens of Schoenbrunn Palace, as it is basically next door, afterwards.

admiring the Japanese garden haha it was somehow covered in netting?!

Finished off the day with falafels and humus at Naschmarkt with Romy and Paul. First picnic of the year!

Spring time is my favourite, well I like all of them apart from winter which seems to drag on forever and is always just too grey around these parts, but I realised that spring wouldn't be as pretty without winter beforehand :) 

a very long weekend

Luxury is...

to have a completely mental, loud, fun family

catching up with old & beautiful friends

making new friends

standing in awe of newborns

sitting in lush green grass

This weekend was filled with all of it

 ahahahaha my favourite shot this weekend

Easter weekend could not have been any better.

room with a view

When I look out of my kitchen door/balcony, this is what I see. I love how my neighbours let their garden just grow and how it's not immaculate. Those tulips have opened up now and the colours are just gorgeous and intense.
Have I told you how much I love spring lately?  This is why I like celebrating Easter in the northern hemisphere so much more than down south. Everything comes alive at this time of year, just like we can through everything we remember and celebrate at Easter.
One life poured out to give life in abundance and everyone's in on it! So thankful for my Saviour King.

dear spring sun

thanks for coming out to play yesterday. 

We had the most beautiful day in Koblenz and you played a big part in it!