“The Sonnenkopf is Arlbergs hidden powder paradise. Lech am Arlberg and St. Anton may be a lot more prestigious, but this smaller resort deserves some recognition, too!” This is what I told a lot of people over and over again, and for that reason I included the Sonnenkopf into my ski-resort list (link at end of text). But I believe to advise people about places you have to know them – and even if you know them, you have to put them to test over and over again. This is what I did today.
Tag Archives: postaday
Lech from above – amazing video
Beautiful video of Lech am Arlberg from above – enjoy!
I was thinking this video as I just recently wrote a guest post at World Adventure Travel about “Heli-Skiing in Austria for Newbies” and the Arlberg is the place to go for Heli-Skiing.
In the next weeks and months I will try to show you more of these amazing videos, whenever they fit my articles. Unfortunately WordPress.com does not allow iframes – therefore you have to follow the link 😦
Are there any computer geeks out there, who can tell me how to make iframes work at this place?
Have to go again – its the last day of Carnival and we are invited to some friends place.
Filed under Winter
The Top 5 Picture Perfect Villages in Cornwall
Today I present you a guest blog entry by Laura, it gives us some insight about picture perfect villages to visit in Cornwall. I hope you like it as much as I did!
Sometimes the best way to really experience a new place during a holiday is to simply get lost. Too often, travelers spend all of their time seeing new places, but not really experiencing them. Cornwall is one of those places that has so much to offer its holiday visitors, but you can’t just stick to what the hotel travel brochures suggest. Cornwall is a beautiful place hiding all kinds of treasures; start with this list of perfectly picturesque villages and see where you end up.
Kingsand and Cawsand
Villages that remain practically unaltered by time, Kingsand and Cawsand are located on the Rame peninsula and are actually quite popular among tourists. Once you’ve gotten over the initial sight of these incredible villages, you might be intrigued to learn a little bit about their past filled with fishing and smuggling. Frequent winners of the “Best Kept Village” award, Kingsand and Cawsand are perfect to the last detail and have pubs, restaurants, shops, and beaches that will have you wanting to extend your holiday.
St Mawgan
This pretty little village could easily be called the prettiest. It may be a good place to start since it is located quite close to Newquay airport but is still hidden away where most do not see it. You can spend hours taking in all that St Mawgan has to offer. There are amazing places to simply walk and take in the views, a beautiful ford to paddle your feet in, and a rather out-of-place bonsai nursery. When you need a rest, you can visit the Falcon Inn for a pint of authentic ale, delicious food, and a Cornish style welcome.
Port Isaac
If you’re a fan (or have ever heard of) the hit television series “Doc Martin,” it’s filming location of Port Isaac may be a fun place for you to visit. It’s completely authentic look and feel make it the perfect location for many television and movie productions looking for that “Old Cornwall” touch. The classic 18th and 19th century cottages are nestled snuggly inside of a sheltered valley and the long and winding streets between shops, houses, and other locations give it that extra special something.
Mevagissey
A traditional 14th-century fishing village, Mevagissey can only be described with one word; magical. You’ll be able to take it all in as you wander the streets and in and out of craft shops, gift shops, or while stopping for some of the best fish and chips to ever tantalize your taste buds. There are sightseeing trips available, and daring tourists can even test their fishing skills. Rent a cottage right inside the village and spend a few days to really give Mevagissey the time and attention it deserves.
Fowey
If it’s history dating back to the Middle Ages doesn’t immediately draw you in, then the first glimpse of it will. Fowey is so picture-perfect that it seems like you have just jumped right into a picture on a postcard. Fowey is one village that has continued to grow and expand as the years have gone by and is still a working harbor. From the pastel, terraced homes to the endless number of galleries, restaurants, and shopping; Fowey should definitely top your list of must-see places in Cornwall.
Photo courtesy of Karen Roe
If you are thinking about visiting Cornwall England check out the Owner’s Direct website before you travel. With a wide selection of Cornish cottages available for rent you can make your experience truly traditional.
Filed under guest post, Hidden Gems
Stein am Rhein – where Lake Constance becomes Rhine (again)
In my last post „The Rhine Falls – an amazing place to see“ I told you, that the Rhine Falls take about half a day to visit. My suggestion to go afterward (or before) is Stein am Rhein. This small city is famous for its very well preserved historical houses. When walking through Stein am Rhein there are lots of things to discover. Almost every building has a story to tell (and most have signs outside, which tell you this story) and there are dozens of details at every house, which wait to be discovered.
The City is set at “the end” of Lake Constance – the Rhine flows into Lake Constance and then leaves the lake again at Stein am Rhein. You can spot this near the Monastery of St. George.
- gate into the medieval city centre
- monastery of St. George
- main street
- river Rhine
- townhall of Stein am Rhein
- main street
- oldtimers in front of one of Stein am Rheins Hotels
- view from the medieval center towards some residantial areas at the Rhine
- where Lake Constance becomes Rhine (again)
When you linger through Stein am Rhein you should not restrict yourself to the main streets – every narrow alley has its own impressive buildings and you might discover a hidden restaurant or bar to have a break.
If you are having dinner or lunch in Stein am Rhein I suggest you try some “Bodenseefelchen” – this is a local form of ciscoes. In the main street (towards the town hall) you can find a lot of ice cream parlours, which offer delicious ice.
Stein am Rhein combined with the Rhine Falls makes a great day with impressive sightings – do not miss out on this two highlights.
The Rhine Falls – an amazing place to see!
One of the most impressive natural wonder in Central Europe are the Rhine Falls. They are 150m wide and 23m high. The average water flow changes over the year. In Winter its going down to around 250m3/s and in Summer it averages at 700m3/s – and the more water runs the more impressive the Rhine Falls get. This year should become a pretty good year – there are loads of snow in the Mountains and when this snow starts melting in Spring and early Summer, the Rhine will receive a lot of water.
Visiting the Rhine Falls is always fun – but its best in summer when its hot and the water filled air refreshes you. There are a lot of boat tours – you can just cross the Rhine beneath the falls (going from the one Swiss province (Zurich) to another (Schaffhausen), you can take a ride towards the falls (these boats get pretty close) and there is on trip that takes you to a rock inside the falls, which can be climbed up (via stairs) and will provide you with the best views of the spectacle.
On both sides of the rivers are Castles – Schloss Wörth on the Schaffhausen side (featuring a restaurant) and Schloss Laufen on the Zurich side (with a museum about the falls in it).
The Rhine Falls were one of the first places in Europe that were visited regularly by Tourists. In my opinion it is still an absolute highlight and no one should miss out on that.
Visiting the Rhine Falls will take about half a day – afterwards you could visit the picturesque town of Stein am Rhein – more on that later!
Lake Garda
I was in Milan, Italy for two days and although there is still snow in the area, you can feel that spring is slowly approaching.
Now I am back in cold Austria (with a lot of fresh snow) and I am thinking about spring for the first time this year. One of my favorite things to do in Summer is Mountain biking. And there is nothing better to start the biking season than some tours at Lake Garda in spring.
Filed under random pictures from great places, Spring
March skiing will be great!
It’s snowing again – after weeks of arctic coldness temperature has risen to about zero degree Celsius (32 degree Fahrenheit) and at the moment it is snowing. According to the weather report this won’t stop until tomorrow, and there should be another 50 – 80 cm snow up in the mountains! are great news for people who consider to go skiing in March. This year you will be guaranteed loads of Snow.
March is one of the best times for skiing in my opinion – the high season is already over, meaning less people and lower prizes, its getting warmer already and the days are longer. Sadly in the last year snow was a problem in March – but this is just taken care of.
So if you have not booked your skiing holidays already, or are still considering whether to book, or not: Go for it! This March will be great!
Links to Austrian Skiing resorts:
Filed under Winter
Traveling through Austria by Train
Today I would love to introduce you to a very convenient way to travel Austria – by railway. A lot of the major cities, in Austria are connected that way.
I just recently wrote a guest article at Voyage Articles – Three Cities to visit in Austria. There I wrote a short review about the three major Cities, tourists visit in Austria. The nice thing about Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck is, that they are very well connected – not only by car, but also by train. They are all part of the Westbahn-Trasse, which connects Bregenz (Vorarlberg) to Vienna – this route is one of the backbones of the Austrian railway system. This way you can go from Vienna to Salzburg in approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. Innsbruck – Salzburg are another 2 hours and to go to Vorarlberg you will need another 2 hours. But it is well worth the way, as the railway tracks between Innsbruck and Vorarlberg run over high bridges and through narrow alpine valleys.
A lot of trains are on international routes – there are a lot of trains from Vienna to Zurich (via Feldkirch, Innsbruck, Salzburg); there are trains from Munich to Rome (via Innsbruck) and from Munich to Vienna (via Salzburg) – others run from Bregenz to Budapest (via Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna).
There is a second major route – the Südbahn. It takes you from Vienna to Carinthia (via Graz) and connects to Venice.
Visiting Europe by train is a very good alternative, as it is convenient, safe and gives you a lot of opportunities to see rural Europe. I love to travel by train, as it gives me time to read, to meet people or to work (I prefer it to flying – check out this article) There are international train tickets for Tourists who want to use the railway system in different countries – you can find information for international visitors at Eurails Homepage – European Travelers can use the Interrail System.
Other important links:
ÖBB (Austrian railways) Route planner: click here
Westbahn (private operator from Vienna to Salzburg): click here
Filed under Traveling in Europe
Valentines Day Special – the perfect romantic Hot-Spot!
Hotel Gams in Bezau, Vorarlberg is the romantic hotspot for some special days with your partner. This hotel was built around the idea to give couples a perfect time out from the daily hassles. I have a lot of friends, who visited it once with their girlfriend (or wife) and now they have to go back there over and over again, as their partner believes this to be the perfect present.
I visited Hotel Gams two years ago with my then girlfriend (now wife) and we had some excellent days. After receiving a welcome drink, we were shown our romantic suite – it had a lot of space, a feature fire place, and it was spacious. The spa area of the hotel was my favorite place – it is buried into the ground and offers everything I could ask for. Hotel Gams also offers delicious food (15 points, 2 hauben in Gault Millau) with an excellent choice of Austrian and international top-wines. The building itself consists of the original Hotel Gams, build in a very traditional way, and a modern extension, in which the Suites are located (called Blütenschloss). Over all the hotel offers, what it promises – a perfect place for couples, who want to find a break out from busy daily life and enjoy some very special days.
If you are still looking for a very special Valentine present or you want to surprise your partner with something very special, you should definitely have a look at this romantic place.
Homepage Hotel Gams – click here!
Filed under special treats














