Tag: outdoors

Germany

Enchanting Forbidden Fruit

If you didn’t catch word, my favorite (free!) activity these days is wine hiking! Also known as vineyard walks or Weinwanderung in German.  Untertürkheim is our starting base and only a 10 minute S-bahn ride away from downtown Stuttgart.  You basically walk up the big vineyard hill behind the town and from there, go exploring!  The routes are endless.  By the end of our hike I’ve already plotted another route to take next time. 🙂 So this weekend we were walking through the vineyards, you know, as we normally do and we then stumbled upon a little apple tree grove […]

Germany

Autumn Wine Wandering and Besen Stops

Autumn is my absolute favorite season, and Stuttgart is stunning in the fall.  The air turns crisp in the morning and evenings, we get spectacular sunrise and sunsets, I light candles every night for dinner, and am most inspired in the kitchen whipping up cosy meals of butternut squash, sage, sweet potatoes, and all of the savory goodness!  My favorite fall weekend activity is walking through the vineyards around harvest time and we did just that this weekend in the town’s surrounding Stuttgart, with some Besen stops mixed in for extra fun! We are so lucky to live in and […]

Italy

Sardinia Itinerary Part IV: Ferry to Cala Luna

After a fabulous few days enjoying the beaches and rocky cliffside hikes in Santa Teresa di Gallura and Capo Testo, we headed East to Cala Gonone.  Sardinia’s most beautiful beaches are found on this part of the island, so I was very excited to discover this side after our amazing days in the North! The drive from Santa Teresa di Gallura to Cala Gonone is about 2.5 hours, and you’ll traverse back through the mountains, through Olbia, and through more mountains along your drive.  The East is known for gorgeous beaches that are only accessible by boat and that’s because […]

Italy

Sardinia Itinerary Part III: Capo Testa Hiking

When I thought the most fabulous beach day couldn’t get any better, I was in for another surprise.  Dave and I finished our drinks at the Sea Lounge and hopped into the car to head back to our hotel.  Just as we reached the end of the road my eye caught sight of a sprawling park-like area heading towards the sea… calling our names!  Upon finding our happy coincidence we turned off the car, hopped out, and off we went! A happy-coincidence-turned-exploration has been the theme of the day, and I couldn’t be happier of how it turned out!  This park in […]

Italy

Sardinia Itinerary Part II: Capo Testa – Spiaggia Ponente and Cala Spinosa

Exploring Capo Testa ended up being one of my favorite ever vacation days.  I am so happy I chose to explore this area!  After a great day in Santa Teresa di Gallura, Sardinia, we wanted to explore the region just east called Capo Testa.  It’s an island next to STdG that was filled in via an access way to connect to mainland Sardinia.  I knew there were a few beaches in the area but not much more, so off we went exploring! We drove a total of 8 minutes from our hotel in STdG before we spotted gorgeous beaches to the right […]

Switzerland

Cheesy Pit Stop in Gruyères, Switzerland

Don’t you love it when you are pleasantly surprised by something? That’s how I felt when we were driving along our route to ski in Chamonix, France and spotted signs on the highway for a town called Gruyères, Switzerland.  Could it be, a town named after the famed cheese?  The cheese that’s used in gooey fondues, baked on top of delicious French onion soups, and used in the best ham and cheese crepes?  One of my all time favorites? Why yes, that’s exactly what it is. It’s not every day you have this kind of opportunity.  We decided to take advantage of […]

France

Skiing Chamonix

We had a fabulous long weekend skiing in Chamonix Mont Blanc, France.  It was our first time to the famous mountain and we loved it! The Town Chamonix Mont Blanc is an Alpine valley town and has 4 main ski lift areas, spread about 50 minutes end-to-end.  Chamonix overall is a functioning town, which is different than many alpine ski locations we’ve been to that consist mostly of ski chalets.  There is plenty to do for non-skiers from shopping, exploring ice caves, viewing Mont Blanc from the highest platform of the area, at the Anguille du Midi, and even a phenomenal […]

Germany

Scenes from the Stuttgart Christmas Market

The Christmas markets have been in full swing here in Germany, and I wanted to capture and share the happiness the markets create.  Twinkling lights, cold nights, warm glühwein, friends old and new catching up, laughter, and cheer.  This is what I think of when I think of the Weihnachtsmarkt. The Stuttgart Marktplatz, Schillerplatz, Schlossplatz and more are lined with wooden huts topped with evergreen branches and twinkling lights.  Each hut sells something unique, from hats and warm socks, to wooden nutcrackers, Christmas ornaments, candles, or even kitchenware. It’s fun to browse the stands, shopping for your loved ones Next […]