Category: Food

  • A Journey Through Austria’s Enchanting Christmas Markets

    A Journey Through Austria’s Enchanting Christmas Markets

    This December I was lucky enough to visit two Christmas markets and one Advent Trail (Adventweg) in Austria. They really know how to put the spirit in these places.

    The first one I visited in Mauterndorf, which was situated in the Burg Mauterndorf. It was on for very limited time and it was tiny, but it was cute. There were only a few huts with gluhwein, gluhmost, maroni and wurst of course. Inside the castle there were artisans placed all over, selling their crafts and products.

    Mauterndorf
    Taurach creek
    Taurach creek
    Burg Mauterndorf

    Besides visiting Christmas market, I also did some skiing in the area – Grosseck-Speiereck, Obertauern and Aineck.

    The other Christmas market I visited was in Graz with my friend. There were many smaller ones, some nicer than others, but very enjoyable. Although they all had many crafts and products, drinks, there was not much food choice unfortunately. My friend and I rather found some Austrian restaurants to have proper meals.

    Schweinsbraten at Glöckl Bräu
    Wiener Schnitzel at Gösser Bräu
    Apfelstrudel at Gösser Bräu
    Gluhwein at one of the markets
    Breakfast at Weitzer

    Another Austrian highlight in December is also Katschberger Adventweg. It is an advent trail, where you pay the ticket and receive a thermos cup. On the way you get free tea refills, as much as you want. I visited it on the last day, on Christmas. It was magical, crispy cold and snowy. If you walk the whole way, you make 12 km there and back. There are beautiful lanterns along the way. There are also shuttle buses and horse carriages for some part of the way.

    You hike between rustic hay barns and huts, enjoy contemplative stories, music and warm tea at various stations. 

    Musicians playing alpine horns, creating festive atmosphere.

    The rest of December I got to ski some more and explore Mauterndorf. It is a cute little town, where it actually snowed so now and then, giving a very wintery feeling.

    Spent our New Year’s basically up on the mountain. Seeing all those fireworks going off at once was really magical. Let’s hope this good magic continues in 2026! ✨

  • 4 Days of Thrills: Canyoning and Mountain Biking in Italy

    4 Days of Thrills: Canyoning and Mountain Biking in Italy

    Time for a MinionVan trip. Rick planned for us 2 days of canyoning and 2 days of MTB. After the summer season we were not really fit, honestly. So, we went for 2 days of shuttling with Flow School.

    First day was canyoning day – Prialunga (V3A3IV). We spent 4 hours, car to car. Nice flow, awesome views, beautiful rappels.

    After finishing the canyon, we returned to Pietra Ligure for a gelato and the beach.

    Next day – shuttles! We did Toboga, Kill Bill 1, Madonna della Guardia, Val Nava, La Rete, DH Borgani, Ca Bianca, DH Donne, Briga Destra and Briga Sinistra. In the afternoon I managed to have a small crash, because I was tired. But it was fun.

    Photo by co-rider
    Photo by co-rider
    Photo by co-rider
    Photo by co-rider

    Barbaira (V2A3II) was the canyon of the next day. I liked this one very much! It took us less than 3.5 hours, car to car.

    First we had to walk through an old town to get to the start of the canyon.

    And it started with the most beautiful bridge. I love bridges, so I might be biased.

    Photo by Rick

    Although there was some walking in the canyon, I did not mind. It had beautiful pools and some narrower sections. I only missed some verticalness of the rappels.

    After a nice day out, we returned to Pietra Ligure and enjoyed a nice dinner at Machettö.

    The next day we had the backcountry shuttle day, which I liked a lot more. We did Ca du Campo, Euforia, Super Canaletta, Tobogazzo, Rientro, Roller Coaster into Cacciatore.

    This is how our 4-day trip to Italy finished and we drove home. Bella Italia, grazie!

  • Exploring Cappadocia: Sunrise, Sunset and Stunning Views

    Exploring Cappadocia: Sunrise, Sunset and Stunning Views

    My mother’s wish was to see Cappadocia. After 5 years or so her wish has finally come true. This was our trip. I was very happy to see it too. The formations there are out of this world. We stayed in a hotel in the center of Göreme. Our first sunrise there was magical.

    Photo by mom

    That morning I did so many photos, but still not one photo could describe the real beauty of it.

    Here is another video from when the balloons were still warming up.

    This video was made a bit later, when most of the balloons were in the air. There were probably more than 150 balloons up there.

    It was magical. We were also lucky, because the next 2 mornings the balloons were not going due to the strong wind.

    The rest of the day we took it easy around Göreme.

    Because later I had my sunset MTB tour around Rose Valley. Although the trails were not the greatest, the landscape and the views made up for it. Well, the Red Bull part of it was fun. Another magical moment! We started around four or five and it was still very hot to pedal.

    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide

    Of course I had a rental bike, I did not want to pack up my bike for only 1 ride. It was alright, but I sure missed my Switchy. The tour was nice, I’ve seen a lot and the guide stopped in some interesting historical spots as well.

    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide

    After a long day, I really wanted to try Turkish Ravioli. Where better to try them than at Turkish Ravioli Restaurant? Besides ravioli we ordered peravu and bulghurball. When ordering ravioli, be mindful that they do not serve it hot, but medium temperature. Bulghurball is made of bulghur wheat and filled with meat and walnut, great as hot appetizer.

    The next day we went on the “Green Tour”. It stops at Kaymakli Underground City, Selime Monastery, Ihlara Valley and Pigeon Valley. Unfortunately it does not avoid the crowds, but if you have only a few days there, it is practical.

    The next day we went on the “Red Tour.” We visited Zelve Open Air Museum, Pasabag (Monks Valley) and Uchisar Castle. These were the better stops. We also saw Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley), Avanos (pottery) and Love Valley.

    Besides the amazing landscape, we also enjoyed some nice Turkish food these days. Besides the kebab & Turkish ravioli the first night, I had them again at a different restaurant.

    Çokertme kebab
    Chef’s greeting
    Kofte
    Testi kebab
    Aside (dessert)
    Ambience at Topdeck Cave Restaurant
    Turkish ravioli at Kilim Cave restaurant
    Kayisi tatlisi kaymakli (apricots poached in syrup with walnuts and cream)

    Lovely experience I got to share with my mom.

  • A Short Paris Getaway: Concert, Sights and Cuisine

    A Short Paris Getaway: Concert, Sights and Cuisine

    Paris was not on my bucket list, at least not anytime soon, honestly. I got an email with concert dates from Beyoncé for her Cowboy Carter Tour. Going to Paris made the most sense for me to actually make it. After that my mom and I decided to make a short trip out of it. It was fun, hot and the concert was out of this world. Also very tiring for me, but worth it.

    We stayed in a cute b’n’b in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine. It had good metro connections to the famous sights and to the concert location. We had a bakery with delicious treats just around the corner.

    We only had 2 full days, so we were on the roll. The first day we made around 15.000 steps. We’ve seen all the major sights. We explored Avenue des Champs-Élysées and everything it has to offer. We visited Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde. We saw Musée du Louvre from outside only. On the way we had some lunch and macarones from Pierre Hermé.

    After that we slowly made our way to Montmartre. On the way we stopped at the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette, where the view is amazing. After we finally came to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. We had some coffee and continued to lose our way around Montmartre.

    Galeries Lafayette
    Galeries Lafayette
    Galeries Lafayette
    Galeries Lafayette
    Galeries Lafayette
    Galeries Lafayette
    Montmartre
    Montmartre
    Vigne du Clos Montmartre
    Montmartre
    Montmartre
    Montmartre
    Escalier du Mont-Cenis
    Montmartre
    Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
    Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

    That night we have booked Moulin Rouge. It was my mom’s wish to have a dinner with a show. Honestly, I was excited to go too. So, after a long day out it was nice to sit down in the most famous French cabaret. Obviously, you are not allowed to take photos of the show. But here is the setting and delicious dinner.

    The next day we visited Tour Eiffel and went on a cute boat ride on la Seine. I only had a sweater because I got sunburn the day before. It was very hot.

    Breakfast at our bakery
    Escargots at De La Tour
    Duck breasts at De La Tour

    Finally, the time has come for Beyoncé. I was excited. But again, it was very hot. Luckily, my seat was in the shade. The daylight was also extremely long. At 22.00 was still not completely dark. The concert was amazing! Here are some photos and a few shorts. Enjoy!

    Paris was the only location where Miley Cyrus joined, you can imagine my excitement.
    Blue Ivy killing it.

    Wouldn’t mind going back to Paris for her concert again.

  • A Luxurious Journey through Dubai and Abu Dhabi Highlights

    A Luxurious Journey through Dubai and Abu Dhabi Highlights

    Dubai and Abu Dhabi were not on my list, honestly. It is not really a destination I would choose. But my mother has wanted to visit for a very long time. Due to her cancer, corona and me mentally preparing for it we were deciding for it a very long time. Finally, in January of 2025 we were both ready for it. 😊

    Just when we were leaving, I found a spot on my skin. It looked like the start of Lyme disease. So I had to start taking antibiotics. And I was sick with a cough for the third week in a row. So, I had to say bye bye to diving, which I was really looking forward to. Nonetheless, we still went on a snorkeling trip in Fujairah. Life rewarded me with at least 6 turtles in one spot and 2 black tips swimming right by me.

    Fujairah was a nice one day trip. So was Abu Dhabi. The highlight of the trip was Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. We visited several other stops. We were not really impressed by Ferrari World Yas Island (outside only). The Abu Dhabi Dates Market was nothing special, as were Marina Mall, Miraj Museum, The Corniche, and Emirates Heritage Village. Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental was the most interesting of these ones.

    Photo by tour guide
    Photo by tour guide

    In Dubai we visited the Old Town, where we joined a short tour. So we saw Dubai Spice Souk, Grand Souk, Souk Al Seef and Dubai Gold Souk. We even took an abra ride along Dubai Creek (a traditional boat ride). At the beginning of the tour they offered us some Arab tea and at the end camel milk with saffron.

    Another day we visited Jumeirah beach and Dubai Marina, which is already much more luxurious than Old Town. On the way we spotted the Dubai Frame.

    But of course nothing says “luxurious” more than the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. There is nothing money can’t buy here. You just have to have it. We didn’t spend lots of euros to go up Burj Khalifa. Instead, we went up Sky Views Observatory and Museum of the Future. In both I was actually impressed.

    The view from Sky Views Observatory
    Early morning selfie, no crowds

    What impressed me the most and freaked me out as well was Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. I decided to do a Shark Walker Cage, since I couldn’t dive. Otherwise I would dive in an aquarium for sure. Just because you can. That is the whole idea of Dubai basically.

    Dubai has everything. The same with food. You can have whatever you want and your money can buy. But you need money.

    Restaurant at Wyndham Dubai Deira
    Restaurant at Wyndham Dubai Deira
    Dynamite Bites at Jumeirah Beach
    SALT CAMP
    SALT CAMP
    SALT CAMP
    The original Dubai chocolate
    Time Out Market Dubai

    We loved this Japanese restaurant Miyako at Hyatt Regency Dubai. We went there twice, since it was also close to our hotel.

    Dubai was an experience like no other. For once in your life I recommend to see it. A place like no other. Also it is very clean everywhere. OCD approved.

  • A Beautiful Winter Day Hiking Vošca in December

    A Beautiful Winter Day Hiking Vošca in December

    It was a beautiful, sunny, winter Saturday in December. My best friend, her partner and I agreed to hike up to Vošca (Woschza). It is a 1737 m high mountain in the Karavanke mountains. It was snow everywhere, making it very magical, but also harder to walk of course.

    We took less than 2.5 hours up and a bit more than 1.5 hours down, around 8 km and 800 m height difference.

    Almost at the top
    Photo by Simo
    Photo by Simo

    Very nice and easy walk, even in Winter. I would say it is also a good tour skiing spot, but I’m no expert.

    After that we went for the best pancakes around – 76 Surf food in Kranjska Gora.

    Thank you, Anja & Simo for a lovely winter day.

  • Hiking the Stunning Triglav Lakes: A Journey Through Clouds

    Hiking the Stunning Triglav Lakes: A Journey Through Clouds

    It is an alpine valley, stretching between Bohinj & Trenta. The number of lakes is debatable. Some disappear and some look more like puddles. Still, it has been agreed to be 7. Vesna and I started our hike from Planina Blato. It started off very foggy or actually cloudy. We were right in the clouds.

    We were getting worried, but soon after we were rewarded. Not only that the sun came out, but also the clouds started to clear out. And we saw the most gorgeous view of the Double Lake.

    To the Triglav Lakes Lodge we needed around 3 hours. We had a short stop, had a sandwich, some sugar and took some more photos.

    Then onto the next one – Lake Ledvica, i.e. Lake Kidney. It is obvious where the name is from. It is apparently the biggest and the deepest.

    Panoramic view of the Lake Kidney.

    Before we reached Central Sava Lodge at Prehodavci, we saw the Green Lake and the Brown Lake. These are honestly more like puddles, but they are still beautiful.

    The view from the Lodge was just incredible. Just before we got to it, an Alpine chamois kept us company for a while.

    We arrived to our goal, but the day was not over yet. We still had to get back to the car.

    When we were descending we were gifted with the most beautiful sunset and views of the valley below.

    It was the most beautiful day with 29 km hiked, around 1500 m elevation done and 10 hours elapsed. After that, we went for a well-deserved dinner at Hiša Pr’ Pristavc. We had delicious food. The kindest person made us the yummiest bread to go with our dishes. They also surprised us with the sweetest treat. Thank you, sir, for making our day even better. Great day with a great ending. Thank you, Vesna, for your company and a great vibe.

  • A Short Trip to Malta: Your European Getaway

    A Short Trip to Malta: Your European Getaway

    My friend and I wished to travel somewhere for “potato” holiday as we call it in Slovenian. We both wanted to go somewhere warm, not too far and somewhere different. In the same breath we decided for Malta.

    Malta is an interesting mixture of European and African, which I have not encountered anywhere before. We did not rent a car, but rather used public transportation and it is totally doable. We decided to stay close to Valetta, in St. Julian’s area. We chose it because of variety of restaurants, bistros and bars. Our first night we started off with a dinner in a One Star Michelin restaurant – Rosami. The building itself is grandiose when you arrive. The simple, elegant but cozy ambiance on the inside makes you feel comfortable. And the food was just superb.

    St Julian’s at night
    St. Julian’s at night

    The next day we went on a free walking tour of Valetta. I believe this is the best thing to do in capitals or cities. You see and learn much more than on your own. Maybe also see some secrets you wouldn’t have otherwise.

    After the tour we continued to walk around by ourselves. Filigree is a Maltese craft, where artisans weave silver wires into stunning patterns, making all kinds of jewellery. I bought myself a pair of earrings.

    Filigree
    Lots of movies filmed in Malta
    Triton’s fountain at sunset

    The following day we went on a boat trip. We visited Comino and Gozo. It was a lovely day with some swimming and exploring.

    On the way to Comino.

    Comino.

    Our boat

    After we visited Gozo, where we had time to explore around.

    They drove us to the main sights on Gozo with a shuttle bus. Have to say there was enough time to see and even eat some traditional pastries – very yummy.

    Pastizz
    Imqaret

    On our boat ride back we had some more beautiful views of the island.

    In the evening we returned to St. Julian’s and went to Gululu, because I wished to try Fenek Imtektek – traditional Maltese rabbit stew. We also tasted Fwied tal- fenek moqli, which is rabbit liver with gravy.

    Fwied tal- fenek moqli
    Fenek Imtektek

    Our last day we went to see Marsaxxlok – Malta’s little fishing village. Very quaint. We had some fishy lunch there of course.

    Our next and last stop was Mdina. We saw the Game-of-Thrones famous Mdina Gate. We also visited St. Paul’s Catacombs – which are a must to visit.

    Mdina Gate
    Mdina Gate
    Basilica of St. Paul
    St. Paul’s Cathedral

    Malta is definitely worth a visit with lots to see and explore. One day I can go back and also do some diving. It was short and sweet, with many delicious foods.

  • Exploring Puglia: Highlights of Our Short Italian Getaway

    Exploring Puglia: Highlights of Our Short Italian Getaway

    Another short girls’ trip with my mom. I’ve been seeing all these photos of trullis on Instagram, people visiting and I fell in love with it. My mom also had it on her bucket list for a while. At first the plan was to go with the car from home and do a road trip. But then due to good connecting flights, we made it a short trip. We spent a couple of days in September when I didn’t have to work.

    The trip started rather funny. I booked a rent-a-car at Felirent. Without a rental it is impossible to get around Puglia. It was one of the rare agencies, where you didn’t need a credit card. No, I don’t have one. And I think rental agencies should really change their game. Anyway, the place was filled with Fiat Pandas and really sketchy looking. It took us probably more than one hour to get a car. Of course, they charged us something extra, just because they can. Luckily, everything was good, also upon returning the car.

    Anyway, let’s start the trip. We arrived early, so our first stop of the day was Polignano a Mare. We have prebooked a boat tour of the caves. We were more interested in seeing the place from the sea than from land. They took us to see many different caves – grotta.

    Ponte Borbonico
    Photo by our guide

    After the boat ride we continued our journey. We had a short stop in a quaint town – Locorotondo. We had a snack stop at Il Re dei Panini – the King of Sandwiches. It was so big, the two of us only ate half.

    In late afternoon we finally arrived to our home away from home – B&B Salita Delle Pere. The cutest place with the nicest lady host and delicious breakfast. You actually stay in a trulli, if you book so. For an affordable price and with a great location.

    Breakfast at B&B Salita Delle Pere with many different home-baked pastries.

    The next day was the most exciting one – we visited Alberobello. We were just wandering the whole day around, getting lost among all the trullis. My one thing to do beside visiting Alberobello, was to try orecchiette in Coppino. I would go back just to eat that again!

    Photo by stranger
    Photo by mom
    The most delicious orecchiette.

    I really enjoyed Alberobello. But since we still had some time in the day, we decided to check out Ostuni.

    Finishing off the day with a proper Italian dinner.

    Our last day we saved for Matera. It is around one hour drive from Alberobello, but a must to visit. Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage site with its rich history and interesting architecture. In modern times, it was used as a filming location. It served as a backdrop for films such as The Passion of the Christ, Wonder Woman, and many others. We joined one of the walking tours to find out more about its history. On our own it would be very difficult to actually find the Sassi cave dwellings.

    Air vent – functional and decorative

    After many steps we treated ourselves to a panini at L’Antica Credenza – La Paninoteca.

    After refueling we decided to visit Palombaro lungo – the largest public cistern in the city. It was brought to life during the construction of Piazza Vittorio Veneto in 1991. Being roughly fourteen meters deep and fifty meters long, it had a capacity of over five million liters of water.

    We finished our visit to Matera with a view point spot.

    Found some more orecchiettes and called it a day. The next day we returned the car, they took us to the airport and said ciao, bella!

  • Day Trip to Gorenjska: Waterfalls and Michelin Stars

    Day Trip to Gorenjska: Waterfalls and Michelin Stars

    This time we didn’t go far. Just over the hill – to Gorenjska region. It was an easy day trip, with chasing waterfalls and delicious food.

    Peričnik waterfall is actually 2-part waterfall. The lower one is 52 m high and the upper one is 16 m high. It is located in Vrata Valley. If you visit it in the summer season, you leave your car before the valley. There is a shuttle bus to there or you can bike or walk to it. The flow was very nice when we were there in May. Also no crowds.

    Our next stop was Martuljek waterfalls. There are also lower and upper. We only went to the lower one, since it was wet and slippery. We were also limited with time.

    Because the whole reason for our trip was a dinner at Restaurant Milka. A very nice experience. Started off with a drink and chef’s greetings with a great view of the Jasna lake at their lounge.

    Then we moved to the dining area. The food was exquisite and the staff very nice. At the end they presented their homemade liquor, which we could try.

    Restaurant Milka has 2 Michelin stars and is listed on 50 Best Discovery. Chef David Žefran has 2 Knives. All very deserved. The restaurant is only open for dinner with their tasting menu.

    Great experience at Restaurant Milka.