HomeTravelFashionBeauty

Monday 17 December 2018

Taormina - Botanical Garden

In the past I wasn't really interested in visiting botanical gardens or parcs, because I thought, what could be interesting in seeing plants and trees? But that was even before I really visited one. Now I changed my mind. I love them. Especially if you have been walking around a busy city before, then it is like being teleported to another world. And in the end you don't want to leave, because you are amazed by how many shades of green exsist or the many flowers and plants, you have never seen before. And actually not that single plant for example is important, it is mostly about the overall picture and the atmosphere you can see and experience.

Früher dachte ich immer Botanische Gärten wären langweilig und sie standen niemals auf meiner To-do-Liste auf Reisen. Man stellt es sich einfach langweilig vor, weil man denkt, 'Bäume und Pflanzen? Was ist daran schon spannend?'. Aber es geht ja eigentlich nicht um die einzelnen Pflanzen, sondern viel mehr um das Gesamtbild und die Atmosphäre. Und am Ende kann man sich gar nicht satt sehen und riechen an den verschiedenen Grüntönen und Düften. Vor allem wenn man vorher durch die quirligen Gassen spaziert ist, fühlt man sich wie in eine andere, ruhigere Welt versetzt.

Thursday 6 December 2018

Taormina . The Ancient Theater


The ancient amphitheater is probably the city's main attraction, but actually the whole city is an attraction, because almost every corner is photogenic. If you have seen other amphitheaters before, you will notice that it isn't impressive regarding its size, but because of its loaction. The city itself is located on hillside position and the arena is even higher up, so you have the most amazing panoramic view on the coast and landscape. So another great photolocation, hence I had to create a seperate post.:)

Das Antike Amphitheater ist wahrscheinlich die Hauptattraktion der Stadt, wobei die komplette Stadt eigentlich eine Attraktion ist. Wenn man bereits andere Amphitheater gesehen hat, ist dieses in Bezug auf seine Größe nicht allzu beeindruckend, jedoch aber in Bezug auf seine Lage. Da die Stadt selbst in erhöhter Lage an einem Hang liegt und auch das Theater in den Felsen integriert wurde, hat man eine freie Aussicht über die Küste und die Landschaft. 

Wednesday 28 November 2018

Taormina, you are beautiful


If you are in Catania, you can't miss visiting the beautiful town of Taormina. Situated on a cliff, you have the amazing view over the sea, the coastline and the hilly green landscape. Photos can't even reflect the real beauty with its bright colours. When we arrived we directly went to the amphitheater, which is one of the main sights, but even on our short way, we saw so many instagrammable places, it was hard not to stop and take hundreds of photos. I immediatelly decided, that I had to return with lots of clothes for some outfitshootings.😉 At the moment I saw everyone traveling to the Amalficoast to take some cute Instagrampics, but Taormina is definitely a good alternativ. 
We just stayed a few hours, but I still have so many pics, it is now difficult for me to split them up. So today I start with our first impressions and then we move on to the amphitheater.

Wenn man Catania oder Umgebung ist, sollte man sich auf gar keinen Fall entgehen lassen, Taormina zu besichtigen. Obwohl wir nur einen mehrstündigen Ausflug dorthin gemacht haben, habe ich soviel geknipst, dass es mir schon schwer fällt, diese ganzen Fotos in bestimmte Kategorien und somit verschiedene Blogposts zu unterteilen. Taormina ist so eine fotogene Stadt, dass ich aus dem Fotografieren einfach nicht heraus kam. Auf einem Hügel gelegen und direkt am Meer hat man so eine fantastische Aussicht, das man sich einfach nicht daran satt sehen kann. Ebenso wenig wie von der Altstadt selber, denn an jeder Ecke wartet ein schönes Motiv, das instagrammable ist. Ich habe direkt gesagt, ich muss definitiv wieder kommen um in den Straßen ein paar Outfits abzufotografieren. 😉

Tuesday 13 November 2018

Sicilian Evenings

In the early evening, after all the sights have closed, we always ask ourselfes the same question:"And now?". Because most of the sights are open until 6 p.m. and we often only step out of the hotel at noon, we soetimes just manage to visit one  place a day. We are lucky that in summer in Italy the shops are usually open until 9pm, so we can then do some shopping in the evening, like on that day. There was also the Giardino Bellini across the street of our hotel, so we did a little exploration tour, but didn't see much, because it was dark already. 😁

Am frühen Abend,wenn alle Sehenswürdigkeiten geschlossen sind, stellt sich uns immer wieder die Frage: "Und jetzt?!". Da die Öffnungszeiten meist nur bis 18 Uhr gehen und wir meist erst mittags einen Fuß vor die Tür setzten, schaffen wir oft nur ein Ziel. Da die Geschäfte in Italien oft im Sommer bis 21 Uhr geöffnet sind, nutzen wir die paar Stunden dann natürlich noch zum Shoppen aus, wie auch dieses Mal. Danach haben wir dann noch den Giardino Bellini erkundet, der fast gegenüber von unserem Hotel lag, wobei man dann im Dunkeln nicht allzu viel erkennen konnte. 😆

Wednesday 7 November 2018

What to do in Catania on a rainy day - The Benedictine Monastery & Catania Cathedral


I wouldn't particularly call Catania a city for museum enthusiasts, but if you can't live without art and history during a vacation, like I do,  you can always find sights to visit. Like on that rainy day, we decided to take a guided tour through the former benedictine monastery, which now houses a faculty of the Universaty of Catania. On Tripadvisor it is listed as one of the top activities and it was recommended doing a guided tour, because not all areas are accessible to tourists. Even though the tour was in italian, you get some info material in english. (Guided tours can take place in English or Spanish upon request)
The monastery was built in the 16th century and survived two major natural disasters in the 17th century, such as the eruption of Etna and a strong earthquake, so it was rebuilt and converted during this period of time. After the Italian Unification in the 19th century it was mainly used as a schoolbuilding and offices, therefore all the frescos and baroque decorations nearly disappeared. But during recent restorations, they discovered some ancient roman buildings, or what was left of them.
So because of its long history and the many different modifications, even though it isn't as splendid as other cloisters, it is still super interesting because of its architecture and the super nice tour guide, who provides you with a lot of insider informations.

Catania ist nun wirklich keine "Museumsstadt", aber wenn man ohne Kunst und Geschichte während eines Urlaubes nicht auskommt, wie ich, kann man natürlich neben unzähligen Kirchen noch weitere Sehenswürdigkeiten finden. Wie an jenem regnerischen Tag. Dieses Mal entschieden wir uns für eine Führung durch das ehemalige Benediktiner Kloster, welches jetzt eine Fakultät der Universität Catania beherbergt. Auf Tripadvisor ist es unter den Top-Aktivitäten gelistet und es wurde empfohlen, eine Führung mitzumachen, da nicht allzu viel frei zugänglich ist, was wir dann auch taten. Die Führung fand in einer sehr kleinen Gruppe auf italienisch statt, was für mich dank meiner Italienischkenntnisse kein großes Problem darstellte. Da man aber Unterlagen in Englisch mit dazu bekam (und ich probierte ein wenig zu übersetzten), war es für Tim dann auch informativ. Das Kloster stammt aus dem 16. Jahrhundert und wurde nach zwei Naturkatastrophen, dem Ausbruch des Ätna und einem starken Erdbeben, im 17. Jahrhundert um-und ausgebaut. Durch die Führung erhält man Zugang zu verschlossenen Bereichen und verschiedenen Ebenen, so dass man manchmal nicht mehr weiß, auf welcher Etage man sich gerade befindet. Im Keller z.B. gibt es eine Bibliothek, von der man sogar auf eine römische Ausgrabung inklusive Mosaiken hinabschauen kann. Ich denke, wegen der vielen Umbauten und der Nutzung als Universität ist es nicht so prunkvoll, wie manch ein anderes Kloster, aber dank seiner langen Geschichte und mit der super netten Führung trotzdem sehr interessant.


Wednesday 24 October 2018

Catania at night (and sunset)


Who would have thought, that we would find such a distinctive nightlife in Catania?! We spent hours roaming the streets of various cities at night and even in Rome you really have to have some insider information to find some good locations. But that's different in Catania and it wasn't difficult at all. Beforehand we were warned by different people, that Catania is known for their criminality and therefore we were a bit insecure at first to walk around at night, but that changed quickly and we almost felt saver than in some german cities at the same time of day. The first place we found accidentally after our visit at the museum at Castello Ursino,when we walked back towards the Piazza Duomo. There, near the fishmarket are not only many restaurants, but also some bars and we found some places where you can just join groups of people, who meet in front of those. After a beer or two and some take away fried fish, we then decided to climb up to the dome of the cathedral and enjoyed the view over the illuminated city. After that, we just followed some groups of younger people, who looked like they were ready to go out and they led us to Via Bellini, a street lined with bars and pubs. Even on our way back to the hotel we were super surprised, because we headed into some small, seemingly plain side streets and then right around the corner we ran into groups of people a few times, who gathered in front of some location. So I can't say Catania is missing some nightlife at all.

Wednesday 10 October 2018

Catania - Museo Civico Castello Ursino


After walking around the historical center of Catania for a couple of hours, it was already late afternoon and we decided to still visit the Civic Museum at the Castello Ursino, which was also on my Tripadvisor list and nearby. The Museum is situated in the 13th century castle Ursino, which was built for Emperor Frederick II, King of Sicily. At the museum on display are diverse exibits from the castle itself, but mainly from Catania and its surroundings and from artists, who were born in the city, which date back to ancient times. Unfortunatelly the museum seems a bit chaotic or even improvised and there was a lack of information boards in english and in general a main theme. Nevertheless there is a colourful mix of artefacts and you won't get bored. My highlights were some paintings by some local artists for example L'effetto dell'hashish (1875) by Pasquale Liotta or Head of mad Ophelia by Michele Rapisardi.

Nachdem wir durch die Altstadt gewandert waren und es schon später Nachmittag war, entschieden wir uns dann noch in ein Museum zu gehen, was auf meiner Tripadvisor-Liste stand. Da das Museum auch bis 19 Uhr geöffnet war, passte dies perfekt. Das Museum befindet sich im Castello Ursino, welches im Auftrag Kaiser Friedrichs II. im 13. Jahrhundert erbaut wurde. In dem Museum befinden sich diverse Artefakte aus Catania und Umgebung, die bis zurück in die Antike reichen. Leider erscheint das Museum teilweise improvisiert und mir fehlten Erklärungen zu den Ausstellungsstücken und im allgemeinen ein roter Faden. Trotzdem entsteht ein buntes Allerlei und es gibt es einiges Interessantes zu sehen. Meine Highlights waren die Gemälde einiger aus Catania stammender Maler wie z.B. L'effetto dell'hashish (1875) von Pasquale Liotta oder Head of mad Ophelia von Michele Rapisardi.

Monday 8 October 2018

Outfits - Catania Day1

Technically I ought to show some autumn clothes like normal people, but since we are still in Catania virtually, there is no way of doing that.;) And fortunatelly we had a nice late summer weekend with 26 degrees here in Germany, so this blogpost doesn't seem too ridiculous and out of context. And in one way or another, summer is my favorite season. I just don't like wearing layers of clothes, cause they make me feel constricted and not as light and free when wearing sandals and shorts. And speaking of shorts, my favorite new fashion find is definitely the skort. In fact they are shorts, but look like a skirt from the front. Super practical, if you like the look of a skirt, but want to move normally without too much caution. By the way, here I am wearing one from Stradivarius and a Tshirt by Pull&Bear. Tim is wearing a David Bowie shirt from Asos (which my sister and I are super jealous of) and some shorts by H&M.

Thursday 27 September 2018

Catania - First Impressions


So after one week in Puglia, we packed our bags again und travelled to our next destination, Sicily. We wouldn't have chosen that destination on our own, because we didn't associate much with Sicily and weren't that interested in exploring that part of Italy, but since my parents were also on holiday on the island at that time, we decided to meet there and then travel back to Germany together. So we travelled to Catania first and then wanted to go by train to their holiday resort near Palermo.
For our first day in Catania I didn't have a specific sight in mind. We booked an hotel right in the city center and just wanted see the neighboorhood and historic heart of the city.
I think it is so much fun strolling around, exploring new territories  and not having that pressure of time. And our first impressions were so different from what we expected. We thought it would be similar to Naples, but that was wrong. The streets are super neat, as well as the many large squares, lined with pretty, historic houses and baroque churches and palaces. Nothing what you think of when hearing the name 'Catania'.

Friday 21 September 2018

Outfits - Late Summer Evening (His & Her)


In late summer it could be more than 30 degrees at daytime, but can also be a little chilly at night. So you can already start to get used to wearing long clothes again. Even if you don't want to. I love to wear boyfriend jeans, because they are loosely fitted and you don't feel too "dressed". And if it gets warm anyhow, your pants don't get too clingy. Also the one-sleeve-trend is perfect for a late summer evening. Tim's favorite long trousers for the summer evenings became cargo pants and these dark beige coloured safari style ones couldn't be more summery.

Wednesday 19 September 2018

Gallipoli again

New evening, new luck. And again in Gallipoli. But if you just want to stroll around, this city is super nice, because you can choose from so many restaurants and bars, you will always find a nice place to eat. And afterwards you can also do a little souvenier shopping and enoy the sea air.When we are by the sea, we always use the opportunity to eat a lot of seafood, as we did that evening too. And because there is also an ice cream parlor, which is open all night long, we took a dessert too.

Neuer Abend, neues Glück. Und wieder in Gallipoli. Aber das Städtchen ist schon ganz nett, mit einigen Restaurants, Bars und Geschäften. Also wenn man nur gechilled durch die Straßen laufen möchte, ist dies immer eine Option. Wenn man am Meer ist muss man es natürlich auch ausnutzen und so oft wie möglich frischen Fisch essen, was mir auch zuerst getan haben. Und da es eine Eiscafe gibt, die sogar bis mitten in die Nacht auf hat, dufte ein Nachtisch natürlich auch nicht fehlen.



Thursday 13 September 2018

They didn't know what to do ...

... so they walked around and took some outfitphotos by the beach. 
When you travel at the end of summer, it may not be as busy and packed with tourist, so you can enjoy everything so much more and don't always have to wait an hour to get ,for example, an icecream. On the other hand, you don't have parties or festivals each day. But we don't have the energy to party every night anyways.;) But even if you just go to a restaurant or just walk around aimlessly and just get a Crêpe, it is always fun to dress up every evening while on holidays.

 ... sind wir herumspaziert und haben ein paar Outfitfotosgemacht.
Wenn man am Ende des Sommers verreist, sind die Städte nicht mehr so vollgestopft mit Touristen, so dass man nicht mehr eine Stunde für ein Eis anstehen muss. Andererseits gibt es auch nicht mehr jeden Tag Veranstaltungen, so dass man sich manchmal mit einem Restaurantbesuch zufrieden geben muss. Trotzdem gehört es für mich im Urlaub einfach dazu, mich jeden Abend aufzubrezeln, auch wenn man wie wir an dem Abend einfach nur zum Crêpestand geht und dann am Strand ein paar Fotos macht.

Thursday 16 August 2018

Nightlife Capital


Our holidays in Gallipoli literally take place between the beach and the nightlife. Some years ago, when the city was still an insider's tip, we always went in the main saison, and there were plenty of parties to choose from every single day. But since the city became famous and thousands of young tourists flooded the streets, the prices exploded. So now, as an ordinary mortal, you can just efford to go there in the midth of August or even later. And hence we got older, we can't party every night anyways, so a stroll with some crepes can also be an nice evening entertainment.

Unsere Urlaube in Gallipoli spielen sich hauptsächlich zwischen dem Strand und dem Nachtleben ab. Früher, als der Ort noch ein Insidertip war, kamen wir immer in der Hauptsaison, bis sich die Stadt vom Geheimtip zum Hotspot des italienischen (sommerlichen) Nightlife entwickelt hat und die Preise ins Unermessliche gestiegen sind. Ab Mitte August flaut der Tourismus schon ab und Parties finden nicht mehr täglich statt, also muss dann auch ein abendlicher Spaziergang reichen. Im heutigen Post sind die Fotos auch mehr auf unsere Outfits fokussiert, da ich die Umgebung wahrscheinlich schon 101 mal abfotografiert habe.


Wednesday 8 August 2018

Let's go to Puglia


Too difficult to guess, what my favorite country is, isn't it? So from the beautiful Tuscany we are virtually travelling to the equally gorgeous Puglia. Who follows my blog for a while now, may has noticed, that I visit this region of Italy almost every year. It is not only my father's native region and country, but therefore also mine and every time I go there, it feels like coming home. So our first highlight, which we're waiting for all year long, was visiting a fish restaurant and eating "frittura mista" (mixed fried fish). But before, a little outfit shoot, while we waited for my sis.:)

Schwer zu erraten, was ein Lieblingsland ist, oder? Denn aus der wundervollen Toskana reisen wir jetzt virtuell weiter ins ebenso hübsche Apulien. Wer meinem Blog schon länger folgt, könnte bemerkt haben, dass ich fast einmal im Jahr dort bin, da es die Heimat eines Vaters ist und sozusagen auch meine Heimat. Es ist immer so, als würde ich nach Hause kommen. Unser erstes Highlight war natürlich unser obligatorisches Frittura mista-Essen, nach dem wir uns das ganze Jahr über die Finger lecken. Aber davor noch ein kleines Outfitshooting.;)