Venice announcement

Walking around Zagreb this last month I couldn’t get away from screaming travel agency windows with offers to spend Valentines Day or Carnival in Venice, Carnival in Rijeka and other usual tours that haven’t changed since 1980s. I wanted to visit Venice again. It’s been a long time since I last visited…and shame on me! because it’s so close. I’m actually really lucky; living in middle Europe, Mediterranean moreover has its benefits – you feel like you’re close to everywhere.

I decided to go to Venice, some time later in the week. My reason for going is to finally take photos of Venice Carnival. I’ve never been there this time of year. On my way home I picked up some itineraries in a few travel agencies to see what they offer. One day itinerary included a guided tour around the city, a couple of hours free to see the carnival and scheduled return home at 5 pm. If you take a two day trip, you arrive later in the day, have a guided tour and return to hotel outside Venice for dinner. The next day you have a tour of Murano, Burano and Torcello and you are off! I know that these tours differ from country to country but, in the end, it’s all the same. It’s a weekend trip.

Where is my free time, what do I do there? Why would you go somewhere, be shown around and then sent home. It sounds more like a museum tour. What happened to ‘travelling meant exploring’?

So, my plan is to take a train Zagreb – Venice – Zagreb. I will arrive around 7.15 am which will give me just enough time to take photos of sun rising upon Venice and of interesting places when they are more or less empty. Then I’ll have a whole day of exploring in front of me but, I won’t  tell you now what I have in mind   The train leaves at 9.20 pm, which is perfect! To avoid the crowds, I won’t go during the weekend.

That’s it.  Venice, here I come!

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Sirmione, Italy

When you’re on the road in Europe, travelling from place to place, you make occasional stops. Sometimes those are just restaurants by the road, and sometimes you’ll stop in a smaller but popular tourist destination. If you’re passing through Italy, you will probably stop to take a bite at Autogrill, or visit Pisa, Siena, Ravenna or Verona. But what about other small places that are not as popular but are also interesting and beautiful; places that are not crowded with tourists or traffic, where you can take a walk and stop for lunch or dinner.

When I was driving back home from Lugano (a town in Switzerland very dear to me), passing through Italian region of Lombardy, I turned and made a stop in Sirmione. Northeast part of Italy and Switzerland are beautiful because of many lakes in the area. Sirmione is situated on Lake Garda. This area was a favorite resort to rich families from Verona and other nearby cities from 1st century BC. During the Roman era Sirmione became a fortified strongpoint defending the southern shore of the lake, partially due to its position (look at the map). Over the centuries it came into possession of different kingdoms are republics. At one point the noble family of the Scaliger (Scaligeri), who were lords of Verona, took over the leadership. They built this castle below which is today about a thousand years old.

Sirmione is a nice town to visit. There are a number of churches besides the Scaglieri castle and the ruins of Catullus residence. Maybe you read Gaius Valerius Catullus poetry and know who he was (he was an ancient Roman poet who lived in Sirmione). It was summer time when I visited. I took a walk, made some photos (as usual), stopped in some local shops to see what crafts they occupied with (mostly pottery and blacksmith)  and went to a local gallery.

One of the things I liked the most is this house…looks even more unbelievable when you see it n front of you…

All in all, Sirmione was great. The amazing view of lake Garda, calm atmosphere of the town and a few interesting places were just right…

Did you make a stop in a smaller town that left an impression on you? Which is it?

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

First Cafe in Europe

Do you know what was the first cafe in Europe? Where did it open and what is the story behind it? If you didn’t, I’m here to tell you about it…

The first cafe in Europe was, and still is, Cafe Pedrocchi. You probably already recognized it’s located in Italy by its name. But some of you may suppose it’s in Rome, maybe Venice…but it’s not. It is in Padua.

This is Cafe Pedrocchi from the back, right from the building with gotic arches, the one with doric order.

Tourist agencies usually combine Padua and Verona, since they are close, as one trip and leave less than a day in Padua. But that doesn’t mean that is anything less worth the visit. There is the inevitable statue of venetian knight Gattamelata by Donatello, Donatello’s house (he lived in Padua), Basilica di St Antonio di Padua with the oldest Magnolia tree in Europe in the court of the monastry….

Cafe Pedrocchi is a result of bringing together two incredible talents; the ones of Antonio Pedrocchi and Giuseppe Jappelli. Antonio Pedrocchi inherited a little cafe from his father. In just a few years he succeeded in accomplishing his ideas, combining art and architecture. He invested in an ambitious project of his friend who was an architect – Giuseppe Jappelli. Pedrocchi wanted to create two different places in this amazing neoclassical building. One that would be a cafe, open 24 hours a day and be open to all guests, and another, reserved for “la creme de la creme” of Paduan society. It would be a place where parties and balls were hosted, same as mason and other business meetings. Very exclusive and luxurious.

Antonio Pedrocchi succeeded, he made his dream come true. And even more that a decade later Cafe Pedrocchi is still a successful cafe with the closest philosophy and is well-known as one of the biggest and best cafes in Europe. It really looks amazing when you see it with your own eyes.

It’s incredible how a story always enriches every place…don’t you think? Sometimes it seams like we travel to hear stories…

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Delikatessen Frankowitsch – Graz, Austria

Another place in Graz I want to steer your attention to more closely is Delikatessen Frankowitsch. There are two reasons for it. First, while travelling people have very different habits, what they eat, when they eat etc. I know that when I’m travelling somewhere only for a day, I tend to eat light if I sit in a restaurant  for lunch but I usually skip lunch, mostly because I forget about it.  So if I don’t sit in a restaurant, I take about half an hour to eat a little something, and I try to search for something local. On the other hand, if I’m travelling for a longer period of time, I enjoy going to restaurants. The second reason is that many people search for local food, to buy a little something to take home.

That is why Delikatessen Frankowitsch is a great place to show you. It is very easy to find, just off Herrengasse up Stempfergasse, you can’t miss it.

View Larger Map

The place is divided in two parts. When you come in, on your right side you’ll see shelves and shelves of jams, honey, tens of different pates, pickled vegetables and mushrooms, olives, breads and sauces. In front of the shelves is a long refrigerator with probably every cured meet and cutles you can and cannot imagine; different sorts of cheese, salads and fresh pates. On the left is a great choice of wine, champagnes and beer. Oh, and don’t forget chocolate, olive oils and much more…

As you pass to the second part of Delikatessen Frankowitsch, you enter the buffet/bar where you can order any of their products and enjoy a quick meal, a drink or if you like some of their confection, a pastry or a cake. The place is always full of people, locals and tourists so don’t hesitate to drop by.

So what are your eating habits while travelling? Is this a kind of place you would look for?

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Cafe Sacher in Graz

Getting to any place is easy. Knowing what to do then is  the harder part… With Graz has always been easy for me, especially because I get the chance to revisit very often. Then you don’t have the feeling of urgency and the strict list of things to see. That’s why, if we aren’t coming back to a city or any other place more than once, we want to know how to get both; enjoy our destination without panic and visit great places we found out about that we probably wouldn’t otherwise.

In Graz, Cafe Sacher is one of those places. For some the tradition they started back in the 19th century will be enough. But let me give you the other reasons you should visit Cafe Sacher…

When you enter Cafe Sacher, you actually enter a passage. There are two different areas of Cafe Sacher. The first one looks onto the street (Herrengasse) and is modern, dark, with dark wooden stools and tables. It has a classy touch, like a blend of the old atmosphere and modern, but very simple interior. That part is just a cafe and it’ s the one I prefer. When I came there last time, it was already full. Down the passage, under the barrel vault and lighting from the floor covered in stone,  you’ll enter the other part of Cafe Sacher that partially also serves as a restaurant later in the day. This part has the feeling of past times, with secessionist furniture, marble tables and dimmed lights.

The staff on Cafe Sacher is really friendly and nice, and most important of all, they make amazing coffee. You can go for stronger or lighter tastes, or Austrian mixes with different alcohol beverages. The freshly brew their coffee and make fresh, “home made” cream. Of course, what would be a real European cafe without cakes?! Their menu changes, but what you should try your first time there is the Sacher cake or the Apfel strudel.  Sacher cake is a traditional Austrian chocolate cake with apricot jam and Apfel strulel is a kind of light pasty with apple.

Lovely place, don’t you agree?

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

A day in Graz – Part 2

…As it was already afternoon and we decided to take a walk by the river Mur. You can enjoy the amazing views of the city, its diversity, the blend of the old and the new architecture.

The second picture presents the Mur Island. Under the shell is an open-air theatre, a playground and a cafe run buy Sorger! Remember Sorger? The bakery I’m praising so much?? It was planned and built as one of the buildings for the year 2003 when Graz was the culture capital of Europe. At night, it lights up in purple and looks really interesting.

Looking at the other side or the river, you’ll see another odd looking glass structure. That’s Kunsthaus, Museum of Contemporary Art, also built by 2003 and with right earned the title of European culture capital. Due its looks, it is popularly called The Alien.At the time, Kunsthaus didn’t host any interesting exhibitions, so I’ll talk about the interior,  how your ticket is actually a sticker etc. some other time. Crossing the bridge, you are leaving behind one other landmark of Graz, Schlossberg. It’s a tree-clad hill with a castle which actually gave Graz it’s name. Gradec or Graz meand “little castle”.

You can either climb the stairs up or use Schlossbahn, a funicular. It’s especially beautiful in the spring when the trees are green and the sky is clear. Untill spring, I will just show you the stairs…a photo taken by a student living in Graz, which is amazing, the colours…quite sureal.

Heading back we bought “maroni”; it’s a sweet chestnut but bigger. You have to try them if you visit Graz (or anywhere in the area) in autumn or early winter. There are big stalls, smuldering and the sweet smell is spreading through the streets. We had a few more places to stop by, the places we always go to… like The Body Shop, a place to buy hand made cosmetics…

Moser bookshop – with huge section of magazines from all over Europe, but the rest are mostly books in German so don’t get too carried away…

And the inevitable Haller for this time of year. Haller sells all kinds of glass Christmas decoration. One look at their window and you are sold…

When we left Graz, bringing home some sweets and presents,  it was already dark. We were happy that we spend our day exactly the way we wanted and we were surprised by the impression Graz left on us this time. When you stop chasing whatever you thought you should and just relax and start following what you’re interested in when you see it, while you’re there, that’s when you’ll understand what the place you are at is all about. I hope I succeeded in presenting Graz to you. It’s a lovely place and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Austria.

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

A day in Graz – Part 1

The day finally came; Matea and I set off to Graz early, that Saturday morning. We arrived just around 9 am when shops started to open and the town was becoming more alive. It was pouring rain, unfortunately no snow as I had hoped for, so we decided to go to Cafe Sacher, our first stop. If you go to Graz, you have to go to Cafe Sacher; consider it a landmark. Their coffee is delicious, people are very nice and friendly and the Cafe has been around for a long time. Anyway, with already heated coffee machines and the smell of freshly brewed coffee, we had no problem waking up and being ready to walk the streets of Graz yet again.

When we came out, the rain was still falling, but significantly less than when we came. The whole idea of this trip was to rest, to take the time off and to spend it in a place we already knew but just enjoying the Christmas atmosphere and seeing Graz in a way we didn’t before, wandering the streets and discovering interesting places. Walking up Herrengasse, the main shopping street, we quickly came to the place we already knew – Sorger bakery to buy some delicious pastry. With no defined agenda we continued up the street just talking and laughing and making photos…

Graz is full of great bakeries; the old, the new, the ones with tradition… Explore them if you get the chance. All the pastry, bread and cakes are a delight for all your sences. Just like this one…

Once you get a little further away from the center and the main shopping street, that’s when you start discovering those special places that are worth the visit, and, in the end, that make the city special. One of those places is Delikatessen Frankowitsch; a place to buy the best of cured meet, cutlet, cheese, bread, all kinds of cold salads and pickled vegetables, pates, olives, virgin olive oil, vine, champagne, beer, chocolate, and so much more. While you’re there, you can sit in a buffet/bar, order a drink, some food or even patisserie.

In the neighbourhood you can find some interesting design stores. I would highlight Mur, a really great store with interior design goodies and nino d, which sells kind of different, but hip accessorize.

Most of the squares in the center are Christmas markets and most of them aren’t anything special, in fact, you can find anything and nothing really. But since most markets around Europe are the same way (except the big popular ones), it didn’t bother me. I enjoyed more the colors and photographing people, than I ever would in any market.  There were some interesting handcrafts, especially from wood. But, that’s just my point of view. Matea and I loved the little wooden spiral spoons, which were a decoration..see the pic below.The only thing that will surprise you is the sweet cinnamon smell of hot wine that you can feel everywhere you go…

As it was already afternoon and we decided to take a walk by the river Mur…

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Sorger – bakery in Graz, Austria

So one of the perks of going to Graz is being able to buy something delicious in one of the bakeries in Graz. My friend Matea and me have a little tradition, since we lost count of how many times we’ve visited Graz together plus all the times besides those,  of going to Sorger. We arrive early in the morning and to start a great day Sorger is our first destination.

Sorger is located in the center of Graz; the best to find it is to walk to Hauptplatz and then find Sporgasse where the bakery is. Sporgasse is a street going uphill and Sorger is just a few steps away on the right side.

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The interior is elongated with wood pannels on the wall and stone one the floor. It looks cosy and warm. But I’m sure you’ll be taken over by amazing bakery goods a lot more than the simple interior. All the sandwitces, pasty, bread  and cakes will make your choice a lot harder. It all looks delicious! And don’t let me tell you how delicious it is… Our recommendations are Chocko-vanille hornetten, Mozart croissant or one of those integral rolls (try the one with cornflakes on top…crazy combination!). For you who don’t know what Mozat filling is, it’s the same as Mozat kugel, a small layered ball of chocolate, nought, pistacio and marzipan. It’s a traditional chocolate from Saltzburg, where Mozart lived. But more obout the some other time.

In the extension of the area is a place that looks like a cafe, where you can sit are eat what you bought in the bakery, order a cup of coffee and enjoy. Especially if it’s cold outside as it was when we visited Graz last time, before this Christmas…

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

A cup of coffee in Graz

It’s official! I’m going to Graz with my best friend Matea. I’ve been working really hard lately and I still have a lot more to do, so I didn’t plan any trips in the near future. That was the cold truth, lol, because I travel very often.

sketch by Daniel Belasco Rogers

So a few days ago, I met Matea for our usual cup of coffee (which always lasts for modest three hours ). I don’t remember what we were talking about at that point but she said: “Why don’t we go to Graz?!” Totally out of the blue, unrelated to anything! “Really, why not!”, I said. It was the trip we usually took twice a year but, for a long time now, we didn’t go. It’s not far, anyone who knows the distance between Zagreb and Graz, know that it’s about 2 hours by car and a little more by bus. Actually with the new speed limits in Slovenia, it might take us a lot longer, lol! Because it’s so close we very often say: “Let’s go to Graz for a cup of coffee!”

We always have a great time and it’s only for a day; the 24 hours I can always take out of my schedule. It’s our way to escape the rush in our lives and thoughts and to just enjoy. The date is set for the second week in December. That’s great news for you too! I have decided to make special photos to put on my blog (maybe even some of the others), tell you a story about the Christmas market, take you for a walk around town and show you a few special places that I have in mind!

Every time we went to Graz, it was nice and sunny. This time, I’m hoping for snow…just to set the mood. Shhhhhhhhh! Don’t tell Matea…

For great travel ideas and even better friends!

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Cafe Gerbeaud in Budapest

I love visiting Budapest in winter. Especially now, before Christmas, walking around the city of beautiful architecture and art, soaking the great atmosphere. There is a place that I love to go to, that for me represents Budapest and where I feel like one of the artists from around hundred years ago, drinking good coffee and drawing in the warm corner of the cafe.

Vorosmarty square

Just walking into Cafe Gerbeaud, you’ll feel like you have walked into a different time. With marble floors, wood panneling on the walls, rococo plaster work on the ceiling and sparkling chandeliers, the interior is even more that you expect looking at the beautiful building in the center (Pestum). Connoisseurs will recognize secessionist style furniture and a little french influence.

The magic continues once you open the menu…you have to order a coffee and a piece of cake. Coffees are delicate and fine, and cake selection is completely exceptional. Try a well-known Hungarian Dobos cake or Esterhazy cake.

Esterhazy cake

Cafe Gerbaud is also know by their bakery goods that they have diligently perfected since they opened their doors in 1858. So if you stop by in the morning for breakfast, to read the newspapers, it will be as appealing. French brioche, English apple pie with vanilla sauce of traditional pogatscha with cottage cheese will spoil you. But those are the little pleasures we should all enjoy.

You can take a part of that experience back home with you. Cafe Gerbaud will offer you, in the Green Salon, handmade bon bons, house jams, preserved fruits and cakes beaufully packaged. It won’t be an easy choice…

…and you will keep on coming back…

Stella – European Travelling Advisor