Travel | iHeartBerlin.de

Exploring Bordeaux: 12 Highlights of the Most Famous Wine Region of France

A week ago I had the pleasure to join a press trip organized by my friend and colleague Katja from Travelettes that led us and a group of fellow bloggers to beautiful Bordeaux. When I researched the location of the city on a map I realized that France pretty much reads like the menu of a Gourmet restaurant with Bordeaux not being the only delicacy on the list. It made me realize how much this country is about good food and drinks – sometimes I tend to forget when I just go to Paris.

I’m glad I finally had the chance to see another part of France other than the capital. It’s such a different world really. Not just because of the more Southern weather, but also because of the beautiful landscapes, the charming people and generally more relaxed vibe. When you drive through the area it feels a lot like you are in Tuscany with the charming old limestone buildings, vineyards as far as the eyes can reach lined with cypress trees and rose bushes. It really is the backdrop for romantic movies.

On our trip, we had the chance to visit a lot of places, try a lot of wine and food and discover all the special highlights of the area. It’s a place that I can warmly recommend to anybody – regardless if you are into wine or not. I certainly want to come back here – to explore the city of Bordeaux more and discover more of these incredibly dreamy Châteaux.

Berlin is… European

by Frank | Stories, Travel

photo: Neil H / CC.

When I travel to foreign continents and get asked where I am from, my answer is often: “I am from Europe”. I never really thought about what this means until the Brexit vote. It’s not that I don’t want to say that I am from Germany (because whoever asks is probably going to demand a more precise answer anyway and I will give it). It’s not a lack of national pride; it’s more a sense of international unity within my own continent. I am happy to be German, but I am proud to be from Europe. Being born and raised in an isolated country like the GDR, the sense of freedom after the reunification was amazing.

I grew into an adult benefiting from the bond that the European countries had formed with one another after being in conflict for centuries. For me this became the status quo. I could travel, study, live and work in all of the other countries without problems, which many of my class mates actually did, going to France or the UK after school. When many of the countries even started to share one currency it became even more united. Going to Madrid or to Rome over the weekend to visit friends or just have a good time, this no longer felt like taking a vacation in a foreign country. It felt like something else…

The 5 Best Cultural City Day Trips Close to Berlin

by Franziska | Travel

Although we deeply love Berlins every corner, from Wassertumplatz to Grunewald, we sometimes feel the need to get away for a weekend. Especially when the temperatures are as promisingly high, as they will be the upcoming May weekends. When Angry Chicken is no longer an option, clubbing grows redundant and meeting your friends at Holzmarkt really starts to bore you – we are right here for you to get you out of your Berlin blues. We thought about 5 charming cities to visit on the weekend, that are just 2 hours or less away from Berlin and interesting to explore. So, get your bus ticket or carpool organized, we’re going to get you going!

A Stunning Video Tribute to Notre-Dame de Paris

by Frank | Travel, Videos

International travel videographer Alex Soloviev has already blessed us with his two stunning Berlin travel videos The Inner Layer and Everyday Berlin. Now, on the quite sad occasion of the fire at Notre-Dame, he released a beautiful tribute video of the French Icon that he shot on the roof of the famous church – a place that is probably not going to be accessible for years to come. From here you see those parts of the church that were probably the most destroyed by the devastating fire earlier this week.

As shocking as the fire and its damages to the beloved building were – it’s a relieve to know that it was not completely lost and can be rebuilt again. In Berlin, most of our major sights were also quite heavily destroyed by fires at some point in the past – for buildings this old it’s just always gonna be a part of their history.

A Trip to the Cutest Creatures of Brandenburg: Alpacas

by Claudio | Stories, Travel, Wellness

For some Berliners, Brandenburg feels like Mordor from Lord of the Rings. A dark place you are not supposed to go. But our recent discovery will make this assumption disappear even for the most sceptikal ones: An Alpaka farm with the most fluffy creatures of the world

Just one hour from Berlin by car is the little village of Börnicke near Nauen. There you will find the privately run Alpaca farm run by Nora and Joachim. Both are big fans of Alpacas who normally live in South America. They decided to build a little stable for these incredible animals next to an idyllic forest.

When we arrived we did not really know what to expect. But as soon as we stood in the middle of the field the funny animals avidly came towards us eating crispy bread from our hands and cuddling with us. We instantly got high of joy. I would have never believed it myself, but playing with these animals gives you the absolute feeling of happiness. When they look at you with their cute big brown eyes you cannot avoid feeling a deep warm sensation around your heart.

A Guide to Awesome Hostels in Berlin

by Michalina | Accommodation, Travel

photo: HappyGoLucky Hostel

With all the stories depicting Berlin as a modern day Shangri-La (which we can be innocent of spreading a little bit), you might be one of those happy-go-lucky expats arriving here with very little idea as to where they’re gonna rest their bones after their tendency to doze off at a club becomes rather a nuisance. But scoring a place of your own is no easy feat in the super competitive Berlin real estate market. When all your struggles have been in vain and you still haven’t found a flat, always asking your one night stands for a sleepover, it’s time to temporarily let down your arms and check out some affordable hostels before fortune finally smiles back at you:

Wellness Escapes from Berlin: South Tyrol

by Claudio | Travel, Wellness

Miramonti Hotel

Even if you live a healthy lifestyle between yoga classes and Quinoa Avocado bowls: a big city like Berlin with its hustle and bustle is surely not beneficial for our health. Air pollution, sound pollution, electric pollution are just a few annoying things. Where I suffer actually the most are bars that feel like a deep dive into an ashtray full of cigarettes or the typical 12-hour working shifts sitting in offices destroying your eyes in front of a flickery computer. Of course, Berlin has beautiful nature with plenty of lakes and forests just outside the city. But the landscape is flat and boring like a pancake. So if you want to breathe pure mountain air and get an eyegasm while checking out the curvy Dolomites you have to follow us on our little Berlin escape down to South Tyrol.

We have been a fan of this region for several years now and try to get there as often as we can. This time around we had the chance to try out some specific health and balance activities the tourism office of South Tyrol is offering. Not only the pricing of this program is more than fair. On South Tyrol Balance you have the chance to choose from so many different activities that you will be surprised how many diverse experiences you can have in just one region.

Below we will guide you through our 7 favorite South Tyrol wellness experiences with some pretty awesome pictures we took over there.

A Swedish Midsommar Dream Come True

by Frank | Party, Photos, Travel

This past weekend I had the pure pleasure to celebrate Midsommar in Sweden on a beautiful estate in the countryside near Ahus. We’ve all heard of this holiday here because of all the Swedish people living here and the Germans generally being quite into Swedish things. For the Swedish this is really a big deal, it’s like the next big thing after Christmas. It was my first time, and considering how amazing it was, I hope it won’t be the last time.

The Midsommar Weekender was initiated by Absolut, and knowing how elaborate their events are from previous ones (see here and here) we knew we were in for a real treat. The three day affair pretty much incorporated all the traditions of Midsommar, including flower crows, maypole dancing, a big lunch banquette and outdoor games. Mixing it with what Absolut does best – cocktails, concerts and great parties – it turned out to be pretty spectacular weekend. We totally want you to start celebrating Midsommar here too, so to wet your appetite we brought you some photos from this lovely weekend in Sweden.

Why I Could Never Heart New York Like I Heart Berlin

by Michalina | Photos, Stories, Travel

Not so long ago, I used to spend two hours on a train to get to my high school in Warsaw. The long commute and initial alienation were worth the thrill of being surrounded by a strange crowd. I got engrossed by it. Every morning, I’d spent at least 10 minutes of my ride in the joyful anticipation of the moment when the train rolls onto the station and I get lost within the urban flow.

This notion of pure excitement and longing for some big city action accompanies me to whatever metropoly I visit, and obviously New York was no exception. I wanted to find out if the famous city that never sleeps could cast a spell on me quite like Berlin did – getting off the plane, I was wondering if I might end up feeling like I want to stay.

Weekend Escape from Berlin: Apulia and Castro

by Claudio | Travel

The end of the world can be a beautiful place sometimes. At least that’s the case for Apulia the high heel of the boot of Italy and the little village of Castro at its bottom. There you really feel you have reached the end of all the worlds you know. No big city, no hustle and bustle, no futurism, no minimalism and certainly no cold. Neither the weather nor the heart of the welcoming people cheering travelers and tourist alike.

To give you a more unconventional description for this beautiful place we had the pleasure to experience for just two days, we will tell you more about the 4 unique colors we saw.

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