This is the second post in a two-part piece about my travels to Vorarlberg in Austria. Read the first part: Mountain Hiking, Herbal Walks and Local Food in Lech, Austria

For the second part of my Vorarlberg stay, we moved to Bregenzerwald. The drive to Bregenzerwald from Lech is a magical weave through valleys and mountains. Sweeping winding roads, and lots of promise. So stunning we had to stop to take some photos and stop and pause to take it all in. 

We were on our way to Löwen mountain distillery with lunch first there in the Gasthaus Löwen’s Inn & Café. A beautiful restaurant in an old house with one of those beautiful large tiled heaters (a Kachelofen). Windows draped by small curtains looked at the mountains outside. We took a table in the corner and perused the traditional menu. I love the menus in places like this. Plump käsespätzle (handmade noodle shreds in a voluptuous and generous cheese sauce) and schnitzel were what drew most of us in. The cool mountain air creates an enthusiastic appetite and with a distillery trip straight after, there is a need for it.  Continue reading

I am fond of winter but I love to see it go. By the time it leaves it has become an unwelcome guest. It is a relief to see the buds open at Springtime and the trees begin to flourish, as they are this week. Walks home from the supermarket are peppered with mini assaults of blossom fragrance. The footpaths are dusted with their petals. The days are longer, the sky brighter, there is the promise of summer to come. Food becomes more interesting as we are almost out of the Hungry Gap (that period when little grows). 

Mountains come into their own in Spring and Summer. No more so than those favoured for their winter culture like the Alps. Last summer I visited Vorarlberg in the Austrian Alps. Our drive from Zürich ascended in the dark, in the morning I was greeted with crisp air, the sights of lush meadows and tall peaks, and bubbling brooks. 

The town of Lech is a pretty one. Famed for royal visitors (Princess Diana would ski here), it is also one of the worlds premier ski destinations. But Lech is also a joy in summer. The crowds are gone, and in the place of the snow all is lush. The days are hot and long, but there is crisp clear air accompanying.  Continue reading

I love a second city. I live in one of the worlds great capitals, yes. And I love London. But for a weekend break I love to go to a second city. Second cities are vibrant, fun, people choose to live there for the more relaxed lifestyles but they still want city life. As a result there is often vibrant food and drink culture, and lots you can do for a weekend break. 

To Graz then in Austria. I had heard much about it but had never been. Graz is a beautiful well preserved city in the east of Austria. Beautiful architecture, entirely walkable, lots of lovely cafes and bars. Overlooking the city is the Schlossberg, a hill in the centre of Graz that is accessible by lift or funicular. There are steps too if you feel energetic! A public park and bars and restaurants overlook the city below. Many were picnicking in the park the weekend that I visited. There are lots of museums and it is a beautiful city to just walk around.

Surrounded by wine regions and ell placed for a weekend break, there is plenty to keep the food and wine obsessive busy. I I focussed on the food and drink of course! Here is my list. 

Eating and Drinking in Graz

Aiola Upstairs

Come here for the views over the city (book a table outside at the edge) and to sample contemporary Austrian cuisine with a twist and excellent local wines. 

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Lendplatz Farmer’s Market (Bauernmarkt am Lendplatz)

This thriving local market was packed with vendors selling local produce from cut flowers to local meats and cheeses. There are many cafes and bars where you can have coffee and brunch also.  Continue reading

When I say Austria, I bet you don’t think wine. You think mountains, snow, cheese, and cows with ring-a-ding-DING cow bells. Winding paths in meadows, the Sound of Music maybe, lots schnitzel and dumplings, gorgeous soups. Austrians are always surprised to hear that we don’t think of wine when we think of them. In 2017 the Austrian wine industry produced a record 2.6 million hectolitres in multiple wine regions spread throughout the country. Vienna itself is one of the few cities in the world with a thriving wine industry within the city limits.  

You may already know this and know of Grüner Veltliner, one of the most popular wine exports from Austria. A dry white wine made from the grape of the same name grown primarily in Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, it is a favourite of mine. Did you know that there is a wine region in Eastern Austria that specialises in Sauvignon Blanc? Not just Sauvignon Blanc, of course, there are many varietals but this is what they are best known for. They are also known for their excellent fried chicken. Fried as wiener schnitzel in a dense crisp crumb. It is a delight. Small plump farm chickens, coated with crumb and fried until juicy and crisp. I was as surprised as I was delighted. What a treat! 

Styria – a half hour drive from Graz and home to three wine regions and excellent wine

Continue reading

Jump to What to Eat and Drink in Zillertal

But you have surely been everywhere by now? Say so many people about my travels. Far from it, I explain, and I still have such enthusiasm to move and explore. Some countries I have been to several times (Italy, Spain, France, Australia, Canada and Borneo are my most visited), and there are many that I have yet to set foot in at all. Many in Europe, many everywhere. Until last week, Austria was one.

Friends love it. For skiing, for wine (and I already know that I love their wine). I love winter, I love to pop into winter for a while, deep sharp blinding white winter, and to bounce back out again. But I am not much of a winter sports person, I am more about walking around and kicking in the snow, enjoying the winter food and hanging out. I love the cold air and how fresh I feel in it. With the cold you can wear the right clothes, if it is too hot all you can do is suffer (especially if you are pale – transparent like me!). A book on a snowy terrace as opposed to whooshing down a piste in boots too tight whilst attached to skis. I love to wander and find out of the way restaurants on top of mountains and hang out for a while. Continue reading