Gypsy*Guide - Vienna*Austria

Vienna is often compared to Budapest as they both used to be the crown jewels of the once majestic AustroHungarian empire. But Vienna is much more than history and pretty buildings. Today we have the pleasure of being introduced to the best of the city by one of my fave bloggie friends Vicky from Bikinis and Passports. Vicky was the first blogger I´ve ever met in real life and we´ve been blogger besties ever since! :) I love this girl, so make sure you stop by her blog and check out her favorite places should you ever visit Vienna! (and you definitely should! ;D) 

I feel so honored that Gabby asked me to share some of my favorite places in Vienna with her amazing readers. Ever since I moved to Vienna for school 3 years ago I have really learned to love and appreciate the city. Not only do you get to see little bits and pieces of history at every corner you walk by, but Vienna also has so many amazing restaurants, bars and parks to offer. Here are some of my personal favorite picks:

FOOD:

1.     Shanghai Tan – if you like asian cuisine, you will love this places. Anything from their wonton soup to the specialty rolls is a great choice and I have never had anything I didn't like. On the weekends you should probably make reservations. For an extra special time, ask for one of the booths downstairs :)

Rochus - in the 3^rd district is great for brunch. They serve things like homemade hummus, special eggs with truffle and have amazing breakfast combos.

3.     Dots im Brunnerhof – this place has incredible experimental sushi and is especially nice in the summer since you can sit in the pretty courtyard. It's in the 19^th district, so a little further out but can easily be reached with the D tram (Nussdorf).

NIGHTLIFE:

1.     Palais Kinsky – currently my favorite club. They have multiple floors with different kinds of music. You can chill to some house tunes or sing along to Britney Spears :) Fridays are my favorite there but I heard Saturdays are pretty good as well, depending on the DJ.

2.     Freiraum – it's a café, bar & restaurant all in one! Located right on Mariahilfer Straße it is easy to get to and always packed with a fun crowd. They serve delicious cocktails (and an yummy breakfast). Reservations are probably a good way to go since at night it can be hard to get a table.

MUST - DO:

1.     Hermann Strandbar – if you come to Vienna during the summer you have to stop by this place. Located by Schwedenplatz (Urania) along the Danube Channel you will find a sandy place thats always super busy when its warm out. You can either bring your own drinks or have some at the bar there.

2.     The Ring – whenever I have people over that haven't been to Vienna before I like to show them the ring, which surrounds the first district. You can walk along it and see all the important historic buildings like the university, cityhall, Burgtheater, Hofburg, opera, …

3.     Naschmarkt – a big market with amazing little restaurants inbetween. You can find anything from exotic fruits to hard-to-get herbs there. My 2 favorite places to eat there are Neni which is a little more casual or Nautilus which is an amazing seafood place.

IF YOU HAVE TIME:

1.     Vintage Flo – a vintage shop where you'll find vintage chanel earrings, next to designer costumes and amazing hats. Definitely not cheap but wonderful for browsing!!

2.     Türkenschanz Park – a wonderful place to spend a sunny afternoon or go for a picnic. There are little meadows, ponds and benches to catch some sun. 

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3.      Cupcakes – it is the most adorable cupcake café and it just opened last September. I looove going there for a cupcake and latte with my girlfriends. You can also buy cute cakestands and cupcake-accessories there! 

Thanks Vicky!!! I cannot wait to visit you someday soon! ;)
Have you ever been to Vienna?

Gypsies & Passports

Sunnies - Mango, Scarf - H&M (similar HERE), Watch - Michael Kors, Camera Bag - c/o THEIT, Skirt - Vintage Lux, Leather Boots & Leather Jacket - Zara (similar HERE)

I was extra super douper excited to fly to Vienna for a photoshoot because it meant that I get to catch up with Vicky! Miss Bikinis&Passports was the first blogger I have ever met in real life when she visited Budapest with her friends about a year ago and we have been blogger besties ever since. The past two days have been full of blog brainstorming, tips sharing and filling in the real life gaps (spiced up with some photoshoots, cupcakes and gelato ;).  She not only let me crash at her place but have also been taking me around, showing me the best of her Vienna! (you can check her Vienna city guide here)

I love blogging for many reasons, but the most important one is the real life connections I get to make with amazing girls all over the world. Even if it´s just sending a personal message on twitter, leaving an extra special comment, doing a photoshoot or meeting up for coffee, these connections always makes me appreciate my baby blog that much more. I only wish Vicky and I would live in the same city so we could inspire each other and take pictures together more often! ;) THANK YOU VICKY for being the sweetest, cutest blogger bestie ever and thank you for letting me crash at your place!

Hallo Wien!

I think I would have fallen in love with Vienna had it not been so so similar to Budapest. You can definitely tell that these two majestic cities once belonged to the same empire, the architecture, the food, the mood and the people in general are just so similar. I remain partial to Budapest, just because that breathtaking views alongside the Danube, but Vienna is definitely a city I could live in... or visit over and over again! ;)

28

Today is my birthday! ;) It´s time to reflect on the past one year and review all the things that have happened, the good and the bad, celebrate the successes and learn from the mistakes. And boy has it been a year... I don´t think there has ever been so many changes in my life or I don´t even think it´s even physically possible to manage more in one short year. 

I moved. Twice. First from Budapest to Berlin in February and than from Berlin to Barcelona in October. It´s a strange feeling when one of your long time dreams come true. I´ve been wanting to move to Barcelona since I was 10, long before I visited this beautiful city. I guess it is what love at first sight must be (without the actual sight ;), I just always knew that it was the place for me and there might be only one other city which has such an attraction to me (New York, and yet again I´ve never been :). I´m now living here since two whole months and I still can´t believe it! Every time I see a palm tree or go for a walk on the beach I have to fight my tears of joy. I made it, and I feel like I´m finally home!

I became a photographer. This is again a sentence I still have to wrap my head around (like the fact that I live in my dream city). Exactly one year ago today I gave myself the best birthday present I could ever give myself. I decided to take a leap of faith, quit my corporate day job and follow my dream. Being your own boss, learning on your own and establishing your own company in a foreign country is not always a walk in the park but I´ve never been a happier, more positive person than now. I welcome the challenges as I see them as opportunities for growth, I don´t know it all, but nothing worth having comes easy and I´m just so so lucky and fortunate to have found my passion, my profession and hopefully I can turn my baby company into a blossoming business and will be so busy shooting weddings that I´ll have to constantly apologize for noth updating G*D as often as I´d like! ;D That is my biggest birthday wish!

I´ve really poured my heart and soul into En Route and I´m s proud of all the work I´ve done. Next to all the amazing brides, families and friends I got to photograph I´m very happy with how my En Route blog and website have turned out. Now it´s time to get down to business!;)

I´ve travelled... a LOT. I have times when I feel like I´m not going anywhere, but than I look at G*D and realize that I have no clue what the hell I´m talking about. Next to photography travelling is my biggest passion and I´m fortunate to live in Europe (=cheap flights ;) and have a lot of wonderful friends all over to let me couch surf ;). In 2011 I´ve snowboarded in Italy, came to Barcelona twice before I moved here, rode a helicopter in Istanbul, had a wonderful long weekend in Greece visiting Athens and the magnificient island of Spetses, did a small daytrip to Hamburg,  spent two nice weeks roasting under the sun of Sardinia, visited old friends in Dublin, traveled to Budapest several times for work and family visits, shot a beautiful family and visited my bloggie bestie Vicky in Vienna, learned how to windsurf on the Canary Islands and frolicked around in Paris. Not bad!

One of the biggest changes have been though that I became single. It has been a very sad time but it gave me the opportunity to start focusing on myself. I´ve almost always been in serious relationships in my adult life (apart from a few months here and there) and quite honestly I don´t know myself as a single, independent person. I´ve always adjusted my life around my boyfriends and never really though about who I am, who I want to be and what I want to do with my life. Being single can be lonely sometimes, but I´m never been so sure that I just need to be alone for a while to focus on myself and focus on making my dreams come true.

I´ve moved together with 3 crazy artists. I´ve never though that I´d move together with other people again, as I had my own apartment ever since I was in college. Sharing a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room with 3 other messy artists can try me at times, but it teaches me an important lesson in letting things go and focusing on the important things. I love my new flatmates and I couldn´t have asked for a more inspiring, creative space in Barcelona, or better friends to hold my hand when I need it.

And talking about friends... I´m so happy that the blogging community has led me to meet some amazing ladies! Farah, Vicky, Haleigh & Emilie... I love you girls and I hope to see you soon again!

It has also been the year that I´ve fallen in love with a puppy. We never had pets and I´ve never considered myself as a very animal friendly person, but since Diego came into my life he has changed everything. He is the cutest, sweetest little furball and I wish I could spend more time with him (he lives with my sis in Hungary), but I´m really sure one day I´ll have my own yorkie... perhaps a cute girlfriend for Diego! (I´ll name her Lola! ;)

If you´re still reading this... thank you! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for following along with my journey, for making my days with your sweet comments and for making me believe in myself! 

And to all my real life friends and family.... I love you and I hope to see you more in my 29th year on Earth!

I wish I could celebrate with you all tonight and share a gigantic camera shaped cheesecake with you! ;) I´ll have a small dinner in one of my new favorite places in Barcelona with some wonderful new friends and than we´ll probably go out dancing! ;) 

I do not ask for or want any presents, but if you do wanna make my day I´d be super duper happy if you could share something with your friends about En Route, (http://enroutephotography.com/), a small lil tweet or facebook post would be the nicest present ever! ;) As you know I´m just starting out and my biggest wish is to make it successful and be able to photograph weddings all over the world! ;) If I´d have a cake and some candles to blow, that is what I´d ask for!

I have a lot of small and big goals for the next year, but let´s leave those for another post! ;)

Happy Birthday to me and a wonderful weekend to you all!

With much Love!

September Photography Roundup

September has been one of the busiest months for En Route to date. I´ve shot portraits, engagements and bridal sessions in Berlin, Budapest and Vienna and I had a hell of a lot of fun along the way. Here are some of my favorite posts from En Route this month.

I shot Olga and Dennis´ engagement session in the Buda castle. The light was wonderful and they really worked it for my camera! I´m smitten with their images.

This mom and daughter session was so much fun to shoot! Look at those piercing blue eyes!

I shared some of Livi and Alejandro´s family pictures with baby Sebastian from a beautiful mountaintop in Dublin. Those viewes were amazing!

Most of Hajni´s maternity session is still to be published in October, but this little sneak peek has leaked already. Just wait until you see the rest! LOVE!!!

I shared some images from one of my favorite shoots ever. Can´t believe it´s been a whole year since this shoot!

I took some images for the Schwarze Dose 28 blog featuring Bonnie Strange, model, photographer, musician and artist extraordinaire. Check out her interview, she is seriously AWESOME!

Bonnie is so amazingly cool, that she´s agreed to pose for me as a bride for my En Route promo video shoot too! I cannot wait for the video to be ready! I´m HORRIBLE on camera but I think the video will be so much fun... you´ll finally get to see why I don´t video blog! ;D

October will have a fair share of excitement in store as well! ;) I´m currently offering special rates for 2011 weddngs, so if you know someone getting married this year (who is still looking for a photographer) holla at me! ;)

October Photography Roundup

October has been a month full of excitement and emotions, one that I will never forget for sure! In spite of moving to Barcelona, I´ve worked hard on my photography business and I´m hoping to launch my official website in November too. Here is what I´ve been up to on En Route this month:

I´ve published some homey, very sweet family portraits I took in Vienna, Austria...

... and some fall inspired outdoor pictures of the same family.

I gave a sneak peek of a beauty session that is still to be published in November.

I´ve shared the results of a very nice birthday gift by a gorgeous soon to be momma.

I loved shooting these two lovebirds who I met last year in Egypt! They came to Berlin for their engagement session and I cannot wait to photograph their wedding in Hungary next summer!

I still had a few images to share from my stay in Dublin with this hot little family including these marina  images...

... and these adorable shots of baby Sebastian.

Kiki´s fashion inspired shoot was so much fun to work on!

While Bonnie´s bridal images are probably the ones that I´m most proud of in my portfolio to date! It was such an honor that these images were featured in Rock n  Roll Bride (one of my favorite wedding blogs!).

Be sure to check out my spankin´new En Route promo video if you haven´t already!

Here is to a productive November! ;)