GUEST POST: SO MUNICH

Hello I'm Barbara from the blog HausDesign. I am so excited to have the opportunity to be a Guest Blogger on Urban Style Vibes* today!  I’m going to give you a little tour of Munich in Germany today – with just a few of the many things that I love about the city I have called home for the last four years. 

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Munich is the capitol of Bavaria, nestled right along the edge of the Alps, with grand, romantic architecture, a buzzing cultural scene and Europe’s largest city park.  With a little over 1 million inhabitants, it’s big enough to have all of the big city amenities, while still maintaining a comfortable, neighborhood feel.  After the war, Munich voted – by a close margin – to rebuild as it was before.  That resulted in a beautiful, charming city that will make a very special impression on you!  Please step into “My Munich”…

Let’s start by getting to know Munich through The Bavaria – the statue that symbolizes this beautiful state, and overlooks the massive Oktoberfest grounds.  Surrounding this huge statue are many elegant old homes that I love to gaze at, imagining the elegant living that existed here at the turn of the 20^th century. 

Move on to Viktualienmarkt - the main city market – packed full of flowers, gifts, wine and a vast array of local and international foods.  My favorite stand has countless varieties of honey…irresistible!

For the café scene, head to Zeitgeist for a coffee in the über-cool Schwabing neighborhood. 

My favorite boutique in this area is Projekt3, where you can pick up trendy, fun items as well some really great classic pieces.

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Put together a gourmet picnic at the amazing deli Dallmayr (former caterer of the Bavarian royalty) and then head to the English Garden. Buy a Weissbier (wheat beer) and enjoy the beautiful view of their homage to Greece: the Monopteros. Rent a bike or a paddleboat to see more of this beautiful park.

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If you're looking for culture, head to one of Munich’s 15 major museums.  If you want to go big, the Bavarian National Museum has lots of royal treasures, housed in an ornate building along a grand boulevard, leading to the Maximilianeum.

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In contrast, Villa Stuck has a small standing modern art collection and intriguing, unique rotating exhibits, displayed in the former home of Art Nouveau artist Franz von Stuck.  The house itself is quirky and fascinating – I loved that more than the art! 

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The ceiling in the music salon has this amazing astronomical clock in vibrant blue and gold…simply stunning.

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Very close to these museums is the upscale neighborhood of Bogenhausen.  I could walk these neighborhoods for days just admiring the architecture of the old, stately homes, gathering design inspiration…

  

When you're hungry for dinner, don’t miss chic Brenner Grill.  This restaurant is located on the street where all of the major international brands can be found, and many Porsches (and the people to match) will be spotted here.  The food, ambience and service are really, really good but most importantly don’t miss dessert:  be sure to pick it out yourself at the dessert bar!  Notice the floor to ceiling wood stacked along the back wall - very cool.

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For some much needed R&R after all of that sightseeing, head to Volksbad, the beautiful public bath house, for a dip and/or a glass of wine outside on their beautiful patio:

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There are so many things to experience in Munich – this is just my short list!  Please stop by for a visit to see more. 

Aufwiedersehen!

HAVE A SUNNY WEEKEND!

My lovely friends, what a wonderful weekend! What are your plans? I won't spent to much online today as the weather is beautiful and I want to go outside. Tonight we will have a BBQ with the family! Can't wait. Enjoy your weekend and mothers day tomorrow.

See you back on Monday!

images: Livet Hemma/IKEA

BLOG CATCH OF THE DAY#1

Today I'm launching a new weekly column on Urban Style Vibes* Every week I meet so many talented bloggers online and I think it might be interesting for you to share my finds with you. Here's my first blog catch of the day with 5 great blogs that I only discovered last week.

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

PS. The good news is that all these great bloggers will attend the Meet the Blogger Event in Amsterdam on June 25, 2011. Will you join us too?

NESTING NEWBIES #5

The online magazine of online home decor and lifstyle magazine Nesting Newbies #5 is out now PS. Urban Style Vibes* is on page 195 with some Dutch Design Crush. I'm honoured!!  Click here to read

MEET THE BLOGGER EVENT FAQ

Hello my friends, it's time to give you an update on the Meet the Blogger event. We are counting down to the event and in only 52 days we will all meet in person so it's time to share whit you what happened on our side with you. In the last weeks we have contacted all the sponsors and made the program ready. At this moment we have around 80 (!!) attendees to the event and we expect to have at least 100 bloggers by the end of June.   At this stage we would love to give you answers on some frequently asked questions e.g. about how to apply for the event since we have received many questions via the e-mail and on Facebook.

What are the costs of this event?

The event is free for all active home design and lifestyle bloggers. You need to sign up for the event on Facebook as space is limited.

Can I bring somebody else to the event?

Yes, sure you can bring your friend to the event but please make sure that they all sign up via Facebook themselves.

Where can I stay? Do you recommend a Hotel? 

You can stay at Hotel V, the official sponsor and event location for the event. They run a special promotion. Please mention the Meet the Blogger code with your booking and you will receive a 10% discount and a bottle of Prosecco in your room.

Can you give us some tips where to go in Amsterdam? We will spend the weekend in Amsterdam and we would like to make the most of it?

Yesssssssss, we'd love to give you some tips. The lovely Vosges Paris has created a lovely city guide for all our international guests you visiting Amsterdam for the weekend. Click here to read the full city guide.

How to apply for this event?

Please sign up on Facebook. As soon as we connect with Meet the Blogger as a friend we will send you a personal invitation. Please accept the invitation and this is your ticket to the event. Please note that we work with volunteers (with other jobs during daytime) and therefor it's undo-able to create lists and become an admin for the event. We really need your help here. As we mentioned above the event is free of charge due to the use of volunteers and social media. Facebook is a free service and we do appreciate if you sign up via that way. We hope you understand this.

How can I help to promote the event?

You can help us to promote the event. Please spread the word on your blog, twitter or facebook page. Copy the banner as shown above and link back to the event page here on Urban Style Vibes*

Last but not least I would love to give a big hug to all the volunteers and sponsors that make this event possible. Without Holly, Janneke, Jantine, Caroline and Linda, Kirsten, Rick, Angelie, Cecile, Marije, Jadis, Kelly, Natascha, Roxy and many others this event would not be there. Thanks to all of you! 

The Meet the Blogger event is powered by:

WHAT DO YOU THINK SO FAR? ARE YOU READY FOR THE FIRST MEET THE BLOGGER EVENT? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?

TODAY I WANT TO BE IN...THE BVI (VIA URBAN STYLE VIBES)

My lovelies, earlier this week I promised you to give you a travel review of my weeks in the Caribbean. But before I do so I'd love to share a luxury retrait that we came across on the water. This stunning, picturesque waterfront villa with 360 ocean view is just a perfect place for a good party. It has a private swimming pool, snorkling, swimming and boating dock and different rooms with a view. The good news is that this villa is for rent here. The bad news is that this is only affordable for the happy few or if you are lucky to win the lottery... Dream on, dream all...

VT WONEN POP-UP STORE

Hello my dear friends, it's time to travel to Amsterdam as soon as possible this week because VT Wonen has opened its first pop-up store in Amsterdam. What a great idea. But you need to hurry because it's only open till May 8, 2011.

image: VT Wonen

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Yay it's Monday again! How are you? Are you ready to kick-start the new week? I'm full of energy and new inspiration after my sailing trip. This morning I woke up early for a run in the the park and guess what I saw on my way: some lovely poppies. I was pretty surprised to find them in the city. What a great gift from nature today!! I hope you will take some time to look around you what nature brings you. Even if you live in an urban environement natural beauty and inspiration are just around the corner. Later this week I will treat you with some lovely city hotspots, dream home and again a meet the blogger update with more information about the event in Amsterdam in June. In addition I will launch a new column on the blog: Blog Catch of the Day. In this column I will share some blog finds with you. There are so many beautiful blogs that I discover every week and I would love to share these new blogs with you. If you have a great blog and want to be featured please drop me an e-mail. Have a lovely week!!!

images: Martha Stewart Living

SUMMER VIBES

Oh it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you....... It feels like summer in Holland today! What a treat after my holidays. Today I'm inspired by the awesome urban nests from Dedon. It's a cross between a nest and a army surbplus sleeping bag; and the Nestrest which can be used inside our outside hang from a tree or stand alone.

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS LOUNGE BED/CHAIR? 

images: Dedon

BACK HOME!!

My lovelies, HOW ARE YOU? It's been a while since I wrote on the blog here. I must admit I really missed you all!!! It's great to share ideas and inspiration with you and hear what you think. It feels that I've met a lot of new online friends and although we've never met I have the feeling that I know you all:-) Do you know that feeling in the online world? I've read all your lovely comments and e-mails and later this week I will share some more details regarding the Meet the Blogger event. It's amazing how many enthousiastic people have signed up for the event on Facebook in the last 2 weeks. 

This morning I came back home from my amazing, super sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands and Curacao in the Caribbean. It was just divine. Above and below you'll find a glimpse of our trip. I hope you like what you see. But now I need to take a little power nap to overcome my jetlag after about 20 hours of travel...

Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK? WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL TO THIS PARADISE???

Saint Tropez Ocean Club Curacao

Rotown Marina

images: Lise M.