Happy New Year 2012!

Dear friends,
another year has come to an end and I take the opportunity for some last words in 2011:

Have a sparkling evening...

...make a wish...or maybe more...


...send them off...


...but always keep an eye on them...and make them happen...


...and have a blast at the New Year's Eve party... and don't forget about good food...

With love and kisses,
yours,
Inge

Merry Christmas!

Monte Carlo Casino Christmas 2011
(Picture source: http://itthing.com/wp-content/uploads/montecarlocasinochristmas.jpg)

To all you out there celebrating Christmas, I am wishing you the best time ever with your family and loved ones and may all you wish for come true. Have a luxurious time!
Best regards,
Ingrid

Hamburg - Window Shopping

Hello my dear ones,
A bit of vacation and a lot of work has kept me from posting in this great time of year, December and pre-Christmas-period, but I will try to make up for it.

I am sure you have all done some or most of the gift-shopping already, and are already tired of what is all in those shops and tired of crowds and the same songs everywhere,...so why don't you just sit back and relax while window-shopping with a selection of pictures I took (with my phone - sorry if the quality is not perfect) in Hamburg at the beginning of December.

Louis Vuitton Window Display - Neuer Wall Shop

Ermenegildo Zegna Window Display - Neuer Wall Shop

Christ Window Display - Alsterhaus Einkaufszentrum (AEZ) Shop

Rosenthal Window Display - Alsterhaus Einkaufszentrum (AEZ) Shop

Steiff - Knopf Im Ohr - Window Display - Alsterhaus Einkaufszentrum (AEZ) Shop


Bang & Olufsen Window Display

Bang & Olufsen Window Display

Apple Store Window Display - am Jungfernstieg

Schlemmermarkt am Rathausplatz


Weihnachtsmarkt am Rathausplatz


Christmas Tree - Rathausplatz

Bucharest, My Love! - Part II - Magazinul Boieresc

Today I am taking you on our second journey in Bucharest - a journey which I had started last week with Hotel Sarroglia.

Also last week I have been invited to the official opening of the "Magazinul Boieresc" shop, a place which has special things to offer.

The term "boier" means translated into English something like "gentleman, nobleman, lord, governor" and in fact the Romanian word does include all those meanings. Being a "boier" was a lot about rank, class, and status, so the name of the shop is probably fit for the products it has to offer. One must really have some knowledge to appreciate the goodies hidden in this concept shop (and the shop is indeed hidden - a place for connoisseurs).

One of the gems this place has to offer is a variety of Romanian truffles and Romanian truffle products. At the opening I have tasted cheese with truffle, truffle foie gras, butter with black truffle, white truffle foam...it was just a delight!



You can also get a great variety of Romanian and foreign wines (French, Spanish, Greek etc.) and the one who selected them, Mr. Razvan Avram, is really passionate about wimnes in general and I have had a long and very interesting discussion with him.


Last, but not least, one last gem this place has to offer are the people you can meet. They know a lot about l'art de vivre and are so passionate about gastronomy in general while still having vast knowledge in other domains - it's very enriching to talk to them. It was a lovely night for me at the opening and I will surely come back.

(C) text and pictures by author, Ingrid Sabine Weber

Bucharest, My Love! - Part I - Hotel Sarroglia

My dear readers,
today I am starting together with my friend and fellow blogger from Classiq, Ada, a series of entries on beautiful cities around us, and since both of us live in and love Bucharest, the series will start with this wonderful city. Ada and I have gone out in the city and have captured some special life worth sharing, places we love or places we find very interesting, places (and people) worth mentioning. (check her first entry here)

This is why, for my first entry in this series, I will show you a special hotel in Bucharest. I have visited it a couple of months ago and have had the pleasure of being taken on a tour of the house by mister Giacomo Sarroglia himself, one of the two brothers who stand behind this impressive project.

The Sarroglia Hotel**** in Bucharest is categorized as a design hotel by the owners and caters mainly to business travelers but has also offerings for couples or families.


I was attracted immediately by the interior of the hotel. Here you can see the reception area. If you take more than just a glance to look around, you will notice how much attention to detail is in this hotel. Just look at the coffee tables in the reception area, at the objects displayed there, at the items of art and you will see that they are all so different, yet put together they create a great unity, a real statement of design.





I loved how even the lighting was "made to measure". It reminded me of the TV shows when DIY teams get all sorts of specialists to help for a big project, but all specialists would be working in vain if the lighting wouldn't be correct in the end and wouldn't emphasize the correct angles.



Just as the pieces of design are different in style but still fit together, the same way is the whole architectural mix of the building in itself. The hotel is built on a "skeleton" of an old, restored building. In some areas you can notice the brickwork. On the other hand, the interiors are very modern, very spacious. And - again - all fits wonderfully.





One item of interior/product-design is the table next to the bar area. All seems to be one metallic bit, which starts in the stairs that take you one level higher. The steps then go to form the bar area, which then extends to this wonderful table.




After admiring the lobby/lounge/bar area I was taken by the owner to see the rooms. It is again a contrast I saw - between the light welcoming area to the dark hallways - which however inspired coziness.


Entering the rooms, the light factor appears again. Transparency is used a lot, especially in the suites, there you can sit in your bathtub and see what's on your bed or...the other way around. Between bathroom and sleeping area there is a glass, which gives the impression of more space and I personally like this style. If you however by any chance travel with someone you know, but you don't want to share all the intimacies with, there are shades attached to these glass walls so intimacy can be preserved.







The wall behind the bed is decorated with a modern graphic representation of a landmark in Italy. The main theme in all rooms is Italy, however the owners did not want it to be too obvious so they chose this option. I adored one room with the top of the dome in Milan...(you couldn't hae known it was Milan unless you had been there).


The view is really nice from the balconies of the hotel, and on warm days you can use the whirlpool on the terrace.



All in all it is a nice addition to Bucharest's hotels. It is located in a really quiet area and you are still in five minutes walk in the city center. It is a great choice for anyone wanting good value for money, for people who appreciate design, for people on business trips (free wifi and parking). My advice to the owners - change the website in order to fit the look of the hotel. If you want to find out more - here's their facebook page.

(C) text and pictures by author, Ingrid Sabine Weber