Category: When We’re Not Hiking

U4–U4 – Womanstrailday in Vienna

Is it worth it – traveling all the way from the mountains to Vienna just for a trail run?

Absolutely.

The plan was clear: #womanstrailday – and we really wanted to run together. Since the guys were heading to Vienna anyway, the decision was easy: I’m coming along.

From U4 to U4, out of the daily grind and into trail running fun – right in the heart of the city.

Admittedly, I was skeptical at first. Trail running in Vienna?

Do you even need trail shoes for that?!

But, as so often in life: you just have to try it.

And yes – it was muddy enough.

And hot.

And challenging.

But above all: beautiful.

In the end, it turned into 27 km with 800 meters of elevation gain – right in Vienna!

Four women, four different training goals, four perspectives – and still one shared feeling: connection.

Each of us took something away: training effect, conversation, nature, sweating, heat acclimation, laughter, motivation.

Thanks, Vienna, for the summer mud.

Thanks, ladies, for the time together.

Princess Diaries (Part 2)

“Don’t you ever long for home?” – I also felt that the question sounded like a cliché. However, I was simply interested in the answer.

“I do what I love doing and it doesn’t matter where I am.” I am sure I cannot quote Eszter’s answer word-by-word, but perhaps I do not even need to be verbatim.

Eszter is a caring mother of two lovely girls; and beyond this, she is a genius of trail runners (3rd place at Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run last year), and at the weekend she became the Hungarian champion at the Vienna Marathon. She is one of those people who will always bring back memories from the times when I was twenty years old. When I was dreaming about a small, enchanting café where we could meet people… like Eszter, her mother and her friend, Kata Kertész. Three wonderful and strong women. Talking about trailrunning, motherhood, training, motivation and challenges. Talking without taboos.

Thank you for the marvellous morning!

Welcome, Buzzing Helpers – New Life in the Beehouse 🐝✨

Our beehouse has come to life again – quite literally! Not long ago, six bee colonies made the journey from Carinthia, lovingly provided by Christian’s dad. Christian and Leno brought them home in a daring night drive.

Five of those colonies are already strong and productive. The sixth one is our first breeding hive – and with space for up to 18 colonies in our beehouse, there’s plenty of room to grow.

We’re hopeful the bees will adjust to the breezier conditions here – they certainly weren’t used to this much wind back in Carinthia. Spring’s blossom season wasn’t ideal this year due to the weather, but we’ve already spotted the first tiny splashes of honey in the upper hive.

We’re optimistic that in the years to come, these bees will help pollinate our fruit trees – and who knows, maybe we’ll even get a taste of forest honey this season.

We can’t wait to see what this beekeeping year has in store – and when we’ll get to say the words we’re all waiting for: “Time to spin some honey!”

Princess Diaries?

“A cozy café. Friendly faces. Sunshine. Long conversations.” – It was autumn 2014, and during a break between two lectures at the Faculty of Law at ELTE in Budapest, Adri, Manu, and I found ourselves deep in a conversation about our futures.

Becoming lawyers felt like a distant idea to us. We each had our own plans – ideas that would eventually be shaped not only by our choices but also by the twists and turns of life.

Now, in February 2022, I’m sitting on the balcony of Waldschlössl in Schneedörfl. The sun is shining, and though there’s still snow on the Rax nearby, the first hints of spring are in the air. We might live in a little castle, but I never became a princess.

On May 19, 2021, we opened our little guesthouse in Reichenau an der Rax. Since then, this balcony has been a place for long talks with both old friends and new acquaintances, where we’ve breathed in the fresh mountain air and soaked in the peace after long hikes.

Downstairs, in the café area, our new coffee machine is already in place, waiting for the grand reopening. On this cool afternoon, my cup of coffee warms my fingers. One of this year’s projects is to renovate the inner courtyard and add a shaded terrace on the first floor. Since this will also involve reinforcing part of the café’s ceiling, we’ll need to finish this work before reopening. The tables are already partly done.

“Did I really have to become a lawyer? Was it worth earning that Austrian diploma?” I catch myself wondering from time to time. But, yes – every step, whether big or small, has brought me closer to a dream slowly coming true. To this moment – where I can truly savor this cup of coffee, surrounded by friends and familiar faces on this balcony.

Do we still have dreams? Countless.