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Things to Do and Where to Eat with 48 Hours in Hou Things to Do and Where to Eat with 48 Hours in Houston with kids #AD @traveltex (SAVE + SHARE this post):

1. Visit the Cockrell Butterfly Garden

2. Explore the Houston Space Center

3. Walk along the paths at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

4. Check out all the rooms at Color Factory

5. Eat at @Gatlin’s BBQ (Black-owned) and be sure to arrive early as they close at 6pm

6. Try the Brisket at @TruthBBQ

7. Eat ribs at @thepitroom

Have you been to Houston? What other recommendations do you have? 

#GetYourOwnTripToTexas #NationalBBQMonth
Hello Houston! It’s #NationalBBQMonth so what be Hello Houston! It’s #NationalBBQMonth so what better place to experience it than here. #AD @TravelTex 

We’re excited to eat our hearts through the city! If you live in or have been to Houston, what are your recommendations for BBQ places we have to eat at while here? 

SAVE + SHARE this post for your own foodie trip to Houston #GetYourOwnTripToTexas
24 Hours in Athens (SAVE + SHARE this post): We l 24 Hours in Athens (SAVE + SHARE this post):

We landed at 10:30am the day before boarding our cruise and hit the ground running. The best way to get over jet lag is to get on the current time zone immediately so that meant no time for sleep as we needed to stay up. 

🇬🇷 2:00pm Traditional Greek food tour with @foodaroundathens 

🇬🇷 6:00pm: Walk around the neighborhood of Anafiotika 

🇬🇷 7:00pm: Went to the top of the hill near the Acropolis for sunset

🇬🇷 8:30am: Self-guided Acropolis visit

🇬🇷 10:00am: All about Athen e-bike tour with @athensbybiketours

🇬🇷 1:00pm: Lunch at @hoocut for one of the best gyros we’ve had

🇬🇷 2:30pm: Head to the cruise port!

Yes we’re crazy but also we got right on the time zone and were good to go the rest of the trip plus we made the most of our time in Athens!

Do you hit the ground running if you land in a new time zone during the day to beat jet lag or do you sleep and take time adjusting? We love the app Timeshifter to help with jet lag management!
Athens - Boarding Virgin Voyages - Santorini - Rho Athens - Boarding Virgin Voyages - Santorini - Rhodes - Bodrum - Mykonos

What an amazing sailing it was! 10/10 recommend!

Let me know any questions you have and tag who you want to go on this cruise with!
Couples Posing Ideas (SAVE + SHARE this post): So Couples Posing Ideas (SAVE + SHARE this post): So we absolutely suck at posing but here are some amazing poses @geraldhazizi helped us with during our short photoshoot with him in Santorini. I will be using these as references moving forward lol, I love how they turned out. 

We used my phone and tripod most of the trip to capture images or asked fellow cruisers but I’d say this professional shoot in Santorini was worth it. Our session started at 10am so not super early at all, Gerald knew all the best spots and how to avoid the crowds!

Which pose is your favorite?
Tips for sailing on @VirginVoyages Resilient Lady Tips for sailing on @VirginVoyages Resilient Lady (SAVE + SHARE this post):

1. Download the app, it is essential to make your bookings, see what’s going on during your sail, etc.

2. There are 6 speciality restaurants on board for dinner (these are all included in your voyage at no extra cost 🙌🏾). Reservations open 45 days before sailing & are available from 6pm-10pm. If you can’t get a reservation for the day/time you want, don’t worry there are walk-in spots available and we did this many days when we decided to eat at more than one restaurant a night.

3. Be sure to check out the ship activities prior to sailing to pack appropriately for themed nights. Every sailing has a Scarlet Night where you wear red but our sailing also had a pajama party and 80s party and people really dress up!

4. Virgin Voyages doesn’t offer drink packages but they do offer a Bar Tab. You can purchase $300 in advance and get a $50 bonus and this credit can be used for anyone else in your cabin or even friends/family in another cabin so every person doesn’t need one and you don’t have to use it all on yourself. The drinks are very reasonably priced so just be careful getting too much in advance as you can’t use the credit on anything else on board. Beer is as low as $5, a glass of wine $7 and mixed drinks $9 plus tip is included! Soda and non-pressed juices, tea and regular coffee is free on the ship so you won’t have to spend anything on that!

5. Spa services book quickly and can’t be made until you get on board so head straight to the spa to book any appointments you want and note there is a 24 hour cancellation window so if plans change be sure to cancel in advance or you’ll be charged for the full service.

6. Reservations for a time slot for embarkation are required so check in as soon as possible to snag an early time and enjoy the ship longer!

Listen, a time was had on this cruise! Swipe for a cabin tour, food from some of the restaurants on board, and live music. I have more tips coming in a part 2 so let me know if there is anything specific you want me to cover on my next post! Tap the link in my bio for $200 onboard credit if you book a sailing on any Virgin Voyage!
Mykonos Sunset > Best places to see the sunset in Mykonos Sunset >

Best places to see the sunset in Mykonos! (SAVE + SHARE this post):

🌅Scorpios Beach Club, pictured here

🌅Kato Windmills

🌅180 Degrees Sunset Bar

🌅Any restaurant/bar in Little Venice (Nice N Easy, Negrita’s, etc.)

🌅Cavo Tagoo

🌅Kiki’s Taverna

🌅Castle Panigirakis

🌅54 Cocktail Bar & Sunset Lounge

🌅Armenistis Lighthouse

🌅Kapari Beach

🌅Agios Stefanos

Where have you seen the best sunset?

The Traveling Child

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South Styrian Wine Road, The Perfect Weekend Trip from Graz

September 30, 2019      Austria, Destinations, Europe

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

After spending a few days enjoying all the things to do in Graz I wanted to explore more of what Austria had to offer. If you’re into wine, beautiful scenery and amazing food South Styria is the perfect place for a weekend trip from Graz. I spent three days and two nights enjoying the South Styrian Wine Road. Here is my itinerary to help you plan your own getaway!

Thanks to Visit Suedsteiermark and Graz Tourism for hosting myself along with Christina from Happy to Wander, Suzanne from Travel Bunny and Danielle from The Thought Card in partnership with the Propel Conference.

Weekend Trip From Graz: How to Get to South Styria

From Graz, Southstyria is a 45-minute drive or you can take the local train. Based on my itinerary we took the train from Graz to Leibnitz. It is very easy to take the train within and throughout Europe, here are some reasons why.

South Styrian Wine Road Itinerary

Weekend Trip from Graz Day One: Schloss Seggau and Buschenschank Tinnauer

Schloss Seggau

Leave Graz mid-afternoon and head to Leibnitz to enjoy the Schloss Seggau, often referred to as the Seggau Castle. It dates back to the 12th century and is also home to a hotel and 300 year old Episcopal wine-cellar. Arrive early enough to start your wine tasting journey of the castles own in-house made wines at their on-site wine shop.

 

In the evening have dinner at Buschenschank Tinnauer, a local restaurant which has been owned by the same family for generations. As it’s a small family business you’ll most likely be serviced by Martin Tinnauer, the owner of the restaurant. If you’re interested he will explain the history of Southstyrian traditional cold meat meals. Sit outside and enjoy the view of astonishing hills and vineyards. 

The Owners of Buschenschank Tinnauer, Mr. and Mrs. Tinnauer

Weekend Trip from Graz Day Two: Wine Tasting, Slovenia, and Pumpkin Seed Oil Making

Vinofaktur Genussregal

For my first full day on the South Styrian Wine Road I had breakfast at my hotel before arriving at Vinofaktur Genussregal where my group was immediately poured glasses of Rosé. However, we hadn’t only arrived at our first winery, I’d go as far as to say it’s a museum.

We got a private tour where we learned about the wine industry in Austria and specifically South Styria. The tour was also our first introduction to learning about the oils produced in the area and this regions famed pumpkin seed oils. What fun would learning about them be if we did get to taste them, there are so many samples available to try. Not only oils but honey as well. I never knew there were different types of honey dependent upon the bees but we were able to try four different kinds.

Meat is huge in Austria and if you’re a meat eater you’ll be happy to know trying the infamous cold meats is also an option here. I don’t eat beef or pork but was very interested in learning all the things made from pigs. Items like medication capsules, shampoos, needles, ceramic glasses, bullets, candles, wine corks, matches, cigarettes, and more are made from various parts of pigs.

We started our visit with rosé and we would finish it with another tasting or both red and white wines. If you want to stock up on wine, this is the place to do it. There is a whole warehouse full of wine for purchase.

Lunch at Landgasthof Wratschko

After a wine and history filled morning we had lunch at Landgasthof Wratschko . Here we had another meal special to the area, Backhendl. Backhendl is the areas special fried chicken and it was delicious!

Kästenburg Winery

Our post lunch schedule was supposed to include walking one of the wine hiking trails. Unfortunately, the rain was non-stop throughout the day so we wouldn’t be able to complete this. However, we still continued to enjoy many glasses of wine. We headed to Kästenburg Winery which has opened in 1638 and continues to be ran by the same family. Six generations later the wine production is handled mainly by Jakob Jakopé, the youngest of his 3 siblings at 21.

Jakob gave us a tour of the cellar where their award winning wine is aged. He also showed us the vineyards on the property while pouring us several glasses of wine to try. 

Heart Shaped Road in Slovenia

Since it was still raining we added a nice detour to our itinerary and headed to Slovenia. Austria and Slovenia border each other and the imaginary line that separates the two is on the road. So as we drove to Dreisiebner Stammhaus, half of the car was in Austria while the other half was in Slovenia. I was sitting in the middle I was technically in two countries at one time! So why were we driving to Slovenia? The restaurant I mentioned overlooks Slovenia’s famous heart-shaped road.

While we didn’t eat at the restaurant since they so graciously allowed us to come on their property and take photos we gave a 2 Euro donation. This is typical for anyone who wants to visit and take pictures, just pay on your way out.

The Resch Pumpkin Seed Oil Press

While wine might be the main focus of most people’s visit to South Styria, the pumpkin seed oil industry is just as big here. We had the pleasure of visiting the Resch Pumpkin Seed Oil Press where we got a private tour from 5th generation producer, Bernd Resch. His whose family has been producing oil since 1842 and he currently does it alongside his dad. 

He showed us the entire process beginning with milling or grinding the seeds, followed by mixing in water and salt. Afterwards the mixture is boiled at 180 degrees and then pressed so the oil comes out. The leftover press is fed to the cows! You can get a tour every Tuesday from 9AM-8PM. While the pumpkin oil here is amazing I’d be holding on to a selfish secret if I didn’t tell you about the pesto they also make. Just buy it!!

Back to Kästenburg Winery for Dinner

After a long day of exploring it was time for dinner and we headed back to Kästenburg Winery. In addition to the winery, the family also operates an inn and restaurant where Jakob’s mom, sister and brother work. For dinner we had a mix of traditional South Styrian foods hot and cold alongside amazing glasses of wine. Dinner was phenomenal but be sure to save some room for dessert because you will love the freshly made pastries.

How to Get Around South Styria When Wine Tasting

If you follow our itinerary and do all the wine drinking we were doing, driving yourself around won’t be the best idea. Instead make a reservation with WeinMobil, a taxi service for visitors wine tasting.

Another option available to wine tasters staying in Gamlitz is the free taxi service offered to hotels, wineries and restaurants who participate in the GAST Taxi service. If you’re going from one participating establishment to another this option will be your cheapest.

Where to Stay During Your South Styrian Wine Road Adventure

We stayed at the  Weinlandhof Hotel, located in Gamlitz. The rate includes a breakfast buffet with quite a few options including hot and cold food. There is even a stove top to make your own fresh eggs. The rooms were decent but the WiFi is very limited and I had to go to the common area to use the internet. Besides that there is a nice spa and pool downstairs and massages are even offered on an appointment basis.

Enjoying the South Styria Wine Road was the perfect way to end my trip in Austria. After getting to visit here and spend 3 days in Graz, I’m very much looking forward to exploring more of the country. Did you find this post helpful? Please share it!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Comments

  1. Suzanne Jones says

    October 1, 2019 at 5:53 pm

    That was such a fun trip! Reading this was a lovely reminder 🙂

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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