I’m back home – back to where it all began, before I really started to grow into myself. I don’t think I’m myself 100% yet, but flipping to old blog posts where we shot in this exact same white space, I can feel the changes. And it excites me. Anyway, I’m leaving to Milan in a few short hours. Talk to you on the other side 😉

Last saturday I hosted an evening Cafe Leopold with FAIRLIGHT CLUB – celebrating the 8th issue out this sunday and also three years of KNEON. The Deep Baked boys played on the KNEON floor with visuals from our behind the scenes footages from issue #7. Downstairs saw Mister Teaser from Portugal and of course Max and Stefan from Fairlight. My only regret was not being able to take photos all night (sometimes dancing is very necessary), so these are more of less just some snapshots of the hosts that evening.

There are more photos on the Facebook page here!

From Tuesday until Thursday, my sister and I took a mini retreat away in the Austrian Riviera in Portschach am Wortersee, around 4-5 hours away by train from Vienna. Lake’s – My Lake Hotel graciously hosted us for the two nights, and it was definitely a much-needed relaxing getaway.

The view from our balcony was spectacular. In the background you see mountains with low flying mist and clouds – almost like an overly photoshopped series of layers, and in front, an endless mass of clear blue lake. After spending time away in Beijing, Shanghai for over a month, it’s made me appreciate scenery like this. Something natural and completely unaffected by trouble.

We stayed in room 116 – the Lake Suite facing the whole lake. The room was spacious with dark wooden floorboards and retro meets clear white furnishings. I had a lot of work to do for KNEON so the balcony was pretty much my staple location for most of the time; with some red wine and my sister as pet, it was a pretty great way to get work done.

We ate at the Lake Bar and Restaurant – I recommend sitting outside facing the lakefront. The hotel also have a state of the art gym, spa services upon request and two pools – outdoors and indoors.

Personally, I get excited by skylines, the busy drive of big hustling cities, and people on the verge of rudeness. It’s the environ that keeps me going. However, this retreat for me was not only cathartic but deeply educational – I learned that peace and quiet should be a gift to oneself, a reward for accomplishment and achievements, and to really reflect on what you’ve done. Lake’s combines elements of casual luxury, space, the beautiful environment and great staff service to really make you feel like you’re taking a break away – at home. So if you’re based in Austria or closeby, definitely have a look.