Travels

5 Things That Make Me Love the Volvo XC90

There are cars and there are automobiles. The Volvo XC90 is definitely an automobile. What’s the difference between a car and an automobile? An automobile like the XC90 – I like to lovingly call it a space cruiser – are the ones we like to get into, that don’t just serve the purpose of bringing us from A to B in our daily professional lives. In our case, the space cruiser brought us to Lech-Zürs am Arlberg, in no lesser hotel than the Zürserhof.

There, I collected the 5 things that nearly led me to fight tooth and nail against giving the Volvo XC90, with all its luxurious features, back to Volvo Austria.

Volvo XC90 Winter Driving Experience

Volvo Touchscreen

Sound, Acoustics, Sound System

The standard sound system from Bowers & Wilkins is probably one of the most brilliant refinements. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the menu setup and reached the sound area, the XC90 quite subtly offers you the opportunity to play the sound of the “Gothenburg Concert Hall” in the car. For me, there was no doubt that the sound in a real experience and very likely better than the home stereo system that sits in your apartment and was affordably purchased at the electronic retailer around the corner.

Large and yet sporty

Large and especially long automobiles appeal to me, though I have no objection to wagons or especially sport wagons. That the Volvo XC90 is then 5 m long and has a standard weight of 2 tons surprised me. But it surprised me even more, or to put it better, convinced me, was that the “D5” motor, despite the data, the car moved through the curves in a way that was not just sporty, but also elegant. Mind you, these were curves that would make many a wagon give up…and on top of that, in winter driving conditions. In my little video, which is really just a small summary, I wanted to show my driving skills.

Volvo XC90 Winter Driving Experience

Safety thanks to the EURO NCAP victory

Once again, Volvo has shown what is possible on our streets in the matter of safety. To the best of my knowledge, the XC90 is the best in class of the EURO NCAP test. Without any inhibition, I can say that this feeling of safety is present when in the cabin. In fact, I only heard that they won the test later. This SUV, which you could almost call a living room, gives you the feeling of being safely underway on the streets and in severe weather conditions that, to tell the truth, might have left me considering whether I could make a slope with that amount of snow or whether the second sharp left turn after a tight right would work at that speed if I had been in another car. I didn’t doubt for a second that the XC90 was up to the conditions. I would have liked to test the same roads in the Range Rover. Apparently, Gregor / The Vienna Blog, on the seat next to me with a great panorama view (also when parking, thanks to the 360° camera) also felt comfortable.

07 xc90-14

Carkey of the XC90

Volvo XC90 Winter Driving Experience

Traveling at the highest level – Luxury

Luxury and living are probably the best descriptions for this topic. Some living rooms aren’t as well furnished and not nearly so well equipped. Here, the interior designers truly gave their best. Every button is in the right place. You can also control almost everything in this Volvo using the touch screen, which seems larger than in almost any other vehicle that I’ve been in (except for the Tesla S). I especially like the way Volvo attaches importance to little details – you have the feeling that it is more important for them than for many other manufacturers. For example, sewn happily and proudly in the seam of the very comfortable passenger seat (which plays every game you could wish in a car) is a little Swedish flag.

Attracting attention – Eyecatcher

Anyone who knows me in real life knows: I like to attract attention. Regardless of whether it’s clothing or cars. That means that the XC90 is definitely right for me. Although I would have preferred one in a flashy color, such as a strong turquoise blue or orange. But it was also well suited to white. A white space cruiser in the middle of the snow, and it’s still easy to see – that says everything. No matter where you park it: it makes everyone who passes by take a second look.

Volvo XC90 Winter Driving Experience

Integratet Bowers & Wilkins in the XC90

All pictures were shot on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.

Devilish Tip: Pay attention to product placement.
Supported by Volvo Austria with the XC90.
Hotel Zürserhof

17. February 2016 0 comment

Tourism & Hotels Travels

The TOP 5 Reasons I Would Choose Lech-Zürs am Arlberg

written by Christoph Teufel

5 reasons I would choose Lech-Zürs am Arlberg if I had to choose between the best skiing areas in Austria. Definitely the Arlberg or, to be precise, not St. Anton or Stuben am Arlberg, but Lech-Zürs. This year, the journey there fit the standard again, this time in the Volvo XC90, a luxury living space even on the highway.

Peacefulness

You notice it first when it’s late afternoon and you open a window in the hotel – for example, the Zürserhof – and hear only the snow cannons as they produce new snow for the next day. But this isn’t the only kind of peacefulness that you have-it’s even more significant on the slopes. The crowd that’s on the slopes with 6 bottles of beer in their bloodstream by 12 p.m. is happily (still) a rarity on the Arlberg in Lech-Zürs. When you arrive in the spa area of the hotel after a day of skiing, you can round out your day with wonderful, soothing tranquility. Here, relaxing your body and mind is mandatory

Volvo XC90 - Hotel Zürserhof am Arlberg

The panorama and landscape

“The white ring” is a concept for a majority of passionate skiers. By that, I don’t mean the race, which takes place once a year, but rather the routes themselves. On these routes – a combination of different slopes and ski lifts – completely new glimpses into the wonderful alpine panorama around the Arlberg offer themselves up every few meters. When there’s good weather and sunshine, visibility (for example, from the Rüfikopf) is almost unlimited. Metaphorically speaking, you could say that the white ring revolves around the two towns of Lech and Zürs and sees the mountains from all different sides.

The Zürserhof and its Aureus Spa

Before the Winter season of 2014/15, the Hotel Zürserhof – a 5 Star Superior Hotel – liberally expanded their spa area. Since then, it has been known under the name “Aureus” in the Arlberg. Looking at the numbers, it is probably the largest spa area belonging to a hotel in Lech-Zürs am Arlberg. Well being for body and soul is a motto that is lived here all the time – and that on 5 connected levels with a total of 3,200 square meters. Here, “spa” doesn’t simply mean relaxation for your body, but also for your soul. In any case, in the Aureus, all the foundation stones have been set to greet the end of your vacation – which should definitely be generously scheduled- with a refreshed spirit for the journey home. This is made possible in many ways, such as with light and scent therapy, harmonized to the individual spaces and themes of the Aureus Span in Hotel Zürserhof. On The Vienna Blog, Gregor has looked into the Aureus Spa in detail and inquired closely into its philosophy.

Volvo XC90 - Hotel Zürserhof am Arlberg

Atmosphere that makes you feel like part of the family

The feeling and ambience of being a guest or just a number makes much more of a difference than many people realize. For me, even more important than breathtakingly great food or the high quality of a room is to be greeted and have the feeling that your host is glad to see you. Especially if it’s like you’re part of the family. Then you feel comfortable, and it’s much easier to relax during your vacation.

Moments after we left, I was already looking forward to coming back next year. Every element of hospitality and warmth that keeps guests coming back is present here. Of course, the feeling and atmosphere doesn’t end when you leave the hotel. In winter, the two towns of Lech and Zürs look as if they were set in cotton in the valley between the mountains. It must be said: everyone should experience it once for themselves. Well, the winter season of 2016/17 isn’t too far away.

Quality, luxury, and condition of the slopes

Really the simplest point of the 5. Although not all ski lifts in Lech-Zürs am Arlberg correspond to the standard of pampering of, for example, Ischgl, all facilities are in top shape. But for me, the means of transportation is not nearly as important as the slopes. So far, I have never seen the slopes of the Arlberg in less than 1A condition – regardless of whether the sun seemed to melt away the snow or it was snowing from early to late.

Volvo XC90 - Hotel Zürserhof am Arlberg

All pictures were shot on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.

Devilish Tip: pay attention to product placement.
Supported by Volvo Austria with the XC90,
the Hotel Zürserhof am Arlberg.

14. February 2016 0 comment

Chillen am Strand, die Seele baumeln lassen, Gozo - Malta

Tourism & Hotels Travels

Sun, Beach, and Sea-What More Could You Want? Secret Tip: The Beaches of Malta

written by Christoph Teufel

Two whole days in Malta, plus a day to travel there and a day to travel home. In this case, the SWISS was, in the truest sense of the word, our shuttle . How to plan our agenda? Quite simple – Day 1: Sun, beach, and sea. Day 2 was dedicated to the historic capital city.

Day 1

How could I best decide where to go, which beach, which little spot on the island of Malta? In the past, I might have proverbially flown my finger over a map, but today I do it with Google Maps. No sooner said than done. It’s even easier than it sounds. Within 15 minutes, our whole first day in Malta was planned down to the delicacies and little stopping places.

The result: a visit to the “San Blas Bay” and its beach of the same name, and then the (probably) world famous “Azure Window”. I confess that I first learned about it from Google.

The San Blas bay is a small but lovely beach. You can’t drive directly to it, and apparently, it counts as a secret tip. Because you certainly couldn’t call it overcrowded – even though it was a Saturday! From the closest parking place or bus station, it’s about 10-15 minutes by foot downhill, and when going back up under the hot sun, you should plan for 20-30 minutes and have a little water with you. Once there, you’re not lying like sardines, one next to the next as on many Italian beaches- instead, everything is very relaxed. You can put your umbrella and lounger wherever you like in the sand.

After splashing in the water a little, swimming closer to one yacht or another anchored there, and playing on the sand, an optimistic mood is irresistible. However, we also wanted to see the Azure Window, since we were already on Malta. So, we had a taxi bring us to our rental car and drove to the northwest end of Gozo Island, which is, of course, a part of Malta.

Incidentally, the San Blas bay is in the north of Gozo Island. If our planet wasn’t curved and your sight was crystal clear, you could see Sicily from here.

Arriving at the Azure Window on Gozo Island in the northwest, it wasn’t hard to see that this was a popularly photographed attraction. It wasn’t at all easy to take one photo or another without getting other tourists in the background. But see for yourself. It’s definitely worth it to be one of the many tourists at least once in the future.

The conclusion after a lovely day under the sun and miraculously without a sunburn: Malta is drawing us back with near certainty. Whether in the next weeks or the next years, we’ll definitely return.

Devilish Tip: Pay attention to product placement.
This short trip was supported by SWISS

27. October 2015 0 comment

Schweizer Schokolade im Flugzeug bei Swiss - Coverfoto

Transportation & Cars Travels

Flying is as Sweet as Swiss Chocolate with SWISS

written by Christoph Teufel

A little while ago, it was finally time to travel to Malta. Thanks to SWISS, it was quick and easy to get from Vienna (VIE) to Malta (MLA) via Zurich (ZRH). I’ve flown with a lot of difference airlines in the last few years. But if someone or other thinks that I’m writing that just to leave a good impression, they’re completely mistaken. In my eyes, flying through Europe with SWISS always has the most charm-equally to one of the 22 new short distance destinations that SWISS has added since 2015.

One of these was our destination – Malta.

Of our two days there, we had granted ourselves one day of sun, beach, and sea, while Valetta, the capital and historic city of Malta was on the schedule for the second day.

What makes flying so special to me, aside from the many wonderful views from the window, never the same on any two flights? There are the different dialects of the flight attendants, the mentality of the crew, which-whether you like it or not- I think is clearly reflected in the service. It is exactly through the last that the Swiss have for me-particularly among the airline in the German-speaking area- a leadership position

Of course, there were other small things. I personally liked, for example, the way you can count on getting a piece of Swiss chocolate, as sure as the Amen in a prayer. And that often not just once, but twice. And no one complains if you reach into the little basket properly once and take 5, 6, or 7 pieces at a time. I LIKE IT!

And after the third piece of chocolate, branded by SWISS –quick as that- we had already arrived at Malta.

Devilish tip: Keep an eye out for product placement.
This short trip was supported by SWISS.

11. September 2015 0 comment

Fliegen ist immer wieder schön - Coverfoto

Blog @en Travels

Traveling by air is a new experience every time. VIE-MUC-LIS-MUC-VIE

written by Christoph Teufel

Let’s see if I can put the reasons why I like to fly into words. On closer inspection, there are definitely some points to name. Unfortunately, there are always contrary points as well. I’ll use my last trip from Vienna over Munich to Lisbon and then back over Munich as an example.

The flight numbers: LH2327 – LH1790 – LH1791 _ OS116

Pros

Every time that the airplane’s wheels lose contact with the runway and you think, “So, now we’re flying.” Or the moment when you take off in rainy weather or clouds, the airplane slowly breaks through the cloud cover, and you’re greeted by the sun.

No matter how often you fly, the play of light over clouds and the cloud cover itself create a new view every time. From above, it looks as beautiful as a dream, and from below, it often promises the famous “3 days of rainy weather”.

When the person in the seat next to you is nice. And, of course, it’s just as nice when it turns out that you have a whole row of seats to yourself and no need to worry about room in Economy Class!

The flight attendants or stewards, or flight crew for short, should be given a “Thank you” here. They usually try to act as friendly to every guest as though they knew they were going to get a year’s vacation the next day.

Cons

While there are nice, helpful, and friendly neighbors in every airplane, sadly there are also some that you would rather avoid than sit next to.

Unfortunately it’s also a minus for me that these days when you have a relatively short flight of one and a half or two hours, you get just a little nibble, nothing that could be called a meal. And the rows of seats feel closer together each time.

Of course, there can still be turbulence even these days, but normally when there’s bad weather, it’s possible to fly around it.

The flights summarized in a few words

The outbound flights were short and uncomplicated. The planes were relatively empty-pleasant for the passengers, probably-in the case of Lufthansa-rather unpleasant for the airline. On the return flight from Lisbon from the Peugeot 308 GT presentation from the Hotel Onyria Quinta da Marinha sadly the opposite was the case; the planes were completely full. Despite that, it was a pleasant journey – no delays, no breakdowns. Given these circumstances, I’d be happy to fly with Lufthansa again.

PS: A little tip for Lufthansa and their crews: if “Windows” crashes and has to be restarted before leaving the gate, the announcement -if it is going to be announced to the passengers-should be phrased very gently or not at all. It’s possible that some passengers on board would worry, as frequent fliers know they don’t have to, and perhaps even be panicked.

16. May 2015 0 comment