Arnhem. You probably only picture cute shops, cobblestone streets, and maybe a museum or two, right? Well, there is so much more! This city is bursting with natural beauty, perfect for a weekend escape that’s way more than just “city life.”
My recent trip was a total game-changer. Forget crowded shopping streets, I was all about exploring the stunning nature Arnhem has to offer. Think lush parks, hidden trails, and the most breathtaking views. Seriously, I felt like I’d stepped into a nature documentary! 🌳
Here’s the highlight: I stayed at Hotel Haarhuis and let me tell you, this place knows how to do relaxation right. Imagine this: your own private sauna on a terrace overlooking the city. Yep, you read that right. After a day of hiking, I was soaking in those steamy vibes with a view. Talk about the ultimate unwind! ✨
Ready to ditch the usual city break and embrace Arnhem’s wild side? Here’s what you need to know:
Explore the Veluwe: This national park is basically Arnhem’s backyard. Hike or bike through forests, heathlands, and sand dunes. Keep your eyes peeled for wild deer! 🦌
Stroll through Sonsbeek Park: This place is straight out of a fairytale. Wander past romantic ponds, hidden waterfalls, and even a 18th-century mansion.
Hike to the top of the Posbank: Okay, this one requires a bit of effort, but trust me, the panoramic views are SO worth it. Pro tip: Pack your hiking boots and your swimsuit (for that sauna action, obviously!).
Arnhem is calling for a weekend of nature, relaxation, and unexpected adventures. Who’s in?
I went on a little road trip to the Netherlands. It was a short 90-minute drive to the national park Veluwezoom and I arrived right before sunrise.
I took my bike on a nice 2-hour ride and loved it so much. Though you will find more hiking trails at Veluwezoom, I totally digged the MTB trail: tree roots, mud, forest trails, uphill passages and a nice flow.
Collect moments, not things. ☀️ I know, sometimes we all get caught up in a busy life, stress about work and responsibilities. Don’t forget to hit the pause button when things get stressful. Remember to enjoy the little things, make memories and take good care of yourself.
I for myself take my sweet ride on happy bike dates, exploring new places.
Jostberg is a peak in Bielefeld, Teutoburg Forest. Though it is not among my favorite areas, it can be nice for a short Sunday mountain bike ride or hike. 🌳🥾🚴🏼♀️
This one is a very nice route near my new hood – roughly 18.5 k.🥾🌳
The area is a nature preserve called Geisterholz in Oelde. A magical forest 🌳 with an extremely pretty waterfall and an old avenue of chestnuts. A very calm and peaceful place. ☺️
The Teutoborg Forest is a range of low, forested hills in the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Outdoor and sports enthusiasts will love this area. Here are some impressions from my 6-hour hike: 25.7 km, accumulated elevation 579 m and a heavy backpack.
We started at the Externsteine, then hiked to the Falkenburg Castle – including some detours – and ended up at the Hermann monument. The latter was actually pretty disappointing, especially since you had to hike on paved roads, but the area between Horn Bad Meinberg and Berlebeck was beautiful. 😌
So, if you are in this area, pick any of the endless MTB or hiking trails and enjoy yourself.
I had a little “bikecation“, enjoying a long weekend off, riding my bike, checking out the latest bike stuff at the Cyclingworld Europe and simply hanging with a great crowd.
Cyclingworld Europe
They call it Europe‘s finest bike show for a reason. Bike and e-bike enthusiasts come together to explore the latest trends, try new bikes, meet like-minded people or to simply get inspired for the upcoming bike season.
Gravel and cargo bikes are becoming even more popular, so does bike packing and I also noticed a higher interest in e-bikes, being a sustainable alternative for either public transportation or your car. Sustainability was obviously omnipresent. Let me just say: Hello wooden bikes or wooden art.
What I always digg at these shows is the whole bike culture. I love the attitude and lifestyle, always meeting new people or discovering hot stuff or cool brands such as STYRKR or Cyclepunks. Loved it.
Getting fit for the bike season
I myself started with my workout routine to get fitter this season. Since the weather was perfect, I literally rode my bike till it hurt.
But I already created my bucket list and cannot wait to get out there. Wild and free!
This one is on my bucket list for 2023. I recently explored part of this Nature Reserve at the Exsternsteine rocks and loved it, especially since it is pretty close to my new home. For hiking, biking or just some relaxing runs, this area is pretty neat and I cannot wait to discover it further with my dear friend Alexa.
Exsternsteine Rocks
The Externsteine rock formation is undoubtedly one of the most impressive natural monuments in the Teutoburg Forest region. Millions of years ago, these originally horizontal layers of rock were shifted into a vertical position and presumably owe their current extraordinary form to the action of water over millions of years and the friction of ice during the Ice Age. An impressive display of the geological forces that have shaped our world. The stones appear other-worldly to some of the 500,000 or so people who visit the attraction each year, and some even say that they have magical powers…
Closer examination of the five sandstone columns reveals that they had fascinated our very early ancestors in a similar fashion. They are marked not just by water erosion, but also by the hands of men. The people who lived in this area in the Middle Ages appear to have established a place of Christian worship here, with a grotto, a grave and a relief showing biblical scenes all visible today. The relief depicting Christ’s descent from the cross is regarded as a work of art of European importance. In the 19th century, some rather more secular features were chiselled in to the rock: a stairway leading up to a viewing platform. (source: NRW Tourism)
Shocking! Munich Mountain Rebel is leaving Munich some time in December. 🙃 My time in Munich has come to an end. I have been here for almost 20 years, with some breaks in between, where I lived in Berlin, explored Australia or spent some other time abroad. It played a huge chapter along my journey, helped me grow, I met amazing people, never stopped exploring and learning at my jobs and I met some of my best friends EVER, that have now become part of my family.
A personal note
I wasn’t sure, whether I should write a long blog post on everything or some of the greatest memories I made, but nothing would do justice. Besides, I don’t wanna bore you with half my vita here on this blog. I mean, I started my career, my profession, in Munich at the agency haebmau after some experience in the media industry. When you read my old yearbook entries I always wanted to become a journalist, but after time I discovered my love for brand strategies and digital marking – always “hungry” for more, wanting to create change and finding simple solutions for complex problems. Looking back, I am so grateful for all opportunities. Whenever something presented itself as a chance to broaden my horizon or to learn more, I grasped the opportunity with both hands. Whether it was with haebmau, Sony, Ketchum, fischerAppelt, Holtzbrinck, gutefrage.net, Rapid Peaks, wirhelfen.eu, the Fritzmeier Umwelttechnik, or the amazing brands and companies I got to work with such as Salewa, Weber Grill, Adidas, SAP, FC Bayern, BMW, Coca-Cola, Biotaurus, Kungs, Victorinox, Generali, or the endless projects I got to create during my 13 years of blogging at V’s World, having 500,000 readers every single month. I traveled the world, learned so many new things, not just on a professional and personal level, tried scuba diving, paragliding, went beyond my limits on trail running competitions, discovered mountain biking as a passion, fell in love with the great outdoors, learned the ropes of a mountaineering guide and so much more. As I said, I could never do justice saying “thank you” to everything that has happened during the past 20 years. And I am pretty sure I forgot someone or something.
Thank you, Munich
In retrospective, there were no wasted opportunities, no dead ends. Everything together made me who I am now and over time I found my purpose. Find your purpose and you will find your voice – and then everything automatically falls in place, no matter where you are.
The past years during the pandemic and now during the economic crisis and in times of war in Europe, many of us got to reflect, put things in perspective again and realized or remembered what is really important to every single one of us. For me, this means: my family and following my purpose to get things moving; creating solutions that have an impact in the brand marketing world and hopefully beyond – meaning, creating values and solutions that are useful or helpful in our world.
So, yes, now it is time. I am leaving Munich by the end of this year, just right before Christmas. I am moving to my family in Westphalia and am really excited about my next chapters. And no worries, there is lots of room for my outdoor adventures, there are bike trails in my hood, yes, I will still do some mountaineering tours, but also explore other mountain regions or national parks – and most importantly, spending more time with my family. Here you will find a little sneak peek of what is close to my new home.
You can keep following me on my social channels, I will continue to share my outdoor and travel tips here on the blog and regarding my profession, my love for brand strategies and digital marketing is forever. I will stay your Munich Mountain Rebel, just living somewhere else. And yes, I will definitely plan some trips to the greater Munich area to spend some time with my friends every now and then. 🙂
I am stealing this quote ’cause it fits. “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”
Lenggries is the center of the Isarwinkel, the region along the Isar between Bad Tölz and Wallgau. For those of you who are looking for less crowded outdoor tours, here you will still find some hidden gems.
