➸ New Video Wednesday: Portland, Maine

On our way to the Acadia National Park we stopped in Portland, Maine. We explored the Downtown Area, went on a little souvenir shopping tour and of course had THE best donut from a place called "Holy Donut". We also checked out the "Two Lighthouse State Park" and ate at the "Lobster Shack". So here is a New Video Wednesday. Have fuuuuun :) 

All about our lovely AirBnB you will find here. 

➸ Sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park

Today I wanna show you the most stunning and beautiful sunrise I've ever experienced in my life! At 6am we drove all the way up to the top of Cadillac Mountain at the Acadia National Park. And let me tell you, we weren't alone - I would guess that there were about 400 people waiting for the sunset. But except from the cars it wasn't crowded at all. Everyone got cozy with blankets, coffee and of course a camera. When the sun finally came up it was breathtaking. Looking over the sea with the little islands (...hearing a woman shout: Finally we hit gold!") it was so peaceful and just a perfect moment. Even when you're not a morning person, I highly recommend it - get up and drive up there - it's a lifetime experience you will never forget. For me this was my favorite moment of this whole trip! 
Fun fact: the Cadillac Mountain is the highest point at the East Coast of the States, so that means it is also the very first point which is touched by the sun in the US! 

So enjoy the picture overload :P 

➸ Hotel Story time: Becoming a hotel manager in Rome

Did you ever dream about becoming a hotel manager?  Personally, I never did. But on a weird evening in Rome, my friend and me managed a little hotel for about an hour. How did that happen? Yep, this is a really good question! 
Firstly, I have to say that this was a top rated hotel on booking.com and there were some language issues involved. When we arrived the manager said that he wanted to give us a better room, but it wasn't ready. So he asked us if we could watch the desk and hand over the keys to other customers. I am not exactly sure if he even told us to pick up the phone, like I said there were some language issues. So here we were in a hotel somewhere in Rome, sitting at the other side of the check-in desk. After the manager disappeared with the elevator upstairs we looked at each other and couldn't stop laughing for about 5 minutes.The situation was so unreal. And yes other hotel guests came in to pick up their keys. 

But this whole thing got even weirder, when the man came back and asked if one of us could come with him upstairs to look at the room. I volunteered knowing that my friend had 911 on speed dial. Upstairs he showed me the room, not finished at all. He was so overstrained by getting this room ready that I told him just to clean the bathroom and to leave some fresh sheets so i could do the bed by myself. I had the feeling that he was so glad that someone told him what to do, because he knew that he just produced chaos. So he did what I told him and I went downstairs to my very worried friend. Half an hour later we left our place behind the check-in desk and moved to our room. 

I can say this was one of the weirdest hotel experiences ever. At least we had an rooftop balcony with a stunning view over the city. After we checked out he kindly asked us to write a top review on booking.com, because he got us a better room! 
yeeeeah, sure.
So after all we knew why this hotel was top-rated! 

➸ Polaroid Love.

On every trip I go my Polaroid Camera always follows me. Of course by now this is a huge trend and a lot people got a one. However, for me taking polaroid pictures is something special. I’ve wanted a camera like this since I have been a little kid. Then in 2008 Polaroid announced they were going to stop producing cameras and the foto paper because of insolvency proceedings. The dream to take pictures, which were printed right away seemed to be gone! BUT! YAY, in 2010 polaroid cameras were back with the Polaroid 300 and the Fujifilm Instax Mini. In 2014 my dream came true and I got my very own one. 

But what is the thrill about this kind of pictures? Why spending so much money for the instant film packs? I like that you have just one shot. You think about how to take his picture much more carefully. You can’t take 20 in row and decide which one is the best and delete the rest afterwards. Also you have it in your hand on paper, you see how it is developing until it is an actual picture and you don’t have it just on your phone. 

I use my shots on moments which are special to me like my birthday party or unique and memorable places.

Here are my favorite shots I took so far:

Porto.

Sunrise, Acadia National Park

Harry Potter Studios, London

Lake of Constance

Indian Summer, White Mountains

Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire

Lisbon 

Singapore

If you wondering mine is the Polaroid 300 in red.

                    

➸ New Video: Road Trip New England

One of the reasons why I am all about our trip to and through New England is that we actually went on a road trip. Road Trips are always so much fun and you see so much more from the country/region you're visiting. And the best thing was we chose a Beetle to be our road companion! What a great car! 

So I edited a little video about our road trip. I hope you like it! I would really appreciate if you head over to my channel and subscribe or give it a thumbs up :) 

Have a great day! xxx Steffi 

My thoughts about the outcome of the election.

When you follow this blog for a while or know me in person, you know that I love the US. It's one of my favorite countries to travel to and I even considered moving there someday in the future. I am really not surprised that this is the outcome of the election, but I am sad anyway. Like I said in Tuesdays post: this election effects the whole world - next year is election year in Germany, too. The extreme right wing is growing and growing. Trumps win feeds them confidence and maybe even new supporters. This is a very dangerous trend, which is not just happening in our country, but in other European countries, too. 

I know there are a lot of people out there who are scared for their rights at the moments. But look around you - you are not alone! And if all of you stand together and fight for your rights and keeping up the positive vibe, you can do a lot! You have now the influence on the next generation, which can make a change in the next election! You can find a suitable candidate without a questionable past, which will beat Trump in any way (By the way I looove all the #MichelleObama2020 posts! How great would that be!! A black woman!).

I will continue sharing my experiences and adventures I have had in the US. There are so many places which are definitely too beautiful not to share. But I wanted you to know that I am very critical about the new political development and I will wait and see what is going to happen next before I book a new flight to the States. 

Lots of love xxx! 

!!!! Please USA, do the right thing today!!!

I just wanna leave this message out here for today:
 When you have the right to vote in the American election today - USE IT! Go and VOTE!!! Your decision isn't just about the politics in the U.S. today, it will effect the politics and a lot of countries all around the globe. So PLEASE be smart and do the right thing!!!! 

➸ AirBnB Recommendation: Portland, Maine

It was my second time staying in an AirBnB. And what can I say? It was gorgeous (like the first time in Porto). I am talking about this little studio in the south of Portland. We were very warm welcomed by our lovely host Olivia. She showed us around, explained everything and gave us very good suggestions what we could do and go in Portland and in the area. 

The Studio has two parts, which is separated by a wall without a door. in the one part you find a very comfortable bed and a desk. In the other part is a kitchen, a dining table, a TV and a sofa ( and of course a bathroom). The apartment is very clean and very thoughtfully furnished. In the kitchen you will even find tea and coffee. You have everything you need, really everything! From a complete kitchen to an iron to a hifi-system. On the writing desk you will find a lot of maps and information about the area and a folder with guide to the studio and Portland. 

I have honestly have nothing bad to say about this place! From the first minute we felt like coming home. You have your privacy and don't even notice that the family is living in the other part of the house. Had I known that this place would be so awesome, we would have booked it for longer. 

Also it's a perfect location in a very quiet neighbor hood. You only need about 6 minutes with the car to the downtown area, 14 minutes to the Two Lights State Park and just a few minutes to the next supermarket.

From the first minute we felt like coming to a cozy home. Had I known that this place would be so awesome, we would have booked it for longer. So if you're ever looking for an Airbnb in Portland, Maine - this is the one!