Skip to main content

Author: Cornelia Menner

CultureAndCream-Autorin aus München Beauty was my first love.... oder doch Reisen? Gesundheitsthemen? Sprachen? Als Journalistin und Autorin mit der Lizenz zur Neugier kann ich alles ausleben, vor allem, seit ich mich vor 11 Jahren selbstständig machte. Zusätzlich bin ich Wirtschafts-Mediatorin und Dozentin an der Uni, was zu meinem ursprünglichen Kommunikationsstudium perfekt passt. Denn es geht es immer um Menschen – und was gibt es Spannenderes?

A Trip To Lake Garda – When the Lake Lies Still…

Written by Cornelia Menner on . No Comments on A Trip To Lake Garda – When the Lake Lies Still…

Wait a minute, seriously Lake Garda, the Italian favorite of the Germans with a license for hustle and bustle? It’s all a seasonal question, as C&C author Cornelia Menner has discovered. Lake Garda has always been the (easily accessible) destination of longing for Germans: Once over the Brenner Pass and then, after just under two hours by car, enjoy the Italian flair of Lake Garda, indulging in gelato, pasta and pizza. It is probably this special mixture of beaches, high mountains, steep coastal roads and green countryside that makes Lake Garda, as the Italians call their country’s largest lake, so unique. And somehow there is something for everyone, whether you want to swim, surf, bike, hike, paraglide, climb – or simply enjoy. Not so easy when you’re surrounded by “millions” of like-minded people. In high season, the queues in front of the ice cream parlors, ferries and sights are legendary – and the famous Gardesana road, which connects all the coastal towns, can only be negotiated at walking pace. The overtourism syndrome that has long been known from Venice has also arrived at Lake Garda after corona at the latest, with the tourism board reporting over 24 million overnight stays in 2024. With a license to go up. Away from the tourist crowds Good to know: The flow of tourists is largely limited to the summer and the vacations. When I visit Lake Garda in November and the following year in March and April, the picture is completely different: there is little going on on the lake, the souvenir stalls with lots of cheap stuff are still closed. Only a few restaurants and hotels are open, waiters and hotel staff are relaxed. A few words of the local language wouldn’t go amiss: the purely German-speaking staff will probably only be recruited for the summer season. This makes the whole thing all the more Italian, especially as Sicilians, Sardinians and Romans have also long since discovered their country’s largest lake as a vacation destination. Of course, water sports are not yet or no longer possible – and I’m definitely not one of those hardened ice bathers. When even the ferry service has a winter break, from November onwards, the water birds are in high season: I could watch the red-brown pochard with its oversized head forever as it glides calmly across the lake, diving as fast as an arrow in search of algae and aquatic insects.… weiterlesen

Vienna Is In Bloom!

Written by Cornelia Menner on . No Comments on Vienna Is In Bloom!

The city is celebrating spring – and 200 years of the Waltz King Johann Strauss. These are two good reasons to visit the Danube metropolis. Vienna has a lot to offer. Diverse culture, safe living, plenty of sustainability: a few months ago, Vienna was – once again – named the most liveable city in the world by the renowned British magazine “Economist”. As a self-confessed fan of Vienna, I think this is at least as true for vacationers: you can store, stroll, get some fresh air, enjoy art and culture, take coffee breaks, try Sachertorte or schnitzel. Enjoyment has many faces here… Spring in Vienna In spring, enjoyment has prime time, so to speak – and for all the senses: the city is in bloom, thanks to winter jasmine, forsythia and fragrant snowballs, which are also wonderfully fragrant and colorful in the middle of the asphalt in the city’s parlor. That’s what you could call the First District, especially the boulevards around St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Here on Kärtnerstraße and Graben, the former stately buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries with their magnificent façades are now home to ultra-modern boutiques, typical coffee houses, souvenir stores and souvenir stores. Everyone is in spring fever and decorates their shop windows in fresh green, pastel pink or soft yellow, decorated with flowers, butterflies and the inevitable Easter bunny. My favorite place to discover the most beautiful candles, tableware and garden accessories is Lederleitner. Cleanliness offensive with charm Even in the middle of the city, green is never far away: there are over 1000 parks in the city. Some are huge, like the famous Prater, others are called pocket parks, small islands of green. There are secluded benches everywhere for picnics or chilling out. There are orange garbage cans for garbage, printed with witty slogans. My favorite: “Hasta la mista, baby”! Who can resist this charming urban cleanliness campaign? In general, the “green space”, as the areas are known, is carefully tended and cared for by the city gardeners. In the fall of 2024, they planted an impressive 640,000 tulip bulbs, carefully protecting them from frost with brushwood branches. The brushwood is removed at the start of spring. By April at the latest, the tulips will be glowing in bright orange and the classic Austrian colors of red and white. They are joined by primroses, crocuses, hyacinths and violets. The sea of flowers is completed by the sakura – the Japanese cherry blossom, a testimony to the blossoming Austrian-Japanese connection.… weiterlesen

From the Den of Iniquity to the Luxury Cabaret

Written by Cornelia Menner on . No Comments on From the Den of Iniquity to the Luxury Cabaret

The Moulin Rouge in Paris is 130 years old. Much has changed, but the champagne is still flowing as at Toulouse-Lautrec’s time. The painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec would not have dreamed that in 1889 for „his“ Moulin Rouge: A”snake woman” bending her legs behind her head or she puts one outstretched arm behind the head over on the other shoulder. Two acrobats perform daring balance movements with dizzying tempo. A dancer dives with huge pythons in the deep pool. All of this is part of the Moulin Rouge and his show Féerie in 2019. A show of the finest, this “fairy magic“. And, of course, the famous, inimitable French Cancan can not be missing. This dance was created in the Moulin Rouge in the Belle Epoque. The ladies swing their legs so high that the skirts fly – and when stooping, they also give the view on the bare backside free. A scandal to the then, rather prudish time, but one that guaranteed the revue a full house nightly. 60 perfect dancers from all over the world 130 years later, it needs a bit more: The 60 Doriss Girls of the Moulin Rouge convince with elaborately decorated brightly colored costumes, lush feather headdress, acrobatic dance steps and perfectly coordinated choreography. A firework of colors. The girls are beaming, they sing – sometimes topless. They always look sexy, even if the buttocks remain covered – at most you can see a tricolor-colored panties flashing. Dancers can become only the best here, most are former prima ballerinae: They all are exactly 1.75 meters tall, they all have beautiful long legs – the only way to do the splits. Incidentally, they are named after Doris Haug She was from 1961 until her death in 2014 the choreographer of the now international troupe. For the girls there are strict rules that are laid down in the contract Weight control is just as prescribed as haircut and haircolor; more than two kilos plus or minus are prohibited. In addition, they must train daily and be fit without limits. Because the costumes are kilo heavy, the dance performances pure power acts. A tribute to Paris For the entire show applies: Although the Moulin Rouge with its many artists has become more international over the decades, it still offers a thoroughly French spectacle and a tribute to Paris, once and now. This also applies to the Show Féerie, which has been running since 1999.… weiterlesen