I am glad you’re here. Looks like you love the American West as much as I do.
Traveling has always been my biggest interest. As a child and teenager I traveled mostly in Europe – Italy has always been my favorite – and then, later, the US. Although I had no idea how it looked like here, I was fascinated by the American West. All I knew came from movies. I didn’t want, like everybody else, just come here on vacation. I was determined to stay for six months and find out what’s all about it.
Meticulously, I planned my trip to Los Angeles or better, Santa Monica – not a bad spot to get your first impression. I don’t know how many times I drove Highway No. 1 up and down to Zuma Beach, sucking in the wind and the salty ocean air in my convertible; taking my first “steps” rollerblading in Venice Beach, and enjoyed the endless empty beaches all the way up to Malibu. That’s how it started… A lot has happened since then. A few moves and some stop-overs in Florida along the way. But, the fascination with the American West stayed…
It was just another adventure when I moved from Florida to Arizona in 2006. By then I knew the American West quite a bit, and that’s why I moved back. I liked Florida, as a vacation destination; I have always loved beach and ocean. And now, I am ending up in the desert? As it turned out, this was the best decision I had made. My life changed completely.
Shortly after I arrived in Arizona I started having thoughts and ideas about a magazine; however, nothing solid yet. After many evening filling talks and brainstorming the plan took on forms. And then, one day, it hit me – a magazine exclusively about the American West. That’s it! Now all I needed was a name but that didn’t take too long – Spirit of the West Magazine was born.
The first printed issue was published in January 2008. Back then, and still today, Spirit of the West is the leading German language magazine about travel and lifestyle in the American West. A Facebook page followed and soon after, Instagram. with that, new possibilities opened up. All of a sudden Spirit of the West Magazine had fans from allover the world but what surprised me the most was, the biggest fan group comes from Italy. That inspired me to start and integrate a Blog. This way, more readers and fans have the opportunity to learn about, travel and enjoy the American West not only in German but also in Italian and English. Yeeehaaa…..
Hi, I am Sonja
