The Passenger ⋆ Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.

November 5, 2024November 17, 2024

Tannery

The classic cover picture of guidebooks about Morocco is the Tannerie Chouara, hidden in the Medina of Fès. As it is a rather dirty and smelly craft, the tannery is located in the outer part of the old city close to the river. The skins of various animals are first bleached here in basins and later colored in the same way. If you arrive on the right day you can see many craftsmen working between multi-color water basis. The tannery is organized as a collective, many different people work in the same space and various shops surrounding it sell the products.

November 4, 2024November 17, 2024

Villes impériales

When people visit Morocco, they typically visit the four villes impériales: Fès, Meknès, Marrakech and Rabat. These four have been capital cities throughout time for different dynasties of rulers: Idrisids (Fès), Almoravids (Marrakech), Almohads (Marrakech), Marinids (Fès), Saadis (Marrakech, Fès) and Alaouites (Fès, Meknès, Rabat). They shaped their favorite cities, contributed new buildings to them and left their traces.

October 25, 2024October 26, 2024

Pavillon

In the 1970s the Deutsches Familienkaufhaus (DeFaKa, a shopping mall) at Hannover needed a temporary new home because their normal location at the Seilwinderstraße close to the Kröpcke was rebuilt. For that reason a flat building behind the main railway station of Hannover was constructed and surprisingly it is still there today: in 1977 it was not torn down but became the Kulturzentrum Pavillon, a socio-cultural center which serves as a public library, a concert venue and a bar.

October 12, 2024October 27, 2024

Burgberg

To protect the Kaiserpfalz at Goslar, emperor Henry IV initiated the construction of the Große Harzburg between 1065 and 1068 CE. The fortification is located on the Burgberg, a very good strategic position which was by that time easy to defend. Henry was at war with the Saxonians and had to flee to the Harzburg which he also used to safely store relics and as a crypt for his family. Few years later in 1074 he had to agree to slight the fortification which exposed the Harzburg to looting by local farmers.

October 6, 2024October 27, 2024

Via Flaminia

In 220 BCE Roman censor Gaius Flaminius ordered the creation of the Via Flaminia, a road connecting Roma with the Adriatic coast. It led all the way to Ariminium, todays Rimini. The endpoint of the Via Flaminia was the Arch of Augustus named after the first Roman emperor – and it is there still today, with its Roman inscriptions and images of Roman gods. But the Arco d’Augusto is not the only Roman trace at Rimini, there is more to discover: especially a beautiful bridge.

October 5, 2024October 21, 2024

Oldest republic

San Marino was founded in 301 and is probably the oldest still existing republic with the oldest still used constitution (established in 1600). The country only has 30,000 inhabitants – much less then most European cities – and is fully surrounded by Italy. Official language is Italian, currency is the Euro; but the country is not part of the European Union (only of the United Nations). The legend says that quarryman Marinus fled from Rimini because Christians were prosecuted in the Roman Empire and went up to mount Titano to build a monastery there.

October 4, 2024October 27, 2024

MAMbo

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, San Marino

If you’re looking for modern art at Bologna, make sure to visit the former industrial zone southwest of Bolognas main railway station: former industry buildings like a tobacco factory, a paper mill and a salt storage have been re-purposed. The bread factory is now inhabited by the Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna – or short: MAMbo. Large rooms with high ceilings offer the perfect setting to present contemporary Italian art.

October 4, 2024October 27, 2024

PNB

Close to the university of Bologna you can discover the national art gallery or Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna (PNB). The museum is presenting regional art from the 13th to the 18th century in a former Jesuit building – a nice place to exhibit religious art. The collection is owned by the city of Bologna and you can explore 30 rooms with works from local painters as well as from famous names like Tintoretto, Raphael, El Greco or Giotto.

September 22, 2024September 22, 2024

Miss Marple

As in every German city, right-hand traffic is the rule of the road at Göttingen and therefore also bus stops are always on the right-hand side. But there is one bus stop that is on the left hand-side: the one for city tours with a classic London bus behind the old town hall. The bus company of the city (Göttinger Verkehrsbetriebe, GöVB) has acquired an old iconic red bus built in the United Kingdom in 1960. It is named ‘Miss Marple‘ after Agatha Christie’s fictional character and it is the gem of their fleet; something they really need to care about as spare parts aren’t available anymore for this classic.

September 11, 2024September 21, 2024

Berlin-Brandenburg

After World War II and during the occupation of Germany the four allies had ‘their’ airports at Berlin: Schönefeld (SXF) was used by the Russians, Tegel (TXL) by the French, Gatow (GWW) by the British and Tempelhof (THF) was the US airbase. The German reunification then created the need to change airport infrastructure at the German capital city. A decision was made to extend the Schönefeld airport to become the new Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (BER) and to name it after former German chancellor Willy Brandt.