Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Zagreb Airport, officially Franjo Tuđman Airport, is the main international gateway to Croatia and a very practical arrival point for the capital. It sits just south-east of the city in Velika Gorica, and in recent years it has handled well over four million passengers annually, which makes it both the largest and busiest airport in the country.
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The Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo in 1984 stand out as one of the most atmospheric and, in many ways, unexpectedly charming editions of the Games. At the time, Sarajevo was part of Yugoslavia, and the event symbolised a rare moment when East and West came together in a relaxed, almost intimate setting. The city itself, surrounded by mountains and steeped in history, provided a dramatic natural backdrop that felt both authentic and unpolished compared to the more commercialised Winter Olympics that followed. There was a genuine warmth in the organisation and a sense that the Games belonged to the people rather than to global sponsors.
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One of those places that stays with you because its history is visible everywhere you walk. First mentioned in the 15th century, Mostar grew as an Ottoman frontier town around a river crossing, and the city’s very name comes from the bridge keepers. Its position on the Neretva made it a natural meeting point for traders, travellers and different cultures, which shaped its character over centuries.
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The massacre of Srebrenica in July 1995 stands as one of the darkest chapters in recent European history. It has been recognised as a genocide, carried out with the explicit aim of ethnic cleansing in eastern Bosnia. What unfolded in and around this small town was not a chaotic by-product of war, but a systematic and organised effort to eliminate the Bosniak population from the region.
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The Holiday Inn (now Hotel Holiday) in Sarajevo is one of the city’s most recognisable modern landmarks, originally built in the early 1980s as part of the preparations for the 1984 Winter Olympics. Designed by Sarajevo architect Ivan Štraus, it was intended to project a fresh, international image for the city and quickly became a symbol of that Olympic era.
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Perched high above the village of Üssinghausen, the Sohnreywarte – also known locally as the Sohnrey-Hütte – is a modest observation shelter rather than a grand tower. It sits on elevated ground at the edge of the Solling landscape, offering wide views over wooded hills and open countryside. The structure itself is simple and functional, stone-built with a covered seating area that invites walkers and hikers to pause. It was created in 1931 as a place of remembrance and quiet reflection, intended to honour Heinrich Sohnrey while also encouraging appreciation of the rural landscape he so often wrote about.
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Tucked away in the wooded hills near Uslar, the Bergsee at Delliehausen is one of those quietly atmospheric places that feels far removed from modern life. At first glance, it appears to be a natural mountain lake, its dark, still waters framed by dense forest and steep slopes. In reality, however, it is a relic of the region’s industrial past, shaped by human activity rather than nature alone.
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Erlangen is one of those understated Bavarian towns that quietly rewards a curious traveller. Its history is closely tied to the Huguenots, French Protestants who fled religious persecution in the late 17th century. They were invited to settle here and played a decisive role in shaping the city’s character, economy, and elegant baroque layout. Even today, this heritage is visible in the city’s grid-like streets and the Huguenot church, which stands as a reminder of Erlangen’s unusually international past for a town of its size.
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Tucked away in a quiet stretch of woodland east of Friedland, the so‑called southern Meridianstein is one of those understated historical markers you could easily walk past without realising its significance. It’s a modest stone, weathered and almost blending into its natural surroundings, yet it represents a remarkable chapter in the scientific history of the region. Finding it requires a bit of curiosity and a willingness to leave the usual paths, but that sense of discovery is part of its appeal.
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The Eisenbahnmuseum Lokschuppen Aumühle sits in a historic locomotive shed from 1906 on the edge of the Sachsenwald near Hamburg, and it is run by a volunteer association dedicated to preserving regional rail history. It began life as part of the old railway facilities in Aumühle, and today it serves as a hands-on museum for northern German local and suburban transport.
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