Köhlerhütte

Grillplatz an der Köhlerhütte, Speele, Staufenberg

If you’re looking for a place where you can have a barbecue with family, friends or an organization, every village seems to have a location for that – often maintained honorary by the local community. One of the nicest places I’ve seen is located in the remote village Speele, belonging to Staufenberg, Germany. You can reach it by car on the one and only road connecting this place to the outside world or by regional train from Kassel or Eichenberg. Continue reading “Köhlerhütte”

Schienenersatzverkehr

Railway track restauration works, Hann. Münden

There are some words which you really dislike if you’re a frequent user of trains in Germany: “Weichenstörung” (switch point failure), “Stellwerksausfall” (railway control center failure), “Personenschaden” (damage to persons), “Signalstörung” (signal failure), “geänderte Wagenreihung” (changed order of rail cars) and of course “Schienenersatzverkehr“. It means that you’ll have to go by bus – usually with a longer travel time and missed connections. Continue reading “Schienenersatzverkehr”

A journey through desert and ice

Klimahaus, Bremerhaven

If you’ve got no time or money for travelling around the globe – try the Klimahaus in Bremerhaven, Germany. It is a museum located in a futuristic building within the Havenwelten complex educating about the impact of humans on the planet. It was opened in 2009 by the Irish musician Bob Geldof. The biggest section is a journey along the 8th degree of longitude east, the other two areas are called perspectives and chances. Here you can for example learn how to reduce your personal carbon footprint. Continue reading “A journey through desert and ice”

Watching ships

Schiffsansagedienst, Cuxhaven

In earlier days the families and friends of seamen went to the “Alte Liebe” (old love) near the harbour of Cuxhaven, Germany to welcome or say farewell to ships passing the rivermouth of the Elbe. Today this area – marked by the old lighthouse – is still a good place to watch ships. From 10 am to 7 pm the “Schiffsansagedienst” (ship announcement service) also tells you which ship is passing, where it comes from and where it is going to. Continue reading “Watching ships”

Windstärke 10

Windstärke 10, Cuxhaven

The “Windstärke 10” is a maritime museum in Cuxhaven, Germany – telling stories about the fishing industry and ship wrecks. It is located in a nice building close to the harbour but doesn’t contain too many exhibits. It has been created in 2013 as a combination of two former museums. The museum shows the problems of seafaring, you can learn about quotas for fishermen and their nets and knots. Continue reading “Windstärke 10”

The Kugelbake

Kugelbake, Cuxhaven

At the most northern part of Lower Saxony you can find the Kugelbake, the town’s landmark of Cuxhaven, Germany. It is a maritime sign marking the point where river Elbe floats into the sea. It is 28 meters high and was first built there in 1703 when a flood destroyed a group of trees marking the area. As it is built of wood it had to be repaired every 30 years. Continue reading “The Kugelbake”

Ships & penguins

Zoo im Kurpark, Cuxhaven

When we visited Cuxhaven, Germany I immediately noticed the special situation in the city. It is a health resort (in German: “Kurort“) where you go to recover. You’ll have to pay a small amount of Kurtaxe for every day you stay there – but they use the money well. In the summer there are often concerts to entertain the visitors, there are public and clean toilets everywhere and some supermarkets are open even on Sundays. Continue reading “Ships & penguins”

Wattenmeer

Wattenmeer, Cuxhaven

The Wadden Sea (or German “Wattenmeer“) is a 450 kilometers long section of the North Sea in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. The fauna in this area is formed by the tides: at low tide you can walk through the Watt which is flooded twice a day. Therefore you have to check the current schedule of the tides – they are shifting every day. Lots of animals live there and are an important source for birds and fishes. Continue reading “Wattenmeer”