Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
I don’t know how many times I passed the entrance of the Stadtmuseum of Kassel without entering it. It is located within the old Karlshospiz at the Ständeplatz but has the entrance in the rear. Maybe it were the windows closed with bricks that kept me from entering the building with the nice portal. At least I didn’t expect too many interesting things inside.
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It was one of the most interesting artworks of the documenta 14 art exhibition at Kassel, Germany: the obelisk (‘Das Fremdlinge und Flüchtlinge Monument‘) by Olu Oguibe originally located on the Königsplatz. A simple geometric figure with the words of Matthew 25,35c on it in German, English, Arabic and Turkish: ‘I was a stranger and you took me in‘. It was the right artwork at the right time and place, as in Germany there were long-running, very emotional debates how many refugees the country can take in.
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The latest insider tip if you want to combine good drinks with perfect views on the city of London, United Kingdom is the Sky Garden. It is a garden in the glassy top floor of the building 20 Fenchurch Street that is called walkie-talkie by the locals because of its shape. Within the Sky Garden you will find a bar and a restaurant. In addition to good food and drinks you can enjoy perfect views on important sights like the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge as well as on other skyscrapers like the gherkin, the shard, the cheesegrater and the lipstick.
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Already in Roman times the city of London, United Kingdom had important harbours within the city and at Southwark. Over time the importance grew and more space was needed. In the east of the city along river Thames a large area became dedicated for loading and unloading goods: the Docklands. It is no official name and the area includes parts of the city quarters Greenwich, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets. With the rise of containerization and container ships the docks of London became too small and had all to be closed in the end of the 20th century.
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The river Thames is not a small one while it is passing through London, United Kingdom. I crossed it many, many times on bridges and within (underground) trains. But there is also the possibility to walk through under it at one point: the Greenwich foot tunnel. It connects the Isle of Dogs north of the river with Greenwich – the entrance is close to the Cutty Sark. Construction works started in 1899 and the tunnel was opened in 1902. The purpose was to bring the workers in a fast and reliable way to the docks.
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To refer to a specific place on the planet a coordinate system is needed. We’re using longitude (west/east) and latitude (north/south) to tell where we are. The latitude is 0 on the equator but for longitude a position for 0 – the prime meridian – had to be defined. On a conference in Washington, United States different alternatives were analysed and it was defined that the prime meridian should be the one going through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, London (as it was used most often by that time).
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After some days between skyscrapers and tightly packed houses in the city of London, United Kingdom you might feel the necessity for a little change. The city quarter Greenwich is no insider tip as everybody goes there for the Royal Observatory – but you should consider it, even if it is only for a walk in the evening. Just take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Bank and exit at Maritime Greenwich. After some meters you’re standing at the shore of river Thames.
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I can’t go to London, England without visiting the river Thames. Even if I’m just on a short business trip I have to walk through the city to get to the water. Sometimes I just walk along the river from the Millennium Bridge to the Tower Bridge or from Embankment to Westminister. Sometimes I like to have a beer on the water at Tamesis Dock. Another wonderful place with good views is the Greenwich Pier where you can also admire the Cutty Sark.
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After watching the movie ‘Notting Hill‘ with Hugh Grant (‘Whoopsidaisies!‘) and Julia Roberts (‘Can I stay for a while?‘) we all know that there are numerous small gardens throughout London, England – some private, some available to the public. One of the latter is located near the river Thames between Embankment and Westminister. If you can distract your eyes from the river and London Eye and walk on the other side of the street you can find Whitehall Gardens.
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If you are in need of a good burger at London, England then Honest Burgers is a good choice. In fact it’s a burger restaurant chain with different restaurants throughout the United Kingdom (London, Reading, Bristol, Cambridge, Brighton and Manchester). They know well where the served meat comes from, they offer vegan options and chips as well as their sauces are home-made.
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