Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
A lake with clear blue water within a forest – that is the main spring of river Rhume close to the village Rhumspringe. In many other cases people have framed the source of a river, but here it is untouched: there is just a swimming pontoon for better views and some tables for a picnic. It is said to be the third-largest spring in Germany and one of the most productive Karst springs (with up to 5,000 liter per second).
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A massive staircase in the forest close to Scharzfeld easily shows that something big was once standing here. It is leading onto a 20 meters high dolomite rock which was the location of the Burg Scharzfeld from the 10th century CE. There is not much left of the once massive fortification – just some remains of walls, arches and gates; but you can have an amazing view from up there. The staircase is in such good shape is king George V (the last king of Hannover) had it restored in 1856 and today it looks a bit alien in this landscape.
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Are you in the mood to search for unicorns? Then the Einhornhöhle near Scharzfeld might be the perfect destination for you. Researchers have come here for a very long time as the 700 meters long cave is filled to large extent with sediment that contains the bones of extinct animals like mammoths, cave bears and cave lions. In 1672 the physicist Otto von Guericke reported that he had found a unicorn there which motivated the famous mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to get there and to construct a unicorn from bones. It were in facht mammoth bones, but his reconstruction is now the logo of the cave and the name ‘unicorn cave‘ attracts a lot of visitors.
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‘You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.’
– Dr. Seuss
There aren’t many spots from which you can enjoy great views on the city center of Göttingen: you can get to the canteen of the Neues Rathaus, access the small terrace of the Kunsthaus or get on top of the Bismarckturm. But none of them normally gives you the chance to have a delicious sundowner while focusing the university town’s skyline. Fortunately, the FREIgeist hotel brings good food and drinks to the Nordstadt of Göttingen – an area in the past not known for fine dining and great cocktails. It has indeed the only real rooftop bar of the city, so get a drink and enjoy sundown!
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Grasse is known to be the world capital of perfume and therefore that’s all a visit about. The region surrounding it is used to grow different kinds of flowers (mostly lavender, narcissus, cassia, mimosa, violet, iris, roses, jasmine plus bigarade oranges) used in fragrance production and whenever you stroll through the narrow streets and enjoy good views from the mountain you’ll always have a nice scent in your nose.
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When visiting Grasse you can stop at the historic perfume factories like Fragonard, Galimard and Molinard to learn about fragrance making, but you should definitely also have a look at the Musée International de la Parfumerie; a very unusual museum and a topic I had never explored before. As the small city of Grasse at the French Côte d’Azur is considered the world capital of perfume you can have a deep-dive here and fill your nose with lots of different scents.
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Since 1946 every year at the Festival de Cannes the best movies, actors and scripts are awarded, with the Palme d’Or as the most important trophy. We all know the yearly pictures of celebrities waving from the red carpet in front of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès at Cannes. You can find the Palais directly at the harbor after strolling through the nice streets of the city center and discovering the roofed markets of Cannes.
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You can’t ignore the beauty of Antibes at the French Côte d’Azur, the charming old houses in the city center at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Next to the cathédrale Notre-Dame de l’Immaculée Conception you’ll find the ancient fortress of the Grimaldi family from the 12th century. In 1608 it became owned by the French crown and since 1966 it houses the Musée Picasso, a nice art museum on Place Mariejol directly at the sea.
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One of the best features of Nice is for sure the Promenade des Anglais, the walkway between the beach and the beautiful old city center. It is seven kilometers long and named after the English that started in the second half of the 18th century to spend their winters at the Côte d’Azur. Everyday people are strolling along the shore, having a bath at the pebble beach, playing pétanque or enjoying a drink in one of the many bars. The beach is by the way partly public and in some sections commercialized giving you the choice to either have free access or to enjoy sun loungers and bars directly at the water.
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