Dr. Stefan Christmann

October 26, 2019January 26, 2020

Wacht am Rhein

There aren’t too many good places to sit at the shore of river Rhein at Leverkusen, Germany. A lot of the space along the river is cover by chemical factories. But if you make your way from Leverkusen-Mitte to the river, leave the shopping malls behind and pass through and endless number of residential homes you will find the Neuland-Park (a vast garden) and next to it a nice restaurant called ‘Wacht am Rhein‘ (Watch on the Rhine) – named after an ancient German song and anthem.

October 26, 2019December 3, 2019

BayArena

The BayArena at Leverkusen, Germany is a soccer stadium I saw multiple times – when passing by on motorway A1 directly next to it. As Leverkusen itself feels like a giant chemical plant with a city around it, I never had the desire to go there. Doing it nevertheless was a good decision as the stadium is really great in its design and services. It is home to the ‘Werkself‘, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a club owned by this giant chemical plant (the Bayer AG). A club that never won the German championship but ended five times on the second place – and is therefore often called ‘Vizekusen‘.

October 26, 2019August 10, 2025

Museum Morsbroich

The Museum Morsbroich is a museum for contemporary art in Leverkusen, Germany. It is located within the baroque castle Schloss Morsbroich from the year 1389 – later belonging to the German Order. The castle is beautiful and around it, you can find an English landscape garden. The museum was founded in 1951 as the first German museum for contemporary art after World War II. I didn’t know what to expect when coming here, but it really was worth a visit. When I came there an exhibition of Belgian photographer Francis Alÿs was presented there.

October 26, 2019February 20, 2020

Japanese oasis

One of the most beautiful places in Leverkusen, Germany, is the Japanese garden. It dates back to the year 1912 and is part of the Chempark – the collection of companies producing chemical products in the city. Since 1950 it is publicly accessible and you can enjoy having the feeling of being in Japan. There are nice lakes, Japanese temples, red maple trees, koi carps, and different statues. It is simply a wonderful place to relax, discover and enjoy life.

October 26, 2019February 19, 2020

Best Western Leoso

Leverkusen, Germany, is somehow a strange city: a giant chemical factory, some pure residential zones, a city centre with shopping opportunities – all lined up along river Rhein, a major street and the railway tracks. If you’re travelling by train you might want to have a hotel close to the station and then the Best Western Leoso is a good choice. It is located just 500 meters north of the station and is easily accessible on foot. Don’t expect a beauty – it is a huge hotel block and getting into it feels like travelling in time.

October 20, 2019October 21, 2019

Main tower

If you want to enjoy good views on the skyline of ‚Mainhattan‘ the Main tower in Frankfurt, Germany is your best choice. A high-speed elevator brings you to the 54th floor and after taking stairs to the 56th floor you‘ll be on a partially roofed viewing platform with unhindered views on the skyline, the river Main and the complete city. On good days you cannot only see the Waldstation but also catch a glimpse on Feldberg mountain in the Taunus mountain range.

October 7, 2019April 19, 2022

Green Island

Ireland (or Éire) is a wonderful island in the North of central Europe. It has beautiful landscapes, real natural highlights (like the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher) and many, many sheep. The capital Dublin has a high density of interesting places, but in 2020 also Galway became a centre of attraction as the European Capital of Culture. But Ireland is also interesting in its history and the division into the mainly Catholic Republic of Ireland and the Protestant Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom.

October 6, 2019October 18, 2019

Mulligan’s

Having a good Guinness or a delicious cider is part of every trip to Dublin, Ireland. Tourists typically get stuck in a pub in the crowded Temple bar area in the city centre. Pubs there are often overcrowded and charge a big surplus. If you rather want the traditional pub experience you should choose a classic neighbourhood pub a little bit afar from the centre of tourist attraction.

October 6, 2019October 16, 2019

Irish

Official languages of Ireland are Irish and English. If you travel on the island you don’t need to learn Irish, everybody will be able to talk to you in English (but it is always nice to know some words!). Every now and then you will probably hear somebody speaking Irish and most signs a bilingual. I didn’t experience any real problems because of that – only when I wanted to go by DART to Howth I was surprised that the destination of the train was Binn Éadair and I needed to get the clue that this is just another name for the same location.

October 6, 2019October 18, 2019

Leo Burdock

You can’t get to Ireland (or the United Kingdom) without having some fish & chips. It’s unhealthy but good and it forms a solid base if you later want to have some drinks. The best-known location for fish & chips in Dublin, Ireland, is Leo Burdock – an eatery founded it in 1913. Its origins lie in the Christchurch area and it was opened by a couple from the working-class quarter the Liberties.