Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Readers of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series know the Diagon Alley as a narrow and dark road full of shops in London, England where you can buy all kinds of supplies for wizards. By the way: German readers miss this wonderful pun as it is just called Winkelgasse in the translated books. Nevertheless, the inspiration for this fictional place was Leadenhall market between Monument and Liverpool Street.
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It is a fantastic building at London, England: the Freemason’s Hall which is the headquarter of the United Grand Lodge of England. The location near Covent Garden was used since 1775 from freemasonic activities, the current building in art déco style was built from 1927 on. It includes the great temple, the assembly hall, a library and a museum. Tours are offered hourly.
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The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon or short the Templars were a Cathology military order – one of the most powerful and massively engaged in the crusades. A building at London, England which was of great importance to them was the Temple Church, an Anglican built in the 12th century CE. It was also used for negotiations that lead to the signing of the Magna Carta.
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The Victoria & Albert Museum (or short V&A) is a museum about design, arts and crafts at South Kensington, London. It is named after queen Victoria and her husband prince Albert. It is a wild mix of pictures, sculptures, and jewelry. There is a lot to discover, and you will be surprised while strolling through the aisles. You can find a copy of the Colonna Traiana here, as well as a copy of Michelangelos David and works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
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It is a nice and very entertaining museum at London, England – but you could also get here solely because of the building it is located it: the fantastic Waterhouse in Roman-Byzantine style from 1860. The Natural History Museum dates back to the year 1881 and was once part of the British Museum. It was separated in 1883 and became independent in 1963. The museum contains items from the 18th century CE and is based on the collections of Hans Sloane, Joseph Banks and Richard Owen.
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The British Museum is a cultural history museum at London, England that is the treasury of the British people. It was opened in 1759 based on the collections of Hans Sloane and was continuously extended. It exhibits items from Asia, Africa, Oceania, Egypt, the Middle East, America and Europe. The museum is a wonderful mix of neoclassical buildings and modern elements like the glass cupola designed by Norman Foster. You can easily get lost within for days.
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Sometimes you just need a pint of beer and a relaxing atmosphere in a place that feels like your second living room. This pub at Fitzrovia, London is not a special fancy one – but an authentic pub with friendly staff and people. They show live sports and have several national and international beers on tap.
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Within the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany you can see one of the oldest collections of roses – it dates back to year 1767. When the current building of Schloß Wilhelmshöhe was errected the Schloss Weißenstein – formerly located there – was destroyed. In 1798 the remains were thrown into the lake Lac next to the castle. Since then they formed the island Roseninsel which is now home to the rose collection.
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If you like a stroll in a park or watching bats and raccoons the Lac at the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany might be the right place for you. It is an artifical lake that belongs to the Schloss Wilhelmshöhe and was used by the different inhabitants of the castle. It was created in 1785 by connecting five former lakes and building small waterfalls and paths around the lakes. By that time it was normal to give French names to buildings and lakes (le lac = the lake).
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There was a time at Germany when everything from China was en vogue. That is why there was a Chinese village at the borders of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany. It was built from the year 1781 on and was named ‘Mou-lang‘. Today still 13 of the 21 original buildings are in place – but you’ll have to search for them because their ‘Chinese style’ is unobtrusive and they are surrounded by different mansions built afterwards.
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