Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
When Germany was divided, a seven-hundred-kilometer-long border from the Baltic Sea to the Czech Republic existed. Without human life, but with a chance for nature to recover undisturbed. After the German reunification nature protection organizations worked on keeping this area as a nature protection zone and as in important migration path for animals. They called it Grünes Band (green stripe).
Continue reading “Grünes Band”
If you grow up in nowadays Germany you can’t imagine anymore that this country was once divided. That there was a well-protected and visible border through the country, visible as an illuminated stripe at night. That people were dying between BRD and DDR, along the iron curtain. There are some places throughout Germany where you can learn about this. The best I’ve seen so far is located south of Duderstadt: The Grenzlandmuseum Eichsfeld at Teistungen.
Continue reading “Grenzlandmuseum”
If someone at Kassel tells you that he wants to meet at the Affenfelsen (ape rock) you should move towards the city quarter Vorderer Westen. The Rudolphsplatz there has been redesigned as an urban living room. People meet outside, sit down in this public area to talk, bring their own drinks and later move on to bars and clubs. And this all with a nice view towards the Herkules monument.
Continue reading “Affenfelsen”
Ebbelwoi is a big thing at Frankfurt am Main. Wine made from apples is produced in consumed in this area at least since the year 1600. By that time, it was a cheap replacement for wine made from grapes and produced in the cellars of the simple people. Today it is a traditional drink from everyone and in the city, you’ll find numerous Apfelweinlokale, special bars serving this booze.
Continue reading “An apple a day”
For some years I tried to avoid trips to Switzerland. It is a nice country with beautiful nature, but the prices are just horrible. During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 I was searching for places I could reach by train and as I’ve never seen the capital city of Switzerland, I booked my ticket. But then our Swiss neighbors held a large yodel festival (really!), and the infection numbers were increasing dramatically. Therefore, it took me another year before I could do the trip.
Continue reading “Grüessech”
Visiting the zoological garden of Bern is quite a surprise. It is not a giant zoo, but a good one: focused on local and European animals and aiming for providing them a suitable environment. They reduced the number of animals to give them more space. Dählhölzi is a place that you can visit with a good conscience.
Continue reading “Dählhölzli”
The Thunersee is a wonderful and large lake near the Alps. If you want to enjoy good views you should take a trip to Spiez, a community at its shore. It has a nice castle (Schloss Spiez), and you can have some food next to the water. In December and January, it is recommended to arrive early as the mountain Niesen throws a large triangle-shaped shadow on the city after 2 pm.
Continue reading “Thunersee”
The Niesen is a 2362 meters high mountain close to the Thunersee. It is a mountain that is easy to identify because of its special shape: the mountain looks like giant pyramid and creates a shadow in the form of a triangle. Amazing views await those that take the long and steep trip to its top. Since 1856 a restaurant can be found there, and people had to hike all the way – but in 1910 a funicular was opened, the Niesenbahn.
Continue reading “Swiss pyramid”
I’ve never heard much about the city of Thun, Switzerland, so far. I just saw that trains from Germany run through it. But as I wanted to get closer to the Alps it looked like a perfect destination for a daytrip. Booking and using trains in Switzerland was so easy (thanks to the SBB smartphone app) that I did it several times during my short visit.
Continue reading “Life at the water”
To be honest, I just stumbled upon Schloss Burgdorf because of a silly thought: I had visited the Emmental – the valley of river Emme – to see how the famous Emmental cheese is made. But close to the cheese factory the river wasn’t visible and therefore on my way back I just jumped out of the train at a city called Burgdorf: to see the river forming the valley giving the cheese its name.
Continue reading “Schloss Burgdorf”