Grown up in Göttingen, Germany I was used to the tradition of bigger Christmas markets with professional sellers of items and businesses providing food and mulled wine. Now living in a middle-sized town I get to know smaller markets in small towns and city quarters organized by the local community – and I must admit, I love it. Continue reading “Advent wreath, mistletoe and mulled wine “
IT meets kitsch
I came to Klagenfurt, Austria to visit the scientific conference INFORMATIK 2016, held at the Alpen-Adria-Universität. A good conference also for a practitioner looking forward to future developement of IT. Besides this I also had the opportunity to take a look on this region forming a triangular with Ljubljana in Slovenia and Udine in Italy. Continue reading “IT meets kitsch”
Canaletto view
In 1748 the painter Bernardo Bellotto – better known as Canaletto – painted the famous picture “Dresden From the Right Bank of the Elbe Below the Augustus Bridge“. The title says it all, it is a wonderful depictation of the “skyline” of Dresden, Germany – including all those wonderful buildings close to the Elbe. Continue reading “Canaletto view”
Lollapalooza
The Lollapalooza is a festival held in many countries like Chile, Argentina and Colombia and dating back to Chicago, USA in 2001. In Berlin, Germany the Lollapalooza got an additional home in 2015 on the Tempelhofer Feld. In 2016 this area was needed to host refugees and the Lollapalooza took place in the Treptower Park with massive problems with people living and working nearby. Therefore it was the first and also the last time that the festival was located here. Continue reading “Lollapalooza”
In the middle of nowhere
I needed a weekend off and decided to go to a place where no one of the people surrounding me had ever gone. Magdeburg, Germany is located somewhere between Braunschweig and Berlin. But then I recognized I had been there 17 years ago for the Bundesgartenschau 1999 in the Elbauenpark. Continue reading “In the middle of nowhere”
Deceleration at Wrocław
It was once again time to select a nice place for my birthday. As we planned to go the week before to Berlin, Wrocław came into my mind because it is the next bigger city in Poland and in 2016 it is the European cultural capital (together with San Sebastian in Spain). That is why wie searched for a flat in the city center and booked the trip. Continue reading “Deceleration at Wrocław”
Rural Berlin
I’ve been to Berlin, Germany many times in my life but I’ve only seen Berlin-Mitte and the surrounding areas attracting many visitors. But Berlin has also a rural side you can best explore between Berlin-Spandau and Potsdam: two small cities, Gatow and Kladow, spread a totally different atmosphere. Continue reading “Rural Berlin”
Amsterdam again
One of those destinations I was visiting most often during my childhood and youth was Amsterdam, the Netherlands. That is because of a very good train connection leading there and my father being an employee of the German railway company (“Deutsche Bundesbahn“, later “Deutsche Bahn“). It was very cheap for us to travel by train, even internationally. Continue reading “Amsterdam again”
Canal cruising
There are approximately 200 canals with a length of 80 kilometers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands shaping the image of the city. Most important is the Grachtengordel – a system of four canals (Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht) surrounding the city core in rings. They are typically 27 meters wide and 2,4 meters in depth. Continue reading “Canal cruising”
Reopened Rijksmuseum
I’ve been to Amsterdam, the Netherlands many times during the last ten years but I never got the opportunity to explore the Rijksmuseum in its full beauty. On my last trip is was at least partly opened, since April 2013 the renovation works were finished. And that is why we could finally see every part of it – including “De Nachtwacht” (“The Night Watch“) of Rembrandt van Rijn. Continue reading “Reopened Rijksmuseum”