General Archives ⋆ Page 29 of 42 ⋆ The Passenger

November 16, 2015September 26, 2020

Crossing the Czech Republic

Autumn is road trip time! And after looking on a map of Poland there was only one spot left, I haven’t visited in the past: Kraków. And as I have not been to Praha during the last 15 years I decided to cross the entire Czech Republic with stops in Praha and Brno and to drive over the border to Kraków. The most important reason indeed was, that I had not visited a concentration camp before – something that felt odd as I was even travelling to Jerusalem, Israel to learn more about the Shoa.

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October 29, 2015May 18, 2022

The Big Three

After two gorgeous trips to Brazil and Israel this year I had only time for a short trip to Spain. The main reason to choose this destination was, that I had merely seen Barcelona so far – but nothing of the rest of this wonderful country. While I was in New York last year, I saw a reproduction of the Mezquita and decided to visit the original; at this point in time not knowing anything about the history of Andalucía.

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October 27, 2015May 18, 2022

Gardens, boats and towers

What comes to your mind when you think about Sevilla, Spain? Maybe bullfighting, the traditional Spanish “sports” you won’t support. Or the “Giralda”, the tower of Sevillas cathedral? I must admit, I haven’t had Sevilla on the list of places to see. Even if it will never be my most favorite city, it is a nice place stretched along river Guadalquivir.

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October 25, 2015April 19, 2022

Mezquita, Guadalquivir & Judería

Córdoba is wonderful city in Andalucía, Spain. It dates back to the year 167 BCE and was once one of the largest cities in the world – during the 10th century under Islamic rule – and this time frame still influences the city today. Moorish architecture can still be seen in the main sights but also within normal residential buildings.

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October 24, 2015April 19, 2022

UNESCO World Heritage Site & much more

Tourists seem to come to Granada, Spain for only one very big attraction: the Alhambra and its palaces, fortifications and gardens. And this is indeed a very good reason, but Granada is much more than this. It is a lovely Spanish city with an Arab touch that is especially inviting for night-time activities.

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October 23, 2015May 18, 2022

More than a harbour

Until some years ago no tourist would stop by in Málaga, Spain. Who ever arrives at Málagas Costa del Sol airport would directly continue to Córdoba, Granada or Sevilla. It was a typical city that once only generated wealth by having a harbour (and subsequently a lot of industry). But things have changed, the city center has been cleaned up and really a lot of museums invite you to stay. Continue reading “More than a harbour”

August 9, 2015April 19, 2022

Doubling the population

Eschwege is a sleepy small town in northern Hessia, Germany. It is quite beautiful but not too many people go there – unless it is the second weekend in August. Then 15.000 to 20.000 people visit this place to enjoy the Open Flair Festival. Four days of music, camping and fun. And a city that really loves to host such a huge amount of freaky folks.

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July 11, 2015July 15, 2023

Terra Sancta

When I had to select the destination for my 34th birthday, Israel came into my mind – mainly because I wanted to see Yad Vashem. When I started to talk about this idea I was bothered with a lot of security issues. Friends and family didn’t like the idea of me being at an unsafe area influenced by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. When travelling throughout Brazil I read Breaking news by Frank Schätzing (which in some part tells the history of Israel and the storyline is also situated at Jerusalem) and the decision to go to the Holy Land finally was made.

July 9, 2015July 15, 2023

Made for business

It is said that in Jerusalem they pray, in Tel Aviv they live and in Haifa they work. And if you look at Haifa you absolutely agree: it is nicely fitted onto the foothills of Mount Carmel, but it hasn’t much sights worth visiting. It reminded me much on La Spezia in Italy. And don’t walk throughout the city to find a city center or old town – there isn’t one that deserves that name.

July 7, 2015July 1, 2018

Ensuring water supply (and other needs)

Israel is a country with a very good infrastructure and getting snacks and something to drink was absolutely no-frills. But within Jerusalem I only found small shops and no big supermarket chains where you could simply fill your trunk with some bottles of mineral water – as I normally do while travelling throughout countries with high temperatures; a pure necessity.

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