Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Getting around using public transport in Bruxelles is easy and hassle-free. The system consists of a combination of metro, tramway, and bus lines. What I really enjoyed was the consistency of ticketing options throughout all systems: you can always either use your credit card or VPay debit card as a ticket (blue validation machines) or buy a special multiticket pass and validate it on the red machines when entering a vehicle.
Continue reading “Local transport”
Malta is a set of islands in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and Northern Africa. Once connected to Sicily it developed a rich cultural heritage. Because of its strategic position it saw many rulers come and go, including the Knights Hospitaller and the British leaving their visible traces on the islands. As an important base during the Crusades or as an unsinkable air-carrier during World War II, war has always shaped the past of the islands.
Continue reading “Three islands”
When you’re visiting Malta, you shouldn’t leave at the two smaller islands: Comino and Gozo. Comino is free of cars and has the wonderful blue lagoon as its main site. Gozo is much larger, offers amazing flat-top mountains, rocky beaches, and lots of history. If you want to get there you need to take ferry boats, all starting in Cirkewwa at the northern end of the main island.
Continue reading “Fun with ferries”
Malta is a small country, and the size is nearly equal to the city of Bremen, Germany. If you want to explore it the obvious question is: shall I take a rental car or is public transport sufficient? The answer is dependent on your preferences, driving skills and the time you intend to spend on the islands.
Continue reading “Car or coach?”
Valletta has been created on the Mount Sciberras and therefore you’re confronted with some inclination when you visit it. Especially when you arrive by cruise ship or want to pass by ferry boat to the Three Cities you need to climb up next to the Upper Barrakka Gardens. To make life easier the Barrakka Lift was created there and operated from 1905 to 1973.
Continue reading “Lift me up”
The capital city of Malta, Valletta, is located on a headland facing the Mediterranean sea North and south of it are harbors and important cities can be found on the land behind. In the north it is Sliema and St. Julians that are modern cities with lots of hotels. In the south the Three Cities Cospicua, Senglea and Vittoriosa can be found with their ancient city structures. Maybe you choose a hotel in these areas, for sure you want to visit them and best to do so is taking one of the ferry boats.
Continue reading “Ferry time”
Over the last decades cinemas have been facing a lot of concentration. Smaller ones are often lost and instead people visit larger multiplex movie theaters with the most modern technology, good catering, and most comfortable seats. But something gets lost if cinema would only mean multiplex cinemas. Fortunately, in Kassel smaller cinemas remained and one of them is the Gloria at the Ständeplatz, close to the city center.
Continue reading “Gloria”
Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and currently the most eastern part of the European Union. In fact, it is incredibly close to states like Syria or Lebanon. It is known as the island of Aphrodite (or Venus) and it has an interesting history. The whole island is part of the EU, but it is a divided island with an occupied Turkish northern part. Cyprus is a good place for a summer holiday, and it seems to be to the Russians what Mallorca means to the Germans. And it is a place for relaxation which can already be seen in the local philosophy of life: sigá, sigá; always slowly, always relaxed.
Continue reading “Sigá, sigá”
One of the biggest monuments of Λευκωσία is the Liberty Monument erected in 1973. It honors the EOKA fighting against British colonialism and occupation of Cyprus. EOKA stands for Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters. It was a military organisation fighting for Cypriot independence and for long time it was seen as a right-wing, nationalist organization. Today their work for independence is accepted and it has its fair part in Cypriot history.
Continue reading “EOKA”
Λευκωσία is the last divided capital in Europe. When you’re walking through the city, you’ll find barriers made from oil barrels, roadblocks, barb wire and (bored) guards along a no-man’s-land leading from the east to the west of the city. This area is protected by UN forces and even as you’re not allowed to do photographs you can get close to the border pretty easy. It is bizarre to see the empty and deteriorating buildings in the heart of the city.
Continue reading “Green line”