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August 17, 2019August 26, 2019

Retiro

If you had enough hustle and bustle in the city of Madrid, Spain than the Parque del Retiro might be your ideal safe haven. And that is what Retiro means: retreat. It is a giant park close to the city center and it was originally a garden for the royal family. After the end of the reign of Isabell II in 1868 it became a park for the people which is still today – on weekends complete families get here to relax. Most iconic is the artificial lake Estanque del Retiro on which you can row a boat.

August 17, 2019February 25, 2024

Museo del Prado

If you love art you need to go once in a lifetime to the Museo del Prado at Madrid, Spain. It is a giant temple of art, one of the most important art museums in the world and it was opened in 1819 because Ferdinand VII of Spain wanted to have an art gallery like the Louvre. And like I got lost in the museum at Paris, France I got lost at the Prado. After some hours the art buffer in your brain flows over and you’re still not even close to have seen everything. It’s better to be well prepared and to focus on the most important works.

August 17, 2019August 26, 2019

Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor is a very special place at Madrid, Spain but quite typical for a Spanish city: a rectangular space with the same four-level buildings on all sides and various gates – formerly used as a market square. In the center there is a statue of Philip III from the House of Habsburg. I enjoyed especially the paintings on one of the buildings, the Casa de la Panadería – but they are pretty young and were painted only in 1992.

August 16, 2019August 22, 2019

Hotel Ópera

If you like to stay in the city center near the interesting places of Madrid, Spain then the Hotel Ópera might be an option. It is located directly next to the opera and is therefore only few meters away from the Palacio Real and the beautiful garden in front of it. The hotel is labeled as a four star hotel but feels rather like three stars – but that is okay, the fourth star is for location.

August 16, 2019August 24, 2019

Latenight zoo

Going to the zoo at Madrid, Spain can be a special experience. While zoological gardens most often close in the late afternoon this one is open at least until 8:30pm, three times a week it is open until midnight. That’s because of the high temperatures that make a visit during daytime less nice. Therefore you can have a visit in the dark, see animals in slightly enlighted environments and have a very late dinner there.

August 16, 2019August 26, 2019

Guernica

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is a fantastic art museum at Madrid, Spain. It resides in two interconnected buildings close to the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V and the metro stop Estación del Arte. The older building has a wonderful inner courtyard with trees and sculptures, the new building includes a wonderful roofed terrace with good views on the city. The museum itself is like a labyrinth: you can walk in it for ours, get lost and continuous discover new sections with interesting artworks.

August 15, 2019August 22, 2019

Eiscafé Renata

People coming to Hann. Münden, Germany often search for good ice cream in the city center and of course there are some good options in the pedestrian zone. But the expert knows that you get the best ice cream somewhere else: in Neumünden, at the Eiscafé Renata. It is no shiny new ice cream parlor with freaky variations, the location is not the best and inside the time seems to have stopped long ago.

August 10, 2019August 12, 2019

Schlachte

If you want to sit outside at the river Weser within Bremen, Germany and have a good drink there is one main party zone that will be recommended to you: the Schlachte. You will find numerous bars there with outdoor seats and great views on the water and the ships anchoring there (some of them are bars and restaurants, too). The name has nothing to do with slaughter (‘Schlachtung‘, ‘Schlacht‘, ‘Schlachten‘) – it refers to ‘slagte‘, the process of placing wooden piles to stabilize the shore.

August 10, 2019August 13, 2019

Schnoor

One of the places tourists visit most often at Bremen, Germany is the Schnoorviertel, located near the central market place and river Weser. It is a quarter full of narrow streets and tiny houses where in past days the fishermen were living. The streets there are named after the products that were created in them and the street name Schnoor refers to the production of rope (‘Schnur‘ in German).

August 10, 2019August 12, 2019

Stadtmusikanten

It is very unusual that real cities are named within fairytales. Bremen, Germany is one of the very few examples as the Brothers Grimm made the city the target destination of a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster that want to flee their lifes and become musicians there. ‘Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten‘ describes their story and they never arrive at Bremen as they succeed in chasing some robbers out of a house – which they then decide to live in.