Hints Archives ⋆ Page 77 of 255 ⋆ The Passenger

September 11, 2021December 19, 2021

Grenzlandmuseum

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.

September 8, 2021December 19, 2021

Affenfelsen

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.

September 1, 2021December 19, 2021

An apple a day

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.

August 16, 2021December 19, 2021

Dählhölzli

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.

August 15, 2021December 19, 2021

Thunersee

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.

August 15, 2021December 19, 2021

Swiss pyramid

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.

August 15, 2021April 14, 2022

Life at the water

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.

August 15, 2021December 18, 2021

Schloss Burgdorf

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.

August 15, 2021December 16, 2021

Emmentaler

Emmental cheese is well-known throughout the world. It is a medium-hard cheese with large holes in it which is called Emmentaler or Schweizer Käse in Germany. The name Emmentaler refers to the geographic origin of the cheese as it produced in the valley (‘Tal‘) of river Emme. The second name Schweizer Käse or Swiss cheese brought the cheese its place in everyday German language: if something isn’t solid it is called porous like Swiss cheese.

August 14, 2021December 14, 2021

Murten

A nice option to travel back in time is a trip to the medieval city of Murten. There, the typical structures of cities belonging to the house of Zähringen have been preserved. You can explore the small castle with good views on the lake Murtensee, you can walk through the historical Berntor gate and best of all: you can climb on top of the old city walls and walk around the city – with marvelous views on the roofs of this old town.