Sights Archives ⋆ Page 64 of 152 ⋆ The Passenger

October 3, 2019February 23, 2020

Binn Éadair

Dublin, the capital city of Ireland is located close to the Irish sea. But when you’re roaming through the city you will not see much water – with the exception of the river Liffey. If you want to experience some sea-side life you can go to Howth, a fishermen’s village on the sea. Get there by taking the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) train starting at the Connolly station. It was the first and only time I had problems with language in Ireland: I was going to the right railway track were the trains to Howth should leave – and the train was going to Binn Éadair instead. I had to ask a local to understand that this is just the Irish name for that place – and it even sounds much better.

October 3, 2019February 22, 2020

Phoenix park

The Páirc an Fhionnuisce or Phoenix park is a vast garden in Dublin, Ireland, and one of the largest parks in a city in Europe. Its name doesn’t point to the legendary bird that can rise from the ashes; it comes from the Irish words fionn uisce which mean ‘clear water’. It is located in the East of the city and you can easily reach it from the luas stop ‘Museum’ and it is also a good option for a next stop if you visit Kilmainham Goal or the Museum of Modern Art.

October 3, 2019February 22, 2020

Wellington

While walking through Phoenix park in Dublin, Ireland, you might stumble open a giant memorial: the Wellington monument. With 62 metres it is the highest obelisk in Europe. It commemorates the victories of the Iron Duke, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. He won against Napoleon at the famous Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and was serving twice as a prime minister of the United Kingdom. But he also fought in other parts of the world like in the Netherlands or India.

October 3, 2019October 18, 2019

Kilmainham Goal

The most important sight at Dublin, Ireland – and all tourist guides and guide books share this view – is a jail. Kilmainham Goal is a typical jail of the Victorian era located in the city quarter Kilmainham in the west of the city. It was built in 1796 and plays an important role in the history of Ireland: when in 1916 the Easter Rising happened and Irish rebels fought against British occupation, this was the place the caught fighters were brought to. The Easter Rising was unsuccessful, the rebels were executed in Kilmainham Goal – but their goal was partially achieved in 1922 when Ireland became a free state.

October 1, 2019April 19, 2022

Air Line

Did you know that there is a cable car in London, United Kingdom? It is a quite unexpected opportunity to take a flight over the river Thames. The Emirates Air Line has been opened in 2012 for the Olympic summer games and connects the Greenwich peninsula (the station is close to the Millenium dome) with the Royal Victoria Dock where you can switch to the DLR. During the day a ride takes you five minutes but in the evening hours they lower the speed and you can enjoy 13 minutes of good views on the docklands.

October 1, 2019October 15, 2019

Millennium dome

The Millennium dome (nowadays called ‘The O2‘) is a giant dome made of synthetics and shaped by wire ropes on the Greenwich peninsula of London, England. It was opened on the 1st of January 2000 and contained an exhibition to celebrate the new millennium. Today it is a giant sports arena, concert hall and it contains a cinema and some restaurants. Because of its special shape and construction, the building itself also attracts visitors.

September 29, 2019April 19, 2022

Drachenschlucht

A narrow valley, a beautiful gorge: the Drachenschlucht (dragon canyon) at Eisenach, Germany is a good place for a nice walk; in fact one of the most beautiful I‘ve ever done in a gorge. Through the Mariental you can walk on a well-maintained path consisting of wooden and sometimes metal walkways. It leads along and above the water of the small river and sometimes the gorge is very narrow (at minimum 68 cm) – only one person can pass at a time.

September 28, 2019September 29, 2019

Goldener Löwe

The Goldener Löwe at Eisenach, Germany was once an ordinary restaurant (first mentioned in 1533). But on August 7th, 1869 an important event happened here: August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht founded the Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei (SDAP) during a congress. It was later merged with the Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiterverein (ADAV) founded by Ferdinand Lassalle. The organization created is today known as the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) – the oldest still existing political party in Germany.

September 28, 2019September 29, 2019

Wartburg

High above Eisenach, Germany you can find a wonderful castle that played an important role in German history: the Wartburg. It was created in the year 1067 CE and is today a UNESCO world heritage site. The castle is well known as the place where Martin Luther translated the New Testament of the bible from Latin to German between 1521-1522 (using the pseudonym ‘Junker Jörg‘ to hide away).

September 22, 2019September 29, 2019

Helfensteine

It’s a bizarre landscape. A vast area without bushes and trees, strangely formed rocks on one of the surrounding mountains, many people walking around and climbing these rocks and gliders starting on an airfield in between. That is what you can all find close to Zierenberg, Germany (15 kilometers northwest of Kassel). The strangely shaped rocks are called Helfensteine and are visible because of the erosion of the surrounding area over a very long time.