Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The Hessenschanze is the end point of tramway 8 and a favorite place to have a walk through the forest. It is essentially a forest glade that was formerly used for sports. Now only in winter times the area is occupied by children that ride their sledges on different tracks. In 2013 a two kilometers long educational path (‘Walderlebnispfad‘) through the forest was opened that can be easily reached from the tramway stop.
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The Marbachshöhe is a former military area at Kassel, Germany. The buildings in this area are nowadays used by companies and as residential homes. Next to them you can find the tiny nature preserve known as Marbachsgraben or Marbachsgrünzug. It is taken care of by the city to give insects, birds and small animals a home. If you follow the Helleböhnweg up the hill you can have good views on Kassel next to the Westfriedhof cemetery.
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Within the city of Kassel, Germany you can find an area with beautiful old oaks – the Hutewiesen above the Dönche nature preserve. They are grown as nature wants them to be – in every direction and wild as only an oak can grow. In summer the area is often used to host a herd of sheep.
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The ‘Wasserkünste‘ of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Germany are enabled by a system of water flows. While the cascades below the Herkules receive their water from two artificial lakes behind the monument, the Steinhöfer Wasserfall gets the water from the old mine ‘Zeche Herkules‘ and the tiny stream Sichelbach. From Neu-Holland the water is first brought by a long channel to the mountain lake Asch.
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The Mercato Metropolitano is a wonderful food court at Elephant & Castle, London. You can sit inside or outside and get drinks and food from numerous small shops. From burgers via Spätzle and burritos to gyoza. Everything that your heart might desire – and as a surplus they claim to be sustainable.
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Readers of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series know the Diagon Alley as a narrow and dark road full of shops in London, England where you can buy all kinds of supplies for wizards. By the way: German readers miss this wonderful pun as it is just called Winkelgasse in the translated books. Nevertheless, the inspiration for this fictional place was Leadenhall market between Monument and Liverpool Street.
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It is a fantastic building at London, England: the Freemason’s Hall which is the headquarter of the United Grand Lodge of England. The location near Covent Garden was used since 1775 from freemasonic activities, the current building in art déco style was built from 1927 on. It includes the great temple, the assembly hall, a library and a museum. Tours are offered hourly.
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The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon or short the Templars were a Cathology military order – one of the most powerful and massively engaged in the crusades. A building at London, England which was of great importance to them was the Temple Church, an Anglican built in the 12th century CE. It was also used for negotiations that lead to the signing of the Magna Carta.
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The Victoria & Albert Museum (or short V&A) is a museum about design, arts and crafts at South Kensington, London. It is named after queen Victoria and her husband prince Albert. It is a wild mix of pictures, sculptures, and jewelry. There is a lot to discover, and you will be surprised while strolling through the aisles. You can find a copy of the Colonna Traiana here, as well as a copy of Michelangelos David and works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
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It is a nice and very entertaining museum at London, England – but you could also get here solely because of the building it is located it: the fantastic Waterhouse in Roman-Byzantine style from 1860. The Natural History Museum dates back to the year 1881 and was once part of the British Museum. It was separated in 1883 and became independent in 1963. The museum contains items from the 18th century CE and is based on the collections of Hans Sloane, Joseph Banks and Richard Owen.
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