Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
If you climb up the hills on the Buda side of Budapest, Hungary – maybe close to the Fisherman’s Bastion – you can walk for hours having wonderful views on the city. Following the trail to the south you’ll reach the palace (Budavári palota); the biggest building in Hungary. It dates back to the 13. century and king Béla IV.
Continue reading “Hungarian National Gallery”
The parliament of Hungary (Országház) is a wonderful building in gothic revival style standing directly at the Danube river. Its beauty is a large contrast to the sometimes inhumane politics made there. It has been built from 1885 on and the design has been inspired by the British parliament in London. The architekt Imre Steindl was unluckily never able to see his work finished, because he went blind before the work was done.
Continue reading “The most beautiful parliament”
The St. Stephen’s Basilica is a roman-catholic church in the heart of Budapest, Hungary. It is close to the vivid Erzsébet tér and the chain bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd). It dates back to the year 1905 and is the biggest church of Budapest. 8500 worshippers can find a place here and the dimensions of the building can only partially be seen.
Continue reading “Szent István-bazilika”
High above the Danube, at the heart of Budapest (Hungary): the Halászbástya (Fisherman’s Bastion) is a wonderful neo-Gothic monument, located where once the fish market of Buda was. The white walls and towers were part of the city walls of Budapest, this segment protected by the fishermen. It is close to the St. Matthew church and you’ve got an awesome view on the city from here.
Continue reading “Fisherman’s Bastion”
The Great Synagogue of Budapest, Hungary has been built from 1854 on by an architect from Vienna. It is located in Pest close to the city center, not far away from Erzsébet tér. It has been built in Moorish style and looks a bit like the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
Continue reading “Dohány Street Synagogue”
An important place in the centre of Budapest, Hungary, where you can learn one thing very good: how little you know about Hungarian history. Béla IV? Coloman? Ladislaus I? Imre Thököly? Lajos Kossuth? István Bocskay? Does this ring a bell? No? Don’t worry – somehow the stories of Eastern Europe have been hidden behind the Iron Curtain.
Continue reading “The Heroes’ Square”
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you will know the deep desire of having something from there back at home. Even if it is only food. And that doesn’t necessarily mean sushi, which is kind of street food in Asia. Luckily we’ve got Düsseldorf – a home base for many Japanese in Germany. Next to some very good restaurants there is one shop that always provides me delicious travel supplies: Waraku in Düsseldorfs Immermannstraße, not far away from the main railway station.
Continue reading “Japanese fastfood”
The first question is always: why does one stay in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany? Not the Frankfurt in the heart of Germany, the one with lots of skyscrapers of banks and Äppelwoi, but the one close to the border to Poland. At first it has to be said that even Frankfurt (Oder) has some nice city quarters and a good university – but for me it was only a good stop because on the next day I had to travel early to Bremen for a soccer match.
When you were a child, did you read the book “Krabat” of Otfried Preußler? The one in which a child becomes apprentice in a mill not knowing that the black arts are teached there? Not expecting that in the end every year one of the young residents has to die to keep the master alive? And where only true love could save you from death? If yes, then the name Schwarzkollm (Čorny Chołmc) does ring a bell to you.
Continue reading “Visiting the wizards”
The Spreewald in Germany is a very special place. One you normally only visit to get a canoe to travel on the long and branched river network. Or to cross the area by bike. But some people even come here for a specialty that was once imported from the Netherlands: sour pickles.
Continue reading “Pickles, canoeing & mosquitos”