The Passenger ⋆ Page 51 of 303 ⋆ Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.

May 6, 2023May 7, 2023

Pfalz Grona

In former times the kings and emperors in Germany didn’t have permanent seats, they had royal palaces spread out over their realm and were travelling between them. From 915 to 1387 one of these places called Königspfalz or Kaiserpfalz was located on the territory of Göttingen, the Pfalz Grona (also known as Burg Grona). It is one of the roots of the city quarter Grone (even as today it belongs to the Weststadt) and kings and queens, emperors and empresses were enjoying their stays there – but it is mostly forgotten. There are only street names remembering the past (Pfalz-Grone-Breite, Burg Grona, Unter der Pfalz) and a memorial stone hidden in the forest on top of the Hagenberg mountain.

May 3, 2023May 6, 2023

Gröninger

If you want to get a beer brewed in Hamburg, Germany, you might typically choose an Astra or Holsten. They’re the most famous ones, but the oldest brewery from 1793 at the oldest brewery location (used since 1722) is Gröninger. The Gröning Privatbrauerei produces a delicious, amber-colored Pilsener close to the historic Speicherstadt and Chilehaus. The building itself was built in 1761 and is one of the last Baroque-style buildings in the old city center; it is therefore protected as a cultural heritage since 1944.

March 22, 2023June 23, 2023

Land of the volcanoes

Nicaragua is a country that many people can’t point to correctly on a world map. It is a rather small country in Latin America located between the Caribbean sea and the Pacific ocean, between Honduras and Costa Rica. It was inhabited in pre-Columbian times by indigenous people that left their traces, but many things we can observe today root in colonialization: Nicaragua was part of the so-called New Spain, became a region of Central America and achieved independence in 1838. Its unique highlight are the volcanoes spread throughout the country; you can see lava bubbling, skate downhill or swim in craters.

March 21, 2023April 16, 2023

Museo Franz Mayer

Franz Mayer was born at Mannheim, Germany, in 1882. He left his family, went to London and New York and earned his money in the finance industry. Later he became a business man in Mexico. There he started to collect Mexican art, artisan objects and everyday items. Ten years after his death these 9,000 objects formed the base for the Museo Franz Mayer. It is located in a former flour storage that was later used as a hospital next to the Alameda Central park.

March 21, 2023April 16, 2023

Torre Latinoamericana

The Torre Latinoamericana (or short Torre Latino) can be found in the Centro Histórico of the Ciudad de México, close to the Palacio des Bellas Artes and the Alameda Central park. It was the first skyscraper of the city with a height of more than 181 meters and 44 floors. Until 1972 it was the highest building of CDMX and still today it is seen by the locals as a symbol of Mexican success. From the outside and also by the design of the roof terrace the tower reminds one strongly to the Empire State Building of New York, but I enjoyed the views much more from the Torre Latino.

March 20, 2023February 24, 2025

Museos Convento San Francisco

Next to the church Convento San Francisco (one of the oldest in Central America) you can find the Museos Convento San Francisco in the former Franciscan monastery. It is the best place if you want to learn more about the history and traditions of Granada, Nicaragua. The museum is a wild mix of exhibits giving you inside in the earlier and later past of the city. Near the entrance you will first find a vast model of the city giving you the chance to understand the layout of Granada which is heavily shaped by colonial history.

March 20, 2023April 24, 2023

The Gringo Café

Sometimes when I’m abroad and overwhelmed by the unusual life around me, by the different climate and the unfamiliar world surrounding me I’m looking for a safe harbor. For something well known, where I know how to act and where everything feels under control. That is most often an international chain, a coffee bar like Starbucks. People tend to laugh about this, but I’m not worried to admit that even I need to get accustomed to the situation.

March 20, 2023May 7, 2023

Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes

The Catholic church La Merced is one of the most iconic buildings of Granada, Nicaragua. That is mostly because of the centuries old Baroque-style facade of the building, it is an important cultural heritage of the city. La Merced (or Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes) was built in 1534 and razed by pirates in 1655. In 1781 the tower was added in a different architectural style; it was destroyed during the Nicaraguan civil war in 1854.

March 20, 2023April 24, 2023

No hay trenes a Granada

Antigua Estación del Ferrocarril, Granada (Nicaragua)

The state railway of Nicaragua (Ferrocarril de Nicaragua, FCN) existed between 1877 and 1996. The main track was from Corinto at the Pacific ocean to Granada at the Lago Cocibolca. From there, goods could be shipped via the Suan Juan river to the Atlantic ocean – a coast to coast connection. But there were also tracks to León, Masaya, Chinandega and San Juan del Sur. In 2001 also the last private railway closed down and there are no trains running through Nicaragua anymore.

March 19, 2023April 16, 2023

Córdoba Oro and USD

A trip to Nicaragua means that you’ll have different currencies in your pocket. Official one is the Córdoba Oro (NIO), divided into 100 Centavos. It was introduced in 1912 and replaced the formerly used Peso. It is named after Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, the founder of the country. Due to inflation the currency had to be re-issued in 1988 and 1990. As often in Latin America, there is a secondary currency that is widely accepted. In Nicaragua this is the US-Dollar (USD) that you can withdraw at ATMs next to Córdobas and which you can use nearly everywhere.