The Neptunbad in the city quarter Ehrenfeld of Köln, Germany was opened in 1912 and was by then the first public bath outside the city center. It is a wonderful building with art nouveau elements and glass domes. In 1994 it had to be closed because of too high maintenance costs and in 2002 it was reopened as a high quality spa. Continue reading “Relaxing at the Neptunbad”
The chocolate museum
Chocolate is a very much beloved sweetie and it is therefore no wonder that there is a chocolate museum, located on a peninsula in Köln, Germany. In fact the Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum is with 650.000 visitors each year the most visited museum of Köln and one of the ten most visited museums in Germany. Continue reading “The chocolate museum”
Getting around in Cologne
You will find a confusing public transport network in Köln, Germany. S-Bahn trains, tramways that become subway trains and busses form a complex network with a limited number of hubs like the Neumarkt. Maybe I should have tried to learn the network map by heart; I only reached my destinations by calculating routes in mobile apps. Continue reading “Getting around in Cologne”
Kölner Zoo
The zoological garden of Köln, Germany dates back to the year 1860 and is therefore the third oldest zoo in Germany. It is 20 hectares large and to see everything you have to walk long distances. What I liked is the round trip that ensures that you miss no species. The Kölner Zoo is visited by 1.7 million persons each year. Continue reading “Kölner Zoo”
The Flora
The city of Köln, Germany grew and grew – and there were only limited green areas in the city center. And then the botanical garden close to the cathedral also had to close because this space was needed for the new main railway station. Therefore a new botanical garden was created close to the zoological garden and it opened in 1864 – called the Flora. Continue reading “The Flora”
Chasing Currywurst
I should name this post ‚The Great Currywurst Exodus of Cologne’. Last time I was at the Domstadt I enjoyed a restaurant that served different variations of high-quality Currywurst. As it is closed now I searched for alternatives but all entries in different recommendation lists were also closed. What’s happening here? Continue reading “Chasing Currywurst”
Vivid hub
The main railway station of Köln, Germany is visited by 280.000 travelers every day and is therefore #5 of all German railway stations. It is special because it is located directly next to the cathedral and you‘ll already have stunning views when leaving the building. It has been opened in 1859 on the grounds of the former botanical garden. Continue reading “Vivid hub”
Hühnerfeld
Sometimes I travel lots of kilometers to interesting places and sometimes I discover highlights just around the corner. One of the latter is the Hühnerfeld in Staufenberg, Germany – between Hann. Münden and Kassel. It is a natural reserve including a swamp area which you can cross on a nice wooden path.
Continue reading “Hühnerfeld”Exploring Kaiserslautern
Once a year I like to explore cities I normally wouldn‘t get to. To see the touristic highlights, to walk through the streets and feel the atmosphere and gain new insights. I did so with Erfurt and Jena in the last years and was always surprised how wrong my image of the city was. This time I took my wife to Kaiserslautern, Germany. Who would go there? Close to Germany’s smallest federal state – the Saarland, not far away from France and Luxemburg? Continue reading “Exploring Kaiserslautern”
Reichsburg Trifels
The Reichsburg Trifels is a castle on mountain Sonnenberg close to the city of Annweiler am Trifels, Germany. It was built before the year 1081 within the Pfälzerwald between Kaiserslautern and Landau. It is surrounded by mountains and forests and you‘ve got a fantastic view from the tower of the renovated castle once you made your way up. Continue reading “Reichsburg Trifels”