I should know better by now, but I am still frequently astonished by how nice travelling close to home can be. A detour to the Siebengebirge is possible from two… Read More
Detour: Walking in the Footsteps of Poets, Painters and Dragons
Category: Germany
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck
My verdict on Lübeck: Easily one of the loveliest German cities I have ever visited. Lübeck was a key-player in medieval and early modern commercial life and generally considered head… Read More
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies, or Wieskirche as it is known in German, is a masterpiece of the Bavarian Rococo. The interior holds exquisite detail, and the artisanship is sheer unbelievable. Hold on to your hats, as your minds are likely to be blown on seeing this 18th century gem.
Detour: The Palaces of King Ludwig II
When visiting World Heritage Sites in Bavaria, King Ludwig II’s two palaces Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee and the castle Neuschwanstein offer a nice detour. Many tourists actually believe one of those to be a World Heritage Site, but wrongly so. Equally wrong are those who consider it a copy of Disney’s Cinderella castle. But let me start at the beginning…
Würzburg Residence with Court Gardens and Residence Square
Built between 1719 and 1744, with the lavish interior finished by 1781, the Residence in Würzburg is a superb example of a Baroque palace. The team of artisans and artists from Germany, Austria, Italy and France surpassed themselves here and created a variation of the Baroque style called Würzburg Rococco.
Bamberg
Bamberg is a splendid example of a central European city with a medieval centre. Located between Würzburg and Bayreuth in northern Bavaria, it offers well-maintained historical buildings, water in the form of the river Regnitz and countless nice places to stroll around, eat or drink.
Detour: The Art Nouveau Swimming Pool in Aachen
This article showcases the Elisabeth-Halle in Aachen, which is one of the few remaining Art Nouveau swimming pools in Germany.
Zollverein Coal Mining Complex (Zeche Zollverein)
When I was growing up in a small, leafy municipality near the Dutch-German border, the German area known as the Ruhrgebiet was still the epitome of ugly. The snooty inhabitants… Read More
Taking a Dip in a Colliery
The swimming pool at Zeche Zollverein in Essen just has to be the craziest pool I have ever visited – if there is one place I wouldn’t expect a pool,… Read More
Aachen Cathedral
My friend Jessi and I were in for an extra special treat: we had a chance to participate in a guided tour of Aachen Cathedral (Aachener Dom). This wasn’t one… Read More