Stapelburg Castle – A Little Known Ruin in the Harz
I came across that one a few years ago during one of the Harz tours I did with my father. The ruins of the Stapelburg – only the ringwall, bits of the curtain wall and part of the palas, the great...
View ArticleIt is November Again
Which means I spend the time writing as much as possible during the National Novel Writing Month I reached the required 50.000 words on Tuesday, but I'll continue to concentrate on writing until the...
View ArticleA Holy Rock – The Klusfelsen in Goslar
The Klusfelsen rock formation is a little known landmark in Goslar, usually relegated to the footnotes in travel guide books. After some initial signposts, I had to ask the locals for directions to...
View ArticleA Piece of Norway in the Harz – the Stave Church at Hahnenklee
It's not exactly a sight you'll expect when driving or hiking in the Harz area, but there it is. The Stave Church at Hahnenklee This Scandinavian looking stave church is located in the outskirts of...
View ArticleA Treasure in the Evening Twilight – The Romanesque Church in Gehrden / Brakel
This one was a chance find. My father and I returned from a longer tour, hit a diversion route which confused the GPS until I got out the good old road map and brought us back on track. We drove...
View ArticleAnother Little-Know Romanesque Church – St.Mary in Wilhelmshausen / Fulda Valley
St.Mary's Church in Wilhelmshausen, a village in the Fulda river vallley not far from Kassel, was not exactly a chance find since had I learned about its existence when I researched the history of...
View ArticleSummer Greens and Blues – The Bruchteiche Lakes near Bad Sooden-Allendorf
We all need a bit of summer greens and blue sky after the browns and dull yellows of winter (at least there were a few days of pretty white snow as well this year), don't we? So here's a picture post...
View ArticleSites of the Weimar Classicism – Introduction
When I traveled to Erfurt in 2017, I not only collected some more castles, but I also made a sort of pilgrimage. England got Shakespeare and Stratford-upon-Avon; Germany got Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
View ArticleSites of the Weimar Classicism – The Park at the Ilm
My hotel in Weimar was close to one of the entrances to the Park at the Ilm, so I decided for an afternoon walk upon my arrival. First, I went straight to Goethe's garden house in order not to miss...
View ArticleSummer Colours - Archaeological Remains in the Forest near Bad Sooden-Allendorf
I mentioned the Mediaeval ringwall and the Bronze Age burial mounds in my post about the Bruchteiche. Those sites are hidden in the forest which makes for another pretty Summer-in-Germany post with a...
View ArticleMore Rugia Impressions
Just a summer photo post today. I still got a number of pretty photos from my Rugia tour in my files. The pier at Binz I've posted about the seaside ressort Binz here, but got more photos of the beach...
View ArticleThe Night the Devil Got Angry – The Teufelsmauer in the Harz Foothills
Once upon a time, god and the devil decided to divide the world between them. The devil should get all the land he could wall in during one night. So the devil set off from the north and all went...
View ArticleViews from my Balcony – Summer Flowers
This year, I didn't plant any geraniums and marguerites as usual, but decided for a 'bee friendly seed mix'. It turned out quite well; there are new flowers popping up every few days. Marigolds,...
View ArticleImpressions from the my Hiking Tours in the Lüneburg Heath
I finally managed to get in a few days of travelling this year – still in Germany, due to Corona. I chose the Lüneburg Heath (Lüneburger Heide), an area between Hamburg and Hannover that still has...
View ArticleA Neolithic Necropolis – The Totenstatt near Oldendorf/Luhe
Neolithic Tombs can be found in various locations in northern Germany. I've already posted about the historical context and some finds here. Another group of tombs can be found in the 'Burial Site'...
View ArticleIt's NaNovember Again
The reason I didn't post anything in November is the usual one: National Novel Writing Month And here's the winner certificate, meaning I managed to write 50K again, the 8th year in a row..
View ArticleBrick Architecture, Hall Houses, Monasteries and more – A Tour of Stralsund's...
The town of Stralsund was one of the leading members of the Hanseatic League and thus one of the few German towns that still carry the denomination in official documents ‒ Hansestadt Stralsund. The...
View ArticleIt is Nano Time Again – And some Personal Remarks
I know I’ve not been blogging for several months, partly due to private problems, partly because of the geopolitical situation that takes up some of my free time. Tangermünde at the Elbe river Another...
View ArticleMediaeval Lanes and Old Houses – Treffurt in Thuringia
It was more or less a flyby visit to Treffurt on our way back from Normanstein Castle. We wanted some tea and a piece of cake, so we went down to the little town of Treffurt – and found a charming...
View ArticleHalf-Timbered Houses and a Graduation Tower – Bad Sooden-Allendorf
I’ve mentioned the German spa town Bad Sooden-Allendorf at the Werra in my post about the Bruchteiche reservoir and already told a bit about its history and the geological foundations of the salt...
View ArticleLithuanian Impressions 1 – Klaipeda, Kaunas, Rumšiškes
It’s quite some time we last had a real Back with Booty post due to that Evil C and some private reasons. But this year I did a longer tour outside Germany and spent two weeks in Lithuania. Klaipeda,...
View ArticleLithuanian Impressions 2 – Vilnius, with Trakai and Kernavė
The hightlight of the tour was Vilnius, of course. There will be more detailed posts (I got enough photos, lol), so here’s just a little teaser. View over Vilnius’ old town from Gediminas’ Tower...
View ArticlePhoto Parade 2023
A bit of fun at the beginning of the new year. I’m following several German travel blogs, and that way came across the annual Photo Parade (Fotoparade) on Michael’s blog Erkunde die Welt (Disvocer the...
View ArticleMy Spring Tour 2024 – Part 1: From Riga to Helsinki
This year I wanted to complete the tour of the Baltic States, and since it’s only two hours by ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki, I decided to add a bit of Finland to the list. I enjoyed three weeks of...
View ArticleMy Spring Tour 2024 – Part 2: From Turku back to Kiel
Helsinki also offered the chance for a day trip. Turku, the oldest town in Finland, is only about two hours bus ride away, and a nice ride through an interesting landscape it is, too. I put it in this...
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