DESSAU | Technikmuseum Hugo Junkers Engineering Museum

October 2024. During a week-long whistle-stop tour of Germany, we visit Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt, Weimar in Thuringia, Coburg in Upper Franconia (Bavaria) and Kassel in Hesse. Smaller cities, yes. But each with their own significance. Untouched by overtourism. We’re avoiding using the white trains of DB Fernverkehr, Deutsche Bahn‘s long-distance section and opt to use…

GERMANY | An Advent to Christmas weekend in Bonn

In late 2023, Dennis had the idea to visit Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia for its Christmas Market. A good idea. We chose Bonn over Cologne or Aachen, as Cologne’s – and Aachen’s – Weihnachtsmarkt is a mass tourism event. Even if Bonn used to be the capital of the German Federal Republic when it was…

GERMANY | Exploring Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia

In late 2023, Dennis had the idea to visit Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia for its Christmas Market. A good idea. We chose Bonn over Cologne or Aachen, as Cologne’s – and Aachen’s – Weihnachtsmarkt is a mass tourism event. Even if Bonn used to be the capital of the German Federal Republic when it was…

FREE STATE OF ANTWERP | The City could have run the parking lot

“Antwerpen is stad en de rest is parking.” A popular phrase saying “Antwerp is city and the rest is parking area” originated in the 1970s or 1980s when Antwerp experienced some cityscape changing urban development. But what if Antwerp actually did run the that parking lot? In 1830, a French plan invented the Free State…

FRANCE | Sedan and Sedan Castle

The 21st of July is Belgium‘s National Day. This date was chosen as on July the 21st, 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the Constitutional Oat to become King of the Belgians. Being a public holiday with many shops and catering options closed, Oriol and I decided to go to Sedan just across…

BERLIN 2015 | Schloss Charlottenburg Palace

My first time in Berlin dates from May 2015. Until September 2021 it was my only time. I know it’s odd. The capital of Germany is a centre of history, culture, clubbing, gay culture. It should have been a standard annual getaway. Berlin is a modern, quirky city with a reputation for being hip and…

Wrocław

Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany,…

Gdańsk 2021 

Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany,…