It was impossible to ignore the Kölner Dom when I first stepped out of Cologne’s central station. How could I, when it’s such a massive structure? The sunken plaza that I stood in only served to exacerbate the impression of size. It has its advantages, though; in the height of summer, its shadow offered the people gathered on […]
For many people, Frankfurt is the first place in Europe that they land and the last that they leave, especially if they’re flying with Lufthansa. Despite that and its status as one of the world’s major financial centres, it doesn’t have a fantastic reputation as a tourist destination, due to the damage that World War […]
Bamberg was never really on my radar until I met Silke, a German traveller who happened to be my hostel roommate – and learnt that she lived in a UNESCO World Heritage city. It’s not the only one in Germany with such an accolade, nor the only one with many intact pre-WWII buildings, but it […]
ANTE ROMAM TREVIRIS STETIT ANNIS MILLE TRECENTIS. PERSTET ET ÆTERNA PACE FRVATVR. AMEN. The inscription on the Red House reads, “Trier stood thirteen centuries before Rome. May it persist and enjoy eternal peace. Amen.” I didn’t have forever to explore it, however; once my friend Yvonne was able to join me after her classes, we […]
For years, I was in a peculiar position where I had been to Europe twice and yet was unable to help friends who were heading there and wanted my advice. After all, they were more interested in seeing Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, and I’d only been as far west as Poland. To them, that was “Eastern Europe”. That […]