The other side of the Wall: A journey to Rachel’s Tomb

The other side of the Wall: A journey to Rachel’s Tomb

To be honest with you: I first heard of the existence of Rachel’s Tomb when seeing the Destination Boards of Bethlehem-bound buses: Rachels’ Tomb/Checkpoint 300. It is not without irony that the place where the Hebrew Matriarch Rachel is buried now signifies a checkpoint between 

First Time Israel: Finally Arriving in the Holy Land

First Time Israel: Finally Arriving in the Holy Land

Jerusalem – Holy City of three faiths and contested for millennia. It has long been on my list of places I wish to visit in my lifetime. And this is my report on my first time Israel trip. For many years, the Second Intifada put 

My 2019 Travel Review

My 2019 Travel Review

The end of the year is near. Time for my 2019 travel review, a year full of work and a moderate amount of travelling within the limits of three jobs. However… we Germans are lucky to get a generous annual leave allowance, so I have 

This was 2018 (in travel)

This was 2018 (in travel)

Just over a year ago, I started feeding this blog with a little more than a post every other month or so. Would it be possible in 2018 to travel and produce anything vaguely interesting with full-time job, freelancing and some research on top? Here 

The Easy Route into Albania

The Easy Route into Albania

This autumn, we fancied a bit of sun, good food and culture for little money. Would we find it in Greece again? Looking at the cheapest available flights for the last week of November, we found flights to Corfu, Venice and Bari for around 100EURO. 

Only mad dogs do Florence in July?

Only mad dogs do Florence in July?

Ooooh yes, dear friends, me, who’ll waffle on endlessly about preferring independent travel without crowds, is going to Florence for a weekend in July. It sounds a bit bonkers. Especially since I always try to take my holidays outside main season and school holidays. But then 

New Year, New Travel – what will 2018 have in store?

New Year, New Travel – what will 2018 have in store?

Yeah yeah, typical, writing this thing about travel plans when half the year is almost over. And I have no excuse. Does this happen to you, when your plans, great and totally practicable in January, become a bit woozy in February, then change again later, 

Eleven Alternative Reasons to Visit Georgia 

Eleven Alternative Reasons to Visit Georgia 

We returned from a (unusual for me) Easter Holiday… ummm, over six weeks ago.  We even celebrated Easter twice.  Once in Armenia – a country that is so special that it has its own church and a quarter of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre 

Taking the Waters in Budapest

Taking the Waters in Budapest

Is a winter trip to Budapest a good idea? It can be pretty cold, and due to its easterly location it gets dark early.  But flights to Budapest and hotels cost a lot less than in the summer.  Restaurants and attractions are open all year, 

Athens without the Crowds: 10 Tips to enjoy the Classic City

Athens without the Crowds: 10 Tips to enjoy the Classic City

Athens is great! Almost year-round sunshine, close to the Mediterranean Sea, safe, brimming with ancient history and museums full of artefacts. The food is excellent, and many people speak English. But this means it is extremely popular, and do not let the recent Greek economy 

My Personal World Heritage Tour: Paleochora, Aegina

My Personal World Heritage Tour: Paleochora, Aegina

It has become a fashion to visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites. While this is a great endeavour (beats getting drunk, quad biking in the desert and elephant riding, yes?), it can be a bit hard to tick them all of (there are currently 1073) or 

Volcano to Kailua-Kona… back round the other side of Big Island

Volcano to Kailua-Kona… back round the other side of Big Island

We’re half round the  Big Island, and just another three days until we return hone to very early nights and frost, and yet  we’re just been away from home a week – that’s what happens when you start a new job and move house. We better 

Haiku No. 4

Haiku No. 4

Friday is Haiku Day! Yeah, it probably makes no sense whatsoever in Japanese, but it’s kinda fun to stick it into Google Translate. I really wanted something a bit sunnier ‘n funnier but the dark wet weather here in the north, no matter how many 

Aegina Island, the Sleeping Beauty

Aegina Island, the Sleeping Beauty

If you’re in Athens and want to spend some time at the beach, you could take a tram down to Glyfada – it’s a decent option. Better though, take a ferry from Piraeus to Aegina. This is a decent sized island in the Saronic gulf 

An Ode to the Atlanta Hotel Bangkok

An Ode to the Atlanta Hotel Bangkok

The Atlanta Hotel in Bangkok is one of the oldest hotels and one of the quirkiest places to stay in this thriving and expanding city. Set deeply back in the 1950’s, lacking the ultramodern comforts that have become standards in city hotels, and applying a