Old Prunk

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From the outside, the “Neue Residenz” looks just like a government building, which in fact it is today for the most part. On the inside the approximately rooms, which are still left in their original state, such as the “Kaisersaal”, make you feel like you are in an old castle. The “Kaisersaal” was actually never used for a “Kaiser”, it just had to be been build in case his majesty ever decided to come to Bamberg. It’s a quite a large room, with a very Read More +

Extremely Unlikely is not Impossible

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The story, which did unfold today was very strange but nice. While I was in the middle of a guided tour – almost at the end of which actually – in the Dome at Bamberg, I strolled around the altar of the Dome and was just about to catch up with the group. A young woman in company with her friend sayed hello and then asked: “Could it be that you have visited the USA four weeks ago?”. I must have looked a bit surprised, Read More +

Guided Tour Through Colorful History

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As the buildings in a city hardly speak for themselves, I decided to join a guided tour. I was a bit shocked to see that 80 other people had the same idea. That would get a a difficult tour. But luckily, the tourist office expected that many visitors and the crowed was split in four convenient groups. As the guide of our group was herself just returning from her holidays, she was quite motivated to explain us the various places. And instead of a one Read More +

Arriving at Bamberg

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A bit too lazy to search for the hotel myself, I took a short ride by taxi to my home for the next 3 nights. The Hotel Central is a nice little hotel at the edge if the pedestrian zone. My first activity was a short exploration of the city center shortly after I arrived at the hotel. Of course “short” is relative – it was easily an 8 km loop, where I came around a bit. Bamberg really looks like a very nice city Read More +

Lovely – Hotel Central

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My first place to stay on my Germany tour is a small, but nice Hotel at the edge of the pedestrian zone at Bamberg. From the entrance Hotel Central, one merely has to walk around the building and one is in the middle of the old town of Bamberg. But it’s not only a good starting point for explorations as a pedestrian. There is also a central bus station nearby, which offers all possible connections and for unscheduled trips, the taxi stop is right in Read More +

Train Time

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Finally its again time to travel. On this trip, I travel by train through Germany. On this first day the journey goes from Home to Bamberg. With the first train in Germany leaving Basel and arriving at Frankfurt on time, the trip started nice and calm. “Of course” the DB managed to delay the second connection a bit – but this is fully with their image and thanks to the rather generous changing times no real problem. Only at the last train change in Würzburg Read More +

Saying Goodbye

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The last day of the holiday is always a bit tricky to spend. You have all that luggage with you and there is quite a specific end to the activities you choose. On this travel, that day was easy to plan. As I was scheduled to flight out through San Francisco at the late evening, this was the perfect chance to say goodbye to many of my former working colleges. Many of the people I worked together in the past years I only knew from Read More +

Giants at Last

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My very last touristic destination on this three week trip became the “Muir Woods National Monument” just a bit outside of San Francisco. They were named after John Muir a Pioneer in protecting nature. The red wood trees have been preserved here in a small an relatively hidden valley. The oldest of these trees are around 1000 years old and therefore have seen many episodes in human history. But they not only get very old, but also very big. They can reach a hight of Read More +

In the Zoo

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(Almost) no travel without at least one visit in a zoo. So the San Francisco Zoo came to my travel itinerary. While I would have preferred a visit at the San Diego Zoo, this one was a bit closer and I anyway traveled enough. Expecting nice an warm weather, I dressed a bit summer like. This was a bit too optimistic, I have to admit. Anyway, the stay at the zoo was nice and relaxing. And finally I could also see a Grizzly from very Read More +

Different Geology

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After seeing quite some impressive formations built by sandstone, which was created by deserts, beaches, mud etc, I today saw massive mountains created in a total different way. The big formations, such as the half-dome, at “Yosemite National Park”, which stand out very impressive and may go up as much as 1.1 km from the valley floor, where built as magma cooled down. No apart from that quite relevant difference, there are also some remarkable similarities between the formations created in Yosemite and for example Read More +