Europe
My travel stories from Europe
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The legend of St Ursula or: Why is this church filled with bones?
When you think of Cologne, you immediately think of its cathedral (the “Kölner Dom”). But did you know that not too far from it, there’s a church filled with bones? When we learned about it on our recent trip to Cologne, we just had to see it! But what’s the reason behind it?
Introducing St Ursula and her 11 (thousand) virgins! So let’s get into it – and see some bones at the end!
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Hohenbaden Castle – a hidden gem in plain sight
I’m back in Germany and that can only mean one thing: hiking! But where to go? Thanks to the brilliant app Explo, I found our next destination within 2 minutes: Battertfelsen at Schloss zu Hohenbaden/Battertfelsen at Hohenbaden Castle in the Black Forest. The pictures were amazing, such a huge and well preserved castle surrounded by the most beautiful landscape – a paradise for rock climbers!
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Geroldsauer Wasserfall Hike: Exploring the Black Forest
When my best friend saw a hot guy who posted a reel about “Bali in the Black Forest”, he could hardly talk about anything else. So of course we had to explore it the first chance we had! The destination was the “Gay”roldsauer Waterfalls (Geroldsauer Wasserfall to be precise, but the overpowering gay vibes of my friend must’ve influenced my English Google Maps pronunciation 😀 ) close to Baden-Baden and led me once again to my beloved Schwarzwaldhochstraße.
It turned out to be an unexpected flowery paradise!
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Pravčická Archway and an Odyssey in Hřensko
It was day 12 of our honeymoon, and I had already chased the hubster through the Alps, Munich, Würzburg, Leipzig, Dresden, and half of the Sächsische Schweiz (‘Saxon Switzerland’). In short: we were EXHAUSTED. It was our last day in Saxon Switzerland and we thought of taking it easy with a short hike. We googled a bit and found the Prebischtor in Czechia (Pravčická Archway or ‘Pravčická brána‘ in Czech, don’t ask me how to pronounce it though 😉 ), in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, which we could reach by boat. It’s the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe and one of the most recognisable natural landmarks in Czechia. Apparently, even some scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia were shot there.
According to Google, it was an easy, family-friendly hike, and it all sounded pretty great, so what could possibly go wrong?
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A LOT!
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Kloster Allerheiligen: Abbey Ruins, Waterfalls, and a Saga Hike
When my mother had an appointment in the beautiful town of Kappelrodeck in the Black Forest, I was the first to volunteer to drive her there. I immediately suggested making a day trip out of it and doing some hiking. I hadn’t done any research and did it in Kappelrodeck itself. Google immediately suggested the “Kloster Allerheiligen” (All Saints) Abbey Ruins and Waterfalls which were only a 20 min drive away.
Abbey Ruins? Count me in!
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El Camino – Santiago de Compostela – What to See/Do
I fully fell in love with this city in no time. The beautiful architecture, amazing Galician food, the whole vibe of happy pilgrims from all over the world… It’s one of the cities I instantly felt connected to and felt like I don’t want to leave anymore.
There are some really good pages and blogs about what to do and see in Santiago with lots of details and history, one of them www.santiagoturismo.com. I’ll try to summarise it for you here to give you a bit of an overview. Make sure you do your research beforehand because there’s really a LOT to see! And do take out enough time to stay in Santiago. Around 3 days are definitely needed to really enjoy it without haste. There are so many things to see, do and most of all EAT, that it would be way too hectic otherwise.
There are lots of monuments, museums, parks and gardens, contemporary architecture, art galleries, exhibition halls and viewpoints that it would be way too much for me to go into detail. Check out the above mentioned page of Santiago Turismo for all the details.
Here the most important ones.
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Camino de Santiago from Arzúa to A Ruá: A Pilgrim’s Diary (5)
The route on day 5 was again not very exhausting. Only 19 km till A Ruá with a few hills. Lush green fields, eucalyptus forests, passing beautiful old towns and the obligatory hórreos. There are a lot of pilgrims who walk the 39 km till Santiago in one go but definitely not amateur pilgrims like us!
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Camino de Santiago, Arzúa: Your Comprehensive Guide
Arzúa is the last large stopping point for many pilgrims on the way to Santiago. From here onward, it’s “only” 39km till Santiago. After this point, you will only find smaller villages.
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Camino de Santiago from Melide to Arzúa: A Pilgrim’s Diary
The morning started with a surprise: no pain. Am I still alive? Have I lost my legs overnight and that’s why I couldn’t feel the oh-so-familiar pain in my muscles?
Nope, still there. Strange. -
Camino de Santiago, Melide: Your Comprehensive Guide
You’re on the Camino de Santiago and arrived in Melide? Here’s a comprehensive guide for the must-see and especially must-eat in Melide! You’ll be surprised how much is there to discover (there’s a reason I managed to gain weight during the Camino 😀 )
