Blogs from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe - page 13

As we awoke this morning we almost thought that the fine, sunny and warm days had deserted us, as our first look at the early morning sky over Zwolle was one of heavy grey overcast. However, the weather was just fooling us as although the clear skies had been replaced by overcast the temperature was still very warm. There had been thunderstorms in Britain over the past 24 hours and that weather usually finds its way to Holland so we can expect to get some rain on our way south to a half way, overnight stop, to a longer stay we have planned for a location on the Moselle River about 50km from Koblenz. We had had a very relaxing and enjoyable stay with Wim and Diny but it was time to move on. We enjoyed ... read more

So, we have left Hessen and entered North Rhine - Westphalia! We spent one full day in Paderborn self-guiding ourselves on a historical city tour. The weather was not kind to us and we tried hard to imagine how pretty the town would look in the sunshine, especially the park areas where the Pader river flows. The river originates from over 200 springs which flow under the middle of the city and is Germany's shortest river. The river flow in many areas is so narrow that it looks more like a canal but very pretty with low overhanging trees and plenty of ducks swimming with the current. Despite the city having been heavily bombed in WW2 (and with the help of reconstruction) there are some interesting buildings of the romanesque, gothic and weser renaissance (lots of ... read more

Finally, we found a Starbucks, we are back in Cologne and in view of the magnificent DOM. (may14/13) On Andernach... getting there on the boat was a wonderful experience, peacefully floating along the Rhine, smoothly, the hills and wineries outside our window, we had three naps that day, that was before 1:30 pm when we arrived in Andernach where the volunteer fire brigade was celebrating 125 years, imagine that, how old is Canada again? Just amazing, and we snagged this interesting picture... when it comes to Germany, the boys have got it covered...(photo) All in all, we found it to be a dark place, dark as in the feel of the place, we walked to their *claim to fame* the Turun, an old old (1440) watch tower which we had to climb of course. After Cologne ... read more

On the 5th of May, I was invited to my godchild’s Holy Communion in Cologne. No matter whether you believe in God or not, I found the celebration quite impressive, that’s why I would like to share it with you. My godchild Benedikt attends the Domsingschule, a primary school with the purpose of educating the children that will later on sing in the Cathedral Choir in Cologne. It was not easy to get him into this school. Of course, you need to be Catholic, but also, he and his parents had to go through a number of assessments before he was finally accepted. Already his school enrolment had taken place in the spectacular Cologne Cathedral. The fact that the Holy Communion took place in the Cologne Cathedral is so special because the Cathedral does not have ... read more

Kann man eine Weltreise auf nur einige wenige Zahlen zusammen fassen? Ein Versuch: 480 Tage unterwegs, das entspricht 1 Jahr und 114 Tagen oder auch 15 Monate und 23 Tage Besuchte Länder: 15 Länder (ohne Transit- oder Visarun-Länder) Höchster Punkt: 5550 Meter auf dem Kala Pattar in Nepal Niedrigster Punkt: -30 Meter beim Tauchen in Honduras und Malaysia Längste Busfahrt: 23 Stunden in Vietnam von Hoi An nach Saigon Längster Non-Stop Flug: 13 1/2 Stunden von Phuket nach Frankfurt Günstige Unterkunft: 100 Nepalesische Rupia (ca. 1 Euro) für ein Doppelzimmer in Lobuche (Everest Trek) Teuerste Unterkunft: ca. 120 € für das Doppelzimmer über Silvester in Singapur Sinnloseste Geldverschwendung: 250 Dollar für das Working Holiday Visum für Australien Tollste Geldverschwendung: hmm....ich denke es waren die 300 NZ Dollar für den Fallschirmsprung in Motueka... read more