Blogs from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Europe - page 5

11:00 So in order to soothe our disappointment and to cheer ourselves up after our finish yesterday, we are now on the way to... Bergen-Belsen. Nothing says happy like a concentration camp, eh? A lot of the route has been standard European highway (which is kind of dull), but there have been a few instances where the route has been closed for whatever reason and we've had to detour. As a result we've driven through a city we wouldn't otherwise have seen and also driven past some amazing forested bits. We're obviously near some sort of military installation, as there have been several roads with signs saying "military traffic only" that we've passed (in English as well as German - not sure if that means we're near one ... read more

A fellow we met at the left-wing bookshop in Marburg recommended Lubeck to us. He said we must visit his home town even if we go nowhere else in Northern Germany! Well, he was right. We had no trouble spending 4 days in this pretty, quiet, unassuming, very clean town. Of course there is an old medieval town which is on an island enclosed by the Trave river. Our hotel is located not far from one of the 2 remaining old town gates - the Holstentor (1478). It is a twin towered red brick structure with twin spires that crookedly lean toward each other. It is also the well known land mark of the town. There are lots of red brick gothic buildings here, grand churches and of course a Dom (cathedral). We went for a ... read more

Three weeks ago, I participated in my fourth triathlon. I am sorry it took me so long to write this story. Right after it, I was simply too busy helping with the preparations for two weddings (Hetty and Stefan’s in Garmisch near Munich and Marie and Matthias’ in Schorndorf near Stuttgart), a congress in Berlin, and a week of further training in Cologne. But here you go. My end of season triathlon took place on the 2nd of September in Büchen, about 60km east of Hamburg, somewhere out in the green. I had chosen it because it was not farther than 100 km from Hamburg so that I would not have to make travel arrangements, because the swimming part would take place in a swimming pool and not in open water and because it was out ... read more

Sziasztok, Hansa turnenk masodik hetenek vegen jelentkezem ismet, Hamburgbol, a Sutra Collective kalarijabol. Floraval vagyunki kinnt Lucie-eknal, thaiamsszazstanfolytamot tartunk, es az esti fozocskezes utan, amig mindenki bennt acrozgat lazan a szentelyben, egy picit megulok bloggolni. Nem rossz kis utunk volt idaig - 14 oras vonat at Pozsonyon, (aludtam,majd elmentem wc-re), Pragan, (itt szabaditottak ki a wcbol, miutan 3 nyelven sikerult segitseget kerni, es jo 25 perc utan technikai egyseget hivtak, aki berugta az jo MAVos budiajtot:) Drezdan, (ahol hihetetlen szigoruak a rendorok, mintha nem is europaban, hanem legalabb Feheroroszorszagban lennenk, 25 evvel ezelott) Berlinen (itt mar elokerult a backgammon)keresztul vegul este 8 korul megerkeztunk Hamburgba. Corinne vart minket, akivel kellemesen vegigsetaltuk a belvaros legszebb kertjet egeszen a jo oreg St. Pauli negyedig, ahol a... read more

When I was first offered the teaching position in Kiel I naturally did a bit of research before accepting or declining it. The first thing I read about the city after Googling it was about Kieler Woche, or Kiel Week. Each year, the city plays host to a week long sailing festival at the end of June. Sailing fanatics from all over the world descend upon this small city for races, concerts and the international market at the Rathausplatz. To be honest, the boat races are a bit out of the city. The center of the city is where the concerts, food and drunk people from all over the world congregate. For food, music, dancing and cheap drinks from every corner. Needless to say this is the most exciting week of the year in Kiel. It ... read more