Category: Exploring

Qingdao: German architecture

With a couple of friends I took advantage of the long weekend over May 1st recently and embarked on a trip to Chinese city which is slightly less known in Europe: Qingdao. The name probably does not ring a bell, especially the way it is spelt. However, once I tell...

Al-Shaheed Monument

A Weekend in Baghdad / Iraq

So… it has been a while since my last post. Close to three years. But I hope to get back into the groove of blogging every now and then. Here’s a recap of my most recent trip. Similar to my weekend in Eritrea, I was faced with some expiring miles....

Maidan Nezalezhnosti

Finally Flying Again – Off to Kyiv

2020 caught us all by surprise. When news hit in January 2020 that a new virus had hit the People’s Republic of China, few folks would have predicted that just two months later international borders would be sealed off to a large extent. Traveling became almost impossible and starting April,...

Praia da Maiata near Porto da Cruz

A Weekend on Madeira

Note: I took this trip in February 2020, just about a month before travel came to a standstill in Europe. Back in July 2019 I was casually browsing the web when I stumbled upon an incredible air fare to Madeira. You know, one of those offers where you actually feel...

View from Senglea towards Birgu

Malta – Truly Mediterranean

January in Northern Europe – the Christmas excitement is over but the weather is still far from good. Perfect timing to soak in a bit of sun in the Mediterranean. While I have no (current) ambitions of ever visiting every country on the planet, I do make an effort to...

Al-Balad

Jeddah – Saudi Arabia is open for Tourism

For a very long time the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been notoriously difficult for tourists to visit. Unless you had a business invitation or intended to visit for religious reasons, you had practically no chance to enter the country. After a brief exemption for a racecar event about...

Matera – the Underground City

Our 10 day Puglia trip was nearing its end. After a relaxing couple of days in and around Ostuni, it was time for our final stop. After a drive through lovely Martina Franca and a stop in Mottola for lunch, we arrived mid-afternoon in Matera. The city has a very...

Ostuni

Ostuni

From Sternatia and Lecce we headed back up north into Brindisi province for our next base, Ostuni. We stayed there for another three nights and explored the charming town and the surrounding area. Apparently in peak season the city’s population can swell up from 32’000 people to over 100’000. We...

Fiat Tagliero Building

Weekend trip to Asmara

I’ve been fascinated by places with an unusual colonial history, leading to a special mix of culture and architecture. Examples of this on the blog are the former German colony of Qingdao in China or Portuguese traces in Dili / East Timor. Italy never had many colonies. You could say...

Pyramid of Khafre

Cairo – Mother of the Earth

Cairo. Around 20m people. One world’s largest cities and the largest in the Middle East. I’ve been wanting to visit this unique city for its rich history and finally managed to plan a trip. The political situation has been fragile and tourists numbers have dwindled, only to recently pick up...