What used to be the second largest city in central Poland after Plock, is now a small medieval village of about 600 people just outside of Warsaw. The Gothic castle had great military importance, and was built like a fortress. The ruins of this castle, which was originally built in the early 11th century, are all […]
The Warsaw Uprising Museum is located in the Wola district of Warsaw dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The museum opened on July 31, 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the Uprising. The museum exhibits are very modern but the layout of the museum is reminiscent of an old city streets which were boomed and destroyed during the war. This is […]
We are out doing a bit of shopping in Warsaw. Nothing recharges the energy like a large sugary dessert for lunch!
In one respect Nuremberg is like Edmonton. We have either the worst or the second worst football club in the German Bundesliga – FC Nuremberg, much like Edmonton with its hockey team or Williams in Formula 1. Sure they were all champion teams at one point in time but it was so long ago no […]
Today is the opening of the Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt. This is one of the largest Christmas Markets in Germany and one of the most known in the world. We went to see the opening at 5:30, us and about a million other people. There was absolutely no room anywhere on the main square. The market opens with The Christkind […]
It’s officially winter here. There is still a bit of snow on the ground hiding in the shade, away from the sun. I had to go out to see Volker today so I took the camera and the big lens and started walking. I went through the deep part of the castle moat to get […]
It’s true. We got some snow overnight. I don’t think we were mentally ready for it. Most of what had fallen has disappeared by noon but there are places here and there in the shade where you can still see the white stuff. a whole 1 to 2mm of it.
There is a Christmas store in Salzburg that is open year round. Not only does it have some of the most beautiful Christmas decoctions but it has hundreds upon hundreds of painted egg shells. There is eggs in every theme imaginable from Halloween, to Easter to Christmas from flowers, birds and city scenes, to just […]
Undaunted by the constant drizzle we continue to explore the nooks and crannies of Salzburg. From the top of the Salzburg Fortress you can see at least 4 churches. We stopped by St. Peter’s Abbey, which is one of the oldest if not the oldest Germany speaking Benedictine monasteries. It houses a massive amount of original written […]
Hohensalzburg Castle is a fortress on top of the Festungsberg mountain overlooking Salzburg. It is easily accessible by funicular which is easier than the 15 min walk up the hill. The first funicular to the fortress was built in the 1900s. The fortress was never taken in war, it was however given up once when Napoleon and his army came knocking. Salzburg Fortress […]
Salzburg’s “Old Town” has internationally renowned baroque architecture and one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps. In 1997 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Host to three universities and a large population of students, Salzburg is noted for its attractive setting and scenic Alpine backdrop. None of which we could see today because it’s middle of […]
We are heading out to Austria. We are hoping to get to Salzburg to visit the old stomping ground of the one and only Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The weather should be around 7C and as long as it does not rain too much then we should have fun.
High Cathedral of St.Peter is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and a World Heritage Site. It is Germany’s most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day. There are number of very old relics in the Cathedral including the Shrine of the Three Kings, bones of the wife of on of […]
We have been trying to get out of the house and actually walk around the entire Nuremberg Imperial Castle on the outside of the defence walls. This will not be a quick walk, I think it will take at least 2 hours. The idea behind this exercise is to take a photo of every know […]
It appears that each special occasion cumulates with a visit to our favorite pizza joint. L’Osteria is then our place of occasion here in Nuremberg.
Evelina keeps making these little gems – this one she made for me today.
Autumn is here to stay that much is true. While it gets up to 15C during the day, it does cool off for the night. Its Saturday, and we are burning a lap around the old town. The old town is getting ready for the upcoming and world famous Christmas Market. We can’t wait. […]
Here is another look at the church of St. Lorenz. This medieval church of the former free imperial city of Nuremberg is dedicated to Saint Lawrence. The church was badly damaged during the Second World War and later rebuilt. It is one of the most prominent churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. The choir was started in 1445 by medieval […]
We are home! 953km with a 40km bonus round for missing an exit ramp not once but twice. We are relaxing with a bit of Denmark we brought with us, actually 8 pieces of Denmark.
This just very well may be the tastiest discovery in Denmark. They are called Berliners. Deep fried dough full of plum butter or raspberry jam coated in a pound of sugar. It’s on the daily diet!
Emporia is one of Scandinavia’s biggest shopping malls located near Malmö Arena and Hyllie railway station in Malmö in southern Sweden. Architecturally stunning inside and out, we stopped by to check it out and relax a bit before heading back to Denmark.
The Western Harbour is the new part of Malmo being built at an incredible pace. Among the new buildings in the Western Harbour is the Turning Torso, a skyscraper with a twisting design, 190 metres (620 ft) tall is the tallest building in Scandinavia.
Malmo has two distinct districts, the old town which is not very traditional or conventional in the sense of old European towns. The other part is The Western Harbour which is being built on the peninsula and is ultra modern. Since the construction of the Öresund bridge, linking Sweden to Denmark, Malmö has undergone a major transformation with […]
We are heading home from our excursion to the Danish country side. Both the wind and the rain have picked up quite significantly. In retrospect we are glad that we went to Copenhagen yesterday as the Great Belt Bridge is now officially closed. The wind is blowing at 54m/s or category 3 hurricane, the strongest […]
This small castle is located approx. 6 km. SW of Kerteminde. It was built for one of Christian IV’s many sons, in a typical Renaissance style. The castle was completed in 1645. The young Count Ulrik Christian GYLDENLOVE only managed to enjoy his new home for a few years. He died in 1658 , at the age of 28. Today, the castle is a private residence which […]
Originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century. Copenhagen metropolitan area is home to almost 2 million people out of 5 million that live in Denmark. It’s a beautiful city, its home to the Danish royalty and a whole set of stunning […]
Part of our 15km walk around Copenhagen included the old town. We went by the Round Tower which was an astoronomical observatory built by King Christian IV. Instead of stairs, a 7.5-turn spiral ramp forms the only access way to the tower top observatory as well as the Library Hall and the Bell-Ringer’s Loft, both located above the church. […]
Frederik’s Church, popularly known as The Marble Church (Marmorkirken) for its architecture, is an Evangelical Lutheran church located just west of Amalienborg Palace. Intended to commemorate the 300 years jubilee of the first coronation of a member of the House of Oldenburg. Frederick’s Church has the largest church dome in Scandinavia with a span of 31m. The construction of the church was delayed for 150 years due […]
Located, across the Royal Palace, on the island of Holmen in central Copenhagen is the Copenhagen Opera House. The Opera House is the national opera house of Denmark, and is among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built with construction costs well over 500 million U.S. dollars.
On the way to Copenhagen we get to drive on the Storebæltsforbindelsen, or the Great Belt Bridge. It is 18km long bridge that goes over a part of the Baltic Sea! It is not cheap to take it but it is very fast and convenient. The construction of the fixed link became the biggest building project […]
We are on our way to Copenhagen. It is about a 150 km drive from Odense across the Great Belt Bridge or Storebæltsforbindelsen in Danish (say that fast 3 times). Looks like it will be a great day, not too hot, 18C with a bit of sunshine.
Even if you have never been or heard of Odense you know someone from here. Hans Christian Andersen was born and lived here until he was 14 years old. His mother used to work at the royal palace and on occasion Hans Christian would be invited to play with the young prince at the palace. […]
No self respecting European city goes without its own cathedral. Odense is no different, St. Canute’s Cathedral is dedicated to the last Viking king of Denmark and his bones as well as those of his brother are displayed in the cathedral crypt. Unlike some of the more ostentatious and extravagant baroque cathedrals this one is […]
We are in Odense visiting our good friends Mozejkos. It’s a beautiful autumn day, perfect for exploring the old city. Odense has one of the oldest Saturday markets in Europe, where people have been buying and selling fresh produce for over 500 years. There are a number of churches and monasteries, a Benedictine abbey, the Odense Palace, […]
Traffic is going no where fast, we are at about 6 hours of driving and about 550 km. We are about 60 km from Hamburg. Hopefully by the time we finish eating the traffic will thin out.
We are setting off for a week of holidays. The children are getting their first fall school break, which is well deserved and earned as they have been working very hard both in school and with Saskia their private tutor. We are going to be heading up to Denmark and Sweden driving mostly through Germany. […]
Courtyard, or our back yard has two trees, both maples, one is 6 and the other one is about 7 stories high. They are just starting to turn yellow and drop their leaves.
All of the sudden and out of nowhere the sky turned red. We jumped to the window to see what was on fire! The sky was. It turned bright red and back to normal in a matter of about 5 minutes. I managed to only snap a few shots before the spectacle went away. […]
It’s 11:30 am, it’s 20C and it is absolutely beautiful outside. We are off to the Old Town to run some errants. We added another 5.2km of leisurely walk by the moats and the old town, bought some fresh pretzels and headed home to meet the kids at 1:15 for lunch when they are back […]
I simply don’t know what this is, but it’s right outside our house. If we had to hazard a guess – photos for Christmas cards?
We did not make it to the bank today as planned. We decided to walk the other way to discover less travelled part of our neighbourhood. We found a great bakery with really good pretzels. Pretzel sandwiches are all the rage and finding a perfect pretzel in a bakery close by is always good. So […]
Autumn is slowly creeping in. Pretty much everywhere you look there is a hint of it. This, being a beautiful day that it was, we went out for a morning walk along the castle walls to get out of the house and get some fresh air. We had so much fun we are going to make […]
Looks like fall is arriving early this year.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone and all the best to you. We are done our Thanksgiving sans butternut squash but we know what you will feel like 5 hours from now. We had way too much food that’s for sure. We finally got to see Kasia and Volker and Volker’s mom and the 7 of us sat […]
This then is a perfect family chariot! It’s beautiful, its spacious, and its not coming to Canada any time soon if ever. We see these on the Autobahn every once in a while, never for more than a split second as they fly by, gliding effortlessly, with a mighty roar. Available in Germany in, wait […]
I finally had the time to upload this video and here it is – from our last trip to France, just outside Avignon dug into the stone under the village of Les Baux de Provence is this magnificent quarry where the show takes place.
The Theatine Church of St. Cajetan in Munich is one of those places that looks very unassuming from the outside and makes your jaw drop when you walk inside. If you want to see boundless opulence on a small scale in white marble done in Italian high-Baroque – this place is a good start. When a king, gets […]
After months of relentless pursuit we have triumphed over the Polish beaurocracy and have obtained our double OO status. Between the two of us there are 6 passports – we are now now accepting missions wink wink..
We are in Munich picking up the passports. Unlike, our previous trips to the Embassy this one took about 10 min, required no appointment and no payments – just a couple of signatures and finger swipes. It was the most pleasant of all visits we had here. Before we could pick up our passports however, […]
Today is the national holiday of German Unity Day. It is as we learned neither re-unification nor unification day – its a day of unity. Needless to say, everything is closed except restaurants and coffee shops – unless of course they are on the route of the marathon. The marathon went right by our house […]
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