Category Germany
A Touch of Japan in Cologne
We slept late and didn’t rush this morning. West of us is the GrunGurtel, or “green ring” of Cologne. A walk in the park with a picnic lunch sounded appealing. The Cologne Central Mosque, in Ehrenfeld, was completed in 2017. It is the largest mosque in Germany. Its modern glass and concrete design, along with […]
Two Cities and a Dangle Train
You may remember our excursion to Enoshima in Japan, where we rode a suspended monorail, aka the Dangle Train. There are only a handful of these trains in the world, and three of them happen to be in Germany – at Dusseldorf Airport, Dortmund University, and Wuppertal. Of the three, Wuppertal is easily the longest […]
A (Long) Walk In Cologne
Having relocated to accommodation much closer to the centre, we decided there was no need to take the metro, so we set out on foot. First stop was Isabella’s Patisserie, a dedicatd gluten free bakery with a range of savoury baked goods, and a colourful display of sweet treats. From there we followed Ehrenstrasse, a […]
2025
Time to post about our plans for this year; we have spent quite a long time deciding but airfares are now booked and we’ve found some great places to stay. Rule no 1: southern Europe is a no-no at the time we are travelling (having learned the hard way). Following Ian’s successful completion of his […]
Rhein Main City Race Part 2
Another early start to the day; this time the event centre was at Kapellplatz, within walking distance. We arrived well before 9am, and met Philly and Stephen for our last day of orienteering. From here, we are off to Barcelona, while they will be hiking in the Bavarian Alps. Today was the headline event of […]
Rhein Main City Race, Part 1
We began our second weekend of orienteering last night. Proceedings kicked off with a prologue, with choose your own start times from 6pm. The courses had been altered at the last minute due to a big soccer match, so we missed out on the campus section, and just used a park and adjacent residential streets. […]
Fun In Frankfurt
Like many people, we’ve passed through Frankfurt Airport a few times, on the way to somewhere else. We’ve never taken the opportunity to have a look at one of Germany’s largest cities, as it is less on the tourism radar than Munich, Berlin or Hamburg. Seeing we were staying 20 minutes down the railway line, […]
Aargauer 3 Day Orienteering, Day 2
But first, a short walk into Germany … Bad Saeckingen’s main claim to fame is Europe’s longest covered bridge, crossing the Rhine and providing a border crossing for pedestrians and cyclists (no customs booth). Built 400 years ago, it was restored in 1990, and is a thing of beauty. It smells of very old timbers, […]
Inside the Salt Mountain
Today was a visit to another place that’s long been on our list – Berchtesgaden, just across the border in southern Germany. It was a scenic drive hugging the shore of the Wolfgangsee, then onto the freeway to skirt around Salzburg. Past the border sign welcoming us to Germany, then 10 kms along a river […]
Bavarian O Tour – The Maps
Here are hi res versions of the maps from the Bavarian O-Tour. Best seen by saving images in order to view details. Day 1 – Bamberg. Long distance forest. I only did controls 9-11, as I rolled my ankle the day before. Day 2 – Stussenbach. Middle distance. Beautiful pine forest with scattered rock. This […]
