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3 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  2 minutes

Christmas Hanukkah decoration - Pariser Platz - Berlin - 2020 © Leonhard Lenz

Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah on Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin © Leonhard Lenz

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Banz Abbey in Bavaria

10 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

© Reinhold Möller/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Reinhold Möller/cc-by-sa-4.0

Banz Abbey (German: Kloster Banz), now known as Banz Castle (German: Schloss Banz), is a former Benedictine monastery, since 1978 a part of the town of Bad Staffelstein north of Bamberg, Bavaria, southern Germany.   read more…

Treppenviertel, Hamburg’s Riviera

9 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hamburg Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Kroppe/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Kroppe/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Treppenviertel (“Stairs Quarter”) is a neighborhood within the Hamburg district of Blankenese, located about 10 kilometers west of the city center. It is bordered by Süllberg, Baurs Park and the Hesse Park and, to the south, by the banks of the Elbe. There are few motorable roads in it. The majority of the houses can only be reached on foot via more than 5000 steps, which are spread over various staircases. The location on the Elbe slope is described in travel guides as “Mediterranean” and is therefore referred to, slightly ironically, as “Riviera“. When the weather is good, the view from the upper properties extends as far as the Altes Land.   read more…

Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg

8 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Altstadt Salzburg © Thomas Pintaric/cc-by-sa-3.0

Altstadt Salzburg © Thomas Pintaric/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Historic Center of the City of Salzburg, also known as the Altstadt, is a district of Salzburg, Austria, recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It corresponds with the historic city center, situated on the left and right banks of the Salzach river.   read more…

Bardejov in Slovakia

7 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  10 minutes

Church of St. Aegidius © panoramio.com - Mister No/cc-by-3.0

Church of St. Aegidius © panoramio.com – Mister No/cc-by-3.0

Bardejov (Hungarian: Bártfa, German: Bartfeld, Rusyn: Бардеёв, Ukrainian: Бардіїв, Polish: Bardejów) is a town in North-Eastern Slovakia. It is situated in the Šariš region on a floodplain terrace of the Topľa River, in the hills of the Beskyd Mountains. It exhibits numerous cultural monuments in its completely intact medieval town center. The town is one of UNESCO‘s World Heritage Sites and currently maintains a population of about 32,000 inhabitants. In 2017, Bardejov was awarded the honorary title of “Reformation City of Europe” by the Community of Evangelical Churches in Europe.   read more…

Jumeirah in Dubai

6 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Jumeirah Archaeological Site © Sahil.latheef/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jumeirah Archaeological Site © Sahil.latheef/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jumeirah is a coastal residential area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates mainly comprising low rise private dwellings and hotel developments. It has both expensive and large detached properties as well as more modest town houses built in a variety of architectural styles. The area is popular with expatriates working in the emirate and is familiar to many tourists visiting Dubai.   read more…

North Beach in San Francisco

5 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, San Francisco Bay Area Reading Time:  7 minutes

© panoramio.com - Almondox/cc-by-3.0

© panoramio.com – Almondox/cc-by-3.0

North Beach is a neighborhood in the northeast of San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown, the Financial District, and Russian Hill. The neighborhood is San Francisco’s “Little Italy” and has historically been home to a large Italian American population, largely from Northern Italy. It still has many Italian restaurants, though many other ethnic groups currently live in the neighborhood. It was also the historic center of the beatnik subculture and has become one of San Francisco’s main nightlife districts as well as a residential neighborhood populated by a mix of young urban professionals, families, and Chinese immigrants. The American Planning Association (APA) has named North Beach as one of ten “Great Neighborhoods in America”.   read more…

Giudecca in the Venetian Lagoon

4 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

© Ekaterina Valinakova

© Ekaterina Valinakova

Giudecca (Venetian: Zueca) is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, in northern Italy. It is part of the sestiere of Dorsoduro and is a locality of the comune of Venice. Giudecca lies immediately south of the central islands of Venice, from which it is separated by the Giudecca Canal. San Giorgio Maggiore lies off its eastern tip.   read more…

Getreidegasse in Salzburg

3 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - Luca Nebuloni/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Luca Nebuloni/cc-by-2.0

Getreidegasse (Grain Lane) is a busy shopping street in the historic Altstadt (Old Town) of Salzburg, Austria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It is known for the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at No. 9, where he lived until the age of 17. The narrow street is characterised by numerous high townhouses side by side with its wrought iron guild signs.   read more…

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