sightseeing
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Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – A European capital
Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg, is a truly remarkable city in which you can see wonderful architecture, picturesque views and astonishing places. It holds the world’s top spot for personal safety and ranks high for quality of life; Luxembourg the country has the second-highest GDP in the world! If you are looking to move…
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Maastricht, Netherlands – The Rhine’s centre of religion
Just across the border from Aachen in Germany lies the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. Like Aachen, Maastricht also has a Roman history. Unlike Aachen, it did not develop into a political capital. Rather Maastricht developed into a religious one due to the legend of the death and burial of Saint Servatius. At the same…
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Aachen, Germany – A capital of emperors
Aachen is a city with a long, proud history, which stretches back to Neolithic times (3000 BC). From the Romans using it as a source of hot springs to Charlemagne using the city as the capital of his Frankish empire to being the capital of its own country (very briefly, the Rhenish Republic). Aachen has…
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Caerphilly Castle, Wales – A Staple of BBC shows and documentaries
The largest castle, Caerphilly Castle, in Wales (and the second largest in Britain) has quite a long and bloody history reaching back almost 800 years. A multitude of families have held the castle over the years. It has been both loyal and rebel to the country, and has set a few records in its time.…
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Montserrat, Spain – One of Catalonia’s religious mountain
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Budapest, Hungary – The twin capital
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is definitely one of the European capitals that I would highly recommend to anyone on a tour of Europe. From brilliant architecture and rich history to the thermal baths to the ruin bars, there is something for everyone. Additionally, as is true with many eastern European countries, Budapest and Hungary…
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Maulbronn Monastery, Germany – A Religious Paradise
Nestled in the tiny town of Maulbronn in the Enz Province of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, sits the Maulbronn Monastery, a Romanesque-style monastery with a long past. This Monastery, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a long and bloody past but is also a beautiful and unique place to visit. History The name comes…
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Dresden, Germany – The dark capital
So I was recently able to spend a few hours in Dresden, one of the historic centres of Germany which has enjoyed a lot of power throughout its history. Its importance in the Holy Roman Empire especially led to its prosperity. You can see it in the architecture rebuilt after Dresden’s destruction during World War…
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Wartburg Castle, Germany – The birthplace of religious resistance
Eisenach is a town in western Thüringen (Thuringia). It is well known for its UNESCO World Heritage site, Wartburg Castle. This town has a surprisingly star-studded history: Martin Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German in Eisenach, Johann Sebastian Bach was born here in 1865, and hosted the famous writer/statesman Johann Wolfgang Goethe, all…
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Parc del Laberint d’Horta, Spain – Abandoned estate
The Parc del Laberint d’Horta (Horta’s Labyrinth Park) is the oldest garden in the city of Barcelona. Located on a former estate, the Parc and its famous labyrinth opened to the public in 1971; residents and visitors alike have enjoyed it ever since. The Neoclassical section of the Parc has three terraced levels. 1) the lower terrace…
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Pont de Pedret (Pedret Bridge and Church of Sant Quirze), Spain – High in the mountains
Since around the 10th century, a church and bridge of some kind have stood in a secluded location near the River Llobregat near the town of Berga. Fast forward eleven centuries and today, the Pont de Pedret and the Església (Church) de Sant Quirze still stand. The Inventari del Patrimoni Arquitectònic de Catalunya (Inventory of the…
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Oystermouth Castle, Wales – Guarding the Bay
One of the castles overlooking Swansea Bay is Oystermouth Castle in Mumbles, the village of the rich just outside of the city of Swansea. Oystermouth Castle has a thousand-year-old history, although the present castle of stone has only been standing for around 800 years (and underwent refurbishment, meaning they added a few things like a visitors…
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Three Cliffs Bay, Wales – A coastal retreat
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Hildesheim, Germany – A tale from history
Continuing on with the Germany theme, I would like to introduce a nice, small city in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) that I particularly like called Hildesheim. If you like medieval history, this small city 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Hanover is the place to be. It is one of the oldest cities in northern Germany;…
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Berlin, Germany – Love it or Hate it
