A Visit to the Chateau De Fontainebleau
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A Visit to the Chateau De Fontainebleau

Day Trip from Paris The Chateau de Fontainebleau Located approximately 30 miles south of Paris, the Chateau de Fontainebleau is probably the second most famous castle in France. The contrast to the undisputed champion, however, could not be starker: Versailles is so famous because it perfectly captures the personality of its “first owner”, the essence of…

The City of the Future

The City of the Future

What to See in Germany While I don’t think it is slanderous to call most, perhaps all, of its cities ugly, Germany’s old industrial heartland of the Ruhrgebiet is still a great place to visit. Mainly for two reasons: One, the Ruhrgebiet landscapes are nearly always interesting and can, occasionally, be downright idyllic – something that people…

Blood, Meat and Beer in a German Culinary Institution

Blood, Meat and Beer in a German Culinary Institution

Where to Eat in Germany German Culinary Institutions part II, and today, we’ll take you one notch up to a proper restaurant. (No offence, Profi-Grill, I still love you.) This one is a few kilometres down south from Wattenscheid to Cologne, hub for many a trip to hiking trails in Western Germany. German Culinary Institution…

Bricks in Buildings Won’t Break Your Bones
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Bricks in Buildings Won’t Break Your Bones

Bricks in Buildings Architects in most European countries have always considered bricks second rate material, i.e. inferior to stone. As a consequence, there are fairly few “prestige buildings” across Europe – churches, palaces of the high aristocracy – that are made of bricks. The exception to this rule is the extreme North of Germany (and…

Rivers and Lakes

Rivers and Lakes

Canals, Rivers and Lakes as Hiking Highlights Water is our most important resource, the only one – apart from air – that we absolutely and unconditionally cannot do without. We can survive for days, for weeks even without food, but if we do not drink, we die. No wonder that few idyllic landscape pictures, whether…

Food Glorious Food
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Food Glorious Food

We really should start putting out posts about food because one of the many pleasures I get when we go hiking anywhere is the anticipation of trying a local delicacy. And I’ve tried some unforgettable ones. Oh, Food Glorious Food  Jabuguitos and fried eggs for breakfast in Madrid  (This one was a regular on the…

KONUS Makes Your Family Holiday In The Black Forest Lighter On The Pocket

KONUS Makes Your Family Holiday In The Black Forest Lighter On The Pocket

Hiking in Germany What is KONUS? Holidays are expensive things. For most families, they are easily the biggest item in their annual budget behind life’s essentials such as food, shelter and transport (such as the family car). Travel and accommodation make up the largest chunk of holiday expenses, but by the time the holiday starts,…