3074 days ago

San Francisco Sunday Swing: Lindy in the Park

What a friendly welcome of the local Swing dancing community in San Francisco! I’m saying thank you and recommend the following to my fellows in London – should you ever visit San Francisco, then Lindy in the Park is a place to go to.

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3200 days ago

Across the Alps by Bike

A journey through valleys, villages and across mountain passes, through sunshine, rain, and thunderstorm: in this year’s mountain bike trip, we crossed the Alps from Oberstdorf in Germany to Lake Garda in Italy.

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3219 days ago

Through the Normandy to Paris by Bike

What started as a joke turned into reality on a bank holiday weekend: A bicycle ride from London to Paris. Well, to be exact, we skipped the part from London to the channel and started in Dieppe.

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3372 days ago

Train to Paris

It was my second time in France. After exploring the countryside in the Auvergne a decade ago, this time I visited the capital over a weekend while travelling from London to Munich by train and by bus. A mixed story about discovering Paris by foot.

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3467 days ago

Hiking in the Sierra Nevada: Boulders, Bears, and Giant Sequoias

It was my first four-day hiking trip in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada in the Sequoia National Park (California). This is a recount of my experiences and a descriptions of the lessons I learnt while carrying my backpack with food and shelter over segments of the High Sierra Trail.

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3598 days ago

Mountain View: a cyclist's point of view

Mountain View in California is a place where cars are the primary means of transport. But I was told that biking is an option, too. So, I tested getting around with a bike. Here is a short review.

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3754 days ago

Dunedin's Finest View: Harbour Cone

The name says it: Harbour Cone is a cone-shaped hill on the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand. While most tourists pay for a tour to see penguins and albatroses, I opted for the cheap variant using a regular bus and regular hiking boots.

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3754 days ago

Among the Clouds – Roys Peak

Just when reaching the summit, a gap in the clouds allowed for a stunning view from Roys Peak in New Zealand: blue lakes, green vegetation, snowy mountains. A report from a moderate hike with an above-the-average return.

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3887 days ago

Von den Blauen Bergen

Fantastic view over the Alps from Halserspitze on the border between Austria and Germany. The mountain is only for the experienced and surefooted. Wildbad Kreuth at the foot of the mountain can be comfortably reached from Munich by train and bus.

3888 days ago

Hirschberg: Bike and Hike

Roundtrip: Tegernsee – Kreuth – Hirschberg – Bad Wiessee – Tegernsee. This mountainbike trip was different from previous ones. With the weather conditions permitting, we planned our route just in time. The roundtrip went astonishingly well.

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3894 days ago

Hiking to Speer: Meeting the Nothing

A hike with phenomenal company lead from Amden to the top of the Speer mountain in Switzerland. Up there, thick clouds were hanging on one side of the long mountain ridge like an attempt to illustrate the Nothing from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. A bath in Lake Walen topped off the hike.

3894 days ago

Munich-Zurich by Bus includes a Ferry Ride

Interesting weekend trip from Munich to Zurich. Hitchhiked with a bus. And got an unexpected ferry ride over Lake Constance.

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3897 days ago

Lesson at Hörsaal 13

Lesson for a TUM student: a good Bavarian bite and drink at Hörsaal 13 on TUM campus Weihenstephan. “Hörsaal 13” translates to “Lecture Hall 13” but is in fact a pub with an attached beer garden – German sense of humor? Anyway, I conclude: definitely one of the better beer gardens.

3897 days ago

Old places, new hikes – Geierköpfe

Recommendable hike close to the German-Austrian border. Starting at Musteralm at Plansee, remembering old times, then hiking up to two summits called Geierköpfe, crossing the rather exposed ridge from the western summit to the eastern summit. Enjoyable view on Zugspitze. Back the same way.

3954 days ago

Sehnsucht nach Ferne – Zufrieden in der bayerischen Heimat

Das Interview für abi.de ist nun schon ein paar Wochen alt, aber erst jetzt ist mir aufgefallen, wie die Überschrift und der erste Satz im Zusammenhang klingen. Frei nach: in der Welt zuhause, in Bayern daheim.

3996 days ago

Denmark Revisited – Back after Thirteen Years

Thirteen years passed before I returned to Denmark for a couple of days. In short: good friends, interesting history, and delicious food.

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4377 days ago

Matchmaking on a Shanghainese Sunday

The public parks in Shanghai attract lots of people, especially on Sundays. As described in a previous article, these parks offer plenty of opportunities for a variety of leisure activities. Actually, the People’s Park on People’s Square features the most curious of all the Sunday activities I have seen so far.

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4377 days ago

Boxing Boats on a Shanghainese Sunday

The city proper of Shanghai is home to 20 million inhabitants (see here and here). Unsurprisingly, despite of its density, the urban area goes on and on. Nevertheless, if people want to enjoy nearby green areas in their spare time, they have at least the public parks.

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4377 days ago

Chinese Trains: the Fast and the Curious

Taking the train is a common way of travelling in China and popular amongst locals and foreigners. Westerners might find some surprising facts about travelling in China by train.

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4377 days ago

Sheepish: No Mercy for Pedestrians in China

Traffic in China follows other rules than in Germany. Also the assortment of vehicles in China is much more diverse; featuring trucks, buses, taxis, private cars, electric scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, three-wheeled cars and pedestrians all sharing the same space.

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