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medieval

Photo Essay: Malahide – An Irish Castle Dream

I'm not a person who is easily impressed when it comes to castles. I mean, I love castles. How could I not? But my home country has approximately 25,000 of them, so it takes something special to catch my eye. But then Ireland happened. Ireland's castles are defensive, eerie, and mysterious. They don't look like something straight out of a fairy tale. They seem darker, because they have fewer windows and there a often ruinous remains of churches and cemeteries nearby. Malahide Castle about 30 minutes north of Dublin is no exception: It's everything you'd want an Irish castle to [...]

By |2013-10-23T19:29:37+02:002013/10/23|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , , |10 Comments

Photo Essay: The Castle of Braunfels

Usually, I don't like German clichés as I'm the walking opposite of a typical German (despite my hair color maybe): I don't eat meat, I prefer wine over beer, I'm horribly chaotic and I'm never ever on time. But I feel like there is one cliché about the country of Germany itself which really is true: Germany has an insane amount of castles. The little town where I went to school has a castle. I can see a castle from my parent's kitchen window. On the way to my summer job I drive by two other castles. During my undergrad [...]

By |2013-08-19T23:48:38+02:002013/08/14|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , |7 Comments

Photo Essay: Sainte-Chapelle in Paris

Every once in a while I just have to go back to the roots. Back to my roots as an art historian. I can't go too long without writing about my beloved Gothic cathedrals. If you have read my little art historical background you know that I decided to become an art historian while being moved to tears in the shimmering ambulatory of Basilique Saint Denis, one of the most magnificent Gothic cathedrals of all times. Medieval churches are my favorite places, my emotional safe havens. They are places to calm down, to think, to catch your breath, to be still. To [...]

By |2015-05-11T09:10:56+02:002013/08/07|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , , , |14 Comments

Photo Essay: Medieval Bruges

If I look back on the cities I traveled to this year, I'm surprised how I managed to stick to my (unintended) theme of gorgeous cities with canals and a medieval center -- Nuremberg, Strasbourg, Colmar, and even Paris are all places with an exciting medieval history and I adored visiting all of them. Although I probably described their outer features very much alike, for me, they was totally different: Nuremberg's medieval history was overshadowed by anti-Semitism, Strasbourg and Colmar have always had a special geographical position due to their location right in-between France and Germany. I don't know when [...]

By |2013-08-07T09:22:39+02:002013/07/16|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , |2 Comments

10 Places You just Can’t Miss in Portugal

Summer has finally arrived in Germany and I cherish every little second of sunshine. The other day, I was waiting for my bus home when I suddenly longed for a cold, fresh pressed orange juice. I sat on a bench in the sun sipping my juice and realized how much I miss Portugal. A country where you can sit outside in the sun year round. A country where every little pastelaria sells freshly pressed orange juice for less than a Euro. How much I loved the Portuguese for their sweet tooth that they even serve the most delicious orange juice [...]

By |2013-10-02T10:46:27+02:002013/07/14|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Portugal|Tags: , , , , , , |62 Comments

A Birthday in Bruges

I think I'm a little weird when it comes to birthdays. Usually, I try not to care about my birthday and I rarely plan anything, sometimes even trying to pretty much ignore the date. In the past, I would rather take an extra shift at my part time job in a clothing store than throw a huge birthday party. Somehow, birthday parties never really worked out the way I planned them and so I stopped doing something special, because I think I'm just too afraid to be disappointed. Instead of throwing a party, lately I developed a habit of "not [...]

By |2013-10-27T11:40:59+01:002013/07/06|Categories: Belgium, Destinations, Europe|Tags: , , , , |17 Comments

Photo Essay: Utterly Dutch Utrecht

I knew I would like Utrecht. My little sister has been there a few years ago and said it was like a mini Amsterdam. When I visited Amsterdam a while back, the city and I didn't really connect. I mean -- I had a great time in Amsterdam, I liked the pretty canals and enjoyed the cliché touristy stuff like visiting the Heineken Brewery. But somehow, Amsterdam felt too crowded, too crammed with the typical let's-get-high-and-see-prostitutes-tourists. So to me, a picturesque mini version of Amsterdam sounded very promising. And Utrecht did not disappoint. Whereas Amsterdam has complex ring-like system of [...]

By |2013-06-25T15:05:12+02:002013/06/10|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , |19 Comments

Photo Essay: The Colors of Colmar

When spending a few days in the Alsace one might quickly get the feeling that it looks pretty much the same in every town -- cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, cute little bakeries with kouglof (or in German Gugelhupf) in their window displays. And all this is definitely true for the little town of Colmar, but it still puts something on top of all this Alsatian cuteness: Colors! Or better: The most intense colors you could think of! Although Colmar is a city with not so much going on (except if you're into medieval art -- Musée Unterlinden is a must!), [...]

By |2013-06-03T15:21:01+02:002013/05/23|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , , |8 Comments

Photo Essay: Stunning Strasbourg

Yet another alliteration, but this time it really makes sense -- the biggest city in the French Alsace region is truly nothing but stunning: The medieval center of Strasbourg is circled by canals and the majestic cathedral towers over the half-timbered houses with their colorful shutters. Little deserves the term picturesque more than Strasbourg. One of the many cafés next to the cathedral  "Unicorn" beer -- What other beer could you drink in a fairy tale city? Strasbourg may be close to Germany, but it still feels SO French! The cathedral is surrounded by souvenir shops and restaurants as this [...]

By |2013-06-03T15:17:36+02:002013/05/13|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , , |9 Comments

Photo Essay: Inside the Cathedral of Strasbourg

No matter how much I like the view of gorgeous 19th century town houses or ancient Roman ruins, my favorite buildings of all times will always be the grand Gothic churches. No other buildings make you feel that small and insignificant, but at same time encase you with such an atmosphere of spirituality and serenity. Every time I enter a Gothic cathedral it gives me goosebumps. I feel overwhelmed and weakened, my mind is racing as I pass through 800-year-old gates. Although I theoretically know how cathedrals were built, I just can't fully grasp how they could build this high, this [...]

By |2013-05-29T16:15:31+02:002013/05/07|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , , , , |4 Comments
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