Destinations Archives - Page 3 of 10

First Impressions of Jordan via Instagram

Jordan was a lot of firsts for me: My first time in the Middle East, my first time in a country with a Muslim majority, the first time I left Europe in a decade, and the first time I saw a desert. I was excited for all these firsts, but I was also a little worried, because I hadn't left my little European comfort zone in so long. Within the first 24 hours of being in Jordan though, I understood that my worries were completely unjustified: The warm climate was perfect for my migraine issues, the sanitary institutions were cleaner than in most Western [...]

By Julika|2015-04-17T18:01:28+02:002015/04/16|Categories: Destinations, Jordan, Middle East|Tags: Jordan, Middle East|14 Comments

I’m going to Jordan!

This is the biggest news I've had in a long time, maybe even the biggest news I ever had ever since starting this blog: I'm off to Jordan tomorrow! I'm going to the Middle East! I know! I can't even believe it myself! I'll be visiting Jordan as a guest of the Jordan Tourism Board and will get to see all the places I could only dream of until now! For the first time in forever I actually needed to get myself a passport! It's the first time in ten years that I'm actually leaving the European continent to explore [...]

By Julika|2015-07-20T11:16:22+02:002015/04/02|Categories: Destinations, Jordan, Middle East|Tags: Jordan, Middle East, thoughts|14 Comments

Eat, Drink, See: My New Favorites in Berlin

It took me a while until I understood what fascinates people with Berlin. Berlin is not the kind of city you fall in love with at first sight because it's so beautiful. But once you looked behind the facade of all the ugly concrete post-war buildings, you can understand why people from all over the world keep falling in love with the German capital. Berlin is so vibrant, so multicultural, so buzzing with creative energy that it's way too easy to become obsessed with it. A few years ago, I never would have guessed that I could actually fall for Berlin's fuck-up charm. [...]

By Julika|2015-05-28T16:17:50+02:002015/02/22|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Berlin, Europe, Germany|27 Comments

Winter in Germany via Instagram

It's no secret that I'm not a winter lover -- especially not when it comes to those annoyingly gloomy Central European winters, when it feels like all colors are faded and all sounds are muted. Most of the time, winters in Germany are just plain gray in gray. Wind, freezing rain, and sunsets in the early afternoon make it difficult to spend time outside. Winters in Germany mostly feel like a country full of bad-temerped people is hiding inside, waiting desperately for that first spring day when the cafés put their chairs out again. And even though I've been trying to appreciate [...]

By Julika|2015-01-13T23:00:45+01:002015/01/13|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Europe, Germany|4 Comments

Merry Christmas from Germany!

I know it's such a cliché to say this, but I honestly have no idea how Christmas time came this quickly. All of a sudden, I'm back at home at my parent's house in the rural German middle of nowhere with the dog warming my feet and it's almost Christmas Day. The last few months have been a little crazy with work and I felt like I was constantly busy, which sadly resulted in not blogging and photographing as much as I would have loved to. Luckily, my pre-Christmas weekends were stuffed with quite a bit of domestic travel and so I at [...]

By Julika|2014-12-23T21:39:42+01:002014/12/23|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Europe, Germany|2 Comments

Gloomy Tales from Boyne Valley

Even before I opened my eyes, I knew it was going to be a gloomy day. The morning light falling through the old, porous curtains was barely recognizable. It was October in Ireland and it had been sunny the days before, but it seemed like the clouds were taking over after all. As I walked through Dublin on this grey morning, carefully trying not to step in any puddles, I could not shake off the feeling that it was a sign that the sun did not show that day. I had slept little the days before and when I boarded [...]

By Julika|2014-10-30T22:26:46+01:002014/10/30|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Ireland|Tags: Europe, Ireland|8 Comments

September in Germany via Instagram

Of course, I want to travel. A lot. But I want to travel a whole lot more than I actually can: I like my job as a medievalist, but honestly, it's quite time-consuming and it's definitely not a job that is making me rich. Thus, I'm constantly torn between feeling guilty for not reading and researching enough -- and the desire to run off to a foreign country every other second. This September, for the first time as a 'real' employed grown-up, I made use of my vacation days. I know many people would be jealous of my 28 paid vacation days [...]

By Julika|2014-10-21T21:57:57+02:002014/10/21|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Berlin, Europe, Germany, Göttingen|10 Comments

Why Hamburg has to be on your Germany Itinerary

On the list of the world's most visited countries, Germany can (almost) always be found among the top ten: Tourists come for half-timbered houses, ancient history and Currywurst from all over the world. People want to see the medieval loveliness of Rothenburg ob der Tauber (which is on the Lonely Planet Germany cover) and Neuschwanstein Castle (aka the castle that inspired Disney's Cinderella castle). And they come to see the two big cities: Berlin and Munich. But that's not all there is in Germany -- especially not when it comes to cities. Don't get me wrong, I love the street art [...]

By Julika|2022-01-05T15:15:36+01:002014/09/22|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Europe, Germany, Hamburg|10 Comments

Vienna and Bratislava via Instagram

I've written quite a bit about how it felt to travel to Bratislava and Vienna by myself, but now it is finally the time to share some photos! Taking photos in the capitals of Austria and Slovakia really wasn't too though: They are both strikingly beautiful cities with clean streets and adorable cafés. I'm probably not doing either of them any justice by describing them together, but considering that they're the closest capitals in all of Europe, they sure have a lot in common: Pretty architecture, art deco coffee houses, picturesque squares. Granted, I've spent a few days in Vienna, and I've [...]

By Julika|2014-09-19T14:27:56+02:002014/09/19|Categories: Austria, Destinations, Europe, Slovakia|Tags: Austria, Bratislava, Europe, Slovakia, Vienna|8 Comments

The Best Food Finds in Madrid

Strangely enough, I've written a lot about food lately. My story with learning to love food abroad (and in general) is long and complex, but the more I eat and the more I travel, the more I get obsessed with food abroad. From unexpectedly falling in love with the quality food in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the French fries in Belgium last year, to myth-busting Berlin's food myths and discovering the best flavors of Rome this spring, my taste buds and I have definitely come a long way lately. And food was definitely one reason I was thrilled to travel [...]

By Julika|2014-08-27T23:45:55+02:002014/08/22|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Spain|Tags: Europe, Madrid, Spain|10 Comments