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julika

About Julika

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So far Julika has created 230 blog entries.

The Broke Art Historian’s Guide to Budgeting for Europe

Sometimes, I don't really feel like this blog is really useful for other travelers. I write about inspiring and beautiful places from my geeky art historian perspective, but I rarely provide real travel tips. For once, I don't claim -- and would never dare to claim -- that I'm a travel expert. Because I'm really not. On my recent trip to France I forgot to pack a towel, toothpaste, deodorant, and tweezers. So obliviously, I don't even know how to pack the most essential things (and yes, tweezers are essential when you don't want to look like Bert from the [...]

By |2014-07-21T08:02:53+02:002013/05/24|Categories: Art History, The Art Historian’s Guide to…|Tags: |28 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

An Unwritten Story

It's a feeling I know very well. That familiar uncertainty. The enduring "What's next?". It has accompanied my life for years. And as my graduation comes closer the dreading, suppressed question gets louder every day. So, what's next, Julika? Honestly, I don't know. I really don't. The truth is: I will (presumably, hopefully) graduate in less than three months and I have no idea what's next. It's not like I haven't been there before: After graduating from high school, I didn't have a clue either. I just decided to study my favorite subjects -- English and art history. When I was through [...]

By |2014-01-05T16:15:50+01:002013/05/11|Categories: Specials|Tags: |18 Comments

A Whirlwind Road Trip to Switzerland

It's been a while since I've taken a real road trip. Throughout the last years I didn't own a car and as a student you don't really meet other people who can afford owning a car and traveling at the same time. But last Thursday night my boyfriend Steffen had a beer with his friend Sascha, who is going to move to Switzerland in the summer. Since Sascha had an interview at his future school on Monday morning, the guys somehow came up with the idea to take a 24 hour road trip down to Basel. When Steffen texted me [...]

By |2013-05-29T13:03:10+02:002013/05/09|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Switzerland|Tags: , , , |23 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

Why I love Traveling by Train in Europe

It's no secret that I love traveling by train. Trains are a part of my everyday as well as my travel life. And no matter if it's just a random Wednesday train ride to university, or a trip to another country -- taking the train is my favorite mode of transportation in Europe. For me, this has obvious reasons. Trains are simply comfortable. Train rides are not as bumpy as rides on a bus or a plane. This means several great things: 1. The soft simultaneous rocking of the train puts me to sleep like a baby. 2. I can [...]

By |2022-01-05T15:27:21+01:002013/05/04|Categories: Specials|Tags: , |27 Comments

A Weekend in Alsace via Instagram

I admit it: I'm a newly converted Instagram-addict (and, ugh, fancy phone owner). Although I tried really hard not to give in to yet another hyped social media platform for the longest time, I've come to realize that taking travel photos with Instagram is actually a lot of fun. And I just love the idea of having two cameras with me, which can both capture whole different angles of a destination. My fabulous travel buddy Ashley and me in the pretty town of Colmar  Ashley's and my recent trip to France's Alsace region was a great option to try a [...]

By |2013-05-09T10:09:12+02:002013/05/01|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: , , , , |8 Comments

Photo Essay: Alsace in Bloom

I just got back from an amazing weekend in Alsace and can't wait to share all the beauty I encountered in this stunning French region. Alsace is a province that differentiates itself from the rest of France through food, architecture, and language. Since the region's history is so closely intertwined with Germany, Alsace feels totally German to the French, but at the same time so very French to the Germans. The truth lies somewhere in between: The people of Alsace speak French, but the older generations also know a dialect that is incredibly close to German. The architecture combines the [...]

By |2013-05-28T08:52:21+02:002013/04/29|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , , |9 Comments

Photo Essay: Castle Views from Nuremberg

When I introduced the beautiful city of Nuremberg with its difficult history, I left out the little detail about my accommodation there. But actually -- where I stayed, was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Nuremberg: I slept in a castle hostel! The city's youth hostel is located in the former hayloft of Nuremberg's iconic castle. Archeological findings on the castle hill date back until the 11th century, first written account of the castle's existence and its use as a royal residence is proofed since the mid of the 12th century. The history of the castle and [...]

By |2013-05-07T04:29:49+02:002013/04/22|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: , , |6 Comments
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