Julika, Author at sateless suitcase

Moonwalking in Croatia

Moonwalking?! Wait, what? Yes, moonwalking in Croatia. But it has nothing to do with Michael Jackson. Or the actual moon for that matter. The landscape on the island of Krk seems to be from outer space so someone smart came up with the idea to nickname the hiking trails of Krk "moonwalks". At least this was what my guidebook said. Honestly, I had my doubts. I had seen photos of Croatian islands -- beautiful pebble beaches surrounded by green pine forests and Mediterranean cities. All these typical Croatia photos depicted an insanely colorful country: Bright red old tiles on every [...]

By Julika|2013-05-13T14:26:34+02:002013/04/21|Categories: Croatia, Destinations, Europe|Tags: Croatia, Europe|6 Comments

Photo Essay: Charming Cascais

It's been a while since I've written a post about Portugal, but believe me -- I still have tons of Portuguese beauty to share! Like the gorgeous little city of Cascais. I discovered Cascais during my first week in Lisbon and kept returning regularly throughout my whole semester abroad, because Cascais is such a perfect little place. On public holidays, on hot Saturdays, or on those days Lisbon was a little too crowded with tourists, Cascais was just the ideal getaway for a day. Cascais is less than an hour from Lisbon by train, and riding the train along the [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:30:10+02:002013/04/16|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Europe, Photo Essay, Portugal|6 Comments

Nuremberg – Franconia’s Historical Treasure Chest

Nuremberg is one of those cities which are love at first sight. As soon as you pass through the main entrance door of the train station, your eyes fall upon the late medieval town fortification and into the cobblestone streets lined with half-timbered houses leading into the old city center... Yes, Nuremberg, you had me at hello. But to really understand this city, there is a lot to know -- from a gloomy history to quirky regional and dialect pride to famous little sausages. First, a little note on regional mentality: Although Nuremberg is geographically located in the German state [...]

By Julika|2013-05-13T14:29:46+02:002013/04/11|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Bavaria, churches, Europe, Germany, medieval|14 Comments

Nuremberg via Instagram

I just got back from a few days in the famous Bavarian city of Nuremberg, where I attended a field trip with a medieval studies group. Although spring still hasn't arrived in Germany yet and I was freezing most of time, I had a great time exploring the exciting -- and sometimes difficult -- history of Nuremberg. But before I go into further detail (soon!) and tell you about sleeping in the former hayloft of a medieval castle, and what it feels like to touch the fragile pages of a 15th century manuscript, I'll give you a little sneak peek [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:38:42+02:002013/04/05|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Architecture, Bavaria, churches, Europe, Germany, medieval|10 Comments

The Art Historian’s Guide to Not Being A Perfect Traveler

If you've been reading my blog for a little while, you know that I easily get carried away with describing architecture, or with my enthusiasm for medieval manuscripts. I think of myself as an art historian with a desire to travel as a way to explore culture and history around the world. I claim to be a bookworm and museum-junkie. And if you had gone to school with me, you probably would have hated me for being way too competitive about grades. (During my undergrad I once even had a nervous breakdown and cried for half an hour in my [...]

By Julika|2013-06-23T22:21:30+02:002013/03/26|Categories: Art History, The Art Historian’s Guide to…|Tags: Art, Museums, The Art Historian's Guide to..., thoughts|37 Comments

Photo Essay: The Canals of Amsterdam

I have already revealed that I will be spending several days in the Netherlands this year -- I'm so excited to be back in the land of Gouda, tulips and Rembrandt soon! Going through some of my old photos reminded me how incredibly adorable this country is... and made me look forward to exploring Holland in May even more! Water is everywhere in Amsterdam! Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general are defined by the water. Its history, industry, and architecture are closely intertwined with the presence of water and it's pretty much impossible to not be aware of this all [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T13:58:05+02:002013/03/18|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Amsterdam, Europe, Photo Essay, The Netherlands|14 Comments

Photo Essay: Fascinating Frankfurt

In my opinion, Frankfurt is underrated. It's renowned as Europe's financial capital and for being home to the third largest airport in Europe. Most travelers end up in Frankfurt, the seemingly unexciting lay-over city, sooner or later. But Frankfurt has a whole lot more to offer. I might be biased, but I really like Frankfurt. From there I started my most life-changing travel adventures. Frankfurt was first place I was asked to pose for a photo with a bunch of Japanese tourists. It was the first city I rode a subway all by myself (and yes, when you grow up [...]

By Julika|2015-07-06T14:19:22+02:002013/03/11|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Architecture, Europe, Frankfurt, Germany, medieval, Photo Essay|29 Comments

Photo Essay: My German Middle of Nowhere

This is a sign of life. For you, telling you that I'm still here. For myself, telling myself that I'm still sane (more or less). And to the (Western European) world, because spring is in the air. Finally. As you might know, I'm currently writing my Master's Thesis, or dissertation, or whatever else this draining piece of academic writing to finalize my degree can be called. I choose to live in my personal writer's exile in a German middle of nowhere far off from social life, proper public transportation, and food delivery services. And this has been one of the [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:30:54+02:002013/03/04|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Europe, Germany, Photo Essay, thoughts|15 Comments

Photo Essay: Adorable Augsburg

I have written about how I spent a fabulous summer birthday weekend visiting my friend Kathi in Munich. Since my actual birthday was on a Monday and Kathi had to work however, I decided to visit another good friend in Bavaria. Carola lives in the city of Augsburg, a 45 minute train ride from Munich. I knew basically nothing about Augsburg (besides growing up with the movie versions of their famous marionette theater, of course) and was solely looking forward to spending my birthday with one of my best friends in a new city. The Town Hall in the city center [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:31:07+02:002013/02/26|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Bavaria, Europe, Germany, Photo Essay|15 Comments

Why Disney May Have Caused My Travel Addiction

I'm a child of the nineties. Born in the late eighties, my childhood was dominated awkward jeans, way too colorful windbreakers, Backstreet Boys, and tamagotchis. But one of the most important sources of inspiration at my young age was Disney. Although I didn't spend too much time in front of the TV (thanks parents!), those Saturdays when my dad rented one of the grand Disney movies always were a highlight. Until today, I'm the biggest Disney movie fan. I know most of the songs by heart, and my sisters and I can't even have a single conversation without integrating at [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:39:03+02:002013/02/20|Categories: Specials|Tags: thoughts|15 Comments

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