Travel – C-L-Ludwig.com

7. May 2021

Netherlands – Amsterdam

Amsterdam Amsterdam is the capital and, with 820,000 inhabitants, the most populous city in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is known for its countless canals, called Grachten. Founded in the 13th century, it takes its name from a dam in the Amstel River and is famous (among other things) for its openness, liberal nature, red-light district and legalization of marijuana. We spent three weeks house-sitting in the Hoofddorppleinbuurt district, close to Vondelpark. While the locals travel a lot by bike, we walked almost all our routes. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the city center and the red-light district. We spent a lot of time in Vondelpark and on the […]

5. May 2021

Germany – Lindau

Lindau – Sonthofen – Kempten – Starzlachklamm – The source of the Iller – Alpaca tour During the 2020 pandemic, my partner Tes and I spent ten days housesitting in Sonthofen in the Allgäu region at the end of May. We had eleven rescued cats to look after and visited a few places around Sonthofen. Somehow I didn’t manage to take more than five pictures in Sonthofen. But, I did take some in Lindau, Kempten, on an alpaca hike, in the Starzlachklamm and on a hike to the source of the Iller river. Since most of them are from Lindau, I have named this post after the town on Lake Constance. […]

3. May 2021

Austria – Linz

Linz Linz is the capital of Upper Austria and home to about 210,000 inhabitants. After Vienna and Graz, Linz is the third-largest city and the second-largest conurbation in Austria. Linz used to have a reputation as a dirty industrial city, which has been transformed in recent years by environmental protection and cultural initiatives. In the meantime, there is a film festival (Crossing Europe), the Linz Marathon, the NEXTCOMIC Festival, the Black Humour Festival and the Bubble Days, among others. Since the new millennium, many new events have been added and have changed the city’s reputation. We had one day at our disposal and strolled through the pedestrian zone, went to the […]

2. May 2021

Austria – St. Wolfgang

St. Wolfgang St. Wolfgang in the Salzkammergut is a climatic health-resort and has barely 2900 inhabitants. It is located at the foot of the Schafberg mountain and on the shores of Lake Wolfgang. Tourist attractions include the mountains and nature, boat trips on the lake, the Schafberg cable car, the St. Wolfgang church and the doll museum. We were on site out of season, so only a few cafés and shops were open. We therefore spent the day walking around the village, strolling along the shore of Lake Wolfgang and taking photos of the beautiful place. Me in front of the mountain panorama Team Christkind – formerly known as Baby Jesus […]

1. May 2021

Austria – Hallstatt

Hallstatt Hallstatt is a small municipality in Austria’s Salzkammergut region with a population of almost 800 people, who receive visits from around 700,000 to 900,000 tourists every year. The municipality and region at and around Lake Hallstatt are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and one of only 20 World Heritage Sites that hold the title of natural and cultural heritage at the same time. In Hallstatt, in addition to the parish church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been to), there is the ossuary, which is unique in the world. However, like most attractions, it was closed when we visited. I still […]

28. April 2021

Austria – Gmunden

Altmunster am Traunsee – Gmunden – Traunkirchen Before the pandemic started, Tes and I were travelling Austria. We had found a house-sitting for an elderly couple in Altmunster am Traunsee and had a wonderful time in the Salzkammergut. We hit it off with the hosts straight away and took care of their house and plants while they were away. In the three weeks we visited St. Wolfgang, Hallstatt, Linz, Gmunden and Traunkirchen. However, I only took few pictures in Altmunster, so the first post is about Gmunden. But first, four snapshots from Altmunster: The Traunsee in Altmunster: A cat that came to me for strokes Gmunden Gmunden is located on the […]

26. October 2018

Hungary – Budapest

Buda and Pest After visiting my family in Romania, Tes and I spent a few days in Hungary’s capital Budapest. The 1.7 million metropolis formerly consisted of two cities, located west and east of the Danube river. One was called Buda, the other Pest. The largest spa town in Europe is, among other things, famous for its bathhouses and thermal springs. Incidentally, in a geotectonic view, the city lies on a fracture point of the earth plates. Therefore, the city (especially Buda) is rich in hot springs, which were already used by the Romans in the second century. In total, there are over 120 hot springs and the water is used […]

16. August 2018

Spain: Vinaros

Vinaros During our housesit, we lived about 15 kilometers away from Vinaros (30,000 inhabitants). Our finca was three kilometers from the nearest village, in the middle of orange and olive trees. The nearest neighbor was a few hundred meters away and we could enjoy an exceptional quiet. Especially at night, the little light pollution was clearly noticeable and produced the most beautiful starry sky of the winter. The dogs of one house sittungs… ..and the dogs of the other sit We also had to take care for a pigeon Vinaros offers, apart from a beautiful beach and a charming city center, relatively little for tourists. The most famous landmark is probably […]

15. August 2018

Spain: Girona

Girona – my favorite During our visit to Girona, we rented an Airbnb outside the city in a small village. There, we had a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and pleasant peace. To me, Girona is the most beautiful city in Spain so far, as it combines small-town flair with the possibilities of a big city (100,000 inhabitants). There is beautiful architecture from bygone times, narrow streets and a walk-able city wall, which leads over dozens of beautiful gardens. In addition, you can enjoy the view of the cathedral with snow-capped mountains in the background. Some would say that the city looks like a fairytale, others think of Game of […]

14. August 2018

Spain: Valencia

Valencia in a day Back in 2018, we did a day trip to Valencia from our home in Vinaros. We mainly figured, that one day is too little to explore the city of 800,000 inhabitants. So, we spent some hours in the city center and then decided to visit the Bioparc. To do so, we decided not to visit the “Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències” (Science and Culture Park), which includes the “L’Oceanogràfic” (aquarium). Although these two are the most famous landmarks in Valencia, they are located outside the city center near the port. We will visit them during another stay in Spain. The Cathedral of Valencia The inner […]

13. August 2018

Spain: Barcelona

Barcelona – better than I thought Barcelona is the capital of the Spanish region of Catalonia and is one of the most frequently visited tourist cities in Europe. About 1.65 million people live in the urban and about 4.9 million in the catchment area. However, each year, 7.8 million tourists crowd the old town to visit the countless sights and architectural highlights. The most famous destinations are the Sagrada Familia Cathedral and Park Güell. Just to name a few, you can add the Plaza Espana, Parc de la Ciutadella and the promenade La Rambla. In addition, the city abounds with museums and cultural events of all kinds, offering something for everyone. […]