travel – C-L-Ludwig.com

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 […]

20. April 2018

Sint Maarten – Saint Martin

Sint Maarten or Saint Martin The last stop of our Caribbean cruise was Sint Maarten/ Saint Martin. The pronunciation changes, depending on which half of the island you are. After all, one side belongs to the French, while the other is Dutch. On the Dutch side, the sockets are American, on the French, they are European. In addition, the currents differ and you can pay with dollars or euros. Me feeding iguanas In the port The prices on the island There is an anecdote about the partition of the island: After the islands possession had changed for years between the French and Dutch (sometimes the English), people decided to divide the […]

19. April 2018

St. Kitts and Nevis

St. Kitts and Nevis St. Kitts and Nevis is an island nation with 56,000 inhabitants, has an area of 269 km² (104 mi²) and is one of the 12 smallest states in the world. St. Kitts (also known as Saint Christopher) is the more populous island, separated by a three-kilometer-long canal from Nevis (11,500 inhabitants across 93 km²/ 36 mi²). During the last ice age, the sea level was about 60 m lower and Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Eustatius and Saba formed a contiguous, large island. The distance from St. Kitts to the north-west island of Saba is about 60 kilometers (37 mi). Sint Eustatius can be reached after about 25 […]

18. April 2018

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia Die Marigot-Bay St. Lucia is the world´s only country named after a woman (Lucia of Syracuse). The Caribbean island has an area of 616 km² (238 mi²) and is home to about 170,000 inhabitants. Ninety percent have African roots and mostly came to the island through slavery. It was only in 1979 that the island became independent and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The island’s export hits include bananas, flour and rice. The yellow fruits, however, have declined sharply as export goods and have been replaced by tourism as a source of income. Around 70% of the gross domestic product are from tourism. This branch is a […]

17. April 2018

Barbados

Barbados, my favorite At the highest point of the island The beach Barbados is a 430 km² (160 mi²) island with 280,000 inhabitants. Most of them have African roots and came to Barbados because of slavery. The island is made of limestone, so there are hardly any lakes, as the water seeps away. The country was ruled by the English until 1966, since then, the 30th of November is celebrated as Independence Day and National Day. The most famous persons of the country are the two RnB musicians “Grandmaster Flash” and “Rihanna”. In Saint Michael, where Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty grew up, a street was recently named after her – the Rihanna […]

16. April 2018

US Virgin Islands: Saint Thomas

Saint Thomas via cruise During our time in Ponce, we examined a cheap way to visit more islands of the magnificent Caribbean. After we checked flights, connections by sea and hotels, we booked a cruise as the cheapest and easiest solution. This way, we could visit five different islands within one week, had all meals included and a small, air-conditioned room every night. In general, the whole thing was extremely classy compared to the months in Ecuador and Puerto Rico. So to speak: I initially had to get used to the warm shower. Our first port was on Saint Thomas, part of the US Virgin Islands. Leaving the ship A magnificent […]

6. February 2018

Germany: Muenster

Munster – much nicer than expected Originally, a visit to the city with 300,000 inhabitants was not planed, but a spontaneous idea. In the end, Tes and I were positively surprised by the university city. If you are interested in sights, you will find some interesting buildings like the historic town hall, the prince-bishop’s castle, the St. Lamberti church or St. Paul’s Cathedral. Directly behind the castle you will find a centuries-old botanical garden, perfect to stroll and relax. In front of the castle is the Schlossplatz, where the funfair, the open-air cinema and alternately other events take place. St. Paul’s Cathedral, the symbol of Münster In front of the castle […]

6. February 2018

Germany: Frankfurt

The book fair The book fair in Frankfurt has an over 500 year old tradition and is visited by around 280,000 people every year. A total of approximately 7300 exhibitors from more than 100 countries are on site. At that time we decided to visit the entire fair in one day, so our stay was hectic. The enormous amount of visitors is, however, not noticeable on the huge fairgrounds and you can easily talk to almost all exhibitors. I was looking for an English publisher and found one. Otherwise, the fair offers what the spoiler in the name promises: Everything about books! From authors, publishers and translators to reading assistants, anything […]

6. February 2018

Germany: Stuttgart

Stuttgart – great for shopping I’ve been to Stuttgart a couple of times, but never got a hold of the city. Even if you search Google for the best sights, they display the castle in Ludwigsburg – that somehow says something, right? The Schlossplatz We spent little time in the city and used it mainly for shopping. The sights in the city center are in my opinion limited to the new and old castle and a few barely noteworthy things. Otherwise, a visit to the Porsche and Mercedes Benz Museum is interesting for tourists. Apart from a few other museums, Stuttgart (at least for me) does not really offer anything out […]

6. February 2018

Germany: Ulm

Bisected through the Danube Ulm is a city with 120,000 inhabitants and is located on the outskirts of Baden-Wuerttemberg. In the year 1810 the city was given to the federal state by Bavaria. Therefore, New-Ulm developed across the Danube on the Bavarian side. Together, the cities have 180,000 inhabitants. The most famous person from Ulm undoubtedly is Albert Einstein, who has a monument dedicated to him near the train station (at the former location of his birthplace). In addition, the resistance fighter Sophie Scholl, football coach Uli Hoeneß and the German comedian Mike Kruger are natives of Ulm. A snapshot while strolling The sights The university town is home to the […]