Destinations : Just a Plane Ride Away

Padlocks of Love in Koln, Germany

Remember this bridge? It’s the Hohenzollernbrücke Bridge that crosses the Rhine river in Cologne, Germany. Here’s a really cool aerial shot of it.
Remember that YouTube video I linked to a couple of days ago showing this bridge destroyed during WWII? Back then it was a railway and street bridge. Anyway, reconstruction of this bridge began [...]

japra | Dec 10, 2009 | Comments 11

A Tale of Two German Cathedrals, Three Wise Men, and One Roman Emperor

Kölner Dom in Cologne, Germany
The Cologne Cathedral sits on the bank of the Rhine river. It was built in stages over 600 years (1248-1880)! According to Wikipedia, it was the tallest structure in the world for four years until the Washington Monument was completed in 1884.

Did you know that 95% of Cologne was destroyed during [...]

japra | Dec 08, 2009 | Comments 17

Christmas Market in Aachen, Germany

Dear Aachen, we fell under your medieval spell.

Your storybook-perfect Christmas market between Charlemagne’s Cathedral

and your 14th century Town Hall

made us feel like children again, giddy with the delights of the season.

Of course, you were most spectacular after dark.

And though some of your Christmas vendors seemed similar to the ones in Koln,

we still managed to come [...]

japra | Dec 04, 2009 | Comments 19

Wordless Wednesday ~ 21: Upon Reflection-Köln, Germany

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Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in Köln (Cologne), Germany

What is more magical than a German Christmas Market?

How about one at the foot of Koln’s magnificent cathedral, the Kölner Dom?

There are street musicians—this one is playing a saw.

And market stalls filled with traditional gifts and delicious food.

But as evening falls…

… that is when the magic begins.

The busy, outside world fades away.

And under the twinkling [...]

japra | Dec 01, 2009 | Comments 23

Köln (Cologne), Germany

We’re back and exhausted! Three full days of walking and shopping will do that to you, I suppose. ;-)
I have a bunch of photos to share, but first things first: Our Thanksgiving Dinner!

It was a Herr, not a Fräulein, who brought us our beer. And it was in a glass, not a stein. Still, we [...]

japra | Nov 30, 2009 | Comments 17

Delft, Netherlands (revisited)

If you missed my first trip to Delft last year, you can take a peek here. On that trip, Roxi and I focused our attention on one of the local potteries specialising in Delftware.
This time, I went to Delft for social reasons–meeting two of my friends from my Dutch class for lunch and a little [...]

japra | Nov 24, 2009 | Comments 20

A quick look at Leiden, Netherlands

Molen De Valk or “The Falcon” windmill (1753) in Leiden. It has seven stories, all open to the public. We definitely need to go back.

Roxi had a jazz gig in Leiden yesterday afternoon… in a BAR. How cool is that? She and her jazz band performed a two hour set–about 14 songs. Now I [...]

japra | Nov 23, 2009 | Comments 18

It’s the Queen’s Birthday* and I’ve nothing to wear!

The sky getting in the Koninginnedag spirit.
Ok, so I’m a little ahead of myself. I mean Koninginnedag or Queen’s Day is on April 30th–six months away. I certainly have enough time to pull together something fabulous for the occasion, right?
The thing is, I’ve got to find something that doesn’t make me look like a pumpkin. [...]

japra | Oct 31, 2009 | Comments 30

Wordless Wednesday ~ 16: Sneak a Peek

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