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Showing posts from 2020

North Germany road trip - highlights from Bremen, Hamburg, Rügen, Rostock and the countless beaches on the Baltic sea!

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Germany is famous for the black forest region,  snow capped mountains,  numerous castles and picturesque villages frozen in time.  We (me and my husband) have checked off most of the typical touristic attractions in Germany. In t hese strange times we did not want to leave the country so I started looking for a summer vacation destination inside Germany.  Even after living in Germany for many years we had still not visited any beach in the north nor seen  Hamburg , the second biggest city in Germany. As I read more and started making a sightseeing list, I realized there is a lot more to see in north Germany beyond Hamburg. I was excited that this trip is going to be like no other as we would see amazing red brick architecture, white sand beaches, white chalk cliffs and hike through a national park😎.  I love the planning process before a trip and thoroughly enjoy creating a document with a detailed 'to-do' list for each location. Being child free allows us to be spontaneous an

Rhine Valley - Home to countless castles, endless vineyards and breathtaking scenery!

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River Rhine is one of the major rivers in Europe and flows through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. This blog post is specifically about a small 65 km stretch out of the 1233 km length  of the river! The Upper Middle Rhine Valley  is the the section between Bingen and Koblenz.  Very few locations have something for all, this is one such region. If you are a wine lover , here you will be surrounded by vineyards and local wineries (German: Weingut). If you love hiking and wandering around in nature , you will get plenty of options. If you are a history buff , you can immerse yourself in the study of various castles and their intriguing stories. If you are a cycling enthusiast or love to ride your motorbike, you can ride along the Rhine and witness picturesque scenery.  Finally, if just want to have a relaxing time away from the bustle of the city life and sit next to the river and soak up the sun then this is the place for you!  Welcome to the Rhine valley!!  In Germany, i f yo

Weekend Getaways - Gems in the German Moselle Valley!

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The Moselle valley is often overlooked in comparison to the world-famous romantic route of the Rhine valley. Granted, Moselle is not as mighty as the Rhine but the valley has its own charm! River Moselle (German: Mosel) flows through France, Luxembourg and Germany. As the river passes though Germany it creates beautiful landscapes and a great opportunity for wine growers. Most of the hillsides are covered in vineyards which grow the white grape variety called Riesling. The river has been used for trade and travel since hundreds of years and today we can see a high number of castle ruins along the entire Moselle valley. In this blog I am going to cover the cities (and castles)  me and my husband have visited till now.   The rivers Mosel and Rhine meet in Koblenz. The point of confluence is called the  The  Deutsches Eck  and it is a lovely must-see place. M ore about Koblenz in the next blog dedicated to the Rhine valley ! 😉 In Germany, i f you stay in NRW or  Rhineland-Palatin

Jodhpur - 3 day trip to the majestic Rajasthan in India

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Please note: We visited Jodhpur before the Corona virus chaos started worldwide. In the current situation #stayhome #staysafe and read away!!! When we (me and my husband) informed our family and friends that we plan to stay in Jodhpur for three days we were often told that one and a half days are enough for sightseeing and there is nothing more to see! That may be true for those who have visited other cities in Rajasthan or who are living in India and get Rajasthani cuisine or handicrafts in their cities as well. But we had neither visited Rajasthan before nor do we live in India anymore. For us, visiting Rajasthan was a dream from a long time. We knew we will not be satisfied with anything less than three days so we went ahead with the plan. As I researched more I found many activities often missed by the fast-paced travelers. I hope this post encourages others to look out for such local activities and truly experience a new culture. Kirty Tour and Travels booked our flights