Batnomad

A day of ambling around Munich through Hofgarten, Englischer Garden (English Garden) and Karolinenplatz. This included Munich’s hotspot surfing location…yes, surfing in Munich! As much as I love historical sites, sometimes the body and mind need a rest. Parks and gardens are the perfect respite when doing a city visit, as is for people living or working in them I can’t recall any major city I’ve…

There are inescapable remnants of WWII throughout Munich, none more so and infamous than Dachau. It may not be as infamous as Auschwitz (Auschwitz Birkenau), Bergen-Belson, Buchenwald, Sobibor or Warsaw; there were 14 earlier camps, and additional 23 main camps. Dachau was both an early camp, one of the first, which was liberated on 29th April 1945 making it the longest camp in…

Propylaea, Konigsplatz, Glyptohek, Munich Residenz, Siegestor were to be the order of the day; walking distance sites from Munich/München historical centre. Konigsplatz was an area I had walked past a few times before fully exploring. Large grey stout buildings purposefully and sparsely dotted around manicured gardens dissected by wide, yet quiet, roads. Without stretching the imagination, this…

Munich / München Day 1 part 2

Frauenkirche, Odeonplatz, Feldherrhalle and more form part of Day 1 part two in Munich/ München. Much like Munich Day 1 Part 1, it’s a bit of a jumble. With most sites in the city only a short walk from each other, many places were passed multiple times each day. Meaning some pictures taken on day three for part of day 1 etc. Both part 1 & part 2 can easily be done in one day (and more).…

Munich / München - Part 1

Munich / München was next on my destination list. I regret not spending more time in Germany other than my six days in Munich. It’s a big country with so much to see and offer. It deserves more time. More reason to return…always wanted to go to Berlin. Looking back, this time-constraint was self-imposed, hence the regret. The decision to go to Munich was because it is so close to Zurich, easy and…

There’s not much to see nor do in this little town of Zug. It has a good reputation and taking a look at the prices of property here, it’s bloody expensive! One thing I noticed throughout Switzerland, it isn’t flash. Yes, you will see expensive shops, cars, houses etc. but nothing looks very new and definitely not ostentatious. That being said, everywhere you look, looks well maintained.…

Chur and Arosa was a daytrip from Flims. Arosa the main destination via Chur, the latter a 20km bus ride from Flims. Chur was ok. Arosa, is a beautiful location. But, the train journey from Chur to Arosa is a spectacularly beautiful journey, taken along the Glacier Express/ Bernina Express route at a leisurely pace…a contradiction to its name. Glacier Express / Bernina Express Contrary to its…

Having never heard of Flims, I headed there because my friend Kim has a place there. Taking a few pointers from Kim about the surrounding area I headed off. Starting at Zug there is a direct train to Chur taking just under two hours. Chur is the local German word, Coira the Italian, Coire the French…there are a few other versions too. I’ll be using Chur. From Chur I took a bus from the main…

This will be a short post about two day trips I took in Switzerland from Zurich. Neither of these were to well-known destinations. In fact, I doubt most people have even heard of these places. You don’t need to travel to “must-see” places to appreciate Switzerland’s charm. One good example was the day I visited my friend Kim’s now husband in Schlossrued. Second, was when I visited someone I met…

Lucerne, or as the Swiss spell it, Luzern was day 2 in Switzerland. Taking the train directly from Zug it only takes 19 minutes, the long train 30 minutes. What a quintessential pretty Swiss city-centre. Like many cities in Switzerland, Lucerne is built around water. Here, the Reuss river takes centre stage. Cutting the city in two, the crisp clear blue water bringing nature and life into the…

Switzerland, day 1, Zurich. Though Zug would be my base in Switzerland. A small town 30 minutes train ride from Zurich in the canton of Zug. Not really a base; my friend has been living there for over 15 years, Kim. Having no plans whatsoever for Switzerland (nothing new), Kim had kindly invited me to stay with her. Heading back to Europe it felt like going home, going back to familiarity. Having…

What better way to finish New York off with a little stroll along The High Line. Hardly an eventful day.  I needed to kill time, my flight out of Newark Liberty International was at 18:30, heading to Zurich, Switzerland. What could I do/see without a long walk and preferably, relaxing. My options were, a park, gallery/museum, I wasn’t up for either. Stumbling on The High Line on the internet, in…

Started the day heading straight to Brooklyn Bridge, visiting Empire State Building that evening; my 4th day in New York City. I can’t remember my exact route. To my recollection I took the Metro from Grand Central Terminal to Lower Manhattan, don’t remember the station. Metro’s throughout major cities have similarities, and subtle differences. In New York, they have a grungy undertone. Dependent…

The 9/11 Memorial was the main ticket on the cards for the day. On a walking route, I would pass the Flatiron Building, Madison Square Park, Washington Square Park, Soho and more. Along the way taking a detour from Washington Square Park to visit the outdoor store REI (303 Lafayette). From REI, I cheated taking the Metro to 9/11 Memorial.  Still, it was a long day, I must have done close to 20km.…

Time Square – New York

What could more epitomise New York than Time Square. The previous night I didn’t do my usual planning for the following day, causing a late start to the day. Time Square was the only thing I had decided on. I’d walk there and take in the city on my feet. I did a few other things I won’t cover in this post. Like, finding an electronics shop to buy a new Kindle…mine had broken months previous. The…

New York – Central Park, Guggenheim

New York was my third-last stop of my around-the-world ticket through Star Alliance. Next would be Zurich, then back to my point of origin, Dubai. New York had never been on my bucket list to visit. As things turned out it was the easiest location to fly back to Europe, so that’s why I chose it. It’s not that I have anything against New York, I just didn’t have much interest in visiting a big…