curiosities Archive | My Travel Journal-Blog

Tuesday January 31st, 2023Sunday May 21st, 2023

Little Stories of Berlin – Short stories, curiosities, and trivia

Little Stories is a category I started on my Instagram channel and where I post short stories, curiosities or trivia. Here you can find all posts about Berlin. #littlestories

#9 Colourful Berlin

What do we love more than colour on grey winter days?

You can find the cutest and most colourful houses at Gartenstadt Falkenberg in Berlin. The housing estate is part of the UNESCO World Heritage and was created by Bruno Traut between 1913 and 1915. All houses have different colours, patterns and were differently designed. Berliners call it Tuschkastensiedlung which literally translated means paint box settlement which also illustrates the many different and strong colours you will find there. The beautiful front yards bring even more colour to the picture.

If you want to visit Gartenstadt Falkenberg just take the S-Bahn to the station Berlin-Grünau.

Gartenstadtweg in 12524 Berlin-Bohnsdorf

Colourful Houses in Gartenstadt Falkenberg in Berlin

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Wednesday September 28th, 2022Monday October 10th, 2022

Little Stories of Spain – Short stories, curiosities, and trivia

The pillows of Händlerlogo Palau de la Música Catalana

Little Stories is a category I started on my Instagram channel and where I post short stories, curiosities or trivia. Here you can find all posts about Spain. #littlestories

#8 What is the best view of Barcelona and its story

Almost every city offers a good chance to see the skyline eighter way from a sightseeing spot, a rooftop bar or a hill. Especially Barcelona has a really nice opportunity to see the city from different angles from above (without paying for it). To me, the nicest and closest one is directly behind Park Güell. Use the serpentines and escalators of the city to arrive at the Turó del Carmel and the Turó de la Rovira (les búnkers del Carmel).
Turó del Carmel is the hill right behind Park Güell. There is a good visited viewing point Mirador de Joan Sales which is very close to Gaudí’s park and therefore a bit crowded. So follow the path upstairs to the peak of the hill to leave most people behind you – this at least worked for us. We found ourselves with a beautiful 360-degree view and meadows full of wildflowers.
Turó de la Rovira is a 262 metres (287 yard) high hill especially known for the bunkers on top. They are the remains of the anti-aircraft guns and were built in the 1930s during die Spanish Civil War to protect Barcelona. It was 2011 renovated and belongs to the MUHBA (Museu D’Història de Barcelona) Heritage Site.
The sites are part of the so-called Balcony of Barcelona and together with Turó de la Creueta del Coll part of Els Tres Turons – The three hills.

Another viewing point is on the other side of Barcelona, Telefèric de Montjuïc directly on the seaside. From there you have the city on one side and the sea on the other. You can also take the cable cars to go on top or just walk the 84 metres (92 yard). In my opinion, the view itself is less spectacular but offers another angle plus the parks on top are nice to visit.
Another famous viewing point is a bit further outside: Tibidabo. The little mountain is 512 metres high and famous for its beautiful church Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor on the one and the theme park of Tibidabo on the other side.

Viewing point from Turó del Carmel in Barcelona

Walking along the serpentines of Barcelona

On the Telefèric de Montjuïc in Barcelona

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Tuesday June 14th, 2022Wednesday November 30th, 2022

Little Stories of Italy – Short stories, curiosities, and trivia

Little Stories is a category I started on my Instagram channel and where I post short stories, curiosities or trivia. Here you can find all posts about Italy. #littlestories

#4 The biting mouth of stone

Did you ever get bitten by a stone?

Today’s #littlestory brings us to Italy’s capital Rome. La Bocca della verità (Mouth of Truth) is made out of marble and got famous through the movie Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in 1953.

The history and the original use behind the stoned mouth are not completely clear till today. Some say it’s a former relict from an altar of Hercules and was used as a drain cover. Others believe it symbolises the Titan Oceanus from Greek mythology. Another theory is that the opening of the mouth was used to drain the blood of cattle that were sacrificed for Hercules.

The most common myth says that the mouth can uncover lies. When people put their hand in the opening of the mouth and lie, the stone will bite the hand off as a punishment. (If they tell the truth nothing will happen.) I read that it was even used by the law in medieval. If the judges were “sure” that the offender lied they instructed their helper to cut off the hand from the other side.

Nowadays, it is a famous tourist attraction and many tourists come to put their hands inside the stone mouth (to be fair, we did it as well – I am happy to tell you that I still have both of my hands).
I even remember that when we were on holiday in Croatia, there was a similar‑looking machine which was labelled as a fortune teller one – like reading out of one’s hand. I read that a few of these machines exist around the globe.

If you visit Rome, you can find the Mouth of Truth in front of the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin at Piazza della Bocca della Verità. The disk was transferred to the church in the middle of the 17. Century.

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Thursday March 17th, 2022Thursday March 17th, 2022

Little Stories of Denmark – Short stories, curiosities, and trivia

Little Stories is a category I started on my Instagram channel and where I post short stories, curiosities or trivia. Here you can find all posts about Denmark. #littlestories

#2 A wall of shoes and its story

Which shoes did you wear when you travelled the world, fell in love, went to a job interview, or even when you stayed at home because of quarantine?

This Little Story is about a green wall full of shoes, an artwork from Copenhagen. The work by the Danish artist Jakob Amsgaard was part of a street art compilation on the green walls around the construction works of the new metro in Copenhagen. Since 2011, the fences around are open to artists and their art as a temporary urban lab.
“Din sko, din historie, ny start” says the sign on the wall which translated means “Your shoes, your story, new start”. Tell me a story about your favourite shoes when were you wearing them? Shoes have a story along with their owner – but not everyone has shoes. This was the idea behind Amsgaard’s installation from July 2014. During eight hours people could donate their shoes to give them a new story and support not only creativity but also to show some solidarity. Donations and all excess shoes were given to Grace Kbh, an initiative for homeless people of the Blå Kors Danmark (Blue Cross). The artwork drew attention to the problem of homelessness in the neighbourhood of Copenhagen.