Aug 4th, 2011 at 10:30AM: A vast network of caves, tunnels, and chambers lie beneath the surface in parts of southern Germany and northern Austria, but not even archeologists know why they exist. Called "erdstalls" or, more colorfully, "goblin holes" (Schrazellöcher), these mysterious labyrinths, estimated to be about 1,000 years old, connect churches, castles, cemeteries, and other landmarks of the Central European ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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Explore secret underground tunnels beneath Germany and Austria
Aug 4th, 2011 at 10:30AM: A vast network of caves, tunnels, and chambers lie beneath the surface in parts of southern Germany and northern Austria, but not even archeologists know why they exist. Called "erdstalls" or, more colorfully, "goblin holes" (Schrazellöcher), these mysterious labyrinths, estimated to be about 1,000 years old, connect churches, castles, cemeteries, and other landmarks of the Central European ...Photo of the day: German toilets
Jul 29th, 2011 at 5:00PM:
Sometimes, truth be told, it's the facilities that matter most. The German toilets sign captured here by Flickr user Taylor McConnell in Bingen am Rhein has surely come as a symbol of utter and complete relief to any number of passers-by, perhaps especially to those who might have gone a bit crazy with their lemonade or beer quaffing earlier.
We like signs and we like featuring images of ...Mummies of the World exhibition opens in Philadelphia
Jun 21st, 2011 at 9:30AM:
Mummies are endlessly fascinating. To see a centuries-old body so well preserved brings the past vividly to life. While Egyptian mummies get most of the press, bodies in many regions were mummified by natural processes after being deposited in peat bogs or very dry caves.
Mummies of the World is a state-of-the-art exhibition bringing together 150 mummies and related artifacts. It opened last ...Some German airports shut because of Iceland volcano
May 25th, 2011 at 7:30AM: Ash from the Icelandic volcano Grimsvötn that caused hundreds of flight cancellations in the UK, Denmark, and Norway yesterday has now moved over Germany, shutting down airports in the north of the country.
Hamburg and Bremen airports are closed. Berlin airport will probably close this morning as well. At least 600 flights are expected to be affected.
Poland may also be affected today ...Locks of love cover Cologne's Hohenzollern Bridge
May 24th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
Love locks are a romantic symbol of true love: Walk across a bridge with your sweetheart, affix a lock scrawled with your names to the structure, and then toss the key into the river below.
The tradition is said to have originated on the Ponte Milivio in Italy, but from Australia to Uruguay the practice has caught on. I found these on the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne, an overpass that is ...Germany's Queens Hotel has its own theme song
May 11th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
Need to promote your hotel? Do it with a song - or a rap. Hanover's Queens Hotel recently launched a new viral video aimed at driving traffic to the hotel's website and Facebook page for QGD Hotel Management.
We don't speak German, so we have no idea what they're saying, but we can tell you that we'd want to visit this four-star city hotel, if solely to meet the Casanova chef, the nerdy ...
Lost travel friends
May 5th, 2011 at 1:45PM: Before Facebook--hell, before mobile telephones and email--it wasn't all that easy to keep in touch with people you might meet on the road.
You could exchange addresses and telephone numbers, of course, but by the time you were in a position to make a call or scribble a letter, the immediacy of the connection you'd shared while staying up all night on that Sardinian beach would probably be ...Five great European thermal baths
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:30PM: Before the spa revolution saw most upscale hotels offering spa services to guests, there was the venerable European spa town tradition, centered on thermal baths built around natural hot springs. The water on offer for bathing at these sites has historically been thought to possess therapeutic qualities. The tradition of taking a "cure" remains an enthusiastic habit across Europe today, in ...Coolest international gambling destinations
Mar 25th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
As a connoisseur of risk, I have seen my fair share of glory and agony within the walls of lady luck. In Latin America, the casinos feel seedy and desperate, and a shower always seems to be good idea after leaving these smoky dens. Singapore casinos feel simple and clean, as though an army of robots lurks just beyond the curtain, meticulously tending to the unseen cogs that keep the ...The ten best castles in Europe
Mar 16th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Castles originated in Europe over a thousand years ago. These fortresses were one of the original defense systems, and erecting the structures on hills or just beyond moats was a functional choice. Castles were built to house rulers, impose power, and above all, spurn would be attackers. Conforming to these basic principles of utilitarian design, the strongholds now appear solitary, majestic, ...Cockpit Chronicles: It's official. I'm moving to Germany
Mar 16th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Apparently I've run out of things to complain about, aside from the occasional gripe about the glossiness of the paint on the office walls which was supposed to be flat. There is little in my life that I can truly complain about, especially in light of the current events unfolding after the earthquake in Japan this week.
Let's live a little, shall we?
Both my wife and I have discussed ...Travel then and now: Travel to the USSR and GDR
Mar 1st, 2011 at 3:30PM: This year is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union and 21 years since the reunification of Germany. While citizens of the USSR and GDR were unable to travel abroad and restricted in domestic travel, foreign travelers were permitted under a controlled environment. In the early nineties, if you were a foreigner looking to go abroad to the Eastern Europe or Central Asia, you called ...Schengen and the disappearance of European passport stamps
Mar 1st, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Creative new use for border crossing posts at German/Austrian border.
In the late 1980s, an American spending a summer traveling across Europe with a Eurailpass would see his or her passport stamped possibly dozens of times. With a few exceptions, every time a border was crossed, an immigration agent would pop his or her head into a train compartment, look at everyone's passports, in most ...Video: Topless German sledders cheered on by 14,000 spectators
Feb 23rd, 2011 at 12:30PM:
Sledding doesn't get much colder than this - 26 Germans took to the hills of Braunlange to participate in the yearly topless sledding competition. The 26 men and women were competing for a EUR1000 cash prize.
The rules are simple - participants are only allowed to wear underpants, shoes and protective winter gear.
26-year-old Christian Schmidt won the contest, but the spectators appeared ...
Lufthansa contest offers free tickets on the world's largest plane
Feb 16th, 2011 at 3:00PM: Who wants to take a free flight across the Atlantic on a super-jumbo? Lufthansa is offering such an opportunity to travelers to commemorate the launch of their sixth A380. The new jet will begin flying between New York and Frankfurt on February 28, just in time to whisk you away for a much needed European vacation. The contest winners will clamber aboard the world's largest plane, for free, and be ...5 German drinking destinations other than Oktoberfest
Feb 2nd, 2011 at 10:30PM: As the towering, stumbling behemoth of German drinking destinations, Oktoberfest overshadows the many rich traditions of beverage consumption throughout the rest of the country.
While Oktoberfest resembles an overpriced frat party to my discerning eyes, these destinations promise beautiful settings, affordable prices and plenty of friendly locals ready to raise a glass and say Prost!
1. ...Germany and Egypt fight over bust of Nefertiti: will Zahi Hawass's crusade ever end?
Jan 26th, 2011 at 9:00AM: You win some, you lose some.
Zahi Hawass is a man who is used to getting his way. The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities has been fighting to repatriate stolen Egyptian artifacts for years, and more often than not he wins.
This time, though, he's suffered a setback. He's trying to get the Neues Museum in Berlin to return the famous bust of Nefertiti. He claims it was stolen by a ...Berlin's latest attraction: The Computer Game Museum
Jan 23rd, 2011 at 10:00AM: If you're under thirty, computer games have always been a part of your life, but for us old farts wise elders, we remember the first time we took hold of a joystick and moved a spaceship through an asteroid field, or ran a ravenous little yellow circle around a maze while being chased by ghosts. If you're under twenty, you probably don't even know what games I'm talking about.
Here's your ...First gay museum in the U.S. opens in San Francisco
Jan 14th, 2011 at 8:30AM: Less than a month after President Obama repealed the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, the U.S. has gotten its first gay museum. The GLBT History Museum is located in the Castro District of San Francisco. Run by the GLBT Historical Society, it features 1,600 sq. ft. of exhibition and activity space.
Yesterday was its grand opening and visitors got to see two exhibitions: Our Vast Queer ...Daily Pampering: Mandarin Oriental's ultimate car package in Munich
Jan 10th, 2011 at 4:00PM: Feel the need for speed? Mandarin Oriental, Munich, has a package just for you.
The luxury hotel group put together this ultimate dream package for car enthusiasts which includes four days' use of a sleek Mercedes Benz to tour the scenic areas of Southern Germany, plus visits to some of the world's most important car museums and factories: Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Porsche. The world famous ...
