Tag: Germany

Europe

Today in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell

Post author By Bogdan
Post date November 9, 2007
No Comments on Today in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell

If your kids aren’t old enough to remember, or think that the area around Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate has “always” been open and bustling like it is today, here’s a YouTube video for them on the media issues blog Chaos Scenario:

The Thirst for Freedom Cannot Be Quenched

Now talk to them about Burma, about North Korea, about other places in the world where people live under the control of a government they did not choose.

Travel, communication and the free exchange of ideas knits us together as a planet, so grab that passport and go!

Tags Berlin, family travel, Germany, travel with kids

Europe

Theme Parks in Europe

Update 3 June 2006: Great article about Europapark in the UK’s Telegraph online travel section.

I know that some would be horrified at the idea of going all the way to Europe only to end up in a theme park, and there’s some merit to that horror.

Such parks would not be toward the top of my list, either, but I’ve found that if the timing’s right they can be a lot of fun (and break up the “oh not another museum” monotony that I sometimes inflict on my family.)

During a visit to Colmar in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, we jumped over the border to Rust, Germany and Europapark.

It was absolutely immaculate, pretty imaginative, a good value for the money and it was nice to experience something other than Disney (except they did have an annoying mascot mouse; but then, I’m not big on mascots.)

I also enjoyed being one of many families, but not the usual obvious American tourist.

For thrills, the Silver Star coaster at Europapark literally left me pale. I’d rather get inverted than get dropped that far….

For those who travel with kids to Europe, this UK Times Online article gives a nice rundown of European parks that may be new to you.

If thrill rides and maximum speed are your thing, the Times investigates a new coaster in Britain plus what they consider to be the best theme parks in Britain.

This may be the antidote to “too much grown-up stuff” while visiting London (or you could just pack in some more Harry Potter sites instead.)

Take the Kids to Cologne/Koln, Germany

Post author By Bogdan
Post date May 19, 2006
3 Comments on Take the Kids to Cologne/Koln, Germany

One of the recent articles at the UK’s Guardian Online made me nostalgic for a visit to the pleasant German city of Cologne/Koln (sorry, there should be an umlaut, or two dots, above the “o” in Koln but I’m not HTML-savvy enough to do it.)

However you spell it, we always enjoyed the chance to travel there as a family.

You’ll be seeing a lot of media travel articles about Germany in the next few weeks, since we’re getting in the fevered grip of World Cup 2006 this summer and they are the host country.

For kids, the highlight of a Cologne visit may be the Stollwerck chocolate factory.

The factory has a walk-through assembly line; we must have stood mesmerized for 10 minutes in front of the machine making hollow chocolate soccer balls (of course, they’re “footballs” in Europe.) There is also an exhibit about the making of chocolate, a cafe and naturally, a gift shop.

Stollwerck is an open and sunny place, right on the banks of the Rhine and within easy walking distance of the fabulous Kolner Dom cathedral.

The Dom is an awe-inspiring church, perhaps even more impressive than Notre Dame, if I may say so.

The dizzying height of the spires will give your neck a pretty good crick.

There are Rhine (Rhein) River day cruises leaving from Koln as well.

Many of them run all the way down to the pretty, half-timbered town of Bacharach and the rock at Lorelei/Loreley, where legend says that sailors are so enamored with mysterious voices and singing that they run aground.

Consider a visit to this lovely city, whether you’re a World Cup fan or your kids are just hooligans. 🙂

Tags Cologne, Dom, Europe, Germany, Kolner Dom, Rhein River, Rhine River, Stollwerck chocolate factory