I always learn a lot when traveling. I love to read about the city´s or country´s  history and development. This gives me a lot of information about the place I am in. It is like an addiction to me learning something new about the places and I save most of the information in my head forever being able to tell about when talking to someone or showing photos to someone. Last year I visited several cities and countries. I list my three favorite places trying to inspire you to go there as well or for just learning something new 😉

1.) Malta

Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world. The island in the Mediterranean Sea inhabits only approx. 400,000 people. Malta joined the EU in 2004 and once was a British colony but became independent in 1964. The small island is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. There is so much history to learn about and beautiful cities and buildings to explore. The vacation with my boyfriend in March 2016 was my most favorite one last year. The hotel in Mellieha was beautiful and we a view across the ocean. We already had around 15 to 20 degree at this time and the sun was shining the whole week we spent there. I am still impressed by the beauty of this island. The capital Valletta, the former capital Mdina, Mellieha or the neighboring island Gozo are only a few places I felt in love with. Especially in Valetta I felt I learned so much about the cities development and history. My knowledge grew when visiting the top sights, churches or museums. The city was European Capital of Culture in 2012 and will be European Capital of Culture in 2018. That is why there was so much rebuilding and renewal was going on. I would love to go back to Malta in 2018 to see how the country has developed further due to being the European Capital of Culture in 2018. Check out the photos underneath to see what I liked the most.                         

 Mellieha Red Tower

 Valletta Fort             

 Valletta Upper Baracca Gardens

2.) Italy

At the end of September 2016 I have been to Cesenatico in Italy down the Adriatic Sea. The small city is famous for its Porto Canale (port) and the Marina Museum. Even Leonardo da Vinci drawed this place due its beauty. The city is not far away from Rimini or Cervia. My boyfriend and I had a beautiful week full of sun and warm days. We had our bikes and the car with us to be independent from public transport. We travelled to several places: Ancona, Bologna, Rimini and San Marino. I loved San Marino (Republic of San Marino) the most. Although it is in the middle of Italy it is independent and has the smallest population of all the members of the EU.  It is the oldest republic in the world. San Marino has survived, attacks by other city-states, the Napoleonic Wars, the unification of Italy, and two world wars. Especially when I think about how many cities have been destroyed extremely during the second World War I was impressed how San Marino survived all of this terrible time. The three different towers from which you have a beautiful view all over the city are an essential part that should be visited. But also the town hall and several war memorials are worth to see.  I also attached some photos for you to see how lovely these places are:                              

 Cesenatico harbour

 View over San Marino                

 San Marino Guaita Tower

3.) Hamburg

I am a huge football fan of my favourite German team Hamburg (HSV). I am a fan since 10 years now and have been to the stadium both for home and away games quite often. The match on Valentine´s Day 2016 was one of my favourites: it was the first one I visited with my boyfriend and Hamburg won (3:2) after a long time being defeated by teams who have been better. Hamburg is my favourite German city and I always like to go there. Before we went to the stadium we spent a very nice day in the city centre walking around the most famous sights of the city. On Valentine´s Day there was a special in the stadium: Dino Hermann, the mascot of the HSV, distributed roses to some of the fans. The match between Hamburg and Mönchengladbach was very intense and exciting and one of the best matches I have ever seen. My boyfriend who was not interested in football before has been affected by the whole situation in the stadium that he became a fan of the HSV as well. Now we also share the same passion for football.

 Dino Hermann (mascot and me)

 The Stadium in Hamburg

sept_3 026-1vmnxf3 (Here you can see how Lotto King Karl – a singer from Hamburg – sings the official HSV anthem)

As I already mentioned in my first post I have been to one of the wonders of the world that is part of the UNESCO world heritage site this weekend: Stonehenge. I have been to Bath on Saturday and Salisbury on Sunday morning. Two beautiful cities by the way! The most impressive part for me was the visit of the Stonehenge monument near Salisbury. I enjoyed this adventure and am glad I have been there. It was such a windy day and got more intense the closer I arrived to the famous stone circle.

 Here you can see me in front of the monument.

Nobody knows where the stones exactly come from and how it was built. There are different myths and legends about it. Experts believe that Stonehenge was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Some people think that Stonehenge was constructed in three phases that required more than thirty million hours of work carried out by only using stone, wood and ropes. The biggest stones are up to 30 feet tall and weigh 25 tons. It is believed that they were brought form Marlborough Downs. The smaller stones called “bluestones” (weigh up to 4 tons) come from several different sites in Western Wales. As I mentioned before there are many myths about how Stonehenge was built.

Some believe that Merlin, the giants and King Arthur had something to do with it when the British King wanted to erect a memorial for fallen soldiers at Amesbury Abbey. He called Merlin to help who used his magic power to take down the stones that came from Ireland.

Others feel sure that it was a devil who stole the stones from an old lady in Ireland. It is said that he lost one or two stones from his way back. These stones still might be found in the countryside.

The third party thinks that the Druids built Stonehenge. Roman historians report about their arrival in Britain coming across the Druids holding their ceremonies there.

No matter how Stonehenge was built exactly it is a place you need to visit when having the chance to! It is the most famous landmark in the UK and is regarded as a British cultural icon. I was totally impressed by this monument. I walked up the hill instead of taking one of the buses that drive you there. When I was walking up I felt a kind of power coming down to me. The wind was very strong and got more extreme the closer I came to the stone circle. I really enjoyed the view walking there in the middle of nowhere. Although you are not able to touch the stones it is beautiful. Walking the way round the stones is an experience I do not want to miss. I think next time would be nice having an audio guide for further information about the myths and stones itself. For me who loves traveling so much it was a must visit and I gained so much of this visit. Seeing one of the wonder of the world is something I can tell my grandchildren in many years. I am to proud having seen this magical place and feel like I learned so much during this visit that enriches my whole life.

IMG_1392-2nhnt21 (You can hear the strong wind when watching the video)