Autor: ninavoncken

12 Stunden in Zagreb

Veröffentlicht von ninavoncken

Nicht immer hat man viel Zeit, um eine Stadt zu erkunden. Warum sich ein spontaner Tag in einer fremden Stadt trotzdem lohnen kann? Vielleicht ist das ein bisschen wie mit unerwarteten Begegnungen: Manchmal sind diese von kurzer Dauer, dafür aber umso intensiver. Zagreb lässt sich am besten ab dem Hauptbahnhof oder dem Ban-Jelacic-Platz aus zu Fuß erkunden. Der große Platz bildet das Zentrum der überschaubaren Stadt und unterteilt sie in Ober- und Unterstadt. Los geht’s! Die Kathedrale von Zagreb Wenn Ihr vom Ban-Jelacic-Platz aus kommt, könnt Ihr den Hügel hinauf die Kathedrale gar nicht verfehlen. 108 Meter hoch sind die beiden Türme der im neugotischen Stil gebauten Kathedrale. Nachdem der Originalbau aus dem 15. Jahrhundert bei einem Erdbeben 1880 stark beschädigt worden war, wurden die Türme beim Neuaufbau hinzugefügt. Mein Besuch fällt auf den Palmsonntag und aus allen Richtungen kommen Menschen mit Ölzweigen, um die Kathedrale zu besuchen und diesen Tag zu begehen. Dolac – Der größte Markt in Zagreb Von der Kathedrale aus geht es weiter zum Dolac, dem größten Markt in Zagreb. Hier …

Mit der Kamera um die Welt – Fotoreporter Klaus im Interview

Veröffentlicht von ninavoncken

Klaus Becker hat einen Traumberuf. Als Fotoreporter hat er die meisten Länder der Welt bereist. Im Interview verrät er, was er an seinem Beruf am meisten liebt, wie er mit bewegenden Momenten umgeht und wie die Arbeit als Fotograf in Krisengebieten funktioniert. Du warst schon in 138 Ländern. Gibt es ein Land, in dem Du noch nicht warst und das noch “auf der Liste” steht? Obwohl ich schon tausende Kilometer entfernte Länder besucht habe, fehlt mir noch eins, das sehr nah an Deutschland dran ist…Island wäre in jedem Fall eine Reise wert. Es ist der zweitgrößte Inselstaat Europas und muss landschaftlich ein großer Traum sein… Drehen wir die Frage nach dem Lieblingsland mal um: Gibt es ein Land, zu dem Du gar keine Verbindung hattest? Woran lag das? Ja – auch das gibt es…Indien ist so gar nicht meins! Gerade habe ich den Film “Lion” gesehen, der ja viele Plätze in Indien zeigt. Viel zu viele Menschen auf engstem Raum, ab drei Uhr nachmittags herrscht überall Smog und alles ist dunkel. Für mich auf jeden Fall kein …

Why I won’t travel the U.S. while Trump is president

Veröffentlicht von ninavoncken

Ever since I was a child I wanted to travel the U.S. I imagined myself climbing the statue of liberty, eating a hot dog while watching the Yankees play and ice skate at the Rink after doing some serious sightseeing. It took me until 2011 to first visit the land of the free and I came back for more. I have climbed the statue, I cheered at a Yankees game and was that hot dog good (although it tasted like crap)! I joined the protesters at Wall Street. I was in awe visiting Lincoln and Jefferson memorial in D.C. and I loved eating my first Dunkin Donut in New York. I walked the beaches of Malibu, walked and cycled the Golden Gate Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge and shook my head in disbelief looking at all the bling-bling and fake in Vegas and L.A. I cried visiting Ground Zero and smiled walking the High Line. I walked back and forth to Canada when visiting Niagara falls. I took pictures of the White House while Obama …

Yogyta’s Europe – how to make Aloo Paratha

Veröffentlicht von ninavoncken

The Indian cuisine is really oh so yummy. Good for me that Yogyta starts missing the taste of it whilst travelling Europe with me. Time for her to show me how to make parathas. A paratha is basically a type of bread eaten in India (mostly in Punjab and the north) and other Asian countries for breakfast. It’s tasty and quite filling. Probably the most popular parathas are the stuffed ones, onion paratha or aloo (potatoe) paratha. Sometimes it’s also spelled parantha. I love this kind of breakfast and parathas are easy to make, so here comes the recipe for a paratha stuffed with potatoes and onions. Ingredients: whole wheat flour, ghee, potatoes, onions (preferrably not sweet), green chillies ( I only had read ones but never mind), fresh coriander leaves, garam masala, salt, red chili powder Boil the potatoes and mash them. Make sure not to keep any chunks, it should be a fine mash. While the potatoes are boiling, chop the coriander leaves, the chillies and the onions and mix them with the potatoes …

Yogyta’s Europe – Hello Paris!

Veröffentlicht von ninavoncken

Yesterday was a very touristy day but how can you be in Paris for the first time in your life and not go and see the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and all those other beautiful attractions? I wanted to show Yogyta some of the major sights so we started quite early. Notre Dame – how not to queue The first stop was the famous cathedral Notre Dame de Paris at the Ile de la cité. The tower, which offers a stunning view, opens at 10 am and if you don’t want to hang around there all day, make sure to be there either a while before they allow people in or a little while before it closes. 422 steps lead up and there are two platforms offering stunning views on the city. We were lucky enough to have perfect weather and a really good sight – Yogyta was overwhelmed by the beauty of the city and the Seine. Finally I got to see that big smile on her face that I was missing. …

Yogyta’s Europe – Cologne

Veröffentlicht von ninavoncken

After breakfast with German breadrolls and coffee Yogyta and I went exploring in Cologne yesterday. The city in Germany’s Rhineland is famous for its amazing gothic cathedral and the openness of its inhabitants. I grew up in Rhineland so I wanted to show Yogyta the beauty of this city. We started with the Cologne triangle, a highrise buiding that offers a stunning view. From here you can see the cathedral, the Cologne arena that hosts major events, the river Rhine and a lot more sights. When we walked the Hohenzollern Bridge that leads to the city side of the river, we had a closer look at the famous love locks. There are thousands of those locks. Couples fix a lock to the bridge that usually states their names and sometimes the day of their first date or marriage. Hoping for neverending love, they then drop the key in the river. Some of those locks have really nice little texts and looking at them always makes me think a lot. Most people probably think it’s very …

Yogyta’s Europe – Welcome to Germany!

Veröffentlicht von ninavoncken

For the next two weeks I will be travelling across Europe with my friend Yogyta from Delhi who has left her country for the very first time in her life to come and see some of Europe with me. One thing that I really love about travelling is that it not only widens your horizon but it allows you to change your perspective and experience the world from a different angle. For the next two weeks I’d like to share Yogyta’s view with you. So please fasten your seatbelt, put your seat in an upright position and enjoy the journey with us! I met Yogyta at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram in India where I spent some weeks when I started my trip around the world. We both were there to slow down a little and learn more about ourselvses. While Yogyta joined a one week Yoga intensive class at the Ashram, I was there by myself, trying to figure out whether leaving my comfort zone to learn about Shanti and Om was doing me any …