Hot

It's hot summer in Paderborn: 33 degrees! Heat and summer vacation soften everything: traffic is rare with few cars, bicyclists and pedestrians. (Police has also nothing to do so they give fines to cyclists for going on the wrong direction on the sidewalk tracks.) Construction is in full swing: a small shop disappeared to give way to new apartments. So far only an excavator is doing the demolition work, helped by the man with the hose spraying water not to raise dust. (In the evening clouds gathered to cool the air with a little rain.)

It's snowing in Paderborn!

Top German superstitions

[from Top 10 German superstitions]

Toasting with water - Never, ever say "cheers," or "Prost," with water in Germany. Not even for a joke. Especially not for a joke. You are literally wishing death on all your drinking buddies. It means you really want your friends to die. Is that what you want? Because that's what it means.

Knocking on the Stammtisch - When greeting your German drinking buddies, instead of waving, you should knock on the table. According to legend, this is because the Stammtisch, the regulars' table in the tavern, was traditionally made of oak. Since the devil is unable to touch oak, considered a holy tree, knocking on it proved you weren't the devil. It always makes for a nicer evening if your friends don't consider you a disguised demon.

Gift knives - Giving knives as a gift means that you are wishing someone and everyone in their household injury and death. If they've already got plenty of forks and spoons, and you really can't think of any present that's not cutlery, you're supposed to give them a knife token. This superstition comes from an ancient deal that gone wrong a knife smith once made with the devil, which ended with the devil cursing all his work.

Lucky coin - If the cutlery shop has sold out, and you've seriously run out of gift ideas, why not give someone a nice, shiny new leather wallet? But don't forget to put a penny in! This ensures that the recipient will never be poor.

Bread and salt for a new home - The traditional gift at a housewarming party is bread and salt. It will make sure that your new hosts will never be hungry in their new home. Especially if they like salty bread.

But are all this pure German superstition? How many do you recognize for your country?

A quiet hotel in Wilhemshaven

On the North Sea coast, on Jade Bay, in Wilhemshaven, Beans Parc City Lodge is a nice and quiet 2 star family hotel (so expectation should not be so big). It is a good choice for a commuting stay. The room I had was small, with direct access to garden where you can easily relax after a busy day. As nothing special to remark, I initially rated the hotel as "OK, but next time can also look for alternatives". But the breakfast in the morning was EXCELLENT (as not expecting something like this). And at check-out I even was asked if I want a coffee or something else for the road. For the next short stay in Wilhemshaven mot probably I will choose the same hotel.

Münster – points of interest

Railway Central Station - coordinates: E7.635000228881836, N51.956668853759766
Domplatz: E7.627153, N51.962291
Botanical garden (Schlossgarten 3, Zentrum): E7.610528, N51.963117
Pinkus Müller - the only brewery left in Münster- (Kreuzstraße 10, 48143 Zentrum): E7.621128, N51.96571
Picasso Museum (Königsstr. 5): E7.626332163810736, N51.960222020532754
Zoo, Dolphinarium and Planetarium (Sentruper Straße 315): E7.586829, N51.948029

Almost in the heart of Berlin

Not so far from Brandenburger Tor (25 min. walking), very near to Anhalter Bahnhof S-Bahn station but not on a breathtaking surrounding (is this really matter if you are there to visit the town and not to stay all day long in the hotel?), Suite Novotel Berlin Potsdamer Platz Hotel is a good choice for relaxation. (Are all Suite Novotel hotels the same? In Hamburg the room has exactly the same layout.)

PS: One click on photo will open a whole album!

Photos from Münster

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Photos from Hamburg

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Düsseldorf – Some info

General info:

• http://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/en/home/
• The Tourist Information Center is near Hauptbahnhof

If you travel by public transport, definitely buy a Dusseldorf Welcome Card before you set off. The card costs 9 euros for 24 hours and gives you unlimited public transport use plus free entry to many attractions. (For example, the entrance to Aquazoo is free; otherwise adult entry is 7euros.)

To visit:

• Rhein Promenade (3,1 km from Hauptbahnhof)
• Rhein Tower (TV Tower)
• Altstadt (Old Town)
• Japanese Garden (Kaiserswerther Strasse 390)
• Loebbecke-Museum und Aquazoo (in the same area with the Japanese Garden), with beautiful tanks of amazing fish and aquatic creatures (and not only).
• Film Museum
• Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Grabbeplatz 5, http://www.kunstsammlung.de/): paintings, sculpture and an unique museum devoted entirely to glass works
• Düsseldorfer Senf (Berger Straße 29). Düsseldorf is not just the city of Alt beer - it is also a mustard city. The mustard museum was opened in 2004.

Dortmund - some info

Subway network: http://stadtbahnbauamt.dortmund.de
Dortmund Hbf. - Königswall 15, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen 44137
Tourist Information Office - Königswall 18, 44137 Mitte
Dortmunder Brewery Museum - Steigerstraße 16, 44145 Nordmarkt
Westfalenpark Dortmund - An der Buschmühle 3, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen 44139
Florian Tower - in Westfalenpark
Cookbook museum - An der Buschmühle, 44139 Ruhrallee
Rathaus - Friedensplatz, Mitte
Platz von Hiroshima - Schwarze-Brüder-Straße, 44137 Mitte
Westphalian Museum of Industry Dortmund - Grubenweg 5, 44388 Bövinghause

Detmold - Freilichtmuseum

From April to October Detmold welcomes you in Freilichtmuseum (the Open Air Museum as its name is). The museum, on over 100 ha of land, has over 90 completely furnished old buildings from all the regions of Westphalia, giving you a lot of information about the historical background of rural constructions. There are also daily demonstrations about how old handwork was done. Freilichtmuseum is an excellent place for walking, relax and picnic on a sunny day.

PS: One click on photo will open a whole album!

Paderborn

City in North Rhine-Westphalia, district capital, Paderborn draws its energy from more than 200 springs of Pader, guarded for centuries by the cathedral in the heart of the city. Center of Catholicism (here in 799, Pope Leo III found refuge) safeguarded by SF. Laborius (whose relics were brought in 836 from Le Mans, establishing the oldest town twinning), Paderborn is a place where time has another dimension. Except for the center, with the usual busy shopping areas, and the park on the banks of Pader, where people take their relaxation time (if weather allows as here clouds gather fast and there are many more rainy days than sunny ones), the rest of the city is like resort town at the end of the season: fewer cars on the road, rare people, and the houses seem abandoned even you guess some activity inside.

Externsteine

Externsteine ​​is a distinctive rock formation located in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, near Horn-Bad Meinberg, not far from the city of Detmold (and about 32 km. of Paderborn). It consists of several tall columns that rise abruptly from the wooded hills in a region that is largely devoid of rocks.

Religious activity center ever since Teutonic times, Externsteine ​​extended mark-pagan religion to modern days. Surrounded by a quiet forest, it is place to relax for of almost one million tourists each year.