Our Events chronicled happened on the 8th and 9th of May 2019. Jonas and I paddled our canoe/kayak over the young Danube from a small town called Immendingen to another small town called Mühlheim over 20.1 kilometers. On the way, we passed the ‘Donauversickerung’ – where the Danube river sinks or goes underground for 155 days a year. The water levels were high enough for us to paddle it. If you want to know what this kayak trip is about, I wrote a detailed article about how we came up with this trip idea. You can also read about Day 1Continue reading
europe
Kayak Trip Day 2: Geisingen to Immendingen, Hiking the Donauversinkung
Events described happened on the 6th and 7th of May 2019. We paddled 9.7 kilometers on the Danube (Donau) river from Geisingen to Immendingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. This was the second day of our kayak/canoe trip. Click here if you’d rather read about the planning of kayaking the Danube, or read about Day 1. Contents1 The Off-Day at the Arena Gästehaus2 Leaving Geisingen for Immendingen3 Rebalancing the Boat and Paddling to the Pegel4 Portaging Across the Dam5 Sunshine, Shallow Waters, and Our Sail6 The Last Bridge and Fixing the Boat7 8 9 10 11 Checking in to the Panda Guesthouse,Continue reading
Kayak Trip Day 1: Donaueschingen to Geisingen
We started our kayak trip on the 5th of May 2019. Our first day, we hoped to paddle our brand-new inflatable canoe/kayak from Donaueschingen (the origin of the Danube river) to Geisingen. Geisingen is just a small village about 15 kilometers away. This article narrates the events of that day. Read how we came up with the idea to kayak the Danube river. Contents1 Morning in Donaueschingen2 The Walk3 The Buildup4 The First Strokes Toward Geisingen5 The First Kilometers to Pfohren6 The First Dam in Neudingen7 River Bends and Dead Ends to Gutmadingen8 The Second Dam – Mühle9 The LastContinue reading
Donaueschingen: Danube Kayak Trip Day Zero
Contents1 Mind of a Paddler2 Why the Danube?3 Researching & Planning3.1 Kayak Tours3.2 What Kind of Kayak?3.3 Mapping & Scheduling3.4 Ordering & Booking3.5 Unlucky Planning Jackpot4 Testing & Packing4.1 In the Netherlands4.2 In Germany5 Traveling & Preparing6 Donaueschingen: Origin of the Danube6.1 The Town6.2 The Hike to the Confluence6.3 The Zusammenfluss of the Brigach and Breg6.4 The Source of the Danube6.5 Visiting the Pegel (Water Depth Gauge) in Donaueschingen7 Share This Story on Pinterest! Mind of a Paddler I’ve decided to expand my mode-of-transport horizon beyond hitchhiking. This is because hitchhiking is kind of like my comfort zone by now,Continue reading
How to get a 90-day visa for Cabo Verde: Part I
Disclaimer: This article on securing a 90-day visa Cabo Verde applies mostly to EU+ citizens. This new visa policy only applies to holders of EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, and UK passports. Passport holders of other nationalities can still apply to a Cabo Verdean visa at embassies and consulates the regular way. If you don’t want to read the backstory, read Part II and click The TL;DR or What to bring for a visa extension. The Escape After spending two winters in Maastricht, the Netherlands, I’m finally freed from that place. I did some courses, wrote a thesis, then fled to Lisbon, Portugal.Continue reading
Things to do in or from Campo de Ourique, Lisbon
From the 3rd till the 15th of January 2019, we stayed in the neighborhood named Campo de Ourique in Lisbon, Portugal. After Lisbon in winter, we traveled to Cabo Verde for 88 days to catch some of their abundant sunshine. Jonas worked from our cold but comfortable Airbnb and I finished my university thesis. These are some of the fun activities we did inside and from our cool neighborhood. To scroll down to the map, click here. To read some tips about staying in Campo de Ourique/Lisbon in winter, click here Contents1 Mercado de Campo de Ourique2 Planespotting from Amoreiras3Continue reading
Maastricht: Wholesome Activities in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter
You might already know that I’ve lived in Maastricht twice, both times as a student. To be precise: from summer 2010 till winter 2013. I returned to the city from January till December 2018 to finish my bachelor’s degree and write my thesis about hitchhiking. Especially the second time around, I focused my efforts to do more wholesome activities amid the fraternity noise and anxious binge-drinking students with quarter-life crises. Here are my suggestions for both residents and people on a short visit: Contents1 How to Get Around Maastricht?2 Maastricht in Spring2.1 Photographing the Blossoms2.2 Cycling to Belgium to DrinkContinue reading
Mallorca by Scooter: 9 Days of Freedom from University
During my final year at university, I sometimes had a week-long vacation. Just like normal people, Jonas and I would use that week to fly to a different country and do something cool. From Wednesday the 17th till Thursday the 25th of October 2018, Jonas and I drove a scooter around the Spanish island of Mallorca. These were the most memorable things we saw. How to Rent a Scooter in Mallorca? First things first, how did we travel around Mallorca? We chose not to hitchhike this time to make sure we have plenty of time to see and do things.Continue reading
Entering the Void – Kitten Rescue in Portugal, Part III
Part III: Rescuing a Kitten This series of posts is mostly a way for me to process the trauma of going through this. If you’re expecting happy travel content, this ain’t it. This story is number 3 in a series of 5. Here you can find Part I and Part II. Here you can find the subsequent stories about rescuing a kitten from the void in Porto, Portugal: Part IV and Part V. Spotting the Culprit (Sunday 15th of July, contd.) We return home from the animal shelter Midas, fully knowing this time that it is our responsibility to save that kitten. AndContinue reading