placestoremember - For 91 Days

Traditional Leather Processing Workshops Near Chania, Crete

Before tourism staked its claim, Chania was leather territory. For years, this had been the place to buy the famous tall, black leather boots of Crete, especially along Stivanandika Street. There's still plenty of leather being sold on this street, but the workshops are gone, replaced by an unbroken lineup of identical tourist shops. If you want to find something more traditional way, you have to leave the Old Quarter. Stivanandika, or Leather Street, was actually the…

Making Traditional Chairs in Chania, Crete

Even if you've never been to Greece, chances are you know these kinds of woven chairs, because they're found in Greek restaurants around the world. We love seeing traditional crafts being made... but we never expected to open our front door and see a guy weaving a chair, directly across from us! I was sitting in the kitchen of our Chania apartment, working with the door open. Although I was absorbed in my work, I could feel…

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn (Suspension Monorail) — Since 1901

On the last day of my short but intense trip to Germany, I arrived in Wuppertal, to finally fulfill one of my childhood dreams: riding the city's famous suspension monorail, called the Schwebebahn. I recently wrote about the Skytram suspension train at Düsseldorf's airport, but Wuppertal's is on a whole different level. The Schwebebahn is the primary means of public transportation in this medium-sized city of 350,000 people. It runs from east to west, connecting the entire…

Sunset, Seagulls and the Düsseldorf Altstadt

Having spent much of the day riding the suspension train at the Düsseldorf airport, I headed into town, to take a walk through the Altstadt, or Old Town. I had never before visited Düsseldorf, but had heard plenty about this quaint neighborhood, with its traditional houses, its promenade along the Rhine, and abundant bars and bugs which serve the famous local Altbier. I disembarked from the S-Bahn at Sternstraße, and approached the Altstadt from the north. After…

The Suspension Train at Düsseldorf’s Airport

Airports have always held a certain fascination for me. It's no secret that I am spiritually dedicated to travel, and airports are like the cathedrals of my weird religion. So for a travel junkie like me, it was exhilarating to discover that Düsseldorf's airport is not only about airplanes, but that it's got another cool method of transportation: an incredible suspension train which connects the airport with the railway station. The main reason for my visit to…

Off The Rails At The Wunderland In Kalkar

The Zena Trophy fireworks festival was held on the grounds of a theme park called Wunderland, in Kalkar, Germany. Before the festival began, I had time to check out the park. Mostly, I was excited to try out the swing ride... not because I love swings, but because it's been placed inside a nuclear cooling tower. Yes, you read that right. There can't be many other amusement parks around the world which are built on top of…

Firework Festival – First Night Mascleta In Northern Europe – Zena Trophy 2018

The first time I'd heard about the Zena Trophy was last year, when I came across an impressive daylight firework video on Youtube. Immediately curious, I did some research. This is an annual festival held by a Dutch pyrotechnic manufacturer named Zena. After reading that the 2018 edition would include a night mascletà, which would also be the loudest fireworks ever seen in Germany, I started plotting. Am I really so crazy for mascletàs that I would…