Have you ever travelled digitally? Did you ever consider a trip where you won’t even leave your living room?
Me neither until I heard of this concept during an online event within my AIESEC Alumni Europe community! Well, why would I do that? When you remember some weeks before we had quite strict travel restrictions all across the globe and the situation was frustrating to all of us. Luckily, the situation is improving every day, but at that time I wanted to have a surprising and innovative gift (also a small reward for myself 🙂 ) and yes, I wanted to get some new input instead of complaining about the situation.
My first virtual travel went to Moscow and started at the world-famous Red Square. Usually, from what I know, it as a crowded space full of life. You can imagine that I was quite surprised to see this famous place so empty! Maybe the weather conditions were not that inviting, because our guide navigated us through grey and rainy weather. We started at the historical heart of Moscow: the Kremlin and learned that its massive walls were “newly” built by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti in the 14th century! Of course, we stopped by the famous “Spasski tower” whose bells traditionally welcome the New Year in Russia! Further we went past Lenin’s Mausoleum, but we didn’t enter. It’s the resting place of the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, whose mortal remains are lying in state there.
Off we went to the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral that always appeared as if it was decorated with sugar icing. The colours and the architecture looked very impressive even though we just could watch it from our screen! I was even more impressed when I learned that the cathedral was consisting of 9 domes and churches! I would really love to visit this amazing cathedral and learn more about its architecture!
When the rain got too heavy, our guide Anna sought shelter at the nearby GUM to show us the famous and luxurious mall with all its glory. Flashing colours and hallways full of designer brands mixed with Soviet nostalgia created this very special atmosphere of the place and we got it even though we were thousands of kilometres away! Unfortunately, the GUM is famous for its ice cream and every visitor young or old gets themselves some, but not for us! Oh, those lucky people!
We continued with our trip towards the Bolshoi Theatre and learned about the famous ballet and the difficulty to get some tickets as visitors, because this is a cultural highlight for locals and visitors alike!
In the end we had some time for a chat and questions to discover that Moscow even has a vivid coffee culture and lots of modern urban spaces to meet, chat and work.
My conclusion in the very end was that this digital trip was worth a try! Thanks to our dear guide Anna we could learn, interact and see some of the most famous spots in Russia’s capital! Will we ever see the Red Square that empty again? It is comparable to a good movie trailer. You can learn, watch, observe and even chat with locals. But in the very end, you really want to visit a place and we definitely put it on our bucket list!
Digital travel is a nice way to avoid overtourism and to reduce your CO2 footprint and get a glimpse to a different culture, but it is not a substitute for the real deal. In the very end it’s up to you, but I really recommend to try it out!
The cake in the picture was an original recipe from Anna to taste some traditional Russian food: приятного аппетита!
The main purpose of this trip was to attend a Chinese Wedding in Malaysia, but of course, we did a little backpacking in addition to this event to discover two megacities and learn more about sustainability from a different perspective.
Therefore, we booked a direct flight with the flag carrier of Singapore to have a less negative impact on the environment, which was very pleasant.
Backpacking trip starting in Singapore to Malaysia and back
Singapore
After a 12-hour journey we were happy to check in at the Siloso beach hotel at Sentosa Island. A green oasis surrounded by the sound of the jungle and with its own waterfall, this green hotel claims to be a sustainability hub.
How did they achieve this? On a guided tour through the hotel everything was explained and shown to us. First of all, the whole building is built on stilts and the natural topography was preserved. Leaving the natural wetlands untouched provided a natural protection against mosquitos thanks to the frogs you really don’t need chemical protection against mosquito bites. Furthermore, no trees were cut down for its construction, it is a real marvel to see how the trees grow right through the villas and the building. On their rooftop garden they grow their own flowers for decoration and herbs to season their fresh organic food. Their plan is to expand and even grow their own vegetables. By the way food, their healthy and delicious breakfast gave us energy for exploring the city.
Since Singapore is a metropolis defined by the limits of its island, a well-oiled public transportation system is indispensable and was also our choice of transportation. But for our first discovery we set of on foot. Strolling along the beaches of Sentosa Island, enjoying coconut ice cream we headed to the most southern point of continental Asia (because it is connected by bridges).
The first stop outside of Sentosa Island was Chinatown and after the first impressions of Singapore we suddenly got quite hungry. A nearby food court offered delicious fresh food which wasn’t so easy to choose. The district is vivid and colourful and for a first day we got a lot of impressions. The evening ended at the harbour with a marvellous view of Singapore’s skyline which we won’t forget so easily.
The next day we headed towards Little India with its many shops offering everything from colourful fabrics to beautiful jewellery and impressive Hindu temples. After some light shopping we took a small break to have some fresh Indian food. It was delicious, spicy and even though I haven’t been to India, yet, it was fantastic to have a glimpse into this amazing culture. We continued our route to Bugis which is vivid and full of amazing shopping opportunities and went to Kampong Glam. The Masjid Sultan Mosque is one of the most important mosques in Singapore and was an important centre for culture, arts and trade in the 90ies. Around it are many streets which took me back to a time when I travelled to Egypt and Turkey. The nearby Arab Street was full of lovely little shops and for a moment I had the impression that I made a little trip around the globe. But it didn’t end here yet. We walked on to the Malay heritage centre. In front of it we took a rest for a moment and wondered if we were still in the same city. What a city! So many cultures at one spot!
After all these overwhelming impressions we enjoyed the light and music show at the Super Trees which you can relish twice per day. It was very relaxing and amazing to learn that the Super Trees are vertical gardens and some of them even have solar panels. They contribute to a sustainable power generation and provide the city with energy. I have to admit that we didn’t manage to visit the Cloud Gardens and The Flower Dome which will be on the list for a next visit. But we continued our stroll across the Double Helix Bridge and said hello to the Merlion, Singapore’s mascot, and stayed for a while to savor the beautiful skyline once more before we had to leave the next day.
Our motto was to eat like a local because that is the best way to dive into the many cultures, in my opinion. Singapore is famous for its many hawker centres! The food there is local, fresh and it can save you a lot of money, since they are regularly frequented by the locals.
What would a Singapore trip be without some famous noodle soups! Therefore, we visited a street food stall with a Michelin star: Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. If you don’t especially enjoy liver you might give it a pass, because even though the noodle soup was delicious, I just don’t like liver 😉
Sometimes you are in the mood for a dessert and we came across a very crazy looking café. It was one of the weirdest cafés I visited so far: The Gudetama café whose mascot is a little yellow egg from Japan! And even our cheesecake was decorated with the little sad egg which won the hearts of young and old!
Personally, what impressed me the most after these three days was the amazing architecture and how it created a harmonic symbiosis with the Gardens by the Bay. It showed me how technological progress can be applied to build a resilient and sustainable city that provides enough space for nature and people.
Malacca and a coach ride with learnings
After three days in this amazing megacity our journey took us to our next highlight: Malacca, a UNESCO world cultural heritage.
Malaysia is much bigger than the small island state of Singapore. Infrastructure is quite different, and transportation relies mainly on road traffic. So, we hopped onto one of the many coaches connecting the cities all over the Malaysian peninsula.
While we prefer a train ride, we still got to see a lot of the country and I had some important learnings. Something I recognized during the bus ride were the many and huge palm oil plantations which influence the environment and the local wildlife and how devastating that could be, as we learned later.
As curious and sustainable travellers who want to make the best of every journey, we booked a local homestay which was called “Heren House” right beside the river and closely to the famous Jonker street. The guest house within an historical building offered an authentic glimpse to the life of local people. The rooms are equipped with traditional wooden and massive furniture. The staff was really friendly and helpful. The experience was authentic and even more individual as we supported the local economy.
Malacca was fantastic to go to the night market at Jonker Street in the middle of the Chinese district with a variety of local and fresh food and lots of opportunities for shopping. Of course, I needed to try something new and different. A very special and smelly fruit which you recognize before you’ll see it: Durian! The first Durian in my entire life and it was maybe my first break out of the routine moment during this holiday.
We dedicated one day to the rich history of Malacca! It was influenced by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British, so get your time machine started!
We began our walk at the Red Square with its Stadhuys. It was built by the Dutch in the 17th century and yes, the square well-deserved its name. The whole place is coloured in vivid red and sets a contrast to its surroundings. Our path took us further to explore the Portuguese history and we went to the hill of St. Paul’s church. The view above Malacca and the ocean is fantastic! Finishing our walk at “A Famosa” a former Portuguese fortress we just felt like time travellers.
The city is usually very crowded by tourists and especially couples from Kuala Lumpur who enjoy the city for a weekend trip.
I wouldn’t say that overtourism is already a problem, but I guess we need to respect local traditions and act respectfully towards those who live in the city.
I would like to address this topic, because personally I was quite shocked to see a tourist who was begging for money to finance further trips across Malaysia.
To escape the hotspots we decided to take a walk at the “Malacca River” and discovered lovely shops and street art. Usually, we really don’t check and plan every shop and route we take, it just happens naturally to follow where our interest is paying attention to.
The last day included a walk through the old town which is famous for its art scene and its handicrafts! We had a stop at the Urang Utan House, an art gallery from a local artist who is also selling unique shirts with his great designs which combines modern and urban life in Malacca with traditional Eastern philosophy. Here we saw that between the historic places great urban places could be found which totally created a unique atmosphere between urbanism and the local culture!
One special artisan shop called Wah Aik offers special insights to the Chinese culture! The two brothers are specialized in creating unique bound feet shoes. You can learn of a tradition that is nowadays forbidden, but the shoes are a masterpiece of art and can be bought for those who are interested in handcraft and Chinese culture. It was a fantastic visit, because one of the owners took his time to explain us a bit more about the history of the shoes and the former tradition of the lotus feet and showed us many old newspaper articles in different languages praising their craftsmanship! The tradition of the lotus feet doesn’t fit modern times anymore, but the tradition of making handcrafted shoes is something very special! I was very grateful for this learning and enriched to understand much more of this special handicraft!
The food we tasted here is also very special, so let me give you further insights.
I was really impressed by the Nyonya or Peranakan kitchen you can find in many restaurants across the city. Peranakan are the early Chinese descendants who settled in Malacca and inter-married to Malays. This special food is very delicious and combines the best of both worlds! For me, it was a mix of herbs, spices and a fruity texture. A very good restaurant we discovered is The Bulldog!
Kuala Lumpur
Moving forward, we were off to Kuala Lumpur, the vibrant capital of Malaysia, the next day. After another coach ride, we checked in at the Anggun boutique hotel whose rich history dates back to the 30ies of the last century and tells the story of a Chinese sojourner who made his luck in Malaysia. While not a certificated sustainable hotel, many initiatives were adapted to act sustainably. For example, a higher energy efficiency and less plastic consumption. The hotel building itself evokes the charm of the 60ies of Kuala Lumpur. I especially loved the inner courtyard and the green terrace in the middle of the city.
The hotel was close to Bukit Bintang a district where the city never sleeps and where we discovered so many restaurants that we had an information overload! Starting with Jalan Alor and its many open-air restaurants, we tried some fresh sugar cane juice and had once more Durian for dessert! Everything appeared so delicious that we couldn’t help ourselves but had to try it! But this was not supposed to be a foodie trip, so let’s check out what else we spotted in KL!
One of the architectural highlights and a must-see are the Petronas Towers, because they are one of the first sights you will discover when you enter the city. But we were quite surprised to find a green oasis in front of the two steel giants, the KLCC park! A great place to calm down in the hustle and bustle of the megacity. Lake Symphony was a scenic view to rest your eyes and see many people having a good time with friends and families! I loved the whale sculpture which showcased that nature still plays a crucial role in those areas where you wouldn’t expect it! And we also planned some extra time to enjoy the light show in the evening!
If you want to see an urban jungle and I really literally mean urban jungle with lush greens and the opportunity to see wildlife in the middle of the rain forest you need to visit KL Forest Eco Park.
We went across the skywalk and listened to the sounds of the jungle and nature can make a great and loud concert deafening out the sounds of the hectic city.
The forest is one of the green lungs of KL and because we were patient enough, we even spotted some of its inhabitants: monkeys!
We spend one evening at the River of Life which is a fantastic place to learn about the colonial era and the history of Malaysia. It is a project to clean up the river Klang which was in a very bad state. This walk took us to the British colonial era with historical buildings at the riverbank. We felt like time travellers once more when the artificial fog created this amazing feeling to dig deeper to history. It’s like a magic veil that carries you to a different time and space. Right before Masjid Jamek which is one of the oldest mosques in KL is a beautiful spring fountain with a light and music show in the evening and that’s a great way to finish the day.
To get a better understanding of the countries’ multiculturalism we booked a little tour which took us to the famous Batu caves on the next day which are an important Hindu temple. We had a great tour guide who gave us further information about the sanctuary which was dedicated to Lord Murugan. Beware of the monkeys which loiter around the beautiful coloured steps and just wait for tourists to feed them! I really had to stay calm, because I knew these cheeky monkeys from Bali J The temple lies within a cave and is truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship, full of vivid colours and astonishing carvings. I was impressed and wondered how it was possible to build this temple within a cave!
We continued our journey to a traditional batik dyeing manufacture where we could see how the traditional art of dyeing exquisite textiles.
Afterwards we continued to one amazing place.
A site, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to visit, was the elephant sanctuary Kualah Gandah. I knew that they helped these animals, but I feared that it might be a tourist attraction where the animals would be put under too much stress. But where could elephants stay, if their natural habitat was taken away from them due to the huge palm oil plantations?
And here it all comes together from what I observed from the way to Malacca. Before we took the decision to visit this sanctuary, I did a lot of research and I found out that this care centre was financed through the Malaysian government to help the elephants. Before we could see these gentle giants, we watched a movie about how difficult and dangerous it is to capture an elephant when they are lost in one of the huge plantations we saw on our way to the capital.
After this movie we could see and feed the animals and we really had the impression that they care for the animals, because only those with severe injuries and disabilities stayed in Kuala Gandah to acclimatize the new ones. The others were transported to live in a wildlife reserve. The only thing I refused was to take a personal picture with one of the calves. The sanctuary is depending on tourist donations, because they get limited financial support from the government. The visit was great to learn about the animals and their environment in Malaysia.
After Kuala Lumpur the stayed a bit longer in Johor Bahru near the border to Singapore. Why? The main purpose of our journey was a Chinese wedding as I mentioned beforehand. During this time, we used the possibility to talk to locals and to learn more about the life in Malaysia. It was also great to get a better access to local traditions and food which you won’t have as tourist.
The trip was truly amazing, because we got so many impressions and could really have authentic experiences with many deeper insights we gained. After all it was not enough time for me, and I wish to return and learn much more. In many ways it was possible to commit to sustainability, even though it was not possible in all areas.
Just a few words to introduce this article which I wrote during one of my voluntary engagements in the past year! It was inspired by a collaboration with a business incubator TheSpace for which I volunteer as coach to support a sustainable travel agency 2Morrow Trip! Enjoy reading!
SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting global lockdown and the travel restrictions are a massive shock to the tourism industry in every nation. It is estimated that tourism arrivals could fall by 20%-30% compared to 2019. Tourism is among the industries that are hit the hardest by the global pandemic [1].
But what exactly can be done in these tough times? This question was asked among our community members in Africa and Europe because we all are passionate travellers and explorers, who are now confined to one location.
Therefore, we started a video project that showcases our whereabouts with our unique perspective, so together we can break out of our daily routine. It is also a chance to develop myself and step out of my comfort zone. Usually, I do not produce videos or stand comfortably in front of a camera.
The idea was to support a friend with his travel startup, but it developed into a video project that is meant to connect people, give them some hope and invite them to travel digitally during the lockdown.
While working on this voluntary project, many thoughts and ideas came up, such as how the current situation could lead to more sustainable tourism after the crisis.
As stated in Sustainable Development Goal No. 12: “Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns: Tourism should develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that create jobs and promote local culture and products [2].”
But with many jobs at risk and global travel restrictions current, support of this goal is difficult. What are we observing now and what could be applied to tourism after the crisis?
Economically:
In all our videos, we see empty places. Some of them are usually full of tourists, others are more rural areas where we can see a quiet and peaceful landscape. Do you ask yourself about the influence mass tourism has on local people and the environment? If you remember your last trip to one of your favourite places, you realized that it is also a popular spot for others. How did it influence your experience? And, did you ever think about the locals who live in such a tourist hot spot? In the time before SARS-CoV-2 we do remember many discussions about mass tourism in popular hot spots and here we see a chance to introduce you to places that are still unknown, but beautiful and rich in culture. Rural destinations, especially, are struggling these days, but raising awareness about them offers a chance for them to be discovered and to attract new visitors after the crisis [3]. In these areas, you will not find a mature infrastructure yet, but starting from nothing offers a fantastic opportunity to build a sustainable infrastructure from the very beginning. This could be a chance, especially for smaller hotels to strongly commit themselves to sustainability to attract new travellers. In times of crisis, there is a rising awareness about sustainability and our interdependence with nature as well. Because of the way many people are losing their jobs now, this might result in a decision-making process that considers the different dimensions of sustainability. It puts us in a position to thoroughly reflect upon this situation. One way or another, the reader must cope with this challenge her- or himself. Consequently, we should also contemplate our travel behaviour [4].
Ecologically:
In terms of the influence tourism has on nature, it is often argued that external costs like CO2 are not considered in the pricing of tourism services, for example, flight tickets [5]. We currently observe a decline in CO2 and other greenhouse gases [6]. The emissions in China, for example, fell 25% at the beginning of the year, which resulted in better air quality in their cities [7]. Besides a reduction in CO2 emissions, it is also observed that fewer vehicles on the road cause less roadkill in the UK [8]. What can we learn from these findings? It is argued that nature should be part of the solution [9]. We may use these learnings to harmonize our actions towards nature and support the SDGs as well. This may result in a more sustainable lifestyle, not just for consumers but also producers and suppliers.
Socially:
Travelling – most of us love discovering the world to get connected with others, learning about diverse cultures and yourself, while being lost in an unknown place. Whatever our reasons are, we are social beings, and nowadays we have to physically distance ourselves. Our video project cannot break this barrier, but it will give you the feeling of staying connected around the globe with like-minded individuals. We should not forget that we are in a comparable situation. We want to keep our hearts and heads up until we can see each other again. We can look forward with the knowledge that our curiosity and an open mindset are the keys to recreate the world more sustainably.
One can conclude that with our project, we would like to engage, commit and be part of the solution for more sustainable tourism.
Do you want to #hopinonline with us? Please reach out too for further information on how to engage in our video project.
For more information, please also read the article from my friend, Krisztina Kapuvári.
A topic I truly care about is sustainable travelling, not only because I got a travel bug from an early age, but because I want to preserve the possibility to explore the world for future generations.At the end of April I did my first AlumniTalk about that topic and I would like to showcase some benefits which a more sustainable travel behaviour is offering to you.The reason why we should care is obvious, so I’ll skip this part for the moment.
• Actions against climate change: Your decision is making a change! Instead of taking a short haul flight, why don’t you take the train? It sometimes provides some unexpected surprises and gives you some time to relax, work or slowdown. Even if you take the decision to book a flight, you may check the possibility of a direct flight and you can also choose to do a CO2 compensation. It is offered by different companies which invest your money in planting trees or help people to use and implement green technology.
• Enjoy travelling in different and surprising ways and change your perspective: It’s strongly connected to a change of your perspective when avoiding the crowds, talk to people and eat some food you never experienced before. You may discover new places and hidden pearls, meet new friends and collect some unforgettable moments.
• Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals: You can actively support the agenda 2030 and help to act in a more sustainable way! Demanding sustainable goods and services helps to create more jobs in sustainable tourism and a wider range of new sustainable services.
• Consciousness and learning: It may take some time to plan your trip or to prepare a bit, but you may understand the local culture maybe a bit better than others. Onsite your destination of choice you can also visit local markets or take some time in a museum to learn about local culture or different ways concepts of living. Whatever you expect and you want to learn from your journey, it will be a fantastic experience or a surprising insight of your own travel behaviour (for example: have you ever asked yourself how much CO2 you produce during a journey?)
What are your sustainable travel experiences?
Thank you very much for reading and happy travelling.
As I read about ‘hygge’ before, I wanted to find out what it is means and why it is so popular.
But where to start?
Copenhagen as Denmark’s green and innovative capital is a great destination, especially when you’re interested in sustainability and green cities, like me. So this was supposed to be a city trip like no other and a perfect place to learn about ‘hygge’!
If you truly want to be a sustainable traveller, try to do it like a local.
So let’s start our journey, of cause with sustainable transportation!
The city can be easily reached by train from Germany via Hamburg.
We booked two Interrail tickets which included three rides, no matter how many trains you take on these three days. This was quite advantageous as you’ll see later.
This city trip was a bit different from the ones we or I usually do as we destressed a little bit and didn’t structure the days with too much sightseeing, because we wanted to find out what the above mentioned ‘hygge’ means and because personally, it was my first trip to Denmark.
When we researched a sustainable accommodation we found a hotel named “Kong Arthur” that supported 4 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and sourced local and organic food. That sounded perfect to me, because I strongly support these Goals “SDGs” with my voluntary engagement. The hotel used local produced hygienic articles and promoted bike rentals and electric cars. We didn’t rent anything, because we explored the city per pedes 😉 The hotels offers a daily “cozy hour” providing free drinks and the possibility to talk to other hotels guests and have a good time. It was a good possibility to get in contact to people, starting nice conversations and break out of your anonymity. We used it every day, to plan the other days and we also talked to a friendly couple from Ireland. I also liked the benches in the window frames, we also had the same possibility in our hotel room and it was really comfortable and nice to relax.
We were located near the market halls “Torvehallerne” which offers a great variety of local, organic and Danish food. If you don’t know what to try first, have a closer look at the great food and try it bit by bit. Personally, I loved the hot and warming porridge during the cold winter days and the many varieties of Smørrebrød.
We took many strolls across all different districts of the city and discovered many amazing quarters.
One of them was the Freetown Christiana which is an interesting insight in an alternative lifestyle. We were walking around this area and discovered one of the giant wooden sculptures “Green George” of the artist Thomas Dambo. His statues are located in and around Copenhagen, made up from upcycled materials to raise awareness about sustainable consumption patterns! I was really impressed by this detailed work of art which somehow created an atmosphere of warmth and positivity.
We also visited one of Europe’s oldest amusement park “Tivoli”. Until the 6th of January it is still possible to enjoy a beautiful winter wonderland with an amazing Christmas decoration which created my personal ‘hygge’ moment. The park sparkles from all edges with amazing Christmas trees, markets and for those who are adventurous enough thrilling rides are awaiting you. This day it was quite cold, so we just enjoyed the fantastic and magical atmosphere and took a longer tea time to warm up.
Beautiful illumination in Copenhagen’s Tivoli
Before the old year ended we used our additional Interrail ride to visit Malmö in Sweden. Having a stroll throughout the old city, had a closer look at some hidden galleries and bought some local gifts. As I bought some “lakrids” for me, some friends demanded “Surströmming” which is a fermented herring. If your friends will ever request this dish please note that it is recommended to eat it outside of your flat 😉
Back in Copenhagen we were heading towards New Year and if you want to celebrate like the Danish people you’ll start your evening with a fine dinner menu on 31th of December. I have to admit that we already booked the menu one month in advance to ensure that we avoid the stress finding a free table. It turned out to be the right decision, because our dishes were fantastic. We booked our table at Madklubben in Vesterbrö together with many locals. The dinner was over around 11pm so we still had enough time to find a place watching the fireworks!
And being a sustainable traveller means to adapt to local traditions, so we jumped into 2020! The fireworks were amazing and noisier than those I watched before. What a start into 2020!
We spend the last days of your city trip to explore the Meatpacking District which was built in the 30ies of the last century to ensure a hygienic meet delivery for Copenhagen’s inhabitants. Nowadays, you will find galleries, different restaurants and local produced delicacies as well. It’s a great example of a reuse and transition of old buildings. And maybe this brings you to the questions how old buildings are transforming in your city or area? I guess it’s a very interesting process to see changes towards a more sustainable city and maybe to shape a more sustainable future yourself.
Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to join the sustainable city tour which is on my to-do-list for the next Copenhagen visit.
If there’s a goddess of food, I guess it’s it’s located in Copenhagen right now as we had really amazing and yet unknown flavours such as the cauliflower steak with miso!
To summarize this trip: Even though we prepared a little bit and did sightseeing Copenhagen is a great city to slowdown and people seemed to be very relaxed! If you want to learn about ‘hygge’, have great food and innovative architecture around you with history you want to learn more about, you’ll enjoy a fantastic city trip!
The main purpose of this journey was the participation of a conference I attended due to my voluntary engagement, but we just decided to make a 3 country-train-trip during spring time out of it. All the other destinations were quite close and two capitals in one trip seemed to be a good idea.
I travelled together with my partner, therefore I will write in plural 🙂
We decided to break out of our usual travel routine by planning the trip by train and other public transportation onsite and because “break out of your routine” was the former and inspiring title of the AIESEC Alumni Theme program, I was and I’m still involved.
Blansko and Brno
The first station was Blansko in Czech Republic where our AIESEC Alumni Conference took place.
The plan was to take the first train in Cologne and then the overnight train to Vienna at Mainz. And that was also a travel premier to us, because usually we don’t book the sleep wagon.
The first part of the trip started with some delays, because there were many construction sites around Cologne and Bonn and we missed our booked Austrian overnight train. After a weird and too long trip we arrived at Blansko via Vienna nearly 22 hours after our departure, but if you can enjoy a fantastic view over the South Moravian landscape you just forget your stress within seconds! The hotel offered great local food and the conference was an amazing opportunity to meet old and new friends and also to talk about sustainability related topics. Personally, it was also very special to me, because I got the chance to hold an AlumniTalk about sustainable traveling.
The conference included a trip to the Macocha Gorge which means “Stepmother Gorge”. This gorge is named after the legend of a jealous stepmother who pushed her stepson into it. The young man was rescued by nearby villagers and after they realized what the stepmother has done, she was thrown into the gorge.
Blansko and the Macocha Gorge
After a walk through the woods and some fresh air we had a guided tour through the gorge with its amazing stalagmites and stalactites including a small boat trip, because the gorge possesses an underground lake you can only discover with a boat.
After the conference, we took the train to Brno. It it’s the second largest city in Czech Republic and has a lovely old city to discover. If you’re interested in old churches and architecture, have a look at “Petra a Pavla” (St. Peter-and-Paul cathedral) which you won’t miss. We strolled through the city and when we entered the cathedral, a gospel choir was rehearsing. The sound was truly amazing and the mood was somehow spiritual. Maybe you’re lucky enough to hear some musicians as well?
In the old city with its great historical building and galleries you will find a lot of spots where you can enjoy some typical Czech food like knedlíky (“Dumpling”) with pivo (“Beer”) or if you don’t drink alcohol try “Kofola” (Czech cola) or Vinea (Czech lemonade). After this trip a got a Kofola addict!
Brno City
Somewhere in Brno
Bratislava
We stayed only one night in Brno and continued our journey to Bratislava!
I really fell in love with the Slovakian capital! The medieval old city is a wonderful spot and especially in springtime it’s even lovelier, when you sit outside, have some good Slovakian food or something to drink and observe the vivid spaces around you. I really loved to take a walk near the Danube River, take a moment and observe the waves and the people from the river boats. Across the city we saw a lot of statues like the famous Cumil. We had some fun as we started to have a little scavenger hunt looking for the many statues which are hidden across the city. After we discovered the Hans Christian Anderson statue at the Hviezdoslavovo námestie square, we also saw an ice cream bar. What a nice opportunity to enjoy some during this lovely spring day! Ok, we passed by as we saw the long queue of probably tourists. But believe me, there are many opportunities to buy some delicious sweets like the local Deva chocolate (thank you Kati for this recommendationJ). We stayed for two nights and bought a city card to get access to some of the interesting museums and a walking city tour. Throughout the city you will find a lot of cafés, local restaurants and nice shops with local produced commodities.
During daytime the city is quite crowded with other tourists, but in the evening most of the daytime visitors already left the city and the charming atmosphere will really impress you. I really felt like a time traveller: historical buildings, small hallways the dim light and the smell of the local dishes from the restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, across the city there are many modern cafés like the Urban House with “Blue Latte” and restaurants with traditional dishes. I really liked the Bryndzové halušky (small potatoe dumplings with local cheese). If you have the city card and I can strongly recommend it to you there a plenty of opportunities to learn more about the cities rich history and the connection to Hungary, because Bratislava was once the capital of the Hungarian Empire. Even Maria-Theresia had her coronation in the St. Martins-Cathedral. If you want to visit the many interesting churches, you really should check the opening hours in advance, because they can vary and we missed some of them. Bratislava is great in terms of planning a sustainable trip, because you walk the city quite easily. You can reach Bratislava by train via Vienna or during summer time you can also take the water taxi (which we will probably try next time :)).
vienna
After our stay in Bratislava we continued our journey to Vienna. While researching about sustainable accommodations we had quite good hotels, but most of them didn’t offer or communicated about sustainable arrangements. As we really try to travel as sustainable as possible we were happy that we found a really good sustainable and locally run boutique hotel “Stadthalle Vienna”. We had a fantastic and organic breakfast which I enjoyed very much. The hotel also had a lovely and green inner courtyard and is a zero-energy-hotel which means that they produce the amount of energy they really need. They also provide a lavender garden to provide food for bees. You can also buy the lavender honey onsite, if you’re interested. The plants help to improve the energy efficiency of the hotel as well, because they are naturally cooling down the building. Feeling great and contributing to sustainability!
Inner courtyard of our hotel in Vienna
And also in Vienna we bought a city card to get easily access to the local public transport and to visit the Leopold museum which offers a lot of oeuvre from Egon Schiele and other well-known Austrian expressionists. Springtime in Vienna is really a must! You can discover the beautiful city and the romantic atmosphere in the gardens of Castle Schönbrunn and Belvedere! A place of lush green and relaxation at the “Palmenhaus” near Schönbrunn Castle. The Viennese kitchen also offers so many tasty food from the world famous “Sacher Torte” you really should try to other dishes.
All famous journeys end and the last step it was the overnight train from Vienna back to Germany.
We can travel abroad to discover the beauty of the world or we can start right in front of our door steps. Good stuff can be so close, especially if you want to become a sustainable traveller.
Therefore, let me invite you to one of my favourite places that I have discovered from many perspectives and lately especially from a more sustainable one.
Ruhr-area
The Ruhr-area is home to more than 5 million people living in 53 different cities and it is shaped by its industrial history. Ok, but why can it be discovered in a more sustainable way?
Its history is a key to the current sustainable transition that is still going on and with it many projects came into live. Ruhrarea is a former industrial region which attracted people from many regions and countries. The main industries were coal and steel and many famous companies like Thyssen Krupp still have their headquarter in the area. The work was physically very hard. The former industrial factories are nowadays cathedrals of industrial design and locations of art and culture. The nature was reshaped, because masses of excavation material was shifted to dig deep below the surface. Chemicals entered the soil, the air was breath and the so called “dust lung” was a common desease among coal miners. But of course, coal mining isn’t sustainable anymore and the region went through heavy transformational processes. This is especially interesting in terms of sustainability and gives us a great example.
Let me show you around some of my personal favourite places I love to visit in terms of sustainability. The below describes places can easily be reached by public transportation. Ruhrarea provides a dense network and many opportunities to reduce your CO2-footprint.
Bottrop and halde (Slagheap) Haniel
Let’s start in Bottrop which is called the InnovationCity Ruhr. Bottrop is a typical city of this region in which the last of coal mine was closed end of 2018. Many projects were run to make the city more sustainable and ready for the future. One of my favourite places is one of the slag heaps. These artificial hills were created from the excavation material of the coal mine “Haniel”. Probably you imagine a grey and stony hill, right? Sorry, to surprise you. Nature came back! When I was a small girl I played quite often down the slag heap and watched little frogs which you can observe in the area. It’s a beautiful green spot where you can enjoy a little hiking or mountain bike tour. Usually, I go hiking and enjoy the scent of wild roses and the lush green in spring or summer time. Some interesting facts are that Pope John Paul II visited slag heap in 1987. When you take the way starting at the settlement of “Kleekamp”-street you will follow the track to the top which will give you further insights about the history of this place. Some of the old work equipments lurk beside the way and provide you with an idea about hard work and the fine work of engineers who created amazing machines for the hard work down the earth. The top of the slag heap offers a fantastic view above the Ruhr area. But stop… the way doesn’t end at the plateau where you will find the cross. If you wanna have an idea how transformative the region truly is… just go beyond (your imagination). Follow the path to the place where the vegetation nearly ends and the scenery changes to grey. If you wanna have an idea how the moon might look just go to the open air theatre and to the art installation of the Basque artist Agustín Ibarrola. The amphitheatre is also a place for art and culture, because famous plays like Aida where performed here. What do you think? Do you feel a place where nature and the creative mind are connected? Stay there for a while and enjoy the beautiful view. This place is very special to me, because it shows how nature is conquering back almost shabby places and turns it into a place of recreation and art. It’s even surreal to see the top with the art installation and the amphitheatre, because the scenery changes so much that you have the impression to be somewhere else.
On the top of a slag heap
Old Coal Mine
Old wagon from a coal mine
Looks a bit like the moon
Art Installation
Ibarrola’s art
A surreal landscape and a different perspective
Bochum
Another city I really like and visit from time to time is Bochum, because it’s a nice example for sustainable urban areas where people push forward a sustainable lifestlye. You really can observe that sustainable transition is in the mind and heart of Bochum’s inhabitants. You’ll find many sustainable shops and cafés. I really like to see “Bioku” from time to time which is located in Bochum Hamme close to the city centre. It’s not even a typical zero-waste store, but they also offer sustainable workshops. I already joined one last year and it was a good one to focus on my own sustainable journey, because I find it still very hard to avoid plastic. Check out their homepage for further events! What I really like about the shop are the variety of products and the staff really knows a lot about its origin and give support if you’re looking for special items. On top they offer co-working spaces and are much more than a usual zero waste store. If you need you are a sweet tooth and love ice cream Bochum offers, in my humble opinion, a great place for ice cream lovers. But this time, I’ll focus only on one store, otherwise I should write a separate article 🙂 If you start at Bioku one special ice cream store isn’t that far. Just go to Kugelpudel which is an ice cream bar and a great place for those who like plant-based food, because this special place offers a rich variety of vegan ice cream and cakes. Usually, I try the ice cream and I really love it! It tastes very natural and is so yummy.
If you go to the city and are in the mood for shopping I strongly recommend to go to Kong Island. It’s a small vegan fashion store with sustainable and cruelty free fashion. Personally, I also buy some of my clothing there, because the owner and the staff really know a lot about the supply chains, the origin and the material of the clothes. If you need glamour and a looking for a special dress go to Baltz next door which is one of the most famous department stores in the whole area and a nearly 200 years old history. At the highest level of the store is a nice café which offers a great view above the city and delicious cakes (try the famous strawberry cake in summer time ;)).
Enough of shopping and in the mood for some historical facts? If you want to know more about the history of Ruhr Area, I recommend you the “Deutsches Bergbau Museum”! The museum was renovated and I visited it before the renovation. But what’s really amazing is a tunnel for visitors that shows you the huge machines which were used during the days when coal mines were still operating. That’s really impressing and a must see for those who are interested in technology and engineering. You get quite interesting insights about this industry which strongly influenced Bochum and the other cities in Ruhr area. One famous sight is the old shaft tower which can be visited as well. High above the sky you can enjoy an astonishing view around Bochum and maybe you can also discover other sights of Ruhrarea!
At the end of the day you can enjoy one of the most popular areas for dinning and nightlife: the Bermuda Triangle! You’ll find many bars and restaurants here. Just have a look and maybe enjoy a fresh beer from the local Fiege brewery!
Glück auf and stay green!
If you like this article just follow me for more sustainable travel inspiration 🙂
Conscious Travelista 