Keeping with the biblical analogies, I think I’ve found the modern day sin pool. But all in well order. The day started nice and sunny. In the air-conned breakfast hall, everybody was keeping to the shadowy side of the room. It was 30+ at eight in the morning. At around 9, my dive guide for the day, Moshe, picked me up and took me to the dive centre to gear up.

Turkish Airlines have a cool feature that allows customer to book multi-destinations flights to rates similar to those of return flights. Or in other words, Bremen - Tel Aviv - Stuttgart costs about the same as a return flight from Stuttgart. That’s one train ticket saved. Turkish’s reputation is rather solid and I had heard no complaints so far. Boarding in Bremen was pretty much on time, albeit a little unorganised.

This “through the desert” is historically a big thing around here. But don’t know about the details, not very firm on my bible studies. My trip started at the central bus station in Jerusalem and led straight through the hills of Jerusalem into the desert. The area is not exactly hospitable but in the beginning isn’t devoid of a certain beauty. That wears off after the first 2-3 hours though.

How often do you get the chance to see a street-racing event up close? For me the answer is: not very often and thus I was keen to watch the annual event in my hometown. It’s certainly not for everyone but if you happen to have an interest in motorcycles, racing AND photography, it’s plain awesome. The whole event has a laid-back spirit and the paddock is open to visitors. Actually if one wants to walk from A to B during the event, it’s pretty much inevitable to walk through at least one paddock.

Thanks to (another) strike of Deutsche Bahn train drivers, I ended up on a different connection on my trip to the north. Took only 1.5 hours longer and provided some nice views along the river Rhine valley. Small cities, vineyards and a castle every kilometre or so. Definitely one of the most scenic rides I had in Germany.

Best thing about Stuttgart Volksfest is the closing fireworks. The river was very quiet with hardly any wind going. Made for some interesting shots.

It’s been a while now since Deutsche Bahn’s monopoly on long distance transport was chopped down and the emerging bus market has shaken things up considerably. Bus operators are massively undercutting the train fares and are often charging around a quarter of what a regular train ticket costs. With my train discount card expired (no need to renew it for a year if I’m leaving in two months) I decided to give the cheap bus option a try for a short trip to Karlsruhe.

An interesting read I stumbled across in the Huffington Post (orginaly from this link). “A palliative nurse recorded the most common regrets of the dying […]” 1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. “This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.

 

187m high, €6,50 admission, 15 minute walk from the main station… more info