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Where is it exactly:
Located in the province of Gelderland at 51° 58′ 0″ North, 5° 40′ 0″ East

How do you get there:
If you are coming by plane to the Netherlands, and preferably arriving at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam follow these simple directions: When at the airport just go to the main hall and you will see the ticket selling machines where you can buy a ticket to Ede – Wageningen; if you have any problems go to the office right in front of the machines. When leave the train at Utrecht Centraal and take the connecting train to Arnhem, remember to get out in Ede. You will see the buses parked in front of the small train station, take the number 88 – it will get you to Wageningen central bus station (the last stop).  At any moment you can ask, friendly people will help you if you feel lost (everyone has very good English skills). You are now at the center of Wageningen!

Why is it so special for you:
One of my most important life-long dreams was to study in Europe; no place is better than this small country (in my personal opinion) and the nice rhythm of student life in Wageningen is ideal for this part of my life. For a long time I wanted to be here, this is why every day is unique. Here I learned to treasure everything in my life.

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Name of place:
Cape Coast

Where is it exactly:
Ghana. 05°06′00″N 01°15′00″W

How do you get there:
I arrived here in Cape Coast on a Tro-Tro from Accra after a 10 hour coach trip from a remote village in Kasapin, Brong Ahafo region.

Why is it so special for you:
I have never felt so emotionally cleansed by reaching this breath taking Coast of West Africa. Waves broke on the shore and the sea air pushed its way through one ear and out the other with minimal effort.

I Breathe.

Cape Coast is home to a World Heritage Site – Elmina Castle, a site which is origin to the slave trade. Equally jaw dropping yet mornfully sorrowful. You can a heightened sense of humanity.

I Choke.

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Name of place:
‘Mount Skopos’

Where is it exactly:
On the Isle of Zakynthos (Greece): 37°44′37.79″N, 20°56′1.34″E

How do you get there:
This day (as the picture was taken) I got there by car because of heavy rainfall. If you go by foot you can follow a lot of  goat tracks through olive groves, leading to the top. Another possibility is to take the quarry road from Argassi…

Why is it so special to you:
This is a mystic place of silence especially out of season. Most of the tourists prefer to spend their time on the beach, maybe getting an eyeful from the bottom to the top of the mountain. If the weather is on your side, you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the entire island.

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Note: This is a post for the category: Nowhere / Now here world

Name of Place:
Mt. Egg; (originally: Eierberg)

Where is it exactly:
Within the woods in the south of Holzdorf, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany; to be exact: 51°46′20.00″N, 13° 7′30.31″E

How do you get there:
Usually by foot. If you are lucky you’ll be introduced; otherwise use the coordinates above;

Why is it so special to you:
This spot seemingly exists only one day a year for the rite of rolling eggs. A mythical place.

Some years ago my wife introduced me in the Easter rites of her hometown, a 1400 inhabitants village within the rural areas of Germany, far away from any obvious attraction or distraction.

Off the beaten tracks in this very… … very flat region, a grassy hill rising in the middle of the woods: The so called Eierberg (Mt. Egg); about 8m in elevation. On Easter Sunday the hill turns into a place of scrimmage. The whole village meets up there for downhill egg races and socializing.

In the evening the spot vanishes again with the crowd for a further year.

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Name of Place:
AlexanderPlatz – Frankfurter Alle – Lichtenberg – Samariterstrasse – Tierpark – Frankfurter Tor – Weberwiese

Where is it exactly:
Berlin Ubahn Stations – U5 Hönow

How do you get there:
Take ubahn in Alexander Platz station. – U5 Hönow way

Why is it so special to you:
First time in Berlin. Waiting for a  friend´s house in Samariterstrasse, had to wait at 10 p.m.

So i get ubahn to waste time, empty stations, each one was a universe. i remembered calvino´s  ”Las ciudades Invisibles”

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Name of Place:
Strange place along the Holzmarkt Strasse

Where is it exactly:
It’s near Stralauer Platz

How do you get there:
5 min from the Ostbahnhof, you just have to cross the street and you are on Stralauer Platz, running fast on the bike and then hit the berlin wall.

Why is it so special to you:
We spot this place we where cycling through west Berlin, as always with my wife, dog and two sons – Franek and Bruno. We were trying to find some playground for them, but near the west bahnhof I cought a tire in my bike and had a small bicycle crash with my wife, and dog, and kids, it looks like i had hit my head with the berlin wall, but nothing really happened, my older sun came to me and noticed that unfortunatly it looks like it is night already, and that we have to go back, and i thought it was no later than 11 – 12 am – because we started our trip around 10 am, I mean the times sometimes runs fast, but what can we do? so we left our bikes near the Ostbahnhof, crossed the street and seen things i have never seen in my lifetime, carousels, running horses, trees, clowns and candies all over the place, i thought i was in some kind of a day-dream or a night-dream because it was completely dark, a disco fever was in the air, i met my teachers from primary school dancing ukulele, and a little man pretending he was a 146 year old gnom.

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Name of Place:
Bosphorus Bridge

Where is it exactly:
Ortaköy (Europe) / Beylerbeyi (Asia), Istanbul, Turkey

How do you get there:
By car, bus, boat, feet – depending on travel method chosen, your first impression of the bridge will vary quite a lot

Why is it so special to you:
Three years ago in November I’ve been to Istanbul together with a photography/illustration class. Before arriving it came to my mind that doing a photography project on the watersides of the Bosphorus might be a nice idea. I loved the geographical situation: the view to another continent, which is just a few minutes away by bus. It would also be the first time my feet hit asian ground. It would be a fine challenge to find a way to represent this connection between Europe and Asia in its whole beauty and monumentality.

As it turned out it wasn’t that easy to find a way to the waterside on the european side as a stranger: there are a lot of private buildings, huge walls and places, where you just should not build up your tripod and make photographs. Two times I thought I had a good point of view, the turkish armed military police forced me to stop taking pictures of the bridge due to “security worries”. Another time I got my way through a building to the waterside but I had to leave my camera equipment at the entrance. It was absurd, frustrating and funny in a special way – sort of a treasure hunt: everytime you come closer to your goal, somebody stops you and says “no, not this way, try somewhere else!”

After three days of walking and searching for the perfect view on the european side, I drove by bus to the asian side. Here I finally found what I was looking for: near the Beylerbeyi Palace there is a little canal which flows into the Bosphorus. I’ve managed to climb down there, build up my tripod in the water and finally was able to create the picture which I’ve had in my mind the whole time.

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Name of place:
amrum & sylt

Where is it exactly:
north frisia

How do you get there:
by ferry from dagebuell/schleswig holstein

Why is it so special for you:
these islands are tranquil and pleasant in the off season. the nature is wild and harsh and the light is changing quickly. some beaches are very wide, the strong wind makes you feel like in a desert.

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Name of place:
listening station teufelsberg

Where is it exactly:
berlin/grunewald

How do you get there:
15 minutes from s-bahn heerstrasse

Why is it so special for you:
on the top of the teufelsberg hidden in a forest at the end of a winding road stands the monumental ear of the former NSA (US national security agency). 1957 it was erected to listen the soviet and east german military traffic. now it’s an abandoned, dangerous playground for different people. there is an magnificent view from the towers over the jungle of berlin. in the sphere of the highest tower the acoustic is incredible like in a cathedral.

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Name of place:
Ernst-Thaelmann-Park 

Where is it exactly:
Prenzlauer Berg 

How do you get there:
Best to reach with the “S-Bahn“ (City Train) through stations Prenzlauer Allee or Greifswalder Straße. Or you take the trams M2, M4 or M10.

Why is it so special for you:
This place was errected during the former East Germany (DDR) times as “Wohnpark“ (residential park) at Prenzlauer Berg. It is not beautiful there really, but very unique. A kind of abandoned island in the middle of Berlin. With these pictures I was dealing with my own memories of my childhood in industrialized apartment blocks (Plattenbauten) and the emptiness of this place as it is today. 
For everyone who likes slightly spooky areas and wants to enjoy nature as well, the Ernst-Thaelmann-Park for sure will be an interesting trip. Besides you will find there a huge memorial of Ernst Thaelmann, who was an acclaimed hero of the communists at DDR times.

Christine Bachmann is a photographer from Berlin.
Visit her poetic website at www.christinebachmann.de
 

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Name of place:
Michelberger, it is an hotel

Where is it exactly:
It is located in hyper Friedrichshain district

How do you get there:
Get the undeground (u-bahn) till Kreuzburg, it’s in Warshauer Strasse 39/40, follow the map and you won’t get lost http://www.michelbergerhotel.com/#/de/contact

Why is it so special for you:
I went there for a cool party, before it became a cool hotel. It is young, cheap and friendly  ‘119 Rooms in an old factory building, built for Austrian carpenters, Swedish models, English rockstars, Japanese business men, German racing car drivers…’. I simply love it!

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Name of place:
Bregenz Harbour

Where is it exactly:
Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state  of Austria.

How do you get there:
The place can be found right at the end of the lakeside promenade, at the right hand side. It actually ends in the water and is very close to the harbour.

Why is it so special for you:
I stayed at Bregenz for 4 weeks to work at the theatre. I had the best time ever in Bregenz and this was not only because of my colleagues and the gorgeous play we did: In Bregenz I saw the most wonderful and loveable person in the world for the first time. He drove over 800 kilometres across Germany to meet me in bregenz and to watch me acting. Although we’ve  just skyped and phoned before Bregenz we fell in love with each other  and we couldn’t wait to meet each other in ‘real life’. When he got off the train and we huged and smelled each other  for the first time, we knew that it matches. How priceless a hug can be if you weren’t able to do that for weeks! He stayed for 10 days and every day was just undescribable and we never talked about it, but we knew that it was love at first sight. We just knew it.

After my rehearsals  we used to walk along the promenade and enjoy our leisure time. At the same time there was a funfair and loads of people strolled around the promenade. This is why we found the place, because it was oh so quiet and peaceful. The only thing we’ve heard was the water swashing at the stones and far far away the cheering voices of the funfair crowd. It became OUR PLACE during our time in Bregenz. We went there nearly every day and talked for hours.  Unfortunately he had to go back to Germany after ten days and I had to stay in Bregenz because of my work. It was a sad, heartbreaking good-bye. We didn’t know If we’ll see each other again, but we knew that we would  never forget our special harbour-place!

PS: 2 months later he moved from Germany to Vienna, 1000kms away from his friends&family. He moved there because of me. And our first impression didn’t fool us: Now we are living together for 3 years.

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Name of place:
Stourbridge, West Midlands.

Where is it exactly:
20 minutes West of Birmingham, UK.

How do you get there:
Depends where you come from.

Why is it so special for you:
It is my hometown

Greenlands is an exploration into English rural town life. Since moving back to Stourbridge I have been struck by the lack of a sense of community. The concept of community no longer has geographic limitations, as people can now gather virtually in online communities and share common interests regardless of physical location. Borrowing a cup of sugar from a friendly neighbour is sadly becoming a thing of the past.

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Name of place:
Alexanderplatz or „Alex“ as people from Berlin call it

Where is it exactly:
Alexanderplatz is a huge place in the center of “Mitte“, a district in the East of Berlin. It is famous for its huge “Fernsehturm” (television tower), as shown in the image. That’s why you can’t miss it.

How do you get there:
As a big transport hub of East Berlin, you can go there with many different transportations. The underground U2, U5, U8, a lot of tramways, city- and regional trains and busses are passing by.
 
Why is it so special for you:
When I came to Berlin for the first time ever – in Summer 2005 – the first sight my friend and I visited was Alexanderplatz. I remember it was a very hot and sunny day and a lot of sweaty tourists were hanging around there. As we walked around to have a look at the world time clock and the television tower, dark clouds appeared and where therateningly coming closer and closer. I was a bit worried … 
My friend just made a gesture not to worry when in the same moment the rain started bucketing down on us like a huge waterfall! It was unbelievable – I never experienced soemthing like that before! It came so fast that we couldn’t even find shelter. We were completely drenched. The cloudburst vanished nearly as fast as it appeared. After 10 minutes it was blue sky again. Like two competitors of a “Wet-T-Shirt Contest“ we continued our sightseeing tour in Berlin ;) 
(I took the pictures shortly before the buckets were emptied out on us.)

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Name of place:
Malham Cove

Where is it exactly:
Malham, North Yorkshire, England

How do you get there:
I arrived here after a sparradic urge to move. Walking boots in hand after a trip to the local shopping mall-place-thing, I took a ling drive up to Malham. I got out of the car and kept going. Walking alone, meeting some birds, a few cows, sheep, trees, air and the voices of strangers explaining to even smaller strangers that the rock formation we were all stood on could possibly be giant’s teeth.

Why is it so special for you:
There is a fresh water source at the bottom of the cove, with a tree which people hit copper coins into and make a wish. Here’s to wishing.

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Name of the place:
Milano

Where is it exactly:
In the lombardy region in northern Italy

How do you get there:
Drive, fly or take a train … all depends where you’re coming from

Why is it so special for me:
It’s the first european city where i lived on my own, starting what i would say a life long passion and fascination with european cities … their little cobbled stoned streets, their cafes & museums … walking and exploring and seeing myself in my mind’s eye against this backdrop somehow always felt right to me, and it started in milano an industrial somewhat bleak italian city that  grew on me … the last time i visited it, milano was beautiful and wistful in her natural autumnal habit.

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Name of place:
Le ruisseau (The brook in French)

Where is it exactly:
It is located down the small valley where I spent my childhood. You can’t see it from the house as it is hidden by vegetation. It’s often dry in summer as we are not far from Provence (particularly dry region of France in summer). But this year, thanks to last winter heavy snow, it was still flowing.

How do you get there:
I usually take a bike to get down there, or walk. It takes me 10 to 15 minutes on gravel roads.

Why is it so special for you:
As a child, I wanted to become an archeologist or a geologist. I spent entire afternoons roaming the marl hills around my home my eyes riveted on the ground looking for quartz, ammonites and other fossils or roman relics. This brook is the place where I found the most beautiful quartz, some incredibly pure. I extracted them from their septaria with a hammer and then put them in a special box. They were my treasures. I would often take a peep at them, touch them, compare them. They are now sleeping somewhere in my old toy box. One day I will bring them back to the brook and let them be part of the flow again.

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Name of place:
Camping place

Where is it exactly:
In Kokkola, west coast of Finland. Address is Meritie 10, Kokkola Finland :)

How do you get there:
From the trainstation you just head left until you get to a intersection and turn right to Kustaa Aadolfinkatu. Stay on this street and head straight on there; should be 3 intersections with traffic lights … after the third lights, you keep going straight and you will see the camping area on your right. it is about 3,5km from the trainstation.

Why is it so special for you:
This place is a camping area here in Kokkola. You can rent a place for a tent or a cottage here. There is a skate place too and you can go for a little cruise on the sea. You can also play beachvolley, frisbee golf, football or just sit down and get wasted like we do here in Finland. There is usually a Rock Festival called Kokkola Rock at the end of the summer… cool event :)

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Where is it exactly:
Aemtlerstrasse 151, 8003 Zürich

How do you get there:
Bus Nr. 33 stops in front of the cemetery entrance

Why is it so special for you:
When I was living in Zurich, the cemetery became my sunday promenade space.
I used to meet a very good friend there and together we would wander through the narrow paths reading the names on the stones and figuring out the persons behind them and their past lives.
Impressed by the opulence of some gravestones and touched by the gravesite decorations, we got lost in this silence, in the middle of town.

Beware not to get lost too much! You’ll find yourself caged within the premises of the cemetery, and suddenly the silence loses its calming effect …

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