Apuseni National Park - Romania - 2018

On business my way led me again and again to Romania to the city of Cluj. My Romanian colleagues told me a lot about their beautiful home country and showed me some nice places near Cluj. This was a very nice opportunity to get to know the country and its people a little bit better. On my bicycle trip to the Black Sea in 2015 I could get to know Romania along the Danube. So my interest was finally awakened to visit one of the many national parks there. Because I was already familiar with the area around Cluj, it was obvious to visit the Apuseni National Park in the Apuseni Mountains near Cluj. A colleague had told me a lot about this beautiful area in which he grew up and thus awakened my wanderlust. I was also able to awaken this wanderlust in Pascal, my longtime hiking friend. With him I was able to experience numerous beautiful and extensive hikes. For me, he is as much a part of hiking as shoes, rucksack, sleeping bag and mattress -- in short, it's not possible without him!

So on August 19th we went on a 10-day hiking tour together.

We started in Bologa at the northern end of the national park. From there we went through the most beautiful areas of the Apuseni National Park with its many caves and extensive forests. Our final destination was Garda de Sus at the southern end. From there we took the bus to the city of Turda and visited the salt works of Turda. I have never seen such a big man-made building before. The city church of Leonberg would fit there completely. Probably even the cathedral of Ulm. In the past, the workers chiseled everything out of the mountain by hand to extract salt. On September 1st we are back in Cluj. We still have two days to see the city before our flight to Frankfurt starts.

I hope you enjoy reading the travelogue and the pictures.

New Zealand - Round trip 2011

What caused me to do the trip to New Zealand, I can not say so very precisely today. But it was certainly the desire to visit this gem at the other end of the world and to get to know more. For one still comes there at half-tolerable prices. I do not know how airfare will develop in the future.

This roundtrip in New Zealand I did with my fellow student Daniel. That was a really good idea. I had told at a study meeting that I would travel to New Zealand in November and Daniel had simply asked me if we should get there together. So it has then also fit. He took a lot of things from me to prepare. The walks we have picked out together. Sure, we could have stayed there for several months and still had found hiking trails that would have been interesting. But we had to limit ourselves. There was a long discussion about the Milford Sound. This is the Touri Highlight par excellence. But just there it is very much overflowed. On top of that, you have to book months, if not even years in advance, on almost all known trails to get a place in the cabins. This has already deterred us a little.

In hindsight I have to say that we have made a lot of wonderful walks. Whether the Milford Sound would have been so much better, of course I can not say. It is definitely worth to walk the lesser known trails.

New Zealand is already a very special country. It is somehow already like "Europe in small". Nature offers all facets, from sea to mountains, in relatively small space. This makes it so special. Especially the warmth of the people there. Everywhere the people greeted kindly. The small talk along the hiking trails was first something that was completely foreign to me. But more and more I've won these short stops for a little chat. At home, I miss this openness very much. One goes in Auckland: "No problem, I must go in the same direction. Just come along! But tell me where do you come from ...? "

Traveling by bus is no problem at all. Even though Daniel and I were surprised at the strange system of "hour quotas". Why not calculate by kilometers? The buses were almost always very punctual. Even the shuttles that take you to the backmost corner of the New Zealand bush are reliable. Everything here in New Zealand really "very British" ...

A very sad experience was the massive destruction in Christchurch by the earthquake that had occurred there just a few months before our arrival. But Kiwi-style does not leave you with such a thing. I wish the kiwis to be spared from further severe earthquakes and that they will in no case lose their optimism (one of the essential traits of kiwis!).

A return flight without a stopover in Australia I would not do anymore. The flight time from New Zealand to Germany is just too long. In addition, Australia is definitely worth a trip. Better take a few days more holidays or shorten the time in New Zealand!

Oh yes: arrive in Germany on a Sunday evening and go to work on Mondays: Not a good idea ...

P.S. My special thanks go to my colleague Daniel, for providing the pictures for this report!

Traumpfad Munich - Venice - 2009

When Pascal and I in the spring of 2009 told our friends and acquaintances that we want to walk from Munich to Venice, we reaped the most from only misunderstandings and head shaking. These are probably the standard reactions of German couch tomatoes when it comes to such projects. There is nothing wrong with such a hike at all.

Blood licked Pascal and I in 2008, when we could put a long-cherished wish into action: The Westweg to wander. This is the path that starts almost in front of our door in Pforzheim and goes over the beautiful heights of the Black Forest to Basel. After this hike, Pascal and I agreed that definitely a bigger hike would have to follow. And as so often, great ideas usually come after one or two beers. In the winter we have both matured this idea and decided in spring to move from Munich to Venice.

The hiking guide of Ludwig Graßler was a great reading to dream of long hikes on the sofa from the great hike across the Alps. The spring we have consistently used to improve our equipment. With the ALDI Matomat Discounter sleeping bag and the Interrail backpack, we have not had any good experiences on the Western route. In order to test our new equipment, we have undertaken some "test hikes" on the Swabian Alb and around Lake Constance. So we gained experience and increased our fitness accordingly.

So we were well prepared for our first crossing of the Alps on foot.

What we have experienced on the road is described in the following chapters. As usual in other reports, the trip is divided into sections, which are additionally deepened by the diary entries.

Have fun while reading!