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Red Cross Concentration Camp

Red Cross Concentration Camp

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Dark Tourism in Nis, Part II I crossed the Nisava River, after which the Serbian city of Nis is named, and headed north through steady drizzle. Another kilometre and I reached my destination: the foreboding walls of the Red Cross Concentration Camp. I followed the tall concrete until I reached the entrance gate, and stepped inside. Looking up the long path that lead to the large, grey, block-like building, I shuddered involuntarily. The silent, deserted place was chilling. I walked…

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Skull Tower

Skull Tower

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Dark Tourism in Nis, Part I The city of Nis, now the third largest in Serbia, has a long history. It was part of the mighty Roman Empire, and the birthplace of the Emperor Constantine. A city of culture and wealth, it was located on the main route between Europe and the Middle East. A long history will record triumph and glory, but also tragedy and terror. Two sites within Nis allow visitors a glimpse into the latter; evidence of…

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Leaving Kosovo

Leaving Kosovo

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I returned to the bus terminal where I had arrived in Kosovo a week before. I had a bit of time up my sleeve as I wasn’t sure exactly where my bus for Serbia would leave from. A walk through the terminal area and I was none the wiser. I couldn’t see a sign for my bus company anywhere, and the people I asked had no idea where the departure point was either. I ended up messaging the provider who…

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A Walk in the Black Forest

A Walk in the Black Forest

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The Black Forest. The name conjures images of dark, mysterious mountain woods, inhabited by wild animals and supernatural creatures straight from the pages of classic fairytales. It had been a while since I’d been camping and hiking, and since I was in the neighbourhood, I thought I’d spend some time exploring this place of legends. After picking up the hiking map I needed from Stuttgart city centre, I headed back to the hotel for an afternoon of planning. Have wanderkarte…

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Technology Museum Sinsheim

Technology Museum Sinsheim

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Long suffering readers will know I have a penchant for historic aircraft and vehicles, and will spend hours contentedly poring over exhibits until the cleaners throw me out. When I found out that the grandaddy of all engineering museums was located at Sinsheim near Heidelberg, it wasn’t a question of if I would go, but rather for how many days. The Technology Museum Sinsheim’s webpage offered this advice: ‘For the exhibitions you need between three and four hours. We definitely…

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Exploring Pristina

Exploring Pristina

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Since I was in North Macedonia, I was right next door to Kosovo, Europe’s youngest country. So I thought I’d have a look. After a little under four hours from Skopje, the bus pulled over and the driver announced ‘Pristina’. It was early evening, dark and snowing steadily, and it seemed like the bus had stopped at a completely random location. No signs, no buildings. I needed convincing. ‘Pristina?’ I asked the driver as he slung my backpack at me…

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Leaving North Macedonia

Leaving North Macedonia

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When I was a young bloke, there was an Australian Rules footballer called Peter Daicos. He was a freakish talent, and although he played for the much hated Collingwood Magpies, you couldn’t help but be impressed by his skills. Daicos was known as the ‘Macedonian Marvel’, and after his playing career went into sports media, where you got the impression he was a pretty good bloke all round. Since I was heading to Macedonia, I thought it would be pretty…

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Visiting the Berlin Wall

Visiting the Berlin Wall

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I climbed the stairs out of the U Bahn (underground city rail network) and popped out into the cool, overcast afternoon. Soon I was part of the jostling crowd of tourists surging along towards the site of Checkpoint Charlie. I had been a bit crook so hadn’t left the hotel for a couple of days, and to be honest I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the poeple, noise and clamour. During the Cold War, Checkpoint Charlie was a throttled…

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The Trabant

The Trabant

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Trabi Museum, Berlin Cars can earn a cult following for many reasons. It could be timeless style, dependability, or tyre-scorching performance. The Trabant has none of these things, and yet DDR’s little car that could has a loyal following that sees nearly 25,000 of them still out on the road. As long suffering followers of Midlife Crisis Odyssey will know, I’m a bit partial to cars and car culture, so when I found out there was a museum dedicated to…

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Stasi Bunker Museum, Machern

Stasi Bunker Museum, Machern

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I was doing some research into things to do in and around Leipzig, Germany, and came across the Stasi Bunker Museum in the nearby town of Machern. This unique museum is only open on the last weekend of every month, which just happened to be when I was visiting. Thankful for this stroke of luck, I jumped on a Sunday train at Leipzig’s main railway station for the half-hour journey to Machern. Being mid-2022, Covid-19 seemed to have been largely…

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