Ahead Vegan Hotel in Brandenburg
On his recent trip to Brandenburg Germany, Mark Bibby Jackson stays at Ahead Burghotel, a vegan hotel that is certainly ahead of its time. As a pescatarian my main problem…
Forgotten Industrial Heritage of Brandenburg Germany
Mark Bibby Jackson goes on a trip to Brandenburg Germany searching for its industrial heritage and discovers a visionary future hidden in the past. It was in Essen Germany that…
7 Great Beer Festivals in the UK, Belgium, Germany and the US
Travel Begins at 40 looks at seven great beer festivals in the UK, Belgium, Germany and the US. There is certainly no lack of beer festivals in the UK –…
Saarland: Sustainable Travel Destination Just the Beginning
Travel Begins at 40 talks with Birgit Grauvogel, CEO of the Saarland Tourist Board, Germany about how the region became a sustainable travel destination, and why this is just the…
Top 10 Nudist Beaches in Europe
For many of us the current year has been one of lockdown. With our collective travel wings clipped, many of us are looking for new places and new ways to…
Berlin Festival of Lights 2025, Germany
Each autumn the German capital becomes a city of illumination for the Berlin Festival of Lights. This year will see art works in locations spread all over the city. Many of the city’s famous…
Coronavirus Travel Advice: Is It Safe to Travel?
Mark Bibby Jackson provides some coronavirus travel advice as well as guidance to those people asking the question – is it safe to travel to Europe? As the number of…
Berlin International Film Festival – Berlinale 2025
The Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale, takes place every year and is one of the most important and most visited film festivals on the planet with films screened from all…
Oktoberfest Munich 2024, Germany
Dust off your lederhosen or dirndl for the world’s largest and most famous beer festival, the Oktoberfest in Munich. The iconic Volksfest will feature live music, funfairs, parades, traditional German…
Berlin Bauhaus Off-the-beaten-track
Coinciding with the hundredth anniversary of the highly influential movement, Mark Bibby Jackson sets off in pursuit of Berlin Bauhaus away from the norm. Bauhaus was possibly the most influential…
Explore the Hidden Saxony Wine Trail
Steep wine terraces, a very special grape variety and wine growing going back to the 11th century – the Saxony wine trail is a treat not just for wine lovers, with enchanting …
Zeche Zollverein – the Metropolis of the Coal Mines
Mark Bibby Jackson visits UNESCO World Heritage site Zeche Zollverein, Essen to discover an amazing transformation that would have impressed Fritz Lang. As I ride up the escalator to the…
10 Castles to Visit in Saxony Thuringa
Glamorous palaces, mighty castles and delightful gardens, Saxony and Thuringa – The Cultural Heart of Germany – have around 1,000 palaces, castles and fortresses, each one with a story to…
Kreuzberg: Berlin Stuck in the 80s
Tired of the conventional trappings of tourism Mark Bibby Jackson decides to wander the streets of Kreuzberg to discover another side of Berlin. Kreuzberg has the feel of Queens or the Bronx – not that I’ve ever…
Onion Market 2024, Weimar Germany
Dubbed the Teutonic Glastonbury by the Telegraph, the Weimar Onion Market, takes place each October in the architecturally stunning medieval city in Thuringia, Germany…
Lake Constance: One Holiday, Four Countries
The shores of Lake Constance, or Bodensee as it’s known to the locals, fall in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; its waters flow into the Rhine, which forms a natural border…
Things To Do in Berlin: Wine, Art, Fine Food & Beer
Mark Bibby Jackson travels to the German capital to discover a city thriving as it approaches the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Discover things to do…
Cologne Carnival (Fastelovend), 2025
The Cologne Carnival, Fastelovend or ‘Fasteleer’ in the local dialect is one of the biggest street carnivals in Europe. The Carnival will be from 27 February to 5 March. Officially, the…
Valentine’s Day 2025 Around the World
It’s that time of the year again that love birds look forward to, many singles dread, and some brave souls try to ignore. The least that could be said about…
Dresden Giant Stollen Parade 2018
In recent years stollen has become as much a feature of Christmas as figgy pudding. But nowhere do they celebrate the festive cake as seriously as in Dresden where each…
Things to Do in Leipzig: From Bach to the Spinnerei
From becoming immersed in the local music scene to getting blind drunk at 11 in the morning, Mark Bibby Jackson discovers plenty of things to do in Leipzig for a…
Dresden: Castles, Steam Trains and a Mickey Mouse Republic
The former East German state of Saxony has a wealth of history and a totally different feel to it as Mark Bibby Jackson discovers on his trip to Dresden and…
Dresden Christmas Market 2024 Striezelmarkt
This year, once more the Dresden Christmas Market, or Striezelmarkt, will take over the Saxon Baroque city for the 588th time. Originating in 1434, Striezelmarkt is one of the oldest…
