Meal with a view
Perilously perched 1454 meters up on Switzerland’s Alpstein mountain chain, the Aescher-Wildkirchli guesthouse is open again. Thousands of people from around the world come here every year for the potato rösti and the spectacular panoramic view of the Appenzell and Thurgau uplands. Nearby, you can explore some of the country’s oldest settlements in the form of rock caves.
The Currywurst sausage was reputedly invented in 1949 by Herta Heuer in Berlin, home to the Currywurst Museum since 2009. The fast-food snack now also comes as a burger: Berlin’s SchillerBurger chain serves a tasty, homemade Currywurst burger called Die Begegnung.
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When the 2017/2018 German Bundesliga soccer season begins on August 18, 209 nations will be tuning in to watch. The Fiji Islands, Nicaragua and Mongolia are just three of the many countries to have secured the official broadcasting rights. Some Bundesliga games will air on live TV channel Sport24 on long-haul Lufthansa flights.
Who says you need mountains to go climbing? There are plenty of alternatives in the shape of spectacular climbing walls on churches, dams and the cooling towers of nuclear power plants.
Built 150 years ago, St. Alban’s Church in Liverpool, England, inspires aspiration to other spheres. Today, visitors no longer come here to pray, but to climb its venerable walls, including an overhanging 17.5-meter lead wall.
The cooling tower of the former nuclear reactor in Kalkar, Germany, stands 58 meters high and has been repurposed as a climbing wall. If you prefer a different kind of thrill, there’s a roller coaster next door.
Surrounded by authentic Alpine peaks, the steep wall of the Lago di Luzzone reservoir in Switzerland offers a unique challenge: It is the world’s highest artificial climbing wall with 650 holds over a vertical distance of 163 meters.
The Okavango Delta covers more than 20 000 square kilometers and is home to a staggering variety of species, including elephants, lions, hippos and leopards. Stylish, sustainable Sandibe Lodge with its twelve luxurious wooden chalets is in the middle of the great outdoors.