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Sarah

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Anja

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I wouldn’t say I have one particular favorite place in the world because there’re so many spots I haven’t visited yet, but if I have to pin only one I will choose my hometown Rostov-on-Don.

This is the biggest city in the South of Russia und unofficially called the Southern capital of Russia. Really historical, but at the same time it’s a big industrial, scientific and cultural centre.

I was born, spent a wonderful childhood, and met my dearest friends in this city. I’ve made a lot of good memories there and I’ll always call this place my home.

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My favourite place is Salamanca, a city in Spain on the Portuguese border. I started studying there via Erasmus in September 2019 and was so excited that I stayed an extra year. It's a beautiful city with a gorgeous historic centre. The golden hour is literally golden in Salamanca, as the houses are made of sand stand, so in the afternoon they reflect the sunlight and everything is sparkling.
Most of all, however, I have fallen in love with the Spaniards themselves. I have met many wonderful new people who have had a great impact on me and influenced me positively. I love the Spanish culture and their way to see the life! I have had so many positive experiences that I could now even imagine emigrating to Spain one day, because it is a different way of life to experience living in a different culture. I think those who have lived abroad for a while can understand that.
After living one and a half year there, I would describe Salamanca as my second home, especially because of the friends I made there!

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My favorite place in the world and the place I call my home is northern Iraq (Kurdistan Region), where I was born and where most of my family resides. It's not your typical holiday destination for many good reasons most people would say. But nonetheless I choose to visit Iraq whenever I'm able to do so. Since I'm very family oriented it warms my heart seeing my relatives again after being away for a long time. Every visit is a very nostalgic experience, as I've made quite a few memories in my hometown. These visits also keep me humble and make me grateful for being able to live in germany. The extreme inequality, the poverty and the corruption were a big eye opener for me, seeing that the "problems'' I face in my everyday life are minor compared to the problems people in third world countries face.

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The capital of Macedonia, Skopje, may not be the famous European metropole, but it has a huge place in my heart. I was born and raised in Skopje, before moving to Bonn for University. The lifestyle that includes drinking your morning coffee out in the sun, in one of the many cafes, or being part of the amazing nightlife Skopje has to offer makes everyone fall in love with it.  Now during the pandemic, "Skopjani" or the citizens of Skopje, still manage to find a way to relax and have fun. The mountain above the city, called Vodno offers us a fun way to exercise and stay fit while having fun with a friend or your family. You are not a true citizen if you don't have 3 things: A cafe you count as a second home,  a barber or hairdresser you go to when you are bored, even though you had your hair done yesterday, and a noisy neighbour that you hate and love at the same time.

Life in Skopje is not common, especially compared to western European countries, but you will not meet a single person who does not enjoy living there.

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When I was still in school, a small group of students including me had the chance to participate in a trip to a small island in Indonesia called Sumba. Our school had a special connection to this island because the founders of our school, the Redemptorists (a religous congregation), sent missionaries to the island over 60 years ago. Some of them were still living there when we visited. Nowadays some young priests from Sumba also come to Germany, one of which came with us on our trip. Over the two weeks we were there, he showed us various parts of the island and we got to learn a lot about Sumba´s history and culture. Sumba also has a lot of beautiful beaches, a lake and a waterfall, but since Sumba is not a popular tourist destination, there is almost no pollution and nature remains mostly unspoiled. Sumba is one of the most beautiful places i have ever visited and I would love to go there again at some point in my life.

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Through my semester abroad, I spent 5 months in Norway last year and I had a wonderful time there. Most students do a lot of short trips besides their studies and so did I. Alone or with friends, I traveled a lot and made fascinating experiences. Reindeer farm and whale watching in Tromso, (Corona limited) nightlife in Oslo, hiking to some glaciers, etc. However, I found my favorite place in the beginning of December on a three-day trip in the mountains of Norway near the city Voss. In fact, it was a life-threatening trip to do during winter because the snow was up to 1m high and the route was extremely steep. In addition, I forgot to inform my roommates about my specific plans, had to walk more than 10 km and 1,5 km of altitude, traveled alone and without ski, got caught in a snowstorm, lost my GPS signal, etc. But fortunately, I arrived at a little cabin which was my destination and slept over 10 hours after this exhausting hike. The hut was cozy due to the old steam as the only heating possibility and the tiny but comfortable beds. The whole area was just pure nature.

I organized a second trip to another cabin with friends immediately after arriving at the dorm. I really love the beautiful cabins in the mountains of Norway.

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Gyeongbokgung is a palace located in the Jongno District of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Built in 1395 the Gyeongbok-Palace served as the main royal palace in ancient Korea.
In 2019 my best friend and I decided to visit Korea. At that point, it had been my dream for years to visit this country and to experience Korean culture and history face to face. Entering the gates of Gyeongbokgung after walking through the streets of Seoul ligned by highrise buildings feels like a trip back in time. My friend and I were lucky enough to become bystanders of the traditional guard changing ceremony, which is enacted three times a day. I remember vividly watching the actors walk in line and chanting meanwhile.

It’s safe to say, that I will never forget this trip.

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“Yes, I have finally arrived to this Capital of the World! I now see all the dreams of my youth coming to life… Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Rome is no longer the capital of the world, but it definitely was in the past! I visited Rome already three Times. For me, this city has its own charm. With the old facades, the incredible churches and the unforgettable view over the various squares and monuments. Every time I visited the city I was surprised by so many things. The first time I visited Rome I was able to explore a new city with my friends from school. Especially the ancient Roman monuments like the Colosseum, the Paladin or the forum Romanum have done it to me. In comparison, I find the Christian elements often too pompous. My favorite sight is the Viktor Emanuel monument with its huge mamor foundation. The special aesthetics that this city exudes is hard to put into words.
Even if Rome is not the most spectacular place I have ever been, I have to agree with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and say: "Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome."

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After school, I traveled around Thailand and New Zealand with my boyfriend for a few months. I saw a lot of the world that I had never seen before - including the beautiful and incredibly diverse nature of New Zealand. In particular, I fell in love with the South Island of New Zealand, where we were on the road for almost four weeks. There are tropical beaches and bays in the Abel Tasman National Park, but also fjords, rainforests and 4000 meter high mountains. Within a few hours you have the feeling of traveling through at least half of Europe, if not the whole world. My favorite memories are back to the Queenstown area, where we camped right on a lake, and Abel Tasman National Park or Lake Matheson where we watched the sunrise a couple of times. In general, it was a very nice feeling to sleep and live in the car right in the nature. There was rarely a direct destination during the day, because actually everything you saw on the way was beautiful.

But what also struck me positively during my time in New Zealand was the fact that New Zealanders (and tourists, too) seemed to be very concerned about keeping the environment clean and thus maintaining the beautiful landscape.

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For me, there is no particular place I love the most (except my sofa maybe ;)), but there is one region that has shaped me a lot. The Amazon Rainforest. I have never seen anything that impressed me as much as the indescribable biodiversity in this region. To me, it seemed as if everything was pulsating and filled with life. No matter where you look, you can discover something unique. Every little thing has its place and its task in this gigantic, breathing green lung. Even at night the air is full of sounds.

My time there has shaped me and is the reason why I decided to study geography. It is also why it saddens me so much that this extraordinary region is in danger. Deforestation, droughts, changing rainy and dry seasons, or the disregard of indigenous rights are just some of the challenges the Amazon has to face. For my future, I wish that I can do my part to preserve and protect the Amazon rainforest.

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Becuase I live very close to the Dutch border (we don´t have any hills or mountains, everything is super flat) I love to spend some time in the mountains when I´m on vacation. It gives me a feeling of freedom and peace to hike and the achievement of walking from one hut to another and meanwhile crossing different countries always makes me feel very happy. Furthermore I get to spend time with my sister who is the only one in my family sharing my obsession with the Alps or the mountains in general. Apart from that you get to know a lot of new people and exchange experiences with them due to spending time together in the hut.
I strive to achieve my goal (and my sisters as well) of walking from Munich to Venice within 30 days across the Alps. To accomplish that goal my sister and I will continue hiking in the Alps (and other mountains) if this whole "Pandemic Thing" is finally over.

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The Dolomite Alps in winter

During my professional career I´ve been covering the Alpine Skiing World Cup as a photographer for several years. My favourite place or region to go was Italy, especially the mountain regions in South Tyrol. I love mountains in winter, because when you´re standing at 3500 meters altitude, -30 degrees watching a sunrise over the neighbouring mountain peaks is a feeling that´s hard to put in words. It makes me feel incredibly lucky witnessing the tranquility of such a moment compared to the hustle and bustle in the valley down below, but it also makes me feel a small and insignificant human being, knowing that up there we all have to be extremely careful just to survive.

Therefore, it makes me really sad to see the impact man has on this beautiful environment - and I absolutely do not exclude myself! Being there, promoting a sports event that in it´s core exists to promote mass tourism and thereby further alteration of this majestic landscape was so contradictory to my personal beliefs that I eventually changed my line of work. I still love being and working in the mountains, but now my goal is to show a fragile beauty that´s more and more being destroyed. Tourism nowadays is slowly but constantly changing to promote more sustainable forms of travelling, but the danger that lies in the effects of climate change further threatens the glaciers and mountains. Therefore, a lot of my work now focuses on the reasons and effects of climate change and to give my tiny little share to save the mountains that give me so much strength and energy.

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Luckily, I visited Alhambra in 2019 winter and the beautiful scenery there was so impressive to me.

The Alhambra is the last Moorish palace of the Muslim kingdom in Spain. The building is extremely luxurious. It is recognized as a model of Moorish architectural and art and is known as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

I would like to mention the Hall of the Myrtle and also enclosed a photo. "Myrtle" is the evergreen shrubs planted on both sides of the pool. The flow of water and the reflection of light also add a bit of spirituality to the building. Engraved Arabic characters can be seen everywhere, because it has been so long, the colors of Alhambra's many walls have faded, which is a pity. Pay attention to observe, you will see a lot of same arrangement of words, meaning "There is no victor but God". Alhambra, the Alhambra that makes people dream of... Ending the trip in a misty greenery, I am amazed by the charm of history and culture. It is definitely worth a visit.

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In summer 2016 I went with a course from university for a one-week roundtrip through Northern Norway. We started our trip in Tromsø, the city that in the 19thcentury was used to be called “Paris of the North”. Tromsø is a lovely city located at one outer Arctic circle where vegetation already starts altering vastly the more you move north. One day my lecturer organized a bike trip for one day and we went for about seventy kilometers throughout the local area along fjords and mountain ranges. He kind of was underestimating the trip and thought it would be less biking and more relaxing. However, it was so much fun! When we arrived back at the camp, he proposed to hike a bit and go up on a small mountain. There was no need to worry about the sunset because it was summer and there was midnight sun. Most of us joined.
I remember seizing every single minute of the tour and this stunning view about mostly terrestrial but also partially lunar landscape. A few days later we went south with the Hurtigruten packet ships to Lofoten Islands and we had a great time there with our course.

It is definitely one of my favorite places because of landscape is amazing and the people are very welcoming. You also can relax a lot and experience absolute silence. I believe the sun gives you more energy and you are able to do a lot more each day. I always wonder to which extent your daily energy changes in the winter when it is mainly dark outside!

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Ms. B's favorite place

My family visited friends in Zimbabwe when I was 18 and I was overwhelmed by the natural beauty and people. Tasks seemed so simple, the cities much smaller and even what was in the waste bin was only organic, no plastic! What I did not see was the life of an average Zimbabwean, as we were staying with expats and I went to a private English school for a few days, besides playing tourist for the rest of the weeks. So, I saw the privileged life, like former colonizers might have had. Meanwhile, I have a white Zimbabwean friend and I know from her that many whites were not so much more rich or powerful, as many poor English moved to Zimbabwe. My photos from the late 80s show a lot of water, but recent pictures of the Victoria Falls show very little, which makes me worried about our world.