About Sights of the City
A lifetime of travel, thousands of photographs and the stories behind them.
MEET STEFAN
Hi, I'm Stefan,
the person behind Sights of the City
Travel has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Bavaria, Germany, with family holidays in Italy almost every year and weekends in nearby Austria, enjoying the mountains in summer and learning to ski in winter.
Some trips took us much farther. We would pack up the car and drive through what was then Yugoslavia and on to Greece and Turkey, spending as long as six weeks exploring along the way. There were plenty of stops, detours and new places to discover.
I was also spectacularly prone to car sickness. A rather shaky foundation for an aspiring traveler, you might think. I sometimes joke that if I ever got lost on one of those trips, my parents could have found me simply by following the trail I left behind.
The more of the world I discover, the more my curiosity grows and the more excited I become about all that remains unexplored. As an adult, I kept exploring whenever I had the opportunity. California eventually became home, but Europe remained an important part of my life. My travels have since taken me to more than 90 countries across six continents. Some places I've visited only once; others I've returned to many times.
I've traveled by car, train, plane, ship, bicycle and on foot, and increasingly appreciate the journey as much as the destination. Photography encourages me to slow down, notice details and wander into streets, neighborhoods and landscapes I might otherwise have passed by.
Sights of the City brings those experiences, photographs and memories together, with ideas you can use for journeys of your own.
A FEW PLACES ALONG THE WAY
A Lifetime of Exploring
From cities and historic sites to wildlife, landscapes and attractions, these are just a few moments from my travels over the years.
THE IDEA BEHIND SIGHTS OF THE CITY
Why I created Sights of the City
Somewhere along the way, I ended up with tens of thousands of photographs and rather a lot of memories. What was I going to do with them? Leaving everything on a hard drive seemed a shame, so I built a website. That's really how Sights of the City began: a place to share the photographs, experiences and discoveries that would otherwise have stayed mostly with me.
90+
Countries Visited
6
Continents Explored
Tens of Thousands
Photos Taken
I'm not a professional photographer or a travel writer. I do work in tourism, on the sales and marketing side, usually behind the scenes helping tourism organizations connect with the people who bring visitors to their destinations. This website is personal: a chance to step out from behind the screen and share places I've experienced myself.
These guides aren't an encyclopedia of everything there is to see and do. They're my thoughts, photographs and memories, with my five cents thrown in where they might help. You'll find attractions I've visited, neighborhoods I've explored, foods I've tried, journeys I've taken and practical lessons I've learned along the way.
Some destinations reflect decades of repeat visits; others capture a particular trip or period in my life. I won't pretend to have experienced everything. Think of it as advice from a well-traveled friend: what I enjoyed, what I learned and what you might want to consider for your own visit.
My hope is that something here gives you an idea, makes you smile or helps you feel comfortable exploring somewhere yourself.
Sights of the City is based on my own travel experiences, photographs, and recommendations. I use AI to help organize my personal notes, check practical details, research historical background, and improve the clarity of my writing. The photographs are my own, with privacy-conscious edits where needed while preserving the character of the places I visited.
Personal memories and opinions are my own, and suggested itineraries are largely based on trips I have personally taken. Some bring together experiences from several visits, arranged into a more manageable route to help you plan your own travels.
I don’t get paid to visit or write about specific destinations, hotels, attractions or tours. Sights of the City is where I share my own travel experiences, along with things I would have liked to do but couldn’t fit into a visit. I distinguish those suggestions from places and activities I’ve experienced myself. My aim is to offer honest, personal views that help you plan your trip, based on my experience.