“Add a little sugar to the saffron,” Farzane said as she worked the combination in her mortar and pestle. “It makes it easier to grind.” Farzane, a 20-year old refugee from Afghanistan who’d come to Berlin with her family in the last year, was deep in the process of teaching us how to prepare several Afghan dishes she’d grown up cooking in her home town of Herat. … [Read more...]
Germany Travel Articles, Photos and Panoramas
Berlin Christmas Markets: A Beginner’s Guide
What are the best Christmas markets in Berlin? I’ve answered this query countless times on email and social media. So I offer here my handy guide and pay homage to my favorite Berlin Christmas markets. I also use this as an excuse to wish all our friends and readers a kick-off to a happy holiday season. … [Read more...]
Berlin by Bike [VIDEO]: A Review of the TomTom Bandit
![Berlin by Bike [VIDEO]: A Review of the TomTom Bandit](https://23886-presscdn-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/tomtom_bandit_brandenburggate-150x150.jpeg)
“You should do more video!” We know, we know. We should do more video. We should be doing more with this storytelling medium. … [Read more...]
Romantic Rhine Travel: On and Off the Beaten Path
Through sunny days and fog, famous towns and little known ‘burgs, wine cellars and village vintner festivals, this was our time on the segment of the Rhine River known as the Romantic Rhine in Germany. Half-timbered homes sit as the foot of cobbled streets. Vineyard paths wind into the hills. And foggy moments as castles disappear and re-emerge on hilltops hint at … [Read more...]
Aachen and Cologne: A Weekend City Break
Upon a recent visit to the German Rhineland cities of Aachen and Cologne and the surrounding area, we realized there’s a lot to experience and unpack — that is, to comprehend the full picture of what we’d seen and how astonishingly complex history can be. From Roman beginnings, to medieval ascendency to industrial superiority, Germany’s Rhineland seems to have … [Read more...]
Aachen Cathedral: Just Look Up
Some cathedrals -- with their fanciful gargoyles, detailed carvings and elaborate flourishes -- are best admired for their exterior. For others, it's all about appreciating what's inside. What makes Aachen Cathedral so special for me, despite the beauty of its imposing Gothic exterior, are the mystical elements within. … [Read more...]
Next Up: From Mines to Wines, Germany’s Rhineland
As we set off for Germany's Rhineland this weekend, I think back to an exchange I had with a tourist from Stuttgart the other night. “It’s been really fun visiting Berlin this week. It’s like traveling to a different country from Germany,” he said. We laughed. We understood. This is often what we tell people when they ask us how we like living in Germany. We've … [Read more...]
German Christmas Market in Augsburg Old Town
We edged toward the end of our road trip visit to friends and Christmas markets in the southern German regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. Our stomachs were full from days of Christmas market comfort foods, "fest" foods like spätzle, bratwurst, schupfnudeln and maultaschen. We'd performed our research to determine which Christmas market served up the best … [Read more...]
Tempelhof: The Yin and Yang of an Abandoned Airfield
If you’ve ever known that pang of sadness on the longest day of the year or the faintest glimmer of hope on its shortest, this is for you. If you’ve ever pondered cycles and the tricks of the seasons, that too. It was early August heat wave. Audrey and I were returning home on bicycles from a late-afternoon-turned-evening gathering with friends, a craft brew and … [Read more...]
Exploring Berlin: Virtual Tour Week and a Giveaway
This is about Berlin, chunky quotes, something new we're trying this week, and a few giveaways to tie it all together. Berlin. A city we love, a city we've chosen as a base. As we dig into Berlin and meet others who've done the same, we learn a little bit more about the city through them -- its layers of history, humanity, creativity, and culture. This week … [Read more...]