Category Archives: Europe

Journey to the Center of Europe – Kremnica, Slovakia

Zur deutschen Fassung. For the project “Journey to the Center of Europe”, I am going to visit all the places that have ever laid claim to being the geographical center of Europe or the European Union. And write about them. This … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Photography, Slovakia, Travel | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Learning German with Hamlet

I am always impressed when someone manages to learn German. It’s not the easiest of languages – though not the hardest, either – and every 50 kilometers or so, it is pronounced in a completely different way. Even I, as … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Europe, Germany, Language, Travel | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Journey to the Center of Europe – Kruhlyi, Ukraine

Zur deutschen Fassung. For the project “Journey to the Center of Europe”, I am going to visit all the places that have ever laid claim to being the geographical center of Europe or the European Union. And write about them. … Continue reading

Posted in Austria, Europe, History, Photography, Romania, Travel, Ukraine | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Journey to the Center of Europe

Zur deutschen Fassung. It is July 15th, 2022. The early hours of the day are still morning-pleasantly fresh, although it will turn into a very hot day. There is even a bit of a drizzle in between. The kind of … Continue reading

Posted in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Travel, Ukraine | Tagged | 9 Comments

Hitchhiking as Science

Zur deutschen Fassung. Hitchhikers have this image of hapless hippies, too stoned to catch the bus in time. Or guys who just got out of the joint and ain’t got no money for no ticket to nowhere. In reality, many … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Travel | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

One Hundred Years Ago, the Digging began – December 1921: Rhine-Main-Danube Canal

Zur deutschen Fassung. The whole world is making fun of Germany, because it took us over 20 years to build a new airport for Berlin. There is a podcast about this, aptly named “How to fuck up an Airport“. Malicious … Continue reading

Posted in China, Economics, Europe, Germany, History, Romania, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

“Slow Trains to Venice” by Tom Chesshyre

Whether I cross the Canadian prairie with old-order Mennonites, steam to Stockholm in a frenzy of unconnected connections, or whether I am dreaming of “the big one”, train journeys are quite popular on my blog, it seems. Apparently, publishers are … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Europe, Germany, Travel | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Brexit and EU Elections

One could almost think that this Brexit isn’t going anywhere. Because three years after a referendum in which a narrow majority voted, ostensibly, against fellow Europeans being part of the political decision-making process (and for British people being excluded from … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Politics, UK | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Border between Europe and the Orient

Where exactly are the boundaries of Europe? With that question, you can entertain your guests for a whole evening of barbecue, especially when serving ćevapčići and kebab. It can’t just be the European Union, because why should San Marino, Norway and … Continue reading

Posted in Azerbaijan, Europe, Georgia, Travel | Tagged , | 6 Comments

If you are 18, the EU will pay your summer trip

If you are 18 years old this summer (2018), you could be very lucky. The European Union is giving away 15,000 travel passes for individuals or groups of up to five people. You will have to apply online between 12 … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Travel | Tagged , | 8 Comments