Category Archives: Europe
“Neither Here nor There” by Bill Bryson
I like Bill Bryson and have enjoyed some of his other books, but Neither Here nor There, his account of traveling through Europe from Norway to Istanbul, is disappointing. The book is full of clichés that you already knew about … Continue reading
Where is the center of Europe?
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. Reading the book Black Earth, I became aware of a village in Ukraine that was calculated and named as the geographical center of Europe in 1887: Dilove. “Really?“ I wondered, not because I would begrudge Dilove the … Continue reading
Back in Europe
After 18 months in South America, I am back in Europe. I have already written extensively about the reasons for my return. Here are the first impressions from the old continent: You cannot imagine how happy I was when I … Continue reading
Why I will return to Europe
Originally, I had planned to spend several years in Latin America to take the time to explore every country from Argentina to Mexico. As an advocate for constant change, I have however scrapped this plan and I will return to … Continue reading
Kaunas: European Capital of Culture 2022
As with the choice for 2021, I agree with the election of the European Capital of Culture for 2022. It will be Kaunas in Lithuania. Sadly and inexplicably, during my whole year in Lithuania, I only found one day to visit … Continue reading
A Very Short History of Lithuania
One of the reasons behind my move to Lithuania was that it is a perfect case study of 20th century European history, with its independence between the two World Wars, then the occupation by the Soviet Union, by Nazi Germany, … Continue reading
Timișoara: European Capital of Culture 2021
And now you have the 278th reason to visit Romania: Timișoara will be one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2021. Although I lived in Romania for a year, I just noticed that I have no photos of Timișoara. I have only been to the city … Continue reading
How far can you get by train?
Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Artikels. One of my readers wrote that he had been wondering how far he could get if he took his local commuter train and continued traveling with no other means of transport than the railway. As a train enthusiast, … Continue reading
Great Success for Monster Raving Loony Party
Despite promises of everything to anyone without any basis in reality and without any concept for achieving it (much like the Brexit campaigners) the Official Monster Raving Loony Party has so far only had moderate electoral success even in an … Continue reading
How Britons react to Brexit
When I came back home from a trip to the Bolivian jungle yesterday, I had already received dozens of e-mails from Britons along the lines of “my grandfather was from Germany, can I get a German passport?” As an expert in … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 