Category Archives: Religion
The Economics of Christmas
Christmas Presents On first sight, presents sound like a wonderful thing. You receive a surprise or something that you had always wanted, and you receive it for free. An economic benefit, surely. But it’s not that simple, because most people … Continue reading
Jesus is my neighbor
Once you know that Nazaré, the name of the part of Salvador where I stayed for two weeks, is the Portuguese form of Nazareth, it may surprise you less that Mr Jesus was my neighbor.
All Saints’ Night in Vilnius
For All Saints’ Day (1 November), which is something like the Christian version of Halloween, it is customary to visit the cemetery and leave flowers and candles behind for the deceased relatives and friends. The custom seems to be respected … Continue reading
The Mosque next to the Synagogue
Researching for my trip to South America, I came across this little country that I knew nothing about – Suriname – and its capital city – Paramaribo – which I couldn’t have named before. And then I saw this photo … Continue reading
Modern Mecca
Is it still the Kaaba (the black box in the arena) which is supposed to be the holiest site in the world, or has Mecca just become another place to worship dollars and riyals (and a copy of Big Ben)?
The Ghetto of Venice
Venice has the dubious distinction of being home to the world’s original ghetto, the area where in 1516 all the city’s Jews were ordered to move to. This came on top of other economic and social restraints, although the oppression was still … Continue reading
Târgu Mureș, where the mayor is xenophobic and racist
I have always told people how welcomed I felt in Târgu Mureș. From the first week, I made really good friends, I felt integrated and I made this cute little town in Romania my home. But probably it only went that well because I … Continue reading
Why Eastern Europe cannot accept more Refugees
Dear Western Europe, it seems you are in sulk about our unwillingness to accept more any refugees. It hurts us to hurt your feelings, so please allow us to explain things from an Eastern European perspective. We are certain you that … Continue reading
A few Alms for the Church
You know these donation boxes at airports, where you are supposed to drop the change that you couldn’t spend during your vacation? Often they are made of glass, for you to see how generous other travelers have been. So you pull … Continue reading
“half-German”
Not least due to my FAQ on German citizenship law, which have established this blog as the number one resource on the internet for questions on German citizenship, I receive a lot of questions almost every day. Most of these … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 