Category Archives: Travel
“1493” by Charles C. Mann
Zur deutschsprachigen Rezension. 1493 refers to the year after Christopher Columbus “discovered” America and as the second part of the title suggests, the book describes how Europe’s discovery of the Americas revolutionized trade, ecology and life on earth. That sounds … Continue reading
Where is Mecca?
Hier gibt es diese Geschichte auf Deutsch. Everyone knows the situation: You are eating at McDonald’s or looking for the latest Jack London novel at the public library. You are running after bus no. 5B or slowly walking through the … Continue reading
This is Sicily: Mountains
People associate Sicily with the sun, the sea, beaches, old cities, oranges, pistachios, some smaller islands, ancient temples, granita and quaint villages. To me, the most amazing aspect – among many other amazing things – about Sicily were the mountains. Maybe … Continue reading
The Path
You take that path. You don’t even consider veering to the left or swerving to the right for a bit, let alone a complete change of direction. Why? You don’t think about that. The thought doesn’t cross your mind, regardless … Continue reading
“… and the noble gesture of the German commander”
“If I hadn’t followed orders, I would have been shot myself” the culprits say, and their defense attorneys call it “acting under superior orders” when someone is indicted for crimes committed during World War II. A handy excuse, this alleged moral dilemma. Except that … Continue reading
Video Blog: Macedonia by Train
Of course there is also a video to accompany my article on travelling through Macedonia by train. But this time, it won’t be one of my self-made, stuttering amateur videos in which you can’t understand anything because of the noisy wind. No, … Continue reading
Macedonia by Train
A lonely steam engine rests on the tracks. It is no longer operational, but it fits well into the image created by the train station. Prilep is the fourth-largest city in Macedonia, but the train station looks like that of a … Continue reading
Animals of Macedonia
In one day, while hiking from Prilep to Treskavec Monastery (and back), I saw the range of animals living in Macedonia, some of them expected, others unexpectedly exotic. Horses are no surprise in a landscape that could be used for shooting … Continue reading
Video Blog: Sounds of Skopje
It was evening when I arrived at Skopje and by the time I had made my way from the hostel to the city center, it had gotten dark. First time in Macedonia and I didn’t really know what to expect. But I definitely … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 