Category Archives: UK

One Hundred Years Ago, Lawrence of Arabia killed the Railroad – March 1923: Transjordan

Zur deutschen Fassung. Not quite a hundred, but still more than thirty years ago, I was in Australia as an exchange student. I don’t think I have ever told stories from that time, because back then, we still took pictures … Continue reading

Posted in History, Iran, Islam, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Technology, Travel, UK, World War I | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

King and Peasants discuss the British Monarchy

The following clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) is still one of the best contributions in the debate about (not only British) monarchy: I found the following transcript of the dialogue: [ARTHUR and PATSY riding. They stop and … Continue reading

Posted in History, Politics, UK | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

One Hundred Years Ago, the Battlefields turned Red – November 1921: Poppies

Zur deutschen Fassung. Since this is not only a history blog, but also a travel blog, I naturally thought of combining these two aspects when I began the “One Hundred Years Ago …” series. Under the pretext of urgently having … Continue reading

Posted in Belgium, Canada, History, Military, Photography, Travel, UK, World War I | Tagged | 9 Comments

Driving a Lorry for Brexit

In Germany, a driving license is not comparable to an ID card or a passport. Instead, it is considered something like a birth certificate: once issued, it never expires. That’s why I can still drive with this old pink slip … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, UK | Tagged | 7 Comments

One Hundred Years Ago, someone kept his New Year’s Resolutions, but didn’t care about the Lives of Others – February 1921: Winston Churchill

Zur deutschen Fassung. It’s the end of February. If you are like me, most of your New Year’s resolutions have already dissipated, been forgotten or pushed to March or April. The smarter ones among you won’t have made any resolutions in the … Continue reading

Posted in History, India, UK | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Why I didn’t walk all of the South West Coast Path

Zur deutschen Fassung dieses Berichts. 1 “If I take the night bus from Heathrow to Newquay, I’ll get there well rested,” I had thought, although I should have known that I can’t really sleep on night buses. But the last … Continue reading

Posted in Photography, Travel, UK | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Hermit for Hire

Zur deutschen Fassung. Of the name of this blog, the hermit part actually suits me better than the happy part. Or, to be more precise, happiness often depends on hermitness. It’s becoming increasingly harder to become hermity, though, not least … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, History, Life, UK | Tagged | 15 Comments

Cognitive Dissonance for Lunch

I am currently writing the article about cat-sitting in Cornwall and my attempt to hike the South West Coast Path. Here’s a little appetizer: Stay tuna-ed! Links: Meanwhile, more articles from the United Kingdom. And did you know that my … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Travel, UK | Tagged , , | 9 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

Splendid Isolation

This house in Newquay is a good symbol for how Britain sees itself in Europe. The house probably believes that it is self-sustainable, while relying heavily on commerce and cooperation with the mainland. In the Cornish Guardian, a letter was … Continue reading

Posted in Photography, Politics, Travel, UK | Tagged , , | 9 Comments