London and Barcelona/Midi-Pyréneés Photos
I went to London recently and just put up a photo album from the trip. I was all set to write a little post about the cultural similarities (besides English) that make London feel more like the States than like Germany and how I’ve had conversations with other Americans about this and so forth. But […]
worthy of respect: europe
An American friend was visiting Berlin last week and mentioned that he was having a hard time negotiating transactions, that his usual smiles and friendliness weren’t being rewarded the way they are in Austin. He was frustrated. He was confused. I explained my grand theory of respect and he moaned “Where can I read that? […]
showing respect: north and south
An American friend was visiting Berlin last week and mentioned that he was having a hard time negotiating transactions, that his usual smiles and friendliness weren’t being rewarded the way they are in Austin. He was frustrated. He was confused. I explained my grand theory of respect and he moaned “Where can I read that? […]
A visit to the Rhineland
I spent a weekend in Mittelrheintal, a region of vineyards and castles, wine and tourists. I went to the history museum in Bingen to check out the St. Hildegard exhibit and it turned out they also have the grave goods from a 2nd century surgeon. Really interesting stuff. I’ve posted my photo album here. The […]
france
I’m back from an herb trip to France. It was a beautiful experience in a fairytale land, with a circle of wise healers. We met a high-altitude wild lavender harvester, went to a museum of antique stills and distilled our own rosemary hydrosol. Something that was totally new to me was gemmotherapy. It’s the medicinal […]
istanbul!
I’ve posted my photo album from my trip to Istanbul, along with a fourth one of Berlin. What an incredible city Istanbul is! So dense with aesthetic delights, so layered. I like to go to museums and look at very old things. I like to imagine living in the worlds where these things were used. […]
the holiday season in Berlin
I’ve never been particularly Grinchy, but I’ve also never really gotten caught up in the winter holidays much, either. People kept telling me how much I was going to love the season in Berlin, though, and sure enough. I’m also starting to understand something that didn’t make sense to me for years of living in […]
25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall
It’s the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall and I’d like to write about what being here for that has meant for me. I’ve been a little blocked, though, because I was trying to get it all into one post. It’s just all too much. I decided to start over, take the […]
hazel
Hazel is the plant that has most enthusiastically welcomed me to Europe. In my first days in Berlin, I took this photo and posted it on Facebook, asking if anyone knew what it was. I quickly figured out for myself that it is Turkish Hazel: Corylus colurna. It’s a fairly common street tree here in […]
Connemara Seaweed Baths
My top priority for my trip to Ireland was to go soak in a seaweed bath. I grew up in Connecticut, only an hour or so from ocean water. For as long as I can remember I’ve longed to cuddle up in the bubbled seaweed, but it’s also been so cold and sandy. When I […]