One Giant Step

Monday Moment: The Berlin Wall, Germany

The recent protests in Berlin this past week reminded me of my short time there. I found Berlin, and Germany, to be fascinating as they try to keep moving forward while trying to honor, and learn from, the past. Perhaps a small misstep last week as part of what remains of the Berlin wall was [...]

Monday Moment: Frankfurt Rail Station

I love travelling hubs. Those points where travellers come together; the point being to fan out again reaching to the next destination. Airports, bus depots, and train stations filled with coming and going. Big bags, small bags, suitcases and backpacks. Experienced and efficient, or first timer and unsure; all funnel through with a unified goal [...]

Monday Moment: German Beer Radish

The best way to get to Andech’s Monastery is to park at the bottom of the hill it tops and walk the 6 kms through fields and meadows and up into the forest. As we did this I noticed most people carrying with them what appeared to be bags of salad. Our hosts, Hanno and Annette, [...]

Monday Moment: Hanover, Germany

  Like much of Hanover the Aegidien Church was destroyed during World War II. Most of the city was rebuilt and it remains one of the more modern cities in the country. The church, however, was never rebuilt but stays in ruin as a memorial to the ravages as war.  

I Want To ‘Go With Oh’ to Berlin!

Some of the fondest memories of our RTW trip are the five days we spent in an apartment in Berlin. I was already head-over-heels in love with Germany – its cleanliness and orderliness, its undeniable history and steadfast resolve to overcome it, its attention to detail, and its beer….oh, the beer!! Staying in an apartment, [...]

Monday Moment: Berlin U-Bahn

I used to have a somewhat recurring dream as a teenager. Hearing the drone of engines overhead I look up to see a pattern of bombers heading towards me. The first wave of bombs drop just as the leading line of planes block the sunlight overhead. A heartbeat later the  second wave drops. Then another [...]

Monday Moment: German Beer

I loved Germany. Most of all I loved the beer in Germany. I took a picture of every new beer we tried…it’s an exhaustive gallery to be sure. This one is one of my favorites; Paulaner Weissbier. Light and refreshing with hints of citrus, spice and clove. Enjoyed in my favorite place in Germany…Frank and [...]

Prost! Here’s To Schnaps!

Without doubt one of my favourite traditions in Germany is the welcoming of guests with schnapps and, as we were guests with family during our time there, we were welcomed with open arms…and bottles. Schnapps, as we know it in North America, doesn’t hold a candle to the real deal. Here it is syrupy and [...]

I LOVE German Beer

Into The Warm Embrace Of Family

With warm and welcoming hugs Jasons’ family welcomed us into Germany and showed us all their favorite places in this fabulous country. It was nice to stay in a family home, eat home cooked meals and have the planning done for us…we relaxed right into it and enjoyed it thoroughly. First stop was Hanover where [...]

Berlin…More Than It’s Past

Berlin is a vibrant, youthful, energetic, evolving city. It is more than its past and, although history looms large here, it is redefining itself and moving forward quickly into the future. We settled in here quickly, once again finding an apartment in a neighborhood outside of downtown. A place where we could get a sense [...]