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Maß of beer, original oil painting

Looking for stuff to do in Munich during Oktoberfest?

Maß of beer, original oil painting

So, you’ll be in Munich for Oktoberfest, and you’re wondering what else there is to do in this very beery city. No problem! I invite you to come check out a little art show that will be going on not far from the wiesn from September 20th through October 12th, 2012. Little Munich will feature, as you might have guessed, small artwork depicting scenes from Munich and Octoberfest. There will be paintings, drawings, photography, and mixed-media pieces on display.

On Saturday, September 29th, we’ll be having an open house all afternoon, where you can come hang out, meet the artists, and listen to a couple local writers read (in English) some fun little stories about Munich. Full opening times and other details below: 

Read moreLooking for stuff to do in Munich during Oktoberfest?

Biergarten staples

Urban surfers and other notes from a Munich summer

Biergarten staples

Before I go back to chronicling our Italian road trip, I thought I’d remind our readers that we do, indeed, still live in Munich, despite the fact that we haven’t blogged about it in months. We’re half-way into our fifth year in the Bavarian capital. Spargelzeit had just come to an end, and biergarten season is in full swing. Every single public place has at least one TV in it, lest a moment of Euro Cup soccer go unwatched. 

Read moreUrban surfers and other notes from a Munich summer

Guest Post: So you want to be an expat writer

I recently met Saskia Akyil, a fellow American expat in Munich. She was giving a presentation on how she self-published a novel. Having had a mostly-finished novel living on my hard drive for years, I was impressed. Inspired, even. That book of mine just might see the light of day after all. One of these days.

I asked Saskia if she’d be interested in guest posting on this blog, and to my delight she was happy to share some of her wisdom about life as an expat writer. Here’s what she had to say:

 

I had always wanted to write a novel, so I did.  Once it was (self) published, I started hearing from other expats who:

  1. Wanted to write a book.
  2. Were in the process of writing a book.
  3. Had written a book.

Upon further thought, I realized that there are some pros and also some cons to trying to make a career of writing as an expat.  I think that so many expats (especially trailing spouses) write because in many ways, it does make sense. 

Read moreGuest Post: So you want to be an expat writer

The Lag

pink sunrise from an airplane

Ah, here we are back in Germany after spending the holidays in the US. We’ve made the transatlantic journey dozens of times by now, and while I still dread the long flights, at least I’ve gotten pretty good at dealing with jet lag (although people who have repeatedly watched me fall asleep in my first-night-in-the-US dinner might disagree). Given that I’ve never been good with sleep deprivation (even in college I couldn’t swing all-nighters), I’m feeling rather accomplished.

There are many approaches to jet lag, but mine is a simple one: you need to be overtired going into your first night in the new time zone. That way, when you finally fall into bed, you’ll sleep for a a good solid night and wake up at a reasonable time the next morning. After that first night, you’re most of the way home.

Traveling from Europe to the US

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I am Foreigner: Unfortunately Thankfully

Living in a foreign country means always being a little bit out of place and being able to find little amusements and challenges around every corner. Sometimes you feel most at home feeling out of place.

This song captures that dynamic for me, and the video makes me miss Berlin.

I translated the lyrics from the original German into English, trying to maintain the intentionally stilted grammar. 

Read moreI am Foreigner: Unfortunately Thankfully