T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
[Note: if you’re not planning on using Munich’s public transportation system anytime soon, I recommend skipping this post. Instead go look at some funny t-shirts from Gatlinburg.] Even Germans are bewildered when they first encounter Munich’s public transportation system in all its glory. The various zones, trams, S-bahns, rings, U-bahns, and Streifenkarten are enough to … Read more
Can you post some guidance for Oktoberfest ahead of the event this year for those of us who want to attend? (At least I no longer think it’s in Oktober 🙂 ) -Dave Hampton, Random Walks in the Low Countries OK, so my last post containing Oktoberfest tips was not particularly comprehensive. This time I … Read more
I’ve flown Air Berlin several times now, and I have to admit the airline confuses me. Its prices are often excellent, especially if you book during a sale (offerings such as 2-for-1 tickets can often be found on their website). The website is functional, allowing smooth and easy purchases and online check-in. On board, passengers … Read more
OK, back to last month’s trip north. The charming little town of Porvoo made for a perfect day-trip from Helsinki. It’s about an hour away, and the bus service is frequent. One of the quintessential sights of the Nordic countries is a row of colorfully-painted wooden houses, and Porvoo had plenty of them. The helpful … Read more
As I mentioned in my first post about Estonia, we absolutely loved Tallinn. The old medieval city couldn’t have been cuter, and learning about the history of Estonia was quite fascinating. Estonia has been independent for very little of its history, which makes this particular period seem quite cherished and celebrated. Perhaps it’s this new-found pride in their country that allows the Estonians to smile politely at the herds of tourists tromping through their historical city center.
This weekend we grabbed our perpetually-packed suitcases and headed to Zurich to visit friends. The weather was what most people call “gorgeous”, and we made the most of it by spending time in and around the lake (and on the roof deck). Lake Zurich is the part of Zurich I miss most, especially during the … Read more
Thumbing back through the guidebook to remember what we did, I notice how very warped and wrinkled the Helsinki pages are. It rained for almost all of our time in Helsinki, but we still found it to be a delightful city. Helsinki Sights We got quite waterlogged exploring the city by tram and on foot. … Read more
Our time in Åland was marked by dramatic, stormy weather, but luckily we had one day that was almost completely without rain. We made the most of it by renting a tandem bike and exploring several islands. The bike only had one gear, and took a little getting used to. I dare say we looked … Read more
I have a thing for places whose names start with Å. Take Å, for example, which we visited last year. When I read about a group of islands off of Finland called Åland, I knew I had to go there, too. I can tell you’re impressed with my sophisticated decision-making process. Åland is a group … Read more
Whenever we visit a city, Scott and I both instinctively size it up based on whether we would want to live there someday. Stockholm gets a big “yes” from both of us. It’s big, beautiful, and full of stuff to see, do, and eat. Guess I have a thing for cities built on islands. The … Read more