Not only Homer Simpson might mistake all that snow for a big powdered doughnut. instagr.am/p/UnvvYUoW-x/ — Ken Macbeth (@lahikmajoe) January 18, 2013 If you follow the link in the tweet reprinted above, you’ll find a view from the hotel room we’ve been in since the beginning of January, and I can’t stop chuckling at the… Continue reading Saying goodbye to Neuhausen
Tag: Germany
the monks are at rest and so am I…mostly
In Munich, like most of the rest of Germany, the people have closedup shop and Christmas is in full swing. You might say that’s typical for countries that celebrate this holiday, but there’s something almost eerie about the way everything grinds to a halt here. Germans take family and friends seriously, and this is a… Continue reading the monks are at rest and so am I…mostly
Shadows and light revisited
I wrote a blogpost with this title back in early summer, but didn’t even mention the Joni Mitchell song I was referencing. That was an unfortunate omission, because it’s a song worth knowing. Here are the lyrics: ‘Every picture has its shadows And it has some source of light Blindness, blindness and sight The perils… Continue reading Shadows and light revisited
for the love of train travel
up in the Hochbahn in Hamburg
This is a blogpost I’ve been waiting to do until I had enough photos to make it make a bit of sense. Not that this blog always makes much sense. What’d be the point of that? No point, I tell you. Just like other major German cities, Hamburg has both an U-Bahn and S-Bahn system.… Continue reading up in the Hochbahn in Hamburg
enough abandonment
One of the first people I met when I moved to Germany was Dermot. Fantastic person and even better artist. He’s Irish of course. Have you ever met a Dermot who wasn’t? He is also a woodworker who specialises in lamps. The one above is rather beautiful, isn’t it? After the last few serious blogposts,… Continue reading enough abandonment
curse all you want
Have you ever wanted to just yell at someone, but you couldn’t? Anti-social as it might be, sometimes the only thing that will satisfy that desire is to let loose. To open your pie-hole and just unload a torrent of abuse. If there were only a place that would let you get that aggression out.… Continue reading curse all you want
getting a baby’s consent is no easy matter
Several years ago, I was reading Gary Shteyngart‘s 2006 Absurdistan, and there was one thing I found rather curious. It’s possible that everyone knows about this, but in my circle of friends the topic of late-in-life circumcision rarely, if ever, comes up. Ahem…as it were. This is undoubtedly a sensitive subject, and I assumed the author… Continue reading getting a baby’s consent is no easy matter
still his attacking heart
Dreaming of a German English final When I first arrived in Germany, I’d already become fascinated by international football tournaments, such as the World Cup. What I didn’t yet understand was the rivalry between the English and the Germans. Not only when it comes to football, but for a myriad of other reasons it’s one of… Continue reading still his attacking heart
the Eisheilge and other curiosities
Couldn’t find anything in English about the Eisheilige, so at least until the bots find this corner of the web, this’ll be the lone English explanation. Not sure I like the pressure. The Eisheilige could be translated as ‘icy holy days‘, and I’ve also heard these days called the gestrenge Männer (‘strict men‘). It’s a… Continue reading the Eisheilge and other curiosities