Tell me if you’ve heard this before: “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste. I’ve been around for a long, long year, stole many a man’s soul and faith. And I was round when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain, Made damn sure that Pilate washed…
A kremlin, the fancy Russian word for fortress, is not an entirely rare sight across Russia but only one has the distinction of being THE Kremlin. Moscow and its Kremlin were founded in the 12th century. Prior to the 1900s many people lived inside the Moscow Kremlin walls just as they would in any village. Soviet…
In the Heart of Transylvania is Harghita County, home of the Szekelyfold. The Szekelers are a group of Magyar/Hungarian origins who formed a battalion of frontier guards that defended the land against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Ages.
Something bit me in Transylvania, and that is no joke. I kept a close eye on the painful new swellings and watched for any strange symptoms but they have healed, and now… I guess I’m fine now. Before I begin, I found a video on Youtube that someone else filmed of Sighisoara that truly shows…
Berlin is the city that makes my heart skip a beat. The very buildings, monuments, and street names define and narrate my lifelong obsession with Germany and its history like an interactive storybook. First with the Weimar Republic era when the artists, filmmakers, musicians, architects, scientists, and great writers who emerged during this time birthed…
A short trip through Northern Ireland from Belfast up to the Giant’s Causeway has many attractions along the way; many that were used as filming locations for the series Game of Thrones. Not having watched it, I was still just as thrilled as the next person to visit these beautiful landmarks. I know the series’…
One particularly foggy night in München required Adolf Hitler to take the train home instead of a car. It was November 1939, and an anti-Nazi activist named George Elser had planted a bomb. Hitler was giving a speech that night but it was abruptly cut short in order for him to catch the train. He left just minutes before the bomb went off.
Moscow’s historically bohemian Arbat district is where ancient rulers charged their caravans into town and tradesmen followed route to sell their wares. It was first mentioned in literary works as far back as the early 1400s.
After a whirlwind week of road tripping from München to Bad Kötzting near the Czech Border, then along the Alps to Schloß Neuschwanstein, I was ready for a solo retreat to Heidelberg. Heidelberg’s official song “Ich Hab’ mein Herz in Heidelberg Verloren” translates to “I Lost my Heart in Heidelberg” and was first recorded in 1925 by Fred Raymond.…
Germany’s most popular castle ruins withstood centuries of repeated brutal attacks, yet went unscathed during both World Wars. In the heart of Germany, Heidelberg rests over the Odenwald mountains divided in two by the Neckar River. Mark Twain wrote “I have never enjoyed a view which had such a serene and satisfying charm about it…
Köln (Cologne) lies in Western Germany near the Dutch-Belgian border. It is the fourth largest and most populated city in Germany, and number one in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. First thing first in Köln, you must visit the Kölner Dom Cathedral. Take the Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof and when you exit the station, it will not…
I started my tradition of buying strawberries at the Viktualienmarkt the very first time I went to Munich. Traveling overseas can leave you in desperate need of grounding and this simple ritual helps me shift from hectic to feeling at home. Viktualienmarkt is an open air market spanning almost 250,000 square feet around several city…
