Berlin is the city that makes my heart skip a beat. The buildings and streets define and narrate my lifelong obsession with my ancestral home (Germany) and its history like an interactive storybook. First, Berlin was the cultural center of the Weimar Republic era (between WWI and WWII) when the painters, filmmakers, musicians, architects, scientists,…
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…
Porchfest started in 2007 in Ithaca, NY as a totally resident-owned and operated music festival, and it has spread to over 130 other cities in the USA and Canada since. Care to start one in your town? The organizers have thoughtfully put together some info you can find here. Maybe I will add that to…
Chattanooga is known for being an outdoor lover’s paradise, a modern tech city with dizzying internet speed, home of a Volkswagen plant, Finley Stadium, and a place full of Native American and Civil War history. The city is full of attractions known around the world like Rock City and Lookout Mountain, the Tennessee Aquarium and…
Chattanooga’s Southside District is centered around the junctions of Main Street with Market Street and Broad Street, respectively. You could say that it is the area south of Warehouse Row down to 20th Street. It would not be too much of a stretch to say it is the area between Finley Stadium and the Chattanooga…
Between a surgery, work, then a year and a half so far of Covid-19 forcing us to cancel our trip, I have not been able to go back to my beloved Vaterland for over three years. That ache in my heart for lederhosen and medieval architecture is sometimes unbearable. We set out instead for Helen,…
Tennessee’s oldest town was founded in 1779, nearly two decades before it officially became a state. Jonesborough, once spelled as Jonesboro, is part of the Tri-Cities region of East Tennessee that includes Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol. Jonesborough was named after Willie Jones, a politician from North Carolina who was known for his support of…
McMinn County, Tennessee includes Athens, Niota, Englewood, Etowah, part of Sweetwater, and several unincorporated communities. It was created in 1819 and named after Joseph McMinn, a Revolutionary War commander and Tennessee Governor of six years. McMinn was also a decorated veteran of previous wars and served in the Tennessee Senate, as justice of the peace…
I was thrilled already with the selection of plants in the garden and the interesting art, and then I saw it: a slow-motion wave of iridescent blue, a long train of green and gold feathers, and scratchy little feet.
The evolution of receiving, keeping, and changing names can be complicated, but some of us experience it multiple times throughout our lives.
Linville, North Carolina is an unincorporated community inside the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was founded in the 1880s and known back then as the Clay or Porcelain town in Avery County. Linville is about 45 minutes southeast of Johnson City and an hour or so northeast of Asheville. The…
Cumberland Mountain State Park in Crossville, Tennessee has more than 1,700 acres with endless recreational options to explore. The park also has an Olympic-sized pool, several picnic shelters, campgrounds, playgrounds, courts for volleyball, tennis, basketball, badminton and other sports and games, a golf course, and a restaurant onsite. My song for this entry is…
National Allied Publications founder Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson was born in Greeneville, TN in 1890. Eventually his company became DC Comics, and Wheeler-Nicholson would be forever credited as the pioneer of American pulp comic books. My song for this entry is not a metal song but it is featured on the soundtrack for DC’s newest project, Dark…
Naples, Florida is known for being a city of culture, sophistication, high-end retailers, and fancy restaurants. The western border of this city curves along the Gulf of Mexico with miles of beaches and a bustling ecotourism industry. The Naples Pier, Naples Botanical Garden, Picayune Strand State Forest, Bird Gardens of Naples, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and…
