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.
After a whirlwind week of road tripping from München to Bad Kötzting near the Czech Border, along the Alps to Schloß Neuschwanstein and back to München again, 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…
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…
Back in my most beloved city, München (Munich), the first thing I wanted was to visit the Viktualienmarkt. It is my tradition to buy strawberries here, as just a simple and sweet thing I look forward to. Viktualienmarkt is an open air market spanning several city blocks. Most cities have a farmers market but this tops anything…
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…
“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?” -Terry Pratchett I began this series with my first entry Venerate Your Dead: The Americas while planning a menu for a Samhain Sabbat / Day of the Dead dinner party. Feel free to read that blog for a better…
“Dealing with death is the root of culture.” –Friedrich Dürrenmatt In preparation for an upcoming Samhain Sabbat, I drew on some of my knowledge of remembrance rituals and of death and funeral rites for menu inspiration. I majored in Anthropology and always welcome an opportunity to bring what I learned to the table, especially in…
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…
I never imagined that I would spend the turn of my third decade in Moscow’s Red Square, until it happened. Visiting Russia had long held a top spot on my bucket list but always seemed out of grasp. When I earned my TESOL/TEFL certifications a few years ago I started tutoring in English and German…
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…
(TL, DR: Enjoy this Russian Rap Playlist, suckas. Through my travels, I have fallen privy to unexpected information and earned some unconventional badges of expertise. It may come as a surprise, but for better or worse, I know my way around the core Russian rap scene. A few people have laughed and been dismissive about the…
Ireland’s Galway Bay on the west coast forms a crescent around the Aran Islands. Today, after leaving Kylemore Abbey, we traveled south to Oughterard, Galway, the Dunguaire Castle in Kinvarra, Bell Harbour, Bealaclugga, Ballyvaughan, and into the heart of the Burren. Road Trip Essentials 101 For every road trip, you need a playlist, junk food,…
