Featured
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The Great Resignation is leading to great consternation
The staffing shortage in the U.S. and Europe was visible everywhere during my recent trip and culminated in an arduous trip home with an unintentionally long stay at Heathrow Airport. But it also afforded the opportunity to observe some colorful aspects of human behavior.
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My cowboy boots didn’t fool the cowboy
I thought cowboy boots would help me develop my rodeo skills. An evening at the Grizzly Rose bar in Denver was enough to teach me otherwise.
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In awe of Colorado’s awfully good athletes
Hiking and biking regularly might lead you to believe you’re in good shape. If you wish to test that hypothesis, just come and pit yourself against the Coloradans who tackle fourteeners every weekend.
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On The (Same) Road Again
I used to get lost all the time, but that all changed when GPS technology came along. At least, that was the expectation. Reality proved to be a different story.
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The travails of travel, from Mozart to the moon
I was tempted to feel sorry for myself when my plane was delayed by a storm. And then I remembered the travails of the Mozart family during their European travels.
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Follow the Narrow Brick Road – and hope for the best
A man was recently caught on camera driving a Maserati down the famous Spanish steps in Rome. It seemed so silly to me that someone would drive a car down an old cobblestone street, until I remembered a recent escapade of my own in an old Spanish town.
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Think digital technology is a cure-all? Don’t bet your life on it
A WWII air raid siren startled me once while I waited for a train. Such an old technology could certainly be replaced with something better. At least that’s what I thought until a real emergency cropped up.
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What’s that schmuck doing in the jewelry store?
8 May 2022 The war in Ukraine has catapulted yet another German word into English vocabulary in just two months. The word is Zeitenwende, turning point. It takes its place next to venerable old-timers such as zeitgeist, angst and doppelgänger. I’m going to indulge in the luxury of ignoring the war itself. Instead, let’s take […]
Expat Life
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Kraut and about – what are all those Germans doing abroad?
German immigrants used to flock to the U.S. They still go there in droves, but now they go back home again, as I discovered during my trip to New York.
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Karl Marx’s penguin and Richard Wagner’s design for Madonna’s corset
1 May 2022 Karl Marx and Richard Wagner are featured in joint exhibits at the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. But why, I wondered. The first man was a flaming revolutionary, forced to flee the country and live much of his life in exile. His name became synonymous with disastrous attempts to implement his philosophy. […]
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Ukraine on the train – from a military to a cultural conflict
Taking the train home from Berlin, some Ukrainians boarded the train. Watching their interactions with the conductor reminded me of my first experience taking German trains
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Juggling work and family, German minister drops the ball
German minister for the family Anne Spiegel recently resigned after major errors of judgment. Did her family responsibilities overwhelm her, like they do so many women – still?
What’s the chatter?
About Me
Hi, I’m Brenda, founder of Expat CHatter
My visit to Bavaria has now stretched out for decades. But even though I’m well-integrated, I remain a visitor of sorts. I still swoon every time I drive through a small village with quaint houses, a market square and a stone church with an onion dome.
“What a cute little town!” I say, triggering dramatic eye-rolling from my teenage daughters. “Stop saying that,” they plead. “We’re from here!”
But since I’m not from here, I see things with different, foreign eyes. That’s what this blog is all about: seeing Bavaria through Midwestern American tinted glasses. It’s an adventure that never stops!
TRAVEL & FUN:
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The Great Resignation is leading to great consternation
The staffing shortage in the U.S. and Europe was visible everywhere during my recent trip and culminated in an arduous trip home with an unintentionally long stay at Heathrow Airport. But it also afforded the opportunity to observe some colorful aspects of human behavior.
-
My cowboy boots didn’t fool the cowboy
I thought cowboy boots would help me develop my rodeo skills. An evening at the Grizzly Rose bar in Denver was enough to teach me otherwise.
-
In awe of Colorado’s awfully good athletes
Hiking and biking regularly might lead you to believe you’re in good shape. If you wish to test that hypothesis, just come and pit yourself against the Coloradans who tackle fourteeners every weekend.
-
On The (Same) Road Again
I used to get lost all the time, but that all changed when GPS technology came along. At least, that was the expectation. Reality proved to be a different story.
-
The travails of travel, from Mozart to the moon
I was tempted to feel sorry for myself when my plane was delayed by a storm. And then I remembered the travails of the Mozart family during their European travels.
-
Follow the Narrow Brick Road – and hope for the best
A man was recently caught on camera driving a Maserati down the famous Spanish steps in Rome. It seemed so silly to me that someone would drive a car down an old cobblestone street, until I remembered a recent escapade of my own in an old Spanish town.
-
Think digital technology is a cure-all? Don’t bet your life on it
A WWII air raid siren startled me once while I waited for a train. Such an old technology could certainly be replaced with something better. At least that’s what I thought until a real emergency cropped up.
-
What’s that schmuck doing in the jewelry store?
8 May 2022 The war in Ukraine has catapulted yet another German word into English vocabulary in just two months. The word is Zeitenwende, turning point. It takes its place next to venerable old-timers such as zeitgeist, angst and doppelgänger. I’m going to indulge in the luxury of ignoring the war itself. Instead, let’s take […]
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Aren’t you glad you got the orange car after all?
The sky was suddenly a muddy orange, but what was causing it. I had an idea, but the thought was too scary to consider
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Berlin, lost and sometimes found
Berlin’s history spans three eras and each one has some surprises in store
Expat Chatter 