Author Archives: Expat chatter
How to beat the virus in 2022
There are more virus variants down the road in 2022. So let's do what Sleeping....
Dec
I tried to escape the Oktoberfest. I failed.
Read by Brenda For the second time, the Oktoberfest has been canceled due to corona.....
Oct
The library, the monk and the sandals
Read by Brenda “Take their books! They’re useless propaganda. Get rid of them!” This actually....
2 Comments
Sep
The 400-year-old Marketing Flop You’ve Never Heard of
Read by Brenda They told me in college that marketing was invented in the U.S.....
Aug
Get those escargots out of my lawnmower
French culture impacted many countries' languages and cuisine - and even the front yard.
1 Comments
Aug
Give us our daily bread, but please let it be German
Read by Brenda A good friend of mine recently returned to the U.S. after several....
2 Comments
Vaccination Fascination
25 July 2021 A strange thing has set upon us. Suddenly, we’re all doctors. Better....
2 Comments
Jul
The Prussian Rock Star in my Wardrobe
18 July 2021 Many people have been using their downtime from the pandemic to tackle....
2 Comments
Jul
Grave Thoughts Indeed – Part 4 – The Oktoberfest
26 May 2021 (Click here for parts 1, 2 and 3) Munich is known first....
May
Grave Thoughts Indeed – Part 3 – Royal rollicking and frolicking
The Alter Südfriedhof dates to the 14th century, but most of its graves tell the....
Mar
How war shaped the Alter Südfriedhof
Grave Thoughts Indeed – Part 2 Listen to Brenda read this post Small German towns....
3 Comments
Mar
Grave Thoughts Indeed
The Alter Südfriedhof in Munich is more of an open air museum reflecting the history....
3 Comments
Mar
Stand down, parler, this word is too good to debauch
Language is constantly in flux. Words come, words go, and sometimes their meaning changes altogether.....
8 Comments
Jan
From Munich to Philadelphia with love
A chat group of expat Americans provides moral support during a days-long chat leading to....
6 Comments
Dec
Italiano – no problemo for meo
I walked into Italian class and saw a room full of pensioners. But I didn't....
6 Comments
Oct
Spectators turned spectacle
Corona’s surprising effect on an evening at the theater My favorite small theater has reopened....
7 Comments
Oct
Mail-in ballots are sometimes the only way to vote
Mail-in ballots should be simple and foolproof. The technology is there, so why not use....
2 Comments
Oct
The Oktoberfest was canceled due to COVID-19
Munich's Oktoberfest was canceled due to COVID-19, but locals are celebrating anyway.
3 Comments
Oct
The Race for Space is Over (but not the way you think)
Shopping pre-corona in Germany used to be a contact sport - that changed overnight
4 Comments
May
Berlin, lost and sometimes found
Berlin's history spans three eras and each one has some surprises in store
2 Comments
Apr
Feb
The Secret Second Life of Balconies
Balconies are great in summer, but they can be useful in winter in surprising ways.
Jan
Count Tree Music
The Berlin Wall is long gone, but its impact can still be felt everywhere, on....
Jan
‘Twas the Night Before Weihnachten
The Night Before Christmas takes on a new twist when transport it to Munich -....
1 Comments
Dec
Hot wine and cold toes
Every town has its Christmas market. I try my luck fitting in at a local....
1 Comments
Dec
The Several Santa Syndrome
Taking bits and pieces of different Christmas cultures can lead to a lot of confusion.
2 Comments
Dec
The 37 Days of Christmas
From late November to early January, it's one long holiday season in Germany.
Nov
Thanksgiving? No, thanks
Americans like to think of Thanksgiving as being the ultimate American holiday, but it's actually....
1 Comments
Nov
30 after the Wall
Many people did not expect Germany to be reunified. Thirty years later, it is still....
4 Comments
Nov
Halloween Goes Global
Halloween has made its way to Germany, but some funny things happened to this holiday....
2 Comments
An Intents Experience – My Oktoberfest Visit
The Oktoberfest is inextricably linked to drinking beer. But there's a lot more to it....
World War Window
When I was a student, I thanked my lucky stars when I could finally afford....
Jul
The Curious Case of the X in the Sock Drawer
Remember the old standard joke that people use when they don't want to go to....
2 Comments
Jun
Of planes to Spain exploring new terrain
I was thrilled when my daughter decided to study Spanish in Spain for three months,....
May
The blossom butcher of Bavaria
If you see one balcony with dead flowers surrounded by houses with perfectly groomed plants,....
Apr
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