Stories from my life and travels as an American immigrant in Germany!

Quedlinburg, Germany: Hilltop Castles & Cheesecake

Quedlinburg street

Full disclosure, Quedlinburg only has one castle on a hill (that I know of). So, the title is kind of a lie. The singular form just didn’t sound as nice, OK? And, no, I can’t explain why; it’s not like a have a degree in linguistics or something. Just a lousy English degree. Moving on. Quedlinburg is a single-castle town…Continue Reading

Return to Leipzig, Germany

university of Leipzig

Last Summer, while many people were going abroad for the first time since the pandemic started, my husband and I played it safe and stayed in Germany. I already talked about our trip to Frankfurt, and made the (outrageous) claim that I’d have posts about my mini Summer vacations in the coming weeks. That was, of course, a lie; I made…Continue Reading

The German North Sea Coast

My husband has wanted us to take a vacation to the North Sea coast ever since we moved to Germany four years ago. The closest we’ve been is Hamburg, which isn’t actually close at all. Like camping in my home-state of Michigan, however, it’s hard to find accommodations on the coast unless you book far in advance. So, he’d put…Continue Reading

A Visit to Post-Apocalyptic Berlin

trabant colorful Berlin

Berlin; a city that is (at least, in certain areas) post-apocalyptic in appearance even when we aren’t in the midst of a plague. Despite the pandemic, Jan and I spent a long weekend there in mid-August. The numbers weren’t great then, but they were certainly better than they are now. So, you’d be forgiven if you looked at the title and thought,…Continue Reading

Hiking in the Lüneburger Heide

lüneburger heide

Lüneburg, Germany is best known for its fields of heath, which bloom from early August to mid-September. Heath, which is called Heide in German, is a big tourism draw for the city. Not only can visitors enjoy numerous hiking trails, they can also buy heath-infused products like liquor and soap. Earlier this month, my husband and I hiked two trails…Continue Reading

Dresden, Germany: City of Rebirth

Dresden, like many cities in Germany, was rebuilt after the Second World War. Instead of being rebuilt in a more modern style, it was reconstructed with an eye on its storied past. Although the Altstadt looks, well, old, nearly all of the buildings are new. Newer, in fact, than many other reconstructed German cities, such as Nuremberg. Most of the restoration work…Continue Reading

Nuremberg, Germany: A Long Weekend in Bavaria

nuremberg germany

Nuremberg, like many German cities, was destroyed by bombs towards the end of WWII. Instead of being completely modernized, many of the medieval buildings were restored or recreated, including parts of the old city wall. While these meticulously-restored buildings are spread throughout the city, the area with the highest concentration surrounds the Imperial Castle. This was our first stop after…Continue Reading