Pick-A-Day

March 2024
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Whatchamacallit 5: Hier war Goethe nie

Before moving to Germany, I think it is safe to say that I had not really thought at all about Germany and its history – beyond the typical broad strokes that Americans learn about: Germany was responsible for World War I and for World War II.

I could go on about the accuracy of […]

TB or not TB – Baum & Zeit at Beelitz-Heilstätten

A couple weekends ago, I met up with one of my colleagues and headed out to Beelitz-Heilstätten, out on the southwestern edge of Berlin.

Beelitz-Heilstätten is a very well known site for explorers of abandoned buildings – it’s a site with a plethora of buildings that have, to be blunt, seen better days. Back […]

Books 98 to 110: Holy Cow!

The year is rapidly winding down – and in a year that I do not think of as particularly reading intensive, I’ve already read 110 books – and I have two more in progress, which should all be finished by the end of the year. I’ll even bet that I read a lot more than […]

25 Years Later: I have no idea where I was when the Berlin Wall fell.

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall falling.

It’s interesting – for the first time, that I can recall, I was asked what I was doing when I heard that the wall had opened – and it occurred to me that I really have no memory of the event, when it happened.

Tiergartenstrasse 4: A New Memorial in Berlin

If there’s one thing Berlin has in spades, it’s history. Lots and lots and lots of history. Much of it is depressing – the kind of history you want to forget but don’t because it should never be forgotten.

Like the Nazi’s Aktion T4 program that killed people who were judged to be insane […]

I’ve ridden all six BVG Ferry Routes, from End-to-End

As I noted two weeks ago, Berlin’s public transportation network includes ferries – and in my first three years of living here, I never had occasion to take one. But then, once I learned that F24 is a rowboat, I decided to ride.

And some how, since I rode two ferry routes that back on […]

Echoes across space and time – Wyoming from Germany: My Wyoming Monologue

Below is my piece for the Wyoming Monologues, a performance put on at the University of Wyoming last night, March 8, 2013, following a performance of the Vagina Monologues. I owe a debt of gratitude to Ian, Stephan, Jay, Alexander, and Bonnie for their helpful comments during the writing process. Further, it would […]

Visiting Gleis 17 / Platform 17 / at Bahnhof Berlin-Grunewald

Yesterday I engaged in a bit of random Berlin exploration – it started innocently enough with coffee from *$ — after my coffee, I popped outside and got on the first bus I saw, Bus 186. I recognized the last stop listed (S-Grunewald), but I had no idea how I would get […]

My thoughts on the East Side Gallery

I realize, as I write this, that I am not about to post something that many of my Berlin friends will like, but I feel like saying it anyway.

But first — the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 kilometer long piece of the Berlin wall, is going to have a 22 meter piece taken out […]

Happy 775th Anniversary to Berlin!

Berlin has many points of interest – and if you look, one Fernsehturm.

Looking across Tiergarten toward Brandenburger Tor

This month Berlin is busy celebrating 775 years – there are a number of parties, exhibitions, and other events honoring the city’s brief moment on the planet.

Looking along Hauptstrasse toward Mitte – […]