All posts tagged: Germany

Weihnachtsmarkt Rathausmarkt, Hamburg

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Can you believe that it’s Christmastime once again? We don’t get snow on our side of the globe, but the weather’s notably cooler, especially at night, and the streets twinkle with beautiful fairy lights. Throw in some holiday tunes and a delicious cup of coffee, and it’s the perfect time for reminiscing. Four years ago, after my colleague Sheila and I had our training in the little town of Löhne, Germany, we made our way to the not-so-little city of Hamburg to experience ourselves some European Christmas spirit. Of course, our first stop had to be their Rathaus—German for city hall.   As we walked up the steps of the subway, our heads were drawn up to the impressive sandstone walls housing the seat of Hamburg’s government. To give you an idea of just how grand this neo-Renaissance building is, its number of rooms tops that of London’s Buckingham Palace. Awesome, right? We would’ve wanted to join one of the guided tours to its public areas, but since we had a free city tour to catch, we decided to simple explore the sights …

“What if we don’t wake up on time?”

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Hamburg, November 2010 I woke up in a startling burst of consciousness, as though someone had poked me in my side. I blinked. I didn’t usually wake up without an alarm. My eyes grew wide. My alarm. I groped for my phone underneath my pillow, my breath suspended in my chest. My hand hit gold, and I quickly pulled it out and checked the screen. Jolting upright, I turned to the lump beside me and shook it. “Wake up!” Your head shifted on the pillow as you mumbled something I couldn’t understand. I was already on my feet and hitting the lamp switch. Light flooded the small room, throwing shadows along the not-quite-white walls enclosing a space that looked nothing like it did in the photos. Not that it mattered now. “Wake up,” I half-yelled at you as I shoved my legs into my jeans, “It’s (time). Our train’s leaving in x minutes.” “What?” Launching into a sitting position, you checked your phone and jumped out of bed. I strode over to the tiny sink just beside the door and splashed …

Signs and Second Chances

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Because I didn’t want to break my recent blogging streak (and because I haven’t posted any of my fiction stuff in a while), here’s a short story I wrote for my creative writing class two years ago. It’s loosely based on my NaNoWriMo 2012 novel–which I haven’t finished to this day, LOL. This was actually my initial draft, but I preferred it over the final work I submitted. The photo was taken during our stopover in Heidelberg back in 2009. We only stayed for a few hours, but I fell in love with the picturesque German city all the same. *Disclaimer: This is completely a work of fiction. * * * An hour from now, she’d think it had been serendipity that brought her there. But in that exact moment, it was the sign that called to her. Rather, it was the inscription on the sign. Six letters in the old German typeface painstakingly carved into a slab of weathered wood. Kaffee. The sign hung from a simple wrought iron rod protruding from the shop front, as did those of other establishments crowding the …

The Berlin Wall, Germany

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So this is where I feature photos of a specific place, event or experience that I find truly memorable. In keeping with my previous post wherein Berlin was mentioned, I’d like to start off this series with my visit to the Berlin Wall — particularly, the Berliner Mauer East Side Gallery. Throughout our short stay in Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg, Sheila and I adhered to several suggestions of our wise and most knowledgeable travel companion: Rick Steves. It was he who led us to Muhlenstrasse, home to a 1.3 km stretch of the historic Berlin Wall. Though there are several other remaining portions of the wall found throughout the city, we decided to make it a point to visit the East Side Gallery due to the main thing that sets it apart. While the other remnants of the Wall were left in their original condition, this particular length was transformed into a huge open air gallery commemorating the trials and triumphs that took place there. Back in 1990, artists from all over the world came …

Of Train Rides and Facepalm Moments

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This is a story about regrets.  I’m sure most everyone would love to say that they lived their lives without ’em. Seriously though, can anyone really be one hundred percent honest and certain about that? Regrets can encompass the simple action of being rude to someone important to you, or the major decision of what career path to take.  Let me tell you about one of my greatest regrets in life. Train guy.