Sitting at an outdoor café three blocks from the Rome Termini one morning 24 years ago waiting for my friend Julie to arrive, I had no appreciation of the folly of our planning. In the days before cell phones, all…
Traveling to Remember
Category: Germany
When One Place Leads to Another
Ever since getting on a plane and flying to Rome 20 years ago with a backpack full of traveler’s checks (do those still exist?), I’ve never much worried about not having a place to stay when I arrived at my…
Germany Year Zero
I wasn’t sure what to think when I happened upon a memorial to victims of the war at St. Nikolai church in Hamburg, Germany. What remains of the church is basically a bell tower and a basement, some walls, now…
East and West Together: Happy Unity Day, Germany!
In this time of global tumult, it’s easy to forget that democratic movements generated a little anxiety at points before. Hard to believe it’s been 23 years since the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989. East and West Germany…
Standing in the Tracks of Chariots and on the Paths of Heroes
For me, there’s no greater experiential learning than walking back through time via travel. The chariot tracks in the streets of Pompeii made life in the first century that much more real to me. Seeing row after row of crosses…
Mixing Pleasure with Business
Given my vocation—writing about the environment and law—it’s virtually impossible for me to silo work and play. Most often, they are one and the same, which is the way I want my life to be. I am sometimes surprised by…
Please Don’t Make the Police Blotter on Your Trip
The Brawny Sherpa, accompanying me on a press trip to Hamburg, was supposed to be on his best behavior. Ever the polite escort, he would be the tourist—and occasionally carry my bags—while I learned about Hamburg’s environmental record as the…