“There’s gotta be someplace out there for me…”
It’s easier to get into North Korea than it is to rent a flat in Berlin.
I can say that with great confidence, having done both.
Writer, Explorer and Travel Philosopher
The ‘Forbidden City’ just outside Berlin
November 16, 2020 by Leave a Comment
This was once the largest Red Army base outside the USSR
The largest Red Army base outside the Soviet Union was a 40 minute drive south of Berlin.
It was just beyond where the new airport — and the old Schönefeld SXF — is today.
The abandoned airport down the street
November 6, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Tempelhof airport was once the world’s largest building
I’m moving flats next month and saying goodbye to Tempelhofer Feld, my favourite space in the neighbourhood.
But before I pack up my books and lug them across town, I’d like to tell you a bit about the history of what was once the world’s largest building.
The Heavy Load-Bearing Body Down the Street
October 20, 2020 by
The base of the Schwerbelastungskörper
I’m moving flats soon, after four years, leaving this neighbourhood behind for another pre-war altbau in a different part of the city.
Imminent departure has prompted me to poke around some of those minor historic sites I’ve passed so often but never gotten around to exploring.
The hamsters are loose in Berlin
March 31, 2020 by 7 Comments
Hamsters on the loose in Berlin (Photo: imago images/7aktuell)
It’s not surprising that the culture which gave us specific words for a brilliant idea you get while drinking but end up regretting later (Schnapsidee — I get a lot of these), and for the perverse sense of satisfaction at taking joy in someone else’s pain (Schadenfreude) should also have a term for hoarding.
Berlin life in the time of COVID-19
March 24, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Pariser Platz on COVID-19 nights (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
I’m not a disease expert by any stretch — though I have been sick in several third world shitholes.
But it feels like anyone with any sort of public platform is expected to take a position on the COVID-19 pandemic. It certainly had a paralyzing impact on travel.
