One of my favourite writers since my childhood days is Erich Kästner. I remember reading what’s perhaps his most iconic piece of work, Emil and the Detectives, numerous times when I was growing up. Each time, I would be fascinated by the train journey that Emil bravely undertook on his own and longed to one […]
Choosing to eat fewer animal products is probably the most important action an individual can take to reverse global warming—it has a known and significant effect on the environment, and, done collectively, would push the culture and the marketplace with more force than any march. Jonathan Safran Foer in We are the Weather: Saving the […]
Coming from a tropical country, I didn’t know much about trees that typically grow in European forests. Heck, I don’t even know much about trees that are commonly found in rainforests, because I grew up in a city and never bothered to learn about them (embarrassing I know, considering that my father used to work […]
Happy (belated) New Year! Five days into 2021, how are you liking the year so far? To be frank, I haven’t felt much difference from 2020 mainly because of the shutdown/lockdown situation, which is looking pretty grim at the moment in Europe, with no real end in sight. On the other hand, I’m grateful that […]
Literally. I started jogging voluntarily only in February 2020, and I can’t even remember why. One thing for sure, the pandemic wasn’t a trigger because it hadn’t really “reached” Germany then. Whatever the reason was, I’ve been hooked since then and clocked more than 30 hours and close to 300 km by the end of […]
Hope everyone had a festive, enjoyable Christmas week? Just like many of you, I feasted way too much and now it’s time to shed the extra calories. And what better ways to do it in this mild winter than to walk and enjoy nature? One easy route to explore is along the Löcknitz river, but […]
It’s officially the first day of winter, and Berlin and Brandenburg have been on “shutdown” since last week till at least Jan 10. This means that most shops and schools are shut, restaurants open only for takeaways and deliveries, and people could leave their home only for important reasons. Fortunately, sports do count as an […]
One thing I really enjoy doing in the cold seasons is visiting the thermal/mineral baths and spas outside of Berlin, which feels like heaven after a stroll in the countryside. Wellness centres like these are currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but at the beginning of autumn we just about made it to one in […]
Along Germany’s southeast international border with the Czech Republic lies the Ore Mountains/Vogtland Nature Park (Naturpark Erzgebirge/Vogtland in German). At 120 km long, it’s apparently the longest nature park in Germany. The region is especially popular for winter sports, but it’s ideal for hiking too. The landscape you see here evolved through 800 years of […]
The UNESCO Spreewald Biosphere Reserve is one of my favourite destinations in Brandenburg. Situated in the Lausitz region, it is steeped in nature, history and culture, offering visitors plenty to do throughout the year. What stands out the most to me, though, is the water-rich landscape formed during the last Ice Age and the unmistakable […]