Portugal: Belém Tower
When I think of my favorite city Lisbon (Portuguese: Lisboa), I see a bright and promising blue. It's like Lisbon held a patent on this color. You see this it when you get out of the plane and no matter where you are in Lisbon - the sky color is always above you. The same blue is mirrored in the water of the large Tagus…
Carnival tradition in Germany
Today is Rose Monday, one of the most important Carnival days. The best known Carnival cities are Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Venice (Italy) and Cologne (Germany). The important center of German Carnival is the Rhineland. But also in many other German regions the time before the Christian six-week Lent is celebrated very cheerfully. Where does this tradition come from? Some people connect the carnival with…
Mangrove forests
The ecosystem Mangrove is originated by salt tolerant types of trees up to medium height and by shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics with a water temperature of about 68°F (20°C). The mangrove forest areas of the world in 2005 was about 58,000 mi² (150,000 km²) spanning 118 countries and territories. Approximately 75% of world’s mangroves are found in just 15 countries. Asia has the largest amount (42%) of the…
Munich – New Town Hall and Maypole
Munich (German: München) is the capital of the German region Bavaria (Bayern). With 1,5 million inhabitants, Munich is the 3rd biggest city of Germany (after Berlin and Hamburg). Munich is known especially for its famous Oktoberfest. Two other emblems are the New Town Hall and the Maypole at the Viktualienmarkt. The New Town Hall of Munich is domicile of the municipality of the city since 1874. Georg…
German food tradition on New Year’s Eve
"What will your family eat on Christmas?" is an often asked question in decembers. But what do people eat on New Year's Eve? My family would answer the same as many other Germans, too: carp. The tradition of eating carp on Christmas or New Year's Eve is very common in many parts of Germany as same as in Bohemia (Czech Republic) and Austria. But why…
Hamburg city beach in the early morning
This morning, I got up at 5 a.m. in order to spend the early morning at Hamburg's city beach at Elbe River. One of my favorite scenes in my novel will play at that same beach in an early April morning. The weather played along, because it rained as it does very often here. It was still dark when I arrived by ferry at Övelgönne-Neumühlen.…
Louise Lecavalier – Ikon of contemporary dance
Impressing and outstanding. Different and unique. Particular and herself. These are some words that come in my mind when I think of Louise Lecavalier who I was honored to see dancing on Friday night in the European Center of Arts Dresden "Hellerau". How can a person have so much energy, express her story by an incomparable sharing dance and amaze me so much, that I…
Cabarete (Dominican Republic)
Cabarete is a village on the North coast of the Dominican Republic. It was founded in 1835 by Zephaniah Kingsley and his mixed-race family (he practiced polygamy and married four black women), and 53 slaves he freed from his Florida plantations. In 1984, a Canadian wind surfer discovered Cabarete as an exceptional hot spot for wind surfing. Subsequently, the outstanding surf conditions of the bay…
Bryant Park in New York City
As I come from a small town in Germany, huge cities like New York stress me after some days. My favorite NYC places to relax are Central Park and the High Line. But when you're walking in the Time Square area and you need a break, go to Bryant Park. There are benches, and in summer you can sit on the grass and enjoy a…
Leipzig – A city with book tradition
Leipzig (Germany) was once one of the major European centers of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing and plays still an important role in these fields. How did this happen and which role does the Leipzig Trade Fair plays in this development? In the Middle Ages, Leipzig was the intersection of two very important trade roads of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe: Via Regia (from…
Religious and general fasting
I grew up in Germany, a country which is characterized by Christianity and Judaism. In recent times, also Muslim traditions become more and more familiar to me. Among many other things, one common practice in many religions is fasting. Why do people fast? Is it an only religious motivation or do people fast for other reasons? What does fasting do to people? Here are some facts…