Skiing Serre Chevalier
For my second ski trip of the year I approached the Alps from the South of France, flying into Marseille and taking a train to Briançon. Coming up from the Mediterranean was bizarre. The coastal landscape with the typical Mediterranean pine did not fit into my skiing holiday, but slowly…
What about Vlorë?
My friend and I were planning our trip to Albania. We needed some beach time, but the popular beaches like Sarande were a little too far for our liking. With the short time we had, we needed something a bit closer to the capital. What about Vlorë? Vlorë? Vlora? What’s…
First impressions in Albania
My first day in Tirana was not exactly what I’d expected. I’d arrived after midnight the night before and the hostel had an interesting ‘room’ that was somehow connected to the rest of the space without a proper wall. So the 10 bed dorm could hear all the noise from…
Berat: a moment of beauty and peace
Taking public transport in Albania takes time. Our bus didn’t leave on time, so we arrived in the late afternoon at the bus station, just outside of the city. However, the ride from Tirana to Berat was pretty smooth. Minutes after arriving a local bus arrived. My friend and I…
The Spreewald by water
It seems like I end up in the Spreewald once every summer, but never had I explored it on the water. When my team was planning a day out, I took the lead and booked some canoes. It was the last week of August and after some really hot weather,…
Long night of the queues
On Thursday I decided to buy a ticket to Berlin’s long night of the museums, a night where many of Berlin’s museums open their doors until 2 AM and offer special programs like performances and express tours. With one ticket you can visit it all. It seemed like a great…
History hiding in the trees: Beelitz Heilstätten
It’s already August, the last month of Germany’s €9 ticket. Time to make a trip outside of Berlin, perhaps one of the last ones this summer. With 29 degrees in the forecast I packed my cap, sunscreen and sunglasses. I added my lunch and a book and took a train…
Off the tourist trail in Altamura
I spent some time working remotely in Italy and the first place I stayed in was Altamura, a small town in the Puglia region, right in the heel of Italy’s boot. I had seen some photos on Google and decided it was worth a visit. So I booked a small…
Wrocław’s smallest inhabitants
Wrocław wasn’t on my travel wish list. But when my Bari-Krakow-Berlin flight changed into a Bari-Krakow flight, I started looking around for a place to work from around Krakow. Wrocław was only a 3 to 4 hour train ride away and it looked nice in my google image search. I…
Lesson learned: bring mosquito spray
Every day we learn something new. One day I learn about action research, the next I learn about mosquitoes… the hard way! I started counting my mosquito bites, but it’s no use, I keep losing track. The back of my legs provided a tasty snack for several dozens of mosquitoes,…