One of biggest occupants of my pandemic pause is Jetztpat, a fully-fledged company I co-founded with two fellow expats. We support foreigners living in Germany with navigating their way through the bureaucracy—from visas to taxes and everything in between. Go check us out!
All articles filed in germany
The Big List of Every Berlin Christmas Market
Before we jump into this list of Berlin Christmas markets, I’m going to start by making the bold statement that anyone who doesn’t love Christmas markets must be the Grinch himself. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, or if carols make you cringe, or if you think gift-giving is consumerism at its worst—you’re going to…
Read More
Things We Are Not Taller Than: Aachen, Germany
Things We Are Not Taller Than: Aachen is part of a series. You can read about the origins of our travel tradition here. Before I met Tim, I didn’t know anything about the city of Aachen. Even after I met him, I understood that it was a “study town”, home to one of the best technical…
Read More
November 9: A Turning Point in Germany History
Until this week, I couldn’t have told you why November 9 is a kay date in German development. But it marks a turning point in German history not once, but twice. Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass, and the fall of the Berlin Wall, both monumental turning points in German history, happened not just…
Read MoreThe Berlin Wall: Then and Now
November 9, 2019, marks the 30-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Thirty years since a wall divided the city; when the fall came, Berliners said this day was more important than “Christmas and New Year’s combined.” To mark the occasion, the Berliner MorgenPost put together a series of interactive sliders that spotlight places along the wall, comparing how they look now to how they looked then. Check them out here:
https://interaktiv.morgenpost.de/berliner-mauer-damals-heute/
Culture Shock: German Dancehall Music
When you think about German music, I bet a few different beats come to mind. The oom-pa-pa of the polka. The oons-oons-oons of Berlin techno. The heavy metal clashing of Rammstein, or a childlike, ethereal voice counting red balloons. What I bet you don’t hear is the melodic riffs of Caribbean dancehall music. And that’s…
Read More
12 Things to Know About Oktoberfest
It’s fall in Germany, and that means one thing: Oktoberfest. Despite having lived here for three years already, this year marked my first trip to Oktoberfest—the real one, anyway! In just one weekend, I learned a lot about the do’s, don’ts, and history of this storied festival. Here’s everything you’d want to know about Oktoberfest. …
Read More
Best Places for Asian Food in Berlin
Coming from San Francisco, I wasn’t expecting to have a huge array of good options for Asian food in Berlin. Lo, to my surprise, there are some incredible Asian restaurants in this city. The trick, however, is finding them. Search Google, and you’ll get an Asian restaurant on every corner. Some are true gems. But…
Read More
Cozy English bookstores in Berlin
If you’re on one of those new-fangled Kindle gadgets, this post is not for you. I’m an old school book lover, and lucky for me, Germany is old school in just about everything. (See exhibit A: cash-based society) If you’re into stocking up on ye auld paperbacks, here are some of my favorite cozy English…
Read More
JUMP Bikes: The Uber of Cycling
If you’ve been to Berlin recently, you’ve likely spotted little fleets of bright red bikes on every corner. Fairly new to the Berlin bike scene, JUMP Bikes are a great way to get around this highly bike-friendly city. And they’re not just limited to Berlin. Cities across Germany, Portugal, the U.K., and now the U.S.…
Read More
Up and Gone 