Throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. -Mark Twain
At low tide, the North Sea coast is a sea of mud. From the Netherlands to Denmark, the slope of the sea floor is shallow, resulting in huge differences in the water level between the tides. At low tide, the water peels back, sometimes as much as 15 kilometers, revealing acres and acres of intertidal mud flats. This is known as the Wadden Sea, or Wattenmeer in German, and it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nijmegen. This small but vibrant city, located in the eastern part of the Netherlands close to the German border, has a couple of uncommon claims to fame.
It is the oldest city in the Netherlands and is more than 2,000 years old.
It was carpet bombed during World War II, meaning relatively few buildings more than 50 years old still remain.
And it is the self-described “summer capital of Europe.”
Continue reading “Nijmegen: The Dutch city that was the summer capital of Europe”
I got into a bit of a blogging slump this summer, so here’s a catch-all post of some of the highlights I’ve neglected to write about: Hamburg Pride, a Germany reunion with my dear friend Edwin, a brief weekend in Berlin, and a visit to Brighton, U.K.
Continue reading “Moving to Hamburg and the story of my summer”
One lazy Saturday afternoon my neighbor James and I decided to take a spontaneous bike ride to the beach.
My first impression of Spain was the warmth. At the end of February it wasn’t hot, just a comfortable 15-16 degrees C (60 F).
My second impression was the mopeds. They darted through traffic like a person with a deathwish. They drove on the lines between lanes when traffic was slow, dodging cars and narrowly avoiding rearview mirrors and swerving bumpers.
My third impression was the palm trees. I’d seen palm trees before in California and Florida, but somehow it didn’t occur to me that they’d grow in Spain as well.
Following the Wanderlust 