Booknote: WWII Berlin in fiction and diary

Although I left Berlin sometime ago, I can’t seem to leave it behind.  While in London, I bought a first novel about a German couple in Berlin during the Second World War.  This soldier and his “mail order” wife are on the German side ; the novel portrays the brutal conditions of the fighting on the Russian front …

Berlin: History & Rebirth

I did not fall in love with Berlin at first sight–but I’m warming up to it and it’s growing on me.  We are staying in the eastern part of the city and upon arrival at our hotel, I initially thought we were in the middle of nowhere and I wasn’t particularly impressed with the architecture either. …

Amsterdam: City of Bikes

This is my first visit to Amsterdam and we arrived by train from Brussels.  Oh, the bicycles! Exiting the train station, I was immediately struck first by the 3-level parking garage for bikes and then the people on bicycles everywhere!  You see more bikes than cars and they go whizzing along seeming as if they will never …

Eating in London: Some Favorite Restaurants

One of the delights of a being in a big city is choosing from a wide range of restaurants and cuisines.  London is one of the best places in the world in which to do this; there is everything from traditional British pub food to Indian and Chinese plus Lebanese, Thai, Mexican, Italian, French, and the list …