Clara in Germany!

Walking home along the National Mall.  Inside the Smithsonian Botanical Gardens The Capitol Building Descending into the metro

Scotland is not “chill”. Even during the super touristy and internationally focused Fringe Festival, Edinburgh managed to shine through in short and concentrated bursts.  A guy donning a traffic cone as a hat. Old friends simultaneously smashing their beer pitchers on the ground in joyful exclamation. A somehow soaked man screaming words of racial acceptance into the afternoon air. “I don’t fackin care if yer black or yer white, YOU ARE WELCOME BY ME.” Dogs are encouraged almost anywhere, and locals will actively chase you down to correct the slightly false directions they gave you five minutes earlier. There’s a warmth to Scotland that emanates from the cobble-stone streets and extends to the crooked smiles of its people. I went to a pub in Leith, and thought that everyone there was lifelong friends. Turns out they had just met. Calm, collected dog at Leith's coolest record/book store, Elvis and Shakespeare A Saturday afternoon in Leith During my day t...

Many stereotypes of German culture stem from the southern city of Munich.  This Bavarian town is home to lederhosen, Oktoberfest, and baked pretzels as big as your beer stein. Much of Munich looks like it was built from gingerbread, and many of its people do in fact wear lederhosen in broad daylight. The new normal. The serene and beautiful Gärtnerplatz   The city is one of the wealthiest in Germany, with a major religious influence that is both reflected in the abundant Catholic imagery and manner of greeting your fellow man. In Munich, “hallo” is replaced with “Gruss Gott”, which translates roughly to “love to god.” The last thing you would expect from Munich is a dark, graffiti-splattered underbelly. And yet, out of desperation and necessity, it exists. Situated in a random residential area is the Waanda Open Air Festival, which lasts a day and costs a mere 15 euros.   Beauty of Waanda The hippies, artists, and bri...

I like heavy rain in the same way I like airports: it takes ya down a notch. At the airport we are reduced to shivering little animals, who spend 7 dollars on Doritos and shuffle around belt-less. When it pours, the same thing happens. All the sudden people in Gucci loafers are throwing trash bags over their heads. Our plans become ruined. Our needs become simple; stay warm, stay dry, and stay put until it’s over.  Last weekend was a rainy one, and the cold has been especially bitter this July in Hamburg. But I felt more connected to the people of the the trendy Karolinenviertel, as the rain came down around us, than I ever had before. Rain protection Light drizzle Spotted at the UFeldstrasse market, which takes place on Saturday and is full of delightful junk. Seeking cover in a bizarre shop in the Karolinenviertel, in which nothing was for sale and the owner was too immersed in his science fiction novel to notice.  Sun slowly coming ba...

Within the last few years, rents have soared and gentrification has settled comfortably in Berlin, Germany’s crown jewel of cool. In search of the up-and-coming heir to the throne, I spent the past weekend in Leipzig.  I enjoyed browsing the ultra-cool neighborhoods of Plagwitz and Sudvorstadt for knick knacks, street art, and summer dresses. And yet, I found myself preoccupied by the startling number of dreadlocked Germans and statement-dirty feet. I guess this is the kind of thing that accompanies low-rent and available studio space, but I found it excessive.   But the energy was young and promising, proving that full-back tattoos and baby bjorns are not mutually exclusive.  Flower-crown workshop on the street       Who, me? Johannisbeere Schnecke, which means ‘’cranberry snail’’. The name is inspired by its plop factor, but this baked good is a triple threat. It’s crumbly, creamy, and the perfect amount of tart on ac...