After 14 years living in Berlin, I joked that our summer vacation plans are the true sign we have fully integrated into German culture. We were finally going to Mallorca. We had never heard of Mallorca before moving to Germany. It is simply not on most North...
The GW Expat Blog
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Erin "ebe" Porter
Day Trip to Wittenberg, Germany
Coming out of the pandemic, my family limited our long-distance travel and started exploring places closer to home. These day trips from Berlin are some of my favorite places and we have re-visited often. But I am always looking for somewhere new. Enter the...
What and Where to Eat in Vienna
In my last post I exulted on the loveliness that is Vienna. The grand architecture, regal attractions like performances at the Spanish Riding School and the palaces (plural). This small city is packed with elegance and charm. But that is only the half of it as I have...
Guide to Vienna
When I was last on the job hunt, I had two interesting opportunities. The jobs had some important differences, including different locations. One was in Cologne, the other in Vienna. This caught my attention as both options were remote so I could happily work from my...
Guide to Salzburg
A perk of my new job is that the headquarters is in Vienna. While I usually work remote from Berlin, there have already been a few opportunities to visit the team in office, as well as combine work and pleasure by taking some days to explore other places in Austria....
Bike School in Germany
During the pandemic my family would take long walks around our neighborhood in Berlin. As nearly nothing was open, it was our entertainment and we wandered far and wide, through forests and meadows, parks and gardens. As the pandemic-measures wore on, playgrounds...
Weekend in Hamburg
Last November I was in a funk. I had found myself in visa limbo after living in Germany for many years, newly laid off, and facing a big decade birthday. I kept telling myself it would all work out, but the anxiety was eating me alive and an impending birthday...
The “New” City of Dresden
It feels like every year at about this time I hear rumbles of dissatisfaction with Berlin. Sometimes they are coming directly from me, but this year I've noticed more online posts than usual complaining about the rising costs of the city, the dismal winter weather,...
My Favorite Berlin Christmas Markets
I am fresh off the high of my favorite Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market). After the disaster of the pandemic years, my appreciation for Christmas markets has only grown. My personal favorite only runs for one weekend every Christmas season. I eagerly anticipate its...
Guide to Rostock and Warnemünde
The Deutschlandticket has been an absolute boon to my travel within Germany. With the tantalizing offer of low-cost air travel I have taken to sort jaunts around Europe from London to Naples. But as my family multiplies and travel costs rise, train travel has swung...
German Candy
For those that celebrate Halloween, even abroad, the onslaught of candy has already begun. There used to be nary a spooky Hexe (witch) or dancing Skelett (skeleton) to be found in Germany in favor of more somber events like the Reformation. But the Halloween...
What Not to Do at Oktoberfest
If you missed it, this weekend kicked off Okoberfest in Munich. With the tapping of the keg and the magical words of “O'zapft is” (“It's tapped”), the biggest beer festival in the world has begun. Last year was the first year after the pandemic that the event was held...
Reverse Culture Shock – An American in Berlin Back in the USA
I have spent the last 5 weeks back "home" in the USA after over a decade living in Berlin. This is far from my first visit back. Typically I close down my German household and go back to my home state of Washington every year and a half, with parents visiting in...
Weather in Germany
I left a sweltering Berlin for an almost as hot Washington State. People always think of Seattle as rainy, but on the day my family arrived back in our home state it was over 80 degrees F (27 degree C) and clear skies meant the "mountain was out" as the locals say....
Unusual German Sports
After a turbulent couple of months, my husband's 40th birthday was swiftly approaching. As this is one of those big birthdays that end in a zero I wanted to pull out all the stops. I needed a venue that could accomodate a small private party, ideally something with an...
Applying for first U.S. passport from Germany
I recently made the trek to Clayallee in Dahlem, near the border with Brandenburg, to register my new baby as an American born abroad and apply for a passport. Considering this is my third child born in Berlin you would expect I would be better prepared, but I am...
Going to the Hospital in Germany
Something that is not on many visitors' bingo card is a trip to the hospital. But life just happens and sometimes the unexpected becomes a reality. That has been the case for my family this last month. As I neared my due date for Berlin baby number three, my parents...
Prepare for a Hospital Birth in Germany
Spring (or Frühling) is in the air! If you have been following German-Way on Instagram, you may have noticed these tell-tale signs in our stories: Frühblüher (early bloomers), Easter chocolates, and even the swarm-like appearance of Feuerkäfer (fire-coloured beetle)....
Lesser Known German Meals
When researching this post I came across other articles pointing out "Weird German Foods" or "Strange German Foods You Should Try At Least Once". That's not really what I am focusing on here. Most of us have heard of Schweinshaxe (roasted pork knuckle), Kartoffelsalat...
A Love Letter to Berlin Photo Booths
One of my favorite parts about living abroad is that you get to make your own traditions. Deciding we really aren't fans of turkey, we still host an annual Thanksgiving party but usually buy a half dozen halbes hähnchen (half a roasted chicken) from the nearest Döner...
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