The first vaccinations have been administered in Germany over the weekend with a flurry of publicity. The Local.de reports that a 101-year-old woman in a retirement home was the very first person to be inoculated against coronavirus on Saturday, December 26th. Though...
The GW Expat Blog
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Berlin
A Tale of Two Airports: From TXL to BER
Berlin Gets a (Fairly) New Airport It finally happened on the last day of October 2020 (Halloween!). It was a long wait, but despite scandals, false starts, huge budget overruns, and a major black mark against vaunted German efficiency, Berlin Brandenburg Airport...
Day Trips from Berlin that Deserve More Love
COVID-19 has changed a lot of things. Some things suddenly and drastically, while more changes are sure to continue happening for the foreseeable future. Life is different than it used to be just a few months ago. I am doing my best - like so many of us - to embrace...
Oh the Animals You Can See in Berlin
If you missed the story about the wild boar who took a man's bag at the lake, only to have the nude bather pursue, you missed out. (Just kidding: a link to the original post or just google "Berlin", "nude", "boar" and it will come up). The man had been peacefully...
Park Life in Germany
We are fresh off our third weekend straight spent relaxing and socializing in the park. We have steadily shifted to life outside here in Germany as the number of Covid infections hovers and mostly holds steady and the weather warms. After months indoors, Germans are...
Germany’s Other Dark Chapter: The Colonial Past and Genocide in Africa
'Black Lives Matter' is Also a German Concern The Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and around the globe, including in France, Germany, and the UK, have led people to confront the issue of racial discrimination in their own countries and elsewhere. Both...
What Protests are like in Germany and the USA
Sometimes it feels like every day of 2020 can't get any worse...and then it does. Caught in the standstill of Covid-19 malaise, I find myself paying rapt attention to everything happening in the USA. Seattle, where I hale from, is one of the places at the epicenter of...
David Bowie in West Berlin and the ‘Berlin Trilogy’ Recordings
"Heroes" is the only Berlin Trilogy album fully created and recorded in Berlin Most music fans know that the British singer and musician David Bowie lived in West Berlin and created three albums there, commonly referred to as the "Berlin Trilogy" (Low, "Heroes", and...
How the Pandemic Has Changed Germany (Forever?)
Looking at my last few blog posts, it is no surprise that there is little else on my mind than the ongoing pandemic. Even as restrictions begin to ease, there is an uneasy expectation that life may never be the same. It is worth debating whether this is actually a...
What to Do While Quarantined in Germany
When we first heard the rumblings about quarantine due to the COVID-19, there was a rush of information on how to fill your days. Facebook groups touted their favorite resources, memes were prevalent, and many people looked at the long days of isolation as an...
Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics: Coronavirus in the US and Germany
We are far from the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Germany's fatality rate from the disease is at this point far below that of the United States and most other countries. Let's take a look at some possible reasons for this. (Also see our comparison chart for...
Stories from the Front Lines: Berlin COVID-19 Edition
I have a cousin from Arkansas who recently moved to China with her family. I admire their adventurous spirit as I can't imagine a much more drastic change for them. Moving from Seattle to Berlin as two footloose and fancy-free twenty-year-olds is one thing. Moving as...
Berlin’s Rent Freeze
So, it happened. After much discussion and controversy, Berlin's Mietendeckel (rent cap) began on Sunday. Nebulous fears of gentrification and practical fears of being priced out of the city mean the government is taking decisive action to try to keep Berlin - well,...
Why Is There 230-Volt Power in Europe and 120 Volts in North America?
When It Comes to Voltage, It's All About the History – and the Money We take electric power for granted. That becomes painfully obvious when there's a power failure (Stromausfall). In total darkness, carrying a flashlight, we absentmindedly try to switch on the light....
Best Museums for Kids in Berlin
It is birthday party season for us in Berlin. After my little girl's 5th birthday (5th!), we had two other kids' parties at some of the city's best museums. Apparently we are running with a fashionable kiddie crowd. In this season of cold weather and celebrations, it...
30 Years Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall
About 5 years ago, on November 9th 2014, I watched from the hospital as Berlin put on a grand display to celebrate 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. I had been looking forward to attending the event - a spectacular display where thousands of lighted...
Berlin’s Identity Crisis
What's Wrong with Berlin? I have lived in Berlin. I have explored Berlin. Like most Berliners, I love Berlin. But it's more like a love/hate relationship. Berlin is a city that doesn't really know what it wants to be when it grows up. More than seven years after BER...
Best Apps for Germany
I got a new cell phone (or Handy in colloquial German) shortly before our trip to the States, but didn't get around to putting on my favorite apps until our return. And many of those have to do with life in Germany. Some of these have to do with the language, a...
Hidden Sights in Berlin: Schloss Tegel or Humboldt Palace
Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt and Their Home in Tegel Berlin is a vast metropolis that no one can ever fully explore, but it can be a lot of fun trying. I have spent a lot of time in the German capital, with many visits over several decades and even living there...
Hospital Food in Germany
Being in the hospital is rarely a cause for celebration, and no one stays for the food. Happily, my recent experience with a German hospital was positive - even if the food was a classic disappointment. 10 days overdue, shortly after the arrival of my dad, our baby...
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