Category: Travel
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Window or Aisle Seat?
This is how a German political correspondent from ZDF described U.S. television. After pointing out the alarming dearth of print news outlets — many parts of your county have only one regional newspaper — (which, alas, is true) — he allowed as how our audiences have two choices: MSNBC and Fox. Or, as he rather…
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Red Wine & Fiesta
Long full day with many observations. But, frankly no time to write about it because World Cup madness has begun in Germany. So, just a couple of things. One expert today, a leading German journalist, talked about the difference in the economic policies in the Eurozone between Northern Europe and Southern Europe. Some extol the…
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From Prison to Freedom
Dizzying day in Berlin as we went from the former Stasi prison to Berlin’s City Hall to the largest remnant of the Berlin Wall that remains. It really was from prison to freedom. We spent several hours on the morning of our second day at the oppressive Hohenschönhausen Memorial. It was at a location that was once…
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New Kitchen! Sure
Our first full day of activities found us in the “old” part of the Reistag building – the German parliament building – that has seen so much history in this city and in this country that I will send you to Google to find its history. Some observations — above a picture from the back…
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The Adventure Begins
Busy schedule for us 13 American journalists in Berlin. We met this morning over breakfast and learned a little bit about one another. It is a very diverse group: nationality, racially, age, workplace. We have television producers, a couple of anchors from big and small markets. Lots of public radio folk, from DC and the…
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Ambivalence
There is no getting around the fact that Berlin evokes feelings of ambivalence — you can’t ignore (nor do they) its history. Case in point, my hotel is very close to a site called the “Topography of Terror.” It was a place where prisoners were taken, the headquarters of the Gestapo. It was mostly destroyed…
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A Leg Up
Hopefully, this will be my last mention of the “suitcase” — packing was made to be a big deal for us participants of the RIAS journalist exchange. And as I have mentioned – I’m a casual (at best) packer. I found myself comparing luggage on my flight to Berlin from America. Is his bigger than…
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City of Water
How did the chicken cross the road in Venice? By riding on a little commuter boat called a vaporetto. A commuter’s gondola: a traghetto, like this one. A water taxi. Or, a gondola. After awhile I stopped taking pictures of the things they transport on boats in Venice: commuters, tourists, garbage, police and firemen, furniture, water and…
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Istanbul Bites & Pieces
BAZAAR NEGOTIATING I’ve never been one for shopping. My New York friends laugh at me because I shop retail. Sales shopping is definitely not my thing. And, forget the hondle. Until Istanbul. I figured the nearly six-century-old Grand Bazaar was the best place to practice. The guidebooks say negotiating is not so prevalent anymore,…
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Not Constantinople
A dear friend decided he wanted to spend his 65th birthday with 24 of his closest friends. We’re not talking ice cream cake and candles here: we celebrated in Istanbul. I understand now why they call those Sufi mystics Whirling Dervishes. My head was whirling after just one week in Turkey — that mad, exotic,…