Europe String

The Swiss mountain town and ski resort of Mürren, nestled in the Alps of the Bernese Oberland. One of my favorite spots in the world!
More Photo Friday: Cold here.
Photo credit: personal collection.

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Berlin is one of those cities where you could spend a month and still not experience everything it has to offer. In addition to plentiful monuments, a rich and exciting history, and countless neighborhoods worth exploring, Berlin has many excellent museums. One of my favorites is the Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery), which I had the opportunity to revisit on my recent trip to the German capital.
I love this museum. The emphasis of the collection is on 20th-century European painting, with good representation from the Bauhaus, Expressionism, Cubism, and East German art.
Entry is 8 euros for adults, and includes a …read more

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This past weekend Zurich celebrated Sechseläuten, a couple days of parades and other festivities cumulating in the burning of the Böögg (a giant snowman-like creature) at 6pm on Monday evening. The time it takes for his head to explode is said to determine what kind of summer Zurich can expect. This year it took a long time, so a cold, wet summer has been predicted.
For more on Sechseläuten, see these posts on my personal blog from when I attended two years ago:

The Sechseläuten parade
The burning of the Böögg

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We spent a beautiful day in Nuremburg this past weekend. It’s a quick train ride from Munich, and definitely entertaining enough to be worth a day or more. Trip highlights coming up over the next few weeks!

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Back in November I spent time in Munich looking for an apartment. While here we stayed at a couple hotels that we really liked. The first was Hotel Uhland , an adorable old art-deco place a couple steps away from the Oktoberfest Wiese. It’s also just one subway (U-bahn) stop away from Munich’s main train station, which is pretty convenient if you want to wander around the city, see the sights, or day-trip to somewhere else.
We found the staff to be friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was on the good side of average for hotels in the area and …read more

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Check out this week’s Europe Travel Blog Carnival.
Slow travel: tips from a guy who just traveled around the world without flying.

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Onion alarm clocks at the Onion Festival in Bern, Switzerland.
See more ‘fragile’ Photo Friday entries here.
Photo credit: personal collection.

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Stepping outside in Munich today, you’d never guess that just last week we were still seeing snow here. The sidewalks are full of tables, and I joined the many folks dining outside for lunch today. Beer garden season can’t be far away now!
Photo source: personal collection (taken this morning at Sendlinger Tor, Munich)

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I’m mean. Every time I take someone to Berlin, I make them try a Berliner Weisse mit Schuss. This is basically bad beer with a shot of fruity syrup, and can be ordered rot (red) or grün (green). The red syrup is usually raspberry flavored, while the green is Waldmeister, or woodruff (not that I have ever heard of woodruff in English), a flavorful herb.
To add insult to injury, this sweet, colorful beer is consumed through a straw. When someone orders one of these, the appropriate response is to point and laugh. But if you’re a first-time tourist in Berlin, …read more

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Your rights as a hotel guest.
An online look at Wend magazine (via BNT).
9 ways to save when traveling abroad on a weak dollar.

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