Dear Reader If you’re looking for flight deals to Europe, a good bet would be to check out dead-of-winter, not-around-the-holidays dates. However, as you hover your cursor over the “buy now” button, you may think to yourself — is it even worth it to travel to Europe in the winter? The answer, as it is... Continue Reading →
It may be just the German way?
Dear Reader, As I sit on the Lufthansa plane, departing from Frankfurt, Germany, I’m already starting to miss this country. For those of you who follow CuriousWordsBlog.com, you will already know that I encountered a somewhat unfortunate series of events already. First, before I even departed from Boston, I learned at an airport check-in counter... Continue Reading →
The Isolation Diaries
Dear Reader, If you’ve been following along with my blog, you will know that I am writing to you in isolation as I have recently tested positive for COVID-19 (more here and here). While I was lucky to have my health (no more symptoms!), isolation in the two-room, ground-floor apartment in Bavaria, Germany was not... Continue Reading →
COVID-19 Isolation in Germany — Part 2
Dear Reader, I tested positive for COVID-19 in Germany (more here). Now I am in isolation. Like many who are testing positive in this new of wave of illness, I genuinely did not know — let alone suspect — that I had COVID. I had cold symptoms (more here), no dry cough, no loss of smell or... Continue Reading →
COVID-19 Isolation in Germany – Part 1
Dear Reader, I tested positive for COVID-19 in Germany — let the nightmare begin. The phone rings. Me: Hello? Hotel Reception: We just received your rapid antigen test and you have received a positive result. Please stay in your room. We will send up someone shortly to conduct a PCR test. Yikes. We all know... Continue Reading →
Is Flying Making You Sick?
Dear Reader, This is kind of gross, but I am writing to you at the moment on a Deutsche Bahn train with a runny nose. As mundane as this sounds, I am astounded by this development, as I haven’t been sick since 2019 — over two years! Before COVID-related social distancing measures, I would catch... Continue Reading →
Obligatory Museum Post — Berlin, Germany
Dear Reader, Does anyone else feel a weird obligation to stop by a local museum when visiting a foreign city? Whenever I search for “things to do in insert-city-here,” often, a museum is likely to make the list, if not top it. For example, in Paris one should visit the Louvre, in London — the... Continue Reading →
Rainy Day in Hamburg, Germany
Dear Reader, It’s hard to love a city on a rainy day. During my stay in Berlin, Germany (more here and here), I had the pleasure of taking a short excursion to the city Hamburg. Only about two hours north-west from the capital city by train, Hamburg is Germany’s second largest metropolitan area and is... Continue Reading →
We’re All Nude Here — Vabali Spa in Berlin
Dear Reader, The stereotypes about Europeans are true — they really do like to swim naked. Over two years ago now, I briefly wrote about nakedness, when I confronted a locker room in Iceland that mandated cleansing communal showers without swimsuits before entering the public pool (more here). Today, the showers are not the only... Continue Reading →
Dark Dining in Berlin
Dear Reader, Have you seen the 2010 romantic comedy “When in Rome?” Yeah, it wasn’t that memorable for me either. Regardless, there is one scene for me that stands out — the dark dining scene. Since seeing the film years ago, I’ve wondered what it would really be like to have dinner in 100% darkness.... Continue Reading →