Curated Fernweh
If I had to summarize my impression of Japan after my ten-day visit using only one sentence, it might be this: “I imagine Japan emerged from ancient East Asian culture in a similar way to how shibas somehow evolved from wolves.”
The basilica of Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, floodlit in gold, scintillated against the indigo sky. I flew beneath its lofty towers, only remembering that I sat astride an electric bicycle whenever I hit a particularly ill-placed cobble.
The following things are firmly on my "Would do again" list. Most are also on my “Have done again” list!
Photograph-and-prose love letters to some favorite places in North America.
The scent of fresh brine wafts in through the window, a seabird's cry carried upon its back. I crack an eyelid and see a patch of pre-dawn sky, curiously watching me back. Fragments of human conversation drift up from street level through the cool humid air. The words are too quiet for me to even... Continue Reading →
Spectators dressed as pirates and Mickey Mouse line the sidewalks, waiting with nervous energy for the parade to start. A gang of children stands warily in the street, staring ahead at something I can’t see; their stances suggest they’re set to flee at the slightest hint of danger. They stand motionless for so long that... Continue Reading →
I’m not convinced this place is real. I thought this so many times during this trip, it became my unofficial motto. There’s an untamed and ancient magic here that bleeds from every landscape we come across, an enchantment that seeps into the air and fills our lungs. “The Emerald Isle” is a nickname as fanciful... Continue Reading →
Everyone sounds the same when they scream. This creepy thought hit me with a jolt as I watched twenty terrified trachten-clad* Germans freefall towards the ground on a rainbow-lit carnival ride. Although I probably wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation with most of these people, their primal screeches of fear didn’t sound any different... Continue Reading →
Three days, three adventures 1.... Waking up early on a Saturday morning is one of those unfortunate ideas that never seem to work out. It sounds so grandiose the night before: ah, yes, I shall sit upon my porch and watch the sun rise over the mist-clad Black Forest hills, but the reality the next... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite things about the Freiburg region is its incredible public transportation system. Coming from America, where public transportation is an unreliable and pathetic joke almost everywhere, I am floored by this [largely] punctual, clean, efficient, available, and wide-spread system that is actually used by the majority of residents. Even more fantastic is... Continue Reading →
Surprise, surprise: I've been in Germany less than a week and have already taken a trip outside of Freiburg. Twas a well-deserved vacation, I believe, because there's this tiny detail that no one tells you about moving overseas: it is exhausting. Finding edible foods in grocery stores, weathering DMV-esque government agencies, checking something off your... Continue Reading →
Window Seat Odyssey 