life, travel, stories – Join the journey, Love Raven
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Dear Reader, Germans have a fun turn of phrase for the period between Christmas and New Year’s — zwischen den Jahren — or in English “between the years.” So, what happens zwischen den Jahren you ask? Nothing. Just kidding…well, kind of just kidding. Although only slightly bigger than New Mexico and smaller than Montana, Germany... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Do I have a story for you! But first, for all of you who would simply like some practical air travel advice: TL;DR — Never book with a third party and always arrive early. If you would like a little more detail, here is my cautionary tale… When traveling internationally a lot can go... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Merry Christmas! (And, if you don’t celebrate Christmas, then, I still hope your day is merry.) While the holidays are usually a cause for tradition, this Christmas is a first for me — I’m spending it abroad! My boyfriend and I are in Germany, and we will be traveling to a few different... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Photos capture memories. Once when I was studying abroad, a friend of mine said “let’s not take a picture, let’s just live in the moment.” Maybe he was just annoyed with all the camera clicking or maybe he really thought a moment not documented was richer —I’m not sure, however, I did not... Continue Reading →
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