Author Archives: arleebug54

A Christmas like no other…

Posted on December 15, 2020 by arleebug54

It’s December 15th here in Berlin, and tomorrow we start a hard lockdown, or, I should say, we start another hard lockdown, where all shops except basically groceries and pharmacies will be closed up tight. My friends in the Netherlands … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Wandering and wondering in Warsaw

Posted on September 7, 2020 by arleebug54

The days are shortening and the temperatures are dropping – on this side of the Atlantic at least. T and I took advantage of a mild early fall and a seeming absence of coronavirus spikes to make a quick trip … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The brave new world of Zoom…

Posted on August 26, 2020 by arleebug54

As some of you know, I often spend a good chunk of my summer surrounded by rice paddies at the International University of Japan in Minami-Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture. There I have been privileged to work with a wonderful team of … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching in Japan | Tagged , | 4 Comments

A sliver of Stralsund

Posted on July 3, 2020 by arleebug54

This is the final post covering my lovely little mini-holiday last month in northern Germany, written in a bit of a rush today because I am preparing to teach my first-ever online course over Zoom. I know this is old … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Whisper of Wismar

Posted on July 1, 2020 by arleebug54

Trigger alert: This post, and perhaps the next, will feature an ungodly amount of red brick. I can’t help it, truly I can’t. Red brick was the preferred building material for much of northern Europe for a very long time … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany | Tagged | 3 Comments

A slice of Schleswig and a hint of Haithabu

Posted on June 27, 2020 by arleebug54

As I mentioned in a previous post, T and I were moving pretty fast this trip, and I must confess that part of my eagerness to tell these stories is to give me a chance to reflect a bit more … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Lucky Little Glückstadt

Posted on June 26, 2020 by arleebug54

In a world still struggling to come to terms with a whole host of “new normals,” I feel extremely privileged to live in a country that has the virus mostly under control. In celebration of that fact, T and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany | Tagged | 6 Comments

Animated suspension…..

Posted on April 13, 2020 by arleebug54

Many years ago on my very first trip to Europe (cheap Iceland Air flight, cheap Eurail pass, cheap youth hostel card, cheap Toblerone), at some point I checked into a charming hostel in Grindelwald, a breathtakingly beautiful village high in … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin | 3 Comments

Too much or too little

Posted on March 21, 2020 by arleebug54

Greetings. I’m posting on Saturday night March 21st, just around the time of the spring equinox. Normally this time of year, celebrated in the Old Calendar as the moment when light and darkness are in balance and light moves into … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Nativity scenes for Brad and Carol

Posted on March 19, 2020 by arleebug54

Dear Readers, I am dedicating this post to my dear friends Brad and Carol in California. Carol has a collection of roughly 300 nativity scenes which she proudly displays at the holidays; I have been tasked with trying to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin | Tagged , | 1 Comment