Cultural stereotypes are one of the most persistent facts of life. No matter where you’ve been, and no matter how true or untrue they may be, the beliefs that Italy has the best pizza, Switzerland the best chocolate, Japan the best sushi, and America the best burgers will continue to follow you wherever you are and niggle at your brain. Well, today I’m here to tell you that one stereotype is true: France has the best honeymoons.
After a spectacular wedding in our home state of New Hampshire, my- gasp!- husband …

I had to laugh when I saw Beth’s post earlier this week about the Big American Family. For the past couple of weeks, in spite of everything else that’s going on in my life, I’ve been subtly preoccupied with the same balance of being an American abroad. The conclusions I’ve been reaching, both consciously and subconsciously in my thoughts and behaviours, have been at once interesting and embarrassing and, I think, worth sharing in contrast to Beth’s.
Let me explain a couple of things first, though. The first is that I’ve …

“I wonder why they call it the Black Forest?” I say aloud as we wound our way through the streets. It’s a Sunday- the day when everything is closed in Germany- and the three of us have decided to celebrate a day off by going for a walk in the infamous Black Forest. A quick Chrome-assisted Google search (instant translation for the win!) has given us dozens of walking trails to choose from, and we’ve selected one with nearby parking and options for a 3, 5, or 11-kilometer hike. Even …

Being an international GoGirl is pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, one of its major downsides is the question of what to do when you’re injured or sick while on the run. Equally unfortunately, the answer depends on your location, citizenship, immigration status, and financial power. Let me give you a very recent example of what I mean by this.
Today, I woke up with a strange rash on the back of my knee. At first, I thought I’d slept on it funny- you know, it had that pink tone to it that Caucasian …

One of my favourite things about returning to Ireland, I realize as we take our seats at a little cafe, is the tea. It’s probably the best remnant of the British occupation- a readily-available respite from the rigours of the day- and a way to perk yourself up as the afternoon drags on and you begin to feel peckish. My sister and I have spent all day walking around Bantry, and are planning to take a bus down to Glengarriff to take a walk in the ancient oak forests surrounding …

Apologies for the lateness of this article! I just got back from a fabulous week of hosteling, hiking, and culture-seeking in Ireland with my sister. This isn’t my first trip to Ireland, nor will it be my last- but it was the first one we’d done without our parents, and the start of a tradition that we hope to make annual. As part of the Irish diaspora, the country has a very special place in my heart and you can rest assured that there will be many articles about the …

“Germans don’t have friends the way you do here,” Hannelore tells me as we sip our lemon ginger tea. “Here, you call someone a friend when you hardly speak to them. We call that bekannte, and you know their name, maybe where they live, and you won’t speak to them much. But when you make a freund, well, you’ll be freunde for the rest of your life.” She pauses, and then corrects the German that slipped out while explaining the difference. “German friends are the people you will be in …

By Day Two in Germany, I’ve already fallen in love with it. It’s beautiful here- chilly, yes, but the sun is nice and the neighbours are friendly. The town is quiet on Sunday, because everything is closed, and every evening at Vespers we get a beautiful chorus of bells from the church across the valley. Every day we try something new- German yogurt that’s a rich mix of tangy and sweet, shopping for sheets without knowing how they’re “done” in this country, buying fresh bread from the Toom (grocery store) …

Finding Berg Nanstein: an ode to being lost
“It’s a girl’s day out!” we squealed in delight
And dropped The Boy off ‘fore we drove out of sight.
We had many hours of fun planned ahead
As we’d been discussing since we’d rolled out of bed-
The road trips, the touring, the chocolate cafe,
Oh, and Berg Nanstein to cram in our much-scheduled day.
The castle itself looked o’er the town
And was impressive, in spite of its walls crumbling down.
We thought it ought to be easy to find
With roadways marked by “historical site” signs.
So we entered its …

To pick my friend up from the airport at Frankfurt-am-Main, Nick makes me drive. I’m not sure which is more exciting: seeing my friend for the first time in two years, or getting to drive 160 kph (approximately 100 mph) without legal repercussions. The answer, of course, is that both are thrilling, and after a wait at the British Airways arrivals door, Jocelyn appears and we’re on our way to have spectacular adventures.
Since neither of us has spent much time in Frankfurt (read: any), we opt to have Nick drive …