Urgut Market – the best place for Suzani shopping in Uzbekistan?

Urgut Market – the best place for Suzani shopping in Uzbekistan?

Oh, the fabled Urgut Market. For years, I read internet forums and  guide books, wishing to visit this bazaar south of Samarkand. This time, I was going to visit Urgut Market, and please, if you are interested in textiles, let me share my Sunday shopping 

Afternoon Strolls: a lovely Berlin Reuterkiez walk

Afternoon Strolls: a lovely Berlin Reuterkiez walk

I spent my summer working and strolling Berlin’s lovely streets. So, my Berlin Reuterkiez walk is all I have to offer in terms of “fresh” travel right now. In response to the fuel shortages in 2022, the German government issued a public transport ticket for 

Bauhaus Dessau – the best place to visit for Bauhaus Architecture

Bauhaus Dessau – the best place to visit for Bauhaus Architecture

Inspired by a recent visit to Weimar… and the Bauhaus 1.0, I thought I can drag out some local wisdom and and write a Bauhaus Dessau guide on visiting Bauhaus sites in Dessau, of which there are plenty! Dessau, and sadly the sites of the 

Conques Abbey: Romanesque, Romantic and Starkly Modern

Conques Abbey: Romanesque, Romantic and Starkly Modern

Summer 2020… we went on a somewhat different holiday. Conques Abbey was a station of our little road trips to get to know Occitaine  a little better. We had not seen my in-laws for nearly a year, and as soon as travelling rules were relaxed 

The 5 best notebooks for your travel journal

The 5 best notebooks for your travel journal

Do you  keep a travel journal?  What are the best notebooks for your travel journal?    Or are they a thing of the past, now the cheapest smarthone has camera and video function?  Call me old-fashioned, but I have always loved to write my travel 

A fine Florentin Street Art walk, Tel Aviv

A fine Florentin Street Art walk, Tel Aviv

Forget Berlin, it’s Tel Aviv that has quirky, diverse and innovative Street Art!  Come on a Florentin Street Art walk with me. And quickly, because with the rapid gentrification that appear to be in the Florentin District, where  a lot of the art is located, 

Tel Aviv Bauhaus Architecture walk – a perfect walk for Sabbath

Tel Aviv Bauhaus Architecture walk – a perfect walk for Sabbath

As someone who loves historic architecture and had their first office overlooking the Dessau Bauhaus, viewing the Bauhaus Architecture of Tel Aviv was on my wish list for years. Welcome to my Tel Aviv Bauhaus Architecture walk! Unlike many Bauhaus sites in Germany, central Tel 

Buying quality sustainable gifts in 2020

Buying quality sustainable gifts in 2020

With the holidays coming closer, and Germany going into another lockdown for the month of November, gift shopping has suddenly become a pleasant pastime here. Never have I thought about gifts this early. But quality sustainable gifts aren’t just restricted to the holidays. Normally, when 

How I made my own wedding dress  (and did not turn it into a disaster)

How I made my own wedding dress (and did not turn it into a disaster)

As I skipped through my Forties, little hope did I have to marry at some point in my life.  That I made my own wedding dress is an added bonus, really. Well… “It always comes as a surprise” is a rather fitting tune from the 

Fabric Shopping in Nuremberg, Germany

Fabric Shopping in Nuremberg, Germany

Fabric shopping in Nuremberg – a totally gratuitous post, you may ask? Is she scraping the bottom of the barrel now as she’s stuck at home with all the COVID-19 issues going on, sticking essential travel only (business, a funeral and visiting my in-laws)? Well, 

What I learned about face masks

What I learned about face masks

Not a stranger to the surgical  mask, the last six months have been pretty taxing in terms of extreme caution. Throughout this time, I have used medical-grade FFP3, FFP2 and surgical face masks as well as made  homemade masks. From my first feeble attempts of 

A Visit to Studio Aalto, Helsinki

A Visit to Studio Aalto, Helsinki

When in Helsinki…. you can take a trip out to the islands, sweat in the sauna or… visit Studio Aalto! The entrance fee is fairly steep, so you may ask yourself: Is it worth visiting Studio Aalto? I think it is, and here is a 

Why I didn’t love Pamukkale  but why you should visit  anyway

Why I didn’t love Pamukkale but why you should visit anyway

Pamukkale! One of Turkeys top tourist sites is highly advertised and you can visit it from nearly any resort.  Its pictures of people bathing in gleaming white travertine terraces have mesmerized me since I was a teenager.  We finally had the opportunity to see them 

Coronacrafts or:  My venture into first time natural soap making

Coronacrafts or: My venture into first time natural soap making

I am not stuck at home, having to work at the hospital every day. It’s a mixed blessing. I do some “hot site” work as well as having to work really close to patients and risk exposure to COVID-19. But…  I get out, I get 

To mask or not to mask? Can a simple face mask protect you from coronavirus?

To mask or not to mask? Can a simple face mask protect you from coronavirus?

So, Sunday is Corona Rant Day. However today it’s not so much as a rant.  I’ll give you my two Euro cents on whether to wear a face mask. After a relatively ordered, well-oiled week here in Berlin, I feel almost calm and ordered myself.