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Danube’s Cultural Spirit
At the Danube, which stretches along 2850km from Germany southwards, lie Vienna and Budapest, the capitals of Austria and Hungary, respectively. Quite some time ago, 1867 and 1917 to be exact, these two cities were not only connected by a water way but also by political power, the Austria-Hungary Monarchy. Today, the two countries are governed independently, yet their capitals have stayed alike. Both are …
In Good Times, As Well As In Bad
One of the busiest times during the year in Mexico is Christmas. For Westerns it’s a time to relax in front of a cozy fireplace while snow is falling outside, and to recover from a year’s hard work. For Mexicans, however, a few days before ‘noche buena’ (Christmas Eve), the hard work really starts. Since one is going to meet (almost) the entire extended family, …
Bruce Willis for Christmas
A few days ago the house where I’m living in has been transformed into a Christmas world. A nice Christmas tree (plastic and with electric candles, so it can be used again next year), a beautiful stocking for the kids with their names on it (I’ve got one as well), various lights around the house and a large number of noche buena, a plant with …
Bitter Sweet Black
Although tomatoes are most prominently used in the Italian kitchen, this red fruit originated in South America. Antique cultures also cultivated many other products, most of which are global commodities in today’s world, among them cacao. Chocolatl, as it was called by the Aztecs, was a drink associated with the goddess of fertility and thus was of high value to the people. Only the rich …
Rome
A short two-hour flight brought me from Europe’s biggest harbor to Cesar’s birthplace. Rome, Italy’s capital and its largest city (it has about 2.7m inhabitants and roughly 0.8m more in its urban areas), was the once capital of the Roman Empire. A TV series told today’s people the story of Rome. It ended after the second season, which was aired in 2005 and 2006. Also …