A Holiday Without a Guidebook

At some point, it was bound to happen. I went on a holiday that was of a significant duration, without a guidebook. I suppose I have gone to other destinations in the past for long weekends without a guidebook, but I figured, those were just long weekends. I could easily find information online. But this time, I went for an entire week! And I had no guidebook!

A Visit to Vienna: Upper Belvedere

I really wanted to see Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. I saw it once in 2005, when I was in Vienna for the first time. And I knew I wanted to see it again. So my very first action item when I was in Vienna was to book a timed-slot ticket for the Belvedere Complex. And I actually booked the earliest slot on my first day there.

Berliner Mauerweg: Schönefeld to Sigridshorst (22 km)

I continued the Berliner Mauerweg. In fact, I did the next leg across two days: I originally wanted to do this 22 kilometres but during the first day, I was just so bored, even though the weather was actually good. So I just did half of it, about 11 kilometres. And I picked up the remaining half the following weekend.

A Visit to Vienna

So, I recently spent a week in Vienna!

Mamlok, Modarresifar, Boulez, Lee, Kurtág, Staud, Illés

One summer day, I found myself once again in the Werner-Otto-Saal of the Konzerthaus Berlin. Indeed, I was back here for another avant-garde chamber recital, this time by violiist Rachel Kolblyakov as well as by the Track3 Ensemble, consisting of clarinet, viola, and piano. They happen to be the latest recipients of a prize by the Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Foundation, and this was a concert held in this occasion. And yes, it featured several modern and contemporary pieces.

Ein Volksfeind

Recently, I found myself once again in the Schaubühne, where I caught Thomas Ostermeier’s famous staging of Henrik Ibsen's Ein Volksfeind (An Enemy of the People). It is an incredible piece of theatre!

Berlin Boogie: Open House at the Hamburger Bahnhof

I have been to the Hamburger Bahnhof a few times before - the first time was actually in 2013. I remember liking the things that I saw back then. And I remember being there a couple more times when friends were visiting town. This time, I learned that they were hosting an Open House, and entrance was free. So I visited once again.

Book Review: Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley

This was slightly hard to get. It was easy to read, yet for the most part, I felt like I didn't fully grasp what was exactly going on. There were so many funny and bizarre characters, but somehow none of what they were doing made any sense. Of course, this is Huxley's satire, so he is satirising something, it's just not very obvious to me, as a 21st-century reader.

This book is dizzying, I have to say. It lacks a traditional, cohesive plot. Instead, it feels like it's a "novel of ideas" set in post-World War I London, capturing a generation that lost its moral compass in the trenches and decided to dance over the void. It's a novel that consists of deeply disillusioned, self-absorbed intellectuals simply spinning in circles to distract themselves from their own emptiness.

Interludes from the Donau-Panoramaweg: Cuvilliés Theatre

The last thing I saw before ending this trip was the Cuvilliés Theatre. This is in Munich, right in the middle of the city.

Everyone is on Their Phones

Back in April 2025, I went to China for the first time. My husband and I visited Shanghai, and one of the thoughts that I remember having was the observation I made while riding the Shanghai Metro. Everyone was looking at their phones. I thought that it was giving me such a dystopian feeling. I also remembering back then that people at home, in Germany, were not like this. I didn't realise that one year later, it would also be like this.

Interludes from the Donau-Panoramaweg: Dachau Concentration Camp

On my last sight-seeing day, I wanted to head to Munich again. But instead of heading directly into the city, I first wanted to check out something that was nearby. I wanted to see Dachau. In particular, I wanted to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp.

Donau-Panoramaweg: Leg 3 - Pentling to Regensburg (10 km)

This was supposed to be a longer hike. But due to the fact that I have cut short the original Leg 2, and followed that with the remainder of Leg 2 and some of Leg 3, I ended up with a nice day where I tackled the remainder of Leg 3. I wanted to continue further and tackle some of Leg 4, but given that I was staying in Regensburg, and the end of Leg 3 was right in the middle of the Old Town of Regensburg, it was such a climactic ending that I didn't want to be ruined. So I just stopped.

Interludes from the Donau-Panoramaweg: Walhalla

There was a day during this trip which I utilised to explore my immediate surroundings. I have been to Regensburg at least twice before, so I know most of the sights that are visited by tourists. However, there is one which I haven't been to yet. That is the Walhalla Monument, on the east of the city.

Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves

I went all the way to Mainz for this one. Given that it's a Mazzoli opera, not to mention that it had an intense subject matter, I felt like I wanted to see this one, and it didn't matter if it was all the way in Mainz. It was absolutely worth it.

Schnittke, Klebanov, and Weinberg

I attended a concert recently in the Komische Oper. But as is typical with opera houses, they offer not only operas but also other concerts, including chamber music recitals. And this time, there was a concert on the program that was rather interesting, as it consisted of works of composers who were persecuted by the Soviets. On the program were works by Alfred Schnittke, Dmitri Klebanov, and Mieczyslaw Weinberg. I attended this concert for the Schnittke pieces, as I have less familiarity with the other composers.

Interludes from the Donau-Panoramaweg: Sebalduskirche Nürnberg

After visiting the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, I had lunch. And after lunch, I took a stroll through the Old Town of Nürnberg. I have been here several times before, but nevertheless there are a few places that I still haven't visited. Like for example the Sebalduskirche.

Book Review: Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

This was a claustrophobic read, I have to say. It was short, yet was massively packed with intense material.

Published in 1956, this book is thought to be a groundbreaking masterpiece of 20th-century literature, and I can see why. It stands as a deeply intense, claustrophobic, and emotionally raw exploration of identity, shame, and the devastating consequences of denying one's true self. I learned that it was one of the first major American novels to openly and empathetically center on queer relationships. Nowadays, there's plenty of LGBT literature, but back in the 1950s, this was definitely not the case, so this book was definitely something new. In fact, Baldwin's publisher even rejected it, initially.

Interludes from the Donau-Panoramaweg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum

On another warm day, I went to Nürnberg for a day trip. I have been to this city several times now and am more or less familiar with it, but there are nevertheless areas which I still haven't explored. Like for example this fantastic museum, which is very close to the central train station.

Keeping With The Times

Every now and then, I observe little events in my surroundings, are realise that sometimes the times have changed so much that for some people, it has become unrecognisable. I was eavesdropping on the conversation between two elderly individuals one day, and it made me realise that so many things have changed, mostly within the technological space.

Interludes from the Donau-Panoramaweg: Munich Museum of Egyptian Art

When I went to Munich, it was a Sunday. Hence entrance to this fantastic archaeological museum was just 1 EUR. I didn't know that before, but it definitely made my visit more enjoyable than anticipated.