Travels in the 2nd half

The Brandenburg Gate Germany has always fascinated me. It has given us the genius of Karl Marx and the horror of Adolf Hitler. It has given us Beethoven, Brecht and Nena. So, this spring, I took the plunge to spend two weeks in Germany, to explore some of the country and culture that has so influenced Europe and the world. My trip started in Berlin, which I quickly fell in love with. Berlin met my criteria for a really good city, it has a lot of cultural activities, a good sports team, and, most importantly, it is easy to navigate by foot. In fact, Berlin ranks with New York, Barcelona, and Paris as being one of the most walkable cities I have visited. When walking in Germany, remember that most sidewalks include a bike lane While Berlin has its tourist center – the Mitte, that area is surrounded with living, breathing neighborhoods. My hotel, The Wyndham Garden Berlin Mitte , a misnomer as it is not in the center of the city, was on Osloer Strasse, in the Gesun...

The American Museum of Visionary Art The United States is filled with cities that have run into major economic problems, and that are still trying to recover. Baltimore falls into that category. Even as it struggles to renew itself, there are still many reasons to visit. At the top of the list is the fact that Baltimore has some fantastic art museums. Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland, with over 660,000 residents. It was founded in 1729 and has been one of the largest seaports in the Northeast ever since. It was an industrial center, with steel and auto manufacturing anchoring its economy for many years. Today Baltimore’s main industries are service, government and tourism. Like many cities, this change has caused economic problems as high paying jobs have been replaced with lower paying ones. But Baltimore’s industrial past has left us a few really good remnants, its museums. When you visit, one museum that you should make time for is the Walters Art Museum . I...