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  • برای امید | Baraye omid

    by Peter

    4 January 2023
    comments 2
    Blog
  • A turning point in Europe – and perhaps in the whole world…

    by Peter

    6 March 2022
    comments 0
    Blog
  • The USA, of all places,…

    by Peter

    … have made me think again about Europe, the world and finally about our way in general. One could call it irony, since in many respects the United States embody exactly the opposite of what, until recently at least, the majority of EU Member States or their inhabitants seemed to stand for. Or just call it a very logical and comprehensible consequence of an almost...

    27 October 2018
    comment 1
    Blog
  • Talking about me…

    by Peter

    126 days, 16 countries (passed or stayed in), around 17.000 kilometres of travel, more than 1000 kilometres on foot, 31 accommodations, 18 trains, ten coaches, seven cars, four planes, four boats, three ferries, three taxis, two bicycles, one motorbike, countless metros, trams and city busses, one pair of shoes, many hundreds of coffees, too many chocolates, no single cigarette and one – fortunately relatively...

    2 September 2017
    comments 2
    Blog
  • A letter to Ireland…

    by Peter

    Actually, I did not want to write a post about a single country of my journey and until now I have not done so. But since you are an island and I refer the subsequently mentioned to both countries situated on you, I will make an exception and start again:

    18 August 2017
    comments 5
    Blog
  • Look at this city!

    by Peter

    As you know, this remark is already associated to another city and another historic incident, but we are in the year 2017, this issue is way more current and this saying simply matches perfectly to it.

    14 August 2017
    comments 5
    Blog
  • You’ll never walk alone… in Europe

    by Peter

    Actually, this is for sure a serious topic – especially the residents of Venice, Florence, Barcelona and some other highly popular places in Europe that are struggling a lot with mass tourism definitely would agree with this statement. Yes, it is… and there are a lot of side aspects in this issue to mention as well, above all the significant ecological impact. 

    24 July 2017
    comments 3
    Blog
  • Talking about dignity…

    by Peter

    Last week I have posted an article about some of my dreams for a future Europe. One of my first dreams started with the hope for more human dignity… Why on earth should we talk about dignity? Especially, when in fact we all know that Europe is the place where dignity is fundamental and part of our basic values, isn’t it? Uhm, yes… it is –...

    23 July 2017
    comments 2
    Blog
  • Europe on a selfie (stick)…

    by Peter

    I think it was in 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, where a friend and I stopped off on the way to Indonesia, when I have seen this incredible marvel of human innovation strength for the first time. I still remember that we were joking about importing this thing to Europe – and becoming rich with it… what a stupid idea. 😉

    22 July 2017
    comments 0
    Blog
  • Talking about dreams…

    by Peter

    Day 80 of my journey started quite a bit grey – regarding to both the weather and my mood. Because even some sports on the mat did not help, I decided to continue the day with a for me unusual deluxe breakfast and to turn it into somewhat productive – in keeping with the motto “if the day is not sunny, then at least...

    17 July 2017
    comments 2
    Blog

Blog

برای امید | Baraye omid

by Peter

4 January 2023
comments 2

A turning point in Europe – and perhaps in the whole world…

by Peter

6 March 2022
comments 0

The USA, of all places,…

by Peter

… have made me think again about Europe, the world and finally about our way in general. One could call it irony, since in many respects the United States embody exactly the opposite of what, until recently at least, the majority of EU Member States or their inhabitants seemed to stand for. Or just call it a very logical and comprehensible consequence of an almost...

27 October 2018
comment 1

Talking about me…

by Peter

126 days, 16 countries (passed or stayed in), around 17.000 kilometres of travel, more than 1000 kilometres on foot, 31 accommodations, 18 trains, ten coaches, seven cars, four planes, four boats, three ferries, three taxis, two bicycles, one motorbike, countless metros, trams and city busses, one pair of shoes, many hundreds of coffees, too many chocolates, no single cigarette and one – fortunately relatively...

2 September 2017
comments 2

A letter to Ireland…

by Peter

Actually, I did not want to write a post about a single country of my journey and until now I have not done so. But since you are an island and I refer the subsequently mentioned to both countries situated on you, I will make an exception and start again:

18 August 2017
comments 5

Look at this city!

by Peter

As you know, this remark is already associated to another city and another historic incident, but we are in the year 2017, this issue is way more current and this saying simply matches perfectly to it.

14 August 2017
comments 5

You’ll never walk alone… in Europe

by Peter

Actually, this is for sure a serious topic – especially the residents of Venice, Florence, Barcelona and some other highly popular places in Europe that are struggling a lot with mass tourism definitely would agree with this statement. Yes, it is… and there are a lot of side aspects in this issue to mention as well, above all the significant ecological impact. 

24 July 2017
comments 3

Talking about dignity…

by Peter

Last week I have posted an article about some of my dreams for a future Europe. One of my first dreams started with the hope for more human dignity… Why on earth should we talk about dignity? Especially, when in fact we all know that Europe is the place where dignity is fundamental and part of our basic values, isn’t it? Uhm, yes… it is –...

23 July 2017
comments 2

Europe on a selfie (stick)…

by Peter

I think it was in 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, where a friend and I stopped off on the way to Indonesia, when I have seen this incredible marvel of human innovation strength for the first time. I still remember that we were joking about importing this thing to Europe – and becoming rich with it… what a stupid idea. 😉

22 July 2017
comments 0

Talking about dreams…

by Peter

Day 80 of my journey started quite a bit grey – regarding to both the weather and my mood. Because even some sports on the mat did not help, I decided to continue the day with a for me unusual deluxe breakfast and to turn it into somewhat productive – in keeping with the motto “if the day is not sunny, then at least...

17 July 2017
comments 2

Talking about war…

by Peter

It was a Friday on July 1st when I recognised that it was exactly half time of my journey. Nine of eighteen weeks of traveling through Europe were over and I have spent most of the time on the Balkans so far – of course in many different countries though.

9 July 2017
comments 7

Auschwitz-Birkenau

by Peter

This name, these two little words will stand forever for the darkest chapter in the European history – if not in the history of mankind in general. The unthinkable has happened there in the midst of a continent that always claimed to be civilized.

7 July 2017
comments 2

Talking about childhood memories…

by Peter

To be honest, apart from the direct neighbourhood in our housing estate I mostly remember from my living environment as a child that what you can see in the title’s picture foreground: green fields as we had on the other side of the road next to our home. A child’s eye simply is much closer to the ground than to the heaven… 🙂

4 July 2017
comments 2

What is Europe?

by Peter

I have been on the road now for almost eight weeks and have traveled approximately something about 7000 kilometers by train, boat, bus, car, plane, motorbike, bike and on foot through Europe.

23 June 2017
comments 0

Thank you for not smoking

by Romi

Travelling from Belgrade to Bar in Montenegro by train was supposed to be a breathtaking experience. It literally was – but not as I thought it would be.

17 June 2017
comments 2

We see what we expect to see…

by Peter

The day before yesterday I made a trip with the motorbike to Sigri, a small village located in the very west of Lesbos. It’s quite a nice route even if – at least felt – much further away from Mithimna than the indicated just 57 kilometres make you believe.

26 May 2017
comments 0

Temporarily closed…

by Peter

… for searching, thinking and collecting stories. Maybe open again after finding, understanding and writing… 😉

21 May 2017
comments 0

And then there came… Lesbos

by Peter

For sure Lesbos, one could think… after all this island became one of the alleged symbols for a possible failure or for a successful cooperation and solidarity in Europe, at least in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

19 May 2017
comment 1

On decisions and unlimited possibilities…

by Peter

Coffee junkies like myself probably know that situation very well. If there is no decent independent café around we sometimes enter clandestinely one of those temples of modern so-called coffee culture.

18 May 2017
comments 7

Day 12…

by Peter

… was a pathbreaking day in some ways. This does not mean that something really exciting has happened.

11 May 2017
comments 5

Habibi.Works

by Peter

The so-called refugee crisis in Europe seems to disappear step by step from the news. On the one hand that’s good as I can’t hear this expression any more – it’s not an European refugee crisis, it’s a humanitarian catastrophe many refugees are experiencing.

8 May 2017
comments 11

On expectations, doubts and realisation…

by Peter

… what does the famous Oxford English Dictionary say about these words?

5 May 2017
comments 3

My Discovery of Slowness…

by Peter

What have the two and a half days of traveling by train and ferry through Europe taught me? At first the very obvious: It is quite a bit more exhausting – especially with a lot of luggage – and of course it is much slower.

2 May 2017
comments 2

What is in my bag?

by Peter

Too much! No, just kidding 😉

26 April 2017
comments 6

The journey is the reward!

by Peter

A lot has happened since I decided to postpone my project. Personally, I have been tight up to get a grip on my health problems and I still am today. The European Union did not overcome its crisis as we all have seen with Britains vote to exit the EU as an inglorious peak so far. Overall, there is much to suggest that the world has not become less...

1 April 2017
comments 0

Happy Birthday…

by Peter

Congratulation to 60 years and one day!

26 March 2017
comments 0

Restart!

by Peter

“Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you.”   I think there is probably no better way to express what life is like. Last year the bear ate me. Due to some severe health problems I had to fight a lot – also with myself. In addition, I was forced to postpone my long planned photographic project, which was niggling me even...

12 March 2017
comments 2

Inshallah

by Peter

Inshallah – إن شاء الله‎ – God willing. No, this post is neither on the islamophobic reactions which too many Europeans are living out nowadays nor it is on a personal religious awakening overnight. It’s much easier than that and far more personal. This morning at 10:45 a.m. Eurowings flight number 4U0396 with destination Dublin took off at Cologne Bonn Airport. Unfortunately, although I had a ticket I...

1 July 2016
comments 7

Europeans Unite!

by Peter

Shocked. Speechless. Sad. But tomorrow is another day… and the sun will rise anyway!

24 June 2016
comment 1

Rule, Britannia…?

by Peter

A tongue-in-cheek approach to a serious issue. Mostly. I admit I did have troubles finding a title for this post preferably avoiding all forms of puns around the omnipresent word ‘Brexit’. While reflecting this, suddenly a more than fifty-year old film scene occurred to me. In that scene in the movie ‘Murder Ahoy!’ the wonderful Margret Rutherford alias Miss Marple almost bellows out the sometimes...

23 June 2016
comments 0

Are we really?

by Peter

The German journalist Evelyn Roll recently published a polemic pamphlet with the title ‘Wir sind Europa‘ (We are Europe; unfortunately only available in German, but you can find the international version of an essay this book is based on here). On the one hand Mrs Roll gives us here a brief description on the emergence of populism and nationalism we are currently observing in...

15 May 2016
comments 0

Now more than ever…

by Peter

I openly admit that I was doubting. Or to put it another way: I am still doubting. Doubting about my project, doubting about Europe and the European Integration and sometimes doubting about the existence of intelligent life in general down here on Earth. Who should be surprised to hear that considering the daily news which are raining down on us?

18 March 2016
comments 2

And then?

by Peter

As we all know, 42 is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Unfortunately, Douglas Adams has published his famous novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy back in 1979 and therefore – although undoubtedly being an exceptional visionary head – he could not anticipate the insufficient performance of future supercomputers. If he had been capable to do so,...

1 March 2016
comments 0

What moves people?

by Peter

The wonderful but too early deceased dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch once formulated what has been her personal drive: ‘I’m not so interested in how people move as in what moves them.’ Wow, one of those sentences one would like to keep plain! Unfortunately, for several reasons I can’t keep it plain. Running a blog without writing about these things that move me emotionally...

14 February 2016
comments 0

Has Europe lost its way?

by Peter

During the Great Depression of the 1930s the world famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson is said to have made the following statement: ‘The world is going to pieces and people like Adams and Weston are photographing rocks!’ I’ve always liked this sentence despite the fact that it’s quite a bit snooty and disrespectful against the work of others. However, since I also have little use...

25 December 2015
comment 1

Greece… or on the power of images

by Peter

The last of the three countries of my upcoming journey will be Greece. For sure Greece, one could say. Wherever else should one go in the search for the European identity than to Greece? It’s one of the cradles of European civilization and Europa, the Phoenician princess and consort of Zeus in the Greek mythology, gave the continent its name. It’s the country of...

20 December 2015
comments 0

On walls and other follies

by Peter

In the evening of November 10th, 1989 six friends decided spontaneously to skip school next day and to leave for Berlin where history was written in those days. They packed a few things and the next morning they took off with their so-called cars – more scrap than anything – for the 550 km distance from the very western part of Germany to Berlin....

29 November 2015
comments 0

Poland… or back for the future?

by Peter

For all those who are confused about the title: I was born in Poland and lived there for the first seven years of my life. Some weeks ago I expressed my anticipation about visiting Ireland for the first time and explained some reasons for this choice – most of them justified by its geographical location and history. In the case of Poland the situation...

20 November 2015
comments 0

Europe in doubt?… or on the difficulty of remaining steadfast

by Peter

Probably you all know this feeling. Almost everything you’ve been thinking about yesterday already sounds outdated today and will become obsolete tomorrow. The world appears to stay in the fast lane, news is overwhelming you through different media all day and neither politics nor society seems to be able to respond to the urgent questions and challenges of our time. What ist right, what...

15 November 2015
comments 0

Je suis la France

by Peter

La liberté et la lumière sont plus fortes que la haine et l’obscurité.

14 November 2015
comments 0

Refugees… here to stay?

by Peter

During the last few days I have been thinking a lot about whether to write something on this issue or not. I’m not running a primarily politically oriented blog and my main topic for the project still will be the European identity. Many newspapers and magazines as well as many other blog writers – surely being read million times more often than my blog...

5 September 2015
comments 2

Ireland… or Forty Shades of Green?

by Peter

This is what I currently know about Ireland: … Not too much, right? OK, of course it’s just half the truth, but it’s true enough to have at least 1000 reasons to fill this obvious gap. I’ve never been to Ireland in my life and I haven’t read a lot about it, either. Hence, without too much exaggeration, one can say that my knowledge...

30 August 2015
comments 0

Hey Europeans – Quo vaditis?

by Peter

Today I had a short chat about this and that with a German of Turkish origin. During the conversation I was joking about choosing Turkey as another country if it were a member state of the EU and Erdoğan would not act that strange politically. ‘I’m not interested in Europe at all’, she commented dryly and added immediately: ‘The world consists of so much...

19 August 2015
comments 0

Starting the countdown

by Peter

A couple of days ago my girlfriend and I passed the border between France and Spain near the French village of Cerbère. How did we know that? And which ‘border’ if any? Instantly I was thrown back to my childhood in a metaphorical sense. There was nothing else to see than the word ‘STOP’ painted in large white letters on the road as well...

6 August 2015
comment 1

About the project

General

About the project

In 2010 German chancellor Merkel named the Euro as without any alternative. ‘If the Euro falls, Europe falls’ she pointed out in addition. Is that right? I don’t know...

6 August 2015
comments 0

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