Decluttering

We have left some belongings in our apartment in Berlin, to be able to rent it out furnished. Mainly furniture and a few decorative items such as a large Indonesian mask to scare away the evil spirits or a 1.50 m high nude wooden statue. Stuff that makes people's stay pleasant. Also standard utensils such …

Gearing up

In November 2020 we started the practical preparations for our trip. It concerned insurance, pension, cancellation of contracts, selling or giving away things, finding a tenant and of course, booking the airline tickets. Starting with tickets – we actually wanted to take the Trans-Siberian Railway from Berlin via Moscow, through Russia and via China with …

Going Down Under – How It All Started

The reason for moving to Australia is mainly due to my wife. While studying law in Jena, a German university town, she wanted to improve her English. At first, the United States was on the list, which later became Great Britain. For this, the necessary information material was purchased, which she then by chance exchanged …

Cleaning up

I participated in a cleanup event organized by Nabu Berlin and spreepublik today. Unfortunately, we were very successful, and there's still plenty of plastic & Co. to collect. But the weather was undoubtedly lovely.

Less is more

Now and then I have to do some severe grocery shopping due to my huge appetite 😉 One of our favourite supermarkets is #orginalunverpackt (literally translated 'original unpacked') This time I armed myself with heaps of empty containers and jars. The catch - lots of grains, nuts, spices and other stuff without packaging! Anyhow, for …

Why?

Strange people... Trying to do some conscious grocery shopping and what you get is a biologically grown cucumber wrapped in thick plastic (Dutch supermarket Albert Heijn) Confusing times one could say. I partly agree as the transition towards sustainable consumption seems not that straightforward. Respect to businesses like Orginal Unverpackt, a German grocery retailer in …

Comet Neowise

In July I briefly spotted comet Neowise on Saturday night (the tail can be seen on the centre, bottom) as I went into the dunes to enjoy the spectacle. Plenty of time to wait and contemplate. Scanning the universe, I imagined that centuries ago, our ancestors hadn't had answers to questions that kept them awake …

Carbon offsetting

From 2018 till 2020 I worked for the technology company COMATCH in Berlin. In addition to my commercial position, I started the workgroup “Green Initiative”, with which I aimed to promote sustainability.

Zoo Berlin

We went to Zoo Berlin and it's a beautiful place right in Berlin's city centre. Established in 1844, the 33-hectare Zoo Berlin is the oldest zoo in Germany and is now one of Berlin’s best-known attractions. On the information plates of each animal was written if the species is endangered. I wonder if visitors realize …

Beaver tracks

Roughly 100 years ago, beavers were native in Berlin, but they were eventually hunted and killed to near-extinction for their fur or meat. Wonder how it tasted. A few months ago, I went on a hike with NABU-Berlin (nature conservancy organization in Germany) and spotted some great beaver tracks. This beautiful but elusive creature (at …

Tree planting

We planted trees in Schmirma, which is a small village in Saxony-Anhalt. The brother of my wife is a Master in his field and decided to plant Oaks and Linden along the road to anticipate on a time when the current cherry trees are no longer alive. These species also need less water, and due …

Pandemic

Like our open market economy, technological advances and cultural exchange, the current CoronaVirus is spreading and disrupting our lives on a global scale and just around the corner. It's fascinating and frightening, convenient and challenging to have everything at your fingertips… Having interconnected societies comes with a price, and I wondered how much we …