BITS and PIECES Archives | Page 2 of 3

Travelling by Bus Around the World or Ride with the Devil

Posted on2020-07-302022-11-02AuthorRenata Green8 Comments

I always thought if I had the chance to choose on judgment day, I might rather go to hell than to heaven. I’m suffering from acrophobia so a place as high as heaven might scare me to…well, at least it cannot scare me to death anymore. Then, I’m afraid that way up high over the clouds it will be always a little nippy. And I like it hot.

Renata Green on the bus from Delphi to Kalambaka in Greece — I’m definitely a solo traveller – taking the whole alone travel to an even higher level.

But after recent events, I’m not so sure anymore. After I was riding with the devil, I’m afraid I’m not fit for the highway to hell.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

Pickled: Easy Recipes to Store the Mediterranean Sun in Your Pantry

Posted on2020-06-262020-06-27AuthorRenata27 Comments

Pickled fruits and herbs from the Mediterranean cuisine are fantastic: Tasty, pretty, and with my recipes so easy to make! It’s also a great gift to your family’n’friends and a creative way to store the Mediterranean Sun in your pantry.

Oil infused with Herbes de Provence, lemon peel, and garlic next to a lavender plant. An Easy Recipe for Pickled Mediterranean Herbs — Oil infused with Herbes de Provence, lemon peel, and garlic. Close your eyes and find yourself in a lavender field at the Plateau de Valensole.

Especially during travel-restricted times, it’s a great way of bringing the flavors of summer into your kitchen cabinets.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

From North German Ports to the Americas: Migration in the 19th and 20th Century

Posted on2020-05-232022-06-03AuthorRenata Green55 Comments

In the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of people left Europe for the Americas in search of a better life – choosing a migration route through North German ports.

sculpture called Die Auswanderer, emigrants, remembering Migration from North German Ports to the Americas — This sculpture called Die Auswanderer, hence emigrants, is standing on the shore of the river Weser. It remembers the seven million passing through the port of Bremerhaven. Actually, this statue by Frank Varga was donated by the German-American Memorial Association.

As a counterpart to the arrival halls in Ellis Island, several museums in German cities remember the adventurous journeys of the emigrants in transit.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

The Ski Instructor of Sri Lanka

Posted on2020-01-132023-07-24AuthorRenata Green17 Comments

I’m often asked how it is to travel by myself. If I’m not scared. If I don’t get lonely. If I’m not afraid that the sky may fall on my head tomorrow.

A Ski Instructor by himself in a snowy landscape — No, Sri Lanka looks nothing like this. Definitely not.
(Photo: Sondrekv, Påske, detail, cropped to 2:3, CC0 1.0)

The answer has always been no – and meeting Sri Lanka’s only ski instructor was clearly another proof that travelling solo is a great chance to come across people that open up to you in a blink of an eye.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art – the best-hidden gem of Istanbul

Posted on2019-08-222022-11-02AuthorRenata GreenLeave a comment

Hardly anyone I know has ever heard of the Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art, so I really think it’s the best-hidden gem in Istanbul.

Coming to this grand city on the Bosporus river, obviously, everybody is standing in line to see the antique masterpieces at Hagia Sophia and the Topkapı Palace. Or – if they venture away from Sultanahmet – the very ‘French’ Dolmabahçe.

Terrace of the Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art - Istanbul's best-hidden Gem — Homage to Masters of Sculpture, against the backdrop of Istanbul’s financial center view,
Photo: Kayhan Kaygusuz

But hardly anyone comes to Istanbul to see the young, fresh, and daring Turkish contemporary art.

Big mistake!

This Way to the Whole Story ->

Language Learning in Rome

Posted on2019-05-262022-11-02AuthorRenata Green12 Comments

I love to learn foreign languages and travelling is my passion. Therefore, I joined a couple of courses abroad. For two weeks, I was learning Italian in Rome – and I’m telling you here how that went.

Sculptured heads at the Musei Capitolini in Rome — Learning is Fun: Joining all these shrewd heads in Rome.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

We’ll Always Have Büdelsdorf – bye:myself at the NordArt 2017

Posted on2019-05-112023-06-24AuthorRenata Green2 Comments

We’ll Always Have Büdelsdorf – since every year, hence, also in 2017, the NordArt is taking place in this forlorn suburb with the quirky name.

City sign Büdelsorf and a sign advertising for the NordArt2017 — Welcome to the town where one of Europe’s largest art fairs is taking place; I kid you not.

Don’t judge an art event by its location: The annual NordArt is one of Europe’s biggest exhibitions of contemporary art.

This Way to the Whole Story ->

Büdelsdorf Revisited – bye:myself at the NordArt 2018

Posted on2019-05-112022-07-08AuthorRenata Green11 Comments

Büdelsdorf revisited – since every year the NordArt is taking place in that forlorn suburb with the quirky name, also in 2018, I visited bye:myself.

NICHTS by Klaus Gündchen, made from stainless steel in 2011. — Apart from the annual changing exhibitions, some of the works – especially the sculptures in the gardens – stay for longer.
For instance this NICHTS-sign.
***NICHTS*** was made by Klaus Gündchen from stainless steel in 2011.

As you already know from this post, the NordArt is a very nice, annual art event. Obviously, you cannot compare it to the Biennial in Venice.

Nevertheless, they show a great variety of international artists. The NordArt has been one of the largest exhibitions of contemporary art in Europe, after all.

This Way to the Whole Story ->