by Kat Nickola You know you’ve seen them. The Hahn Airport signs. They are everywhere; on the way north to Koln, on the way west to Trier, in dinky hamlets, on… Read more
by Kat Nickola One warm summer day I found myself in Wales sitting in the dirt by a stone ruin, listening to the sounds of sheep baying and trowels scraping the… Read more
by Kat Nickola “Wait, how many steps is it to the top?” my daughter asks. “The boat captain said it’s 418,” I reply. “What’s up there?” “I’m not sure. Let’s go… Read more
by Kat Nickola “I see it!” my son yells. He adjusts his backpack. It is full, with his sleeping bag, mat, and clothes for the night. “Where?” I ask, hustling along… Read more
by Kat Nickola I’m standing outside a Celtic longhouse watching the Celtic way to make and hold fire. Herr Klaus Zahneisen is a docent at the Keltenpark Otzenhausen. He shows us the special… Read more
by Kat Nickola My family earned some solid Tågskryt over spring break by traveling overland, via train, all the way to Stockholm. Tågskryt is the Swedish word for “train cred” or… Read more
by Kat Nickola Roughly an hour south of Kaiserslautern is a fascinating remnant of the Cold War era. What had been a special weapons depot is now a site preserved in… Read more
by Kat Nickola “Mom, is that a real body?” My daughter is looking through a long glass window into the side of a coffin-like space. Inside there is a very human-looking… Read more
by Kat Nickola “You got a letter from the school!” I yell. “Wow, mom.” Eyes rolling. My fourteen-year old daughter is less excited than I am. I open it. “Cool. It’s… Read more
by Kat Nickola As we walked into the school for the first time last summer, I was more nervous than my daughter. She had taken a year of German language… Read more
by Kat Nickola This is our first year in Germany and our children are attending a local German high school. I thought I’d write about our experience as the year… Read more
by Kat Nickola “It’s hard to tell there was a runway here,” my husband says over the chilly winter wind. “True. But they left a few bunkers and pavement,” I… Read more
Story and Photos by Kat Nickola With winter settling in, it’s tempting to stay inside. But, part of staying healthy means getting fresh air and exercise, and Germany is a… Read more
Story and photos by Kat Nickola “Mom, how far do you think it goes?” my daughter asked. “Well, we passed another tunnel entrance up the road around the corner. Maybe… Read more
Story and photos by Kat Nickola “Hippie one line up and wait three two right,” my husband says from the drivers seat. I roll my eyes. Always a pilot. “Cleared… Read more
Story and photos by Kat Nickola So you want to visit Sicily? Of course you do! Roman ruins, crumbling Greek temples, good food, sunny beaches, vibrant cities, boating on the… Read more
Story and Photos by Kat Nickola As I sat for dinner on my final night in Mallorca, the server bustled over to ask – in her native English – “What… Read more
Story and photos by Kat Nickola “It’s freezing!” my son yelled as he dipped a toe in the wassertretbecken (water treading pool). Soon he was knee-deep in the cold clear… Read more
(Spoiler: there is food involved) Story and photos by Kat Nickola First it rained, then it snowed; my 10-year-old son dug out his layers, my teenage daughter found her waterproof… Read more