East/West News Service

Mar 26, 2025 | eastwestnewsservice.com | Mark Orwoll |David DeVoss

No wagons waited in Indianola. No food, no supplies, no shelter, no guides, no oxen to pull the nonexistent wagons. No nothing. The year was 1844. Stranded on the shingle shore were a motley gaggle of second sons, reprobates, poor relations, failed merchants, their dispirited wives, and unnerved offspring, all of whom had come to Texas for salvation. There was no chance for them, no living to be had in the assorted dukedoms and principalities of what would become a united Germany.

Feb 1, 2025 | eastwestnewsservice.com | Richard Varr |David DeVoss

It doesn’t take long for a sense of history to overwhelm you when walking through the narrow passageways of Bryggen’s wooden warehouses. Yes, the building facades are immaculate, swashed with muted red and brown earthen hues, but every step on wooden plank floors and stairwells seemingly comes with a creak or two, like the infrastructure is grunting with old age. Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must-see in Bergen; if you’re down by the waterfront, you can’t miss it.

Jan 17, 2025 | eastwestnewsservice.com | Beth Reiber |David DeVoss

By Beth ReiberI lived in Germany for four years, studied at two German universities and wrote chapters for Frommer’s guidebooks on Berlin and Munich. But during all that time I never felt compelled to visit the Black Forest in Southwest Germany. Somehow, the thought of my German-speaking grandparents puttering through the Schwarzwald (as it’s called in German) on their biannual trips to Europe conjured an old-fashioned vacationland, filled with cuckoo clocks and sleepy villages.

Dec 6, 2024 | eastwestnewsservice.com | Mary Bergin |David DeVoss

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but the original St. Nicholas was very different from what we know today. His home was on the Mediterranean Sea, not the North Pole. More pious than jolly. Wearing a cleric’s miter hat, not a festive stocking cap. For much of the world, St. Nicholas magically and faithfully delivers little treats to children on Dec. 6 – St. Nick’s Day, a prelude to the bigger haul of gifts that he’ll leave after sliding down chimneys on Christmas Eve.

Oct 9, 2024 | eastwestnewsservice.com | Tom Adkinson |David DeVoss

A farmer’s work never really ends, but there are a few breaks in the action, particularly when autumn harvest season winds down. The harvest season is a time of celebration – both literal and psychological – and today’s literal celebrations go way beyond the farmer and his or her family. Autumn means that it’s outdoor party time for all comers.