Dr. Nicole Basaraba

Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities, TCD

Aachen, Germany: It’s in the details

First impression: clean. Coming from Brussels and entering Aachen, there were some things that struck me immediately. Number one it was very clean and cheerful. The city has bright colored buildings in welcoming pastels. For a while I felt like I was a doll walking around in a city of doll-houses. Some of the doors

European Life Style: Patios

The patios in Europe are something that you just can’t mimic in Canada. The weather for one thing allows the patios to be open from about May to the end of October. Most patios are on the sidewalks. They have little square or round tables with chairs as light as a feather. They aren’t made

European Life Style: The Cobblestones

The cobblestones. Yes, they ruined three pairs of my expensive leather Canadian high heels. I trip over stones sticking out of ground pretty much everyday and sometimes more than once a day. There is a particular stone that sticks out on the sidewalk in front of my apartment, which I’ve tripped over many times. But

Brussels Reality Check

Beer is cheaper than juice or soda. A statue of a little boy urinating (Manneken Pis) is the symbol of the city and is dressed up in costumes. Alcohol is sold everywhere: fast food restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores. People work on a 24-hour clock. (So 4:00pm is 16:00). Cashiers sit on a chair