Hello, My Name is Kevin Schwarm
A free spirit's take on work, life, travel, & consumerism

This blog post is a compilation of photos I took in Munich, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and then back in Munich in October of 2025. Some commentary is provided. MUNICH Getting ready for Oktoberfest in Munich. The weather is cool and rainy, but nothing is preventing me from wearing this outfit to Oktoberfest. Enjoying Oktoberfest, finally! Large pretzels, shared among friends. As the beer flows in the Oktoberfest tents and facilities, pretzel sales skyrocket. BERLIN Biking west of

Europe The driving age in Germany is 18, but you can drink beer at 16. In Germany, they learn to drink and then drive. In the USA, we learn to drive and then learn to drink. Many Germans will greet you with a “hallo” or “Guten Tag,” but rarely ask how you are doing. That’s too formal and typically done among friends and family. Americans are more friendly but superficial, and usually assume that “how are you?” means you’re just saying hello. Europeans may ask about your trip

This article describes how my musical influences have changed over the years.

The Biltmore House and Garden Tour. I had the opportunity several weeks ago to tour this special place, which is outside Asheville. I've included some notes and photos gathered during my visit to the Biltmore Estate.

Stories and challenges about camping in Europe and Israel many years ago.

About a week ago, my wife and I took our first trip (7 days) to Iceland. We were interested in learning more about their farming methods,...

Writer's Note: This story occurred many years ago and is part of the memoir I'm putting together about my early years. Athens and Crete...

In early December, my wife and I booked a 6-day resort stay in the Dominican Republic at the Zoetry Resort, Punta Cana. It was booked...

I'm an experienced bicyclist who has been cycling since I was 6 or 7. Admittedly, I don't cycle as much as I used to as I'm in a...

Over the 10-15 years in many parts of Europe, tens of thousands of migrants fleeing poverty, military conflicts, oppression, and abuse...

Over the last 30 years, I've driven many times from the Midwest to Florida, often making the trip in one day. As a result of this...

On Saturday, October 7th, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. This atrocious attack was mainly directed at innocent Israeli...

A nostalgic look back at getting lost after leaving a Hofbrauhaus in Munich During the first six weeks of my year-long European travel...

I received a call on my cell at 8 a.m. Saturday morning. I was waking up and missed the call, so there's always voicemail if the caller...

So, according to Bon Voyage (https://bonvoyage.com), they claim that ‘85% of Americans Don't Know What Country This Is.' They included an...

When I left for Europe in May of ’82, I planned on doing a lot of camping and also staying at inexpensive youth hostels. I planned to...

My wife and I booked the sunrise bike tour through Original Sunrise Summit Bike Tours, $200 per rider. I’ll refer to them as the Summit...

We ordered the 9-day resort stay through Costco Travel, and a $300 resort credit was included in the purchase. We liked the idea that the...

Last Christmas, my son-in-law, and daughter subscribed me to a product called StoryWorth. According to StoryWorth's website, it's more...