A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to the most faithful readers of Letters to Barbara. As I often say, having readers is both a great responsibility and a reason to be happy. So, when I wrote to my mailing list in late October, there was one thing I wanted to know: my readers’ questions. Specifically, I wanted to know the first thing that came to their minds when they thought of my blog. There was no topic. It could be everything: personal questions, lifestyle questions, my goals, my journeys, blogging, my opinion on something.
I always encourage the readers of this blog to comment on the posts or e-mail me. Therefore, it felt good when I saw the first questions arriving in my inbox. For a couple of days, I kept receiving e-mails from the readers, and the topics varied: some of them were questions about blogging, in others, the readers wanted to know some things about me.
It was a real pleasure replying to the readers’ questions. Apart from getting to know the people receiving my letters, it was also great to see what all these people had in mind. The questions came from all over the world, and this made me rather emotional. After more than two years of blogging, I understood how much this blog grew. Therefore, I want to thank each one of you for reading the Letters to Barbara.
If you aren’t part of my mailing list, you can subscribe either here or in any of the signup forms you’ll find within the articles.
Readers’ questions – my replies
Before I start, I must mention something. I promised the people on my mailing list that I’m not going to share their personal data, apart from their names. That said, you won’t see here any surnames or locations. At the very end of each question, you’ll only see the name of the person. Last but not least, I didn’t sort this Q&A into categories (i.e., Life, Blogging, etc.) I preferred to copy every question the moment it arrived in my inbox. Therefore, this Q&A is sorted in a -let’s call it- chronological order.
And here we go with the readers’ questions.
What’s your biggest goal in life right now? (Janice)
The first question was probably the toughest one. To be honest, I never had just one goal in life. Even though we live in a horrible era (I’m talking to you, 2020), I must admit that I still don’t have only one single goal in life. My goals are always the same: to remain productive, to travel, to read, to stay healthy, to spend time with my friends and family. I don’t have one single goal, but I can tell you what bothers me lately the most. To keep this blog alive in a time that traveling is demonized.
You might wonder: what does it mean to keep a blog alive? Well, it means that I can create travel (or travel-related) content in times that we can’t move at all. It also means to motivate me to work for nothing. Running a blog for the great outdoors (and not the miserable indoors) is challenging, time-consuming, and largely underpaid in 2020. I can only hope for the best while trying to encourage myself.
Which is your favorite country? (Paul)
It’s hard to choose just one country. Therefore, I will try to answer your question, Paul, in a slightly different manner. Let’s say that the country I always look forward to visiting is Italy. I always had great times in Italy, and I can’t wait to be back.
Have you ever heard of Kristen Leo from Athens, and if so, what do you think of her? (John)
I won’t lie to you, John. I had to google her. The thing is that I’m absent for over a decade from Greece and I am, somehow, disconnected from the local life. It would be unfair to write an opinion because I didn’t follow her work at all.
Do you think that travel blogging will still be a thing in 2021? (Alice)
That’s what also bothers me, Alice. Honestly, no one knows. I still believe that when the restrictions are lifted, people will start traveling again. But traveling and quarantines don’t fit together: a quarantine is against the spirit of a journey. Subsequently, travel blogs don’t stand a chance to be relevant when traveling is not possible. The search intent has changed significantly. No one is searching anymore for journeys, and no one is willing to go on a city break. I also don’t search for travel-related things, even though I daydream of distant journeys every single day.
If in 2021 the restrictions are lifted, travel blogs will become part of the free-time industry again. Running a travel blog also means that you can make something out of it because people are willing to book a flight or a hotel again. I can only hope that we will still be able to travel in the near future. If we do, yes, travel blogging will still be a thing in 2021. Or maybe in 2022.
If you ask me as a fellow travel blogger, my advice is to keep creating content. You can still rank for keywords on Google, and when people start searching for journeys, you’ll start receiving way more traffic than before. Every crisis creates opportunities (apart from misery), and if you keep working to reach your blogging goals, you’ll be rewarded in the future. That’s what I say every day to myself. And that’s what I always want to believe.
Do you read other blogs? If so, what’s your favorite one? (Josh)
I do read other blogs, yes. Actually, I read lots of them. Not everything is interesting for me, but there are a few that I’m always checking. Hands down, my favorite one is Notes from the road. Erik’s work is simply outstanding.
Berlin or Athens? (Elena)
Sometimes both, other times, none of them. Athens is my hometown, and Berlin is the city I chose to relocate to almost eleven years ago. I have a love and hate relationship with both cities. Sometimes I think that it’s a pity not to exist in both cities at the same time. Berlin is vibrant, dark, and rich in every section of life (cultural, nightlife, etc.). Athens is sunny, easy-going, and one of the most legendary cities of antiquity. I tend to think that if you get bored in Athens or Berlin, there aren’t many cities left to live in.
But other times, both cities piss me off and make me anxious. These are usually times that I want to escape everything. Perhaps it’s not the cities’ problem; it’s mine. No matter what, I feel like abandoning them. All that said, I can’t choose that easily. But I’ll tell you how I decided to live: Berlin from mid-autumn till late spring and Athens during summertime.
How can people support their favorite bloggers? (Micha)
Well, bloggers are always happy when people visit and read their blogs. Therefore, I’d say that this is a good way to show your support. Writing a genuine comment or sending an e-mail are always things that make bloggers smile. Apart from that, you can see if they have a page within the blog with the products they create. Check for a “Shop” (or a similar label) on the menu.
When do you think we will be able to travel again? (Anna)
Wondering about that too, Anna. Earlier this year (it was March!) I canceled all my travel plans. I “lost” a journey to Norway, one of the nicest journeys I ever planned. And I have paid an insane amount of money for it. Right now, I stay put. I don’t want to lose more money -let alone that traveling doesn’t make any fun at all nowadays.
I’ve been following the news about the pandemic since early January, and I’m not very optimistic right now. I think that a good part of 2021 will have the same restrictions. While I hope I’m totally wrong, I don’t think that we could travel freely during 2021. I mean, traveling as in 2019 won’t be a thing for many months, even years. Fingers crossed that this horrible thing comes to an end soon.
Do you have lots of friends? (Stef)
I have some very close friends. Not dozens of them, but enough not to feel lonely at all. I try to catch up with them often, sometimes even every day.
Where will be your first journey after the pandemic? (C.L.)
I often think about that too. For some reason, I want to travel to some places that I’ve already visited. I guess it’s because I have to see some more things there. My first choice would be the Faroe Islands. I’ve been there twice and the last time was 6-7 years ago. I wrote a very extensive travelogue about the Faroe (30+ pages), but it’s in Greek. The thing is that I didn’t have a proper camera with me. I lost the chance to take nice photos. So, I’d like to write even more about the Faroe Islands and definitely shoot non-smartphone photos.
The second place I’d love to visit is the capital of Belarus, Minsk. I traveled there, not really knowing what to expect. People tend to think that Minsk is a dark city, but it’s actually the opposite. I want to revisit Minsk and see how it feels this time.
Would you travel right now? (Dan)
No. I’d love to travel but not with all these restrictions. I’d consider going to places where the situation is under control, and the restrictions are lifted. Such places don’t exist right now; therefore, I don’t consider traveling.
During summer, I traveled to Donoussa, and since I was in Greece, I traveled a bit around. Domestic traveling is still a thing in 2020, and maybe that’s the only thing I’d still consider.
Coffee or tea? (Catherine)
Coffee. Tea is not for me -unless I’m sick. But I need a couple of espressos every day.
Would you like to share your favorite travel writers? (Jean)
Yes, but they are so many that I’m afraid I’d have to write a separate post. I’d name just a few to give you a better impression.
A couple of months ago, I wrote a long post about my favorite travel books (and, therefore, my favorite travel writers). You can find it here.
Shall we expect a second part of the Coronavirus Chronicles? (Alex)
No way! It was not so nice writing the Coronavirus Chronicles while being stranded in Berlin for months. But I did it mainly to keep myself sane and as a record of this horrible time. I don’t plan to write anything like that again, I’m sorry.
Which city surprised you the most? (Carol)
There are actually plenty. Minsk, because as I wrote earlier, it was not as dark as I thought. Catania, because it is a vibrant city that remains undiscovered. Syracuse for sure for its beauty. Frankfurt, because it’s not just a commercial center. Oh, and Yerevan for its big heart and the impressive views of Mount Ararat.
Would you encourage a journey to Greece in the summer of 2021? (Sean)
Yes, 100%. As long as you are prepared to visit Greece with some regulations, you’ll have a great time. We have to learn to live with this virus, and I hope that the restrictions won’t be there forever. In 2021 they will probably be there, though. Therefore, yes, if I were you, I’d plan a vacation to Greece for the summer of 2021. I just wouldn’t book anything before May.
Are you currently writing a book? If so, will it be about the pandemic? (David)
As I often say, I’m always writing a book -it’s just that I don’t always finish one. I have some ideas, and I’m working on them, but it’ll take time until they transform into a new book. Unfortunately, I always need 3-4 years to conclude a book. It’s a slow process.
What I can tell you for sure is that it has nothing to do with the pandemic. Sure, there will be darker elements in the book or incidents inspired by these horrible times, but it’s certainly not a book about the pandemic. I find the topic saturated anyway, and it’s not something that I want to deal with right now. Honestly, I think I don’t want to deal it with it ever again.
Readers’ questions – Epilogue
It was fun replying to my readers’ questions -and I hope it was fun for you reading them. I know that it’s important for the people to know a bit better the person running this blog, but it was equally important for me to read what the readers’ of the Letters to Barbara had in mind. Even though there’s a FAQ section in this blog, it was great seeing all these questions.
If you were too shy to ask your questions when you received my mail or just happen to be here for the first time and want to ask something, please leave your questions in the comments below. I’d be glad to reply and include them in the readers’ questions above. Oh, and make sure to subscribe below 🙂
Take care & stay strong.
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Last Updated on April 17, 2021 by George Pavlopoulos
Hi George, I have one more question which I hope you can answer. I would like to know whether you can speak fluent German and how long it took you to learn the language, with a bit of an explanation on how you progressed. It must have been tough moving to Berlin if you didn’t know how to speak German.
Hey John!
In daily life, talks with friends, or basic bureaucratic stuff, I can say that I’m rather fluent in German. In deep philosophical topics or discussions that request special terminology, I think that I’m more limited. I guess you never really learn a foreign language, but a certain degree of fluency is achievable for sure.
When I moved to Germany eleven years ago, I didn’t speak a single word of German. I think I only knew Danke (thanks) but not even Bitte (please, or you’re welcome). A decision I took back then was not to hang out with Greeks or people speaking English. The reason was that I’d never learn German. Speaking Greek all the time would somehow “shelter” me, but knowing myself, I’d never try to learn German. The same thing would happen if I talked English all the time. That said, I wanted to motivate myself to learn the language. I truly believe that if you don’t speak the local language, you always remain some sort of visitor/tourist/traveler/whatever-in-between-all-that.
The process was rather simple. I bought several books on German grammar and a dictionary. I’d study every day on my own for two years, I’d overhear the dialogues in the streets, and I’d “force” my German friends to talk to me in German and -somehow- accept my language mistakes. After two-three years, I took some private classes for a couple of months with a teacher, and she solved all the questions I gathered during the initial period of my stay in Berlin. Slowly, I started to talk better German -and this is an ongoing process.
Nowadays, some of my best friends in Berlin are Greeks or people speaking English (apart from Germans, of course). Berlin is a melting pot of cultures, and communicating in English makes it easier to hang out with people from different countries. Still, to this day, I believe that I wouldn’t have learned a single word of German if I didn’t push myself to learn the language during the first couple of years. There are easier ways to learn German in Berlin, like for example going to a school. I just didn’t have so much time back then, and for an extended period of time, I couldn’t also afford it.
This is inspiring stuff, George. To be able to speak three languages is unbelievable! You probably speak Italian as well.
Haha, no, no Italian John 🙂 I speak French as well -or better, I used to speak French. Nowadays, I think I forgot every single word, though; it’s been so long since I last spoke French.