Rescuers help Timmy, a stranded whale, return home

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has explored Berlin’s techno scene, reported on the rise and fall of far-right rule in Poland, investigated Norway’s salmon farming industry, covered elections in the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Poland, the European Union and beyond, and patiently chronicled a 639-year organ performance in rural Germany.