I have, in the past, likened this event to a larger and more adult version of the Girl Scout International Fests that DD and I participated in back in the day. Little booths line the marktplatz and the town is awash with spicy and sweet smells, ethnic music, and lots and lots of people. This year we sampled a new treat apparently from Hungary and Romania- kürtös kálacs. They are normally made on a BBQ, [...]
Ok there are fast trips and FAST trips. This one was quick! My Dad’s side of the family, Franchini-Herweck, was having a reunion. As many of you know, I am in treatment for breast cancer, so I wasn’t sure if I could make it. But, my Mom arranged for DS and me to fly in on Thursday (after my Wednesday chemo) and fly back again on Monday night (to arrive on Tuesday night here in [...]
It wasn’t a Cow or a Truck, but it was still a little startling to look out the window and see large tufts of hay flying by! At first the kids thought it might have been dropped by a passing airplane, but chatting with our local Berry Lady confirmed that it was just a case of some small Weather. The hay was distributed in fields, yards, streets and on rooftops all through the neighborhood. I [...]
After their eventful journey through France, David’s mom and Nancy came back to Strasbourg for a day. David went out to hang with them and catch a few more museums. Then we all met up for dinner. Along the way they had some adventures!
Across Germany there is an unexpected amount of water this spring. Apparently a late spring (delaying the melting of the snow pack) combined with heavy rains to overrun some of the country’s flood plans. To our East, much of Bavaria is under water. The Danube has been particularly problematic and we have been told that in some places the water is higher than it has been since 1501! But in our area, knock wood, things [...]
David’s Mom and her friend Nancy have been visiting us this last week. Unfortunately, the weather has been a bit iffy. We had one gloriously sunny day- during which we explored outdoors in Strasbourg, the old part of the city, the Cathedral and its square, etc. But, the following day was grey and rainy. Since I was (ehem) a bit under the weather myself, David took our guests on a tour of 5 museums that [...]
One of the most wonderful aspects of living here, as far as I am concerned, is that the kids get opportunities to be exposed to all sorts of things they would just never see in the US. DS was lucky enough to have the chance to travel to a Roman excavation site in central France this week with his class. The site is busy excavating the old town of Bibracte. It was inhabited by Celts/Gauls/Druids [...]
Today I really needed to get out of the house. So, we piled into the car and took off toward Kehl, just to see what was up. As it happens, what was up was a town fair! And quite the happenin’ one, too. The main parking lot was overrun. We parked a few blocks away behind the train station instead. On our way over we saw these folks: I wondered where they would park! The [...]
Let’s talk Pizza. I have mentioned German Pizza in previous posts, but it is so delightfully NOT what an American might expect, it deserves a post all of its own. First off, it is important to know that there are three main providers of pizza in Germany. Actual Italian restaurants run by actual Italians. These places tend to be expensive, but good. Italy is just down the road, so you can expect fresh, authenic sauces, [...]
With the beautiful spring days interspersed with the rain, and the need to occasionally “walk off” the stress of the last couple weeks, David and I decided to meander into the closest town of Bühl this last weekend. There we happened upon a very friendly cat- and an unexpected graveyard. In Germany, as in many other places in Europe, you do not actually buy your burial plot- you rent it. Usually the rent is for [...]