First of May

 ... otherwise known as International Workers Day.  Federal Holiday.  No work. Shops closed.  There are marches and speeches.  In some areas, it can get confrontational between the left-wingers and the right-wingers, but it was a peaceful march here in Bremen with about 3,000 participants.

Last year we planned a bike trip with friends but it was cold and wet and we had to abandon our trip half way through.  This year it was just cool and windy, so we headed to the Straw Museum in Twistringen, earlier center of straw manufacturing in Germany. 

Our friends were somewhat skeptical that it would be even minimally interesting, but we could go free on May 1 throughout the whole public transport network, so why not?

And it is interesting!  Of course they wasted nothing in the old days, so the straw was used for making hats, mattress filling, food for the livestock, packing for wine, decorations for the house and the ladies, and of course drinking straws (that's why they call them straws!). 

 

It's hard to go anywhere that you can't find coffee and cake in the afternoon, and the museum was no exception.  Volunteers make the cakes at home - no professional stuff here! - and they were wonderful.  "American" lemon cake, cherry cake with egg liqueur, and gooseberry cake.  Y U M.

Then it was time to hit the road, work off some of the calories and head to the next train station. Along the way there were the fields of canola just reaching peak flowering. There is nothing more yellow than these plants!  (Except maybe dandelions.)

And I couldn't leave without a souvenir.   My old straw hat is about to give up the ghost and I couldn't resist the bright pink!  Here they are posed at home with lovely fragrant lilacs from the yard.  Now to find a dress to go with the hat ....

Vacation - Timmendorfer Strand

When we tell folks here "We're going to the USofA"  they always say "Have a nice vacation!"  I kindly tell them that that is not a vacation (please don't be insulted, my dear US family and friends!) because, as I say, "Vacation is sitting in a chair reading a book, going to the beach and doing nothing, heading to a place where you just do w h a t e v e r."  And that is exactly what we did for four days in Timmendorfer Strand.  Vacation.

Strand in German means beach and it is a lovely beach, perhaps even by Florida standards. Or close. Like the Gulf, waves are optional here.    

Here we have Strandkörbe -"beach baskets", if you translate it literally.  Traditionally, it's a woven  frame - hence the "basket" - with a comfy place to sit AND be sheltered from the sometimes too cool wind but be able to face the sun.  The "drawers" below the seats pull out and are used as foot rests.  Nevertheless you have to rent them and if you haven't rented one, you are locked out.  Really, there is a LOCK on that fence.  No free sitting in the Strandkorb.

Also, no free walking on the beach.  You pay a "tax" to be there, either by the day or week or month or year.  It's not much, but ..... Germans will find a way to tax you. And you think Americans tax too much???

Our apartment was great!  Modern, light, more than plenty of room for us two, a nice deck, though the cool wind kept us from enjoying it as much as we'd have liked.  Regardless, the deck was nice to look at.  And frankly, apartments are often less expensive than hotel rooms, with more space along with eating and relaxing options.

We settled in, walked about the place and had dinner at a local Chinese restaurant (!), and talked leisurely about what to do the following days. No pressure.

Since the weather was so wonderful, Day One we decided to rent bikes, take the train to a neighboring village, and then bike home.  We did it that way because then we'd have the wind at our backs. We are not stupid. :-))

Lunch in a local dive:  fried fish, french fries and beer.  All yummy, of course.

There's lots of beach and restaurants and shops and playgrounds and so on all along the Baltic Sea.  After months - MONTHS! - of not riding a bike, the 15 kilometers getting back was enough.  Don't want to push it.

Next it was a walking day.  In the sand.  On the beach.  That was challenging, too, to my lazy legs and I felt it soon enough.

There's  a pier.  Walk out, take a look, walk back.  But there was a small area between the posts where young lovers found a place to hang their love locks.  It's becoming ubiquitous.

We checked out the local shops later on and I have to say, in general, this is not my kind of town.  When the shop window displays glittered-up high tops for €850.00 (!!!!!!) I think I am in the wrong neighborhood.  And the cars!  Porsches galore, Mercedes SLs by the score, plus the occasional Ferrari, Bentley, Tesla, Wiesmann, Triumph, MG or other classic roadster.  Werner did crane his neck a bit at the cars! And this is the off-season.  I can't imagine the summer.

There was time to read and time to stitch, too.  I had (re)discovered a hand towel bought who-knows-when and found a pattern that would work.  It looked easy enough, and it was, but sometimes I simply cannot count and I took out a lot of stitches before getting it right!  But now it's done.  If you're interested in it, let me know.  It's yours.

Next day was check-out-the-area day, so we drove to Eutin, a small town that is home to a lovely Schloss and a charming old town center. 

I haven't done anything to this photo. You walk through a short tunnel-like entrance and you're IMPRESSED - it hits you - with this view of the town square and its church and town hall.  You could think for just a moment that it was 1750. 

The local Manor House/Castle is impressive too. First established in the 12th c. and added to and renovated for centuries afterwards, it is now a museum and cultural center.  The gardens are being renovated and reworked getting ready for a European Garden Show next year.  That may be worth a return trip.

 

 Later there was time for coffee and cake at the "Kunst Café" next door.  Home made cake and classy surroundings and service. 

We never lacked for cake, café or not.  Another day we bought a slice - ONE SLICE - of carrot cake at the local bakery that was enough for a giant.  But we managed to devour it. We have giant appetites for cake.

That evening we Skyped with Hunter on his 18th birthday.  Oh the magic of the internet!

And then next morning it was check out time!  Pack up!  That was too quick.  We had to get up early but that also meant there was enough time to stop in Lübeck and take a walk around.  We've been there several times, but at least twice was in deep winter for the Christmas Market (very nice) but it was so DARK you couldn't see anything, so we had some discoveries to make.

The place is full of churches, big churches, and lots of towers and though the town is less than half the size of Bremen, it seemed to us they had many more older buildings than Bremen, some built right on top of each other.

And here we are at Lübeck's town symbol, the Holsten Gate from 1464. If we've ever brought marzipan to you, this was on the wrapper because that's the best marzipan you can get and that's what we buy.

Ah. So that was it.  It was a nice long four days away.

When's the next vacation?

Easter Part II

Or pre- and post-Easter.  Take your pick for a title. I'm not fussy.

Writing has taken a back seat in the last few weeks - and more - and reasons seem to keep piling up to not write.  So I must.  But I will skirt the less fun, less happy things that are going on right now.  Here in blogworld, it's sunshine and smiles.

Pre-Easter we had a short visit from René and Rima and Amina.  A visit to a local museum to check out the exhibit, a series of amusing paintings on postcards. Werner and I had visited the museum already, but I hadn't been able to fully enjoy it, so it was good again and the cartoons were especially to René's liking. Afterwards, time for Kaffee und Kuchen!  The restaurant we visited is a grand old 19th century building in the center of our sprawling city park, . Rima insists on a visit in summer so we can sit in the garden.  OK - pick a date - we'll be there.

Easter Sunday dawned sunny and bright - and we were prepared! Individual spinach tortes.

Hand-painted eggs.

Chocolate bunnies nesting in bunny napkins.

 And a fully dressed table for our brunch with friends.

It was yummy and filling and so afterwards a walk was in order.  We were not alone - half the city was walking along the Weser and enjoying the weather and down time. Here we are, framed by blue skies and colorful pansies.

Ah.


Easter Monday, also a holiday, was equally lovely, so we headed to Worpswede for another walk, this time around the local "mountain"  - the Weyerberg - all of 60 meters high.  But when everything else is at 0 meters, that's a mountain.

But, first, where are we going?  As it turned out, we didn't need the guide, we could just follow the crowds.

At the top of the Weyerberg is a memorial called the  Niedersachsenstein (The Lower Saxony Stone), a brick memorial dedicated in 1922 to honor local men who died in World War I.  It is big;  I'd describe it as looming.

And with all monuments, there is graffiti, lots of initials and such cut into the brick.

And on the way back through the commercial area (which gets to sell on days that shops are otherwise closed since it's a designated tourist destination) we found just what I need (need!!) for the pots of hostas on the back terrace. 

Easter Time

It's still cold outside, of course, but we can bring a little springtime inside.

At the market they have all kinds of branches with buds but not yet blooms  - forsythia, cherry, hazelnut, apple.  Bring them inside and put them in water in a sunny place and you have blossoms.

We chose some apple branches last week to hang our painted eggs from and now the flowers are out.  How sweet.

Some of the eggs are purchased, many we've done ourselves, some have been gifts.  Lots of folks here hang plastic ones from outside trees, but we've never got into that.

And since it's Easter and Easter means eggs, I couldn't help but think of egg cozies.  Cute, huh??  I'm getting my chickens all in a row!

Awakening

Yes, spring.  At last.  Weather-wise, it was not a very bad winter.  A bit of snow, some cold and frost, but really, it was not one for the books. But spring unfolds here - slowly, deliberately.  I like that.

The snow drops come first.  We saw these when we met for the annual Kale-and-Sausage Fest with the usual crew a few weeks ago.

Now the crocuses are showing off.  In our little garden space in the back, the winter shade gives way to spring and summer sun gradually, so these beauties are a bit later than some. 

And last weekend, we went foraging for Bärlauch.  Just in time!  The wild garlic is up and we were not alone clipping the leaves.  But we certainly got our share.

It's supposed to be one of those cleansing things - helps get rid of the winter sluggishness and fat.  First it was Bärlauch soup  - shallots, wine, cream, Bärlauch and some left over potatoes made ever so smooth with the magic stick and a dollop of clotted cream.  Yum.

 
On to pesto!  It's made just like the traditional one with basil, but of course with Bärlauch instead. It's wonderful, too, and freezes like a charm.   The Bärlauch is only available for a few weeks, so though we love it best fresh and early, it's so nice to have some later, too.

And Bärlauch butter!  That'll jazz up a piece of bread!  This keeps well in the freezer, too, but we won't keep it long - just too good not to use a lot.

Later in the week, we're up for Bärlauch and ricotta stuffed ravioli with Parmesan and lemon sauce.  I think you should all come for dinner!

Been a while ....

Between ambulance trips and hospital stays and bits of recovery here and there, the extras have fallen to the wayside - meaning the blog.

So here's a bit to just keep us going.

Our little kitchen is, well, little, and space is at a premium.  We planned it very well those 20 years ago, but there was this corner ..... and squatting down and moving serving dishes around to get the one I wanted was proving to be challenging to my knees.  Werner, can you help?

Of course he can!

Here's the cabinet.  You can see how it can be a little hard to navigate.

And here's all the stuff that fit in there!  Who'd a thunk?

Problem solved:  Werner made two shelves that can be fully extended and everything (except the toaster) fit back in.  Wow.  It is so much easier.  Thanks, Werner!

Holiday Round-Up -- Christmas, New Year

Ah well, need to clean up the old year and get started anew.  It's already 2015 (Happy New Year!), so here's a wrap-up of end-of-year festivities.

After returning from the USofA and after not quite acclimating to local time, we had Christmas Eve dinner with friends and their family.  Fondue, songs, conversation. It was warm and comforting.

 

There was no time for a tree this year, so some Christmas red amaryllis stood in. That worked just fine. Christmas Day, we were on our own for a late breakfast and a gourmet dinner for two with the fine china and the crystal goblets, since we are of course Gourmets:  breast of duck as a centerpiece for sides of veggies and fruit.

And what fun using Skype to check in with all the family, every single one.   I think back to all the various ways  I tried to stay connected in real time - calling cards and call-back services and who knows.  Technology can be a bear, but it can be such a boon.  Wish I had a snap of Mother leaning into the picture as if she could touch us.  And as accustomed as the younger generation is to all these wonders, it is still just fun to talk.

Then it was off to our German folks.  Same old, same old - fantastic crispy goose with red cabbage and potatoes, happy times together and fun opening presents.  I particularly like Amina in an FSU cap!!

New Year.  Same as last year, almost, but this year. We met in town at Ulli and Ilsemarie's, had wild boar goulash instead of cheese fondue (but we will have to have cheese fondue soon because I can already taste it!) and of course a bit of dancing and spouting off fire into the air.  We Germans do our share -   so much per year.  But I will refrain from commenting on our waste. We all need a little playfulness.

And now, back to work.  Werner's making our workroom look a bit more finished after the invasion   of the plumbers a year ago. 

I am working on getting the stash under control. On tap:  more doll clothes, a couple of baby quilts, and eyemasks filled with lavender.  Orders anyone???