You hear Black Forest, you think gateau. It is the ultimate in word association. Far from being one of those cliches that the locals hate foreigners to connect with their home, the people of the Black Forest love their Schwarzwaldkirschtorte, Black Forest gateau. And their cukoo clocks for that matter. They are fiercely proud of both.… Continue reading A Snowy Break in the Black Forest
Advent is almost at an end, meaning Christmas is almost upon us. Since moving to Germany almost fifteen years ago I have come to love Advent, primarily due to the endless traditions in Advent. There’s the feast of St. Nicholas when children’s boots are filled with chocolate, nuts and fruit. There’s the baking of Fruchtebrot,… Continue reading Vanilla Crescents – Our Favourite Christmas Biscuit
On Wednesday I found myself in town making a start on the Christmas shopping. Getting into town at all is a rare treat, but on a workday and sans enfants, it had the makings of a great day. The lights are up. The Christmas market is in full swing. It all looked so beautiful. Finding… Continue reading The Bit of Banter
Back in May The Bavarian’s family held a family reunion in central Germany. We were to stay at Quinkenhof, a farm in the middle of nowhere. Normally one to love farm holidays, this time I was a bit apprehensive. I hadn’t booked it myself, some distant relation had. Work was madly busy and I hadn’t… Continue reading Our Farm Holiday at Quinkenhof Farm
On a work trip recently I found myself driving through stunning countryside. I had to pull in and take some photos, it was all so beautiful. After ten minutes wandering through fields of sunflowers, gladioli and vines, I felt like I was on holiday. The sun was beating down on me from a pure blue… Continue reading Playing Holiday
It is Sunday afternoon and we are back at home, stripping off eternal layers and peeling off damp socks. The grumpy boys who didn’t want to get out of bed at 7:30 am are long gone, replaced with happy children, rosy cheeked and full of life. How? Snow. Snow. I don’t imagine they will… Continue reading Sodden Boots & Happy Boys
I am a lucky lady. Over the past couple of years I have made friends with four women who are competent, friendly, creative, genuine, honest, helpful, supportive and fun. Together we are a bunch of five mothers with 12 children between us. Out time is mostly taken up with our children, our jobs, our homes… Continue reading The Perfect Holiday Home for The Perfect Group Getaway
Two years ago this whole school starting business was new to me. I hadn’t had anything to do with it since I began in Junior Infants in a 4-teacher school in rural Ireland in the early 80’s. As far as I remember, starting school involved being brought into the classroom by my mother, the teacher… Continue reading Starting School, The German Way
Escape. Isn’t it what we all want in a holiday? Escape from the routine of daily life. Escape from the stress and rush of meetings, school runs, housework and commitments. Especially in Summer we want to get away from it all, sit in the sun and sip wine. You might think, reading my blog, that… Continue reading Escaping
This week’s German Holidays post takes us to the former East German city of Dresden. A year ago a family reunion on The Bavarian’s side of the family meant that we got to spend three days in the impressive capital city of the German state of Saxony (Sachsen). This was my first trip to Dresden… Continue reading Germany Holidays – The City Of Dresden
