Autumn Celebrations

Fall weekends in our part of Germany are usually full of festivals with a large part of the celebrating focusing on the grape harvest for the numerous vineyards in the area. Usually this means that there are plenty of opportunities to try the various “new wines” that have recently been created. We attended one such festival in a small town nearby where there was a half-mile-long flea market, soccer match, a parade and lots of places to try Southern German culinary delights. We sampled some Schwarzwaldschinken: Black Forest ham, Kartoffelsalat: German potato salad, Flammkuchen: a popular bacon/onion pizza that’s popular here, and we topped it all off with a yummy pineapple cream cake that I don’t know the name of! Germans really know how to eat. ☺

Harvest Time

Autumn is a great time of year! There are several roadside stands along our route to language school that herald that time of year. It’s amazing to see the varieties of squashes and pumpkins… and on occasion, you’ll see an apple stand selling fresh apples and apple cider!

The Finished Bell, 5 of 5

The beautifully finished bell was paraded through town a week later. If you click on the close-up of the bell you can see a shepherd and sheep and the inscription, "The Lord is my Shepherd..." from Psalm 23 in German.

How the Bell was Cast, 4 of 5

The copper was placed in a HOT furnace and melted for most of the afternoon and evening. When it was ready for pouring, the container it was in was lifted with a crane and some very brave men. They then poured the copper into the top of the bell molds (which were in the ground).

How the New Bell was Cast, 3 of 5

The bell's inner mold and the outer mold. The bell was placed into a pit and then covered over with mud and dirt. Only the part for pouring the copper is seen.

Bell Casting Festivities, 2 of 5

The accordion orchestra, a Kindergarten kids choir, commemorative bells for sale, and a picture of the outer and inner bell molds next to the pit where they were eventually placed for pouring.

New Bell Casting Fest, 1 of 5

We were fortunate enough to be able to attend a once-in-a-lifetime experience here in our little town. 450 years ago, the Lutheran church cast new bells for their bell tower. We’ve been told that the lifespan of a church bell is typically about 400 years. So this was the year to replace them. The townsfolk made a grand celebration of it! From early in the afternoon until late that Saturday night, we were serenaded by several choirs and an accordion orchestra. All who attended treated themselves to Bratwurst and German cakes. And once it got nice and dark and the copper in the outdoor furnace was hot enough, we watched as the bell was poured into a mold in the ground right before our eyes!

Töpferfest!

Recently, our town held a Töpferfest. “Töpfer” means “pottery” and our town sponsored a weekend for all the local potters as well as those from all over the region (a total of 42 potters) to come and sell their wares. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we were thrilled to discover all kinds of unique creations and designs, from small candleholders and salt and pepper shakers to life-size reptiles to large water fountains and fire pits!

We purchased a couple gifts, but for ourselves, we bought a unique vase for flowers. It’s a simply designed flat piece with holes that you place on top of a matching bowl filled with water. Then you can stick individual stems of flowers and greenery into the holes rather randomly. We think the complete look is really pretty!

A-hiking we will go!

Check out the sign at left... Ok. So many older German men generally do look like this guy when they are out hiking. You'll see men carrying walking sticks and sometimes even wearing those jaunty hats, but we have yet to see any German women hiking in this lady's little get-up! And we think her hair is particularly nifty! :)

Jesus Wins!

On our way to German language class each day, we pass an intersection a few blocks from our school. Someone defaced an electrical box next to the four-way stoplight with two words: Jesus wins. When we first saw it, we were amazed to see such a proclamation, particularly in the midst of all the other unpleasant and/or hopeless graffiti messages and ads one is invariably bombarded with in European cities.

Jesus wins. Not "Jesus WILL win," but "Jesus wins." He has won, and He is winning now and in the future. His plans will succeed, period. He is our past, present, and future hope. He wins in Europe and around the world. And we're in Europe believing it to be true, despite what we see around us. We are thankful for this visual reminder. Hallelujah! Jesus wins!!

Unusual things we've seen in Europe, part V

Yes, it's a fire hydrant.

Unusual things we've seen in Europe, part IV

We discovered these interesting carved tree faces when we were in Switzerland for a conference. They bring to mind the Ent trees in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Unusual things we've seen in Europe, part III

Ok, so there's a tree high up on a pole in the middle of this German town square... A bit odd, but the rumor is it's related to May Day (May 1) festivities.

Unusual things we've seen in Europe, part II

Western European yard art, we've discovered, seems to consist mainly of dwarves or gnomes. Since many Europeans don't really have a lawn to decorate, their yard art is usually displayed on or around their front doors or balcony areas. These two pictures were taken in Germany and Switzerland.

Unusual things we've seen in Europe, part I

The picture shows a case of beer in a very cold stream coming from the glaciers in the Swiss Alps... We witnessed this when we were attending the Cow Fighting tournament (see "Mad Cows in Switzerland"). It surprised us that this kind of refrigeration actually happens outside of beer commercials. Glacier water must be a very practical way to keep drinks ice cold for those who have access to it!

Dr Pepper solves all your problems!

When we lived in Belgium years ago, we were visited by Amy’s brothers and brother-in-law who have a particularly strong attachment to a certain kind of soft drink: Dr. Pepper. We knew that the grocery store we frequented in Belgium carried Dr. Pepper, and we decided to pick up a six-pack or two. Long story short, the Dr. Pepper we purchased tasted nothing like what they were used to in the U.S. In fact, it tasted rather bad… So bad, that “European Dr. Pepper” became the brunt of many family jokes.

In June, a Belgian friend of ours came to visit and brought with her several packs of Dr. Pepper. We were a little leery at first, but lo and behold, it truly tasted like good ol’ U.S. Dr. Pepper! We were especially tickled by the European packaging, which is why we wanted to put it on our blog to begin with. So guys… you can come and visit us again. We’ve got the good stuff!

Dogs, dogs, dogs

Germans love dogs. And many Germans have adopted one into their family. So you can imagine our surprise to discover this particular difference between living in Germany and living in Belgium: how much cleaner pedestrian walking areas seem to be. A large part of this unexpected phenomenon can likely be attributed to the German system of cleaning up dog “waste.” The little doggie waste bins (pictured here) come with a stash of little plastic bags and a sealed off place to dispose of the mess. The bins can be seen scattered here and there, particularly in parks and places where people tend to frequently walk their dogs. It has been satisfying to be able to walk on various trails and sidewalks and not have to worry about accidently stepping into and then carrying home a nasty, smelly surprise. Germans think of everything!

Mad Cows in Switzerland

You’ve probably heard of Mad Cow Disease, and how it was originally linked to England. Well, last week we witnessed a few mad cows who were not diseased and who were living in the alps of Switzerland. We were staying in Saas Grund, Switzerland for a retreat related to our work, and we happened to be there the same time that Saas Grund was having its annual Cow Fighting contest. We were fortunate (?) enough to be able to witness this very interesting event. Here’s how it worked: Around 40 cows were chosen to participate. They were all painted with varying numbers (so that they could easily be identified) and then enclosed in a large pen where they could just go at it! For you animal lovers out there, it was really just a horn-locking and shoving match. A few brave referees were also in the pens with the animals to ensure that only two cows fought at one time and no cow could come at another cow from the side. At the end of the day, the winner was the one who did not back down from any of her adversaries (these are COWS, not bulls!). The owner of that particular animal – which turned out to be #38 – has bragging rights for the year. For more on this, go here.

Euro2008 – Expect Emotions!

In these last few months, we were reminded again by how “into” soccer Europeans are. Of course, soccer fever heightened to a barely-controlled frenzy in our area when Germany made it through the semi-final round of the Euro2008 soccer games to play Spain in the final round. This tournament, which comes around every four years, is bigger here than the Superbowl is in America. We marveled at the number of car windows sporting small German flags. Houses were decorated to the hilt with German flags and banners everywhere. We saw a dog spray-painted with yellow, black, and red. Even the Germans themselves were dressed in Germany’s colors – sometimes with hair to match – for every soccer match in which Germany played. Unfortunately, despite all of its fans’ enthusiasm and excitement, Germany was not able to pull off making the needed goals to win the final game. And so the flags and colors have been put away until the next tournament.

Rolladen

One of the most practical European inventions we’ve enjoyed here that we haven’t seen in the U.S. are what’s called “rolladen” (pronounced roh-lah-dehn). Rolladen are blinds or screens that roll down over the windows in your apartment or house and keep out all light. Years ago, they were used for blackout purposes during war times. These days, they are used for sleeping and for keeping the house cool in the summer time. It’s handy to be able to completely darken the room when it’s still light outside at 10 pm!

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho! It’s Off to Strike We Go!

When we lived in Belgium, it was pretty common to hear about various strikes happening when workers were unhappy with their working conditions. We remember one particular instance when all of the truck drivers in Belgium went on strike. They protested by driving their semi trucks together in packs across the width of a highway very, very slowly, causing all kinds of traffic headaches. That strike was resolved within one day probably because it was so annoying and impacted so many people!

This week in Germany, we just experienced a 10-day milk strike. The dairy farmers – unhappy with the Government’s attempt to lower milk prices when prices for the farmers are only going up – decided to stop selling their milk, period. Stores were beginning to run out of their dairy supply, which caused their customers to experience the milk and butter shortages. Thankfully, as of yesterday, parties on both sides have come to an agreement to bring the milk prices back up to about $1 per liter or just under $4 per gallon.

Who knows? Next week, maybe it’ll be the cows on strike…

Germany in Bloom, part II

Germany in Bloom, part I

Germans really like their greenery and flowers. Now that the weather has warmed up a little, window flower boxes have sprung up everywhere! We’ve even “branched” out a bit and have our own little balcony planter with a variety of pretty flowers. (Being completely inept at keeping plants alive, we hope they’ll make it through the summer!)

Quick! To the Bat Cave!

We are blessed to live in an area that is surrounded by the beautiful Black Forest and its trails. We often go out for a long walk (or hike depending on the terrain) after dinner now that it’s staying lighter later. Recently we discovered an old cave that has been sealed off except for a very small hole near the top of the door. The sign next to it says that the cave used to be an “ice cellar,” but it is now used for bat hibernation and the hole allows the bats to come and go as they please.

A nano-car

And we thought that the Smart car was small! We recently spotted this oddly shaped car wanna-be and marveled at its diminutive dimensions. It is electric with three wheels and has enough room for its steering wheel and exactly one person. To get in and out, the whole top half of the vehicle "clamshells" open. Top speed: around 25 mph. Comparing it to the medium-sized scooter gives you an idea of just how little it is!

Up on the Roof

Scattered throughout our little town, there are a few houses and large buildings with multicolored tiles on their roofs. Some roofs are quite elaborately decorated, using the tiles to make a picture. Other roofs have a nice pattern using just 2 or 3 tile colors. We've captured a few interesting examples.