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.

Self Serve Flowers

As you drive along the countryside of southern Germany, you will, on occasion, see a field of tulips or daffodils with a large sign and stand next to the field. Upon closer inspection, you’ll discover (if you read German), that the flowers in the field are for sale. Pick 1 tulip for .45 Euro and put the money in the little box on the stand. It’s all on the honor-system, but it seems to work here… and how fun that you get to pick your very own bouquet!

Smoking

One thing that you will learn about Europe if you ever have the chance to visit is that a large percentage of the population smokes. Amazingly, in Germany, they recently instituted a law that prohibits smoking in restaurants. This used to be our biggest excuse not to eat out (now our excuse is it’s too expensive!). To make it easy for those folks who just can’t live without their cigarette during the times that the grocery stores are closed, you will see that there are cigarette dispensers strategically placed in town. Where we in America would have soda machines, Germans have cigarette dispenser machines. Insert coins, out comes a pack.

All we know is that its not a Hospital!

Cherry Blossom Festival

Parts of southern Germany are known for their cherry orchards, and about this time of year, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The locals celebrate cherry blossom season each year on a Sunday afternoon by going on long walks through the beautiful orchards. Afterwards, they enjoy a traditional bratwurst and wash it down with German beer. We took some time that Sunday to explore the orchards with some good friends. I think we walked about 5 miles that day!

Nearly as old as dirt

This isn’t just a German feature. In a lot of the places we’ve been in Europe, you’ll often see houses with a number above the front door. These numbers usually represent the year that the structure was built. It’s not uncommon to see buildings from the 16- or 1700s. The one in this picture is labeled 1667. We’ve even seen one as old as 1291!

We know you're curious!

"So how big is Germany compared to my state?" you may ask. We wondered, too. So here's the show-stopping answer. We chose (seemingly at random) 3 familiar states and put them head-to-head with Germany in the arena of size. California: 163,707 square miles. Colorado: 104,100. Kansas: 82,282.

Germany: 137,847 sq. miles.

Castle-hunting for kids

For a few days this week, we were privileged to host John’s sister and her husband and their two kids during their spring break trip to Europe. We got to see and do several fun things together, but we think that the kids particularly liked exploring castles with us (even more so when they were given the freedom to run and climb everywhere). They had fun imagining what it was like to live in one of these HUGE fortress-like castles with nooks and crannies everywhere you turned. The kids loved to climb up and down the amazingly high castle towers (again and again)!

They slept well at night, too.

How to make white asparagus

If you come from a part of the US where white asparagus is common, this entry won’t be news to you. White asparagus is a specialty in southern Germany in the spring. As you drive along the roads between villages, you’ll often see white tarps spread out in the fields as the asparagus ripens for picking. What we’ve been told is that for the asparagus to become “white,” it must be covered up to keep it out of the sun. So my question is, if it’s not a green vegetable anymore, are all the vitamins gone? In other words… do I have to eat it?!

It's not easy being green

One fine day as we were driving back from language school, we noticed that a peculiar road sign had sprung up where there hadn't been one. And then we saw something else that was new: little green barriers along the road. When we finally asked about it, we were given this answer. The area is known for its high population of frogs. Germany has strict environmental laws in place for saving these poor, helpless critters. The road sign tells us to slow down between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am (apparently a frog's favorite time to leap unsuspectingly across the road). Meanwhile, if that's not enough, the little green barriers will keep the road from turning nasty colors. We agree that there's nothing very heart-warming about having frog goo all over your tires...

Breaking the budget for coffee

Like McDs, this other American icon is popping up all over Europe. There are two within walking distance of our language school! But as you might guess, the prices for a cup of coffee (or a chai tea latte, which we prefer!) are considerably higher than in the U.S. After discovering that one grande chai costs nearly $6.50, we decided that homemade chai tastes just as good!

Sunday walks

One of the very popular things to do on Sunday afternoons in Germany is to enjoy the outdoors by going for a long walk on the nearby forest trails. It seems like most of the townspeople are out, and often you will hear the traditional regional greeting, “Grüss Gott” (Greetings in God's name), as you pass someone. On one of these walks several weeks ago, we discovered a fortress castle ruins about 3 km away from where we live. It is high up on a hill that overlooks a valley with small villages scattered all around. If you’re brave enough to make the steep climb inside the ancient castle tower on a clear day, you will be treated to a breathtaking view of the Swiss Alps!

Gasthaus zur Schnecke

We’re not really sure what to say here except that we liked the look of this sign. “The Snail Hotel” seems like an interesting place to stay… You’re all invited! J

Furry terrorists…

It would seem that we have a creature that frequents the car park below our building. It’s a common problem in this area of Germany. These little furry animals, called Martens, are about the size of a cat and apparently like cars. They particularly delight in getting under the hood and chewing on wires and insulation… It’s an annoying problem and one that we can really do nothing about. Other folks in the area have tried and failed to come up with a good remedy, and it’s against German law to kill these pests. So we are resigned to the fact that we will occasionally see little faint paw prints on our car hood and front window, letting us know we’ve had yet another visit…

Jogging and Yogurt's mysterious connection

As we remember from living in Europe before, yogurt tastes amazing here! We're not sure why it's so different from the U.S. versions, but it is REALLY good. When we began shopping for it the first few weeks we were here, we had to glance closer at the label because we noticed the German spelling is slightly different than the English. It is spelled Joghurt here. We pondered that a bit and then realized that it indeed does makes sense. Have you ever seen a smiling jogger? Personally, we've always equated jogging with pain and toil. And here, right on the label of a yogurt container in Germany, the truth was confirmed forever: Joghurt. Jog Hurt. Jog=Hurt. The things you learn in the grocery store...

BYOB

Shopping for groceries in Europe takes a little getting used to. The first time we went to the nearby store for groceries and paid, we realized, "Oh... WE have to bag all this stuff ourselves." But where were the bags? Oh... In Germany it's BYOB (bring your own bag). There is no giant plastic bag stack or dispense-o-bag apparatus at the end of each check out lane like in the U.S. With a determined shrug, we agreed, "We are back in Europe now! We will adjust to this." So we gathered up all our purchases in our arms and headed for the car, hoping we wouldn't drop or spill anything. Oh... Wait a minute... We didn't drive, we walked to the store. On the way home, as we juggled our purchases, we imagined a big flashing neon sign hovering over our heads that proclaimed, "FOREIGNERS!!" We've been good to BYOB ever since...

Not the arches we're used to...

McD's is everywhere and it's certainly all across Europe! There are two that we know of within a 20-minute drive of our house. You can instantly recognize the familiar golden arches here, sometimes accompanied by Mr. Ronald himself. Recently, however, on a trip to Freiburg, Germany, we almost didn't notice this highly contextualized and culturally-appropriate McD's.

Another interesting development: discounts are given to police officers (in uniform) who patronize McD's in Basel, Switzerland. It's apparently an attempt by the fast-food chain to provide a safer environment for families. What will they think of next?

Speed limits

Contrary to popular belief, Germany does have speed limits, except if you are specifically driving on the autobahn (or freeway system). Unless otherwise specified, speed limits are set at 50 kmh in town, 100 kmh between towns, and 120 kmh on highways. You don’t usually have to worry about the police pulling you over for speeding, but you do have to worry about electronic speed traps (equipped with a special camera) that are set up in various places, and then moved from time to time. We’ve been told a speeding ticket over here can be hefty (we’ve been careful not to get one so far!) and will usually arrive in the mail, sometimes 2-3 months after the incident.

What's a parade without...? (part II)

What's a parade without...? (part I)

The colorful Fasnacht costumes in the parade included clowns, demons, witches, bears, wolves, storks, pumpkins, snail princes, antelope-goat creatures, and of course, flaming thumb-head people. Very interesting...

Take me to Confetti City

In the Fasnacht parade, various clubs and community organizations sponsor floats, usually tractors or vans towing decorated trailers. All the club members get dressed up in matching garish costumes. Some play horns or drums. Some are armed with huge bags of confetti and candy to throw into the crowds. Some sneak into the crowds and surprise onlookers with a hug and a handful of confetti stuffed down the back of the their shirt. Watch the parade at your own peril! No one is safe from being showered with confetti, not even the Police (Polizei)!