At the south end of Germany’s Romantic Road lies a far away land that seemingly only resides in the dreams of little children dressed in pink ruffled dresses. I always think of castles as so medieval, so Schloss Neuschwanstein, which began construction in 1869 and was left unfinished when construction ended in 1892, seems modern in [...]
Read more
I’ve mentioned before that I love Munich. It stole my heart from my first visit in 2010, and I have been back to visit, learn some things, drink a lot of beer (and I’m not even a big beer drinker), attend Oktoberfest, etc. Every time I bring a first timer along, I make sure that [...]
Read more
My strongest association with Germany will always be green. Not beer, not pretzels, not Oktoberfest, nor trains, but simply the color green. Green parks, gardens, and ponds are dotted sporadically throughout the cities. Tall green trees tower in the surrounding areas and grown thick in the Black Forest. Countryside biking, driving, and motorcycling are popularly activities in [...]
Read more
Thursday was the Ascension and an Father’s Day in Germany – which meant yet another public holiday. I am beginning to get used to these midweek breaks. Anyway, this time around we were looking for a way to take advantage of the day off and so posters around the city alerted us about the Frühjahrs-Meeting, one of the three [...]
Read more
It is Spargelzeit, or Asparagus season, here in Germany and the Germans are going crazy for the enormous white asparagus. I had never even tried the white asparagus, and being the curious expat I am, I wanted to not only try the German delicacy, but also learn how to properly cook Spargel. Therefore, we planned [...]
Read moreLiving and traveling abroad is generally fantastic: you get to experience other cultures, try various cuisines, possibly learn another language, converse with all sorts of people, visit historical sites, increase your knowledge of the world, etc. However, sometimes, it’s an outright pain in the ass and today I’m talking visa bureaucracy. People seem to [...]
Read more
I love holidays. Why? Well, the combination of loved ones, excellent food, and celebrations, of course! There’s really nothing wrong with it (at least before you enter into some dreaded in-laws situation of sorts or something, but I’m not there yet). So, when a holiday that involves my favorite cuisine, Mexican, and holiday festivities, it [...]
Read more
May 1, or May Day, is a apparently an international holiday that I had never heard of until moving to Germany. But whatever, it was a Feiertag in Germany – German Labor Day- and fell on a Wednesday this year. It was awkwardly awesome having a holiday in the middle of the week. It’s just [...]
Read more
It’s asparagus season in Germany, which is seemingly insignificant except for that Germans go crazy over their Spargel. They aren’t just any ole green asparagus, oh no. Instead, they come big, fat, and white. Quality standards say, the thicker the better (dirty minds, get outta here). How important is asparagus season in Germany? Important enough [...]
Read more
Want the German beerfest experience without the hellacious task of finding a seat at Oktoberfest? Well, you’re in luck. There is actually another magical land where you people gather in traditional German tracht by the thousands, drink beer out of a Maß, and sing and dance to German party bands; it’s called the Wasen. [...]
Read more