Category Archives: Recreation
Crafts for Geeks
My daughter Elena loves to cross stitch. Occasionally, she uses patterns, but most of the time, she makes up her own. She favors retro designs that also pay tribute to the icons of her Millennial generation, such as this Welcome …
56th Miesau Horse Races (Pferderennen)
This weekend, Joe and I took a drive out to Miesau to see the 56th running of the horse races there. We weren’t entirely sure where the event would be held, but it proved easy to find. It’s just off …
Museumsdorf Bayerischer Wald, pt II: Life before Plastic
The Spirit of Bavaria
The Most Beautiful Place on Earth
In my fifty years, I’ve been to twenty-one countries, and I’ve done my best to see the best they had to offer. Two weeks ago, I saw the best of the best: the Königssee and Obersee in Berchtesgaden National Park. …
To the Heart of Winter
In February, Joe and I spent a happy four days near Feldberg in the Black Forest (Schwarzwald). It didn’t snow while we were there, but it had just finished snowing, and the stuff was lying around everywhere. This utterly fascinated …
Almond Blossoms
This is why we came to Edenkoben, Germany: to see the almond trees in blossom. A herald of spring, the almond trees bloom while many other trees are bare, sometimes as early as February. Like Easter, they promise rebirth. But, …
Yet Know I How the Heather Looks
Where I live in Texas, we have only two seasons: blazing hot and “I wonder if I should take a sweater.” The chance to watch four seasons unfold is a precious gift to me. A month ago, I wrote a …
It’s All Fun and Games Till You Can’t Find Your Hotel
Driving in Germany. How bad can it be? Cute towns, charming churches, quaint signs that you can’t read. You’re having a good time until you realize you don’t know where you’re going, and the winter night is closing in fast. …
In honor of the end of Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria, today’s word is die Maßkrugschlägerei. It’s a compound word, and sometimes hyphenated. You’re not likely to find it in your dictionary. Nevertheless, it’s a very handy word to know. Der …