The Autobahn, Castles and Beer... GERMANY

Carnival in Germany - Fasching, Fastnacht or Karneval "HELAU and ALAAF"

2015-02-23T18:40:00.003-08:00

What is Fasching, Fastnacht or Karneval?

Last week all of Germany celebrated their 5th season. That is what they call Carnival.

Fasching, Fastnacht or Karneval are the names for the cheerful colorful festival which is celebrated every year in the spring for several days, seven weeks before Easter.
Depending on the region's carnival time has many names and different customs. In North Rhine-Westphalia is called "Karneval". In Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz and Baden-Württemberg, they celebrated it as Fastnacht, in Bavaria, Brandenburg and Thüringen it is called "Fasching".

Carnival is associated with the beginning of Lent before Easter. "Carne vale" is Latin and means "meat farewell".
During fasting, Catholic Christians should not eat meat or drink alcohol.

So it's obvious that people want to enjoy all that before Lent and believe me, they do and I did it too!

The dressing up, the cheerful exuberance and the many carnival celebrations turn the otherwise normal everyday life from Thursday to "Faschingsdienstag" (carnival Tuesday) up side down!
The "real" Carnival friends the fun begins already on 11/11 at 11:11 o'clock of each year.
In various costumes, with funny music and songs, children and adults enjoying a lively party in the streets, in schools, clubs and restaurants. On Ash Wednesday, the "fifth season" and the blast is over.

On "Rosenmontag" (Rose Monday) you will see parades going through every city or town in Germany. In Cologne, the Rosenmontagszug (parade) with a length of 6 to 7 km, attracts every year people from all the globe. At this length, it is not surprising that the parade goes on for about four hours.

The greeting for the "5th season" is "Helau" or "Alaaf", depending on the region.

In the south and southwest of Germany Carnival has a very long tradition. Many of the old traditions date back to the time before Christ. In this period there were rituals in which the winter was suppose to be chased away with fire, creepy figures, clamps and rattles. This was very important for the people back then. Therefore, in the Bavarian Carnival, the "Schellenrühren" is still active. Clothed with large cowbells on his back, a wooden mask on the face, with a white dress shirt and the famous leather pants on, the "Schellenrührer" goes on and makes a lot of noise to chase away the winter. The Carnival celebrations in the city of Munich culminate on "Faschingsdienstag" with the dance of the market women on the Viktualienmarkt.

Daily German Word

2015-01-12T16:08:00.002-08:00

1/365 Liebe (lee-ba) love
2/365 Hoffnung (hof-noong) hope
3/365 Vertrauen (fer-trou-wen) trust
4/365 Umarmung (oom-arm-oong) hug
5/365 Arbeit (ar-bite) work
6/365 Sonnenschein (so-nan-shayn) sunshine
7/365 Blume (bloo-meh) flower
8/365 Spass (sh-pa-s) fun
9/365 Luchs (loo-ks) bobcat
10/365 Regen (rea-can) rain
11/365 Entschuldigung (ent-shool-dee-goong) sorry
12/365 Gedanken (ge-dunk-en) thoughts
13/365 Erinnerung (er-in-ner-roong) memory
14/365 Leben (le-ben) life
15/365 Anfang (ahn-fah-ng) start
16/365 Kinder (keen-der) children
17/ 365 Frieden (free-den) freedom
18/365 Spiel (shpee-l) game
19/365 Natur (nah-tour) nature
20/365 Gerechtigkeit (geh-regh-tig-kite) justice
21/365 Dankbar (dunk-bar) thankful
22/365 Krankheit (krunk-height) disease
23/365 Fahrt (fah-rt) ride
24/365 Fenster (phen-ster) window
25/365 Herausforderungen (her-rouse-for-der-roong-en) challenges
26/365 Fieber (fee-ber) fever
27/365 Ruhe (roo-ae) rest
28/365 Sonne (son-nae) sun
29/365 Zuhören (tsoo-hoeren) listening
30/365 Lernen (laer-nen) learn
31/365 Geduld (ghe-do-ld) patience
32/365 Bücherei (bue-her-rye) library
33/365 Ein neuer Monat (I-n noi-er mo-nat) a new month

Facts about Germany

2015-01-12T15:56:00.004-08:00

Germany has a population of about 80,7 millions people with a total area of 357,168 km² (137,847 sq mi).

The capital and larges city is Berlin.

Germany has 16 Bundesländer (constituent states)

Baden-Württemberg
Freistaat Bayern
Berlin
Brandenburg
Freie Hansestadt Bremen
Freie Hansestadt Hamburg
Hessen
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Niedersachsen
Nordrhein-Westfalen
Rheinland-Pfalz
Saarland
Freistaat Sachsen
Sachsen-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
Freistaat Thüringen.

New Year's Eve and New Year Traditions

2014-12-31T09:17:00.000-08:00

The last day of the year in Germany is called "Silvester". On this day, the Holy "Silvester" is celebrating his Name Day. He died on December 31, 335 a.C. In Rome as Pope.

On December 31, all shops are closed from noon on. In the churches, services are held to thank for the past and ask for the Future. This day is comparable to the Christmas party on December 24th in Japan.
The evening is spent with friends either at home, at a party, in a restaurant or in a theater.

It has become a popular tradition,to watch "Dinner for One" on TV. "Dinner for One" is a British sketch about a lonely old lady named Miss Sophie and her butler, who at her 90th birthday, takes on the role of long-dead friends and get very drunk.

At midnight you toast with a glass of sparkling wine or champagne and wish each other „Prosit Neujahr“, „Ein gutes neues Jahr“ oder einen „Guten Rutsch“. Every now and then, lucky charm as chimney sweeps, four leaf clover or small marzipan pigs are given away.

Of course, should a large fireworks at midnight not fail to drive away evil spirits. These traditions date back to ancient Germanic rituals. In earlier times, the noise was made with drums, trumpets and gunshots. Even today, the church bells ring at midnight.

After the fireworks, some people like to take a look into the future in the form of lead casting (Bleigießen), horoscopes or card reading.

You melt the little lead pieces. Then you pour it into cold water. The results could be something like that: Elefant=elephant, Golfer=golf player, Hund=dog

Lead casting set.

For the lead casting (Bleigießen), small pieces of lead are melted down and poured into cold water and the resulting objects are interpreted for the new year. Depending on the mood, the rest of the night is celebrated together, often with plenty of alcohol.

Very popular is to eat fondue or raclette at New Year's Eve with friends. At Fondue, meat pieces are cooked in hot oil or broth at the table then dipped in various sauces and eaten with baguette and salads. The Raclette is originally a Swiss specialty. It is layered with ham and vegetables in small pans and baked with cheese. It is eaten with steamed or boiled potatoes and pickled or fresh vegetables. The remaining time until midnight is spent with board games or just a party.

Raclette

Fondue

The next day (New Years Day) is a public holiday and is used for sleeping in or going for a long walk.

Christmas traditions

2014-12-30T17:35:00.003-08:00

For the Germans, the Christmas season is the most important holiday of the year on which the whole family comes together.

The pre-Christmas period corresponds to the four weeks before Christmas eve and begins on the first Sunday of Advent, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The apartment is decorated for Christmas with fir branches, Christmas decorations and candles. On the table is the Advent wreath, a wreath of fir twigs with four candles.

Every Sunday in Advent, a candle is lit. The children get an advent calendar at which 24 doors or little bags are. Every day until Christmas, the children are allowed to open a door or bag. During Advent, the children also write their wish list for Christmas.

On the Advent Sundays you often get together to have some hot drinks (e.g. punch, tea, hot chocolate), and cookies, gingerbread and stollen (Christmas bread) to eat and to read Christmas stories to children. This custom exists since about the beginning of the 20th century.

Nikolaus: The holiday season offers children even more "excitment": On the evening of December 5th, the children put their freshly polished boots at the door or in front of the fireplace and wait for the St. Nicholas who fills the boot with sweets and fruits at night. Sometimes, even a little toy.

In some areas, St. Nicholas is still accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, who punishes naughty children with his tree branch.

Weihnachstmärkte: The traditional Christmas markets open their doors with the Advent season. At the numerous light decorated stands, Christmas tree ornaments, candles, mulled wine (Glühwein) and all sorts of other Christmas specialties are offered for sale. Christmas or Christmas Kindle markets have been around since the 14th century. In order to sell their goods before Christmas came once craftsmen and confectioners came up with the idea to build in the marketplace stalls with their goods. This custom spread quickly and to attract more visitors at the market, toasted almonds, chestnuts and walnuts were offered (read more here: Der Weihnachtsmark - The Christmas Market)

Die Romantische Strasse

2013-04-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

The "Romantische Strasse", is the oldest tourist route in Germany, with a length of 350 kilometers (217.48 miles) between the Frankish Würzburg and Füssen.

I will take you along the "Romantic Road" starting in north (Würzburg)and ending in the south (Füssen).

Würzburg:

The university and convention city on the Main, is in the heart of the Franconian wine country. Worth seeing: the old cathedral, Neumünster, Mary's Chapel, New and Old Main Bridge. Numerous museums (Mainfränkisches Museum, Museum am Dom, Museum in the Cultural Memory), theater and attractive festival highlights (Mozart, Africa Festival, Würzburg Bach days). Recommended are visits to wineries and travel through the Franconian wine country.

Tauberbischofsheim:

Is one of the oldest cities in the 'lovely Tauber Valley'. The symbol of the city is the watchman's tower. Around it, is Kurmainzische castle, a must see. The neo-Gothic city hall, in addition to a plethora of historic houses, is the most striking buildings on the square and also worth visiting. Bike ride and hike through unspoiled nature.

Lauda-Königshofen:
A Wine town with magnificent churches from the heyday of the Franconian Baroque, historic bridges, imposing half-timbered houses and shrines of six centuries. Museum (emphasis wine), guided tours through nature, culture and wine trails, leisure facilities including indoor heated swimming pool, indoor pool with sauna and solarium. Directly on the Bike-Trail "Charming Tauber Valley", starting and ending points of the Main-Tauber-Fränkischen Rad-Achters, short and beautiful hiking trails through idyllic countryside.

Bad Mergentheim:
Enjoys an international reputation for decades as a health and holiday resort. Bad Mergentheim is known by the Teutonic castle and museum with the Stuppacher Madonna, the bathing and wellness park Solymar or the wildlife park. Around the market square with its magnificent Renaissance town hall and the Cathedral of St. John and the Cathedral Treasury you will see half-timbered houses and Baroque palaces.

Weikersheim:

Weikersheim is a state-approved health resort with a beautiful Castle, a marketplace with its gorgeous state office building and a village museum. A must see, the Gothic Church and the Rococo fountain is just of singular unity. Weikersheim is nestled in vineyards by the magnificent Renaissance castle with its spacious and beautifully landscaped palace garden in the style of Versailles. Weikersheim has well-developed hiking and bicycle trails.

Röttingen:

This friendly town, offers several spectacular facilities. Röttingen was named the first European town in 1953. It is know by its historic town center with charming half-timbered houses (Fachwerkhäusern).

Some of the historic buildings are:

Castle Brattenstein (12th century)
Parish Church (12th Century)
St. George's Chapel (15th Century)
Town Hall (18th Century)
Fortress with seven towers

Creglingen:

Creglingen is located in the district of Baden-Württemberg in the Main-Tauber-Kreis. The Celts founded this town around 200-100 B.C.
If you travel in the month of February and love horses, make sure to plan a visit on the second Wednesday on every February, Creglingen has a special event since over 80 years. The horse market. This event offers all horse lovers from the Tauber Valley and the Bavarian neighboring communities, a mixture of old horse market tradition and modern horse market. Besides awarding the best horses, the highlight on this day is the traditional parade followed by open-air concert.

If you don't care much about horses (by the way, I love horses!), then take a Historical tour through Creglingen.

Information boards will provide insights into the Creglinger history of past centuries. The "Mühlweg" will lead you to the "Herrgottskirche" (God Church) that is approximately 1 km outside of the city, with the famous altar by Tilman Riemenschneider and unique Thimble museum (Fingerhutmuseum).

The tour takes you to: the Schlosserturm, the Jewish Museum, the Lindleinturm Museum, the Romschloss, the Old Town Hall, the Old School House (now the Town Hall), the Historical Pharmacy, to the vicarage, the Courtyard - historical Schlossbäck, Old Jewish Cemetery, the thimble Museum and the Church of God (Herrgottskirche) with the Riemenschneideraltar.

Here is a pdf file with the historical sights, provided by the city of Creglingen:

http://www.creglingen.de/sehenswuerdigkeiten_karte.pdf

Next stops: Rothenburg o.d.T. ► Schillingsfürst ► Feuchtwangen ► Dinkelsbühl ► Wallerstein ► Nördlingen ► Harburg ► Donauwörth ► Rain ► Augsburg ► Friedberg ► Landsberg am Lech ► Hohenfurch ► Schongau ► Peiting ► Rottenbuch ► Wildsteig ► Steingaden ► Halblech ► Schwangau ► Füssen

The Oktoberfest is coming up! Prost!

2010-09-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

September 18th and everybody is going "PROST"!

The 177th annual Oktoberfest is starting September 18th and will last until October 4th. I have been once to the "real" Oktoberfest and it was fascinating! Definitely not a place for people with OCD ;-)

Here are some things that I thought might be interesting to know:

How is an Oktoberfest beer mug "Stein" made?

Did you know that a complete series of all Oktoberfest steins is worth several thousand euros. Each step, to make the Stein, requires precise manual work, so that each of the limited edition Oktoberfest steins a little work of art.

I researched it a little bit for you and I found out, how the mug is made.

The "Stein" also called "Maß" is made out of clay. The first step is to form the Stein without the handle. Afterwards the handle will be carefully added to the mug.

With a damp sponge, the transitions from the handle and the mug are smoothened out, so that the whole surface is evenly and smooth.

In a large brick furnace, the mugs are then brazed at about 1000 degrees Celsius until they are hard like stone ;-) (get it? Stein = Stone)

After the "Stein" has cooled off, the official Oktoberfest logo is carefully placed by hand on the mug and smoothed out. Now the beer mug looks almost like a proper Oktoberfest beer stein.

With a fine brush, colored edges are painted around the mug. A rotating disc, on which the Oktoberfeststein is placed, mades this procedure a little bit easier to do.

Next up, the "Stein" is put back in the furnace. With this procedure, the Logo is inextricably linked with the mug. Now the collector "Stein" is read! For the "Stein" that is used at the Oktoberfest, a tin lid is added as a last step in this procedure.

A solid, handmade tin lid is added to the "Stein". Every year, a different embossed lid is placed on each mug. this year, the lid will have an embossing from Crown Prince Ludwig and Therese Hildburghausen's royal wedding.

For Sale: 1998 BMW Dinan 5 - with a 6-Speed Manual Transmission

2010-08-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

SOLD :-)

Hi Everyone,

I have my Bavarian "Black Beauty" up for sale. It has a 6-speed Manual Transmission, just like a German car suppose to have ;-)

It is a great car, but it's time to move to something a little bigger. No, not an SUV but maybe a BMW Touring. This Dinan 5 is truly a special car. Anyone who loves a fast, comfortable ride, will love it! It just has everything: Torque, Speed and Comfort... what else do you need?

Please check out the auction on eBay: http://bit.ly/adhNVI and please feel free to forward it to anyone who might be interested.

Thank you!

Aldi / Trader Joe's Co-Founder dies at 88 in Germany

2010-07-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

Theo Albrecht died Saturday in his home city of Essen, Germany.

Theo Albrecht was the secretive co-founder of Germany's worldwide discount supermarket chain ALDI and co-owner of Trader Joe's in the United States and one of Europe's richest men.

When I used to live in Germany, Aldi was one of the grocery stores I went to a lot! Great products and cheap. Why? Because they did not sell the name. Aldi had "No Name Brands" but it was the exact same product then the "Brand Name" products, just a lot cheaper. Why pay for the name! I used to love shopping there.

Then I moved to the States and I found Trader Joe's. My favorite grocery store here and who new, it was the same owner then Aldi! I did not know that until about a year ago. They are totally different stores, yet something about them makes them great! I guess it's the price/quality they have.

Rest in peace Mr. Albrecht. Thank you for opening those great stores!

Danke!

This is an Aldi close to where I used to live

This is how an Aldi looks inside. Really nothing special or fancy but easy find the things that you need.

This is the beer sections! And yes, most Germans buy it in the case!

Auto und Technik Museum - Sinsheim

2010-07-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Want to see nice cars, airplanes and more, view more than 3,000 exhibits from all areas of technical history on more than 30,000 square meters of indoor space and in our open air ground. The exhibitions include a genuine CONCORDE from Air France and the Russian Tupolev TU-144, more than 300 classic cars, 200 motorcycles, 40 racing cars, the largest permament formula-1 exhibition in Europe, 60 airplanes, 20 locomotives, and much more.

The best "No Speed Limit" Autobahn's in Germany

2010-02-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

Here are the best "Autobahnen" without speed limit:

A5 - between Frankfurt and Darmstadt

A9 - north between Bayreuth and Hof

A81 - between Heilbronn-Würzburg

A81 - between Stuttgart-Singenand

A70 - between Schweinfurt Bayreuth. Here you can test out your car :)

A31 - north of Bottrop. This stretch is really recommended for test drives. It is also being used from the guys at Brabus! You could for example drift of to the Nordschleife You'll just have to look for the opening times, maybe you can find a section, with "free" lanes and then... wroom

And last but not least: Munich - Garmisch. Is by far the best Autobahn, about 100 kilometers without limitation, Traumlandschaft! Long curves, sometimes even slightly banked curves... a dream come true! Is also not so far away from the Schweitz.

Driving in the Rain - Skidding and Hydroplaning in Rainy Conditions

2010-01-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

I just saw an article on weather.com and I wanted to share it with you. Since I learned how to drive in Germany (and believe me, it rains A LOT there) I liked the article. Here it is:

Skidding and Hydroplaning in Rainy Conditions

Losing control of your car on wet pavement is a frightening experience.

Skids are scary but hydroplaning is completely nerve-wracking.

Hydroplaning happens when the water in front of your tires builds up faster than your car's weight can push it out of the way. The water pressure causes your car to rise up and slide on a thin layer of water between your tires.

Taking these simple tips into account can save your life.

You can prevent skids by driving slowly and carefully, especially on curves. Steer and brake with a light touch. When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal.

If you do find yourself in a skid, remain calm, ease your foot off the gas, and carefully steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. For cars without anti-lock brakes, avoid using your brakes. This procedure, known as "steering into the skid," will bring the back end of your car in line with the front. If your car has ABS, brake firmly as you steer into the skid.

Avoid hydroplaning by keeping your tires inflated correctly. Maintain good tire tread. Don't put off replacing worn tires. Slow down when roads are wet, and stay away from puddles. Try to drive in the tire tracks left by the cars in front of you.

If you find yourself hydroplaning, do not brake or turn suddenly. This could throw your car into a skid. Ease your foot off the gas until the car slows and you can feel the road again. If you need to brake, do it gently with light pumping actions. If your car has anti-lock brakes, then brake normally. The car's computer will automatically pump the brakes much more effectively than a person can do.

A defensive driver adjusts his or her speed to the wet road conditions in time to avoid having to use any of these measures.

Drive Safe!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2009-12-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Christamas and a Happy New Year!

Der Weihnachtsmark - The Christmas Market

2009-12-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas - one of my most favorite time in Germany. Why? Because of the "Weihnachtsmarkt" (Christmas Market) of course!

The Christmas market begins with Advent and lasts until noon of the 24th of December. The stands are decorated with fir branches and lights. In the middle of the "Weihnachtsmarkt" is a large, decorated with candles Christmas tree, under which the crib is with the Holy Family. At the market square, Christmas music is playing. My favorite part of the Weihnachtsmarkt is the Glühwein (this is a hot, spiced red wine), Lebkuchen (a traditional German product baked for Christmas, somewhat resembling soft gingerbread) and roasted chestnuts.

Unfortunately, today many same Christmas markets are rather an amusement than a pre-Christmas market. Due to the high level rents crafts are disappearing and they replace items with all kinds of junk. Therefore arose more frequently lately "alternative" markets again offer old world craftsmanship. A traditional Christmas market is characterized by stalls selling Christmas decorations, nativity figurines, tea, pottery, candles and Christmas specialties such as tunnels and fruit bread.

Culinary, either a red, thick sausage or Schweinsbratwürst (two thin sausages) is eaten with mustard in bread. With that, a mug of mulled wine (Glühwein) (hot red wine with spices) or punch is consumed. There is also something sweet to eat like Magenbrot (literaly: stomach bread), gingerbread, hot roasted chestnuts or almonds.

The Nuremberg Christmas Market is the most famous market, followed by the Munich Christmas Market, which was first mentioned already in 1310. 1434 is the Dresden Strietzelmarkt.
Since the Nuremberg Christmas Market is usually very crowded, the Augsburg Christmas market is a recommended alternative, which is very similar to the original.

In Augsburg, the "Engelsspiel" (Angels game) is very well known. Every Saturday and Sunday evening by 6pm, at the town hall windows a flock of angels appear and make music. It's a very romantic spectacle!

The Autobahn

2009-12-05T23:17:00.000-08:00

When ever I tell somebody that I am from Germany, I almost always get asked about the Autobahn. Yes, I miss the Autobahn...

Here are some things you should know about the Autobahn:

There are speed limits! There is usually a speed limit of 130 km/h (80.78 mph) unless you see the following sign:

Yes, that is the dream of every driver and that will put a smile on your face! NO SPEED LIMIT!!!

Below are some street signs you should be aware of:

This sign will indicate what the speed limit is from this sign on

This indicates that you are now going on the Autobahn :-)

This means "Exit"

This indicates that you are now left the Autobahn :-(

Gute Fahrt! (Bon voyage / Drive Safe)

Hier is a YouTube video I found, that I am sure, will get you in the mood: