Weekend escape- Strasbourg, France
In a desperate attempt to do something over a weekend that get’s us out of Germany, we found ourselves to Strasbourg. It’s still fairly cold where we live in June, not surprising of course. But the sun came out as we crossed the border. Perhaps we’ve been living too long in a sleepy village, but Strasbourg was quite a cosmopolitan mecca of life. Night time I found almost more charming than the daylight hours…
Some sweet memories from the city of light…
Macaroons Kissing.
ai
5 things to like about Germany…
I began this blog with the intention of posting all the awesomeness I might find here.The truth is there are a lot of things I have found to really dislike about Germany and find it difficult to cope sometimes. However, I’ve aimed at elaborating on the positive. So here is a short list of my pleasant findings in Deutschland.
Nature and Castles
Living near the Rhine is beautiful and despite the dreary weather it’s a gorgeously green and lush zone. You get a true four seasons here and a great place for hiking and running. It’s also a great place to explore castles. Sehr romantische:)
Water selection
I’m a big natural mineral water Connoisseur. I love both still and sparkling. When we go to the Getränkemarkt (giant beverage store) here I get dizzy. Local waters with all sorts of different mineral content, taste, carbonation level. I am in my own water heaven here.
Biking
Germany offers a friendly biking atmosphere-even for those faint of heart with navigating themselves. Drivers generally respect you on a bike and there are plenty of distinctly marked bike paths.
Easy central access to explore other parts of Europe
I would never be able to travel Europe as much as we have in the past year and a half. When all else fails it gives me great comfort to know we are located 3hr and 50 minutes by train to Paris. This in itself, is worth gold.
Paris I breathe you in….
Just back from trip to France where we visited both Paris and Fontainebleau ( a short train right outside Paris). It was really the best of both worlds as we spent some time in the forest climbing and also got to have some time in the city of lights.
Although I try to stay vegetarian, I will make exceptions. I was of course not disappointed.
To say that France is more relaxed than Germany is well…correct. Perhaps the trains don’t run on time, but everything else makes up for it in milestones. The bread, quiches, pastries, are heavenly. Fashion exists, and I just feel more myself there.
Spring Greens for Thought
Out of the winter and into this spring green wonderland here in North Rhine Westfalia, makes me want to eat more greenery. Maybe all this green has inspired my obsessions with spinach, asparagus (Spargel – I prefer the green though). After a winter of so much heavy food, spring seems like a good time to cleanse and regenerate with some pretty verduous vegetables.
Getting outside to enjoy the lush landscape (when not raining) is always good for the spirit. Especially important though, as I can get quite caught up and frustrated by the way things work here sometimes. All the ordnung, all the regeln, and general austerity of the atmosphere in Germany can be exhausting. To endure, I get myself wandering back in nature. It’s elemental, really.
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Kirschblüten Canopy of Delights
Architectural wandering, good for the soul.
More shots from a previous France trip….
Franzosich for Anfanger. J’apprends le français maintenant
Barbizon Boheme
Alice Pink Door~ from a day wandering Barbizon last spring
So I haven’t progressed past my somewhat miserable level of Deustch, not really a shocker. I’ve always wanted to study both Italian and French for a while but never thought I would have a good reason to. When I picked up the workbook for the class is when it hit me. The title was “Franzosich for Anfanger”. Oh jeez. Even the word Anfanger, anyways. As I flipped through the book, I realized nearly everything is of course in German, all the directions for each of the exercises, all explanations, pronunciations. Could it be my naiveté as an English speaker desperately trying to escape Deutsch still? Probably. I never really considered the dual element of the class instructed entirely in German. When searching through information on the internet about learning a foreign language OTHER than German in Germany, it seemed like a great option. And so I’ve realized that’s actually not how it works and quite far from reality. So far, however, I am really enjoying the class and preparing for another trip to France this spring. Looking forward to photos, climbing, dreamy fromage and pretty wine…the important things.
I heart Magnolias in Germany
A spring afternoon lost in capturing Magnolia blossoms…
chantellepirata 