karenanne

Every Christmas my sister and I would find a Bunter Teller loaded with treats in addition to our gifts. There was never a name tag… we just knew that mine had a bar of Nougat, and hers always had a bar of German Marzipan. Also on the holiday table, Marzipan Kartoffel (Marzipan Potatoes). And m  […]

Slap the Shoes and then Smack the knees with Flat Hands… Men jumping around, stomping their feet, and slapping their knees and shoes, sometimes alone, sometimes with in a circle with ladies who twirl as if ignoring them. From the outside, the Schuhplattler looks like a version of crazy dance moves you might see on […]

I’ve come out from behind my computer keyboard a few times lately to do promotion for various projects, and as a result, I’m being asked some strange questions. Now, I realize that stereotypes come from somewhere… but you would think that a few of these German people stereotypes would just vanish because of their ridiculousness. […]

While on my Christmas Market Tour last I took the opportunity to taste all sorts of warm drinks... there was Red Glühwein, Feuerzangenbowle, Punsch, Eierpunsch, and WHITE Glühwein. White Glühwein? I’d never seen that before! And I love it! It’s warm and flavorful with the addition of Cinnamon, Anise and Allspice. But it also has […]

While traveling with my daughter, she insisted we go to Ruedesheim Germany. I had been there before on a Rhine Cruise, so I sort of knew what to expect. Why Not? Unfortunately, we only had one full afternoon and overnight, but we would squeeze in as much as we could.  This town along the Rhein […]

In Bavaria, as in the rest of Germany, food is important. You need fuel to put in a hard day’s work. And you need something to soak up the alcohol in the beer (which is legally a bread in Germany… but that’s another story). Grabbing a slice of toast on your way out the door […]

Want to fit in at Oktoberfest? Use these German Oktoberfest Words, and you will sound like a local! Sure, you may not be able to manage the Bavarian accent right away. (I think that requires you to drink two or three Maß first…) But you WILL be able to order food and drink, find the […]

I’m fairly certain that the first Kaiserschmarrn happened when an Austrian or German mother was making Eierkuchen (German Pancakes) in a hurry, flipped it wrong, tried to fix it, and ended up just making scrambled pancake. (Can’t you hear the conversation, “Mama, what’s this?” “It’s good, EAT IT!!”) Things improved from those early mistakes. The […]

A small scale disaster (well, more of a mess) hit our house last week in the form of a flood (ok, it was just an unnoticed spill). The only thing really wrecked? A box of my old childhood Albums. As I pulled them out one by one, it broke my heart a little bit. Mold […]

Last summer while on a tour in Munich, we had a “get acquainted” lunch at the Augustiner Brewery (across from the Hofbrauhaus). On the Menu… Weißwurst, Pretzels and Obatzda, a German beer cheese spread. It was orange. As someone who has attended plenty of gatherings with a fluorescent cheese ball, I was skeptical. But that […]