karenanne

Planning a trip to Germany can be a bit stressful. If you don’t have family to stay with, or your wish list of sights is long, it can almost be a full time job plotting the whole trip! Also, I know some people are uncomfortable with the idea of driving on German roads or the […]

Wohin und Warum (Where to? And Why?) Are the words that greet you in my favorite room at the Bremerhaven Auswanderer Haus . Known as the Gallery of the 7 Million, it is FILLED with names and stories. This room is a treasure trove of history, and it’s only a fraction of what you can […]

The first cake I ever baked in my Oma’s Kitchen was a Rhubarb Cake… Rhabarbarkuchen. It was Oma’s Doppelkopp day, and the ladies would all be coming over for cards, cake and gossip… so she let my cousin and I bake the cake (all these years later, and I’m still STUNNED that she turned over […]

German White Asparagus Season, and the mania that surrounds it, can be a bit confusing for anyone who grew up in America. It’s a vegetable… who gets excited about vegetables? I can still remember the first time I was taken to a specialty restaurant during German White Asparagus season. What’s the big deal? It’s just […]

I love finding pockets of Germany in unexpected corners of the United States. A year ago I visited New Orleans for the Jazz fest, and stumbled across a booth run by women in Dirndl! What a surprise to learn that Germans had a HUGE impact on development of the city, and that Germans STILL have […]

Germany is a modern European country  that’s on all of our must-visit lists. Why? Not only will you find some of the world’s most fascinating cities, you can also enjoy a variety of landscapes from mountains and fairy tale forests to fields of purple heather and great winding rivers. It’s a land of traditional festivals, […]

Around Münster, a Good Friday without Struwen is unimaginable. So, every Good Friday, my Oma would make . And now, thanks to my Tante Anne, I have the recipe. These yeast dough pancakes satisfy hunger in a time of Fasting without appearing (as my aunt said) “üppig” (extravagant). Struwen are sweet, but not too sweet, […]

When I was growing up, I fell in love with Birkenstock sandals. Sadly, years ago, the ONLY way you could get them was to hop on a plane to Germany (or send someone over with money and your size). Today, everyone is wearing Birkenstocks! I see them all over the college campuses (my daughter wears […]

  As I may have mentioned before, I’m a planner and a list maker. This means that before I take a trip, anywhere, I do lots of research and get my travel plans organized. Travel is expensive, believe me, I know, so I don’t want to waste time when I get there wondering…. “what do […]

  I’ve visited the Cologne Cathedral in Germany many times in my life, and have explored from basement Treasury to the top of the Bell Tower,  but my visit this February for the German National Tourist Board was the first time I’ve every crawled around on the floor. Most people, me included, walk into the […]