The night before GermanFest Milwaukee, we headed to the Bavarian Bierhaus to meet friends and eat delicious food. Little did we know that we would have a lovely surprise… D’lustig’n Wendlstoana Tanzgruppe was holding their dance practice in the basement, preparing for their GermanFest performance! And because my friends Rosie and Bob Forster (who is also a singer for the Freistadt…
Author: karenanne
Water Castles or Wasserschlösser in the Münsterland
As a child, I always drew my castles the same way. A medium large building with a turret on each side, completely surrounded by water. I wasn’t drawing Neuschwannstein or Burg Eltz… I was drawing the Wasserschlösser or Water Castles I remembered seeing in the Münsterland. You see, whenever we visited my Oma and Opa, we always visited their Castle,…
When is the Oktoberfest in Munich? It’s in September!!
Germans are notoriously precise with their speech, after all, this is the language that gave us words like Schwangerschaftverhütungsmittel (Pregnancy Preventing Remedy) and Dudelsack (A bag that makes a doodling sound, aka Bagpipes), so it’s incredibly confusing to so many people OUTSIDE Germany that Oktoberfest does not start in October. So, when is the Oktoberfest in Munich? It’s in September!…
German Sour Cherry, Chocolate, and Cognac Gugelhupf Cake
This Sour Cherry, Chocolate, and Asbach cake deserves a spot on your dessert table. It’s moist and sweet, with a bit of a bite from the sour cherries and richness from chocolate. And the Asbach? The cognac adds flavor without an overwhelming alcoholic taste. (For those of you worried about serving alcohol … it should bake off in the oven.)…
Traditional German Tracht Show at German Fest, Milwaukee
Many people think that the German Fest events, like the one in Milwaukee, are all about “Bavarian” attire. I’m happy to report that not only are other regions of Germany represented in food and culture, the Tracht from other parts of Germany are seen around the grounds…. and on Saturday, there is a special Traditional German Tracht Show to highlight…
Max and Moritz- Behind Wilhelm Busch’s Bad Boy Stories
At the end of the book, the Miller grinds up the two boys in the giant flour mill, and ducks eat them. It sounds like the latest horror film to come out of Hollywood, doesn’t it? But this is the ending of Wilhelm Busch’s “Max und Moritz: Eine Bubgeschichte in sieben Streichen” (“Max and Moritz : A Boyish Story of…
Sounds of the Alpenhorn- The Alpine Echos play Traditional Music
A massive crowd gathered near the Welcome Gates of German Fest in Milwaukee to see The Alpine Echoes perform. It’s not every day you see a half dozen Alpenhorn players playing real music! I’m sure it was the first time many people even heard the Alp Horn outside of a Ricola Ad! (You can hear it in your mind now,…
German Language Schools in America For Kids and Teens
When I was a child, I went to German School every Saturday for 3 hours here in the US. While it was sometimes torture (who wants to go to school on Saturday!?!), in the end, it was well worth the effort, and I appreciate the extra miles my mother put on the car to get me there. This is…
What is Spanferkel? A Roasted Pig, Perfect for German Festivals!
At big German Festivals and gatherings, you will often find Spanferkel on the menu. What is Spanferkel? A “Ferkel” is a little pig (it’s also what my mom would call me when I came home particularly muddy), and “Span” is wood chips. Pig in Wood Chips? That can’t be right. It was time to learn more. My introduction to Spanferkel…