Hundreds of purple crocus flowers were making their first appearance when I visited the Münster Botanical Gardens on a chilly March morning. This sign of Springtime lightens hearts in Germany. The sweet blooms signal an end to the grey winter blahs. But these are only half of the story of crocuses in Germany. Although a few different crocus varieties…
Author: karenanne
German Language Summer Camps and Programs
What do you do with the kids all summer? German Language Summer Camps and German Language summer programs are a great way to fill those empty Summer months. They come away with improved language skills … and they have fun doing it! These German Summer Camps are scattered across the country. Some are day camps, others are overnight. There is…
Erich Kästner’s Books- Well Loved Stories in German & English
Sitting in the darkened theater surrounded by other kids, the obligatory bucket of popcorn on my lap, I stare up at the screen enjoying Haley Mills and Haley Mills fool parents Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara, to bring them back together in the 1960s version of The Parent Trap. At the time, I had no idea that the original story,…
Francis Daniel Pastorius- The Pennsylvania Pilgrim
The name Francis Daniel Pastorius probably didn’t come up in your American History classes, and he’s probably no more than a footnote in most German history classes… but Pastorius plays a major role in early American history, in German-American immigration history, and even has a role in the Abolitionist Movement. So who was he? A polymath, lawyer, writer, teacher, a…
A Visit to the Heurich House Museum in Washington DC
In the early 1940’s, German-American Brewer, Christian Heurich, owned more land and employed more people in Washington DC than any entity other than the Federal Government. An amazing accomplishment for a man who came to the United States from the small village of Haina in the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen in 1866 with only $200 in his pocket. His mansion, now…
European Down Comforters and Pillows -Sleep like at Oma’s
Remember how well you slept at Oma’s? Cozy and protected, tucked in under a fluffy down comforter, head on a feather pillow? It just felt like the height of luxury. That restful comfort can be found here in the US at Pacific Coast Feather. Their European Goose Down comforters, white Duck Down comforters, and well-made pillows will take you right…
Honey and Dried Fruit Cake Recipe- Honigkuchen mit Trockenobst
When I was growing up, baskets or plates of dried fruit would appear in our house at the beginning of the holidays. They still do. This Honey and Dried Fruit Cake Honigkuchen mit Trockenobst is a great way to use them. This is not your average Kaffeeklatsch cake. The recipe feels very old-fashioned since you load it up with honey,…
What was the Malleus Maleficarum or Hammer of Witches?
Witches have long been part of Germanic culture. You’ll find witches in Fairy tales, in legends, in songs and poetry. The Gingerbread house Witch in Hansel and Gretel, the flying witches on Walpurgisnacht, even the Kitchen Witch flying above your stove. Today we look at witches as a bedtime story or cute tale, like Die Kleine Hexe. But in the…
Reformationsbrötchen Recipe- Luther Rose Reformation Rolls
On October 31st, bakeries in Leipzig bake up a special treat, Reformationsbrötchen or Reformation Rolls. The rolls with five petals and a blob of red jam in the center represent the Luther Rose, the symbol Martin Luther used to sign all his documents. So what are they exactly? Reformation Rolls are semi-sweet yeast rolls filled with raisins (or cranberries), chopped…
A Headless Hessian in Sleepy Hollow
Cover Image- The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane by John Quidor (public domain) In some form or another, most of us have heard the Washington Irving short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This terrifying tale is known as America’s first Ghost Story. If you haven’t read the tale of a headless horseman who pursues poor Ichabod Crane on a…