Boy, did Disney get it wrong! The Original fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm were not about sweetness and light; they were dark and bloody stories meant to frighten or teach. When the brothers compiled their first edition, the stories were even darker still! The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm is a reprint of the…
Author: karenanne
Traditional German Advent Calendars- Count the Days to Christmas!
Having a traditional German Advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas was as normal to me as breathing or putting on house shoes; it is just something we had in our home. Most years, they were simple, a double-thick cardboard sheet printed with Christmas scenes and pretty pictures behind each door. In later years, we had German chocolate Advent…
Collectible Wooden German Santa Claus Figurines from the Erzgebirge
ISDD German incense smoker Santa Claus under candlearch, height 19 cm/7 inch, original Erzgebirge by Mueller Seiffen German Santa Claus figurines are some of my favorite Christmas Decorations. Probably because my mom always had a line up of them on her mantle… and so now I do too! It’s a special day when the Christmas boxes come out of storage,…
Easy German Marble Cake Recipe- Marmorkuchen Recipe
As a child, Marmorkuchen , made from this German Marble Cake Recipe, was a staple in our home. Chocolate and Vanilla swirled into a Bundt (or Gugelhopf) pan. Delicious, but not gooey like many cakes. It was the perfect treat for after school, or with a cup of coffee. And if you were a kid like me, you would always…
Once there was a Wall- A Visit to the Berlin Wall in 1988 & Today
My first visit to the Berlin Wall was in 1988. The imposing Wall surrounded Berlin’s western sectors. It was a rainy July, and the whole city seemed to be colored various shades of grey. Who knew that a year later, there would be color? The next time I saw Berlin was in 2018. The Wall had been down for nearly…
How to play the Stadt Land Fluss Game
When I was a child, we would often play the Stadt Land Fluss Game (City Country River). Saturday Morning German School meant a half-hour drive in each direction. Luckily, we would carpool with other kids, so we kept busy playing the “Stadt Land Fluss” game. All we needed was a few sheets of paper from our composition books and a…
Kinder Chocolate Made for Kids! Where to Buy Kinder Chocolate
Kinder Schokolade came into the world the same year I did… 1967. You could say we grew up together, which must explain why I love it so much. This wonderful chocolate confection is almost too sweet… but… it’s delightful for a child with a sweet tooth. (And even now when I want a bomb of sweetness). My Opa used…
Where to buy German Maggi Seasoning Liquid
Most every household in Germany has a bottle of Maggi Seasoning liquid in their kitchen cabinet or on the counter. I have two… For the few of you who aren’t familiar with Maggi… official named Maggi-Würze, think of it as German Soy Sauce (although it’s NOT soy sauce). In fact, it’s official description is “a dark, soy sauce-type hydrolysed vegetable…