German legends

What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower

March 13, 2020

karenanne

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German History

When I was a little girl, my Opa sent me a card that had a dried pressed edelweiss flower and a miniature hiker’s axe on it. I loved pulling back the protective cover and petting the soft fuzzy petals. For years that card sat on my bookshelf, and I would imagine the mysterious far-off mountain […]

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What is Gemuetlichkeit? Trying to define an indefineable German Concept

Castle Frankenstein in Germany- A Castle Swirled in Mystery and Legend

October 10, 2019

karenanne

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German Halloween

This summer my partner, Kevin, joined my daughter and I in Germany. Since he had never been to Germany before, and because I have a strange sense of humor, AND because Frankenstein was my daughter’s favorite book when she was younger, we decided to take him straight from the Frankfurt Airport to the Frankenstein Castle. […]

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What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower

A German Kitchen Witch Brings Good Luck to Your Kitchen!

January 11, 2019

karenanne

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German Halloween

When I was growing up, my mother always had a flying Kitchen Witch hanging in the kitchen window. Now, the legend says that a German Kitchen Witch will protect your food as you cook it… no more pots boiling over, no more burnt cakes…. just delicious foods that will nourish your family. Did it work? […]

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How to Watch German Movies and German TV in the US

The Pied Piper of Hamelin Story-800 Year Mystery Wrapped in Fairy Tale

July 13, 2018

karenanne

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Book and Movie Reviews

While visiting Germany many years ago I had to visit the town of Hamelin. You see, when I was growing up, one of my favorite records had the Rattenfänger von Hamelin story… the Pied Piper of Hamelin Story. As a child, the idea of all those kids being snatched up because the town fathers didn’t […]

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German Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs

What is the Loreley? The Legend, the Song, and How to See It…

June 5, 2018

karenanne

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German legends

You are cruising down the Middle Rhine admiring the castles towering over vineyards and small villages when suddenly near Sankt Goarhausen,  the whole ship breaks into song in front of a rock cliff.  You’ve reached the Loreley. But WHAT is the Lorelei? It’s not just a pile of rocks, it is a place of song and […]

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What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower

What Is Walpurgisnacht? And How did An English Nun Become Associated with Witches?

April 28, 2017

karenanne

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German Halloween

Legends and traditions about Witches are quite common in Germany… think about all the Fairy Tales you’ve ever heard, isn’t there always a witch? So, of course, there is a night called Walpurgisnacht or Hexennacht (Witches’ Night), a sort of second Halloween. But … What is Walpurgisnacht (pronounced Val-purr-gess-nach-t)? When is it celebrated? Why is […]

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What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower

Is German Chocolate Cake German?

February 23, 2017

karenanne

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German Foods and Recipes

  A question I hear very often (almost as often as the Christmas Pickle question) came up again today… “Is German Chocolate Cake German?”. Well… the short answer is- NO, it’s not. But before you go off to read something else, let me share some German Chocolate cake history, and how it got its name. […]

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What is Prasselkuchen? Saxon Prasselkuchen with Puff Pastry

Krampus in German Folklore – What IS Krampus?

November 22, 2016

karenanne

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German Christmas Traditions

I grew up the child of Northern German parents, so I didn’t learn about Krampus until I was much older. In my world, Knecht Ruprecht was St Nicholas’s sidekick, and Krampus lived in Bavaria and Austria. But now, because of movies and popular culture… as well as annual Krampus Runs… the myth of Krampus is […]

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What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower

Germany Land of Legend and Real Fairy Tale Locations

April 19, 2016

karenanne

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German legends

Germany is a land of legends and real Fairy Tale locations, and the most amazing thing is that you actually can visit these places! Ancient forests, Castles with high towers, wide open fields, and Statues. Imagine, visiting an enchanted castle where Sleeping Beauty waited for her prince, or wandering the forest where Little Red Riding Hood […]

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What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower

The Tale of Kunigunde von Kynast- a Silesian Folk Tale

May 7, 2015

karenanne

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German legends

Love this story I got from Paul Von Stache. It’s a fairy tale or folk story from Silesia (Schelsien). I had never heard it before. It sounds like an original Grimm tale, and definitely not a Disney-Happy-Ending-with-singing-Animals Story. The tale is about Kunigunde von Kynast. It took place in Kynast Castle (a/k/a Burg Kynast) in […]

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What is Edelweiss? All about this Legendary Flower