While my American friends grew up drinking Milk or Water with their dinner, we drank Tea. Germans do drink a lot of tea, Black Tea, Hagebutte (Rose Hip), Chamomile, Fenchel (fennel)… But NO Germans drink as much tea as the Ostfriesen or East Frisians. If you can imagine it, they drink an average of 300 liters of East Frisian Tea…
Category: German Products I Love
Products that remind me of “home”
German Shop 24 Product Reviews- German Shopping Online
Recently Germanshop24 approached me, and asked if I would like to do regular reviews of some of their products. Since I do much of my German Shopping online… and already order many of my favorite items from them… I am MORE than happy to share German Shop 24 Product Reviews. GermanShop24 carries HUNDREDS of items… from food to cleaning…
German Baumkuchen- How it’s made and where to Buy One
Baumkuchen? Tree Cake? That can’t be right! What is German Baumkuchen? This special cake didn’t get its name from the ingredients, the name came from the resemblance to the rings in a tree when you cut into it. And once you bite into this soft and flavorful cake, you will understand why everyone who tries it loves this “König der…
German Cuckoo Clocks- A Symbol of the Black Forest
German Cuckoo Clocks are a symbol of the Black Forest. We had a small one in our hallway when I was a child… and I remember watching it closely to see when it would open up to “Cuckoo!” (I’d giggle EVERY TIME!) And who can forget the Von Trapp children singing, “Up in the Nursery an absurd little bird, is…
What is the Vogelhochzeit? It’s a song to Welcome Spring!
Germans do love to sing, and they especially love their Folk songs. One of my favorite German Folk Songs is the Vogelhochzeit. In German School I loved singing the fi-de-ralala part over and over. And with so many verses, the song can go on longer than the Twelve days of Christmas! (I have a feeling that’s why my German School…
How to Watch German Movies and German TV in the US
I‘m frequently asked HOW to watch German movies or German TV shows here in the US. Generally, I turn to Netflix or Amazon… maybe I slip a German DVD into my multi-region player. But that’s just a tiny percentage of the German Programming available to us here. You tube, apps and certain websites make watching German TV easier than ever.…
The Camera Graphic Minimalist Transportation Map of Berlin
This post is part of the Camera Graphic sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors. Sometimes you just get lucky and find that perfect gift for someone, for my daughter, who spent a semester studying in Berlin, it is a minimalist map…
What is Gemuetlichkeit? Trying to define an indefineable German Concept
When I arrive on my Aunt’s doorstep in Germany, she greets me with “Kommt ‘rein… mach’s euch Gemütlich!”(come in, make yourself gemütlich) and on family evenings instead of making plans my mother might say, “Wir machen uns Heute Abend Gemütlich” (tonight we will make ourselves gemütlich). A small well appointed room is described as “Gemuetlich”, and a noisy drafty restaurant…
What is a Strandkorb? And where can You BUY a Strandkorb?
I still remember the first time I saw a Strandkorb (a “Beach Basket”) on the beach. Since I grew up in California, it was wildly confusing… I mean, when we went to the beach, we just needed a few towels, a cooler with drinks and snacks, MAYBE a folding chair (if you felt like schlepping it), and possibly a sun…
What is German Unity Day – Tag der Deutschen Einheit
What is German Unity Day or the Tag der Deutschen Einheit? This National Holiday is the celebration of when Germany unified into ONE whole country. For 41 years, Germany was split between the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany). They existed as two separate nations. On November 9, 1989, the checkpoints at…