Every year, we bring out a new Ravensburger Christmas Puzzle to work on during the days and nights leading up to Christmas. A table is set up, and the pieces are sorted (edge versus middle), and off we go. Ravensburger, the German company based in Ravensburg, makes high-quality puzzles featuring beautiful Christmas images. They hold up well to lots of…
Category: German Products I Love
Products that remind me of “home”
Where to Buy Great Looking, High Quality German Sandals for Women
While I was growing up, my mother and my Oma always stressed the importance of having “good shoes”. You need a foot bed that gives you support! Then summer comes rolling around, and you want to wear sandals or slides, but how to keep giving your feet the support and comfort they need? Where can you find quality German Sandals…
What is a Charivari? Learn more about these Lederhosen Chains
When you are at a German Festival, and see people in Bavarian Tracht, you may notice that some men wear what looks like a chain of charms on their Lederhosen. What is that Lederhosen chain called? And what does it symbolize? As I’m curious by nature, I did some digging. The chain of trinkets or charms is called a Charivari…
German Soccer Vocabulary! Learn to Speak Fußball!
My earliest soccer memories are of my Opa watching his beloved Fußball on our black and white TV. Since this was California in the 1970’s, the program was in Spanish. This didn’t stop him, since he know the sport inside out. It did, however, inhibit my German Soccer Vocabulary. And when I got older, and produced a few soccer players…
Why does America call Football ‘Soccer’?
Sometimes, it seems like soccer in America gets treated as a “lesser” sport. Then it feels like an insult to injury when we don’t even call it by the correct name. It’s called Football or Fußball everywhere else on our planet. And why is that? Why does America call Football Soccer? Why would we have a different name for a…
What is a Schrebergarten or Kleingarten? Germany’s Little Gardens
You are traveling along in Germany, and suddenly, on the side of the railroad tracks, there is a cluster of fenced-in tiny houses surrounded by small gardens. Are these actual homes? Is it a campground for seasonal workers? Is this where the Garden Gnomes live when they aren’t in your garden?? These little plots of land are called Schrebergarten or…
Playmobil for Easter- Fill the Easter Basket with Bunnies & Eggs that Last!
Playmobil 4450 Bunny Spring Workshop When filling Easter Baskets for kids, it’s nice to include something that they can enjoy playing with for a long time. Why not add a set from Playmobil for Easter? I’ve written before about my love for the high quality Playmobil toys that encourage children to use their imagination–>Playmobil Toys. Not only are they well made, and…
Steinbach Company in Germany- Still Making Erzgebirge Magic for the World
“We want to bring the Erzgebirge magic into peoples homes all over the world.” While scrolling through Facebook recently, I came across an interesting comment on the Steinbach Nutcracker fan page… it said that the Steinbach Company in Germany had been purchased, and the factory was up and running again. WHAT! I did some digging, and couldn’t find much……
Shopping for German School Supplies in Germany
My daughter, Katy, spent a Semester studying in Berlin. I’m delighted that she sent us a few posts about life as a California Girl in Germany. This week… shopping for German School supplies. Apparently, it’s not the same as it is here in California… All photos taken by Katy used with permission. There were many things I expected to be…