German Gems

Ampelmann

is a famous guy from Eastern Germany.  Often associated with Berlin, but found in other cities in Eastern Germany, he and his female associate (the Ampelfrau) keep pedestrians from getting run over by cars.  You can read more about him here.

The two of them are symbols often associated with the times before the wall came down and they have made their way on to all kinds of products.

Of all the products Ampelmann adorns, I never expected him to show up in one of our hotel rooms.

                                                     

 If you're an English-speaking expat blogger and you've never seen an Ampelmann, your opportunity is coming.  Our next WEBMU will be this Fall in Berlin.  Visit the expat forum to find out more.

Brussels

or Bruxelles as it is also known, is the capital of Belgium.  My posts about speculoos reminded me of our recent trip to Brussels.  I didn't post about it because I was so disappointed with the city.  It was dirty and smelly. It looked like everything needed a coat of paint.  When we checked into our hotel, guests were asking how to report a theft. And it seemed so much more commercial than our previous visits. Maybe because everywhere we looked it seemed all we saw were fries, waffles or little chocolate boys.

 

Don't get me wrong, we had a great visit.  It's tough to beat Belgian beer, Belgian chocolate or Belgian cuisine.  But, next time we're craving Belgian food, we'll go somewhere other than Brussels.

Lotus Speculoos

Is the name of a very popular Belgian cookie (or biscuit if you’re British).  It is one of my all time favorites, probably since I associate it with some of the earliest visits to Europe many years ago.  I always found room in my suitcase for a package or two.

These days, they are no longer just a European treat.  Delta airlines serves them, most Walgreens stores in the US carry them and you can easily purchase them on line. 

But, until recently, I never knew the cookie is now being marketed as a spread, as competition to Nutella in Europe and peanut butter in the US.  This NY Times article has an interesting story about Lotus and the creation of the cookies spread.

We hunted for it in our local grocery store after seeing it in an advertisement, but no luck.  Then, we found it on the breakfast buffet, in where else, but, Belgium.

I was anxious to try it, but not at breakfast, so a couple of these came home with us.

I’m glad we never found a jar of this stuff in the grocery.  To me, it doesn’t taste anything like the cookies.  Do you like the cookies or the spread?

Madrid Magic

put us under a spell.  We wanted a winter break with some sunshine; somewhere we had never explored.   Madrid was our choice and it exceeded expectations.  Although overnight temperatures dipped below freezing, we enjoyed our mid-day meals in outdoor cafes under clear blue skies.  The food, the wine, the people, and the sights were all wonderful. 

I loved the wrought iron balconies and gorgeous ceramic tiles that seemed to be everywhere.

Forget Fasching

That's what we did this year.  Instead of celebrating the "fifth season" in Germany, we decided to take advantage of discount fares on Lufthansa and see how Carnaval is celebrated in Madrid.  The concept is the same, the execution is, as you would expect, somewhat different.  Since drinking alcohol in public is illegal, we didn't encounter any of the associated problems, which sometimes can make Fasching in Germany no fun.

Friday night the events kicked off with the typical speeches by local officials, dancing and a small parade of elaborate human-animal creatures.  It was followed by a very bad Cirque de Soleil knock-off show.

 

  Saturday night was the main parade.  It was a combination of ethnic dance groups, small floats and lots of mythological creatures that were more creepy than fanciful.  I was surprised by the number of people that showed up; five or six people deep along some parts of the route.  It seemed like the whole city was there; everyone from babies in carriages to senior citizens.  It was difficult to take photos, so I found these to give you taste of what it was like.  The first one is a quick look; watch the second one if you want to see more.

 

  

After the parade we watched the rich and famous walk along the red carpet of the historic Madrid Casino on their way to the masquerade ball.

Piran

Sits on a tiny piece of Slovenia on the Bay of Trieste along the Adriatic coast.   It was a part of the Venetian empire from the 13^th – 18^th century.  Today, you still see and feel both the medieval and Venetian history.  It’s the perfect setting for a mystery novel.

Piran supposedly resembles the famous Adriatic jewel further south, Dubrovnik.  I don’t know, I have never been to Dubrovnik, but thanks to Piran, it’s now on my “to visit” list.

 

Ljubljana

is the capital of Slovenia, mostly by default.  Having been at a cultural crossroads for centuries, situated in the center of the country and the only town with more than 100,000 inhabitants, there really wasn’t any other contender when the country was formed in 1991.

The city is very walk able and its architectural gems cover many periods including Baroque and Art Nouveau. Café culture abounds with an opportunity to stop for a break on seemingly every corner.  Cold weather was no deterrent; outdoor tables were filled day and night. 

Our favorite place was the outdoor market Mestni trg.  Here, mostly recognizable fresh fruits and vegetables are sold alongside traditional handicrafts and interesting local foods we had a hard time identifying.  Vendors always let us sample and were eager to explain what they were selling and how it was made. And, no photos since I was too busy tasting!

Bled

is nestled in the Julian Alps and one of Slovenia’s most popular tourist attractions, for good reason.  With a romantic island floating on a clear, blue-green glacial lake, towering snow-capped mountains and the oldest castle in Slovenia overlooking it all, this is what makes a fairy tale vacation.  The mild weather, thermal lake water, and the longest swimming season of any Alpine resort have been attracting visitors for hundreds of years.

Although it was October when we were there, winter was already in the air, with below freezing temperatures over night and very windy days that kept us from truly enjoying the lake.   The hotels, restaurants and all the main attractions were very busy.  The locals have wholeheartedly embraced capitalism and tourism and it shows.  I’m glad we weren’t here in peak season.

Three Faces of Solvenia

Finally – time to share some highlights from our fall trip to Slovenia that I promised long ago.

We started in the northwestern portion of Slovenia in the Julian Alps where we visited Lake Bled.  It may have been off-season, yet we shared the alpine beauty with many more tourists than I expected. There were very few tourists in the capital of Ljubljana and busloads meandering through the quaint town along the Adriatic, Piran. 

I also didn’t expect the high prices, especially for food.  Somehow I had it in my head that Slovenia was an inexpensive travel destination. Hotels were moderately priced but we were hard pressed to find a moderately priced restaurant meal in any of the places we visited.  People loved speaking English and were happy to help whenever necessary. 

Lake Bled

Ljubljana

Piran

Augsburger Christkindlesmarkt

is held in front of the stately rathaus.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening during Advent, the rathaus is transformed into a huge Advent calendar with live angels.  Unfortunatley, we missed the performance.

What we did find was chestnut bread and many stands selling hand carved Nativity figurines and assorted pieces and parts.  This is the place to visit if you want to build a Nativity scene bit by bit and customize it for your personal taste.

 One vendor, Holzschnitzereien Scheiderer, who also has a shop in Augsburg, had beautiful full color brochures to show off their work.  I scanned a couple of samples to show you.