Panzer (Tank) Museum, the city of Celle and really cool water powered miniatures

Tanks  - and more Tanks

Not long before we began our German adventure, a friends mentioned that there was supposedly an extensive Tank Museum in Germany. At the time, one of our boys was very much a tank enthusiast. All year he has been waiting for this trip and we finally found time to do it. We had no idea what to expect out of this museum so we were surprised to see how huge it was. They had examples from the first tanks all the way to modern tanks. 

We called up our friends in Hannover and asked if they would like to go with us. Generous as always, they insisted on driving us to the museum and even prepared the Spring delicacy of Spargel (Asparagus).

Only about an hour from Hannover, we hopped on the Autobahn and were there in no time. 

Besides rooms full of tanks, the Museum was also filled with interesting historical items such as this (rather morbid) death Mask of Rommel.

All of the hundred or so tanks inside the building were "look with your eyes" kind of exhibits. The highlight of this tour  was an outside area with a tank that was free to climb in and around.

Our designated photographer snapped this shot of some sort of view finder within the tank.

We only had 2 hours to see everything in the museum. It would have been easy to spend a little more time, but they were pushing us out the door.

Once we finished our tour with a trip to the gift shop it was time to head back. Since there was no rush we stopped in the picturesque town of Celle. The day was a holiday so all of the stores were closed, except for a few restaurants and Ice cream parlors. 

As we were walking around we saw these restaurants, Steakhouse Indiana and Steakhouse Apache situated right next to each other. Huh.

On the way back to Hannover, 

Both of our children begged to be allowed to buy a souvenir. Both picked out the same tank. They could barely stand waiting till we reached Hannover and our friends home to put them together.

The next day we had a little time before we needed to leave for our train so we decided to  see the famous Wasserräder located near Hannover. A stream flows down the hill powering the mechanized miniatures. Many of the scenes were from German Fairy Tales.

Who can't resist riding a dragon?

Pinkus Braürei

Six Months Later...

It is hard to imagine we have lived in Münster for 6 months now. We feel at home, but in some ways it feels like we are in a holding pattern at the same time. Since I am not in my own home I can't start on most of the projects (home improvement, gardening, etc.) boiling away in my brain. I am not *really* home. We are not tourists, but we are living here with an expiration date, and no matter how much we try to immerse in life here, the end of our stay will come.

However, instead of counting down the days till we are back in our official domicile,  we are living a very full and happy life here. The nice thing about knowing we are only here for a limited time is that we are much more likely to go out and do and try things, because we may not have a chance in the future.

This week, a colleague of my husband invited us to join him at a very traditional style German Restaurant, the Pinkus Braüeri.

Pinkus Braürei

Keeping with the traditional German style, most of the tables had bench seating. This is not a Biergarten, so there was no outside seating under Chestnut trees (but I will be sure to visit a Biergarten when spring comes).

There are plenty of decorations and paintings to give the restaurant "been around for a long time" feel. This restaurant is over 150 years old and is still run by the same family.

I don't know if this glass window is a depiction of a original founder of the brewery, but can you imagine the skill creating this out of glass would take?

Eintopf

An Eintopf (single pot) was explained to us as traditional peasant food. You fry up the potatoes you ate for breakfast or lunch and top it with the meat left over from your previous meals of the day. Maybe they were cooked in seperate pots in the beginning, but they end up together in "one pot".

Russell and I ordered two portions of an Eintopf. The wiki page is rather misleading. In ours, the meat consisted of two portions of two different types of wurst, and two portions of pork similar to a ham steak on top of a bed of fried potatoes.  Can you see the (hot) brick under the plate?

Needless to say, I think me met our monthly meat needs with this one meal. Whew!

Sauerkraut

I have never been a fan of sauerkraut, but I could eat this kind everyday. Our friend related a story to us about sauerkraut when he was young boy. His mother would make up a huge vat of it and keep it down in the cellar. During the winter months they would eat a portion of it every day, not because it was cheap (which it was), or poor people's food, but because it was such a great source of vitamin C. Today we can eat fresh fruit and vegetables year round, but at that time, you had to do your best with what you had.

Another happy surprise was Lima Beans! I am sure they were swimming in bacon fat and butter, but I ate the whole bowl.

Mmh, pan fried potatoes.

Quark - our dessert. I have mentioned before that one of our most pleasant food discoveries is Quark. It is low in fat and carbs yet very high in protein and it tastes so creamy and smooth.

This recipe includes sour cherries (hiding on the bottom, but peeking out a bit here) with a rum sauce and crumbles of pumpernickel bread.

We never get tired of finding new things to try. As the seasons change we keep discovering things we have not yet seen. There is always something new going on in town or something new in the supermarket. So, the adventure continues next week! Bis Nächste Woche!

Der Alltag - The Everyday Life

Routines...

Now that we are truly fully settled in, our routines are set but never mundane. After lunch on Fridays, we walk around the corner to the San Remo Eis Cafe. The menu has over a hundred kinds of ice cream concoctions to try.

This is just the menu for the ice creams. There is another menu if you actually want food.

The boys always get two Kugeln (scoops) in a Waffel (cone) and then eat it with a spoon!

Every week Russell and I try something new. We have never ordered anything twice, even so we will never be able to try the whole menu before we return to the States. We are waiting for visitors to come (hint hint) so we can try the party sundae. I think it would take about 6 people to eat the whole thing (it includes fruit, sauces, nuts, and  about 20 scoops of various ice creams).

This week, our selection was a Mango Becher. It had Mango, Vanilla and Raspberry ice cream, mango chunks and slices, whipped cream and mango sauce.

Still discovering new things...

Last weekend the boys went to a birthday party in a nearby town. It took us about 20 minutes to bike there. Russell mentioned that he overheard someone mention a huge grocery store was out there. On Saturday, the weather was relatively warm and dry, so we biked over to see what the store had to offer.

The store is called Marktkauf. Imagine a Wal-mart (but not dirty or unorganized and with a staff that is pleasant) mixed with a Home Depot, and you get the idea.

One thing that has been nearly impossible to find here is liquid Vanilla. Here is a bottle with 30 Milliliters of Vanilla for 2.29 Euros. Look at your pinky, that is how big the bottle is. I decided I am going to try my hand at making some myself.

Our older son really wanted us to buy these hotdogs.  This is the only way I have seen Hot Dogs sold over here - bun included. He left disappointed since I didn't indulge him. Don't feel too bad for him - he ended up with plenty of treats.

The boys have been seeing commercials for mini winis (pronounced meenie weenies) since September, but we have never seen them in the grocery stores we usually visit. Well, guess what we found at the enormous market?

After biking to the store and back, we had lunch and then it was time for the boys to take care of their cleaning responsibilities. Each Saturday, one cleans the bathrooms and the other cleans the living room thoroughly. This is not something they are paid to do - it is part of their responsibilities. The grown ups took this opportunity to go for a walk to get some quiet time. 

We decided to take a walk around the Schloss (castle) that is down the street from our apartment. On the way there I noticed this painted electrical box. We commonly see these normally unattractive boxes decorated with charming pictures.

We walked along a path that follows the moat encircling most of the Schloss. The weather is certainly warming up, but is still cold enough that the ducks can still walk on ice in the moat. 

As we walked around the Schloss, we noticed the first flowers peeking out. 

As we made our way around to the front of the Schloss, we noticed a group of people gathered and chanting. As we walked closer we could make out their signs. They were protesting ACTA - it is the anti-counterfiting treaty sponsored by the U.S. 

Taking Care of Business

We don't want our boys to be too far behind when they return to their lives in Norfolk. We have extra homework to make sure they stay up to snuff in regards to reading and writing in English. We are also trying to make sure they don't get too far behind in their scout troops. We have been fairly diligent in fulfilling requirements. Today our youngest fulfilled a Bear requirement making oatmeal cookies.  I must say, the provided recipe is a little dull, so we took a little artistic license.

If you feel like trying them out, this is how I, I mean my son, made them. He really did, I only back seat baked.

Ingredients

3/4 cup shortening *   **see notes below

2 table spoons butter (softened)

1 cup brown sugar *

1/2 cup granulated sugar *

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla - or one packet vanilla sugar if you are in Deutschland

1/2 cup cocoa powder - or more if you like it more chocolatey

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda - or half a packet of Backpulver 

Directions - preheat the oven to 375 F
1. Combine the shortening, butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, water and salt. Mix these until they look fluffy and the color lightens.
2. Add cocoa powder and mix well.
3. Mix in baking soda, flour and oatmeal. I find it is easier to do this with a spoon.
4. Use a table spoon to drop the cookies onto a prepared cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

*Please note that I am using European sugar and vegetable shortening which are a little different than what you get in the States. You may have to play around with adding a little more sugar and shortening to get the cookie consistency you love.

** I let my son pick between using shortening and butter. He chose shortening while I would normally have used butter. If you want to use butter, you can substitute the same amount of butter for the shortening.

If you are feeling adventurous, add a dash of cayenne or cinnamon or both!

Enjoy!

This blog entry is already pretty long, so I will wait till next week to write about the promised visit to the Münster Picasso Museum we made on Sunday.

Bis nächste Woche!

Karnival - Weiberfastnacht, Rosenmontag and the Beginning of Lent

Karnival

So, lets start by saying, these German's really know how to party. Lent started yesterday, but the preparations really started a few weeks ago, and by preparations, I mean partying.

In the states, the only thing we have that compares is Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Of course there are smaller celebrations in other coastal towns such as Galveston, but the main event is always in the Big Easy.

In Germany, the celebrations began weeks ago. The smaller towns have their parades earlier than the main cities. That means if you know the right people, you can go see a parade every weekend (we don't know the right people, so we didn't).

Weiberfastnacht

Last Thursday was the official beginning of the celebrations. The Thursday before Rosenmontag is known as Weiberfastnacht. The boys both had parties at school. Most importantly, this day is a day for women. In many German cities, the women literally take over the city. At 11:11, women "storm" city hall and kick out the mayor for the rest of the day. In the work place, women walk around cutting off the ties of the men, leaving little silk stumps. The men do, however, get a little kiss for consolation. And if a man is wearing lace up shoes? The scissors get a little more work - snip, snip! The work day often ends at 11:11 (A.M.) and that evening turns into a fun Girl's Night Out (if you know the right people). Münster's celebration is pretty tame, but other cities, such as Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Rosenmontag

Monday, Rosenmontag, is when everyone else joins in on the fun. There is an enormous parade of about 100 wagons, called a "Zug" (the same word used for train). The festivities began at 11:11, and the parade itself stared at 12:12.  The parade snakes its way through town very slowly. We met the family of one of our younger son's to watch the parade at their favorite corner. We later learned that the parade takes about an hour to arrive at this particular corner. We were there a bit early, keeping in line with U.S. reasoning of get there before the good spots are taken. 

Well, these Germans have a better sense of timing than that. We were there at 11:45 with the idea that half an hour would be enough time to get a good spot. But when we arrived the streets were almost empty! Well, we certainly had our pick of places.

This gave us plenty of time to people watch. Unlike a parade in the U.S., the spectators are expected to dress in costume - everyone (we felt a little weird without costumes). It is even different than New Orleans, where the costumes are normally Mardi Gras themed. Here is a taste of the costumes we saw.

The girl is an angel and the boy is a mat of grass - swamp thing perhaps?

I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle on a bike. 

Dressing as a woman is very a very common costume. Most men end up pretty ugly, but this one was great. Such attention to detail! Notice the leg warmer topped with a ribbon!

The crowds built pretty quickly. Since the parade started at midday, most people brought snacks (except us, of course). They also brought something to drink. EVERYONE had something to drink, young and old alike. Thank goodness they also brought food.

Buzz Lightyear has a buzz!

Sexy costumes are popular too! Besides these construction girls, we saw a ton of "police women".    Side note - the temperature was only a little above freezing.

By 1:15, the crowds at our corner had gathered in earnest. The people were getting anxious for the show to begin.

And then we saw the floats. As the first one passed by, our friend said, "That is the first one, there are over one hundred".  Did I mention how slow they were moving?

Even though this is a family event, most of the floats were party oriented and not what an American would consider suitable for children.

Besides candy and pre-popped popcorn, plenty of other things were tossed. We happened to catch 4 pairs of sunglasses, two hats, two lanyards, and several bracelets. We saw, but did not get: a wurst (fresh off the grill), fresh and plastic flowers (roses, of course), pillow cases, or dried fruit.

Many of the "kid" floats were still a little freaky looking.

This float might have been representing the bakers of the city. Every few minutes steam would pour out of the ovens.

There were several floats having to do with clocks and clock towers. Between the floats was this crowd of alarm clocks.

After two and a half hours, we finally saw the last float - #110. We said Tschuss (bye) to our friends and made our way home with several pounds of candy.

But...

getting home was easier said than done. We biked home along the Promenade (a pedestrian and bike path that rings the old part of the city), but as I said earlier, the parade snaked through the city. We biked along to a cross street where we found ourselves at parade float #96. There was nothing to be done, so we hopped off our bikes, pulled out the candy bags and yelled "Helau", because that is what you do.

About an hour later and one more parade pause (this time we just pushed our way across) we made it home to look through our candy haul.

Above is gives you an idea of the types of candy we brought home. Most were gummi types of candy.

I thought these "Gummi candy from around the world" were interesting. Notice the "Sitting Bear" and "Kung Fu Bear".

Waffels were another interesting catch.

Brought to you by the same company that brings you those delicious gummi bears - Gummi A@# with ears.

So, now the celebrations and partying are at an end, and for many the real part of the holiday begins. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and many people were spotted with ashes. Both of the schools our children go to had a service where children could receive ashes if they wished.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Winter is Definitely Still Here!

So far, we have enjoyed a relatively mild winter. It hovered near freezing since November, that is until about two weeks ago.

At the very end of January, right when we thought we might be lucky enough to have the bitter cold bypass Münster, the cold hit us like a brick.

We have been riding our bikes to school, the gym, the office, and the grocery store with temperatures around 6 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 Celsius). Apparently, this is the normal temperature for winter.

The lovely lake we ran around during the Autumn froze hard enough that people dusted off their ice skates, sleds and other toys and hit the ice.

The day we went to play on the ice, it was frozen to about 10 inches thick. Here is a picture that shows a deep crack in the ice to give you an idea of how thick it is.

We don't have any ice skates, so we had to settle with just walking around on the ice and people watching. It was just as well because there was plenty to look at.

The lake is pretty long and somewhat narrow. We started out just walking across the narrow expanse first. After adjusting scarves and coats, of course. It was so cold.

As we walked along we kept seeing interesting bubbles in the ice. Maybe this is trite for a lot of you, but I grew up in Houston where it is not uncommon to not really even need a coat or jacket for going to your Christmas or New Year parties

I told Pr that I thought the bubbles in the picture below looked like an old fashioned tug boat. He did not agree and let me know in a way that reminded me again that he is becoming a teenager.

I could only think of the Charlie Brown Christmas Movie when I saw the figure eight.

We saw several people on bikes.

Without a sled, I suppose pushing your baby in the stroller while ice skating is the next best thing.

This is one of the two pedal cars we saw on the ice. You can just see the person sitting inside while another person is catching a ride on the back.

Eisrettungsstation means Ice Rescue Station. We didn't see any broken ice, but there were several stories in the news about people or animals falling through when the freezing weather first hit. People had been on the lake for about two weeks, but the locals warned us not to go out "until the fire department says that they can't guarantee anyone's safety." Then it is okay.

Some enterprising people set up a Bratwurst and Glüwein booth just outside a restaurant and business was hopping! 

Pa was thrilled to be able to jump on the ice.

While we were walking we kept hearing this spooky sound that reminded me of sounds you would hear in an aquarium. I assume it was the sound of ice as it shifted and people walked on it. We enjoyed our little frozen lake outing, but I will be so happy when warmer weather arrives. I think the next week is supposed to be around freezing again. That is practically balmy compared to the last few weeks.