Essen und Blumen - Food and Flowers

First...

My husband and I made the trip out to Markt Kauf, one of the bigger grocery stores again. Walking around, we continually stumbled into things that are out of the ordinary for us.

In Germany, many bottles (plastic and glass) require a bottle deposit. Every grocery store has a bottle return center. If you look carefully, you can see the woman with a cart full of mineral water and beer. Later, she will bring each of those bottles back, loaded up in another cart.

Here is someone waiting to return his bottles!

Drinking tap water (Leitungswasser) is not common at all even though the tap water is perfectly clean.  If you ever ask for water at a restaurant or anywhere, you will get sparkling mineral water unless you specify that you want Leitungswasser.

As we were browsing the grocery department, we came across the alcohol isles. The drinks here are noticeably marketed to a younger crowd (and very cheap). Many are decorated with cartoonish characters and bright colors and catchy names. 

There was half of an isle dedicated just to whisky. I had no idea that it could be so expensive. One whisky option offered here contained smaller bottles , each containing 15, 18 and 25 year old varieties for a whopping price of 37.99 Euros. A full sized bottle of aged (18 years old) whiskey ran around 50 Euros. I have no idea what that would cost in the states.

Interestingly, the non-alcoholic drinks were mixed right in with the grown-up drinks.

This Hannah Montana drink was right below the margarita shelf.

Another interesting thing we noticed is how inexpensive alcoholic drinks are here. There are two versions on Moet on this shelf. One costs 35.99 Euros and the other costs 39.99 Euros. That is less than the U.S., right?

 I noticed these sausages on a previous visit and wondered if they were perhaps a vegetarian friendly sausage. I was in the dairy area so I knew they were not meat. On closer inspection I saw that they are tubes of soup!

Once again I have found "American" hamburgers and hot dogs, complete with buns!

Here is a sausage with a curry sauce - If you are ever in Germany, you MUST try this. The brand is Dinner for One, made popular by the Skit these Germans love to watch around New Year's Eve.

And Next...

As mentioned earlier, Markt Kauf is huge. We walked over to the garden center area and couldn't resist some herbs. Spring is finally making its way to Münster so we decided to liven up our apartment  with some new planter boxes.

I picked out the lovely herb pack, but as soon as we were home, My sweet husband took over the planting responsibilities. We planted petunias in-between the herbs. Later, hopefully, the petunias will drape over the edge and look lovely off the balcony.

Ok, I couldn't resist helping a little. The herbs were pretty root bound, so after I pulled them out of their pots, I loosened up the roots by pulling them apart a bit.

The roots will be much happier and healthier now. 

Isn't that pretty?

We will keep them inside for a few weeks, until the plants are over their transplant shock and we are free of frosty mornings.

This Sunday is Easter. One of the Catholic churches here is supposed to have an extraordinarily beautiful service that we are going to try to see. Later that day we are hoping to visit friends just outside of town. Hopefully we will be able to ride our bikes, unless it SNOWS!

Send?

Münster Send

"What in the world is Send?", you might ask. A few weeks ago we saw a banner advertising some sort of goings on near the Schloß (castle) called Send. It was labeled as a Folksfest of some sort, but we really had no idea what it was. 

The first Send occurred in the 9th century and was really just bi-annual (Spring and Fall)  meetings for religious leaders. In the 11th century a special farmer's market followed the meetings. A third fest, in the Summer, began in the 19th century.

Now, three times a year over a million visitors come to Münster to ride the newest attractions and to enjoy the fest food. Most of the food was the same as what we saw at the Weihnnachtsmarkt, but there was one new surprise (read further to see)!

For the entire week before the start of Send, Hindenburgplatz (an open area in front of the Schloß) was all abustle with activity. Booths were constructed, bike ways were closed off, and row after row of attractions and rides were built.

A minor illness struck one of our kids, so our excursion was postponed till one of the last days. This turned out to be in our favor as the previous days had been warm (relatively) and sunny, but the day we went was cool and rainy. The Münsterlich weather kept many people home, making the fest not nearly as crowded as it could have been.

One of the first booths we saw sold Oma's Gurken ( pickles)!

Similar to Oktoberfest, Bier is a regular and important part of the festive atmosphere. Check out these suspenders!

Many of the booths had candy and chocolate covered fruit. This particular booth decoration must the the source of many childhood clown nightmares. This does not make me want to buy candy here.

Very often, we stumble upon "American" food stands.

The rides were decorated to draw in the crowds.

This pirate themed fun house was a huge draw for the kids.

Spice booths were also pretty popular. I have noticed that most of the grocery stores carry a very limited variety of spices. Spice booths like this one are very popular at fests as well as the Wochenende Markts.

Not long after arriving at Send, we ran into the family of one of our younger son's classmates. The boys rode a few rides together. This swing ride was a comfortable alternative to the 45 meter high, twirling, swinging ride the boys wanted to ride, but were not tall enough for (to their mothers' relief).

A hot Nutella crepe really hit the spot.

Explaining centrifugal force was fun.

The Geisterbahn caused a little angst, but (allegedly) turned out only to be amusing.

We let the boys ride a few rides on their own, but we all rode the Ferris Wheel together. At 55 meters (180.5 feet) high, we saw well past the boundaries of Münster in every direction. The Send filled the entire area in front of the Schloß.

As we headed home, we picked up one last treat, the 1/2 meter Wurst. For about $4, this lovely beast comes with a fresh brötchen and all the ketchup and mustard you can stand. Notice the lame attempt to make the brötchen look less ridiculously small by folding one end over. These Germans really like their meat (ha ha). Between the four of us this bad boy didn't stand a chance!

The next Send is Sommersend at the end of June. I can't wait to see what new treats we will discover there!

The next few weeks are our Easter Holidays. We have a few short trips planned to Hannover, Hamburg and Berlin.

Rüschhaus - one benefit of living a bike ride away from several castles!

Road Trip! - OK, Bike Trip!

Haus Rüschhaus, built 1745

With Spring threatening to come, the local tourist sights keep beckoning to us. We took the opportunity on a rather gray and misty Saturday to bike to another castle - Haus Rüschhaus. The house was built by Johann Conrad Schlaun, a famous German architect for his personal use.

Even though we biked a measly 7 kilometers, one boy said he was "so" tired. It wasn't even up hill!

Behind the Schloß is a Hochzeit Wald. There is a lovely tradition here of planing a new tree when you celebrate your wedding day (Hochzeit). 

Each tree was tagged with the Bridal pair's name. Most were too faded to read, but this one had been replaced.

The main entrance to the castle is from the back. The large, white doors are for a carriage.

The house itself was built from 1745 to 1748. The design was supposed to be a mixture of Westphalian farm and  sophisticated French country estate. Haus Rüschhaus was first used as a summer home and was sold to Baron Clemens August von Droste-Hülshoff, a German Catholic Aristocrat, in 1825. Droste-Hülshoff was the frather of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, a very famous German writer.

Her full name is:

Anna Elizabeth Franziska Adolphine Wilhelmine Louise Maria, Frelin von Droste zu Hülshoff. 

Adolphine Wilhelmine is my favorite part. Doesn't it just roll off your tongue?

Luckily, all you have to say is, "Annette", and people know who you are talking about.

We walked around to the front and saw a beautiful, formal garden. Just to the left of this greenhouse is a small grey building. The garden sculptures are hiding under these shelters until Springtime.

 Like all good castles, the required religious shrine is showcased just across the moat.

The gardens were designed with strict geometric patterns in mind.

You can just see the moat along the left side of the garden. Moats, by the way, were only allowed to Feudal Nobility as s sign of their status. At least in Germany.

The tulips will be lovely in a several weeks!

We found a protected bench (it was a bit windy and only 10 degrees Celsius) to eat our lunch. Boy number one's bike lock was malfunctioning and needed some attention. 

Above the front entrance was this lovely coat of arms. 

The house itself is closed until the Spring, so we will have to come back to see the inside of the house. I was, however, able to snap this shot through the sidelight.

There are so many beautiful things to see and visit here in Münster. It is hard to imagine that we will not be able to see them all in the next 4 months. But nothing can stop us from trying!

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!

Expanding our Minds at the Picasso Museum (And our bellies at the Eis cafe)

Münster Picasso Museum

Frau mit geblümter Bluse

Spring really is almost here. We took advantage of a lovely, non-rainy, day to visit one of Münster's highlights - their very own Picasso Museum. Our youngest child gave us a great tour since his class visited the museum last fall.

Here is the facade of the museum.

I love the doors.

The museum is located in the Altstadt of Münster and even has it's own cafe. In addition to the Picasso pieces, there was also a huge exhibit of work from another Spanish artist named Eduardo Chillida.  We spend the first part of our trip looking through his works. I downloaded the image below from here. The exhibit showcased  drawings, sketches, and three dimensional works in metal, stone, and paper.

For about 20 Euros, the cost of a family ticket, we spent a lovely afternoon expanding our minds a little.

Take a virtual tour of the museum here.

Of course I didn't actually take pictures of my favorites (photography is verboten!) I snapped these images off the museum tickets.

Überraschung!

Surprise!

As we made our way home from the museum, we noticed some sort of commotion at the Schloss. We dropped the boys off at home and went back to check it out.

As it turns out, we had stumbled into some sort of fabric Flea Market (Stoff Flomarkt).

This find was particularly convenient since I have been itching to make a blanket for a pregnant friend. Of course, the main problem is that I have no sewing machine here.

I found this really cute burberry plaid fabric and knew I HAD to make a blanket. I had seen knotted fleece blankets and thought I would give it a try.

I cut a square, about three inches in diameter, out of each corner of the fabric. Then I cut three inch slits, about one inch apart along the edges of the fabric.

This fabric is two layers of fleece fused together, but it easily pulled apart to tie the knots.

I tied every other strip, then flipped the blanket over and tied the other side.

I cut 4 inch slits on the sides that had the selvage and then snipped it off the extra inch before I tied it. It is probably  easier to cut the selvaged edge before you cut the strips, but these scissors are very dull and pulled the fleece too much to try to cut a straight edge.

I think this worked pretty well for my first attempt at fleece blanket making.

My report about our next adventure will have to wait till next week - on Tuesday we visited the Pinkus Braüerei for a wonderful, authentic German dinner.