I guess before getting to spend time in Germany I never really thought that it could be a quaint, adorable place. However, this past weekend my friends and I went to Stuttgart and Esslingen to visit two different Christmas markets there. So now I think my top three adorable, quaint cities in Germany are: Heidelberg, Stuttgart, and Esslingen.
We arrived in Stuttgart by train. After getting settled in and dropping off our bags at Chrissy's house, we made our way to the Christmas markets. The markets are beautiful like the ones in Strasbourg. Actually, I think Stuttgart decorates the outside/top of their stands more than Strasbourg does. Did you know that in Germany they view Santa Claus as skinny, pretty much the opposite of the American "jolly" and round Santa? There was plenty of Glühwein (vin chaud, mulled wine) and blonder engel to be had this weekend. If I remember correctly, blonder engel (white angel) is basically like warm white wine, a little bit of rum, a tiny bit of eggnog, and whipped cream on top. It is D-lish! I also had currywurst which is basically a wurst, or sausage, cut up and put into ketchup topped with curry powder. Kartoffelpuffer was also a new discovery over the weekend. It reminded me of a latke and came with apple sauce on the side. We came back to Chrissy's house to an equally delicious bowl of black bean soup made by Chrissy's mom and then played a classic game of Apples to Apples.
Esslignen's Christmas market was a medieval one, complete with costumes, ceramic mugs for glühwein, smokey goodness, and even a pig roasting over coals. There were woodworkers, silversmiths, people juggling fire, medieval bands with instruments that looked like mandelins--it was a really cool experience to be in a very different Christmas market setting. Here I tried Eierpunsch which was hot eggnog with some alcohol in it. It's very similar to blonder engel, but more creamy. I also had pork and sauerkraut which was a tasty delight of smokiness and tenderness. I also tasted what was basically fried apple slices in what tasted like a funnel cake batter with plenty of sugar on top. While we were only here for a little over an hour, it was a great unique experience nonetheless.
In other news, I have started planning a trip to Morocco next semester with friends! We would be going late February to early March. I find myself starting to like teaching more and more every day. Obviously, there are still a lot of challenges that come with the job, but what job doesn't come with challenges?
I have been listening to Christmas carols as much as I can, now that Christmas is only 12 days away :) My favorite artist include Faith Hill, Whitney Houston, Glee, and other choirs. Though there are some modern Christmas songs, I've been sticking to the classics. I mean, nothing says Christmas more than a choir singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Faith Hill does beautiful versions of O Holy Night and Little Drummer Boy. Well, I hope everyone is well, see you most of you very soon! xoxo
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
AlMoSt Joyeux Noël!
Hello all, I hope everyone has gotten into the holiday spirit despite the cold weather. Here in Strasbourg it has been snowing a somewhat good amount, but then it warms up and rains...either way it is very gray...but the lights all around centre ville at night make up for the gloominess of the days. I have to say that even though my family is in Chicago, Strasbourg has a certain charm about it especially around Christmas that just makes it irreplacable (insert Beyonce lyrics here). Typical treats of the season at the Christmas markets include vin chaud, tarte flambées on a baguette, warm orange juice with honey, and many more. Despite the cold/crappy weather conditions, there is a lot to enjoy/be thankful for during the Christmas season in Strasbourg (although I am never thankful for transportation strikes).
Thanks to one of my friends celebrating her birthday last week, I found a restaurant in Strasbourg where my lactose-intolerant dad could actually eat. It is not a french restaurant but it is called TigerWok and actually is pretty good. It is basically stir fry from a wok...a little bit like Flat Top, but you wait for them to cook your food in a wok instead of on a grill.
This past weekend was one of those weekends where you don't really have anything big planned, but cool things just come up. Friday night my friends and I had a chill night with wine and Love Actually to celebrate the holiday season. On Saturday, I went to a hospital in Strasbourg for a free wine tasting. Yes, you did just read correctly--I went to a wine tasting at a hospital. Actually, the hospital was originally a wine cave in Strasbourg in 1395. It wasn't until the 17th century that it became a hospital officially. I tasted an especially good Pinot Gris, a white wine typical of Alsace at the wine tasting. I was looking for a 2004 wine (they say that 2004 was an especially good year for wine), although it's probably safe to assume that all the 2004 wines have been consumed by now. Either way, it was great to taste good wines for free. On sunday my friends and I went to see a "modern dance" at the Museum of Modern Art in Strasbourg. Sidenote--the museum of Modern Art is well, modern, and pretty cool. It is definitely worth going to if you come to Strasbourg. Ok, on to the "modern" dance show...as my friend Mark said, it is kind of like "sway dancing". I have seen beautiful modern dance before, although this dance was pretty much just swaying, running, walking, lying on the ground, getting back up...um yeah. That's about it. Nonetheless, it was comical to see.
Other than the weekend activities, I have been allowing myself to listen to Christmas carols as much as I can--anything from Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to modern day takes from the Glee cast. Of course, I always have to have Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" in my playlist also. So far, my Advent calendar has six windows opened which means I have eaten six chocolates so far this december. No offense to my old Advent calendars, but the chocolate ones kind of outdo all the others for me.
Anyway, I hope this blog post finds everyone in good health and spirits. I am going home in 11 days and am very excited to see my family and friends :). Next weekend I am going to Stuttgart in Germany with a bunch of friends. I'm sure you guys will be hearing about that weekend also. A la prochaine!
Thanks to one of my friends celebrating her birthday last week, I found a restaurant in Strasbourg where my lactose-intolerant dad could actually eat. It is not a french restaurant but it is called TigerWok and actually is pretty good. It is basically stir fry from a wok...a little bit like Flat Top, but you wait for them to cook your food in a wok instead of on a grill.
This past weekend was one of those weekends where you don't really have anything big planned, but cool things just come up. Friday night my friends and I had a chill night with wine and Love Actually to celebrate the holiday season. On Saturday, I went to a hospital in Strasbourg for a free wine tasting. Yes, you did just read correctly--I went to a wine tasting at a hospital. Actually, the hospital was originally a wine cave in Strasbourg in 1395. It wasn't until the 17th century that it became a hospital officially. I tasted an especially good Pinot Gris, a white wine typical of Alsace at the wine tasting. I was looking for a 2004 wine (they say that 2004 was an especially good year for wine), although it's probably safe to assume that all the 2004 wines have been consumed by now. Either way, it was great to taste good wines for free. On sunday my friends and I went to see a "modern dance" at the Museum of Modern Art in Strasbourg. Sidenote--the museum of Modern Art is well, modern, and pretty cool. It is definitely worth going to if you come to Strasbourg. Ok, on to the "modern" dance show...as my friend Mark said, it is kind of like "sway dancing". I have seen beautiful modern dance before, although this dance was pretty much just swaying, running, walking, lying on the ground, getting back up...um yeah. That's about it. Nonetheless, it was comical to see.
Other than the weekend activities, I have been allowing myself to listen to Christmas carols as much as I can--anything from Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to modern day takes from the Glee cast. Of course, I always have to have Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" in my playlist also. So far, my Advent calendar has six windows opened which means I have eaten six chocolates so far this december. No offense to my old Advent calendars, but the chocolate ones kind of outdo all the others for me.
Anyway, I hope this blog post finds everyone in good health and spirits. I am going home in 11 days and am very excited to see my family and friends :). Next weekend I am going to Stuttgart in Germany with a bunch of friends. I'm sure you guys will be hearing about that weekend also. A la prochaine!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)