MidSummer Bonfire in Bavaria 2016

I thought I'd share some photos from the Feurfest or Fire Festival that our local town had last month. Germans take their festivities quite seriously! The Mayor of Ottobrunn was spotted donning a leder Hose and Chugging on a Beer Maß.

I was intrigued to find out more. Turns out its a pagan tradition that wards off all evil. Witches are not invited to the party!

Did you know that the loops of the pretzel are believed to represent arms crossing the chest for prayer. 

In my opinion though, the shape is best suited for toddler hands to nibble on !

Catching up & My Travel Diary

Hello my little blog! Long time no see :D

I was going through those days when every Friday I found myself in a moment of disbelief that " What?! Is it Friday again? Wooh slow down Mr. Calender." All in good spirits though.

If I were to sum it all up here's how it went.

Ramadan > Eid > Mini Holiday ( thats 6 destinations in one week Btw) > Back to School > Intensive Driving Lessons > Cold Weather Induced Sluggishness > Guests every Weekend > and a forgotton Blog!

As usual our trip was a last minute plan. We set off with only one hotel booking in Dresden--the rest of the trip unfolded on the way:)

Yenidze is the name of a former cigarette factory building in Dresden. I was curious about the choice of architectural style of a tobacco company. It was designed by a jewish man who imported not only tobacco from the Ottoman region but also their architecture.

The Bundeswehr Military History Museum:Dresden

The Fürstenzug (English: Procession of Princes) in Dresden, Germany, is a large mural of a mounted procession of the rulers of Saxony.  It is known as the largest porcelain artwork in the world.

Berlin’s Siegessäule - Victory Column -

The Berlin Wall-

The iconic Brandenburg Gate: Berlin

 Rickmer Rickmers: A permanently moored ship in Hamburg, Cap San Diego.  Built in 1896 . It is currently a floating museum.

 Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. It is named Germany's "Gateway to the World" and is the largest port in Germany. The port of Hamburg is the third-busiest port in Europe (after the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp) and 15th-largest worldwide.

 Hamburg City square; its its padlocks and a city model

 Bird's Eye view from Hohenbaden (old castle) in Baden-Baden, Germany.Baden-Baden is a spa town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany .It is located in the northern foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River in close proximity to France.

The Hercules Monument: Kassel

Water running down the cascades in Bergpark, Kassel

 Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.

 A very blurred picture snapped from within a dry and comfy car But, it says so much..earning a comfortable life is not easy for everyone. This was a red signal on a  road in Hamburg where two people with bright red clown noses started juggling balls and hopes for some loose cash dropped in their bowl before the lights turned amber. Whatever brought them to this point..I kept wondering.

I thank my husband who gave us the opportunity to explore a little more. He drove 2300km without his tea..I forgot the thermos home! My baby who sat patiently in the car seat :)

All descriptive Information was picked up from Wikipedia. I can only hope for authenticity.

Summertide

Summer routine is sapping out all of the pent up activities we were waiting to do for so long. Somedays seem too short for everything to fit in..the clock seems to move faster than the sun. Here's whats been happening lately:

Made cake pops for my son's favorite girl's birthday.My son is 2 and she turned 7 bytheway!

This month I had my birthday too and was treated well by the kin and folk of my clan. Went out for a grill party that day.our first official grill of the season.

We've been frequenting our local gelato ice cream shop late in the evenings..this past weekend we went to a little theme park near munich based on the grimm brother's fairly tales...I packed some homemade pretzels and frischkaese for the trip. Recipe seemed ok but the pretzels were not terribly soft the next day..but platable.

After a long eventful day..Making Pretzels for the first time. Past mid night. Pretending to be nigella :p

 They came out really soft and chewy but went a bit hard later.

I get some off toddler time two days a week when I commute to the city on the train. Perfect time to read and reflect :)

Been reading this great book by Paulo Coelho. I picked it up thinking it to be a novel but this falls more into the category of a self-help maybe motivational book. I was reminded of Coelho's The Warrior of Light quiet a lot of times while reading. Here are some of the best lines.

And those who are alone at this moment, need never be frightened by the words of the devil: ‘You’re wasting your time.’

Or by the chief demon’s even more potent words: ‘No one cares about you.’

The Divine Energy is listening to us when we speak to other people, but also when we are still and silent and able to accept solitude as a blessing.

And when we achieve that harmony, we receive more than we asked for.

I am here to tell you that there are people who have never been defeated.

They are the ones who never fought.

Allowing someone else to make us happy will make them happy too.

Gardasee, Italy

We are back from a short camping holiday in Northern Italy. It was the last week before the camping villages close down for winters. We took the oppurtunity to celeberate our Wedding Anniversary on 'Urlaub' as the germans say it. It was truly a relaxing trip. No rush to check in half a dozen places in one day, as it would have been if we had planned to spend the day in a busy tourist city center.

Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, is located between Venice and Milan. Lago di Garda is considered "one of the biggest activity playgrounds in Europe." source

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. ~Henry David Thoreau

Witht he Dolomite Mountains in the backdrop, narrow cobblestone streets lined with cottages and palm trees northern Italy is more about nature, charecter and simplicity as oposed to the human made marvells of Rome and Milan.

A chalet in the midst of the vast valley. I spotted quite a few of them on the way to Riva al Lago.

Our luxus cabin at the camping site.

We woke up in paradise! The clouds were literally at the door.

The food and service at the camping restaurant was great.

Freshly baked bread flavoured with seaseme oil. I had never tried it before. Will def try using the flavouring next time in Naans instead of the seaseme seeds.

The Italian Oven!

Pizza Tono, Pizza Marghareita, Pizza Aurora, Polenta con funghi e fomaggio fusso ( I swear I didnt write that off my memory..I took a picture of the menu hehehe) and a bugs bunny getalo for the little one!

After all that cheese, Cola light please! I kept telling my self..when in italy, eat like the italians eat.

(Hey Italy is known for style, even the can of coke is prettier there! )

The best part of the trip was that my son had the freedom to run around and play as much as he liked. Way better than locking him up in a small hotel room.

The Scaliger Castle (13th century).We drove by the lake to reach the South end town of Sirmione. I picked up the picture on google because the sun had set and my camera results were not so good.

Lake Garda

It was the most hastily planned holiday yet a very tranquille one.

 

Oktoberfest Müchen 2012

This past Wednesday we had a  public holiday to mark the Re-unification of East and West Germany. On 3rd October 1990, East and West Germany were reunited, ending 45 years of Cold War division. On the other hand, Müncheners were busy celebrating something else. The most awaited event of all year 'The Oktoberfest'. We spent the holiday at the fest.

'Every year, around seven million people from all over the world come to the southern German city of Munich for a 16-day party, during which roughly the same number of Mass (litre-sized glasses) of beer are consumed.' (Source: www.thelocal.de)

'The first Oktoberfest in Munich took place on 12th Oktober 1812 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig (who became King Ludwig I later) and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Munich's citizens were invited to join the festivity which was held on a field on the city's outskirts. In honor of the new-wed princess it was named Theresienwiese (Theresia's meadow).
The festivities ended with a horse race, and it was decided to repeat the race in the following year. An agricultural show, beers stalls, merry-go-rounds and other amusements were added to the festival over the years. The horse race is no longer held, but the Oktoberfest is still celebrated on the Theresienwiese in Munich. So welcome to the Wiesn as the locals say.' (Source)

I have not seen Germans getting exited about anything else more; even Christmas, than for the Oktoberfest. Stores are stuffed with Drindles and Lederhosen.

 I had to wait in a long line before I could get into a changing room at our local shopping center. Public transport has to be managed with extra staff at the train stations to channel the oozing crowds with boozed up heads. Although known for its beer, the fest offers something for the entire family.

We went there and had fun on the rides, the alluring aroma of warm sugared nuts, fruit in warm chocolate, candy floss and the background noise of people yelling as they came down on the free fall or spun around on some other crazy ride made us feel the fest at its best. There was so much non-alcoholic pleasure to have.

       Mandel Nuss...warm sugary
almonds.Yummmmm

I made a small crafty project in line with the fest :) Guests at Oktoberfest normally consume around half a million pretzels during the festival.So, I made a clay pretzel necklace pendant. I have made my own clay and I'm experimenting things with it..so expect some of that coming soon.