Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk 2019

link here

This will be an uncharacteristically short post announcing the 2019 Worldwide Photo Walk organized by photographer Scott Kelby and his team. M and I participated last year for the first time in Tübingen, and we really enjoyed it!

The walk we are organizing will be in Esslingen, Germany. Here's the link to the description. Join us if you're in the area! And sign up on Kelby's site - it's limited to 50 people (yikes!). Last year there were more than 900 registered walks around the world and about 17,500 walker-photographers!

You do not need to be a professional photographer or even a really, really good one. Nor do you have to have the best and most expensive photography equipment. Your smartphone or point-and-shoot will do.
You just need to...

1. enjoy photography, or
2. like getting together with people, or
3. enjoy a nice casual walk around town, or
4. want someone to show you the picturesque spots in town, or
5. be up for something new!

No matter where you are in the world, you can search Kelby's site and find a walk near you, perhaps right in your own city or town. Check back frequently, because new walks are added every day. If you don't find one, apply to lead a walk yourself! If you do apply, one tip: The team is probably more interested in your ability to lead a group safely around town than your photographic expertise. It helps to be good at both, of course - that's what makes M and me a good team!

What I like about this activity is that it truly is worldwide, it is peaceful, and it promotes creativity. Oh, and it costs NOTHING!!

I'm off to my final week at the Jagdschule, which is why this post is short. Then again, it doesn't need to be longer.

Do the Photo Walk!! Why not?!?

Meine Rede / My Speech

As I wrote recently, my hometown Sheboygan, Wisconsin and the city of Esslingen, Germany are celebrating this year their 50th anniversary of city partnership. Since 1967 the two towns have been sister cities, and the high school exchange program started in 1970. The current mayor of Sheboygan, Mike Vandersteen, recently wrote an article for the Sheboygan Press about the beginnings of this city partnership. A delegation from Sheboygan came to Esslingen this week (roughly 30 people), and a full program was arranged for them including some tours, a day trip, and an afternoon with Esslingen's Feuerwehr (Volunteer Fire Department).

I was asked several months ago if I would be willing to give a speech on the occasion of the celebration, which was held last night in Esslingen. I agreed and spent the time since then writing, discarding drafts, rewriting, and editing. The last changes were made on the train ride to Esslingen yesterday.

I thought it would be ok to put my speech on my blog, since quite a few people came up to me afterward and said they enjoyed it. It was more personal than the other two speeches of the evening (the Oberbürgermeister of Esslingen and the mayor of Sheboygan spoke first), so perhaps it struck people differently. I delivered the speech in German, but a written English translation was provided for those in the crowd who didn't speak German.

Here is my speech (if you're interested in the English translation, let me know).

My Denglish Life, Thanks to the Sheboygan-Esslingen Austausch

Guten Abend Herr Doktor Zieger, Mayor Mike Vandersteen, liebe Gäste aus Sheboygan und Esslingen, meine Damen und Herren, Mom und Dad... Vielen Dank für diese Gelegenheit, über den Sheboygan-Esslingen Austausch und Städtepartnerschaft zu sprechen. Außer Mutter zu werden hatte nichts mein Leben so stark beeinflusst wie dieser Austausch. Für die Gäste, die mich nicht kennen, ich bin B.K.H., ich komme aus Sheboygan, und ich habe 1986 an dem Austausch teilgenommen. Ich wohne seit fast fünf Jahren in Deutschland. Heute ist besonders schön für mich, denn alle meine Eltern sind hier: meine echten Eltern aus Sheboygan, A. und J.K., meine Gastmutter, A.G., und meine Schwiegermutter, P.H. Ohne sie würde ich heute nicht hier stehen.

Mein Aufenthalt in Esslingen war unglaublich wunderbar, mit Höhen und Tiefen. Meine Gastfamilie hat mir viel von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz gezeigt, und ich habe viel über mich selbst gelernt. Die Welt sah damals ganz anders aus - stellen Sie sich vor: keine Internet, keine E-Mail, keine Handys, kein Skype oder Facebook und keine digitale Kameras. Ich habe meiner Familie und Freunden in Sheboygan Briefe und Postkarten geschickt - und bekam 14 Tage später eine Antwort. Ah...those were the days!

Meine Beziehung zu meiner Gastfamilie war nicht immer problemlos - genau wie bei einer echten Familie. Meine Gastschwester und ich waren nicht immer die besten Freunde. Seitdem sind wir aber eng befreundet. Übrigens, sie hat einen Amerikaner geheiratet und wohnt seit 22 Jahren mit ihren Kindern in Madison, die Hauptstadt von Wisconsin - 180km von  Sheboygan entfernt!

Ich hatte ein Tagebuch, in dem ich fast jeden Tag geschrieben hatte, und ich habe es immer noch. Deswegen weiß ich, dass ich meinen Mann, M, am 23. April '86 zum ersten Mal getroffen habe - im Palmscher Bau [ein Restaurant in Esslingen]! Er war mit seiner Mutter zum Schülertreffen mitgekommen und freute sich eigentlich nur auf sein Eis. Damals hatten wir keine Ahnung, dass wir für einander bestimmt waren, und 2006 auf einer Insel in Schottland heiraten würden.

Als ich nach dem Austausch nach Hause geflogen bin wusste ich, dass ich zurückkommen musste. Khalil Gibran hat genau das geschrieben, was in meinem Herzen war: "Wie soll ich in Frieden und ohne Trauer gehen? Zu viel von meinem Geist habe ich in diesen Straßen verströmt. Nicht ohne Wunde im Geist werde ich diese Stadt verlassen...Es ist kein Gewand, das ich heute ablege, sondern eine Haut, die ich mir mit eigenen Händen abreiße."

Nach dem Austausch lernte ich weiter Deutsch, und Deutsch war auch mein Nebenfach an der Uni. Ich unterrichtete in Wisconsin 16 Jahre Deutsch und Englisch, und in diesen Jahren war ich 20 Mal in Esslingen zu Besuch - manchmal mit meinen Kindern oder Eltern, manchmal alleine, manchmal mit Schülern. Jedes Mal wenn jemand mich nach Esslingen gefahren hat, war es wie im Film: Der Blick auf Esslingen und die Burg wenn man von Festo runterfährt wurde und wird nie langweilig.

Seit 2012 wohne ich mit M in Horb am Neckar. Obwohl das keine schwierige Umstellung für mich war, musste ich doch einiges lernen. Das Leben in Deutschland ist nicht wie das Leben in Wisconsin. Was müssen wir Ausländer und Austauschschüler lernen, um gut und komfortabel im Schwabenland zu leben?

• Mülltrennung: Biomüll, Restmüll, Altpapier, Glas-Recycling und Pfand
• Kehrwoche
• Fasnet
• Mittagsruhe, Sonntagsruhe, Nachtruhe, und stille Feiertage
• täglich Lüften
• Warte, wenn das Ampelmännchen rot ist!
• Sei pünktlich!

Ich habe mir den Namen "Nei'gschmeckte" wahrscheinlich noch nicht verdient, aber das ist nun alles völlig normal für mich, und ich habe mehr Schwierigkeiten, wenn ich wieder in Sheboygan bin! Werfe ich wirklich Batterien in den Mülleimer?? Es gibt keine Zugverbindung zwischen Sheboygan und Milwaukee?? Und Heiligsblechle, fahren die aber langsam!!

Letzes Jahr habe ich angefangen, Integrationskurse zu unterrichten. Als Ausländerin helfe ich nun anderen Ausländern und Flüchtlingen Deutsch zu lernen und deutsche Politik und Geschichte zu verstehen. Seit zwei Jahren komme ich im Februar für zwei Wochen nach Esslingen, um bei den Austauschschülern aus Sheboygan Deutschunterricht zu geben. Alles, was ich in meinem Berufsleben gemacht hatte, hat mich auf das vorbereitet, was ich jetzt tue. Und das hat alles mit diesem Austausch zwischen Sheboygan und Esslingen angefangen.

Meine Vorfahren sind 1853 aus einem kleinen Dorf bei Pforzheim nach Sheboygan ausgewandert. Sie waren Immigranten in einem fremden Land, so wie ich jetzt. Vielleicht deswegen hatte ich das Gefühl schon vor 31 Jahren, dass ich nach Esslingen gehöre. Das ist eine Familiengeschichte, die vor 164 Jahren begonnen hat - und für mich persönlich mit diesem Austausch. hier schließt sich der Kreis, und ich bin zurück zu meinen Wurzeln gekommen. Das war nur durch diese Sheboygan-Esslingen Städtpartnerschaft und Austausch möglich gewesen.

Aus tiefstem Herzen sage ich vielen, vielen Dank!
*****

I was so blinking nervous - there were a lot of people there, and a lot of people I knew! But I made it through and am glad I didn't chicken out.

Life Lately

I enjoy the "Life Lately" posts of Adventitious Violet, which she posts periodically, and since I know I don't have time to sit down for a thought-provoking post about travel or differences between Wisconsin and Swabia, I thought I'd write one of these over coffee this morning so readers know I haven't disappeared.

I've been working every day (though not even close to full-time) and studying for the C1 German test coming up on July 1st, and that means it's harder to indulge in an afternoon nap. Our house is in disarray, the garden is as unruly as a teenager on Red Bull, M has all but taken over cooking, and that best-seller I've been imagining in my mind for upwards of 35 years has still not been written. Of course, I waste an embarrassing amount of time checking Facebook and CNN, but at least M blocked Fox News from our Network (at my request) so I can no longer get outraged at the comments sections of articles. I've been totally neglecting my parents despite knowing my mom enjoys getting an email from me in the morning, and my list of "to do" is much longer than my list of "have done".

Basically, since I have the same 24 hours that everyone else has in a day, I have no excuse for the current state of affairs, and during my afternoon nap today I'm definitely going to conjure up a plan to get back on top of things.

Since I'm on my second cup of coffee, though, I'd better get going on Life Lately...

Teaching

I am still teaching the Englisch-AG to students with mild learning disabilities twice a week, though this will be my last year. I'm just so much happier teaching adults, even though I really like the kids in that class. Half of them "graduate" in July because this school only goes to the ninth grade.

Four days a week, Tuesday to Friday, I teach basic German at the Hermann-Hesse-Kolleg. I've had four students, whom I briefly wrote about a few posts ago, but yesterday the woman from the Ukraine had her last day and Tuesday is the last day for the woman from Japan. The school director told me that I'll probably gain a few new students next week, so we'll see what happens.

Last week I mentioned Esslingen and how beautiful it is, and we decided to take a class trip there this coming Tuesday! I'll give them an informal Stadtführung (city tour), we'll have lunch, we'll walk up to the Burg, and we'll bask in the beauty of my favorite German city.

Learning

As I mentioned, I'll be taking a German language test (C1 level) on July 1st. I have found several practice tests and activities online, and my results have not been impressive. I never properly learned the passive voice or indirect discourse, so I've been studying those especially. What I really need to focus on is expanding my vocabulary and the subtle changes in meaning when a verb is coupled with a different preposition, for example: bestehen aus vs. bestehen in. I'm now working on a book I've had for a while but left on the shelf - Weg mit den typischen Fehlern! (Avoiding Typical Mistakes) - and wishing I had started it the day I learned I'd be taking this test.

Traveling

I already wrote about parts of my trip last month to visit my daughter in Philadelphia. Not long after I returned, my Schwiegermutter and I accompanied four American exchange students from my hometown, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Berlin for four days. They were a great group, very interested, spoke plenty of German, and we had a very good trip. We saw everything we could see in that short time, and sometime after my test I'll probably do a blog post about it.

das Brandenburger Tor made of chocolate at
Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatier
The sign says "no touching", but it doesn't say a thing about licking!

Reading

Besides grammar books and the local newspaper, I've been reading a book I bought in Berlin about the wall as well as Einwanderung und Asyl: die 101 wichtigsten Fragen (Immigration and Asylum: the 101 most important questions). Irgendwo in  Deutschland, the sequel to Nirgendwo in Afrika, has been at my bedside for months, and I am making very slow progess in that one.

Cooking

As I type this, M has another hunk of meat in his sous vide jacuzzi, which has been in there since Thursday evening. Tonight we're having BBQ spare ribs with a sauce that is so insanely delcious that I've been putting it on everything but cereal. It absolutely lives up to its name:

We still have to decide what we're having with the ribs. If I want my daughter to be impressed, it has to be something other than potatoes.  Update: it was fries and cole slaw. See below.

And there they are, with homemade Krautsalat.
They were decadent.

Watching

The EM games, of course, or at least the ones involving the German team. I've fallen behind in what we affectionally call my "Scottish porn" (Outlander; it's not really porn, but a historical romance that gets a bit racey at times) because I lost interest in the second season when the setting was in France rather than in Scotland.

Our other regulars are "the Mentalist", "Big Bang Theory", any and all quiz shows, and "die Rosenheim Cops". Although the first two are American shows, we watch them in German because that's how they're aired on TV. M watches all kinds of other strange shows on the Man Channel (DMAX), which I try to tune out while studying German grammar.

Missing

My 25th college reunion is going on this weekend in Appleton, Wisconsin (USA). My former classmates are posting lots of photos on Facebook, and it's embarrassing how many people I don't remember well. It was and is a small college, after all. I suppose if I hadn't got married in my second year, I would have spent more time on campus and with my classmates. I think what's going on is that the classmates with whom I was really close are also not attending. By "missing" I don't mean I wish I were there, but rather I am not attending because I'm just too far away.

Socializing

Since I'm in town for teaching nearly every day, I run into my former students and other Syrians I have met through the HHK and the Sprachcafé at least once a week. It is always a pleasure to see them, and they greet me warmly, even from afar as they wait for their bus and I'm dashing past to pick up more Bergkäse from Aldi. Usually we have time for at least a brief chat.

A German teacher friend of mine from Colorado is in the area, and we'll be meeting next weekend! It will be nice to get together for the first time since 2012, and M and I are looking forward to it.

Writing

Yesterday I met one of my former students for several hours so he could tell me about his story - his life in Syria and Lebanon before the war, his journey to Germany when he decided he had to leave, and his life here since arriving nine months ago. I will be talking to as many refugees as want to share their stories with me, and I am writing about them. I am not entirely sure what the end product will be, but at the very least they and I will have a written account of what they have gone through. Their stories need to be shared.

That's what I've been up to lately, for those who might have wondered. But now my coffee is finished, and I best get back to preparing for my test! We also have plans to get some yard work done today. The hedge is getting out of control!

Have a great weekend!

one of our Rhododendrons a few weeks ago
They're all finished blooming now and ready for beheading.

Bad Blogger - Teaching Amerikaner

I've hit a blogging slump lately, mainly because I'm somewhat employed. I'm spending my evenings lesson planning and taking care of household business (though not this week; more on that shortly), and mornings fly by for whatever reason.

This week and next week I'm taking a break from teaching my Syrian and Eritrean students, and I'm in Esslingen teaching a 2-week crash course to four American teenagers who are here for a five-month exchange. Since Wisconsin schools have been slashing German programs for the last bunch of years and most American teenagers can't bear to leave their friends and pets for any length of time, long-term exchange programs have been suffering. Esslingen and Sheboygan have been sister cities since 1967, and we had a healthy exchange program between the two cities for several decades. After a number of dry years, we have these four lovely students who have come to Germany with a minimum of German lessons, and when these two weeks are up they'll be attending Gymnasien (high schools) on their own.

It's challenging coming to a foreign country with little understanding of the language, but I think they'll make the most of their opportunity and enjoy their time here.

It was thirty years ago that I was in their shoes! In mid-February 1986 I arrived in Esslingen thinking I was pretty worldly and found out rather quickly that I had a lot to learn. That experience completely changed my life, and I am where I am today because of it.

I'm teaching these students basic conversation, giving them tips on how to handle various situations, introducing them to new words, and giving them lots of homework every night. They're doing very well, and really seem eager to participate and learn.

Side note: I just received an email from one of my Syrian students! I'd given them homework last Friday, to write a few paragraphs about themselves based on the questions we've been practicing and send the "biography" to me via email sometime this week. He did an excellent job on the writing assignment, and it was nice to hear from him! That really made me smile.

Back to my Esslingen class...Each morning we begin at 8:30 and finish at noon. We spend the first half in the classroom, and then we go on walkabout and do something in the town. Yesterday we ambled through town while I taught them all kinds of words for whatever we saw - die Ampel, das Ampelmännchen, die Zebrastreifen, das Tor, das Kaufhaus, die Zigarette (a woman walked passed us smoking, as so many people here do), die Weinberge, der Spiegel, der Stolperstein...  Today we went to a Blumenladen (flower shop) where I told them the importance of bringing a Kleinigkeit (small gift) whenever they are invited somewhere, and then we had a stroll through Esslingen's main Friedhof (cemetery). That may seem a strange thing to do, but cemeteries in Germany are beautiful in months that are not February and March. We saw the section of oldest graves, passed the children's plots, found the Jewish part with Hebrew on the stones as well as a memorial to victims of the holocaust, and we ended at the grave of my host father, who passed away in 2013. I explained to them some of the German customs involving death and cemeteries, and they asked some good questions.

On tomorrow's outing we'll be going to a supermarket, a bakery, a butcher, and a fruit and vegetable store, where each one will buy part of the picnic we'll then eat in the park. On Thursday we're invited to an acquaintance's home where we will practice conversation with a stranger (to them), learn words for setting the table, rooms in an apartment, and furniture and play "I spy".

I will not post photos of my American students without their parents' permission, so I leave you with a few shots of beautiful Esslingen, where they'll live for the next five months.

Ebershaldenfriedhof, photo credit T. Diehl

Ebershaldenfriedhof, photo credit T. Diehl

Exchange Students: What You Should Know About Traveling to Germany

I am one of the organizers for a summer exchange program for middle school students. The program is for students in the sister cities of Esslingen, Germany, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin (USA) and was established in 2010. In July the group of Sheboygan students and their chaperone fly over to Esslingen to spend three weeks living with host families, attending a few days of school, and touring with the group and with their families. Then the Esslingen students and their chaperone fly with the Sheboygan group to Wisconsin where they spend three weeks getting to know what life is like in the U.S.. It's a fantastic program and we have had really wonderful groups of students participating each year.

As a former teacher I'm a big fan of handouts and written information for students to read and study on their own time and then come back with questions. In an effort to be more eco-friendly, I thought this year I would put my advice on my blog and provide families with the links to read online.

Exchange programs are close to my heart because I participated in one during my junior year (11th grade) in high school. The dear woman who is now my Schwiegermutter was the coordinator of the program in Esslingen, so she has known me since I was a silly 17-year-old. Now she and I work together for the Esslingen program, have both been chaperones for the German students, and do what we can to provide students with a wonderful and educational experience in both countries.

So what advice do I have for American students (specifically those from Sheboygan, WI) coming over to Germany for an exchange program where they will be living with a German family? I'll start with the following. If you have any advice to add, please add a comment!

What to Know About Traveling to Germany

1. It is essential that you pack good, sturdy walking shoes. Tennis/Gym shoes are probably fine; just don't rely on flip-flops even if you go everywhere in them in Wisconsin. You will be walking on uneven cobblestones and up and down hills and stairs, probably climbing up tall church steeples (the tallest church steeple in the world is in Ulm, a city we will be visiting together!), running to catch a bus or train, and hiking in forests and possibly in hills or mountains. On the days we take day trips together as a group, we will be walking many miles to tour the towns and you will need to wear good walking shoes (not flip-flops) on those days.
   
2. Bring a rain jacket, spring jacket, or some jacket that keeps you dry in the rain. We do not cancel day trips because of rain. Your family will surely have an umbrella for you to borrow; in  Germany if there's even a chance of rain, wise people have an umbrella with them. They're not uncool here. :-)


3. You will likely be riding the city bus and perhaps a train with your partner (never alone!) to get to school, to go into town, or to go to a friend's house. Most Germans use public transportation on a regular - if not daily - basis.


4. Do not lose your passport. Your passport is the single most important thing you possess when you are traveling internationally, even much more important than money. Without your passport, you cannot get on the plane to return home. Your host family will have to drive you to Munich or Frankfurt (a minimum 2-hour drive each way) to spend several hours waiting in line for an appointment to get a temporary replacement passport so that you can return home. Because this will take all day, tell someone immediately if you think you have lost your passport. Do not delay for fear of getting into trouble, because delaying will make the situation worse.
   


5. If you go on a trip with your host family, take your passport with you. If your family wants to take you into Switzerland, for instance, you need your passport to cross and re-cross the border because Switzerland is not a member of the EU. Feel free to ask your host parents to keep your passport safely during your trip to reduce your chance of losing it.


6. Make and bring TWO copies of your passport with you on the day you leave for Germany. Give one copy to your chaperone and keep one copy in your carry-on.


7. Once you've arrived at your host family's home, I recommend you put your passport in a safe place (in a drawer in your bedroom, for instance) and keep the copy of your passport in your wallet or purse. Verify visually every single day that you still have your passport and know where it is.


8. There are not public restrooms all over the place, and even when you do find them, you often have to pay 50 cents to use them. Before you leave a restaurant, pizza parlor, cafe, or home, use the bathroom there - those are free and readily available.


9. "WC" (Water Closet) is a common abbreviation or sign for a restroom.


10. Sunday is not a day for shopping. Almost all stores are closed on Sundays in Germany.


11. A lot of people smoke in Germany! Smoking is generally banned indoors, but you will often find yourself walking behind someone who is smoking, walking through a cloud of smoke, or standing near someone who is smoking at a bus stop, train platform, or waiting to cross a street.


12. Water is not free in restaurants, and Germans don't drink tap water. You buy bottled water, and you'll want to ask or look for "stilles Wasser" - still water, rather than the very common unflavored carbonated water. There's nothing wrong with the tap water, though, so feel free to drink it at your host family's home!


13. Air conditioning is not common in stores or homes. On hot days you will be warm.


14. Clothing is very expensive in Germany. A normal pair of jeans costs around $100. Price tags and signs show exactly what you will pay for the item; the 19% sales tax is already figured in.

postcard

Potential Hot Spots

Avoiding or dealing with potentially awkward situations...

Foul Language

English curse words are not bleeped out on TV or in songs on the radio - not even "the f-word". Game show contestants express their frustration often enough by using the English curse words "f---" and "sh--". Curse words in German or in English are not really considered a big deal in Germany - students even use them in school without getting scolded.
A teen comedy movie about students and teachers came out last year called "Fack ju Göthe", and I heard a young child shout that on his way past me out of his school the other day.

Nudity

Young children play in wading pools, fountains, and streams on hot summer days, often wearing nothing at all, not even a diaper. This is not sick or weird - Europeans are not as uptight about nudity as we Americans are. Do not stare. Nudity is natural, but staring is rude.

At beaches it is generally allowed for women to be topless. Most wear a top, but not all. Do not stare or giggle.

Saunas

Avoid public ones. In Germany swim suits are not worn in saunas, and they are co-ed (for men and women together). Some people cover themselves with a towel, but many do not. Again, this is not weird; it's just the way its done here. In fact, Germans find it odd that Americans wear swim suits in saunas.

Movies and TV

In Germany Movies and TV shows are rated more strictly for violence than for nudity or sexual scenes. Movies that are rated R in the U.S. because of sexual scenes are commonly rated "not to be seen by children under 12" in Germany. 

Waste

Do not waste anything - water, electricity, food, beverages... Europeans tend to be much more conservative than Americans (in other words Americans tend to waste much more than Europeans). Keep your showers as short as possible, turn off lights as you leave rooms, and eat and drink what you take. (When you are served and have no choice about the size of the serving, you do not need to stuff yourself sick. Eat as much as you comfortably can and try to waste as little as possible.)

Punctuality

Ask your family what time you need to be ready to leave, and make sure you are ready before then. Germans are highly punctual; do not make them wait for you.

Meals

Do not begin eating until someone has said "Guten Appetit," which means "enjoy your meal." Usually this comes after everyone has served themselves or been served. Follow your partner's lead.

While I can't cover everything in one post, I think these are the most important for young travelers. What do you think, readers? Any other advice for 7th grade students coming to Germany for three weeks this summer?

Esslingen's Christmas Market and Medieval Market

"Seid gegrüßt, edle Damen!"

If you're not a new reader, you know I love the town of Esslingen am Neckar. It's like a second home to me and visiting never gets old. It's a beautiful town no matter the season, but the Christmas and Medieval Market is truly something special. I don't need to go into all the special exhibits, activities, features, programs, booths, and entertainers, because there is a very thorough website explaining everything you could want to know about what there is to see and do there. My Schwiegermutter and I did the English translations of the updated version of the site earlier this year!

When my daughter and I arrived this morning we met my Schwiegermutter and headed straight to the Weihnachtsmarkt with a brief stop at the bank and Karstadt (Esslingen is GREAT for shopping in general!). We meandered through the Christmas Market seeing many familiar stalls and making mental note of where we would return later.

Räucherhäuser - smoking houses
(incense cones go inside and the fragrant smoke comes out the chimney)

handmade soaps

decorations for your home

candle holders

products made from honey

Then we went to the Mittelaltermarkt, which is good splendid fun! The vendors and entertainers are all in costume, and I know it's early in the season, but every one of them seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their roles. They speak a combination of the local Schwäbisch dialect mixed with old German (but switch to oldish English when they hear the American or English accent so common among visitors). Don't neglect to pick up a brochure, which includes not only a map and guide, but also a language chart translating common phrases from Hochdeutsch into Mittelalter-Deutsch. It even gives you phrases you can and should use with the vendors!

Those who interacted with groups of children did so expertly, drawing them in and explaining town life in the Middle Ages, getting them involved in games, and demonstrating various crafts.

He's saying good-bye to a group of children, reminding them
to return their cups to the stand and to be careful that they don't drop and break them!

This man on stilts enchanted children with soap bubble balloons
and general theatrics

Ok, I'm sorry - I know the following picture isn't great, but the scene was so gorgeous I had to include it. This is a very old ferris wheel for small children. They sit in pairs in the little baskets, and for the pairs that don't weigh enough to keep the wheel turning smoothly, the attendants put sacks of sand in the basket with them. I nearly died from the cuteness.

Entering the Hafenmarkt I was accosted by a charming woman selling Pflaumentoffelglühwein (mulled spiced plum-flavored wine?), who lured me to her stand with a free sample, which of course I gladly accepted. It was sweeter than I prefer, but tasty enough, so I paid for a full cup and promptly burned the tip of my tongue. My Schwiegermutter had a cup of her Zimtapfelsaft (warmed cinnamon apple cider), which she enjoyed.

Then we went on through the Mittelaltermarkt to explore the booths.

more Met (pronounced "mate") - it's wine/beer made from honey

This is the public bath. Although we didn't see anyone in it today,
it's real! One can pay to sit in the big barrel of hot water for a
middle ages-style bath.

herbs and spices

I love this old-style pottery

a booth of all things sharp - and he'll even sharpen your knives the old-fashioned way.
There's a little sign that reads "Thieves will have their fingers cut off!"

And because I love dogs...

In the Mittelaltermarkt there are craftsman who demonstrate their talents, show visitors how to do things like shooting arrows and weaving ropes, and of course, prepare delicious food.

the Zundermacher - tinder maker, who has boiled a sponge
and is shaving off pieces to work as flints.

Bogenschiessen lessons

This chap is preparing the Kässpätzle I ordered for lunch.
Kässpätzle = Swabian noodles and cheese

One thing we did for the first time this year is play Mäuseroulette. The woman in charge of the game was sweet, funny, very enthusiastic, and convinced us as we strolled by that we would love this game for only zwei Taler (medieval coins, Euro today)! I readily admit I enjoyed it, and I will play it again when I return. This is a picture of Karamelle the mouse (the caramel-colored blur) running into a house upon which my Edelstein is not. The lady standing next to me won, though.

So I have some advice for those of you who are close enough to Esslingen this year or some year in the future in December:

1. Go to Esslingen's Christmas Market and Medieval Market.
2. Be aware that the Medieval Market continues around the Rathaus (city hall) down a side street to the Hafenmarkt!
3. Participate in everything possible - Mäuseroulette, archery lessons, rope-twisting, the medieval bath... If someone in costume asks if you want to participate in something, don't be a putz! Say yes!! You'll spend some money, but you won't be sorry.
4. Go with an empty stomach and sample every dish that looks or sounds tempting.
5. Split the servings with a friend - the Kässpätzle, for instance, is too much for one person. That way you can also try twice as many different foods!
6. Be careful with your first sip of Glühwein. There's no warning on the cup, Americans, but it's hot!
7. Don't forget your camera!

Tomorrow we're off on a bus trip to Bad Wimpfen, where we've never been before. The highlight of our Christmas season is always the Esslingen Christmas and Medieval Market, but we're looking forward to Bad Wimpfen as well. Stay tuned!

A Walk through the Vineyards

On October 3rd - Tag der Deutschen Einheit, or the Day of German Unity - M and I drove to Esslingen to take a walk from his mother's place over hills and through vineyards to the Grabkapelle Rotenberg, which you can see from the train shortly before you pull into the Hauptbahnhof in Stuttgart. This is a walk I have wanted to take for a long time because I remember doing this with my host family back in 1986. It was lovely weather - sunny and warm enough with a wonderful breeze that kept us from sweating too much.

This is the perfect type of outing, I think, and a common way for Germans to spend a Sunday or a holiday when all the stores are closed. Families often drive an hour or so from home, park the car, and take a long and leisurely walk. Other than the gas to get there, it doesn't have to cost anything. My host family usually stopped somewhere for a meal, but an alternative is to pack a light lunch in Papa's backpack and fuel up at the halfway point. On our walk on Friday we also paid the €2,50 admission to go inside the chapel and bought two ice cream cones for €3,00. Pretty inexpensive entertainment, and exercise enough for us to feel it in our muscles the next day!

the Rotenberg Kapelle is on the hilltop

It's harvest time.

Grabkapelle Rotenberg

Memory is a funny thing, though. I kept saying to Martin that I remembered walking through a forest on a dirt path for quite a bit of the walk back in 1986. The most direct route was through the vineyards, though, which is the path we took. There were forests all around us, so perhaps my family had taken us on a scenic route. That walk stuck in my mind so long because, I think, that was the first time I'd ever just gone on a long walk as a family activity. Even as a stupid teenager I was able to appreciate the walk, the exercise, the fresh air, the scenery... And I really wanted some forest time on this walk with M. But first we checked out the chapel.

"Love never ends"

I still have a photograph of their sarcophagus from 1986.

König Wilhelm I of Württemberg had this chapel built for his second wife, Katharina Pawlowna, Grand Duchess of Russia and sister of Tsars Alexander I and Nikolaus I, and they are entombed there together along with one of their daughters. The connections between the kingdom of Württemberg and the Romanovs of Russia were important in both countries' histories, and although Katharina was only queen for three years before she died, she made many significant reforms and instituted social programs, a girls' school, and a hospital in Stuttgart which is still in operation today.

In the above picture on the hill farthest to the right in the background is the Katharinenlinde. If you could zoom in and knew what you were looking for, you could see the top of the outlook tour there. My Schwiegermutter's home is over that hill and down the other side. We walked from there, and it only took about 50 minutes. The whole walk was 10,5 km (6.5 miles).

The Neckar Valley is known for its wine, and the landscape around Esslingen is rich with vineyards.

On the way back we came to a point where M said we could head into the woods for a detour and to lengthen our walk. Perfect!

THIS is what I remembered! Yes, it's just a forest, but it was a significant part of my memory for reasons I probably can't sufficiently explain. This probably wasn't the same path we walked back then, but it doesn't matter. I'm glad we added this detour to our walk.

As I said, I love day trips like this. There are places like this to walk for hours in Wisconsin - especially in the woods. There's one big difference, though, that makes the prospect decidely less appealing - the bugs. Mosquitoes, deer flies, horse flies, all kinds of nasty biting demons. If I have to spray up with that horrible-smelling bug spray and know I'm still going to itch for days afterwards, I'm less likely to get excited about a long walk. There were no bugs that bothered us on this walk. We just had beautiful natural smells, a birdsong that was new to me, fresh air, a nice breeze, and good company.

It was a really nice day, and even my sore muscles agree.

September Highs and Lows

In August I briefly tried a weekly update based on an idea from another blogger, but after three of those I decided to change to what I used to do with my kids at dinner (yes, my kids and I had dinner together most evenings even when they were teenagers!). I'd ask them "What was your high today?" and "What was your low today?" Come to think of it, I may start that with them again despite the distance and that they are both in college. Highs and Lows: Facebook edition, perhaps.

Anyway, I thought for blog purposes I'd keep track of my highs and lows for the month, and publish at the end. So here we go...

HIGHS

• Spending a long weekend in Vienna with my Schwiegermutter, where we met my parents who were there celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. It was fabulous! My parents were on a cruise with a group of friends from Sheboygan and several relatives, so in addition to it being a special occasion, it was fun to see 12 other people I knew from "back home" as well!


• While standing in the middle of a square in Vienna studying our map, I happened to see a group of people walk past us with "Esslinger Feuerwehr" (Esslingen Fire Department) on the backs of their jackets! As I pointed that out to my Schwiegermutter, three of them turned around and looked back because they had recognized us!*  Those "small world" experiences always blow my mind. The number of things that had to happen at exactly the right time for us to bump into each other in a huge city...


• During my Schwiegermutter's "Fun with English" (adult) course, one gentleman said to me, "You don't really speak like an American. I can understand you." My British Schwiegermutter replied, "Oh yes, although she's American, she speaks very good English!"  :-)


• Receiving nine emails from my son, who has started college for real. He took classes last year at the local UW-extension, but now he's living in a dorm with a great roommate and doing well!


• Finally - after five failed attempts this summer - participating in a guided city tour of Horb!


• Trying a new roast beef recipe, which turned out to be delicious - due mainly to my husband's skills in the kitchen. It was equally good the next day, even cold.


• Reading other expat bloggers' posts about traveling, everyday life, adventures, frustrations and successes. I still get excited when I see that someone on my "blog roll" has published something new, and we sometimes comment on each others' posts. Hm...I'm enjoying connecting with people. This is new...


• Finding a message buried in Facebook from a former German exchange student (2004). She wrote to me in March, but I never noticed the "other" tab in the messages section of Facebook! I've finally responded and hopefully we'll connect. This was not a student who lived with us - rather she attended the school where I was teaching and was a student in my English (American Literature) class.


• Dining twice at our favorite local restaurant and finding out the chef is doing another Kochkurs (cooking class) this fall.

Bäckchen vom Jungschwein in Schnittlauchrahmsauce mit Gemüse und Bratkartoffeln
Cheeks of a young pig in chive sauce with vegetables and fried potatoes

• Sunday afternoon naps on the sofa during Formula-1 races. Who am I kidding? Afternoon naps on the sofa even on non-Sundays.


• Watching this 10-minute clip of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I find him (usually) so darn funny, and I do miss his show.


• An impromptu train ride to Stuttgart just to bum around the Big City. I explored places in the city I had not seen before - which isn't surprising considering that, other than my nature walk a few weeks ago, I have hardly strayed off the main Fußgängerzone (Königstraße). I'm getting more interested each time I go to Stuttgart!

Galateabrunnen

• While in Stuttgart I actually went shopping! This is unusual for me because I really don't like to shop except for books. I bought a new fall jacket and a pair of shoes I think even my daughter would approve of. And some books.


• Martin made Wiener Schnitzel - the real thing, with veal rather than the pork we usually use. Holy heavens, it was amazing! Unfortunately veal is more expensive than pork €27 ($34) per kilogram versus €12 ($15) at our local butcher, but since the veal needs to be thinner than the pork, the actual price difference between 4 Schweineschnitzel (€6) and 4 Kalbschnitzel (€10,50) is negligible. Consider also that the Wiener Schnitzel my dad had in Vienna cost €23 and the fact that we got 4 meals (2 for each) out of what we bought that day...I can hardly count all the highs in this paragraph!!

• Starting to discuss with Martin a trip back to the Isle of Mull in Scotland for 2015.

Glengorm Castle, where we were married

The view from our quarters

LOWS

• Hm. Uh...


• Ok, got one! Changing back to my fall Federbett (down comforter) on September 1st after using my summer Federbett for less than one month. That's not really a low either, though, because it's so wonderfully cuddly!


• Learning that cappuccino is spelled that way and not "cappucino," and wondering how many times I've spelled it incorrectly in previous blog posts.


• Missing a response from the editor of our local paper asking if he could publish my feedback in the next day's edition because his email had ended up in my spam folder.  :-(

On the horizon for October...

• We have nothing major planned. I'll be teaching the Englisch-AG twice a week and chaperoning the Lebenshilfe group three times total including a day outing to Freudenstadt.


• Sleeping in on October 3rd because it's Tag der Deutschen Einheit - the Day of German Unity - a national holiday. Even M will take most of the day off!


• Hoping to get in a walk from M's mother's place to the Grabkapelle (funerary chapel) Rotenberg, situated on a hill overlooking Stuttgart. This is a walk I fondly remember from my exchange student days. I remembered it being a several-hours walk through lush forests and fields. Google maps (which we didn't have back in 1986) tells me it takes about 45 minutes. Hm.


• Most likely a day trip to Tübingen, since I've been itching to get back there.


• Getting some serious writing done! I hit a slump in the summer when I had plenty of time and no excuses, and now it's time to get going again.


• Yard work.

*I wish I had a great and funny story about why the Esslingen firefighters recognized us, but it's just this: the Feuerwehr hosted a group of visitors from Sheboygan, Wisconsin earlier this summer, and my Schwiegermutter and I accompanied and assisted the group.

What were your highs and lows this month?