Beer garden Augustiner Munich

This weekend we are going to the beer garden with the entire family. Beer gardens are the best place to be when it is summer in Munich. Most of them have chestnut trees and it is allowed to bring your own food the only thing you need to buy is ( the name already tells you :)) beer/drinks. People also "share" the bench with strangers which is very nice as you get to know a lot of new people very easily Due to the trees it is a little green area in the middle of the city and it is cooler than at most places plus it is very refreshing to drink a fresh beer or shandy. My favorite beer garden in Munich is Augustiner Keller. For me it is the most traditional one and even though it can be crowded on very hot summer days you will still find a place to sit due to the big size of it.

picture: sueddeutsche.de

My first Lebkuchen (ginger bread) this year

The last years I've always tried not to eat Lebkuchen (ginger bread) before the first advent. But as I bake a lot of different cookies and there is Lucia and Saint Nikolaus, there is always plenty of sweets during december and the ginger bread doesn't get the attention it should have. That's one of the reasons why I had my first ginger bread this year today. The other reason is that they taste so delicious that you can't resist, let's be honest.

Picture: lambertz-shop

 Have a great evening!

Isabell

Octoberfest Munich Outfit/ Wiesn 2013

The Octoberfest in Munich is one of the world's famous festivals. In 2013 it will be from 21st of September until 6th of October and all the shops are filled with the traditional outfits. If you go to the Octoberfest you should definitely wear a so-called "Dirndl" (which also means "girl" in Bavarian) and is the traditional dress for women or a so called "Lederhos'n" (which can be translated as "leather trousers") , everybody wears it. 

These are some very nice examples which I found in the 2013 collections from the various brands. You can get all sorts of materials, colours and length:

Photo: ludwig-therese

Photo: hallhuber

And of course you can choose different apron colours as well. But be careful where to tie your apron :), on the right side it means that you're married/in a relationship on the left side it means that you're single. 

Photo: limango

Hats are very "in", this fashion trend has started 2 years ago:

Photo: Sportalm

Photo: ludwig-therese

Some people even buy wedding "Dirndl":

Photo:schmittundschaefer

Photo: alpenmaedel

Instead of a "Dirndl" women also wear "Lederhos'n" with different length:

Photo: ludwig-therese

Photo: ludwig-therese

or with knee socks:

Photo: ludwig-therese

and these are typical and traditional outfits for men:

Photo: ludwig-therese

Photo: ludwig-therese

If you should be in Munich during this time, have a really nice Octoberfest!

Isabell

Die Häschenschule

One of my favourite books when I was a child was "die Häschenschule" from Albert Sixtus which is a very cute book, that has been written in rhymes and has these beautiful pictures from illustrator Fritz Koch-Gotha . The book cover shows a rabbit named Fritz, who is in trouble with the school master, because he was pulling a classmate's ears during music class.

Picture: amazon

The book tells the story of two young rabbits as they go to their Rabbit School. Here they learn everything a good rabbit must know: which vegetables and plants are best, how to paint Easter eggs  and to run fast to escape from the dangerous red fox.

Picture: amazon

The book also shows a lot of silhouette pictures, like the one shown above, I copied them on coloured paper and used them last year to decorate white Easter eggs. Looks really nice!

Kram,

Isabell

Carnival 2013 - Fasching

In Germany it's what we call "Fasching"(carnival) today and tomorrow. People masquerade as different  animals, famous stars, people from different époques... It's really funny and great to see the imaginativeness and the way they are dressed. In Munich there is a big party at the moment with a lot of confetti and music and people are dancing on Marienplatz with their costumes. But you can't compare it to the carnival in Rhineland-Palatinate, situated in western Germany, people are celebrating it even more there. If you should be in Germany during this part of the year and you like to masquerade, then it's definitely the place to be.

Photo: br

Some online shops sell a lot of funny costumes, which I've also seen live here in Munich:

Photo: maskworld

or this

Photo: maskworld

Unfortunately I won't be able to be at Marienplatz today, as I have to work, but I will for sure eat some jam doughnuts. :)

Happy Carnival 2013!!

Isabell

Jam doughnuts - Krapfen

One of my favorite pastries during January and February are jam doughnuts, which are called "Krapfen" here in Bavaria and "Berliner" in most of the other parts of Germany. Berlin residents call them "Pfannkuchen", which in the rest of Germany means "pancakes".

The bakeries use a sweet yeast dough and fry it in fat or oil and fill it with jam and put icing sugar or conventional sugar on top. That's the version you can get all- year round. But during carnival (which is right now until 12th of February) they use different other toppings and fillings like chocolate, custard, plum butter, advocaat, baileys, honey and cream cheese etc. I often stand there in front of the display window and it takes ages before I make my decision which one to buy. I simply like all of them :)

Kram,

Isabell

Weißwurst Frühstück - Breakfast with German Weißwurst

In my company, we have a new boss who started to work on the 2nd of January. As he is a typical Bavarian he invited all of us to a "Weißwurst Frühstück" a breakfast with Bavarian "Weißwurst" (that's a veal sausage) today. Bavarians are very proud of that and there is a rule that you should eat it before noon. Together with the Weißwurst you eat sweet mustard and Pretzels and most Bavarians  drink a wheat beer.

Photo: bookrix

It tasts very good but I can't eat more than 1 sausage. Maybe 1 1/2, but that's it. If you come to Munich, you should try it - But don't eat the sausage casing, it's almost like chewing gum :)

Have a good day!

Kram,

Isabell

Marzipan pigs - German New Year's Eve

One of the things people give each other on New Year's Eve in Germany are Marzipan pigs. It symbolizes Good Luck for the year to come together with the four-leaf clover and the ladybeetle you see on the picture below. We are going to celebrate the New Year together with some friends in the mountains in Oberstdorf, so I already bought some pigs today:

The other thing you give as a present are four-leaf clovers together with a chimney sweeper, because here in Germany it's a lucky charm:

Photo: mainpost

Tomorrow I will also buy fireworks for Tim and sparkler for me :)

Kram,

Isabell

St Nicholas' Day

In Germany we celebrate St. Nicholas' Day. I found a passage about his life on st nicholascenter webpage:

Saint Nicholas was born in Greece and had wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian. His parents died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop while still a young man. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th.

Many children put their boot outside the front door on the night of 5 December. St. Nicholas fills the boot with gifts and sweets (but only for the children that were good and helpful the last year).

We must have been very good and helpful the last year, as we got a box full of sweets from Tim's mum. :) It was so nice, she sent it to my office in order to be sure we'll receive it on time. In the box there were also the 2 Nicholas made of chocolate, which you see on the picture. Tim's mum such a nice and lovely person, she has broken her knee 2 month ago and has still problems with it, but somehow managed to send us all these things.

Have a nice St.Nicholas Day!

Kram,

Isabell