#becomingafranconian

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Sporting events

At the end of August we attended a Bayern München Fußball game at what Thorsten likes to call, “The Cathedral of Soccer.” The game was in Munich and each time the team plays there, the whole stadium is lit in red.  Kind of like the flag that flies when the Queen is in residence at Buckingham palace. Bayern München is Thorsten’s absolute favorite team.  He has a very compelling story about…

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Cold Season Soup

‘Tis the season, they say, for colds and the flu. It certainly seems like it because while the east coast of the USA is getting hammered with snow, we are just getting cold drizzle here in Franconia. Great weather for getting a cold.

So far this season, we’ve been lucky. None of us has come down with anything major.  But here have been a few days of runny noses. As soon as I see any signs of a…

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Birthday Dinner - Franconian Style

Birthday Dinner – Franconian Style

Last weekend we attended a birthday party.  It took place at a nearby brewery. (We have 4 Breweries in Forchheim and Franconia boasts more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the world!)

The party was on Saturday and everyone was invited to come from 1pm-1am.  It was a 40th birthday celebration after all.  It was kind of like an open house– people could come and go as necessary. I doubt…

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Feels like summer

Earlier this spring I wrote about the cyclical things that regularly punctuate our lives. These things are subtle and it isn’t until they vary or disappear that we realize how attached we are to the rhythm they provide.

As I’ve also mentioned before, that on the east coast of the US the tell tale signs of summer are heat and humidity. Everyone complains about it every summer. Normally the German…

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It's Cherry Season

Cherry Season

Here in Franconia its Cherry season.

Before I moved to Germany, when someone said cherry season, I always thought of the opening of the cherry blossoms on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Each spring there is a magical time when the blossoms open and all the trees are covered with what looks like a blanket of pink billowy snow. Yet a relatively warm spring blows so while your mind thinks…

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Cooking with Jola- Episode 11- Hackfleischrolle in Blätterteig

Recently Jola and I have been cooking some less intensive meals.  Things that in the Pinterest universe would be called, “Weeknight Meals.” We’ve also been eating together more often without cooking together because we made and froze some of our meals.  Most recently, we had the Wickelkraut from Episode 7 for lunch.

Blätterteig is the German word for Puff Pastry Dough. (Teig means dough.)  After…

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Cooking with Jola: Episode 10 Krenfleisch

Cooking with Jola: Episode 10 Kren Fleisch

For those who are just joining us, I want to give a little catch up.  Jola is the name of my Franconian mother-in-law.  Each week we get together to cook a typical Franconian or Bavarian meal.  This gives us a chance to spend time together and for me to learn all the cooking tricks she has perfected over the years.  Really, we laugh a lot during this process and the food never disappoints. Read…

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You win some, you lose some: Doctor's appointments in a second language

Success and Failure: Doctor's appointments in a second language

One of the lesser discussed items in the romantic adventure of moving to Europe are mundane things like going to the doctor.  If you think its difficult to call your insurance provider or navigate their website in the US to find a doctor in your network, imagine trying to find a doctor in another country when you can’t speak to the person on the other end of the line.  For a supremely independent…

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