We’re back in Berlin after three wonderful weeks in South Africa. I always find it disconcerting how, with the speed of air travel, you can one afternoon be walking on a beach far in the southern hemisphere, watching surf school pupils practicing in the waves, and the next afternoon be way up in the north, in an apartment in the city of Berlin, listening to the music practice session of the neighbors downstairs while answering work emails. Continue reading
Over the Christmas holidays we visited Třebechovice, a small town 13km from Hradec Králové. This town is famous for its mechanical Nativity scene, which is housed in the Museum of Cribs. In case you have only seen the standard nativity scene with the holy family, some shepherds, the three wise men, two angels and a donkey and cow, have a look of some of the examples of cribs below from the museum – some of them are whole worlds in a box! Continue reading
Every place has it’s good and bad things. Berlin has plenty of good things, which I will write about in another post. But there are also some things about it which drive me crazy. Continue reading
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When you move to a foreign country, it’s comforting to cook some dishes from home now and then, to enjoy the familiar flavours. It wasn’t long after arriving in Berlin that I realized that this is easier said than done. I would cook something that I’d made at home a hundred times and it would taste completely different to how it would taste when cooked at home. Continue reading
Prague
Every time we go to a party in Berlin, this conversation is inevitable:
Random stranger: So where are you from?
J: From Czech Republic.
Random stranger: Oh! from Prague? Continue reading
We are on our way back to the lovely Czechlands (as I think of it – really called the Czech Republic or Czechia), currently in a train going through the wooded and hilly Sächsische Schweiz area, where I’ve been on two great weekend hiking trips before and also tried the Via Ferrata. When I come to this region I always think of Skaapie, a South African friend who introduced me to this area. Continue reading
Another recipe from J’s mom. Although these are translated as gingerbread, they don’t actually contain any ginger! But the result tastes similar to the German gingerbread / Christmas cookies that they sell in the shops. Continue reading
This recipe for Christmas cookies is from J’s mother – it looks simple but they are absolutely delicious! Continue reading
Market at Potsdamer Platz, 2012
Christmas bling at the Arkaden, Potsdamer Platz
The days are getting colder and darker as midwinter approaches, but visiting a Christmas market is a great way to cheer up. Have a gluhwein (or two or three), take a look at the handcrafted goods (which can make nice Christmas presents) and eat something delicious like quarkbӓllchen, knödel with Mohn, smoked fish, wildbouletten, raclette, cheese fondue, mushrooms, grilled sausages, potato puffs, caramelized almonds and much more. Continue reading
