So it’s almost December, the trees are bare, the afternoons are dark, the first snowflakes have fallen, the Christmas markets have started – autumn is pretty much over. I thought I would reminisce over some of the highlights of autumn, before its memory has faded. Here’s a look back.

Autumn colours

I can’t get enough of autumn leaves.

Mushroom picking

This year we learnt how to identify the most common kinds of edible mushrooms; marrone (Röhrling), Steinpilz (porcini) and Parasolpilz. My favourite to look at are still the beautiful but poisonous Fliegenpilz (Amanita).

Harvest time and Jam-making

The abundance of delicious, sweet fruit lent itself to some jam-making. It’s easy to make jam just by mixing half to half sugar and fruit, a bit of lemon juice and boiling to 105 degrees celsius with a bit of stirring, then pouring it into sterilized jars. if your fruit doesn’t have natural pectin, you can make it set by using jam sugar or adding pectin or a fruit high in pectin such as quince.

Festival of Lights

Every September, some buildings in Berlin are lit in different colours and designs. For more, see here.

A day in Prague

On one of our visits to Czech republic we spent some time walking around Prague.

Halloween and pumpkins

I’ve still never carved a pumpkin, but I noticed they sell pumpkin carving kits in Kaufland so maybe next year we can give it a try.

Random walks in Berlin

Sometimes just walking around Berlin you see interesting buildings or streets.

Parlotones in Berlin

A South African band called the Parlotones came to Berlin and played a concert at Kulturbrauerei. The best part was, the whole crowd was singing along to their songs, so there must have been quite a few South Africans there.

Visiting Seelow Heights

This walk near the German-Poland border was interesting both for its beautiful nature and historical significance. For more see here.

Biking in Naturpark Barnim

To enjoy the last sunny weekends of autumn we spent some time riding through the countryside. At this stage the leaves were falling fast, almost like rain, so we knew that soon they would all be gone. For more see here.

A meeting in Brussels

I was in Brussels for work one week and although there was not a lot of free time, we still managed to walk around a bit, have a chocolate waffle, try some delicious Belgian food and visit Victor Hora’s Art Noveau house.

Hiking in Czech Switzerland

This area of limestone formations and forests near the Czech-German border is simply beautiful, especially in autumn. For more see here.

Visiting the Rhineland

Visiting family near Bonn and learning a bit more about the legends of the Rhine river. For more see here.

Planting quince trees in Czech republic

Apparently spring and autumn are the two best seasons for planting trees, so we planted some quince trees in a plum orchard. In a couple of years hopefully there’ll be some fruit for making things like jam, boiled quinces and quince wine.