Sometimes it takes you a real long time to explore things straight in your backyard. This happens to have been the case with a pretty park none too far from our Lakewood home – the other day, after having lived in the Pacific Northwest almost ten years, we decided to explore Tumwater Falls, close to […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Tomatoes
Nothing spells mid-summer as boisterously as a berry coming in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but is mostly known for its red and its tangy-sweet flavor, the tomato. As a child, I wasn’t really keen on it; I belonged to the cucumber fraction rather. But today, I wish I had cherished those summer nights […]
Across the Fence: Riding the Rails
This year began with a promise my husband and I gave each other: to explore new things and to leave off revisiting those we know fairly well already. The other day we were looking into some special things to do with a young adult, an activity that would mean experiencing something new together. We did […]
Across the Fence: The Green Man
Have you ever traveled to Europe? Ever since having visited the Cathedral of Norwich, UK, I am looking out for Green Men. No kidding, and I don’t mean those supposedly alien creatures from Mars. I mean the legendary Green Men that are lurking in churches and in old castles, but also in old pub signs […]
Across the Fence: Schnitzel
What do you think is one of Germany’s most popular and diverse traditional dishes? If you come up with chops also known as Schnitzel, you are right. Schnitzel (pronounced ‘shnitsal) simply means “small cut” or “small slice”, but some of you might even have seen “Tellerschnitzel”, plate-sized ones. It always depends on how elegant or […]
Across the Fence: Bavarian Gorges
Only ten percent of the US citizens have a passport. When thinking of traveling Germany, most Americans most likely think of Bavaria. Especially of clichés like the Munich Hofbräuhaus (pronounce ‘hauv-broy-house, meaning royal court brewery), Octoberfest, Disney castle aka Neuschwanstein (pronounce noy-‘shvuhn-shtine), and maybe Garmisch-Partenkirchen (pronounce ‘guhrr-mish-par-ten-‘keer-hen). Interestingly enough, these popular places are all manmade. […]
Across the Fence: A Short Waterfall Hike
Waterfalls have always fascinated me. Especially from below, but also from a place distant enough where you can grasp their size. You somehow don’t get this when you are standing right on top of them. And that was one of the reasons why my husband and I decided to hike to some falls in the […]
Across the Fence: A Zoo Visit in Seattle
Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about zoos. On the one hand, animals in them are not roaming freely and lose lots of their natural instincts. On the other hand, it’s a way to preserve species and, in bringing them to the people, to have them understood and protected in better ways. I have grown up […]
Across the Fence: Ice or Iced Coffee?
Ever since I was a teenager and had started to appreciate coffee, the highlight of a hot summer day in Germany came in the shape of a slim glass filled with ice coffee. We call it Eiskaffee (pronounce: ‘ice-kuh-fay) and you can order it at any Café, not just at an Eiscafé (pronounce: ‘ice-kuh-fay). At […]