Strawberries marked the beginning of summer in my childhood days. They were only available during their season. Well, maybe there were already hothouse grown ones from Holland that you could get in winter. If so, my mother never bought them because they were probably quite expensive and way less flavorful than those harvested in their […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: A Maharaja in England
It must have been a TV show about famous precious stones that made me look up the giant diamond in the British royal crown, the Mountain of Light, better known as Koh-i-Noor. You know how it is to look up something on Wikipedia? You start getting diverted to other topics, and that is how my […]
Across the Fence: Opening Nights
Are you into art? Then I bet you have been to one or the other museum. Maybe you have been passing by galleries and been window shopping. Maybe you even have one or the other real artwork at home. But have you ever been to a gallery opening night? If not, you are missing out […]
Across the Fence: Swimming Pools
The other day, a German friend living here in Western Washington said she was missing the German swimming pool culture. I started musing when was the last time I swam over here in the US – and it is true: hardly ever. Not that I did so much more often back in my mother country. […]
Across the Fence: An Island Far Out
Have you ever heard of the Dry Tortugas? It’s one of the US National Parks, and most of it is underwater! A visit to Garden Key had been high up on my husband’s and my bucket list for the past years, and last March we actually were able to realize this dream. We travelled to […]
Across the Fence: Sweet Woodruff
Have you ever tasted May Punch, also known as Maibowle (pronounce ‘my-bow-lah) in German? And have you wondered what it is with this green colored beverages, candies, and ice-cream that taste so indescribably. Simply because there is no other flavor that tastes like Sweet Woodruff (gallium odoratum) – Germans call it Waldmeister (pronounce ‘vult-my-stah)? First […]
Across the Fence: A Market with Taste
One of my favorite pastimes when I’m in a town I haven’t visited before is checking out its markets – and I’m especially thrilled when I find a market hall. Maybe I was conditioned by my hometown, Stuttgart, because it boasts of one the world’s finest market halls, an architectural jewel filled with amazing produce […]
Across the Fence: Better than Icarus
The dream of flying is as old as mankind. Greek mythology tells us about a youngster who steals his father’s wax-melded wings and actually manages to rise into the sky, but when, in his recklessness he flies too close to the sun, the wax melts and he plummets to his death. Today, we all know […]
Across the Fence: Bucket Lists
Lately, I have come across a thing that seems to be the newest fad for people who are about to celebrate their 70th birthday: At age 70, do 70 new things that you always wanted to do but never did. It sounds like fun, but I’m not sure about how brilliant the idea really is. […]