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
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. […]
Across the Fence: Dorothy Wilhelm tells Sound history
If you feel that you have heard all of Puget Sound history and nothing could surprise you anymore – think again! For the other day, I finished reading legendary author and humorist Dorothy Wilhelm’s latest book, “True Tales of Puget Sound”. And I just wish history in school were taught as lively and interspersed with […]
Across the Fence: A tower inspires
What does my hometown, Stuttgart (Germany), have in common with Seattle, WA? A landmark. The one in Seattle has long since been competed with by skyscrapers springing up seemingly overnight, these days only clearly visible from the sea. The one in Stuttgart can be seen for miles on end. I’m talking of the Seattle Space […]
Across the Fence: Soaring sky-high
The other day, I tagged along with my husband to the 36th Annual Northwest Aviation Conference & Trade Show at the Washington State Fair Center in Puyallup. He was going to hold down a booth. I had a book with me in case it became too boring. I was expecting a presentation of aviation products […]
Across the Fence: Snowshoeing the Trail of the Shadows
Have you ever been snowshoeing? I haven’t before I came to Western Washington, and I don’t know how much of a pastime it is in Germany, if so at all. We still don’t have snowshoes of our own, but as we go only once or twice a year, we find it good enough to rent […]
Across the Fence: Jeudi Gras
Everybody knows about Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, as it is celebrated here in the US. So, what is Jeudi Gras? Okay, I have to admit it, I just made up the term, but “Fat Thursday” is what a number of European countries celebrate as an equivalent. The origin is the same, though the weekday in […]