Where was I this summer? All over the place, but I may as well start with one of my more recent trips since it will take me all winter to catch up on my blog posting (darkness and cold are much more conducive to sitting at my computer than the the long, overactive days of summer). Even though this September was only my second time visiting, Sherkin counts as one of my "special places" - mostly because of my lovely friends who always make me feel welcome there (they downright spoil me, really), but also because of its laid-back pace and natural beauty. What makes Sherkin Island so special? For me it is a style of country life that I've never experienced anywhere else. Sherkin is 15 minutes by passenger-only ferry from the mainland, so there are only a few cars on the island, belonging to the locals. (There is also one taxi-van that does ferry pickups and emergency trips to the pub.) The extremely minimal car traffic is one of the island's immediate charms for me - I like the feeling that I will be going nowhere fast, and I love pleasant exhaustion that comes after a day of walking, especially when I get to curl up by the hearth at the end of the day with a glass of wine in my hand. The island has many resident cows, but despite being agrarian it also manages to feel very wild - cliffs, rocks and beaches are never out of sight. I have never been to the Cliffs of Moher, but I am prepared to claim that the cliffs of Sherkin are better - not least because you'll have them to yourself. Of course, Sherkin is special to me because I have a personal connection to it. Kathy and Mike really are the best hosts I know, and because they share a history with my parents, they feel like family too. Even better for the warm-fuzzy-connected feeling, this trip was a true mini family reunion, with my sister and brother-in-law making the trip from Boston. Feeling at home and relaxed in a beautiful place, in great company, eating great food...this is a place I know I'll come back to. My friends are renovating their Sherkin property and turning it to a meeting location and guest house called Sherkin North Shore. Even though I like to think I get special "friend" treatment, it's probably not true...they are friendly and welcoming to everyone. It's a bit off the beaten path (part of its charm, of course), but if you're ever in southern Ireland, Sherkin is worth the detour. And if you do visit, tell me, I want to come meet you there too. :)
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When you read the title of this post, you are supposed to start singing along to this song by Devendra Banhart, to get you in the mood. :) Since moving to Germany, I often feel like a child. Why? Because I have to relearn so much! How to speak, how to read, how to write. How to drive (because in the U.S. I only drove automatic, and never learned to drive a stick shift). I want to tell you: sometimes I am tired of all this LEARNING! It is exhausting! Living in Europe is no carefree, cobblestoned fantasy world!! My mom would've said: come back to the U.S. then! Sometimes, I'm more than tempted. But I know if she were around to tell me that, hearing it from her it would only strengthen my determination to stay (I am still her stubborn daughter). So I guess when I'm feeling like a child, instead of feeling frustrated and powerless I should...remind myself that I was a cute kid? Take a nap? Try to tap into a sense of childlike wonder or some such? One of those things, but a nap seems like it's always a good bet.
Florence is a classic for a reason. The city itself is gorgeous, the weather is mild, the food and wine are delicious. Hannes was in Florence for a conference back in October, so I took the chance to fly down for a 4-day weekend and bask in the sunshine. If you happen to be in Florence, you should absolutely go to the restaurant Fagioli, Corso de' Tintori 47r. The kicker is, it's only open Monday-Friday...we were there on Friday night and I totally would've gone back Saturday night if it had been open. Homey, delicious Italian food, very friendly, plus they will plop a bottle (or more) of Chianti on the table and then only charge you for what you drink. Incidentally, I found the restaurant through the Eat Florence App for ipad, which foodies would enjoy. For museum-going we liked the free Rick Steeves audio guides, but I would recommend less museums and more wandering...plus lots of stops for gelatto/espresso/vino/paninis - whatever your favorite may be.
I discovered a new vegetable this winter called Schwarzwurzel, which literally translates as "black root." Wikipedia tells me that in English Schwarzwurzel is called "black salsify," but I had never heard of such a thing. I first encountered Schwarzwurzel at my office Kantine, where I was a little bit confused. Why was it called "black root" when, as served, it was completely white? At the Kantine they always serve the Schwarzwurzeln in cream sauce (which I can't eat), so I had never tasted it. Then I found Schwarzwurzel at my local farmer's market I was excited to try it out for myself. Once I actually got to see Schwarzwurzel in its raw form, it was very clear why it's called "black root." The outside seems like it's just dirt, but it's really the peel. The inside is white, and looks and tastes a lot like you'd expect a neutral root vegetable to taste. Maybe like a parsnip or a turnip, but with less flavor and a slightly different texture? It also reminded me a bit of hearts of palm because of its shape and texture. I steamed it and ate it with vinaigrette, which was fine, but I also think it would be good in a Thai-style curry. It tasted good, but not so good that I feel the need to keep searching it out. As you might guess, pretty much all of the vegetables you can find at German supermarkets are the exact same ones that can be found in American supermarkets. So I was excited to discover an exception! Despite globalization, a world of vegetable-unknowns is still out there waiting for me - hooray for that.
A couple of weekends ago, Hannes and I went on a little getaway to the state of Mecklenburg to celebrate our birthdays and Christmas. Our destination was a Schloss*-turned-Wellness Hotel in the middle of nowhere, two hours from Berlin. The idea was to have a little bit of low-key nature plus spa time, and that we definitely got. The hotel was way fancier than our usual utilitarian standard, and we never would've chosen it if we were going somewhere where there were actually other things to do, but for this type of weekend it was a nice splurge. We hung out at the pool and sauna area, took a long walk, ate good food and drank good wine. Now we're all rested so we can take on some more challenging adventures. :) *If you are ever a tourist in Germany, one of the words you are sure to learn (along with Bier) is Schloss, which means castle, but which can also mean manor house. These manor-house type Schloss's (Schlösser if you want to get fancy with your German) are abundant in the countryside, because back in the day there were a lot of kings and they all had their summer hunting residences. We stayed at Schloss Basthorst near Schwerin, which used to be one such place.
Have you ever wondered when you're allowed to take out your recycling in Germany?? Yeah, I hadn't either. As indicated on the recycling bins (and taught to me in German class), at these times you are forbidden from throwing away your glass recycling:
When I found this out, my immediate reaction was very combative. My inner American was shouting, "Nobody will tell me when I can and can't recycle! I will recycle whenever I please, thank you very much!" Of course, I actually do follow these rules, because fundamentally I'm a rule-follower and I'm afraid of pissing off my neighbors. But I find it weird!! The Germans have a reputation for having rules for everything***, and this is one stereotype that that I find to be pretty accurate. One one level I get it. Throwing away glass into a bin full of glass makes noise. Our recycling bins are in the courtyard between all the apartments, and no one wants to be woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass. But I am a considerate person and wouldn't be taking out my recycling in the middle of the night anyway! So I hardly think there needs to be a rule for this. The post-lunchtime quiet-time break is the most mystifying to me. Is it because children are napping? Germans don't take a siesta. And the Sunday thing - well, this is the prohibition that cramps my style the most, and is also very German. I will have more to say about Sundays in another post. ***A notable exception: the lack of a speed limit on the Autobahn. Is it ironic that I can drive 150 km/hr down the highway without breaking any rules, but if I throw away my glass on a Sunday I'm in trouble?? I think so.
Back in June (yes, I am way behind) I was in Bordeaux for a solo weekend before a conference for work. I went there with the expectation that Bordeaux the city would be a little stuffy and boring, but that Bordeaux the region (vineyards!) would be lovely. My experience was exactly the opposite. I found the city of Bordeaux to be young and lively, and the countryside to be boring and flat - of course with the occasional Chateau popping up, seemingly out of nowhere. Which is not to say that visiting the vineyards and wine tasting wasn't fun, only that the surroundings weren't as pretty as I expected. (Of course, it was pouring rain when I did my wine tasting, so I'm sure this colored my views somewhat.) So I say - go to Bordeaux for the culture, not the countryside. By the way, I liked this Bordeaux City Break Guide from the Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destination/france/35004/Bordeaux-city-break-guide.html
I just got back from Christmas and New Year's in Seattle, where my days were filled with seeing family and friends and lots of eating - including lots more eating out than I normally pack into a 2-week period. I got to eat lots of Seattle favorites that aren't so good in Berlin: oysters, seafood, pho, Mexican. But the way I can tell I'm in America? The abundance of ice water when I sit down at a restaurant. I love it. I extra-love it because now I live in a world where it is normally denied to me. There are actually two aspects to this that are unusual in Germany: (1) there is abundant free tap water placed in front of you when you sit down at a restaurant, often without you having to ask, (2) the water is full of ice. It is actually the first aspect that I miss the most. Many restaurants in Berlin will give you free tap water if you ask, but it is not unusual for it to come in thimble-sized classes. It is also possible that when you ask for tap water, you will get the response, "we don't do that." This makes me immediately grumpy towards the restaurant, and most of the time I have stopped asking because when I am denied, it puts me in a bad mood. It goes without saying - if you are served tap water, it will not be cold. Drinking room temperature water is actually totally fine with me, unless it is really hot outside. The icy drinks I miss the most? Iced tea and iced coffee. If you order "Eis Kaffee," pronounced "Ice Cafe," you will get coffee with ice cream in it (which doesn't work for this dairy-avoider). Sometimes at specialty places in the summer there will be iced tea on the menu, but this is the exception. So to get my fix, I have to make iced tea and iced coffee myself at home, with my American-sized ice cubes.
Back in October, Hannes was off conferencing in Italy and I decided to make a long-overdue visit to family friends who live out in county Cork, Ireland. They are like extended family to me, and also happen to be the best hosts ever - so in short, the best kind of friends to have. We spent the weekend taking long walks, cooking, eating, and sitting by the fire. Truly cozy and restorative - thanks Kathy and Mike! Last week I went to York, England, for a quick work trip. When I set off, my only preconceived notion about York was that the weather would likely be cold and rainy (the north of England, October - it seemed like a safe bet). It turns out: York is kind of awesome! Even better, I managed to be there when they were having an unseasonably warm spell. My favorite of York's features are all the medieval towers and walls. You can actually walk a 3-km circuit around the city center on top of the (not very tall) walls, which I discovered late and didn't have time to do. The center of town is very walkable, and there is also a humungous cathedral (the Minster) where all the statues of the saints have their heads chopped off, victims of the Reformation. Also great: the gardens around the York museum. To top it all off, I found a delicious Malaysian restaurant called Ning, right across from Clifford's Tower. I had an extremely delicious curry there when I arrived and tried to go there the next night too, but it was closed for a private function. Is York awesome enough that I would recommend it to all my friends? Only if they were somewhere in the neighborhood (say, North England or at least England). Should York be on your life list? Probably not. But York, I dug ya nonetheless.
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