Chef Valentin

After the amazing Harry Potter Marathon (read here: Cook-a-thon!!!!!) ~ it was a nice surprise to have someone make a special meal, just for me! Valentin is a great cook ~ he enjoys combining spices, using the latest and greatest cooking utensils, and altering recipes to suit his tastes, and that of his guests.



Well, I was in for a treat when he whipped up a delicious Almond-potato-spinach dish! We ate it with some fresh tomatoes topped with his favorite blend of spices.






And then for dessert he concocted an amazing Peach-raspberry-apple Crumble ~ words cannot describe this yummy treat so just take a look:



Ooops ~ guess you were too slow!!!!

Limburg an der Lahn

Today we decided to take a little drive to the lovely, medieval town of Limburg an der Lahn. I have to say, I love the old, timbered buildings, and I am always amazed that they are still standing (even though some look awfully crooked and leaning...!). They sure don't make 'em like that any more!!!







Of course, regardless of the building style, one can never go wrong with a bakery!



Limburg is known for it's lovely little cathedral. It was originally built as a just a church, but over the years it was added to. I have to admit, as I went through the tour of this Dom, I had the strongest urge to re-read "The Pillars of the Earth"!


What sets this cathedral apart, in my view, is that it was begun using the Romanesque style ~ thick walls and sturdy supports. But when the building was taken over by another man, it was finished with that new fangeled idea from France, later to be termed 'gothic'. This cathedral is very light and airy, despite it's sturdy base and humble beginnings. It is a gift, that this structure made it through WWII unscathed!



Many of the paintings on the walls are frescos (simply put, a form of painting that must be done when the walls are fresh so as to allow the paint to absorb into the wall itself). There is a distinct advantage to this style of ornamentation... As the years passed, many of the frescos were painted over, either in an attempt to brighten the colors again or simply to change the picture. But eventually, during a renovation of the cathedral, these layers were all peeled off and the original frescos rediscovered!



Above the arches, one can try and pick out the 12 apostles ~


But not all of the paintings are frescos, and as with this mural, must be repainted periodically ~



One can see here, the Moorish influence ~


And here one should note the modern influence!


Another glimpse of the Romanesque (half-dome window) and the Early Gothic (rosetta window)



After our tour, we happened upon a cute little gaststaette ~


Zum woll!


Sauerbraten, Rheinischer Art, mit rotkohl und knoedel! Yum!

Coming home....

I have often said that I am always homesick... when abroad, I miss the States; when in the States, I miss Germany. I guess that is understandable since my mom is German and I have lived about 13 years of my life there. How fun that things here don't seem to change much: the window dressing is new, but the hearth is still ablaze ~



Here is the Brand's place, the place where I lived as a young, married woman. Hubert and Ursula still live downstairs, and our apartment was on the first floor. Up in the 'attic' apartment used to live an older couple. They have since moved out, but I sort of missed old Frau Makert poking out of her window, surveying the neighborhood!






Everything looks about the same as when I left, 25 years ago ~

Hmmm, the old balcony looks so much prettier with living flowers...!


Valentin enjoying the backyard ~



And nothing brings back yummy memories better than a birthday celebration! Happy birthday to Hubert!!!!


Jonas and I ~


Yes, Ursula made FOUR cakes for the special day! Kase kuchen, Erdbeer/Himbeer torte, Streusel kuchen, und auch ein Eierliquor kuchen!


Funny how, no matter what continent you are on, the younger generation provides tech help!



And for this visit, Barbel and Bernd have graciously offered their home. And of course one of the joys of being in Germany, is always having fresh broetchen for breakfast! Mmmmmmm ~ Valentin and I are enjoying our spread!!!


And of course it's always fun to have some girl time! Barbel and I have talked about everything as though we had never been apart, and I even got a make over!

Before:


After:


Nothing like enjoying a little 'eppel voi' ~ Apfel wein, a Frankfurt staple!! Prost!


Who says, 'you can't go back...'?

A Harry Potter Marathon!!

The end of an era is upon us ~ The Harry Potter series became a mainstay for us 'girls', beginning with the first book and now ending with the last movie.

I have the fondest memories of waiting eagerly for the release of the next book, only to then have to wait until both my Jennifer and Christina finished reading it before I was allowed to get my hands on it! But no one ever gave anything away, waiting patiently (or not so much so!) for me to finish before we all talked non-stop for days about what happened and what we predicted for the next book! I can't lie ~ a tear is falling down my cheek as I recall those memories....

And now, here we are: the end of an era. And the only poopy part is that, after all these years, Christina will not be with us for the release of this last movie. But no worries ~ she and Jennifer came up with a great plan: a Harry Potter Marathon, complete with delicacies from each book, that will rival any premier!



Movies 1 & 2 were watched in the same evening as the kick off to our marathon! From HP and the Sorcerer's stone and HP and the Chamber of Secrets, we enjoyed Paddington Burgers with onions and boiled potatoes with herbs. And of course we finished off the meal with Harry's first birthday cake, complete with messy green fondant writing!



From HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban, we delighted in crumpets & butter with Mulligatawny. Our dessert was homemade chocolate pudding ~ yum!



While watching HP and the Goblet of Fire, we enjoyed Cornish pasties and custard creams!



HP and the Order of the Phoenix called for bangers & mash with onion gravy. Dessert was a berry crumble served with the most fantastic custard!!!



For the chilling HP and the Half-blood Prince we savored a Chiddingly hot pot, Hagrid's rock cakes, and a piping hot apple tart ~



And for HP and the Deathly Hallows we topped our marathon off with: Kreacher's French onion soup, feta-tomato and chicken-mushroom Vol-au-vents, and a delightful almond-ginger-peach-treacle tart!



Comfy on the couch, we readied ourselves for the grand finale!



And what a finale it was! Of course, it all began with a wait.... Luckily I had company ~


And by 6:00 we were all there, waiting for the midnight show!


And in case our snacks ran out, there was even a Hogwart's Express food cart!



And we sure weren't bored. We had snacks. We had games to play. And there were so many characters to see!

Students from Hogwart's, including this Ravenclaw and Huffelpuff girls ~



Fred & George were there ~



Some were in groups, like this one with Bellatrix (you are not seeing double!), Molly Weasley, Hermione, and Professor McGonnagall ~



And some were alone (sort of...), like Professor Quirrell ~



Of course, Fleur made a showing ~



Followed closely by Viktor ~



Of course dear, sweet, if 'explosive', Seamus showed up ~



But no Harry Potter premier would be complete with out a few Deatheaters!



However, my favorite is always the clever and overly prepared Hermione!!!



Time to settle back and enjoy the show!!!!



We all love you, Christina <3