First home grown hop harvest🍻
Flavor: Bavaria Mandarin 🍊

~20g hops per 10 liters. We harvested about 2kg. That’s enough for a lot of beer. Yeah!

Looking forward to the next winter brew.

Let’s get the kitchen party started.

Learning from a gourmet chef and his team who deserved the Michelin reward 2021. The kitchen team is cooking while our job is watching, eating & enjoying.

9 walks inside the kitchen to pick up our food and drinks watching the chefs preparing it (Christmas wish: that kitchen!!!).

Tasting wine, home made gin & honey pearls from local vendors. It was a gourmet party indeed. What a great idea to have a party in the kitchen.

How many courses can you eat in 5hours and 46minutes (thanks, Luca App, never thought about how much time I spend in a restaurant before…)? All 9 of them!!! We rolled back home after the midnight snack: Currywurst.

We loved everything: the cool concept and of course the food & drinks. A very awesome idea to spend time with friends. Especially after lockdown earlier this year – it was a fantastic kitchen party! We won’t eat anything tomorrow though.

We are in the city with the oldest university in Germany. Mark Twain lived here before and the view from the castle down to the river Neckar is stunning. We are showing our French visitor beautiful Heidelberg.

Did you know that Mark Twain was once lucky enough to call this charming city home and Heidelberg city inspired his book “A tramp abroad”. I love to write but I am not Mark Twain so I’m going to leave it to him to set the scene.

“The town lay stretched along the river, it’s intricate cobweb of streets jeweled with twinkling lights. Behind the castle swells a dome shaped hill, forest-clad, and beyond that a nobler and loftier one. The castle looks down upon the compact brown-roofed town; and from the town two picturesque old bridges span the river. I have never enjoyed a view which had such a satisfying charm about it as this one gives”

Heidelberg is one of the prettiest, most fairytale cities. It is a hidden gem.

And where else would be a better place for a special dinner where the chef is not only cooking amazingly but also playing the Congo’s. Dinner in the Heidelberg castle.

Open air changed weather permitted to indoors (13C degrees at 8pm – summer where are you?). It was super delicious. Wine pairing included. Santana Carlos vibes also. We had a blast.

Next morning view… no, not our hangover heads…

Everything is open. It feels so good!

Heidelberg – the hidden gem. Always a good idea to visit!

Zur Abwechslung mal etwas spannendes zum Thema Covid. Deutschlandfunk Kultur hat gefragt, wie der erste Satz eines Romans über die Pandemie lauten könnte…

Bereit zum Schmunzeln? Bereit für etwas Humor? Sarkasmus? Realismus?

“Der gehetzte Paketdienst brachte eine Jogginghose; sie sollte nie ein Fitnessstudio von innen sehen…”

“Wo ist nur der Chardonnay, dachte sie verzweifelt….”

„Ilsebill zog die Maske an und salzte nach…“

“Der Satz „Klopapier ist alle“ erreichte mich normalerweise von zuhause aus im Supermarkt, aber heute war es umgekehrt und mein Blick so leer wie der Rollenhalter neben mir…”

“Diese wohltuende Stille in der großen Stadt ließ mich aufatmen…”

“In der Schlange hinter ihr hustete jemand…”

“Wir schreiben das Jahr, in dem aus 8 Millionen Fußball-Trainern von heute auf morgen Virologen wurden…”

“Kurt betrachtete seine Hände, die er nur immer flüchtig gewaschen hatte, während er begann „Happy Birthday“ zu singen, zweimal, um einen Zeitrahmen zu haben, wie lange er sie einseifen sollte, bemerkte dabei kaum, dass ihn die anderen Männer auf der Herrentoilette verstört ansahen…”

“Es war ein magischer Tag im März 2020, an dem sich die einen mit voller Wucht ihrer Sterblichkeit bewusst wurden und die anderen aufs Geld zählen vorbereiteten….”

“Langsam und voller Angst schaute sie auf ihre Waage…”

“Das überraschendste war, wie überrascht alle waren…”

“”Alles wird gut” lautete ein Zettel in meinem Briefkasten in München und ich fragte mich, ob diese verkürzte Zukunftsform zulässig ist…”

“Sie sind stumm geschaltet…”

I love all of them. Keep the spirits up. Be creative!

Mein Roman könnte folgendermaßen starten “Eine Stunde länger schlafen, virtuelle after work Treffen, gackernde Hühner im Nachbargarten, chinesische Schwiegermütter und indischer Straßenlärm im Hintergrund – all inclusive aus dem Home Office seit März 2020…”

Oder…

“Und ich lachte als meine Freunde noch Klopapier in Island kauften, bevor wir in den Flieger stiegen und zurück nach Deutschland flogen…nur wenig später war ich neidisch. Sie hatten welches. Ich nicht.”

Oder…

“Und alle starrten mich an als sei ich eine Außerirdische, die bereits im März 2020 eine Maske auf der Zugfahrt trug…”

…may the toilet paper factory never stop working…

A delicious summer: hubby is growing beer in the backyard. Lol. Well, kind of. He’s growing his own hops and already excited for the new future craft beer.

Earlier this year he chose 3 hop plants (out of a variety of 150… difficult choice…): Bavarian mandarina, Tettnanger & Perle.

The result of 120 days of growing without frost: 1 out of 3 plants turned out to be a success. The others need another year to grow big – expectations fulfilled.

Next step: harvesting. But when are hops ready to harvest? …when they make a crunching sound if rolled up to your ear… well, I leave this up to hubby.

Happy harvesting!

Finally something useful in the garden!

„They tried to make me go to Rehab But I said no, no, no…“ hubby’s favorite song for the past 5 weeks from Amy Winehouse.

Rehab almost accomplished. Luckily, time was flying. Time for a delicious French goodbye lunch in Baden-Baden.

Looking forward to have him back home.

Let’s go!

A birthday gift. 2 ladies & a dog. A hike on one of the hottest summer days this year. A cooled backpack including loads of goodies: 2 bottles of wine & vesper. What a genius idea!

We walked the wine… before we enjoyed drinking it. Delicious! And those views! Incredible.

Living very close to those beautiful vineyards. Germany is beautiful! And delicious!

Thanks for a fun & delicious Saturday! Repeat in autumn!

Tomatoes. Tomatoes. Tomatoes. It’s the season.

Last year: Our specialty, you guess it, were tomatoes. All neighbors considered us THE experts.

This year: we had a bit of a rough start with our red friends… too cold. Later too wet.

Well, the tomato is not an easy garden mate, it’s the Diva under the vegetables. Oh yes! Tomatoes need a lot of attention, huge time invest in the beginning, a seed starter bowl, a roof over its head (because the leaves shouldn’t get wet), it must be staked, they need sun and not too much rain… the tomato is a veggie plant for those who like to suffer. Lol. Challenge accepted.

We hardly take more care about other veggies than the tomato. They only pay back their love when you collected enough experience. And growing tomatoes makes people feel powerful. Lol.

But once they grew and turned red, it’s party time: tomato-mozzarella, tomato soup, gazpacho, tomato salad, tomato sauce, scalloped tomatoes, tomato risotto – and all of that by Monday afternoon!

Hubby is carefully asking if we shouldn’t grow asparagus or cucumbers instead next year. Or is there maybe a chocolate pudding tree?

Enjoy the red divas!

PS: growing black berries is so much easier.

Paris is always a good idea! So I came back. Soaking in more of the beautiful city flair. Watching Mesdames enjoying a glass of champagne on a Saturday afternoon (and thinking why not doing the same!). Watching newly weds getting their wedding pictures done at the Louvre. Watching a young girls group dancing while getting recorded (probably the tiktok sensation of yesterday). Enjoying a metro ride turned into a party ride by a Spanish couple playing hot rhythms. Listening to a wonderful street musician (while Paris got ready for Covid demonstrations). Just enjoying two classy days in Paris. It’s wonderful to be back in a big city again. Soaking in every moment.

My Paris date.

Cheers to our lovely granddad who sadly passed away a couple of days ago.

It was a fabulous girls weekend. Plenty of (window) shopping, Crêpe, Café au Lait, 3-course-menu, plenty of kir royal… and time for a bit touristic staff as well: we are in love with the two highest points in the city: Sacré Cœur & the Eiffel Tower.

A wonderful weekend in a wonderful city in wonderful company.

My plan worked out, I haven’t cooked a single meal in the past 2 weeks (cutting baguette, saucisson and fromage doesn’t count). I enjoyed every single Café or restaurant visit with all the kind waiters & waitresses.

My trip was wonderful and I am surprised. About how easy it is to just do nothing. About how nice it was to travel single. Thanks to the van for making so many miles (besides the challenge of purchasing oil in France… and daddy was right again, of course!). Thanks to my French friends for the great tips and looking after me! Thanks Hanna for a super fun weekend in Paris.

My little French adventure trip is coming to an end. I managed 3000 kilometers. Besides a seagull pooping on my head and being offered handicapped parking (I get the point: the van is big, parking lots are rather tiny and maybe my parking skills are rather poor…) I had a fabulous trip. On the way back to Germany now. Au revoir France!

Waves. Waves. More waves. I arrived in surfers paradise. Or the French Basque Coast.

It’s absolutely gorgeous here! Stunning beaches along the way. Always a little breeze. Charming seaside towns. Hip boutiques. Layback surfer vibes. Amazing fresh seafood. The smell of ocean & sun cream. The sound of waves. Beautiful lighthouses. The rainy forecast turned into a couple of clouds only but mostly sunshine & blue sky – I am a lucky girl.

Route de Bordeaux or somewhere between Cognac & Bordeaux – doesn’t this sound delicious?

Route de Atlantique Sud all the way to the French Basque Coast.

Spanish flair in France.

Fruits de Mer.

Layback surfer vibes.

La Grande dune du Pilat – as far as the eye can see: Europe’s highest sand dune (114 m high and 3 km long) offering breathtaking views over the bay & pine forests inland. When climbing up you could easily be mistaken for hiking across the desert.

Aimlessly strolls through the beautiful seafront towns & villages, enjoying lovely meals overlooking the ocean. La France, je t‘aime.

While I have been „galavanting around France“ as hubby says, he’s been working hard on his recovery and making fantastic progress. I cannot wait to see him walking again.

Traveling single wasn’t so bad after all. In fact I enjoyed it a lot and met lots of nice people along the way. And the Germans are everywhere. Lol. Greeting from their van or helping to translate the menu.

Au revoir Atlantique coast. I already can’t wait to come back & spend more summers here in the future – with hubby on board.

Now on the way back to Paris where I will meet my god child. Yay!