The ABC's of Trip Reporting- PLEASE JOIN US ON THE NEW THREAD!

[MAGICFOR2]

I just can't figure out the P. I got your clues, but the font doesn't match, neither does anything else I can think of, so I give up!

Congrats to the soccer champs!

 

[that's nice]

I looked over your points leader board and for some reason I don't see my name up there. Maybe it is because I don't have any points?

So, imagine this: a ginormous piece of gooey, moist cake with the tartest plum halves you’ve ever tasted baked on top. It’s sitting on a plate smothered in a sweet cream sauce all warmed up for us- with 3 forks poised on the side for rapid consumption.

This sounds wonderful... too bad it didn't taste as good as you've made it sound.

Rolling out of the bakery, we headed back to the Mooseland, and up the stairs. Both the kids said that although they weren’t 100%, they felt well enough for our next adventure! HOORAY!!

Glad the funk was lifting for the kids.

And lo and behold, coming the opposite way were two lovely ladies I instantly recognized!!

I wonder who that could of been? I'm glad you got to meet these two ladies!

HUMMMM... wonder why there are bars in front of this wine?

I find it interesting that there is the star of David on this building. Any history of that?


Hope you had a great weekend!

 

[englishrose47]

Tim you and I are tied for last place !!!As in ZERO points !!!!!

 

[that's nice]

Tim you and I are tied for last place !!!As in ZERO points !!!!!

LOL... well at least we are consistent!!!!

 

[All7OfUs]

I just can't figure out the P. I got your clues, but the font doesn't match, neither does anything else I can think of, so I give up!

Congrats to the soccer champs!

I think a bunch of the text (and my allusion) threw many of you off- Hmmm... the font was hard, huh?? I am thinking of adding another letter... so stay tuned.

I looked over your points leader board and for some reason I don't see my name up there. Maybe it is because I don't have any points?

Our Oregon Lottery has a catchy little tune... "You can't win, if you don't play".

This sounds wonderful... too bad it didn't taste as good as you've made it sound.

It looked great!! I should have gotten a big hunk of gingerbread.

Glad the funk was lifting for the kids.

Don't get your hopes up too high on that one.

I wonder who that could of been? I'm glad you got to meet these two ladies!

Fun stuff coming up hopefully tomorrow!!

HUMMMM... wonder why there are bars in front of this wine?

Ummm... they knew I was coming??

I find it interesting that there is the star of David on this building. Any history of that?

This was actually VERY interesting. I"m going to let Magdalene field this one. She had an intriguing explanation, and it's NOT what you think it is. She was actually going to ask her dad about it, and get back to me- so I'm curious what he has to say on this subject as well!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Going well. It was a 4 day weekend for us, so we packed in a lot of stuff.

We spoke in another church today who supported us for the entire 10 years. It went well. Then some friends called us around 1:00 to come over for dinner, so we did that too. I hate to see long weekends come to an end!

Tim you and I are tied for last place !!!As in ZERO points !!!!!

Should I put your names in there??

LOL... well at least we are consistent!!!!

That oughtta count for something!

 

[All7OfUs]

Narrowly escaping a tragic death (did I attract your attention yet?) in the dark and winding passages of underground Nuremberg, we emerged into daylight, and into a charming biergarten that I’d give my left arm to see during Oktoberfest. Well, not really, that’s an awfully high price for beer- especially because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. While we moseyed out towards the streets, I noticed Katharina giving a call to her mom to give her a heads up that we were on our way. It was a quick 10 minute walk to their parent’s apartment; I was looking forward to some hot German food and sweet conversation to warm me up. As the evening wore on, we were full with both!

But let’s start at the beginning! Magdalene’s mom and dad’s apartment is simply charming! It is a nice split level with a great view of a well kept garden. I loved their deck that had some veggies and flowers growing in pots. On a warmer, sunnier day, I imagine it is a lovely place to sit with a good book and a cup of coffee!! Speaking of good books, apparently they are a family who LOVES to read! There was a whole wall of books! Old ones, new ones, books on travel, classics, textbooks, you name it!! I think this might be my second favorite shot of the whole trip. My absolute favorite is coming up soon.

We were graciously received with hugs and hellos, like we had known them for years. Their hospitality was overflowing already. I mean, anyone who has a clean bathroom WITH toilet paper, gives me an exotic drink, and tells me there are sausages cooking- well, my friend, come on! What more could be asked for??!

It wasn’t long before a few hospitality gifts were brought out. WHAT FUN!!

I want Magdalene to share the story of WHY this gift was so meaningful and so perfect for them- had we known, it would have been even more amazing- but we gave them a piece of a weaving that was originally a handmade yurt tie. The piece was handmade probably about 60-100 years ago by a friend of mine’s great grandmother who likely lived IN a yurt during her lifetime- likely in fact, until the 1917 Revolution, and until Kazakhstan was overrun by the Soviets.

Then it was time to give the packages I had made for “the girls”. They vowed they would wear their sheep wool slippers to keep warm this winter, and seemed happy to get chocolate. (What girl wouldn’t?)

I can’t remember if they tried the kort (salted, dried, milk curds) or not, but I think they really thought I had brought them petrified camel poo.

After a bit, Magdalene and her mom returned to the kitchen to finish up the last minute preparations for dinner. I was really hungry by now, and couldn’t wait to see what delicacies they had cooked up!

I poked my head in and spied THIS:

I nearly passed out with anticipatory giddiness! I’m glad OSHA wasn’t there because they may have been fined for a slippery floor due to excessive salivation on the part of their guests.

It wasn’t long before we were asked whether we’d be drinking wine or beer. No brainer- Mike went for beer, I went for wine. I wish I could tell you what the wine selection for the evening, but I am 99% sure that both drinks offered were regional Bavarian. Remember that “favorite shot”? I think this one has to be it. It is one of those rare shots that says it all. It completely captures the evening in one moment. The one that says we enjoyed each other’s company and all that was happening so far that evening. It could have been any one of us with that smile (except Anara who was still trying to figure out if all we were having was soup. LOL!).

Wine and beer liberally poured (I do mean VERY liberally!) we started in with the first course: a light beef stock with small semolina dumplings. It was the perfect start for all of us, and in fact, the perfect MEAL for at least 2 of our party.

(Zachy liked it so much, he asked for more!)

With appetites appetized, it was time for the heavier stuff- the roll up your sleeves, hope you’re starving, meat-fest! I know you want pictures, and I’m happy to oblige:

Anyone like meat?? I’ve heard more than a few of you say you do.

How about bread- I know some of you have a love affair with bread that can rival any silver screen drama. So this one’s for you:

Now what if we married these 2 together and came up with some artsy-fartsy?? Tell me, you photography gurus, which one do you like better??

The conversation never grew cold, stalled out, or got trivial. There seemed no end to topics we covered, but mainly stuck with German (particularly Bavarian) history, a bit of politics, jobs, and acorn fed ham. HUH?! Yeah, apparently, pigs that are fed acorns end up with frankly the best danged ham I’ve EVER had. Magdalene’s dad brought some out of his super secret stash (it’s even more super secret than my super secret Disney bank account- shhhh!) to let us try. The lesson here- never feed your pigs ANYTHING else (especially roast beef!), and smoke those porkies for a long, long, long time.

Here are a few more pictures to help you get a feel for the atmosphere around the table- intent, engaged, and enjoying!

(I’d love to post the REAL Magdalene’s mom and dad, but need to ask her first; if she says it’s ok, I’ll go back and change this, because frankly, they are lovely people and this makes them look hideous!)

Surely we must end our lovely evening with a lovely kind of dessert! And this did just such the trick!



Mmmm…. Mixed berry pudding! Lovely in every way! And yes, I think I did have seconds. Mike did not. Because he had not had such a Berry Magical Day. But I sure wish you one!!

 

[Flossbolna]

I find it interesting that there is the star of David on this building. Any history of that?

This was actually VERY interesting. I"m going to let Magdalene field this one. She had an intriguing explanation, and it's NOT what you think it is. She was actually going to ask her dad about it, and get back to me- so I'm curious what he has to say on this subject as well!

I totally forgot that I meant to ask my father!

But I will try my best (and after a bit of fact checking on Wikipedia, I am quite confident that this is not going to be total nonsense):

The "hexagram" - which is the official name for a six-pointed star formed form two triangles - is actually commonly used for different purposes. It isn't exclusively Jewish, even though this might be the best known purpose.

One use which is common in Southern Germany where it is called either "beer star" or "brewer's star". It was used to indicate a brewery or a place where beer is being brewed. Medieval German towns were heavily regulated in every way and not everyone was allowed to brew beer. The right to brew beer was associated with a specific house, so in order to get a licence to brew you would have to acquire a house with brewing rights - and most of the time this would not be done by buying the house, but by inheriting it or marrying the widow. Of course lots of this has changed by now, but when you see a star like this on a house in Southern Germany it normally means that this was a brewery - and that's the case here: We were standing in the yard of a brewery.

There are very few places where the brewer's star is still in active use and one of them is a town close to where Katharina and I grew up. Katharina's best friend used to live there. There people still make use of the right to brew which is associated with their houses. Those aren't breweries, but normal houses which homebrew their beer. When they have made beer, they put out the star at their front door and then everyone can come and buy fresh beer - either sit in their living room and enjoy a glass of beer or come with a jug and take it home. Katharina's friend regularly had to go and fetch a jug of beer from their neighbours when she was a kid.

 

[Flossbolna]

But let’s start at the beginning! Magdalene’s mom and dad’s apartment is simply charming! It is a nice split level with a great view of a well kept garden. I loved their deck that had some veggies and flowers growing in pots. On a warmer, sunnier day, I imagine it is a lovely place to sit with a good book and a cup of coffee!!

Yes, this deck is really one of the highlights of their appartment! When they first moved to Nuremberg my mother was a bit unhappy about living in such a modern building, she loves old houses. I always tried to tell my parents how greatful they should be for this deck and they thought they would not really need it. But now both of them love it and it is just the right size to enable my father to do some "gardening" without it becoming a chore!

I mean, anyone who has a clean bathroom WITH toilet paper, gives me an exotic drink, and tells me there are sausages cooking- well, my friend, come on! What more could be asked for??!

Ok, I will remember that: always clean toilet before Liesa is coming for a visit!

I want Magdalene to share the story of WHY this gift was so meaningful and so perfect for them- had we known, it would have been even more amazing- but we gave them a piece of a weaving that was originally a handmade yurt tie. The piece was handmade probably about 60-100 years ago by a friend of mine’s great grandmother who likely lived IN a yurt during her lifetime- likely in fact, until the 1917 Revolution, and until Kazakhstan was overrun by the Soviets.

May I take the easy route and just point people to my report on our wonderful meet which can be found in my TR here. There are also more lovely pictures of the slippers! The weather is becoming cold enough to wear them now!! Thanks again for the wonderful gifts, Liesa! I especially appreciated the fact that by bringing these gifts for us you had to reduce your own personal baggage which you could bring back from Kazakhstan!

I can’t remember if they tried the kort (salted, dried, milk curds) or not, but I think they really thought I had brought them petrified camel poo.

No we did not try it then, I tried it since it tastes strange... Must be a bit of an acquired taste!

I wish I could tell you what the wine selection for the evening, but I am 99% sure that both drinks offered were regional Bavarian.

The beer was from Bavaria, or more precise from the area around Nuremberg which is called Frankonia. This is the region which still has the most small breweries in Germany. The wine is not Bavarian, though, it is from Rheinhessen (in English Rhine-Hesse) from the vineyard my parents have gotten their wine from for the last 30 years or so...

Remember that “favorite shot”? I think this one has to be it. It is one of those rare shots that says it all. It completely captures the evening in one moment. The one that says we enjoyed each other’s company and all that was happening so far that evening. It could have been any one of us with that smile (except Anara who was still trying to figure out if all we were having was soup. LOL!).

Interesting favourite shot, I understand your feeling about it, but I might be a bit biased against it since I don't really look very good in it!

a light chicken stock with small dumplings. It was the perfect start for all of us, and in fact, the perfect MEAL for at least 2 of our party.

Not chicken, but beef, remember what I wrote the other day about boiling brisket - this is the water it was boiled in. And the dumplings were semolina. We added it to the offerings because we thought it might be the right thing for those with tummy troubles! And it is one of my favourite meals!

Now what if we married these 2 together and came up with some artsy-fartsy?? Tell me, you photography gurus, which one do you like better??

This one!

Great update! Ok, I might be a bit biased, but I agree that we all had a lovely meal, I know my parents, Katharina and I all enjoyed it very much as well! Time really seemed to fly! I would have loved to hear more about your experiences in Kazakhstan, but we spent so much time talking about Germany...

 

[glennbo123]

WOW! This is your best update yet! Everything looked wonderful...the meat picture, the bread picture. (And is that pretzel bread?) Beer and wine and conversation, oh my!

Did you intend to post a picture of dessert?

 

[vamassey1]

Fabulous update! What a wonderful meal and wonderful companions. You tell everyone is have a great time and eating tasty food.

 

[englishrose47]

Liesa what a wonderful Update !!!The food looked awesome !!!As for the "camel poo" I know the feeling !!!!

 

[lovealldisney]

This looks super yummy! I have to admit Germany had pretty awsome bread!

This looks so good! Magdalene tell me what all the meat is??


Thanks for sharing your evening with Magdalene, Katharina and their parents! I am still suprer uber jealous you were able to spend more time with Magdalene then me!

 

[lovealldisney]

I totally forgot that I meant to ask my father!

But I will try my best (and after a bit of fact checking on Wikipedia, I am quite confident that this is not going to be total nonsense):

The "hexagram" - which is the official name for a six-pointed star formed form two triangles - is actually commonly used for different purposes. It isn't exclusively Jewish, even though this might be the best known purpose.

One use which is common in Southern Germany where it is called either "beer star" or "brewer's star". It was used to indicate a brewery or a place where beer is being brewed. Medieval German towns were heavily regulated in every way and not everyone was allowed to brew beer. The right to brew beer was associated with a specific house, so in order to get a licence to brew you would have to acquire a house with brewing rights - and most of the time this would not be done by buying the house, but by inheriting it or marrying the widow. Of course lots of this has changed by now, but when you see a star like this on a house in Southern Germany it normally means that this was a brewery - and that's the case here: We were standing in the yard of a brewery.

There are very few places where the brewer's star is still in active use and one of them is a town close to where Katharina and I grew up. Katharina's best friend used to live there. There people still make use of the right to brew which is associated with their houses. Those aren't breweries, but normal houses which homebrew their beer. When they have made beer, they put out the star at their front door and then everyone can come and buy fresh beer - either sit in their living room and enjoy a glass of beer or come with a jug and take it home. Katharina's friend regularly had to go and fetch a jug of beer from their neighbours when she was a kid.

I would have never known this. We would have thought this may have something to do with WWII. Very interesting Magdalene!

 

[lovealldisney]

May I take the easy route and just point people to my report on our wonderful meet which can be found in my TR here. There are also more lovely pictures of the slippers! The weather is becoming cold enough to wear them now!! Thanks again for the wonderful gifts, Liesa! I especially appreciated the fact that by bringing these gifts for us you had to reduce your own personal baggage which you could bring back from Kazakhstan!

I went back and re-read this. I remember the little red polka dot mushrooms. While in Rothenburg I was in a shop that had plush mushrooms like this with cutes faces. I bought one for Alison which she LOVES! She took all of the things we brought back and showed it to her German class they all love the little mushroom.

Not chicken, but beef, remember what I wrote the other day about boiling brisket - this is the water it was boiled in. And the dumplings were semolina. We added it to the offerings because we thought it might be the right thing for those with tummy troubles! And it is one of my favourite meals!

I would love the recipe for this! I you wouldn't mind. This sound delish!

Magdalene so glad you had a great time visiting. I so wish our visit could have been longer.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Wow, this update even brought me out of lurkdom (is that even a word??)! What a fabulous time you all had. Two beautiful families sharing an evening - who could ask for more? I would have loved the talk of Germany's history. My paternal grandfather came over from Germany, but he passed when I was very young, so never had the opportunity to hear his stories and memories.

Everything looks delicious, but the breads just about made me drool, especially the pretzel. If food looks so good in photos, I can only imagine how yummy it had to have been.

Thank you for a fabulous update, Liesa. Will go over to Magdalene’s TR to read more.

 

[that's nice]

But I will try my best (and after a bit of fact checking on Wikipedia, I am quite confident that this is not going to be total nonsense):

The "hexagram" - which is the official name for a six-pointed star formed form two triangles - is actually commonly used for different purposes. It isn't exclusively Jewish, even though this might be the best known purpose.

One use which is common in Southern Germany where it is called either "beer star" or "brewer's star". It was used to indicate a brewery or a place where beer is being brewed. Medieval German towns were heavily regulated in every way and not everyone was allowed to brew beer. The right to brew beer was associated with a specific house, so in order to get a licence to brew you would have to acquire a house with brewing rights - and most of the time this would not be done by buying the house, but by inheriting it or marrying the widow. Of course lots of this has changed by now, but when you see a star like this on a house in Southern Germany it normally means that this was a brewery - and that's the case here: We were standing in the yard of a brewery.

Very interesting! Thank you for the info! I just though it was weird to see that on a old building in Germany. If I ever make it to Germany, I'll be sure to be on the lookout for the star so I can have a brew!

There are very few places where the brewer's star is still in active use and one of them is a town close to where Katharina and I grew up. Katharina's best friend used to live there. There people still make use of the right to brew which is associated with their houses. Those aren't breweries, but normal houses which homebrew their beer. When they have made beer, they put out the star at their front door and then everyone can come and buy fresh beer - either sit in their living room and enjoy a glass of beer or come with a jug and take it home. Katharina's friend regularly had to go and fetch a jug of beer from their neighbours when she was a kid.

That is so cool. It sounds like a very intimate experience- sitting in a strangers house and sipping homemade beer. Thanks for the stories!!!!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Well, not really, that’s an awfully high price for beer- especially because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels.

I completely agree with your description here.

Lovely update!! I can completely feel the warmth and hospitality through your photos. And that bread basket? Simply devine.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We were graciously received with hugs and hellos, like we had known them for years. Their hospitality was overflowing already. I mean, anyone who has a clean bathroom WITH toilet paper, gives me an exotic drink, and tells me there are sausages cooking- well, my friend, come on! What more could be asked for??!

You had me at the toilet paper.

I think they really thought I had brought them petrified camel poo.

I almost wish you had. Almost.

Anyone like meat?? I’ve heard more than a few of you say you do.

Does anyone like meat? Is the Pope Catholic?

How about bread- I know some of you have a love affair with bread that can rival any silver screen drama. So this one’s for you:

Yeah, apparently, pigs that are fed acorns end up with frankly the best danged ham I’ve EVER had. Magdalene’s dad brought some out of his super secret stash (it’s even more super secret than my super secret Disney bank account- shhhh!) to let us try. The lesson here- never feed your pigs ANYTHING else (especially roast beef!), and smoke those porkies for a long, long, long time.

He has a super-secret stash of meat? This is the coolest dude ever!

You had dinner with a couple of lollipops?

 

[tinkgurl]

All that food has me drooling!

As for the P, I am having a hard time! Here's what I think..the font looks like it would be something from Pop, but I'm not sure what!

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

The "hexagram" - which is the official name for a six-pointed star formed form two triangles - is actually commonly used for different purposes. It isn't exclusively Jewish, even though this might be the best known purpose.

One use which is common in Southern Germany where it is called either "beer star" or "brewer's star". It was used to indicate a brewery or a place where beer is being brewed. Medieval German towns were heavily regulated in every way and not everyone was allowed to brew beer. The right to brew beer was associated with a specific house, so in order to get a licence to brew you would have to acquire a house with brewing rights - and most of the time this would not be done by buying the house, but by inheriting it or marrying the widow. Of course lots of this has changed by now, but when you see a star like this on a house in Southern Germany it normally means that this was a brewery - and that's the case here: We were standing in the yard of a brewery.

There are very few places where the brewer's star is still in active use and one of them is a town close to where Katharina and I grew up. Katharina's best friend used to live there. There people still make use of the right to brew which is associated with their houses. Those aren't breweries, but normal houses which homebrew their beer. When they have made beer, they put out the star at their front door and then everyone can come and buy fresh beer - either sit in their living room and enjoy a glass of beer or come with a jug and take it home. Katharina's friend regularly had to go and fetch a jug of beer from their neighbours when she was a kid.

Thank you so much for sharing this bit of history! I really enjoy hearing about it! It's interesting that Katharina fetched beer when she was a kid. You'd never be able to do that in the US. Too many laws.....


And Liesa,
Yummy yummy yummy! I do have a love affair with bread, and I'll say that the bread-centric picture without the meat wins for me! Oh and about that super secret Disney bank account. I honestly never thought about doing that... I certainly will now!

Thanks for sharing a wonderful looking meal with even more wonderful looking company!