My brother’s family celebrate name’s days and they tried hard to figure out when Ted’s name’s day would be. It is October 17th! And today we were invited to a party at their house where they surprised us with a delicious Bavarian name’s day party!

They slaved away in the kitchen for hours to cook and bake with their wood burning oven, whipping up the worlds best pork roast, potato dumplings and red cabbage! My niece Tamara baked 3 different cakes and we were all stuffed, happy and we had a lot of fun – they even had gifts, Bavarian gifts!

❤️ I love my family! ❤️

❤️ They are the best ❤️

If you like yellow, orange, red and every color mixed from those, you’d be a happy camper in Bavaria right now! It is beautiful, fulfilling and calming. It makes me happy!

Germany has a long tradition of craftsmanship, and their pride can be seen – for example – in all those business signs along the streets! Here are just a few examples:

Dirndl and Lederhosen, Neuschwanstein, Pretzel and Beer, Humpa-Music and – Rothenburg are the stereotypes most Americans envision about Germany. The Alps, Jodelmusic, cuckoo clock, sauerkraut and cobblestone streets, flower boxes on windows with colorful geraniums, sausages with mustard and Christkindlmarkets. All this is Germany and all this can be found in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (meaning at the Tauber River).

Ted and I visited Rothenburg and it was a little like visiting Disneyland. 90% American tourist, 10% Asians and I. It felt like I was the only German speaking person there. In every store or restaurant people spoke English, immediately explaining the tax free shopping options and the shipping rates to the US. We didn’t even ask, we just looked at the walls full of cuckoo clocks and Christmas decorations. And since Germany means Christmas, there are at least 7 (!) Christmas stores + a Christmas museum in town = Christmas overload!!!

But don’t get me wrong: Rothenburg is nice, it’s quaint, romantic and nostalgic. It just went a little overboard, that’s all!

Sitting in a waiting room for my third doctors appointment this week, next week will be three more + my long overdue surgery. And there are additional visits to the pharmacy to drop off prescriptions and more visits to pick up medicine (unlikely in the US they don’t fax prescriptions to the pharmacy). I’m tired of wearing a brace or crutches. And I feel sorry for Ted who has to be a chauffeur for everything I need… yes, it’s getting old. Or maybe I’m getting old?

Well, in the meantime it is October and that means: it is almost Christmas! According to the grocery stores, who think they need to remind us, they are fully equipped with chocolates, truffles, Santa Clauses etc. Stollen and Lebkuchen and everything you might need!

And of course everybody complains about it to be too early again, but I like it! First of all: I love chocolate and second: I love Christmas! And in 6 weeks there will be Christkindlmarkets everywhere and I’ll be in heaven 🤩

when the typical American stereotype is found in 1 supermarket shelf: Mac & Cheese, Rootbeer, Marshmallows, Reese’s, yellow mustard, Poptarts, maple syrup, popcorn and hotsauce! Yikes!