Sankt Martins Tag (Elfte Elfte)

The eleventh of November is St. Martin's Day in Germany. It is now our third November in Germany, and I was determined to finally experience this traditional event. The only problem is that it is mostly for children. So I had to convince my work colleague Caroline and her 1-year old son to join me.

St. Martin's day is a Catholic holiday celebrating a saint who gave have his cloak to a poor man during a snowstorm. We went to the local church and saw a re-enactment of this saintly event by men dressed as Roman soldiers. This part was fun, but then there was some religious message and kids were getting antsy and louder by the minute. Then, we went outside, and Roman soldier St. Martin on his horse led us around the neighborhood. We were accompanied by a brass band and we periodically stopped to sing:

"Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne..."

Because the most important part of St. Martin's day are the lanterns!

So before we went out, Caroline and I improvised some lanterns. Mine was a giant pickle jar with golden leaves glued onto it. Unfortunately the little guy pulled off the biggest leaf, and so at some point it became just a giant pickle jar with a tea candle inside.

All of the children make their lanterns in school, and some are quite elaborate. However, I think if we put more than 20 minutes effort in next time, we could really show those kids up, because Caroline's partner is an art teacher. The festivities ended with Kinderpunsch and Bretzeln back at the church.

Freewheelin' in Freiburg

Over the summer, Joe got back to his roots of doing ridiculous feats of endurance. A two-time Ironman, he has not been involved in any kind of formal race since we've been living in Germany, but he did go on several all-day bike rides this summer. And by all day, I mean all day. Most of these were 200-300 km in a single stretch. Once he rode to Munich, while our friend Rachel and I left mid-morning by train and met him for dinner. Another trip took him to Mannheim, then home by train late that night. He is famous to my colleagues for having biked to Strasbourg, on the border with France, and back, up and over the Black Forest, all in a single day. One weekend this summer he decided to ride to Freiburg, in the southwestern corner of Germany, which is also the sunniest part of Germany. Because the Black Forest stand between our house and Freiburg, it took me almost as long to get there riding the trains as it did for him. So we meet for a late lunch and enjoyed a sunny afternoon in Freiburg. Joe rode his bike back the next day, and I again rode the train.

We quite enjoyed the town of Freiburg. It is a university town, so has an openness and youthful energy about it. The town was quite wealthy and was able to buy its independence in the middle ages, hence its name. A unique feature of the town are the small canals that divert river water through the town center. These were perfect to dip your feet in on a hot summer day. We also hiked up for a view over the valley, surrounded by forest. And of course, we stopped in a local beer garden for some refreshment.

City canals a perfect for hot summer days.

Taking advantage of the city's water supply on a short hike.

View of the Freiburg valley.

Freiburg Cathedral. The sandstone reminded me of Mount Holyoke.

What do we eat? Part IV: Flammkuchen

We live fairly close to the Alsace region on the border between France and Germany. The culinary influences pervade into our region, most famously with "Flammkuchen", a sort of thin-crust, white sauce pizza. It is widely available in restaurants here, but lately I've enjoyed making it at home. This makes for a quick and easy meal because I can buy the dough and skip the most time-consuming step. Flammkuchen is cooked in a very hot oven, and the sauce is made from creme fraiche, although sour cream could substitute. Traditionally, the toppings are bacon and onions. I've also enjoyed experimenting with adding feta cheese and sauteed pumpkin. I found a recipe online in case I've piqued your appetite!