Tag: Germany

rise and look around you

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2014 clarity a

2014 clarity b

We can still walk if not in groups and the weather these past days has been glorious.  So much so that it is starting to freak me out a little; almost too good to be true.

The title is from this song:

On a clear day
Rise and look around you
And you’ll see who you are.
On a clear day
How it will astound you
That the glow of your being outshines ev’ry star.

You’ll feel part of ev’ry mountain sea and shore.
You can hear, from far and near,
A world you’ve never heard before.
And on a clear day…
On that clear day…
You can see forever and ever more!

Here is a link to the Barbra Streisand version.

For more Friday Fun: Clarity click here.

Edward, the blue iris

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2012 speciality a

Not just any old iris but an iris reticulata by the name of “Edward”.

2012 speciality b

The “Schau- und Sichtungsgarten Hermannshof” (trial garden) is in itself a speciality: a garden that is at once a garden showcasing plants and presenting them to the public as well as being a scientific institute which valuates plants in a natural environment regarding their position and growth and compatibility with other plants.

More information about the Hermannshof can be found here.

Linked to One Word Sunday: Speciality.

Hold on!

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2011 rail c

From Koblenz there is a cable car across the Rhine leading up to the fortress Ehrenbreitstein.  For an even better view a huge viewing platform has been constructed up on the hill plateau.

2011 rail b

2011 rail d

2011 rail e

 

2011 rail f

And contrasting this rather large construction, here is a little detail on how to beautify rails – also close to the Rhine but in Düsseldorf.

2011 rail a

Linked to the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Rails.

 

Put your asperagus on the table

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2011 table b

2011 table c

2011 table a

This sculpted group stands in Lampertheim, a salute to the asperagus farmers and sellers right in the centre of the traditional asperagus growing regions.  I stress traditional because with the advent of plastic covering on fields (and a bit of help from global warming) white asperagus is farmed in many areas of Germany.  In the wide Rhine valley the climate was always favourable and in combination with the sandy soil which has come on southerly winds from the Sahara dessert for aeons it became ideal for this  spring vegetable.  Germans eat “Spargel” with a passion and the season is from early spring until traditionally 24 June in order to give the plants time to recuperate before the next season.  To this day more than half of the German asparagus is sold on roadside stands and in open markets.  

Linked to Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Tables, Chairs, Picnic Tables, etc.

Boys we almost stand in fear of

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The epitome of naughtiness are these two rascals, called Max and Moritz.

Max und Moritz Wilhelm Busch

The poet and illustrator Wilhelm Busch brought their story to paper with his characteristic drawings and accompanying rhymed couplets.  To this day their mischievous pranks delight children and adults alike.  Many Germans can quote part of the story.

It is undisputed that Busch was a direct ancestor of all comic books.  Max und Moritz inspired the cartoon strip Katzenjammer Kids in the US and from there his influence spread.

Max und Moritz Apotheke

Many shops and restaurants are named after them.  Here it is a pharmacy.

Max und Moritz erster Streich

And here a restaurant which is fitting because their first prank involved first killing and then stealing and eating the chicken of a widow.

2011 naughty a

However, chips weren’t invented yet in 1860 when Busch wrote and illustrated the story.

Linked to Friday Fun: naughty.