Valensole

The Valensole Plateau is filled with rolling fields of lavender that seem to go on for ages. The smell is incredible, the color is so vibrant, and perhaps it's the aromatherapy, perhaps it's just the way of life, but everything feels so relaxed. That is certainly one thing I think the French have a knack for - enjoying life and taking time to appreciate the seemingly small everyday details.

Since it wouldn't be a proper mid-July without markets and festivals, there was also a lavender festival in Valensole.

We watched a man distill lavender oil on the town square, they gave free bundles of lavender to visitors, and lavender was used in a variety of foods available for purchase from chocolates and ice cream all the way to pâté. There was even a parade and group of people dressed in lavender, which is a sight you don't often see. They clearly take it seriously and it made me wonder where they are able to find so many uniquely colored accessories.

My favorite purchase was some edible lavender oil, which can be used in cooking (or making ice cream).

Before our trip I wasn't aware there is also something called lavandin, which is a cheaper species, but we were schooled in all of it. All of the fields have a steady hum of insects.

As we drove through the fields we stopped to take photos (thanks to our gorilla pod and remote)... kind of like nature meets photo booth.

Both of these also came in hand later in the evening, because we stayed in Allemagne-en-Provence and there were galaxies visible above with the naked eye. So many stars! There were things moving high up there and it made me feel very tiny. I don't really have great lenses for night photography, but with my trigger release I could at least capture some of it.

The home we stayed at was gorgeous - complete with a beautiful pool. It was a bit chilly when we arrived, so we just dipped our feet in. It was the perfect setting to make me think about cashing in city life for a fleeting moment.

Color of 2011: Honeysuckle

What do you think of Pantone's color of 2011 - Honeysuckle?

It's certainly vivacious and bright!

It reminds me of lipstick, a sunset, my sister, and of course flowers.

Having such an energizing color will definitely help people's moods, although it's probably best in small doses for clothing.

We saw this beautiful flower somewhere along Highway One in California last Winter. I'm not sure what kind of flower it is, but the shade is very similar to Pantone's Honeysuckle.

Mirabell Gardens

Lots of rain this week... but even so, the flowers are blooming and growing. The whisteria is looking as if it's straight out of a Bob Ross painting and the ornamental cherry blossoms are falling like confetti.

It's so nice to sit at Mirabell Gardens and enjoy an amazing pastry while being showered with cherry blossom petals. Definitely no complaints from me!

I always try to sample something new when I'm there.

This time I went with something passion fruit + pistachio from from Patisserie-Konditorei Fingerlos. It's was just as delicious as it was beautiful.

Gärtnerplatz

This is one of my favorite places in Munich. It's such a colorful tranquil place that beckons you to take a few minutes of your day and let out a sigh as to how wonderful life truly is.

Even though it was a rainy day, I really appreciated the drops of dew on the flowers and watching little ones enjoy playing in the drizzly weather.

The flowers in this area are all so mesmerizing, but if I had to pick a favorite I think I'd pick the ruffled ones that seem so festive.

Another thing that I love about Gärtnerplatz are the characters. If you're really lucky, you may even see the Bavarian Santa doppelgänger who typically wears very small lederhosen shorts. He always seems to be between this area (including today) and Viktualienmarkt.

He's the type of guy that legends are made of, and alas - once again he escaped without me photographing him. Looks like you'll have to make a trip yourself and keep an eye out for him, but so far many of my visitors have also been fortunate enough to be graced with his presence.

Summer in Munich

Here are a few of little details I've appreciated over the past couple weeks.

I cannot believe it's already August.

We have plenty to do this month:
- finish getting visas
- our final round of vaccinations (The tetanus shot sure did our arms in)
- figure out a packing list
- book hotels
- celebrate 3 years of wedded bliss! (I'm definitely looking forward to that one)

But in the meantime, I love reading a good book at the park and stopping at the biergarten or for some gelato on the way home.

Blumen zum Selberschneiden

When I first came to Germany I was surprised to see so many fields of flowers. Even better is that you can deposit change in a box and pick your own flowers. I was delighted that people here were so honest and that the bright colors on the landscape were so striking.

I still get happy when I see these fields. Often they have gladiolus and an array of other beautiful blooms like ranunculus and sunflowers.

Here are a few photos from today. The storm clouds were starting to roll through, so there wasn't too much time to spend outside. Tomorrow should be a bit better.

At least there was a little bit of time for people to pick some flowers and brighten up their homes during this never ending rainy summer.

purple flower

My Grandma has these flowers in her backyard. They seem so comical and as if they came from a Dr. Seuss book.

the.

I've been seeing 'the.' on design sites for a while now... because of their anti-theft lunch bags, however I absolutely love their new framed objects.

Since I don't know that cleaning the vase would be so simple, I think I'd go for the book shelf. It would be so nice in a kitchen for a cookbook or in a little reading area. It's definitely a subliminal conversation starter.

I also love their walls notebook, which can inspire your inner graffiti artist. (Note the typical German Stabilo pens that we all love).

They certainly have a lot of fun design items. If only my birthday was around the corner.

(images courtesy of the.)

Lemon Flowers

The past week has been extremely trying and eventful for all the wrong reasons, however I am trying to stay positive.

You know the old saying of life giving you lemons and making lemonade... instead I made cute 'tarte au citron' cakes that look like flowers.

Things can only get better from here (hopefully!).

Happy Mother's Day!

When Mother's Day rolls around I always think 'what would my Mom enjoy today?' Last year we went to the biergarten to enjoy the beautiful day in her honor and decided to do the same this year. She does love a good beer from time to time and once again it was a great day to enjoy outside.

We started the day with breakfast on our balcony. I defrosted my very last Naga cookie from Vosges. My mom and I share a love for these and unfortunately they are out of stock on their website, so I wasn't able to send any her way.

Another thing that I am immensely proud of, that always reminds me of my Mom, is my basil plant. I cannot believe I have my very own - and it's growing! Just last weekend I was talking to Stefan's Mom about it and she said, 'these aren't meant to last, you just throw it away when it's done.' My Mom grows the most insane bushels of organic basil.

I'll admit that I don't really have a green thumb, despite the fact my grandparents owned a green house, which is why I usually stick to fresh cut flowers. Stefan even surprised me with a beautiful bouquet for completing my 'Zertifikat Deutsch' (German language test). How sweet is he?

What's funny is virtually any time my mother in law comes to visit, she brings a plant. Stefan received an early birthday gift - a hanging plant for our balcony, yet I was the one given directions on how to care for it and this time - fertilizer. I don't take it as insult, but more of a personal challenge to actually keep it alive. So far, so good.

Our visit to the biergarten this afternoon was wonderful, except we had to celebrate with a sign instead of a real Mom like the neighboring tables. We packed our brotzeit and shared my favorite spätzel at Nockherberg, as the sun shined through the beautiful canopy.

Hope you have as beautiful of a day Mom!

Löwenzahn

We went to visit my in-laws this weekend. It's nice to get out of the city from time to time, especially when we can go visit them close to the Alps.

Once we reached the Allgäu I noticed the fields and rolling hills were virtually all a vibrant yellow. I asked Stefan what the crop was as we sped down the Autobahn at 135mph (215 km/h), and he responded they were Löwenzahn (Dandelions). Never in my life have I seen dandelions look so beautiful.

They reminded me of the rabbit I had growing up and how he loved to eat dandelions. His little nose would become lightly tinted yellow from the pollen. Unfortunately I didn't see any bunnies frolicking about, but that could be due to the fact these flowers were so tall.

Thankfully the cows were out enjoying the weather. The light brown ones are my favorite and they are always plentiful in the Allgäu - aren't they adorable?

First Tour of the Season

Even though I have been giving tours to Salzburg for nearly two years, I love going back. Not only do I get to meet interesting tourists from all around the world, I also get to appreciate the different restaurants and changing beauty.

The Mirabell Gardens are blooming and absolutely perfect at this time of year. Everyone was out enjoying the flowers and the sun. The reactions of the tourists are priceless. They are intrigued by The Sound of Music, Mozart, and the fact that this is my job.

My other favorite aspect is stopping at Demel for their amazing pastries. Since the weather is warming up they currently have ice cream and sorbets as well, which are very very good. Today I had green apple and blueberry, although I'm sure I'll work my way through their rotation.

If you live in the area you definitely should consider a day trip - just look at those flowers! If you go, be sure to check out my Salzburg Visitor's Guide with all of my favorite places to visit.

Borough Market

Several friends suggested we visit the Borough Market, which is only open several days a week. The website gave me an idea of what to expect, however I was definitely not prepared for endless amounts and types of foods. It was really wonderful.

The colors and textures are so visually stunning - not to mention the options are slightly overwhelming. The typical produce is available as are many other more obscure options. There are both fresh ingredients and prepared food, so there really is something for everyone from many corners of the world.

The crowds can be slightly discouraging and sometimes I got frustrated feeling as though I was being herded around, but it's still worth the trip. It was interesting to see which vendors had the longest lines.

The fish mongers looked like they were very busy. I was impressed with the selection, but I'm certain it doesn't hurt to be on an island. I can see why the market would be buzzing right before the weekend. We have the Viktualienmarket here in Munich, although it doesn't have as open of a market feeling with street vendors.

After walking through the market and taking photos of the beautifully presented foods we tried to pair things down and figure out what we wanted to eat.

I was even surprised to see a German booth as well as a booth serving traditional Swiss raclette. Definitely go early and with an empty stomach because there is a constant crowd and always something else that looks delectable. As we were look around Stefan asked if it was open the next day, because he was enjoying himself so much.

In attempt to be healthy we started with a fresh smoothie and a shot of wheatgrass, which they said was equal to three days worth of green vegetables.

For lunch, I chose a veggie burger, which was very filling and Stefan opted for a venison burger, although they had other unique meats like ostrich as well.

Unfortunately I couldn't eat any of the pastries or buy any of the fresh ingredients to cook with. Next time I know to get a pastry first, so I won't be stuffed to the gills. I took a picture of the baklava that looked very similar to the ones we sampled in Cairo. It was labeled, so I'm hoping to find a few of the recipes and try my hand at that.

In addition to the various foods there were also plenty of beautiful flowers. It's such a colorful and visually appealing market and definitely worth the trip if you happen to be in the area Thursday - Saturday.

Frankfurt flashback

Here are a few photos of one of the Chinese gates at the Bethmann Park in Frankfurt. It's called the 'Garden of Heavenly Peace' and was created in memory of the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Legend says if you spin the ball in the lion's mouth that you will have good luck.

What I love about this is the reminder of my early days in Germany 2.5 years ago. We were staying in Frankfurt for several weeks while Stefan finished up some business. I had just moved to Germany and I was nervous to venture out.

I remember thinking, 'What if someone says something to me and I don't understand?' or 'What if I get lost?' Some days it was paralyzing, while other days I would explore the city walking from one end to the other.

On one of my first excursions through our neighborhood, I stumbled upon this beautiful park. Here I could observe the teenagers from the near by school, and the elderly people enjoying the sun. I often went just to take photos of the flowers that were in full bloom. This park was also home to 2 cats that the old men loved to feed deli meat to. One of the men even brought a brush to brush them out. There were plenty of oddities. This is where I would go to think, to read, to draw, and to feel somewhat connected to this new foreign world.

I have not written much about Frankfurt simply because I started this blog long after we lived there.

From the haze that Frankfurt was for me, here are a few places that stick out in my mind that I would recommend visiting if you are there:

• The Ivory Club
• Teelerium, which was on Bergerstraße (I'm not sure if it's still there - I didn't find a website). 
• The Opera House
  

I don't recommend visiting the area around the train station - it's very seedy. I had to walk through to pick up our marriage license translations, and boy was I naïve! I saw business men pouring out of, and being lured into, strip clubs. I saw a man dealing drugs and another smoking something that I presume was crack. I wish I was joking. Even during daylight I didn't feel safe in that area.

But then I did see plenty of random reminders, in English, that let me know things would be OK in this strange new world.

My mother's garden

I would have loved to have inherited my Mom's green thumb. It probably doesn't hurt that my parents have a sprawling backyard with a lot of sunlight, but everyone seems to be able to grow beautiful plants - except me. It feels like home to sit outside with the morning dew and through the day to hear the delightful chirp of cicadas.

Every year my Mom grows enormous bushels of basil and makes delicious pestos from scratch. It has made me a pesto snob and I can't eat any that isn't fresh. Unfortunately I can't seem to grow my own basil.

Not only does she have various herbs and vegetables, but also some very beautiful flowers.

My grandmothers have always had a large variety of plants too. One owned a greenhouse, complete with a 100 year old ivy plant that was later stolen. The other grandmother had papyrus, which fascinated me as I learned Egyptians made paper out of it, and an enormous aloe plant that I learned is fantastic for kitchen burns. Surprisingly my mother in law had never heard that.

One of my favorites that my Mom has would be the 4 o'clocks from my great-great-grandmother. It has been passed through the family and spread through it's off shoots. It's a strange heirloom, but it's a neat thought that my grandmother's grandmother was tending to this same plant more than half a century ago. I can only hope over time to inherit the green thumb the ladies in my family have. Until then I will be happy to sit in the backyard and appreciate nature. It's one of the simple things I enjoy about being home.

Orikane

Orikane is the art of dollar bill folding, similar to Origami or as some say 'Moneygami'. When we were married we received many cash gifts. I think this may be more customary in Germany and also due to the fact I was moving. The money was not simply placed in an envelope - it was presented. We received a 'cactus', which was a cucumber with money sticking out in every direction, a 'shirt' that said they'd give us the shirt off their back, 'butterflies' with homemade jams, and many organaza bags filled with notes. They were all very unique and memorable. 

I was looking for creative ways to give money with an orchid and art work when I came across the Dollar Artist. 

I remember folding notes in school and making them into hearts or one that you could pull a tab to open. I'd wanted to do something sweet and romantic to fit the wedding theme, but then something like the elephant looks so precious. Last we heard they were considering a trip to India for their honeymoon, so I thought we could write something about using the money towards elephant food and I'd make an Orikane elephant. 

Not so simple...

These sites look wonderful, however I didn't have much patience with tiny folds - and the fact that Euros aren't the same size as US dollars, so I resorted to the old stand by - hearts. I think it turned out nicely. 

I'm already looking forward to seeing what a Bavarian wedding is all about and to welcome Steffi to the family.