With Easter weekend on the horizon, I decided it was time to get away for a couple of days’ rest and relaxation. After a little deliberation, I chose the town of BAD Saarow, partly because it looked pretty and wasn’t that far away, and partly because it sounded like a misbehaving small bird, which is what I am most of the time.
Deutsche Bahn, in their infinite wisdom, had chosen this weekend to do work on several regional train lines so, with a small house on my back, I set off to get the first train that would take me to the second train that would take me to the first replacement bus that would take me to the second replacement bus…
Finally, at around 1.15, we pulled up outside BAD Saarow train station.
After a quick glance around to make sure everyone hadn’t turned into fairy tale characters, I got off the bus. I took a couple of photos of the train station – mainly to prove that it actually exists in real life. My hunger and need to pee brought me back down to earth and I wandered across the road to a café, looking over my shoulder every now and then to make sure the station was still there.
I sat at an outside table and a waitress promptly brought over the menu. Fancying something a bit hearty after my extensive travels, I ordered the Wurstgulasch mit Nudeln. The fact that they didn’t have wine should have been a warning sign, but I was still in a bit of a daze so I just ordered a cup of tea instead. My “Gulasch” arrived…
If you’re thinking, “My, it looks just like chunks of sausage in an abundance of tomato ketchup thrown on top of some pasta”, I can assure you, that’s exactly what it was. Still, it was edible so I ate enough so as not to alarm the waitress, paid and trundled off.
I was actually staying at a guest house in an even smaller town, called Neu Golm (I know, right?), which was around 3kms from the centre of BAD Saarow; I just had no idea in which direction. Seeing no taxis outside the train station, I headed for the harbour, thinking they might be hiding out there.
I had seen pictures of Scharmützelsee (Lake) and, well, this is Germany, so I was expecting it to be “pretty”, but my expectations weren’t even close to the reality.
As the sun danced on the calm water, I danced around merry Germans, mentally congratulating myself on having chosen this place on this fabulous weekend. Soon, however, the weight of my backpack overrode my smug delight and it was back to the train station which also houses the information office. I asked the lady about buses and it turned out the next one was in around three hours. So, I asked her about taxis. She called one and the driver said he would be there in 15 minutes. I said I’d wait outside.
Five minutes later, she came out in a panic to say that there’d been an accident on the Autobahn and the driver would be delayed indefinitely. I followed her back inside and watched as she frantically dialled other taxi companies, took money for souvenirs and fended off requests for bicycle rentals and boat tours. I resisted the urge to whisper, “Relax, this is all just a dream. None of this is actually happening…”
In the end, she decided to call the owner of the hotel to come and pick me up.
15 minutes later, I was standing outside Landhaus Neu Golm.
Herr Scherr handed me a key with a key ring that was almost as heavy as my backpack, explained the dinner/breakfast times, and we were done. My room was on the ground floor, spotless and airy, with the comfiest bed I’d ever set my tired arse on. But, this was no time to get lazy. It was Easter Saturday, i.e. the last day you could buy a bottle of wine until Tuesday.
I set off for a little stroll around Neu Golm – which took around three minutes. Neu Golm, I established, consists of some houses, a picturesque church, and a “yoof” centre that didn’t look like it was going to cause me any sleepless nights.
It seemed like the only activity in the area that day was a potato sale. It was almost like someone knew the Irish were coming…
I walked back in the direction of BAD Saarow – a pretty, peaceful walk which consisted of trees and fields, more trees and fields, and some more trees and fields.
After surviving the armageddon-style scrum that you find in supermarkets the day before a public holiday, I meandered back to the lake and eventually to the terrace of a restaurant I’d had my eye on earlier.
Oddly, they were closing up the outside section.
Me: Can I sit outside?
Waiter: Sure!
Job done.
I settled in with a glass of white wine, on a cushion that they brought out specially, and enjoyed all the light I could see while reading “All The Light We Cannot See”. Spooky, eh?
Having taken another billion photos, it was back to the hotel for dinner. With the menu rather heavily geared in the pork direction, I opted for the Schnitzel with onions, garlic and fried potatoes. It’s safe to say German portions will be the death of me.
From my vantage point at the window, I noticed that something was happening at the Youth Centre.
Me: What’s going on over there?
Waitress: Oh, Easter Fire.
Me: Huh. Can anyone go or is it invite-only?
Waitress: Anyone can go! No problem!
So I stumbled across the road with my Schnitzel-baby in tow. About thirty people were standing around a massive bonfire, talking, drinking and warming themselves. I bought a dodgy-looking shot from the lady working the “booze window” and made my way over. Naturally, in a village with a population of around fifty people, I stood out.
It seemed that the entire fire department was there and, sure enough, one of them came over to test the level of “stranger danger”.
Fireman Sam: You’re not from around here…
Me: No. I’m from Ireland.
And that was that. Instant “in”. Soon my new buddy and I were surrounded by curious Neu Golmers, wondering how an Irish girl had wandered into their midst on Easter Saturday. Shots were downed, Glühwein flowed, many a funny conversation was had, and I soon felt like an honorary Neu Golmer.
Before midnight, I was invited along to a well where it seemed the Germans were going to dip their heads in freezing water, or something. With my bed within crawling distance, I declined. Maybe next year…
(To be continued…)
Booze and fire! And nature! Those lake sunsets are postcard-worthy, I am totally “in.” 🙂
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Took those with my new camera – I love it 🙂
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I love your travels! I feel like I’m right beside you the whole time … and often wish I was 🙂
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Would I have had to share the chocolate then? 😉
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Of course! 😉
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Hmm… 😉
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Sigh … I’ll bring my own chocolate 😉
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Yay, friends again 😉
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lol …
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Hilarious as usual Linda. I can’t imagine having to say that I live in Neu Golmer. All the time lol!
‘Hope you had a fine time at the Osterfeuer or Easter Fire? I’ve been to one in Northern Germany and I found out all about it purely by accident as I was visiting my German parent-in-laws. I remember that it was freezing and there was a tent filled with glühwein for 50 cents a cup and another further away fille with spirits which was also 50 cents. Per shot…! Teenagers on the day. Like 6! I don’t know how they cope lol!
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They cope because wine and spirits are 50 cents 😉
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Oooh, this looks so pretty!!
Fireman Sam. Hahaha!
You sooooo need to go to Baden-Baden! You would barely be able to walk down the street for pointing out all the BAD cars! (Also, it’s just under an hour and half away from me so I could come and meet you in real life!).
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Ha ha! I’d drive you mad shouting BAD! all the time! But that does sounds like a great idea! I’m hoping to do a bit of travelling over the summer so will let you know! Hoping to also meet Simone 🙂
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lol, I definitely point out ALL the “BAD” cars on the Autobahn – there were a lot when we lived in Kalrsruhe.
Baden-Baden is really pretty, but not that exciting. It’s where all the old people retire to because the air is supposed to be so good – a bit like the Bournemouth of Germany, but with spas instead of the sea.
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I’m happy with pretty! BAD Saarow wasn’t the most exciting place on earth either but I made the most of it 😉
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Ah yes, I forgot this was you I was talking to. I bet you could make even Baden-Baden more exciting 😛
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I will give it the old college try anyway 😉
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I’ve just Googled Baden Baden – is there anywhere in this country that doesn’t look stunning?!
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I have never met anyone (and yes, I realise I haven’t met you either!) who can get in with a new group as quickly as you can! Forget the English lessons, you could run courses on assimilation…possibly involving lots of alcohol 😉
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Oh, that would be so much more fun than teaching English! And I think I would be much better at it! 🙂
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You are right – it looks just like somewhere from a fairy tale. You’ve left us on a bit of a cliffhanger – I am just wondering whether you did, in fact, leave the head dipping for next year or whether you joined in with the rest… Roll on part 2!
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Ha, I didn’t join – very unlike me, I know! But I wanted to be productive the next day and they didn’t finish up until 4.30 in the end! That tradition is only a Brandenburg thing I found out later – my students looked at me like I was mad when I asked them about it haha!
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Were you not feeling well? 😀 That sounds almost sensible… thinking of an early(ish) night because of a busy day the next day!
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Ha ha! I know! I surprised myself!
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Oooooohhhh! BerLinda. I’ve missed your posts. My own fault; I’ve been away from the blogosphere for a while. Catchup time! And that schnitzel dish was just the motivation I needed to keep on reading! Throw in a picture of some gluwein and I might just be here all night 😉
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Unfortunately I didn’t take a pic of the Glühwein! There are some on the post when Anna came to visit though! In pretty cups 🙂 And check out the Feuerzangenbowle – that was a treat 😉 Nice to have you back!
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Ooooooh! Just read it. Melted sugar and booze … what could possibly go wrong with that? 😉 Sounds yum!
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It was delicious! And brilliantly dangerous – perfect 🙂
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A) whatever that concoction is, it is NOT goulash, nor is it pasta. B) The photos are gorgeous! C) Linda, making friends wherever she goes 🙂 You could run the world.
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Maybe I’ll run for American president?
I think an Italian would die if you plonked that dish down in front of them 😉 And thank you! New camera = better photos 🙂
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I almost died just seeing it in photos!
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You can imagine my face when I saw it “in person” 😉
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But you ate it….
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I’ll eat pretty much anything that’s put in front of me 😉
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Duly noted 🙂
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I’ll whip you up some WuGu if you come to visit…
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I’m…on my way….
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I’ll buy the sausages and ketchup. We might also need some wine 😉
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“SOME”???
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ALL THE 🙂
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That’s more like it 🙂
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This is a recipe in German for a good (means: not the nostalgic, poor GDR- style) Wurtsgulasch
http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1625971269801942/Bunter-Wuerstchengulasch.html
I prefer instead of/ additional to tomato paste, fresh tomatoes or out of tetra pak.
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I lived in Berlin for 3 years but I have never been there 🙂 Thanks for your “adventures”…..The surrounding area of Berlin is very idyllic, rural and lonely 🙂
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It is certainly all of those things! So nice having these places within an hour or two of the big city 🙂
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That is so much fun Linda! Love the way the inn owner came to pick you up – classy. And the Irish invade Germany – Bwahaha! Waiting eagerly for part 2.
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It was such a perfect weekend, Paul 🙂 Loved every second of it! Nice to get away from the city once in a while!
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A little wine, a lovely lake, and a good book.
Are you enjoying All the Light We Cannot See? I did, but I know some who were put off by the very short chapters.
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Yes, I’m really enjoying it! I actually like the short chapters. Very easy to pick up and put down, especially when travelling or moving around a bit. I’m very bad for doing ‘I’ll just finish this chapter and then I’ll go to bed…’ but with this book, that’s no problem! I’m around 3/4 of the way through now. Will keep you posted!
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Love small towns in Germany, they will be talking about your visit for years to come for sure.
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A bit like small-town Ireland 🙂 Maybe that’s why I felt so at home!
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Picturesque! Stumbling into a pagan ritual in a small remote town could have had a rather more sinister outcome, but you escaped unscathed (discounting the heartbreak of bad goulasch). So, why is BAD capitalized? Are there lots of other BAD towns in Germany?
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Heh heh are there other BAD towns in Germany…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spa_towns_in_Germany#B
Yes 🙂
I capitalised it cos I always have a tendency to shout the BAD part – like the town has been naughty 😉 I’m stupid like that haha!
Ooh, never thought of it as stumbling into a pagan ritual! Now I’m relieved!
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Oh! BAD = SPA?! 🙂
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Wow, that’s a big smiley! How did you do that?! And yes, you are correct 🙂
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Oh, I don’t know how I did that. But your smiley was huge also. Let’s try again. 🙂
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Ha! Huge again! Must be a new thing!
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Oh my, the BADness is endemic to the place, I see 🙂 Maybe you can make a tour of BADtowns. Do they produce mineral beverages, or is the water mostly for bathing?
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I would LOVE to do a tour of BADtowns! The thought had actually crossed my mind! Would need to see how easy they all are to get to though – it could be a lifelong project! I think some of them produce spring water but I guess mostly for bathing… This place had the most amazing looking spa – but (shock horror) you needed a bathing suit and I hadn’t thought to pack one!
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Are they usually bathing-suit optional?
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Some of them, you HAVE to be naked 😉
Don’t know if you read this one?
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Yes! But it sounds like the one you just visited required a bathing suit. So they’re all different?
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Yep, each one has its own rules! You probably had to be naked for the sauna part but the pools are visible from a public walkway so it wouldn’t really be fair to make people be in the nip there! 😉
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Funny how those rules work. It’s OK for other people to see you naked, but only if they’re naked too. If they’re passing on their way to work, NEIN!
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Ha ha! I guess less scrupulous people could video it from the street whereas there are no phones/cameras allowed inside!
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I knew about the fires, but not the whole dunking your head in water thing. I wish you had done it (so that I could live vicariously through you- I can´t imagine myself EVER doing so!)
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I was sorely tempted but only for the blog’s sake – it was so lovely and warm by the fire and my bed was so close! The thought of being wet and cold and shivery… brrr. Found out the next day they didn’t quit until around 4.30am so I was glad I didn’t go in the end – I would have slept through most of the following day!
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I this a natural gift or is tedious apprenticeship necessary to find places like this in the middle of nowhere? 😯
Unlike other big German cities, Berlin has no greater suburbs (except Potsdam). 75km outside of the city centre is provincial backwater. You never will find a decorous German gentleman in dullsville like Neu Golm. 😉 But maybe they need an Irish pub in Bad Saarow?
P.S.: This Wurstgulsch is really disgraceful. As you can notice, the north- German cuisine is nearer to England… 😎
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Is it a natural gift or a tedious apprenticeship to be this tedious?
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Fascinating. I never understand how people can live in such small population places. They must have been very excited you came for a splash of new!
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I was certainly something different, that’s for sure! I guess no other hotel guests had ever crashed the party despite the hotel being there for 24 years 😉 And no, lovely for a few days, but living there? I’d go mad! Seems to be a nice little community, I just don’t know what they DO 🙂
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I love that ‘I’m from Ireland’ is your in.
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Works every time, haha! Germans love Ireland for some reason. Even if they’ve never been there. One man was telling me how great it is when Ireland plays here cos the fans are so much fun ‘unlike the English who drink, fight and vomit everywhere’ 😉 I didn’t disagree haha!
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And they say American portions are large. (They are. Oh God, they are so large.) That looks like it could feed two people at least. Also, I’m convinced that Deutsche Bahn enjoys inconveniencing its patrons as often as possible. They have to get a sick joy out of it. The track repairs are just a ruse for their true desire.
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Ha, I think you might be right! They’re now doing work on the Ring Bahn line in Berlin. Sigh 😉
When that meal arrived, I looked at the menu again to make sure that it wasn’t meant for two people. It could have fed me for the whole weekend 😉 Step up from the goulash though!
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I do not doubt that for one second. The goulash looked horrific!
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Seemingly it’s an East German “speciality” and they all love it. Where my friend works, whenever WuGu is on the menu, they run for the canteen…
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No Gulasch is also eaten in West Germany. But not everybody likes it!
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I can understand why 😉 Is the West version better??
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Gulasch is often a ‘Resteessen’. 😦
But freshly made with the ‘good’ pieces of the meat and paprika…. it can be delicious 🙂
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Maybe I’ll give it another go after I’ve recovered from this experience 😉
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Bless them. I mean every place has their own weird food specialties, but ketchup covered noodles might take the cake.
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I should have stuck with cake. Lesson learned 😉
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I love the way you go off the beaten track, find these small places, that on the surfice doesn’t seem to offer anything but beauty but once you dig deeper there is always a proper adventure and taste of real life involved! Also, looks like the spring is there, lovely!
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It was at the weekend, now it’s gone again! But I’m home so it doesn’t really matter – I got the good weather for the weekend (and the photos!). I love these little places – there’s always more than meets the eye! 🙂
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I really admire your unrelenting positivity in the face of Wurstgulasch, autobahn pile-ups and Landhotels that turn out to be rather less picturesque than advertised. I really suspect it takes an Irishwoman to gate-crash the local Osterfeuer. You must have been the most exciting thing to happen in Neu-Golm since the fall of the wall! (Oh, and I am slightly chuffed, btw, that my fellow Germans seem to be quite welcoming and social when an outsider needs entertainment. Although at least half of the credit is due to you – I doubt I would’ve had the courage to attend a village event on my own…)
Looking forward to part 2 now.
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Ha ha! Well, I figured the worst that could happen is I’d either be stared at until I left or be told to leave. And I have a very thick skin so I’d have weathered approach number one for a while 😉 They did the ‘typical’ German thing of being really friendly and then being surprised when I told them I thought Germans were friendly… 🙂 And you don’t think the Landhaus looks picturesque!?
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Are Germans really friendly? Maybe they are to Non-Germans? I should try that approach next time I am home, lay on a thick accent and claim I am an outsider.
I particularly like the decor of the Landhaus with those carefully placed, picturesque agricultural machines – spring is in the air. Must have been the decorating touch of the lady of the house?
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I’ve always found them friendly and helpful – in any place I’ve visited! Guess it could be because I’m foreign but I’d be interested to hear the results of your experiment! 🙂
I think the lady of the house is Russian so could be 😉 I didn’t see much of her – Herr Scherr was very much the host with the most!
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Did he wear the dainty peasant costume as in the promo photo?
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He had the most fetching collection of braces I’ve ever seen in real life 😉
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Another enjoyable read. I look forward to the second one though because I can’t quite make up my mind whether or not to make the long trip over there when I’m back in Germany! 🙂
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It’s well worth a visit! But it’s a day trip from Berlin so easy for me! I will definitely go back! But maybe part 2 will convince you 😉
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Now I am convinced then! 🙂 The lake looks beautiful, and I can see why you like it! Enjoy the rest of your time there!
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I’m already back in Berlin! It was just for a couple of days, unfortunately – and it’s pissing it down here today. Typical 😉
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An article showing a few pics from last night’s easter boakes: http://www.hofgids.nl/nieuws/Traditionele-Paasboakes-enorm-populair-in-Hof-van-Twente
I look forward to reading part 2 🙂
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Wow, that is scarily big! Now I know why they need the strong drinks! 😉
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Yeah, found a few bicycles in the woods that didn’t quite make it home from the fire. 😉
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Probably a few naked Germans in there as well… 😉
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LOL, I’ll never tell…. Besides, I don’t work for the Department of Natural Resources 😛
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Ha ha! 🙂
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Ah, you’ve stumbled upon an old Saxon tradition to drive out the spirit of winter. Where I live it’s called a Boake, and every year the different villages compete for the biggest one. This years winner: 7 meters and still smoldering this afternoon even though it was raining. Nothing BAD about Saarow, looks great. Greetings.
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Wow, 7 metres! That’s pretty impressive! Do you know anything about the Quelle tradition? Is it like a baptism for spring or something as well!?
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Not an expert, I only know that like the Christmas tree, this tradition dates back before Christianity was enforced by Charlemagne some time around the year 800.
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The Christmas tree was invented in Latvia. Or Estonia. I think they’re still arguing about it 😉
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That certainly looks like the Worstgulasch ever… oh my!
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It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting – to say the least 😉 The sign said there was a Master Baker working there but clearly she knows shit about goulash 😉
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You should have ordered CAKE!!! That’ll teach yer.
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That’s for the next post 🙂
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Phew! Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt…
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Nah, it seems the smell of garlic and onions dies last 😉
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…and you went close up to that fire, didn’t you?! Just as well the Feuerwehr was there…
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I know. My heroes 😉
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