T̶w̶o̶ One p̶e̶r̶p̶e̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶a̶t̶s̶ immigrant settling into home country number five.
Sure, Oktoberfest is long over, but that doesn’t mean Munich has lost that carnival feeling. As I’ve said before, you’d be hard-pressed to visit this city when there wasn’t some sort of festival (beer-oriented or not) going on. A couple weeks ago it was the Auer Dult, a thrice-yearly event involving rides, carnival food, and lots and lots of kitchenware.
I could have wandered up and down this street all day. Not that Munich doesn’t have a nice market; it does. But for some reason everything looks more delicious when it’s in Italy. Luckily we didn’t have to just look. We came home with many delicious Italian treats from this market. My husband gets credit … Read more
OK, so you don’t like all the cool gift ideas I gave you earlier? I have a couple more for you, scouted out by me as the best Munich’s shops have to offer. First, for those with big budgets and an appreciation for the absurd, there’s the sacrilicious fine porcelain from Nymphenburg:This window display alone … Read more
Today’s post is a guest post from my husband, Scott. I don’t do lines or crowds, so I was happily sleeping in while all this was happening… There are few things that will get me out of bed early on a weekend, but naturally the opening of the new Apple Store in Munich is one … Read more
The long-awaited Sihlcity is finally open. The heralded new structure is large and contains retail shops, eateries, AND a cinema. All under one roof. How wacky is that? This article in SwissInfo gives us the inside scoop: Zurich’s tourist board has already hailed the complex as a unique entertainment concept and expects it to be … Read more
“Sorry dear, I didn’t get you a present this year. It’s… it’s… those damn Christmas lights on Bahnhofstrasse! How was I supposed to get in the Christmas shopping mood with those ghastly things overshadowing the whole scene? They totally ruined everything. Next year, I’ll buy you something in Chicago. Promise.” And so the Great Zurich … Read more
For the second year in a row, great controversy has befallen the normally tranquil city of Zurich. The offense is so bold and egregious that it threatens to dampen the holiday spirits of anyone who approaches. I am speaking, of course, of the Bahnhofstrasse Christmas lights. Bahnhofstrasse, for those unfamiliar with downtown Zurich, is the … Read more
If there’s one thing the German-speaking world does right, it’s Christmas time. Christmas markets pop up everywhere selling lots of things you don’t need. Glühwein (hot, spiced wine) becomes available on every street corner, as do roasted chestnuts, to warm you on cold days. Twinkling little lights hang above all the shopping streets (OK, the … Read more
How is it possible that I’ve gone this long without ever writing a post about Swiss chocolate? As we all know, Switzerland is The Land of Chocolate. Its claim to fame amongst the other Lands of Chocolate (Belgium, Germany, Holland, etc.) is that milk chocolate was invented here. Makes sense, given all the milk-producing they … Read more
Without Halloween and Thanksgiving to hold it back, Christmas merchandise apparently starts running wild as soon as the leaves on the trees start to turn. Are there really people out there who stock up on chocolate santas two and a half months in advance? While completely immune to the charm of chocolate santas (especially milk … Read more