Mayschoss Wine Festival

We have had such a resurgence of beautiful, summer-like weather in Germany.

The sun has been shining brightly for almost two weeks now, and I have been busy trying to enjoy the amazing weather while it lasts.

On Sunday, Sebastian and I joined several friends on a train journey to the tiny village of Mayschoss to celebrate the wine which is produced in the region.

The town was bustling with music and the wine was flowing.

We shared several bottles of local wine while relaxing under a walnut tree beside a football field.

 

Thanks to Krasi, we had freshly foraged walnuts to accompany our wine.

 

Relaxing and laughing with good friends…

I could not have asked for a better way to spend the lovely autumn day.

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European Chocolate Festival

Perugia smells like chocolate.

Yes, chocolate.

Maybe it’s the Baci chocolate factory.

Maybe it’s the European Chocolate Exhibition.

I’m not sure which came first, the chocolate chicken or the egg…

but I don’t care.

I like it!

I like all the uniquely wonderful European chocolates.

It is Italy after all, no surprise there’s chocolate pasta!

To top it all off, there’s even a chocolate climbing wall.

Perugia isn’t only the city of chocolate-smelling air.

The views are up there as well.

I may never leave this stunning place.

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This is Germany

Medieval fairs on castle grounds.

Wine festivals within fortified village walls.

Cherry beer.

Roasted nuts.

Burning fires.

Joyful singing.

This was my Saturday.

The prospect of pumpkin pancakes got me out of bed yesterday morning.

The bright blue skies and warm summer weather put a smile on my face.

Add a medieval fair and wine festival into the mix and I was one happy girl!

Yesterday, my friends, Melanie and Lizzie, and I took off to explore. Lizzie has a car so we piled in, turned up the music and sang to songs of the 90’s while cruising between quaint villages and ancient vineyards.

First stop: Burg Satzvey

I visited this castle once before for a Christmas Market.

Today, the attraction was quite different!

For the last week, Burg Satzvey has hosted a Renaissance Festival.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Renaissance Festival at Burg Satzvey.

I imagined lots of vendors and handicrafts, but the festival is actually for people who like to imagine that they are living during the Middle Ages.

For a week, these lords and ladies camp out with their families and others who share their coat of arms.

They really live the whole fantasy.

Unfortunately, we missed the jousting tournament.

By the pictures from the castle’s website, I’d say we really missed out.

At least I had my friends to entertain me!

When you have a sword in a stone, who needs knights in shining armor battling it out on horseback?

I sipped a cherry-flavored beer while wandering around the castle grounds.

Although we all agreed that the festival was more for those who relived the Middle Ages, we had a great time.

We just had to leave before we stole this baby.

How cute is she?

Next stop: Ahrweiler Wine Festival

We drove through beautiful, winding roads lined by steep hills dressed in rows of grapes. Before long, we reached the fortified city gate of Ahrweiler.

We celebrated the beautiful summer day by sharing a bottle of white wine from one of the local vineyards.

  The wine was wonderful, but too sweet to have more than one glass.

Speaking of glasses, I love the reflection of the old city center in the wine.

We munched on spicy roasted nuts while swaying to German songs and sipping our wine.

The village was packed. It was wonderful to walk around the cheerful surroundings and check out all the wine stands from the region.

I only had one more glass of wine, but it was too dark by that point to get a picture. It was red, dry and slightly smoky. Absolutely wonderful. If they are at any of the other wine festivals to come, I’ll certainly buy a couple of bottles.

We ate, danced and laughed some more before driving back to Bonn.

It really was a wonderful day!

This is Germany and I am so blessed to be living here right now!

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Brunch and Culture

Yesterday was a really good day.

It started off with a Couch Surfers Brunch at my friend Melanie’s house.

If you are traveling on a tight budget, you should know about couch surfing. With a little organization and a lot of trust, you can contact other couch surfers and stay for free on their couch while passing through town. This allows the surfer to have a really authentic experience with locals and other expatriates while saving a ton of money and making some lasting friendships.

The organization is huge, with couch surfers all over the world.

I’ve never surfed and never hosted, but I’m still registered through the group and can participate in all locally-organized activities, like the Sunday morning brunch.

Ten couch surfers met at Melanie’s house, all bearing food, much of which represented the nationalities of the guests.

After getting to know each other and stuffing our faces, we ventured on down to the tiny village of Muffendorf to take in the art and culture at Muffenale.

It was the perfect early-autumn day!

Muffendorf is known for its timber-framed houses. Many of the houses have beautiful courtyards and gardens. Yesterday, many of these secret-garden like courtyards were transformed into art galleries and cafes.

The tiny streets were packed with people, out enjoying the lovely day.

If I hadn’t eaten brunch, I would have definitely dined at the Himalayan Restaurant which was set up in another lovely courtyard.

  There was a gorgeous quilt exhibition in another courtyard.

If I could blink and have my mom beside me, I know she would have spent all day admiring these beautiful quilts.

This large quilt was my favorite- it was completely made with old lace.

My only purchase of the day: 2 jars of homemade jam.

I even stumbled upon some willing feline models. 

After a lovely day with some lovely people, I departed for play practice.

As I hiked back up through the forest, I scavenged some wild blackberries. Delicious!

What a great day to be alive!

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Weiberfastnacht

Weiberfastnacht- Women’s Carnival!

The night when women run wild!

You’ve heard about the Thursday morning of Carnival activities… now bring on the night!

An unusual combination!

After leaving school, Sebastian and I got ready to head out. The “night” started around 3:00 in the afternoon!

My Rasta Man!

We met with friends at their apartment.

This is one of Lulu’s photos- she’s the one on the far left, then there’s Kim, Rachel, and Rachel’s brother Chris. Lulu is from England and the rest are from New Zealand.

On the train to the party!

Then we headed out to the big tent to meet the rest of the group.

You couldn't bring alcohol into the tent... so this lady was slipping the abandoned booze into her purse!

The scene from outside the party tent.

The Kiwis were even interviewed by a local radio station!

Inside the party tent. Smokey- crowded- but full of people in great spirits and hilarious costumes!

Great fun was had by all!

Question: What would your costume be at Carnival?

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