Spring. The time of year where Germans prune back their bushes, plant some flowers and decorate their bare bushes with colorful Easter eggs to brighten up the warming days. They come in every shape and size and can be found on at least one bush or tree in the yard until Easter. But, it’s not just the trees they decorate with Easter eggs. There’s a tradition of even decorating water fountains in the center of small villages. Where and why can you find these ‘Osterbrunnen’? Let me enlighten you!
CALLING ALL PUMPKIN LOVERS!!! If you enjoy the chill of autumn, a thick mist which rolls in in the evenings and dissipates in the afternoon to clear blue skies, soaking up the last remnants of warmth. If you love bundling up to go to a Pumpkin Patch and get giddy every time you get a Pumpkin Spice Latte and love all things pumpkin, then you are my kind of kindred spirit. That means you’re officially invited to the world’s largest pumpkin festival, known as Kürbisaustellung which takes place every autumn in the gardens of Schloss Ludwigsburg, just outside of Stuttgart.
Not far from Ghent, is the town of Aalst which is practically unheard of beyond Belgium, but within, it is renowned for having a yearly three-day, 600 year old Carnaval. Recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, this event deserves all the attention it can possibly muster as being a three day festival of debauchery! Plus, it might possibly be the best kept secret in Europe!
It’s a new year with lots of new adventures that lay ahead! Maybe people are getting out their Bucket Lists and checking which things to tick off this year! I’m sure most of you have always dreamed of going to the world’s largest street fair with all the beer imaginable!
Between late Spring and early Autumn, it usually implies that somewhere in Bavaria, a beer festival can be found. ‘Gemütlichkeit’ is in full swing from Regensburg’s Dult to the world’s most famous beer festival: Munich’s Oktoberfest and beyond!
Another harvest season has come and gone. The hops fields have been cleared, the rows of corn have been harvested, and the fields have begun to be plowed, prepping them for the approach of winter.
When you think about Thanksgiving, you traditionally think of it only as an American holiday celebrated to give thanks for another good harvest year. We carry on this tradition to remember the Pilgrims who gave thanks to the Native Americans for their help through a bitter, harsh winter.
Come warmer weather, fields of flowers and endless sunshine, the cows of the Alpine region frolic around the lush Alpine pastures, grazing to their heart’s content. The cows meander comfortably in the high altitudes with plenty of fresh air, nutritious grass and crisp evenings. Cows are not the only ones to be spoiled by the endless beauty of the Alps but also calves and goats! All over the region, thousands of cows from Germany, Austria and Switzerland spend their summers at the Alm.
Every year, the small town on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, Furth im Wald, holds their yearly centuries old Festspiele, or play in the city center. The play, Drachenstich or “Spearing the Dragon” takes place for two weeks at the end of July to mid-August, where the whole town partakes in the play! The town turns the small city center into an outdoor theater for about two weeks.
Love beer and big German festivals, but don’t want to deal with the crowds or looking for a more family-friendly beer festival the whole family can enjoy? On the lookout for an authentic Bavarian experience? Why not consider visiting the biannual event of Dult in the historic UNESCO World Heritage town of Regensburg?
