Christmas Shopping

I went christmas shopping today. It was not as bad as all the other years as I already knew what I wanted to buy for everybody.

Last year our friends from Florida invited us to spend christmas at their house and learn about their traditions and habits. Of course we said yes and took a trip over.

We have had a christmas with the whole family, including grandmothers, all sisters and brothers with their children and their parents. And everybody gave presents to everybody. Over here nobody could afford this, but they did it in a quite clever way: In the U.S. they have the garage sales and thrift stores, so this were the places where our friends bought the presents all over the year. Everytime they saw something special that would fit to another person they bought it and did some real bargains. This led to the fact, that everybody received a lot of presents that really fit. Another way was to make presents buy sewing or knitting.

Our friends showed us a christmas where gifts were not appraised by the amount of money they cost but by the thought the buyer had, when he or she purchased it.

Santa Claus

I wonder where all the different traditions concerning Santa Claus and christmas gifts come from.
In the U.S. Santa Claus comes through the chimney and you will have your presents on the 25th’s morning.
In Germany Santa Claus comes on the sixth of December. He comes at night and when you wake up on the sixth he was already there and has left you a few chocolates in your boots. I can remember discussions at kindergarden when at some families’ Santa Claus already came on the evening of the fifth. But this is wrong, every calender shows the sixth as the day. But on the sixth you get only chocolates, the really big presents you will receive on the 24th, not from Santa, he is only in charge of the sixth of December – in Germany we have the Christkind for Christmas Day (December 24th) .
I learned from my husband that it is completely different in the Netherlands (and according to my cousins boyfriend from Antwerp it is in Belgium aswell). Santa Claus comes on the sixth on a ship from Spain, together with “Zwarte Piet” a black boy who helps him to give out the presents and who will give a little pack of salt to those who haven’t been good. On the 25th you will only receive chocolates.

sergels torg

Stockholm, Sweden

daylight saving time

Frankfurt/Main, Germany

exotenwald weinheim

Gleich im gemütlichen Weinheim liegt der schöne Exotenwald. Ein Park, dessen Besuch nicht nur kostenfrei sondern absolut lohnenswert ist. Freiherr von Berckheim sammelte exotische Bäume aus aller Welt und pflanzte sie hier an.

Schön ist hierbei, dass nicht nur ein Exemplar von jedem Baum vorhanden ist. So spaziert man an einer ganzen Reihe Mammutbäume vorbei und kann im Herbst an einigen Stellen des Parks den
kanadischen Indian Summer nachempfinden.

Weiter Attraktionen sind die größte und älteste Libanonzeder Deutschlands und der gleich angrenzende Schlosspark.

Wer die Aussicht vom Exotenwald auf die schöne Altstadt genießen konnte, braucht nicht lange überzeugt werden um sich hier noch ein wenig umzusehen.

sunrise

Calais, France

omul

The Omul salmon-like fish found only in Siberia in Lake Baikal. Omul represents an important food fish for the Baikal region and smoked omul is one of the highlights for travellers on the Transsiberian Railway.
I tried Omul on the fish market in the little village of Listvjanka and it was really good!

ringsteken

Domburg, the Netherlands

it's getting dark...

Westerschelde, the Netherlands