The Rheinland in March: In Like a Lion

March 11, 2016March 11, 2016 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 4 Comments

Tuesday morning: the snowy view over the hills around my house.

March has certainly come in like a lion to my corner of Germany. This past week saw snow showers almost every day. Each morning we’d wake up to a dusting, or much more (especially in the hills around us), and my kids would cross their fingers as I checked to see if their school would start late. No such luck for them.

The snow here is beautiful, and the way it sits on the feathery branches of the spruce and fir trees gives this area a fairy tale appearance. This is the view we dreamed of at Christmas, when the weather was just shy of balmy. But winter did finally come to us.

After a significant snow on Tuesday, we had a sunny day Wednesday, and, as I walked my dog that afternoon, I was reminded of a quote from Charles Dickens: “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

So that’s where we stand now. The last patches of snow have melted in my yard, although I can still see some snowy fields on the surrounding hills. Next week the forecast promises 50 degrees in the afternoons.

I think the lion has roared his fill and is turning to leave. I’ll be glad to see March go out like a lamb.

Sleigh Bells Ring . . . Are You Still Listening?

January 17, 2016January 17, 2016 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 3 Comments

I’m having trouble giving up Christmas. I am a bit tired of the chocolate and the mulled wine, true enough. Some decorations have been put away–a scattered few that were beginning to irritate me. But the tree is still up, as is the advent wreath on our table, despite its dessicated state (it will soon go up in flames as I light the candles, or possibly dissapear in a poof of dust at the slightest touch). It’s time to put these things away . . . in a few more days.

There is a reason for this lingering, beyond the turtle’s pace at which I do any housekeeping chores. You see, Christmas here was a relatively balmy affair. We had prayed fervently for snow, offered the Supreme Being our very best behavior in trade for some glorious downy flakes. But it was an offer He knew we couldn’t make good on to any high standard, and the snow never came. Nor the cold.

So I held out for snow before I was willing to give up the season.

This is probably my final Christmas in Germany, so I have no qualms bending the calendar to suit my needs. I need a picturesque German Christmas.

This weekend, it’s here. Not in copious billows or drifting banks, but we do have swirls of flakes and dusted lawns. And Christmas tree lights to read by. It is enough.

DSC_0647 - Copy — A dusting of snow out the window.

Or almost enough.

If you hear a low rumbling, a curmudgeonly grumbling, tonight–a barely perceptible shaking of the ground underfoot– I suspect it’s my family, annoyed with me as I present a steaming hot Guiness Gingerbread* and pop in a dvd of “Elf.” By tomorrow, they will all be willing participants in a big Christmas clean up.

*Guiness Gingerbread, aka fantastic stuff: recipe from Nigella Lawson at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/guinness-gingerbread-recipe.html

Irrepressible Epiphany

January 8, 2016May 9, 2024 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 8 Comments

Update to “Modern Epiphany.”

Wisdom will out.

When my village’s new modern standard for the Epiphany holiday–let’s call it “Dial a King”– baffled and discouraged me . . . and, worse yet, when I lost the phone number and couldn’t dial the Wise Men to request a visit, wisdom did out anyway.

Last night, the Heilige Drei Konig (3 holy kings) came to visit my home. Unbiden but hoped for, they appeared. Ahhh, life is sweet.

One hitch, though: I wasn’t home. My husband answered the door and filled me in on the visit later.

Minor detail. I don’t expect wisdom to settle upon me, but I am overjoyed that it still roams the world, blessing the unscheduled stragglers when the chance arises.

Happy New Year to all!

Modern Epiphany: Dial a King

January 6, 2016May 9, 2024 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 6 Comments

Today is Epiphany, the day when the church observes the visitation of the Magi after the birth of Jesus. This year, my German village is celebrating with a twist–a new Dial a King program.

Last year this time, I posted about the Heilige Drei Konige–the three wise kings– and the star singers who come around German villages the first week of January to observe the holiday and raise money for children’s charities. (You can read the post here if you need a primer on the tradition: Die Heilige Drei Konig.)

I counted myself among the lucky ones last year–the three kings visited my home. They were a little less earnest and more distracted than I had imagined . . . chatting on cell phones. . . but maybe this is the modern face of wise men.

In fact, this year you have to phone in your request for them to come visit you. No kidding. A few weeks ago, there was an announcement in the local paper: if you want the Heilige Konig to pay your home a visit, you should phone or email the posted number/address and schedule a visit and donation to their charity.

Very efficient, that. Very modern. Or maybe not modern–probably kind of true to the story of the Magi. They were planners. They studied the stars; they packed their bags; they navigated a great distance without any GPS to steer them off on certain exit ramps. They didn’t wait for the revelation to come as a lightening bolt: they did the math, said the prayers, kept the faith, and planned the trip.

Still, I miss those wandering Heilige Konig in my village. I like the epiphany that comes as a lightening bolt, the Holy Kings who come, unbiden, to bestow blessings on your home. Call me a drama queen, but scheduling our blessings bothers me– I guess it’s not unrealistic, but it’s far too convenient. Dial a King for your religious holiday feels too much like putting a drive through window on the church for quick service.

Maybe your life works well on such schedules and conveniences. If so, I’m happy for you. But mine? Lord help us, mine is far messier. True confession: I meant to Dial that King, but lost the newspaper article while tidying up for a holiday party or guests or dinner. Maybe it went out with recycling a week or two ago, or maybe I’ll find it in a pocket sometime around mid-March, or maybe it’s in the butter compartment of the refrigerator. I haven’t the foggiest idea where it is . . .I’m bad at these things.

But I’d always hoped the Magi, in their wisdom, might find my home anyway.