Monday 3 December 2018

Remember, Remember the Month of November

December is already three days old, and I have hardly written anything in November. As you know from my previous post, the larger part of October and all of November have, for my family, mostly revolved around my Dad's health.
He came home two weeks ago, and he sounds and looks and behaves like my Dad again more and more every day. (Not that I really see him every day, mind you - but I guess you know what I mean.)
There are still things he can not (yet?) do on his own, but compared to how he was while he was still in hospital, he is doing well and I think we should focus on what he CAN do.
Later this week, physio therapy will pick up again, which will not only mean he'll get out and about a bit more, but also that there will be further progress where his physical strength is concerned.
Thank you all so much for your kind comments and the messages that reached me outside my blog!

What else happened since my last post?

On the 19th/20th, I was in Erfurt for work-related meetings. Erfurt is a city in what used to be the GDR (East Germany) and a place I've never been to before. On the most direct route, it is roughly 320 km from Ludwigsburg. By train, it takes between 4 1/2 and 5 hours.

The hotel was in the historic town centre, and I wish I would have taken a few pictures. However, it was dark by the time I left the hotel with a group of people (we were all booked elsewhere for dinner), and stopping for pictures wasn't convenient. Therefore, all I can show you is my rather large, very clean and quite comfortable room.
Unlike so many hotels in Germany, this one had what I always appreciate: tea & coffee-making facilities! No matter where in England I've been, I've always had a kettle, cups/mugs and a selection of tea bags etc. in the room, even at the most modest hotels or B&Bs. And I am one of those people who simply like to have their first coffee before facing the crowd in the breakfast room, especially when the day ahead is going to be a busy one with many people to listen (and talk) to.

It started to snow on the 20th around lunch time, as this view from the hotel's dining room proves:
Half of the train ride home that evening was through winter wonderland, it was the first snow I've seen this season.

Our Christmas market opened last Tuesday (on the 27th), and my sister and I went to the opening. My sister took these pictures of me as I am going through various "must do's" at the market:
At one of the entrances, now with concrete blocks and huge water bags to stop terrorist attacks.
Queuing for...
...my staple food during the weeks leading up to Christmas!
Choosing cards
Having white mulled wine with slices of ginger - very nice!
Angels spreading their protective wings over the market
The last third of the month saw some impressive clouds and - finally!! - a little rain. It was very welcome! It felt odd having to remember to take an umbrella when leaving the house; for months and months and months, it simply wasn't necessary, because it never rained.


A trip to nearby Marbach was scheduled for the 29th. You have seen the place where I work about once a month before on my blog, for instance in February of this year.
For the first time, I used the panorama option on my phone's camera, taking in the view across the river Neckar from the terrace of the literature museum:



As you can see, it was (yet another!) sunny day, and I enjoyed the walk to and from the train station to the archive and museum. One way takes me about 15 minutes, and I arrived with plenty of time to spare before my scheduled meetings were to begin.


Now November is over, the 1st Advent Sunday is already gone as well, and I am hosting my part of the "Living Advent Calendar" tonight. (I have explained about this here; this year is my 7th year.) As every year, I have no idea who - and how many - are going to show up; it has been a very mild (almost warm!) day with blustering wind and lots of (very welcome) rain, so I do not expect a big turn-out. But we'll see, and I shall duly report!

26 comments:

  1. Such an interesting and positive post Meike - I'm SO happy to hear your dad is coming along well.
    Love the pix from the Christmas Market - you look fabulous, as always.
    Snow, wow, seems early, HOWEVER we are supposed to get some here next weekend also - very unusual before Christmas. I must get started on my decorating by the end of this week.

    Wishing you happy days in the run-up to the Holiday season.
    Hugs - Mary

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    1. Thank you, Mary! I can't believe I've not replied to your comment sooner - I know I meant to, but sometimes I don't feel like typing on my ipad and rather wait until I have occasion to use a proper keyboard. Sorry!
      No snow here, it is too warm for that yet, but we finally have rain!!! (The snow I saw was in a different part of Germany, rather far away from where I live.)

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  2. Very good to hear your Dad continues to improve. And happy to see a blog post from you. I am trying to get another one up for my blog, but tomorrow will be the earliest I think. I have an overnight sleep study tonight. Ugh. Oh, how I would love to go to a Christmas Market in Germany or Austria, again. I wish you a happy time being part of the Living Advent Calendar.

    How unbalanced all this weather is! We've had so much too much rain this year and pretty good snows already, too. Be well!

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    1. You too, Kristi! I don't know what the overnight sleep study involved, but I hope it went well.
      Not one single person turned up for my Living Advent Calendar... ho-hum! I blame the weather, it was raining buckets and whoever did not HAVE to leave the house in the evening was better off staying in.

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  3. I am so glad you are seeing such swift improvements in your dad, it's always a good sign when people make noticeable progress in the first few weeks. I hope he will make a full recovery! Enjoy the run up to Christmas, it is always so lovely in Germany! Oh, and by the way I agree with you about the tea and coffee!!

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    1. My Dad still needs help with many things, but as I said, compared to how he was, he has been making great progress.
      Often, the selection of tea and coffee is not brilliant, but it is still good to have the possibility of a hot drink at my own time and before being fully dressed.

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  4. It's really good to read your post and know what's going on in your life. I'm so pleased that your Dad is making progress.

    It's a long time since I've been to a market in Germany - I used to love the ones on the Kurfurstendamm in Berlin. It's such a shame on society that we now have to protect them with physical barriers.

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    1. Another sad thing about these barriers in front of markets and other events is that we are so used to them already. People were all upset and shaken up last year when they were introduced, but now it seems normal.

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  5. As always I so envy your market! Someday, I tell myself. And I couldn't tell what your staple food is? Looked a bit like nachos. So happy that your dad is doing so well. I'm happy you got some snow! And a question - what are those mattress-looking things on top of the beds?

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    1. No snow in our area, Nan, it was just the bit we saw from the hotel and on the first half of the train ride home.
      Your question about the bed puzzled me - do you mean the pillows and duvets? Other than the mattress itself, there is nothing else on the beds.
      My staple food at Christmas Market time is Dinnede, a bready piece of dough pulled flat and topped with sliced potatoes, bacon and a savoury, creamy topping. They bake them right on the stall in a woodburning stove.

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  6. Nice photos from the Christmas market; and I'm glad your dad is making progress! I don't have all that much hotel experience, but on the last few summer trips with my brother I've learned that it varies here whether there is a kettle or not... So on the last trip I brought one of my own (as we were travelling by car), "just in case". (And teabags.) But didn't really need it. In one hotel they had a tea/coffee machine in the reception area (at no extra cost) and at the one where we stayed three nights there was a kettle for common use in a lounge near my room. For me, it's in the evening that I might want an extra cup of tea - in the morning it can wait until breakfast! :)

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    1. When I get up, it takes me a while before I feel like eating anything, but I do want that first mug of coffee first thing - preferably before even leaving bed! But that happens only when I spend the weekend at O.K.'s.

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  7. We've nothing like the Weihnachtsmärkte of DE. -miss them. Also, any hotel worth their salt, must have electric kettles in their rooms. :)

    Glad all is well in your neck o' the woods.

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    1. Finding that kettle in my hotel room was a pleasant surprise!
      Yes, we have beautiful Weihnachtsmärkte. You'll like the one I visited with friends a couple of years ago and blogged about here.

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    2. Thank you for the blog post link. I may have already mentioned this, but we study-abroad-students were housed for a few weeks in Ludwigsburg before being dispatched to either Tübingen or Heidelberg for our two semesters of study. I have such fond memories of your city and the Schwabenland, in general.

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    3. I am not sure you mentioned your brief stay in LB before; do you remember where exactly you stayed?

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    4. I'm trying to jump start the old memory banks re: where exactly we got off the S-Bahn. We had a few language courses at the uni in Stuttgart during our L-burg stay. We took the Zug nach Marbach after class to get home, if I remember rightly. The housing (grey in color) was not quite a Studentenheim, maybe only 3 stories, but was ample and stood very near an S-Bahn stop. I have vague memories of easily walking to Favoritepark to look at the wildlife from our quarters. Our stop was maybe one away from Favoritepark, I think. I wish I could be more precise.

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    5. I am pretty sure I know where you were, Bea. There is an S-Bahn stop between student housing and Favoritepark, you probably got off there. The stop itself is also called Favoritepark, and it is indeed the line to Marbach that goes through there.

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    6. Right. You've jogged my memory. We were placed in student housing as the Ss were away for the summer. I recall the Favoritepark Haltestelle, but couldn't remember if it were ours.

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  8. Hi Meike!

    First of all, I'm so pleased that your dad is doing well! I know how relieved you and your family must be. What wonderful news, especially with the holidays coming up.

    Every year now I look forward to pictures from your Christmas market. It's all so beautiful! White mulled wine with slices of ginger sounds delicious--just the thing for wintertime. Last year (or maybe the year before) I got a recipe for mulled wine from a book club friend that was truly delicious, but it was red, not white.

    I hope this week has been a good one for you! I'm sorry about my delay in commenting here; we just finally got an ethernet cable to hook our desktop computer up to our modem. Typing comments on my phone is NOT satisfactory! Haha. :)


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    1. Yes, typing anywhere else than on a proper keyboard is much slower for me, too, and much less comfortable.
      My week went well until Thursday afternoon when I started to come down with a cold... Friday was hard work, helped along by drugs which I normally do not take, and today and tomorrow, I will do nothing but try and get well. No visit at OK's this weekend 😔

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    2. Oh, no! I'm sure sorry to hear that. Take good care of yourself! The weather here is atrocious today (wet and cold and windy) and I'll be staying indoors despite feeling just fine.

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  9. Congratulations on becoming the new leader of The Christian Democrat Union!

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    1. Huh? You are speaking in riddles! Right now, I am only the leader of all sneezers and coughers...

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    2. You can't fool me. I know your real name is Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer!

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    3. Oh dear! You found me out!

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