One of the things I love the most about living in Bavaria, is the ability to get in the car and escape somewhere else if the weather gets a bit too depressing.   That and May.  I love May here, we get five bank holidays in the month, which makes getting into the car and escaping somewhere else that much easier – and it means we can stay for slightly longer too…

On this occasion we chose Lake Garda, as we have only been to Como before, and it would be rude not to really…

Leaving directly after school on a Wednesday evening was deemed to be the most sensible idea.  Four and a half hours later (and with a blinding  headache from listening to The Hobbit – which might be the noisiest CD in the World) we reached The Lake (the biggest in Europe, did you know that?).  Thankfully this time (not that we exactly planned it last time with Como), there was no need to go anywhere near the Spuglia pass or (Spewlia Pass as it’s now known in our house!), and we safely navigated our way to the tiny village of Tresnico where we were staying. The only sad part about the journey was that by the time we got there it was pitch black, and we missed the spectacular views of the Lake that must greet you on what must be one of the loveliest (and at times a little hair-raising) drives in the world.  The twinkling boat lights were a good substitute though!

Quite often the nice thing about arriving somewhere late at night is that you are never sure what to expect the next day.   The view exceeded all expectations however, and the apartment was particularly lovely.   Tresnico is around a 20 minute drive from Salò  itself, and within close proximity to the gorgeous towns of Maderno and Riviera Gardone.  May is a great time of year to visit – too early for any summer crowds, and not overly hot, but still hot enough to feel like you’re on holiday!   At times we felt like we had the place to ourselves, which was fine by me!

As you might expect for Italy, the food here is exceptional, and we enjoyed some great pizzas (and views of millionaire’s speedboats) over lunch at Tip Tap.   By far my most favourite meal of our stay though was at Osteria Di Mezzo tucked away in the little winding back streets.     There are lots of local dishes on the menu here, and they make good use of both regional produce and seasonal ingredients.  You will find plenty of lake fish on the menu, and  I would recommend the asparagus gnocchi for some of the lightest gnocchi in existence.

Before dinner though, may I suggest an aperitif or two at Bar Italia (it doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t need to advertise!)?  THE place to be seen in town and right on the water’s edge.    People wait ages for outside tables, but if you are a little more impatient (like me) and don’t mind being slightly further away from the madding crowd, take a seat inside instead.  This is where I learned (by watching the incredibly deft barmaid) how to make a mean Aperol Spritz (the drink of choice in these southern parts!), and the exact measurements of another speciality – a Negroni (quite lethal, but nice, especially if you are partial to a Martini!).

We loved it in Garda, and could easily have spent a couple of weeks exploring this beautiful location, but this time three days had to suffice.    I have posts lined up about the other specific places we visited, but in the meantime, a couple of further recommendations…

Where we stayed:     Lake Garda Apartments - A really lovely light and breezy place which is modern,  and incredibly well equipped.  Plus it has just the most stunning views and a great pool ( not to mention my ultimate accessory – a washing machine (for yes, that is how sad I have become), because I just find it so depressing taking washing home).    There are also plenty of toys and DVDs to keep small people occupied should the weather take a turn for the worse…  Highly, highly recommended.

What you can’t miss:   Artigiani Del Gusto (via Fantoni 58, 25087 Salò) – The best ice cream in the entire World, and I do not make this statement lightly.   So overwhelmed was I by my panecotta gelato that I told them exactly how much I loved it, and the entire kitchen traipsed out to say thank you.   I should have asked them for a job…  Maybe next time?

What is this Expat life but one of Contrasts?   Contrasts of life both old and new, memories, emotions, and of course surroundings.   And it’s the contrasting and comparing of new discoveries and scenery that is perhaps my favourite part of it all…

A few pictures of things that will always remind me of our first “temporary home” in Denmark… Nyhavn – A regular meeting point,  “Copenhagen transport”, Fastleavn Bøller, Summer Krebs, and endless beaches…

To the contrasting scenery of this, our second “temporary home” in Bavaria… A new meeting point (Marienplatz!), Munich’s amazing bier gartens, the gorgeous lakes and mountains that surround us,  its famous Christmas Markets, and my favourite – the brezens!

They both have one thing in common though, lots of this:  -

I will admit to being a little down on this whole living abroad thing of late,  probably thanks to the four-year mark which is fast approaching.    Who knows whether it will be a case of “where next” or “back home” in a few years time?  At the moment, I think we would all prefer the latter, but only time will tell.  The stubborn part of me is still determined to make the most of it however, and to keep on appreciating why for now at least, different is good…

As well as the enormous mountains on our doorsteps, it’s not uncommon to find specially created sledging hills dotted about the place…      These massive snow-covered mounds can be quite the village meeting point in mid-winter, as hoards of children wile away the hours hurtling down them.    Parents stand precariously at the bottom to catch their high-speed offspring, or chat leisurely at the top ready to send them on their way again with hefty pushes (on what will hopefully be a clear no-collision course!!), and all the while generally freezing, but on hand to deal with wayward sledges, missing gloves and the like.

But, as you might imagine, these huge hills are not so busy in the summer – which means they are perfect for picnics, a spot of hill-rolling, or something even more exciting, and very traditional  -  go-karting!

I have a friend whose husband is one half of the design duo that came up with the ATK*, a fantastic All Terrain Kart which does exactly what it says on the tin.     Sadly (for us at least) in a couple of months they will relocate back to the UK.  So, before they could get packed up and start to think about disappearing, I begged them for an opportunity to borrow one for the day so we could give it a test run in the Bavarian hills.

I think Small Boy thought all his birthdays had come at once!   As he sat there trying out the steering and testing the braking system the moment it was lifted out of the car, it gave me a glimpse into his future – I didn’t need a crystal ball for that one – it obviously involves wheels!   His father was just as enthusiastic, and his engineering side couldn’t resist giving it the once over to inspect the “mechanics”…   His conclusion?  It’s well-built, and sturdy at that.  A point that he had to thoroughly test on his own of course (it will take an adult’s weight!) later on in the afternoon, but not before Small Boy – he made sure he was definitely first in line…

Several super fast downhill slaloms, and lots of squeals of delight later, he managed to up-end the ATK and lay there rather like a squashed beetle with the thing on top of him.    My heart leapt a tiny bit as Mr R sped down the hill to find out why he wasn’t moving, only to discover that the reason why he couldn’t move was that he was doubled up with laughter and not at all hurt.  The picture below is after another pot-hole incident, which I think he actually headed for on purpose.

In fact, I don’t think I saw him without a huge grin on his face for the entire afternoon, and it was fantastic to see both him and his sister (once she got a look in she managed quite a few super-fast runs herself – she’s not known as the Danger Mouse in our family for nothing!) having huge fun in the great outdoors on this fantastic piece of kit.

By the way, we were advised to wear protective head-gear and knee pads (and yes they are ski helmets!), but having got to our “hill du jour” we discovered that we had only brought one pair with us, and they had “Hello Kitty” emblazoned on the front.  These were considered far too passé by The Eight Year old, and were of course immediately dismissed by her brother.    It did make me laugh that both he and his father had matching “grass knees” to go home with though!

The shot above is one of the final pictures I took of the day, and is definitely my favourite of the lot.    “Do you think Father Christmas might bring me one of these?” he implored whilst lovingly stroking the wheels.   I said he might if he was actually good enough (and added the Kart to my future blackmail/Christmas shopping list I keep in my head – it’s not that reliable!)   “I really hope he does ” he added thoughtfully “because if I had one, I would go on it all the time”.     This combined with the “one million”  answer to my “how many out of ten” question I usually ask after a day out says it all don’t you think?

Pulling back up the hill equipment (aka Mr R), alpine air and blue sky not included ….

*disclaimer:    It was my idea to kind of review the ATK, and did so gratis because we loved it so much, all in return for an afternoon of high-speed fun in the fresh air…

It’s hard to know what to cook at the moment… The weather’s not cold enough for soups or stews, but it’s definitely too warm for them, so on these  in-between days, I find myself making in-between dishes like Jambalaya.     With its Caribbean roots, and ingredients like chorizo and chillies hailing from sun-drenched isles,  there will be warmth and sunshine in some aspects of our lives – even if it’s just the kitchen…

And once the Small People have had their share, the rest of it gets drowned in Mexican hot sauce – which gets used on almost everything in this house.  Apart from porridge.

Ingredients:  -

• Fry the chorizo over a medium high heat for 3-4 minutes.   Remove and leave to one side;
• Add the onion, celery, garlic (and chilli if using) and cook for 2 minutes before adding the pepper.  Once softened, stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute;
• Add the tin of tomatoes and the stock and bring to the boil;
• Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for around15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated;
• Season to taste, and stir in the rest of the ingredients – making sure that the prawns are cooked through;
• Chuck on the sliced spring onions and the lime wedges.

Put your sunglasses on and serve…

As Bavaria awoke to a giant collective headache this morning (helped by the football results last night as well I imagine!), I enjoyed a leisurely morning’s drive on the empty roads, and took time to slowly cruise past our brand new Maibaum, and admire it in all it’s blue and white stripey glory.

We said goodbye to the old one last year, and this one was ceremoniously put up yesterday lunchtime having been dutifully guarded for quite some time…      They take these things very seriously over here, and the front page of our local paper featured a picture of a proud carpenter asleep in a barn next to a newly finished Maibaum in fear of poaching marauders demanding a ransom.   I kid you not.

We have yet to see one put up traditionally by a team of strong Bavarian boys wielding sticks and slowly slowly propping the thing up, but it does still happen.   Ours was given the honours by an enormous green crane which blocked the road for the duration, not that anyone seemed to mind.

And when the formal stuff was out of the way, it was round the back to the bier tent to let the festivities begin, complete with incredibly smart traditional band, plenty of steckler fish (barbecued mackerel in this instance, plenty of bier (of course), enough tracht to make it feel festive, and lots of joviality…     My German is obviously getting a little better because I managed to pretend I was local for all of  five minutes, until I had to give in and and admit I was English, but nobody minded, and the “prosts” carried on nevertheless.   I like to think that Bavaria appreciates it when its temporary residents join in and make an effort to integrate, and they could definitely teach us a thing or two about community.

And although Small Girl and I decided not to wear our dirndls thanks to the cooler weather, Small Boy insisted upon wearing his lederhosen much to the delight of our elderly neighbour.   And later on, his inner Bavarian decided upon a little weight-lifting challenge especially for the occasion (with his Father’s bier glass obviously!)!…

]]> http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?feed=rss2&p=4957 28 http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?p=4907 http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?p=4907#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:21:54 +0000 bavaria http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?p=4907

Having lived here for a little while now, I consider myself vastly more experienced in all matters bier fest than I was at this same point last year.    Across Bavaria there will be much excitement this evening as new Maibaums are hidden away in preparation for the big day tomorrow (more on that later) resulting in lots of tiny bier fests kicking off across the land tomorrow afternoon.

And of course Frühlingsfest is also well under way in central Munich.   I spent the day there yesterday having a wander, and came up with these Frühlingsfest observations and suggestions (perhaps to myself?) as to how to make the most of this truly Bavarian affair:-

• It might be held at the same site as the behemoth of all Bier Festivals, but Frühlingsfest is definitely Oktoberfest’s little sister, which means there are fewer tourists and far more locals… This is a good thing as the bier is cheaper.

• There are only two main tents, the Hippodrom, the Festhalle Bayernland and an outside bier-garten, which should give you some idea of size of it (especially compared to the 14 football pitched size tents of Oktoberfest)!

• It is actually quite depressing going to a bier fest on your own, even if your sole intention was to take photos.   In lieu of real friends accompanying me, my imaginary ones insisted I would get some good pictures if I spent some time inside the tents, and made me order an Aperol Spritz to look more authentic.    This also served well for creative purposes, and made me realise how stressed and pushy some of the Oktoberfest staff can be compared to the lovely Frühlingsfest staff in the nice and relaxed Hippodrom Tent yesterday.

• Going on a quiet day means you will have your choice of tables, but a full tent for a better atmosphere definitely makes.

• Putting your camera on some slightly different settings (although not intentional at first) will create pictures that give the impression that you have spent the whole day (and quite a lot of money) in one of the bier tents, but without the cost, having to queue for the loo, or the guaranteed headache…

• People watching becomes more fun as the day progresses, as is the case with all bier fests in general.

• The cakes are good.   Might I suggest an Apple Doughnut or three?

• Forget about getting any blue sky pictures this year, the cloud is here to stay it seems.

• There are family days at most of these big fests when rides are cheaper, as are food and drinks.  See www.meunchen.de  for more information.

• Although posters may advertise the Frhülingsfest opening time as 11am, on a weekday not much will be happening  until around 12pm in all honesty.

• Watch out for those trying to cover up the fact that they might have over indulged on the previous day.  Did anyone see the state of Michelin Man yesterday?

• Have fun, and make a mental note to keep Saturday free for similar shenanigans, but this time with friends.   And not imaginary ones.

]]> http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?feed=rss2&p=4907 40 http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?p=4858 http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?p=4858#comments Sun, 28 Apr 2013 06:03:18 +0000 bavaria http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/?p=4858