Goodbye old man winter

Hello my lovelies..:-) I know I vanished into thin air without any warning. Lets just blame it on old man winter!!! Though this is our third winter I have come to realize that this body of mine works well in warm sunny weather or rather Indian weather. This makes me even more eager to our return back home. Back in those days when I was told that the cold dark winter of Europe can be very depressing I never gave it much thought, in fact I found it very funny. Now having experienced it, I cannot tell you how true it is. One thing I am sure of is that I will never miss these winter days of Deutschland.

Assuming that the worst is over, we are eagerly looking forward to Spring. 

There is a slight change of color in the landscape, it doesn't looks all that dead as before. Skies are bluer, temperatures warmer though still in the single digit.

(Thats a sheet of frozen ice on the pond)

The kids have been home this week thanks to the Fasching break. We didn't watch any parade this year or gather thrown candy. Instead, we have been doing a lot of other things together. 

Like a visit to our favorite spot just outside of Lohr. You have no idea how hard it is to keep these kids indoors during the 100 dark days of winter. So even before spring arrives, we head out. 

In a months time, we should be welcoming new life and color. Till then, we patiently wait...

Tuesdays around the world

When we have friends or relatives(which is rare) over, the kids and I LOVE doing the routine...

of playing guide and walking through the cobbled streets of Lohr am Main.

Today we headed to the local supermarket to show my sister what one in Deutschland looks like. She loved seeing the variety of cold meat and cheese that we have over here. Not to forget the fruits and veggies we don't find back home.

So, what are you doing today? Playing guide like me?? We would love to know. Join us at..

Happy Monday!!!

On Friday we were treated to some snow. Today is Monday and all of it has melted.

(Valentin's Kapelle)

Knowing that this white treat would be short lived, sis and I went for a long walk in the neighboring mountains.

She was like a little kiddo(in reality she is an adult..:D) pausing every now and then to make snow balls and feel the cold white powder against her skin. At times brushing off leaves just to see all of it fall to the ground.

Towards afternoon the kids and her had a very long snow fight. She was begging towards the end to ask them to stop. She literally had a frozen face....:D

This is one holiday that she will remember her entire lifetime!!!

Thank you all for your lovely comments and concern on my previous post. Things are getting much better back home in India and hopefully we shall have darling hubby back in Germany again!! 

Till then HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

Snow white and snow fights...

We did pass by snow white's castle. The children preferred snow fights with whatever snow was left. So the castle has to wait......till Sunday.

Tomorrow we are headed to Würzburg. I want to introduce my sister to some bratwurst and maybe gluhwein(if it's still available), stroll through farmers markets, and also visit sights with Baroque architecture.
What are your plans for the weekend?

P.S: I am totally in LOVE with Instagram. I seem to be going overboard with my pics on Facebook...:-) Anybody else using this application?

It's Friday with some snow!!!

Do your rely on the weather forecast to know what the day/week will be like? Well, I do. A lot!! So yesterday the sun was SUPPOSED to be shining, yes shining. And I waited, waited and waited....the day came and went with absolutely no sunshine. Those who are following me on Facebook must have got fed up of my weathery rants yesterday.

And today we wake up to this.....so Mr weatherman, you didn't predict SNOW, right? Anyway, who cares!!! This sight made me want to wake up from my bed, charged me enough to pack my kids along with their snow boots and gloves to school...I even woke up my little sister to see the snow fall from our windows...she had to see it!!!

(The kids school playground as seen from our bedroom windows)

We are now waiting for the clouds in the background to slightly thin down, then we shall head to the mountains for some snowball fights and pretty pictures!!! Late afternoon we also plan to visit snow white's castle.

What are you going to do today?

Also, a warm welcome to all my new followers and a big thank you to the ones who left comments on my  previous post about India. I love having you all over and look forward to your visits. 

Snow dust

This evening Tinker Bell flew by spraying about snowy dust all over the village. It was a sight to behold!!

It didn't matter that the snow flakes melted once they touched ground. It was still fun to feel it on their way down.

Tinker sure did a great job!!! She made Lohr am Main look pretty with just the tiny hint of snow!!

Do you have surprises like these? Fairies flying with their magic out of the blue....:D

Winter is here to stay...

Winter has set in, yes, it's very cold. Which means, it's hard to capture shots in the open. It's too much work managing the gloves and the camera. You see, frozen fingers are just not for me.

So, what do you think of the picture? This is pretty much how our landscape looks like .... colorless. That is why the germans prefer snow....sheets of white are much better than no color. Well, I cannot wait for spring.

P.S: I do like the sight of smoky chimneys though......:-) 

It's the most wonderful time of the year..

As it happens every year, I spotted these two guys last week from my kitchen window while fixing myself a quick breakfast.

I knew by the time I returned  home, the lights would be up..

and they were!!! Sunday marks the first Sunday of advent. The lights will then come on and will remain so till the first week of January.

As I write this, the Christmas trees too are up around the village and being decorated by little hands. My camera is on a short holiday in India, so we've got to wait till I get some shots of our lit up and decorated festive paradise sans snow..:D

Sunday's in my city.

Remember my post here where I said that I would be taking a german timbered building back home with me..:)

I like this one...

Husband likes this..

Between the two of us we will have to select one..:) Since our last time window shopping, a new collection has been added. Which one do you like??

Farmers market in Lohr am Main

Today, I thought I would give you a peek into our farmers market held every Wednesday and Saturday at the marktplatz(market square). As I told you before, ours is a very small village, hence the market too is very small. Twice a week, a few farmers from nearby villages come to sell their fresh produce of veggies, fruits, dairy products, fresh pressed juices, conserves, wines, fruit liquors..... It is encouraged to buy from these farmers not only to help them in their daily living, also that their produce is fresh and chemical free(bio as the germans call it).

Did you know that there are so different kinds of apples? At first I found it weird, but then remembered that the Indian mango is also of so many varieties all with funny names. So, why not an apple too? I have yet to learn either the names or the purpose of each apple(juice, jam, wine making??). 

Want to quench your thirst with some freshly pressed apple juice? Its available too!!!

Flowers for your loved one??

Remember the nightwatchman's tour? Guess who we bumped into?

The last countess of Lohr!! She was on her guided tour of Lohr am Main with tourists. 

My little one didn't feel it right that I clicked pictures of her when we weren't a part of the tour.

Wanna know how the weekends are in the rest of the world? Visit Unknown Mami for you will find a plenty there!!!

Charles Knie Zirkus has come to town(and also left).

Got up with the sniffles yesterday accompanied by a nice body ache. Glad that I was down with the sneezes and sore throat, just like a little child I took hold of the opportunity to not attend class. The thoughtful person that I am, I didn't want to spread the nasty germs to my fellow classmates. Wanting to get rid of the soreness from the throat, I headed to the doctor. Imagine my surprise when I saw these tents on the way. Our's is a pretty small village, really, but being clueless about this really took me by surprise then followed by excitement. Are you the kind of mommy who upon discovering something can't wait to tell the kids?? Well, I am!!

Unfortunately, I had no cam with me. Though the thought did cross my mind to take it along, the doc on seeing me would definitely have thought that I had gone bonkers lugging heavy equipment round my neck(no, I do not like to carry it in a bag).

Appointment done with instructions to not spread the germs to family and yes, also my classmates(happy smile) I dashed home, popped a pill and headed back with the cam all the while thinking that the kids will be so excited to know that a ZIRKUS is in town.....:D

The angry tiger seemed to be pacing angrily up and down the cage while its partner was in a deep slumber. And the Llamas below, they were very beautiful(all pics taken from top of a bridge).

Look at the colorful cages this zebra and llama share. 

Now satisfied that I had pictures too to share with the kids I headed back home to rest.

For the record, they already knew about the zirkus and forgot to tell me!!!! So much for surprises and excitement...:D
P.S: Now we have come to know that it was here only for 3 days. They pack up and leave today...:( 

Autumn colors

My Moment, yes exclusively mine...being treated to this beautiful autumn foliage in the morning..

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.  ~Stanley Horowitz


Beauty is where you find it

The night watchman's tour in Lohr am Main

Over the weekend, we were invited by a good friend to the night watchman's tour of Lohr am Main. Call it strange but we had never been on a tour to get to know our village a lot better. We just took it for granted that Lohr is gonna be our home for a while and that was it!! Though it was to be in German I nevertheless was excited to be walking around the dark alleys with my cam. We met the tour guide who was dressed in a typical nightwatchman's costume and with a lantern in hand. Pretty soon I realized that the clicking sounds from my cam were disturbing him and so I had to put it away(I did sneak it out here and there).

(The kids had a great time helping the night watchman carry his lantern)

In the early years(middle ages to 1933) the night watchman was responsible for the safety of the inhabitants of the walled city Lohr am Main. He made his rounds from 9pm to 3am, singing his hourly song which reminded the people who were sound asleep in their homes that he was very much around and taking care of them. Back then, a fire was one of the worst disasters and if one ever happened, it was his duty to blow his horn and alert the villagers.

As we walked the dark alleys, we were told that feces and filth from hundreds of animals filled the streets. People also emptied all their pee and poo from their pots directly onto the streets with an occasional warning of watch out!!! This in turn attracted the rats which led to the BLACK PLAGUE killing more than a third of Europe's population. With all this information, it was pretty hard to imagine the life of the people in the years gone by.

(Hotel Gasthof Krone, oldest inn in Lohr)

Another amusing story was about the men in the villages not being worried if their wives fell sick but if the cows did!!! It was very expensive to buy a new cow than to find a new bride(if the ill wife died).

  I have come to know that we also have tours by the baker's wife, the washer woman and also the last countess of Lohr. We will definitely be attending these tours too, so watch out for more stories.

Summer's coming to an end..:(

Can you see what i see? What do you mean you don't? Okay, here you go, a close up..

No, not the church steeple, not the town tower too....

Now do you get it?? Yes, the green slowly disappearing, the brown and orange patches appearing!!!

So now do you know what does this mean? Gosh, I don't want summer to end...:( Really!!

Head on over to Unknown Mami to see what's happening around the world!