All posts filed under: Blog

A Long Awaited Visit

Published by Sula H.

Ein langersehnter Besuch We had another visit. Contrary to the birds’ visit (see post yesterday), this visit was long awaited and very welcome. My friends came with their parents to spend time with me and my family. As they’re all non-Europeans, of course, there was much for us to do to show them around my hometown and take them shopping and sightseeing. Wir hatten noch einen Besuch. Aber im Gegensatz zu den Vögeln (siehe Artikel von gestern) war dieser Besuch schon lange geplant und sehr willkommen. Meine Freunde kamen mit ihren Eltern, um ein wenig Zeit mit meiner Familie zu verbringen. Da sie alle nicht aus Europa kommen, gab es natürlich viel zu tun, sie in unserer Heimat herumzuführen, ihnen die Sehenswürdigkeiten meiner Heimatstadt zu zeigen und einkaufen zu gehen.

A Garden Invasion

Published by Sula H.

Eine Garten Invasion Every year, it seems, my parents’ garden gets invaded. By starlings. Not just by 10 or twenty birds but by dozens and dozens. I guess they like the things that grow in our garden. And while we don’t usually mind birds in our garden, today they weren’t quite welcome. Why? Because we just had cleaned our patio furniture when they came to drop stuff all over them again. Like cherry goo and such. Yuck! And back to work, of course. Jedes Jahr, so scheint es, gibt’s in unserem Garten eine Invasion. Von Staren. Nicht nur 10 oder 20 sondern Dutzende. Ich vermute, sie mögen die Sachen, die bei uns im Garten wachsen. Und obgleich uns Vögel im Garten in der Regel nicht stören, waren sie uns heute nicht willkommen. Warum? Weil wir gerade die Gartenmöbel gesäubert hatten und sie nun wieder auf allem herumkleckerten. Kirschkram und so. Bäh! Und zurück an die Arbeit, natürlich!

Country Walk in Summer

Published by Sula H.

Sommerlicher Landspaziergang Summer can be so nice. Especially in the country side. And in the evening. Surrounded by fields and with the evening sun warming your face … there’s little more you need to be happy! Sommer kann so schön sein. Besonders auf dem Land. Und am Abend. Wenn man durch die Felder spaziert und sich von der Abendsonne wärmen lässt, dann braucht es wenig mehr, um glücklich zu sein! Click on images to enlarge / Zum Vergrößern auf die Bilder klicken

BBQ with Friends

Published by Sula H.

Grillabend mit Freunden BBQ is a very important summer tradition in Germany. You can’t have summer and not roast some meat over a fire. Most traditionally, we love to eat good bratwurst. But nowadays there are lots of other good things that make it onto the grill and into our stomachs. Definitely not anything you’d want to miss out on, even when you’re vegetarian! And though it rained, we were fortunate to have catch us a rainbow. Grillen ist eine wichtige Sommertradition in Deutschland. Sommer ohne Grillen geht einfach nicht. Traditionell lieben wir natürlich die Bratwurst. Aber heutzutage gibt es noch vieles andere Gute, das auf unseren Grills und in unseren Mägen landet. Das sollte sich keiner entgehen lassen, selbst Vegetarier nicht (für die es ja auch viele Möglichkeiten gibt! Und auch wenn es ein wenig regnete, hatten wir das Glück uns einen Regenbogen einzufangen.

Farmer’s Market

Published by Sula H.

Wochenmarkt We went shopping the other day. And while the most common way of grocery shopping is to go to the supermarket, we do have the tradition of farmer’s markets. They usually are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays und local grocers offer their produce and products. Going to a farmer’s market can be quite fun. But we ended up only passing it without buying anything. I guess, we’re not quite as traditional as other Germans are. Kürzlich gings für uns zum Einkaufen. Und während der Supermarkt die herkömmlichste Weise des Einkaufs ist, haben wir auch immer noch die Tradition der Wochenmärkte. Sie finden gewöhnlich Mittwochs und Samstags statt und örtliche Händler bieten hier ihre Waren an. Auf den Wochenmarkt zu gehen kann ziemlich Spaß machen. Aber wir sind da nur vorbei gelaufen. Vermutlich sind wir doch nicht so traditionell wie andere Deutsche.

Hiking in the Turtmann Valley – Day 2

Published by Sula H.

Wandern im Turtmanntal – 2. Tag || Breakfast at the Turtmann Cabin We woke up to a gorgeous morning. And since we’d only be returning to the car, we didn’t have to set out quite as early as the other hikers. We had breakfast in front of the cabin, surrounded by the beauty of the mountains. And we finally got the explanation for the thunderous sounds we’d been hearing on and off for a while. While breakfasting, we witnessed a huge chunk of the Turtmann glacier across from us break off. It was quite a sight and we were too fascinated watching than wanting to stop and grab cameras to capture something that would be over by the time we got ready to snap. And it was scary to think how much ice had just gone down the sheer rock face of that mountain across from us. || Frühstück auf der Turtmannhütte Wir wachten auf zu einem wunderschönen Morgen. Und da wir heute nur zum Auto zurückkehren würden, mussten wir nicht ganz so früh raus, …

Hiking in the Turtmann Valley – Attempting the Barrhorn Summit

Published by Sula H.

Wandern im Turtmanntal – Versuchter Gipfelsturm aufs Barrhorn || Gässi Soon after lunch we set out again in an attempt to reach the summit of the Barrhorn (3610 m / 11.843 ft). We walk past meadows full of edelweiss and soon reach the most challenging part of our hike: Gässi (T3+). To scale Gässi, we have to cross a very steep and slippery slope full of loose rubble, and then get into the rock face. Fortunately, the trail is secured by ropes and iron steps bolted into the rock. While the task looks rather daunting from below for inexperienced climbers, once in the rocks, we notice the task is doable and the challenge not as grand. Within minutes we make it through the sheer rock face of Gässi and soon continue on in more accessible terrain. ||Das Gässi Gleich nach dem Mittagessen geht’s weiter für uns, da wir irgendwie immer noch hoffen, dass Barrhorn (3610 m) zu erreichen. Wir wandern an Alpwiesen voller Edelweiss vorbei und erreichen bald den herausforderndsten Teil unserer Wanderung: das Gässi …

Hiking Up the Turtmann Valley – Destination Turtmann Cabin

Published by Sula H.

Wandern im Turtmanntal – Aufstieg zur Turtmannhütte I’m back on the road again. This time I packed a friend, my nephew and a buddy of his to go hiking in Turtmann Valley in Switzerland. The goal was to hike up the highest “hikeable” summit in Switzerland (“hikeable”, meaning you don’t need any extra equipment as is the case when climbing is involved). It’s always a strange feeling, choosing a hiking tour from internet sources, and I always wonder, “Will I, or my companions, be disappointed by this trip, or will it be able to compare to my previous hikes?” (which have all been pretty breathtaking so far). But then, hiking in Switzerland, I guess, you can’t be disappointed. At least I haven’t been yet. And if you’re someone who loves alpine hiking, I can totally recommend this tour to you. Ich bin mal wieder unterwegs. Diesmal habe ich mir eine Freundin geschnappt, und auch meinen Neffen und einen Kumpel von ihm und wir sind ins Turtmanntal in der Schweiz. Unser Ziel war, den höchsten Wandergipfel …

A Summer Garden

Published by Sula H.

Ein Sommergarten For those of you who love gardens, I went back to my sister’s garden for another little stroll. And now’s the perfect time to share the photos I took with you: Für die Gartenliebhaber unter euch: Ich bin in den Garten meiner Schwester zurückgekehrt, um dort ein wenig zu verweilen. Und nun ist der Zeitpunkt gekommen, die Bilder mit euch zu teilen:

Lina and the Shower

Published by Sula H.

Linas und die Dusche You’ve met Lina before. She’s Paule’s sister. And whereas Paule loves boxes, Lina is even stranger. She’s the only cat I know that likes water. Like, actually loves water. And showers. She can’t wait until someone in the family takes a shower. Any time you even walk toward the direction of the bathroom, she sprints ahead in the hopes of making it to the bathroom before you, so she can stay and take a shower with you. She’d probably even sit in the shower with you, if you’d just let her. I for my part don’t like to share my shower with cat. So, I usually make sure she stays away from the bathroom while I shower. But once, she snuck in and there was no helping it. But I took my revenge. When she peaked her head into my shower, I attacked her with the full blast of the shower head. Except that, Lina didn’t feel punished. She was happy, because at last she had managed to succeed with …