Raspberry picking

I went raspberry picking for the first time last week!!! It felt like a holiday to be able to do this right in the middle of my working week. A friend and I decided it would be a nice idea and they were so cheap. On the way to the raspberry field, I noticed some other fruit growing in abundance at the moment. So abundant in fact, that you can find pears on the street and no one seems particularly excited by this, except for the foreigner with the camera. There are trees so full of plums they look like bunches of giant purple grapes. Everywhere you look, something seems to be growing. Here are some pictures of my mid-week holiday, the raspberries and one of the many ways they ended up being eaten.

The leaves sort of act like a shelter for the berries and you have to really crouch down and see what's hiding behind them to find the good ones.The camera shy raspberry farmer, who wasn't too shy to hand feed raspberries to young raspberry picking ladies when he wasn't being photographed.We ended up with 1 kilogram of raspberries and took home 500 grams each. They were also very delicious and I think my friend ended up eating more than made it into the punnet. They taste best when just picked. The whole experience was like a dream, raspberries being my favourite berry and all.Other than cramming them into my mouth totally fresh, I also used them to top a lemon tart.I haven't got a recipe for you, there are so many recipes for lemon tart out there or you probably already have one that you like best. My friend said she ended up baking something with her berries too, I'll try to post the pictures here so you can see where the other 500 grams ended up.

Auf dem Kreuz

Some may have noticed that I have been absent for a couple of weeks now, that is because Husband and I went on a little holiday. More on that soon but what I had wanted to share with you before I went away, is a lovely dinner we had with some friends at "Auf dem Kreuz". I ran out of time before leaving, that is why you are only reading about this now. "Auf dem Kreuz" in Ulm is one of my favourite restaurants. It is located a little bit away from the main drag, it is the only restaurant in a residential area, so some may not have heard of it. In summer time, when the weather agrees, they set up the traditional beer benches and if you get in early you can enjoy your dinner outside, admiring the beautiful old buildings that surround you.
That's exactly what we did a few weeks ago, ringing and reserving and emphasising our preference for an outside table. We got everything we requested and were excited about the food. The menu is seasonal and changes weekly, sometimes daily. There are some staples though, like "Zwiebelrostbraten" (Swabian steak with onions), but the unique thing about this place, is that it not only has Swabian specialities on the menu but also whatever the chef seems to feel like cooking. It isn't unusual to find a Thai style, glass noodle salad on the menu, for example, or Lebanese style octopus with mashed white beans, all pretty exotic for this neck of the woods. I have been to this restaurant many times over the last few years and have to say, while the dining experience is generally good, there are times when the wheels do fall off the wagon, if you know what I mean. Like the time we decided to take a big group of friends on a Saturday night and ended up waiting over an hour for our food. Or the time we went on a Friday night and it took a good half an hour to get the waitress's attention to order dessert and then, after waiting another half an hour with no sign of said dessert, we decided to cancel and leave. These two incidents did occur on very busy nights but be warned, while things can run perfectly smoothly even on a busy night, Friday and Saturday nights can leave you waiting longer than expected. Having said that, the service is friendly and they generally do their best to look after their guests. There was that time, when Husband ordered rose instead of red wine and didn't notice his mistake when she presented the wine to us. He only noticed something untoward when she poured the wine in his glass to taste, and rather than rich red, he got pale pink. She very graciously changed the bottle for us without charge, even though the fault was ours. On the particular Tuesday night that we visited, all elements came together very nicely, that is to say, no wheels falling off any wagons, resulting in an extremely pleasant dining experience. We ate, drank and very merrily enjoyed the warm, summer evening.
Not that I wasn't enjoying the company of our friends, but I have to admit to eavesdropping on a conversation at a nearby table. I heard English and an Australian accent and that always gets me curious but our friends were talking too loudly and I wasn't really able to pick up on who she was and what she was doing in Ulm. Nevertheless, she was lucky to have such foodie friends that would take her to "Auf dem Kreuz" for dinner. I think, I have taken almost everyone who has visited me in Ulm here to eat. If I haven't been with you, it is because I hadn't discovered it myself yet or because they were closed (they are not open on Sunday night or Monday night, are only open for dinner and take an extended break over Christmas). On the night we went, our friends ordered the very Swabian dish of lentils with "Spätzle" (Swabian noodles). This dish is also served with a Wiener sausage and a big ol' slab of smoked pork belly.

Husband ordered the lamb cutlets with chanterelles, served with delicious looking roast potatoes that I didn't try because I was busy tucking into my lamb curry.
Yes, that's right, I ordered the curry. This is probably the only restaurant in Ulm, the Indian ones included, where I order the curry without fear. It was well spiced, easy on the chilli and very satisfying. I was also impressed by the raita that came with it.

There are some I have spoken to around these parts who find "Auf dem Kreuz" snobby, this is something I don't really understand (if you have eaten here, let me know how you found it), compared to some of my dining out experiences, this does not rate at all on the 'snobby' radar. Although, that could just mean that I am one of the snobs and therefore feel quite at home here. I find the atmosphere laid back and very relaxed. Overall, a very nice dining experience, one to visit if you are ever in the area.

Dear Sydney, Ulm is a ruthless flirt

Dear Sydney,

City of my childhood, how did it come to this? It has been two years, the longest we have ever been apart and I have some confessions to make. Lately, I have been noticing some strange occurrences that at first I tried to deny but now I can't ignore. I would have slapped you to your senses if you had happened to pass such a notion by me 6 months ago. Three months ago, I would have denied all accusations defensively, aggressively even. That would have been my denial stage. Today, I am ready to confess it all. Sydney, Ulm has been flirting with me and worst of all, I think I have been flirting back. I guess it all started when the weather started getting a little warmer and I was able to wear skirts again and you know how much I like wearing skirts. Then the sky seemed to be an endless blanket of blue and well, that sort of reminded me of you. Up to this point, I was completely unaware that it had already begun. There I was running around barelegged under the blue sky, completely innocent to the seduction. Then, I went to Meera's house and she showed me her... um... really big zucchini and that is when I think I started flirting back. I mean it was clear Ulm was showing off but I had never seen one quite as big as this before.
I admit, the blue skies have been replaced with clouds, it has been raining almost daily but I would be lying if I said I didn't find it a little bit romantic. The clouds are the prettiest shade of grey, the same colour as my favourite t-shirt and you know how much I like grey... You also know, because whatever happens between us, you will always know me best, how much I love the smell of salt in the air. It is the smell of Sydney beaches that I missed in my first years here. So, you can imagine then, how shocked I was, when I breathed in the summer breeze yesterday. I mean, Sydney, salt is one thing, but sniffing the sweetness of berry flavoured air, that is another. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries wafting in the air like perfume and you know how much I like berries. And perfume. And all things sweet. Even the inedible, sweetness of air...
Yes, I sometimes get the feeling that Ulm quite likes me and wants me to stay. This could just be the separation talking Sydney, I mean it has been two years and perhaps come winter and the return of the fog, which is an unfavourable shade of grey entirely, I will regret my confession but the winter clothes are already in shop windows and I have caught myself thinking that I can't wait for mulled wine and boots and snow again. Now I know you are wondering who I am. What has this city done to me? There, I'd have to ask you, can anyone resist the attractive power of multi-coloured cauliflower? Where have you been hiding these Sydney?
Or for that matter, a 1 litre serving of beer?
I know you can't feel good about yourself after the last picture. Being the lover of beer that you are, I am guessing that feelings of inadequacy may be creeping in. Don't be too hard on yourself, no city can have it all. At least perhaps now you are starting to understand how powerless I really am in all this. It is a hopeless game of tug and war. Maybe you think I am easy. Maybe I am. But this assault on my senses has made me weak, even I am surprised at the spring in my step as I go about my day. Maybe it is this German course that I have been doing. I have heard it said, that the language is the key to the culture. Whatever it is, I am not proud of myself but I couldn't hide the truth from you any longer. I can only reassure myself (and you) with the thought that I will be seeing you again soon for Christmas and hopefully Ulm will get the hint. Will Ulm back off? Will I be at a BBQ imagining myself at the Christmas Market? Only December will tell. Till then Sydney, I will try to keep my straying heart faithful.

Yours determinedly,

Chilli

Mini Holiday Weekend

Not sure if words will do our weekend justice, the pictures probably don't either. But fun it was! It was great to be 'in the nature' as the Germans would say.

Germany's Next Ugly Face

If you don't live in Germany, then you may not be aware that for the first time, in about 4 seasons of the show (I think), a black woman has been chosen as GNTM. A historical moment, I am sure you will agree. There was even a guy in the audience holding up a 'Yes she can!' sign. Just so you understand what this victory means to some. Like me, I am sure every dark skinned person in Germany has been told that she should enter next year. Now is our time, ladies. Like we have all been sitting around waiting for public acknowledgement of our beauty! Man, we knew we were hot from the get go! Now this win has even led to me being the centre of a couple of jokes, 'How wude!' I hear you say, but all in good fun I can assure you. A couple of days ago my photographer friend sent me this:Hmmm... something not quite right about that. Yikes! Now, you'd think with that kind of body, any head would work, right? WRONG! At least I can be certain of one thing now. God really did know what he was doing when he put my head on my short, belovehandled body.

For the real deal, check out this clip:

A garden from Eiden

Eiden, a shop I can imagine taking my sleeping bag into and staying over night in. The porcelain ware in this shop is just so pretty, it makes for a lovely atmosphere. It feels sort of other worldly when you go in there and I am never in a hurry to leave. Luckily the owners are very friendly, and I am often treated to cups of tea and a quick catch up in between spending my hard earned euros. I don't think my pictures really do it justice but they do have a nifty website (only in German though) with some photos that will give you an idea of why this place is so special. Jan and Dagmar Eiden, the owners also feature on the website photos. They make and sell porcelain cups, mugs, bowls, vases, soap dishes, the list goes on, not to mention lamps and lights. Everything is handmade in their work shop. Unbelievable! We don't have much of a garden, but to get ready for spring I bought a few hyacinth pots from Eiden and planted some bulbs. I am so looking forward to the flowers.
As you can imagine, as with anything special, Eiden's porcelain is not cheap but worth every penny if you appreciate the hard work involved and the individuality of the product.

A vase on display in the shop
Hand dotted bowls
Porcelain ceiling light - it's on the wish list!

And since I have shown you my hyacinths here, I will also show you Husband's beloved chillies. He plants them from seeds he has dried and this is the stage they are at now. These plants usually give us a yield to keep our freezer stocked for a good few months.

The babies

Enter maximum bid

I realised today that I am fast approaching my third year of life in Ulm. Nuts! I can hardly believe it. It doesn't seem like that long but if I think about it lots has happened in that time. I wonder how I can still feel so foreign after three years here. Because I am, I guess. I still get asked if I am Indian everywhere I go. That's OK, I don't mind. I do feel that I am sort of a let down in both respects. I don't really know anything about India for those Bollywood fans and I am not really fair dinkum Australian. Know what I mean? People I know, those I consider friends here, still ask me when my friends from India are coming to visit me. You mean Australia? Yes, Sydney, Australia. That is where I am from. That is what I know. I have only been to India for about six weeks in my entire existence. It seems hard for people to get over the exterior. How can I explain it? It's like cutting into a watermelon to realise that the interior is of an orange. An orange that looks like a watermelon. That's me. A Malaysian born, Australian grown, Indian looking mish mash. This can have it's upside, I guess. I get lots of 'My! Look at your big eyes' style compliments. When I think back about growing up in Australia, I guess it wasn't really much different. Lots of people would try to guess if I was from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Fiji, India, Africa - where else do those black people live? I seem to recall that in school, and hanging out with friends I often used to forget I was different. There were times it would puzzle me when someone asked me where I was from, I would forget. Forget, that I looked different enough to prompt such a question. What do you mean where am I from? Here, like everyone else. But no, realistically, I didn't belong to that category of foreigner either. I wasn't born in Australia. But this is about Ulm. So, what have I learnt in my three years here in Ulm? What experiences have I to share?

I can start with some things I love about being here.
One of them is the distinctive change of seasons.
Flowers in Spring, red leaves in Autumn.
The proximity of where we live to Italy.
The proximity of where we live to London thanks to budget airlines.
Berlin.
The uninhibited curiousity and friendliness of small town folk - I love all the 'Guten Morgens' when I go for a walk.
I love that schnitzel is 'normal food' as opposed to 'junk food' here.
These people are serious about recycling and caring for the environment.
The bread.
No shopping on Sundays means Husband and I have a whole day to sit around staring at each other.
I can now speak a pretty good, broken version of the language.
The infamous German directness - straight faced, cuts like a knife,
nothing if not well meant.

Which brings me to the real point of this post. A friend, my German BFF (best friend forever), whom I went to visit the other day. We sat like usual, talked shop, drank espresso, ate sweets. Then he asks me to consider the possibility that people here may think I am a mail order bride. Hmmm... OK, so it wasn't as out of the blue as I have made it sound, it was in the context of what we were discussing but nevertheless, it had me wide eyed and speechless. His words were,'You know how Germans think.' They see Husband, they see you. You still look like a student. There is a clear age difference. They wonder, apparently 'How much did he pay for her?' Really? Is that what they wonder? I thought he was joking with me. My German BFF has a wicked sense of humour. But no. It seems in my third year here I have been promoted from standard foreigner, to Mail Order Bride foreigner. An unexpected title. German BFF has now been downgraded to Frenemy status (unbeknownst to him), subject to review if/when I get over this. I am already thinking of t-shirt designs. It's not nice to make people wonder. I may as well wear my status on my sleeve. What about 'He won me on E-bay' or 'I was purchased on mailorderbride.com (free delivery)'. All ideas welcome.

Bella Vista: Candle Light Dinner

While we often go to Bella Vista for a drink or for lunch I am not sure we would have booked a Candle Light dinner there. We received vouchers to this event as a gift and of course, were eager to try it. We were treated to a four course meal from a set menu and were not let down where the candle light was concerned. Very romantic. These are held in the evening once a month or perhaps even more randomly than that (check the website for dates). I will focus on the third and main course as I think it had all the components to sum up the entire evening. The Filet de boeuf Tuna Kartoffelterrine and Shii-Take. This is how this dish was described on the menu. I am not sure if this was an attempt at being different, or maybe this is the way things are done now - describing one dish using every language under the sun. Fashionable or not, I found it a little confusing. What on earth were we supposed to expect?
Well, above is what we got. All the described components were on the plate. Personally, while the beef was tasty and cooked to pink perfection, the sashimi style tuna with ginger, carrot, bean sprouts and soya sauce are all flavours I love and don't get enough of here, I could have eaten a plate of just that. Yes, you are seeing right, for some reason the tuna was topped with a wasabi coated peanut. OK, yes, they are Japanese too, but flavour wise this was a pretty unnecessary addition. It had nothing to do with the rest of the dish, except may be for adding a little colour. Is this something else I have missed? Is purely decorative garnish (think sprigs of parsley) making a comeback? It may be, because the beef was not immune to this treatment. It was topped with a long ribbon of what tasted like deep fried spring roll pastry. Again, purely an aesthetic addition. Nothing to do with the dish and unlike the wasabi peanut, it didn't really taste very good. These oddities aside the dishes, while small (we were grateful for the bread basket on our table, the gracious wait staff kept it full for us), were well presented and flavoursome. Would I go again? I don't know, at €40 per person not including wine and considering the serving sizes, it is pretty pricey by Ulm standards. Lunch is easier on the wallet and you get the spectacular daytime view.

bee-sting

There's a new lady at the market and she is selling home-baked goods. When I asked her if I could take a photo of her cute, little stand (I thought she had done a great job setting up) she said 'no'. She was all embarrassed that I might get the plastic sheet she had pinned up on the side of the stall that you can't see, to protect her from the wind and the rain. Not one to take 'no' for an answer, I took the photo and showed it to her. She approved. I managed to omit the offending plastic, flying in the wind.
As we were chatting, I asked her how business was going, I looked down to see what she had to offer. I realised, in a rush of excitement, that she was selling bee-sting and of course I bought a slice. Bee-stings are one of my favourite German sweets ever. Two usually thin, dryish pieces of sponge, sandwich whipped honey cream, topped with honeyed almond flakes. Heaven! After finishing our Saturday morning shopping I found the bee-sting somewhat squashed almost at the bottom of the bread bag, unwrapped it and sat down for my weekend treat with a strong cup of tea.
The first thing I noticed is that the sponge layers were thicker than what I was used to. But it wasn't until I had a mouthful that I realised why the sponge layer appeared to be so thick. The layer of honeyed almonds, usually reserved for the top had been replicated on her bottom layer of sponge as well. I have included the close up photo so you can see what I mean. If you look closely you can see the almond layer below the cream.
Well, was I ever surprised! I have tried many versions of this but this is the only I have come across with two almond layers. However, even though this was an interesting twist, for me, two almond layers did not make it twice as good. It was a little too sickly sweet for me and all that almond required more chewing than I was willing. So I had to bring in Husband to help me finish it. He is not the biggest fan of bee-stings but he tried it nevertheless and to my surprise was totally taken with it. The man who usually wrinkles his nose at me when I buy this creamy slice, exclaimed that this was the best bee-sting he had ever eaten. Well! So the new lady's bee-sting gets the title of 'cake of the week' for this week. Not really because I liked it but because it knocked Husband's socks off, and that is not easy to do.

Ulmer Wochenmarkt or the weekly Ulmer market

It is a strange time to go to the market at the moment. Winter persists but spring is fighting back, there is no clear winner and so we are in limbo. Quite a few of the usual stall holders weren't there, I guess for this very reason. We have the tail end of winter veggies and not much else, although oyster mushrooms seem to be everywhere. Husband and I made our usual Saturday morning trip. We stopped to by eggs at our chicken lady, but this can be a complicated business, because she is right across from our meat man. We didn't really want to stop at the butcher, but he spotted us before we could get away and when he greets us with a robust 'Guten Morgen' we can't really walk past can we? We ended up with 2 types of smoked sausage and 3 types of ham.

Our butcher

It is also time for pussy willow (see new header photo), and ignoring husband's impatience I stopped to buy. Now there is a bunch sitting pretty on my dining table.

Nobody takes pictures at the market. This guys thinks I am weird. Notice the cathedral in the background?

The market is on every Wednesday and Saturday morning. It takes place in the town square, known as the Münsterplatz where the Münster, the cathedral with the highest church tower in the world, provides a dramatic background.

The potato man is out of Annabelle potatoes, our favourite. He says that they are an early potato. What does that mean? Does anyone know when is early for potatoes?

Blaukraut or red cabbage

Husband makes a mean Blaukraut. He cooks it the traditional way, with vinegar, sugar, onions, an apple, bay leaves and preiselbeere or lingonberries. When my mum used to make spaghetti bolognaise, bless her determined wooden spoon, somehow it always ended up tasting like curry. A dish without a pinch of her mixed spice was unfathomable. Husband cooked fish (perch), with the Blaukraut and somehow it turned out like a schnitzel. It was crumbed and fried but never before has fish had such a schnitzely quality. Needless to say, I had seconds. I love schnitzel.

Ever seen apples displayed like this before? All in the name of being easy to unhook and take with you.

These are the last apples for the season but the apple man will continue to sell what he has stored, as well as schnapps and juice over summer. He also does a roaring trade with berries. I am his number one raspberry customer, I'd like to think so anyway. When I first bought apples from him, I always used to get a free one for the road. This practice stopped after he noticed that Husband benefited from this freebie more than I did. I have a floury apple phobia, so someone has to test bite first. Husband's bite means there is little but core left by the time it's my turn. As the weather gets warmer, the market becomes unbearably beautiful. I'll have to try to remember my camera so I can show you what I mean.

A Hunting Story II

Just a quick update for those who are following our apartment hunt. We found one last Saturday. It was love at first sight. Great location, huge, affordable, windows in every room, high ceilings. We expressed our immediate interest and told them we could move in straight away, great for them as it had been empty for a while. They told us they would get back to us on Wednesday. I spent the next few days thinking interiors. I was so excited by the place that I could hardly sleep waiting for Wednesday. I hear you. Don't get your hopes up, you're saying. Wait till that phone call on Wednesday. Well, yes, I know it's not helpful to get carried away but everything went swimmingly at the viewing. They spent extra time with us and asked us detailed questions, hobbies? jobs? Sydney?! Do we smoke? Nope. Do we have house pets? No sirree! We would make perfect tenants. Wednesday came. When we hadn't heard by 5:00, we called. We didn't mean to rush them but had they decided? Yes they had. She was just sitting down to write us an email. Sorry, she said. We've decided on someone else. Thud. Somewhere on planet earth, a tree crashes to the ground, and for some reason, I can feel the impact in my head. What? You mean not the friendly, non-smoking, no pet - having couple? Dare we ask? Why not us? Well she answers, we had some friends who were interested and we've decided to give it to them. Oh, OK then. And yes, of course, they can give the apartment to whomever they damn well please. But the question remains, why would you invite 12 other couples to come and have a look when you already have a candidate in mind. I just don't get that part of it. We smiled so hard our faces almost fell off. Alas! All in vain. We never stood a chance. I know that I shouldn't take these things too personally, but they are so much like job interviews, I can't help but wonder what people are looking for in a tenant. Never mind, I keep telling myself. It wasn't meant to be. Get back on that horse. We do have another viewing next week. The owner rang today asking if we'd like to come and see it. His first words were: There's no balcony, and it's not quiet. You have the noise from the trains, the buses and the cars. It is located on the corner of a busy intersection. At least we know he is going to be straight with us.
Fingers crossed - for what exactly I am not sure... We are going to have a look next Wednesday.

Goodbye-ee-eye

One of our last peppermint teas in Ulm at a cafe where all the furniture is for sale - even that orange lamp

Of course, she brings me flowers when she is the one leaving

A first on her last day, we ate cake at a cafe she had been boycotting because of it's name Mohren Kopf
(I will overlook any number of things for good cake)

Last day in Ulm

Yamas, quite yummy really.

There is a new cafe/restaurant in Ulm. Yay! That is in itself exciting. A new place to explore! Yamas, is owned by the son of the same family that used to own Paradies, where you could really find the best Greek food in Ulm. Paradies is still running under different ownership but the son has moved to the city centre to start a cafe/restaurant style eatery with some Greek and American (bagels, doughnuts) influences. What I am most familiar with at Yamas is the tea menu. We were going there quite regularly when we were on our post Christmas diet. They have a whole selection of chai blends and from memory I think there is also a whole page devoted to green tea. All the teas have interesting names, like Tension Tamer, so you can order one that suits your mood. I guess I was feeling like some sort of Vanilla Elephant because that's the one I have been drinking. Yamas has the most extensive tea menu that I am aware of in Ulm and for a tea drinker like me, that is good news.
Yippeeee! Our diets are finally over, so we went to Yamas, our first time in the upstairs restaurant section, to celebrate. We were a party of three: Husband, Foodie Friend and I. We all ordered starters, Husband had the haloumi with oyster mushrooms (yum!), Foodie Friend had the seafood salad and I had the scallops. Nothing to complain about here, everything was delicious and devoured hungrily. Servings were big for starters with Husband and Foodie Friend commenting that they didn't have to have mains at all, not me though!



From the top & moving clockwise: our wine in the sexy glasses, haloumi with oyster mushrooms, baby calamari, seafood salad

For the mains, Husband ordered a beef fillet steak served with broad beans and potatoes. Foodie Friend had the baby calamari served with potatoes and a drizzle of homemade pesto (there was also a herby, yoghurty sauce on the side that Foodie Friend said she didn't really need). While there were quite a few seafood dishes on the menu, I was feeling carnivorous after such a long period of deprivation and decided on the lamb with a thyme and rosemary flavoured sauce. While the meat dishes were not bad, Foodie Friend's baby calamari was great. Tender, fresh and flavoursome. I'll go back for a plate of my very own. Of course, I wasn't going anywhere without dessert, so we decided to share the dessert plate. It came with a few things on it - most notable for me was the honeyed yogurt. It was really nothing to write home about, so I'll stop here. A bit of a shame really, because there were some memorable desserts on the menu at Paradies. After my first visit to Yamas, for a meal that is, I would say that seafood is the way to go. This is a plus for Yamas as it can be difficult to find fresh, well prepared seafood in Ulm. Yamas also features a wall to wall selection of wines (great to look at) which include an interesting selection of Greek bottles. Not all the wines are listed on the wine list, the owner (who recognised us from our Paradies days) accompanied Husband to the wall of wine and talked him through some of them. Very nice touch. We ended up with a nice Greek bottle, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. It was poured into beautiful glasses big enough to sniff and swirl the wine in and decanted at the table. I will go back to try more seafood, for the tea and perhaps for a bagel. They are quite new and with the reputation of Paradies behind them, I think they will only get better with time.

Work

Some people may wonder (Izy, Rajee it's you I am referring to) what I really get up to here. You know when she says work, teaching English, off to class now - what does she really mean? Life has gotten more interesting since starting at the University of Applied Sciences. I say jump and they ask how high Frau. Walter? If only. Recently I asked a few groups to present, in English of course about a skill or talent they might like to share with the rest of the class. I was totally überrascht with the effort they put into this task and by some of the things these young engineering students could do. I had gymnasts, pilots and truck drivers under my nose all semester and didn't even know it. Bright little buttons they turned out to be. Needless to say (and I can hear the groans) the presentation activity is a keeper.

The gymnast

Demonstrating some self defence moves

Fish in tanks & a hunting story.

The view from our balcony, schön no?

Coming from Sydney and now being in small town Ulm can be described a little like this. I feel like a fish plucked out of the ocean and put into one of those fish tanks you see in a Chinese restaurant. It is not crowded here but small it is. Like those fish that have to float around in their tanks all day looking at the same fish faces until someone has the hankering for steamed with ginger, soy and shallots, it is a rare occasion when I am out and about in Ulm that I don't see somebody I know. Those same faces. On the bus. Drinking coffee. Pushing their trolleys at Aldi. I have to admit, I envy those fish at times. They have a forseeable end. I on the other hand, may be here till I am on first name basis with the entire population. Forget anonymity. I have a running count on one couple that just keep turning up, these meetings seem random but I am seriously starting to think stalker. If you are out in Ulm on a Saturday, give yourself at least 30 to 40 minutes to factor in all those people you will bump into and stop to have a wee catch up with. What can get awkward, is when you bump into the same person twice. Do you stop and do it all again? Is a quick smile and a nod OK or is it better just to avoid eye contact and walk briskly on? How do the fish do it?
For a lot of Germans around here, who are used to living in smaller villages just outside of Ulm, Ulm is the big smoke. When I talk to people about wanting to get an apartment right in the middle of the city (I am about 15 minutes away by bus), they wonder why on Earth. It isn't close enough to nature for them, too many people, people are unfriendly etc etc etc. Ulm is small but it is thriving. There is an industrial area where I work a few times a week and it employs lots of the people who live around here. Hence, finding an apartment in Ulm is like going to the Boxing Day sales in Sydney. Be aggressive! The early bird catches the worm. Get your bottom out of bed and be the first to get your hands on the local paper, scour out the possibilities and make those phone calls pronto, lest you find yourselves in our sorry predicament. Our apartment hunt is approaching its one year anniversary. Ways to celebrate, anyone?
Tell friends, colleagues, neighbours anyone who will listen that you are looking. The more eyes and ears you have out there the better your chances are. We were extremely bright eyed in the beginning. If there was no balcony, we said, 'no.' If there was no garage we said, 'no.' If the neighbours looked at us funny, we said... well... 'no.' Oh my. What fools we were. A year on, and I guess you can say we finally get it. No balcony? Surely we can find some other use for our outdoor furniture! Street parking? So be it! The neighbours you say? Gosh! I'm already planning the party!