I made this asparagus side dish last night for dinner and it was really good! The three of us ate a pound of asparagus!
Ingredients:
1 pound of asparagus
olive oil
1 teaspoon or so of Cajun seasoning
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and trim asparagus and pat dry. Put asparagus in a shallow dish with a little bit of olive oil and lightly coat each spear. Lay spears in one layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cajun seasoning. Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until tender.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Monday--last day in Germany
We spent most of Monday getting packed for the return trip. In the late morning we drove to Homburg, (not Hamburg) Germany to visit the Schlossberghoehle Caves. These caves are the largest in Europe. They are man-made caves, dug in the 11th - 17th centuries, then forgotten. The soft, crumbly sandstone was used as an abrasive for cleaning, for making glass and in mortar. The caves were rediscovered in 1930 by some school children. There are about 12 levels of caves there. During World War 2, Homburg was heavily bombed because of the industry there. The caves were used as an air-raid shelter. The winter of 1944 (I think) was very cold and there was nothing left to burn as fuel. Some families moved into the caves for 6 weeks. The cave is a constant 50 degrees F, which was much warmer than the winter's outside temperature. Russian POWs were kept there during air raids, too, but in the top level of the caves.
At 3 in the afternoon, Jana's uncle, aunt, and 4 year old cousin came over. We ate cake (there were 5 cakes for 10 people!) and then played lawn games like badminton and frisbee. At 6:00 we said goodbye to Jana and her family, and drove to Frankfurt. We returned our rental car at the airport, ate dinner at the airport, then took the train into central Frankfurt to our hotel.
On Tuesday morning we took the train back to the airport and flew through Philadelphia on our way back to Indianapolis. Our plane was over an hour late leaving Frankfurt because a scratch on the door had to be documented. We had a long layover in Philadelphia so it wasn't a problem for us. Our plane to Indianapolis was supposed to leave at 6:50 then rescheduled for 7:35, 8-something, then a little after 9. I'm not sure what time we actually left, but I remember looking at my watch at 9:23 and I was sitting in the airplane at the gate. We arrived in Indianapolis at 11:00 p.m. By the time we got our luggage, took the shuttle to the car, and drove home it was nearly 1:00 a.m.--a 23 1/2 hour journey for us!
At 3 in the afternoon, Jana's uncle, aunt, and 4 year old cousin came over. We ate cake (there were 5 cakes for 10 people!) and then played lawn games like badminton and frisbee. At 6:00 we said goodbye to Jana and her family, and drove to Frankfurt. We returned our rental car at the airport, ate dinner at the airport, then took the train into central Frankfurt to our hotel.
On Tuesday morning we took the train back to the airport and flew through Philadelphia on our way back to Indianapolis. Our plane was over an hour late leaving Frankfurt because a scratch on the door had to be documented. We had a long layover in Philadelphia so it wasn't a problem for us. Our plane to Indianapolis was supposed to leave at 6:50 then rescheduled for 7:35, 8-something, then a little after 9. I'm not sure what time we actually left, but I remember looking at my watch at 9:23 and I was sitting in the airplane at the gate. We arrived in Indianapolis at 11:00 p.m. By the time we got our luggage, took the shuttle to the car, and drove home it was nearly 1:00 a.m.--a 23 1/2 hour journey for us!
Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday we ate breakfast around 9:30, then had a "nest hunt" in the backyard. Actually it was an Easter basket hunt, but Jana's mother called it a nest hunt. When she asked me about it earlier, I thought we would be hunting for Easter grass nests, so I told her that "nest hunt" was a good term to use, not realizing that we would be searching for baskets. So anyway, we went out in the back yard and Caroline, Jana, and Jana's sister each had a nice Easter basket and the adults each had a small candy gift to find. It was fun!
We then traveled to a place near Mettlach, Germany where the Saar River makes an interesting bend. It's called the Saarschleife, and is the most famous spot in Saarland. It was a hazy day, but I imagine it would be quite beautiful if the sky were clear. We then continued on to Chateau de Malbrouck, a castle near Manderen, France. Twenty years ago the castle lay in ruins. A massive restoration project was begun in 1988, painstakingly meshing the new with the old. It took ten years, but the castle was beautifully restored. (I think I have the dates right.) They were having an interesting exhibition on Napoleon and I learned a lot.
After our afternoon at the castle we stopped at a manmade lake/recreation area near Losheim, Germany for a quick look. Of course we had to eat cake, as it was 4:00 p.m. The lake was nice, but the Bostalsee we visited the previous day was nicer. We got back to the house around 5:30 and relaxed a bit before our dinner of leftover potato soup, scrambled eggs, beets, and leftover meat from the cookout. A few games of rummy were played before bedtime.
I added more photos to my Flickr site. Click here!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday in Saarland
When I took German in Junior High School, my teacher told us that Saarland was very industrial and dirty. Well, that may have been the case 35 years ago, but now it is BEAUTIFUL!! Saarland is the smallest German state and borders France and Luxembourg. While there is industry in the southern part of Saarland, most of the coal mines and steel factories have closed. We did drive by a Ford factory today, and I read in the paper today that they plan to work a regular work schedule for the rest of the year.
We are staying in northeastern Saarland. It is somewhat hilly here and very agricultural. I've seen lots of cows, some sheep, rapeseed, and what I think are potato plants (which would make sense, as potatoes are VERY popular here). There are also nice wooded areas and recreation areas.
Today we visited Bostalsee. It is a man-made lake with many recreational opportunities. There was a sightseeing boat, sailboarding, motorboating and paddle boats. We took a couple of paddle boats out on the lake for an hour. Then we went to the playground so Caroline and Jana could act like little children :-) Next we rented bicycles and rode around the lake. We stopped at an art gallery/museum to look around.
After returning the bikes, we got in the cars and drove to a little town to have the compulsory afternoon snack. Today I had Apfelschoerle (sparkling apple juice) and strawberry cake. Next we drove to Marpingen and visited the place where, in 1876, the Virgin Mary appeared to 3 young girls. There is a shrine and a small chapel there. Then we hiked up a hill, looking at the Stations of the Cross until we got to a well of Holy Water and an open-air chapel--very pretty.
We came back to the house for a barbeque. There were several different kinds of sausages, a few kebabs, and some grilled pork. We had frozen french fries, tossed salad, Caprese salad and bread. Not much different than an American barbeque, and very tasty! I tried an interesting beer--Schoefferhofer Grapefruit. I was a little skeptical, but it was very good!
After dinner Jana, Lena and Caroline dyed and decorated Easter eggs.
We are staying in northeastern Saarland. It is somewhat hilly here and very agricultural. I've seen lots of cows, some sheep, rapeseed, and what I think are potato plants (which would make sense, as potatoes are VERY popular here). There are also nice wooded areas and recreation areas.
Today we visited Bostalsee. It is a man-made lake with many recreational opportunities. There was a sightseeing boat, sailboarding, motorboating and paddle boats. We took a couple of paddle boats out on the lake for an hour. Then we went to the playground so Caroline and Jana could act like little children :-) Next we rented bicycles and rode around the lake. We stopped at an art gallery/museum to look around.
After returning the bikes, we got in the cars and drove to a little town to have the compulsory afternoon snack. Today I had Apfelschoerle (sparkling apple juice) and strawberry cake. Next we drove to Marpingen and visited the place where, in 1876, the Virgin Mary appeared to 3 young girls. There is a shrine and a small chapel there. Then we hiked up a hill, looking at the Stations of the Cross until we got to a well of Holy Water and an open-air chapel--very pretty.
We came back to the house for a barbeque. There were several different kinds of sausages, a few kebabs, and some grilled pork. We had frozen french fries, tossed salad, Caprese salad and bread. Not much different than an American barbeque, and very tasty! I tried an interesting beer--Schoefferhofer Grapefruit. I was a little skeptical, but it was very good!
After dinner Jana, Lena and Caroline dyed and decorated Easter eggs.
Friday--Goodbye, Munich
Friday April 10--We got up today and packed all our things. It was the day to say goodbye to Munich. Karl walked to the train station to get the rental car and the girls and I checked out of the hotel and carried our belongings outside to wait for Karl.
The drive from Munich to Ulm was very busy and stressful. Today was the beginning of the long Easter weekend. A 3 hour trip took us 4 hours. Lots of start/stop driving and jammed roads.
Our stop for the day was a little town on the Neckar River called Bad Wimpfen. It's a beautiful old town that the tourist buses bypass. There were a good number of tourists there, but it wasn't a tourist town. Our first stop there was the train station which was located on the right just as we entered the town. It also serves as the Tourist Information center. We picked up a map with a walking tour suggested and went only a short distance to the first site--the Roter Turm (red tower). It was built around 1200 as part of the Imperial Palace of the Staufen kings. We climbed to the top to see a nice view of the town. Then we walked around the narrow, winding cobblestone streets looking at medieval homes and buildings. Bad Wimpfen has several half-timbered Fachwerk buildings--very cool! We ate lunch at a restaurant next to the "Blue Tower", then continued on our walk around town. We saw the church and a gate to the old town that allowed access from the south.
We left Bad Wimpfen around 3:30 p.m. The Autobahn was less crowded and we made good time. Easy to do at 150 km/hr (95 mph). On the way to Jana's house in Saarland we passed Ramstein Air Base. Our first clue was the huge, slow American military cargo planes landing and taking off. Jana's parents said that sometimes the planes fly over the house every 5 minutes. We arrived at Jana's house in Saarland around 6 p.m. We relaxed a while then enjoyed a tasty dinner of potato soup and apple pancakes.
While sitting outside we heard a funny noise--a clacking, chattering, ratcheting noise, and noisy children. In Germany it is a tradition that church bells not ring on Friday and Saturday of Easter weekend. Instead, whenever the bells are supposed to ring, the children go up and down the streets of the town with a special noisemaker. Sometimes they visit houses, where candy and money are given.
A photo of this noise maker can be found here.
The drive from Munich to Ulm was very busy and stressful. Today was the beginning of the long Easter weekend. A 3 hour trip took us 4 hours. Lots of start/stop driving and jammed roads.
Our stop for the day was a little town on the Neckar River called Bad Wimpfen. It's a beautiful old town that the tourist buses bypass. There were a good number of tourists there, but it wasn't a tourist town. Our first stop there was the train station which was located on the right just as we entered the town. It also serves as the Tourist Information center. We picked up a map with a walking tour suggested and went only a short distance to the first site--the Roter Turm (red tower). It was built around 1200 as part of the Imperial Palace of the Staufen kings. We climbed to the top to see a nice view of the town. Then we walked around the narrow, winding cobblestone streets looking at medieval homes and buildings. Bad Wimpfen has several half-timbered Fachwerk buildings--very cool! We ate lunch at a restaurant next to the "Blue Tower", then continued on our walk around town. We saw the church and a gate to the old town that allowed access from the south.
We left Bad Wimpfen around 3:30 p.m. The Autobahn was less crowded and we made good time. Easy to do at 150 km/hr (95 mph). On the way to Jana's house in Saarland we passed Ramstein Air Base. Our first clue was the huge, slow American military cargo planes landing and taking off. Jana's parents said that sometimes the planes fly over the house every 5 minutes. We arrived at Jana's house in Saarland around 6 p.m. We relaxed a while then enjoyed a tasty dinner of potato soup and apple pancakes.
While sitting outside we heard a funny noise--a clacking, chattering, ratcheting noise, and noisy children. In Germany it is a tradition that church bells not ring on Friday and Saturday of Easter weekend. Instead, whenever the bells are supposed to ring, the children go up and down the streets of the town with a special noisemaker. Sometimes they visit houses, where candy and money are given.
A photo of this noise maker can be found here.
Dachau
Thursday we went to Dachau. We walked to the Munich train station and bought a ticket for around 12 Euros ($15) that the 4 of us could use the entire day on any bus, commuter train, subway or tram. We then took a commuter train to the town of Dachau. From the Dachau train station we took a city bus to the Dachau Concentration Camp. We stopped at the visitors' center and picked up an audioguide.
We first saw where the SS lived, and then turned 180 degrees to see the main gate into Dachau with the "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate. When you enter through the gate, you stand in the roll call area, where the prisoners would have to stand and be counted a few times each day. Sometimes this took hours. The workhouse was on the right and the barracks area was on the left. There are a couple of reconstructed barracks, one of which we could enter. The conditions in the early years weren't so horrific. In the mid 1930s, the prisoners (mostly political prisoners from Munich, some priests and Jews) had their own designated space in the long bunk bed with a small wooden divider and a little shelf above each space for personal items. The was a space to hang one's towel and colorful bedding. In the later '30s the barracks were divided into a sleeping room and a room with individual lockers and tables and chairs. No longer were there individual sleeping areas in the long bunk. Then by the 1940s the living conditions resembled those that one commonly thinks of when imagining a concentration camp. 30,000 people crowded into space built for 6000.
We then walked down the lane between the two sets of barracks (now only the foundations survive) to the religious memorials. From left to right there is a Protestant chapel, Catholic memorial, Jewish memorial. A Russian Orthodox chapel is elsewhere in the camp.
We then had a look at the deterrents to escape. First there was a grassy area between the walkway on the perimeter of the barracks and a concrete trench. Then there was an area of trip-wire followed by a fence. Next came a gravel area with a watch tower, then a wall. On the other side of this wall there was a stream/river, followed by another wall. I'm guessing not too many people escaped this way.
We crossed a small bridge to the west and looked at the crematorum and gas chambers. Officially no one was gassed at Dachau, but there is some evidence to the contrary. Of those who were executed, most were killed with a bullet to the neck. Many, many Russian POWs were executed without being processed (therefore not officially counted) after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
We then watched a documentary film about Dachau, and toured through the workhouse which is now an interesting museum. I think we spent about 3 1/2 hours at Dachau. It was worth the trip, but needs some money put into it, as many of the outdoor display boards were faded to the point of not being able to see them. They are building a new visitors' center that will be a great improvement over the one that exists now.
We took the bus back to the train station and ate sandwiches and salad at a small cafe across the street. We were on an express train back to Munich and arrived in about 15 minutes. We had planned on a "Third Reich Walking Tour" but got back too late from Dachau, so we went to Olympiapark instead. This is where the Olympics were held in 1972. It is now a lovely park. You can swim in the Olympic swimming pool where Mark Spitz won his 7 gold medals, go up the communications tower for a look around Munich or eat in the revolving restaurant. There is ice skating, a place to go to concerts, a beautiful lake...it's a very pleasant place. The village where the athletes lived during the Olympics are now apartments.
We spent a couple of hours in the Sea Life aquarium at Olympiapark. It was well done with nice exhibits, but overpriced.
We then took the subway back to Marienplatz and ate dinner at Riva Bar Pizza. We each had our own pizzas, and they were very different and very good. We ate outside in view of the Isar Tor, one of the gates of the old city. After this exhausting day we walked back to Marienplatz and took the subway 2 stops to Theresienwiese, the stop closest to our hotel.
We first saw where the SS lived, and then turned 180 degrees to see the main gate into Dachau with the "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate. When you enter through the gate, you stand in the roll call area, where the prisoners would have to stand and be counted a few times each day. Sometimes this took hours. The workhouse was on the right and the barracks area was on the left. There are a couple of reconstructed barracks, one of which we could enter. The conditions in the early years weren't so horrific. In the mid 1930s, the prisoners (mostly political prisoners from Munich, some priests and Jews) had their own designated space in the long bunk bed with a small wooden divider and a little shelf above each space for personal items. The was a space to hang one's towel and colorful bedding. In the later '30s the barracks were divided into a sleeping room and a room with individual lockers and tables and chairs. No longer were there individual sleeping areas in the long bunk. Then by the 1940s the living conditions resembled those that one commonly thinks of when imagining a concentration camp. 30,000 people crowded into space built for 6000.
We then walked down the lane between the two sets of barracks (now only the foundations survive) to the religious memorials. From left to right there is a Protestant chapel, Catholic memorial, Jewish memorial. A Russian Orthodox chapel is elsewhere in the camp.
We then had a look at the deterrents to escape. First there was a grassy area between the walkway on the perimeter of the barracks and a concrete trench. Then there was an area of trip-wire followed by a fence. Next came a gravel area with a watch tower, then a wall. On the other side of this wall there was a stream/river, followed by another wall. I'm guessing not too many people escaped this way.
We crossed a small bridge to the west and looked at the crematorum and gas chambers. Officially no one was gassed at Dachau, but there is some evidence to the contrary. Of those who were executed, most were killed with a bullet to the neck. Many, many Russian POWs were executed without being processed (therefore not officially counted) after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
We then watched a documentary film about Dachau, and toured through the workhouse which is now an interesting museum. I think we spent about 3 1/2 hours at Dachau. It was worth the trip, but needs some money put into it, as many of the outdoor display boards were faded to the point of not being able to see them. They are building a new visitors' center that will be a great improvement over the one that exists now.
We took the bus back to the train station and ate sandwiches and salad at a small cafe across the street. We were on an express train back to Munich and arrived in about 15 minutes. We had planned on a "Third Reich Walking Tour" but got back too late from Dachau, so we went to Olympiapark instead. This is where the Olympics were held in 1972. It is now a lovely park. You can swim in the Olympic swimming pool where Mark Spitz won his 7 gold medals, go up the communications tower for a look around Munich or eat in the revolving restaurant. There is ice skating, a place to go to concerts, a beautiful lake...it's a very pleasant place. The village where the athletes lived during the Olympics are now apartments.
We spent a couple of hours in the Sea Life aquarium at Olympiapark. It was well done with nice exhibits, but overpriced.
We then took the subway back to Marienplatz and ate dinner at Riva Bar Pizza. We each had our own pizzas, and they were very different and very good. We ate outside in view of the Isar Tor, one of the gates of the old city. After this exhausting day we walked back to Marienplatz and took the subway 2 stops to Theresienwiese, the stop closest to our hotel.
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