Category Archives: Seasons

Beating the Heat in Germany

It’s sunny and 85 degrees outside (30 degrees C), and even the ducks are listless and miserable. My Texan friends might laugh, but stop to think about this first: Germany has almost no air conditioning! Everywhere you go right now, … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily life, Europe, Seasons, Weather | 1 Comment

Almond Blossoms

This is why we came to Edenkoben, Germany: to see the almond trees in blossom. A herald of spring, the almond trees bloom while many other trees are bare, sometimes as early as February. Like Easter, they promise rebirth. But, … Continue reading →

Posted in Festivals, Gardening, Recreation, Rural scenery, Seasons, Tourist destinations | 3 Comments

When I was a little girl, I was told to watch for the first robin of spring, a big, sturdy bird that liked to eat earthworms. But the fact is that the REAL robin doesn’t come to America at all, … Continue reading →

Posted on by Clare Dunkle | 2 Comments

Migration

To our great delight and lasting enrichment, Joe and I are once again in Germany. We moved back to Rodenbach in July, but I had no time for the blog because I was working on two manuscripts at once. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Daily life, German wildlife, Rural scenery, Seasons | 4 Comments

Consuming Christmas

Maybe because it comes along during the longest nights of the year, or maybe just because Germans seem to love a good celebration, Christmas is a very big deal in Germany. From what I’ve gathered in my time here, this … Continue reading →

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Winter Begins

In one of my happiest childhood memories, it is nighttime in north Texas, and I am standing with my brother Anthony in the middle of the street in the thickest snowfall I have ever seen. Enormous, fluffy flakes, pink in … Continue reading →

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The Big Sleep

When we place a city on the imaginary globe in our minds, we tend to think first in terms of weather. Kaiserslautern, Germany, has a wonderfully mild climate: the average daytime temperature in winter here hovers several degrees above freezing. … Continue reading →

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Yet Know I How the Heather Looks

Where I live in Texas, we have only two seasons: blazing hot and “I wonder if I should take a sweater.” The chance to watch four seasons unfold is a precious gift to me. A month ago, I wrote a … Continue reading →

Posted in Recreation, Rural scenery, Seasons, Tourist destinations | Comments Off on Yet Know I How the Heather Looks

The Witching Hour

Last Saturday evening after dark, Kaiserslautern held its third annual Halloween City-Parade through the downtown streets. The parade a year ago apparently brought out 80,000 people, and this year’s events were heavily attended as well. A lot of the spectators … Continue reading →

Posted in Festivals, Holidays, Seasons | 1 Comment

Art from life

I took this photo from my hotel balcony last weekend on the evening of our arrival in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We stayed at Hotel Schatten on the Partenkirchen side, and I heartily recommend it. The church you see is Pfarrkirche Maria Himmelfahrt, … Continue reading →

Posted in Churches and religion, Seasons, Tourist destinations, Weather, Writing craft | Comments Off on Art from life