Word of the Week: Schultüte, or Why are German Schoolchildren Required to Buy Dunce Caps?

While on a recent shopping expedition at a local paper goods store, I realized (a) it's almost August and (b) most German kids start back at school in August. I love the smell of new school supplies--that was always my favorite part of going back to school--and so I got a kick out of looking through the types of things that German kids are required to buy for school. Imagine my surprise when I saw what looked like dunce caps of various sizes proudly and prominently displayed in several stores.

Although the German school system differs significantly from the US system, I figured that a BYO dunce cap policy probably was not one of the differences. And the label on the cones said Schultüte (literally, "school bag") rather than Narrenkappe ("fools hat", aka dunce cap), so I went home to consult Google and (surprise, surprise) these things aren't dunce caps.

proud dunce cap, er, school bag recipient, circa 1953
source

Nope, Schultüten are special school supplies containers for kiddos heading into their first year of school, an old tradition in Germany. They are made of heavy decorative paper, filled with necessary supplies and some treats, and then topped with netting or crepe paper to seal the top like a carrot. Sizes range from child-sized (3 feet tall!) to regular (2 feet) to small (1 foot).

This is such a cute idea--I imagine a first grader would be so excited to get a special gift bag for the first day of school. And the bonus is that it can turn into a princess hat, dunce cap, or (in cases where the first grader in question is male) some sort of sword/weapon. You can buy a huge assortment or sizes and designs, or make your own if you're feeling crafty.

Bruges in Two Seasons

One of the things I love about living abroad is that you can visit places in multiple seasons and get to know them in a way that is not possible on a one-shot vacation. I have so enjoyed seeing the church behind our apartment in different seasons and weather, as well as the city of Cologne itself. J and I have also visited a few other places multiple times this year. In particular, our two visits to Bruges, Belgium, have been strikingly different.

February 19-20, 2013

Weather: snowy and cold with a low of -5°C/23°F
Meals: hot chocolate, waffles, lasagna, and of course beer

July 21-22, 2013

Weather: clear skies and hot, max of 29°C/85°F
Meals: cool salads, cold beer, ice cream (and, fine, waffles and hot chocolate for breakfast because you just can't go to Belgium and not get waffles!)

We have enjoyed Bruges very much both times we visited. The flowers and ducklings in summer are lovely, but cuddling up with a huge mug of perfect hot chocolate in winter was pretty heavenly, too!

How to Visit a Bavarian Beer Garden

There's nothing quite like visiting a beer garden (Biergarten) in the summer. They're largely found in southern Germany, especially Bavaria, and they are a wonderful place to hangout and have a beer with friends. At a traditional beer garden, you can bring your own food, the beer is self-serve, and it is drunk out of a Maß (pronounced "mahss").

While we were in Munich last week, we visited the Hirschgarten, which is a big public park with tame deer (aka, Hirsch) and one of the largest beer gardens in the world. It has over 9,000 seats! Here's how it works:

Step 1. Grab a table.

At a traditional beer garden like the Hirschgarten, you have two choices of where you sit: a picnic table where you can bring your own food or a regular table where a waiter brings you food from the restaurant. The tables with waiters will have tablecloths, while the picnic tables are bare.

We have always sat at the picnic tables, where you'll see families with picnic baskets from home as well as groups eating food purchased at the beer garden. Some people bring their own tablecloths to make the picnic tables more festive. If you're a smaller party (less than 5) then you may need to share a table. This isn't a big deal--aside from asking if the table is free and then saying thank you, you pretty much ignore your table mates :)

Step 2. Grab your beer.

This is the fun part. First, get a glass from one of the big stacks near the drink station. You can choose from two sizes: a Maß (1 liter) or a half Maß.

Next, rinse your Maß off at the sink station. There is no soap, but we haven't gotten sick yet and we just assume that the alcohol must kill any bad bugs. Even if germs make you nervous, just go with it--it's part of the beer garden experience!

Once your glass is ready, head over to the beer station. Here you have two choices: beer or radler (lemon soda + beer). If you want radler, add the lemon soda first--about a third of the glass, or to taste. Then fill the Maß from the beer spigot, and pay the barman at the end of the line.

Augustiner is the brand of beer served at the Hirschgarten, and it ran about 6.50 Euros for a Maß when we visited earlier this month. Augustiner is one of the oldest Munich beers, and it's stored in wooden barrels rather than metal. Once you've got your beer, take it back to the table and proceed to step 3...

Step 3. Grab some grub.

If you didn't bring your own food, there's a cafeteria-style counter where you can pick and choose what you'd like to eat. They have many traditional German dishes such as halbes Hendl (half a roast chicken), wurst with sauerkraut, potato salad, cabbage salad (crunchy and fresh!), and soft pretzels. This beer garden also has a stall where you can buy smoked mackerel on a stick and another where you can get crepes, ice cream, and other desserts.

Step 4. Eat and enjoy!

You can hang out as long as you like--the only rule at a traditional beer garden is that you buy your beer there. When you're ready for another round, take your Maß to the sink station, rinse it out, and fill it up again!

many thanks are due to my patient husband and our friend Mr. M. Hatton for their help in producing this post!

The Mont + Country Cottages in the Loire Valley

During the last part of our trip to France in June, we visited places known for less for important historical events and more for their beauty and opulence. Our last stop in Normandy was Le Mont St. Michel, a lone island and UNESCO World Heritage site on the border with Brittany. A monastery built in 800 AD sits at the top of the island's hill, with layers of stone houses and shops below it, and a shallow bay all around it.

the camouflaged guardian

clever monks designed a crank-powered
system for bringing supplies up the hill

We arrived in the evening after driving down from the D-Day landing sites, and it was rainy and surprisingly cool so we felt like we had the island to ourselves. Apparently, the island is normally packed with tourists, so we didn't mind the rain too much. Previously, you could drive all the way down the causeway and park at the base of the island, but now the causeway is closed and buses ferry visitors from mainland parking lots. This is all part of a really neat project by the French government to restore the area around the island and prevent sedimentation from joining the island to the mainland. They are using a clever dam design and the force of the river to move most of the sediment from the bay. We decided to walk rather than take the bus so that we could soak up the beautiful vista from different angles, and we also really enjoyed reading about the project on signs all along the causeway.

We arrived pretty late, so the monastery and most shops were closed, but it was magical to see the island lit up at night. We had to hang around until 10pm to see this, though! Touring Europe in the summer is perhaps more expensive and crowded, but you definitely get a lot more daylight hours for sightseeing.

Back from Belgium

We returned from a 5 day trip with a friend, during which we visited Munich, Bamberg, the Rhine, and Belgium. We rented a car in Frankfurt and drove to Belgium since it came out to be cheaper than 3 train tickets. One of the perks of having a rental car is that we got to stock up on all our favorite Belgian beers (except Karmeliet, which wasn't sold at the grocery store we raided)!

Can you guess our favorite? It's such a treat to be able to get this much high quality beer--the bottles of Rochefort 10 sell for $10-$16 in the US and 5 Euros in Germany, so they were a huge steal at 1.50 Euros in Belgium!

Once I wrap up the last post about our visit to France, I'll share a bit about a trip to Belgium and a lot more about beer.