Are you interested in authentic German culture, food, and everyday life?
This blog is about life in an average village in Lower Saxony, among Germany´s northernmost low mountain ranges. We are a family of five with more or less traditional interests and values (but tolerance and striving to live peacefully with people of different opinions and attitudes is actually among the traditional values of a country where people have always lived rather closely together).
You will find on this site recipes for simple, cheap and healthy family food, as well as information and thoughts on German culture, history and landscapes. I might add some posts about my daily life, too. If you want to know more, do follow this link to my YouTube channel LettersFromAFriend, where I share recipes, some of my daily life, and traditional folk songs.
Living in fairytale country
This is our house in fairytale country – the region where the Grimm brothers collected most of their fairytales. The forests and low mountain ranges of our region are where they imagined little red riding hood to visit her grandmother´s cabin, and sleeping beauty´s castle is only half an hour away from our house.
This is also a place within an average northern German village. From here I will be sharing with you some insights into the German way of life – well, at least how my family interprets it.
What inspires me…
I’ve always been intrigued by traditional culture and popular art such as fairytales, traditional music and dance, and all of the other forms of expression that everyday people have been giving to their view of the world, shaped by the culture and natural surroundings in which they live.
The variety of cultures there are all across the world fascinates me. I see our differences as a great opportunity to learn from and inspire each other. Definitely not to compete or judge!
I got to take a closer look at the cultures of England and Hungary while living there for about two years each. I also got spend some time in Russia and the USA – my stays there were rather short but still valuable in terms of cultural insight, as I was lucky enough to spend that time with actual families getting about their everyday lives (besides showing me the sights).
Join the community!
In these times of much confusion and aggression throughout the world, I would love to contribute towards friendly exchange and mutual understanding. Also, wouldn´t it be great if we could make each other´s lives a little bit easier by sharing some practical hints from everyone´s homemaking, gardening and housekeeping experience?
If you don´t have much experience yet, don´t worry, but do feel welcome. Since I have three children, am just moving back to Germany from abroad, and have had to deal with various special nutritional needs within my family (due to medical conditions as well as personal convictions), I am not at all into haute cuisine. I will be sharing with you simple, cheap and quick recipes without any fancy ingredients. You know, the stuff that really feeds a family in normal everyday life. That keeps you healthy and is easy on your budget.
But life is not all about practical matters. I love living in the countryside and enjoying all the shapes and stages of life throughout the seasons. So I will show you the beauty of nature in our garden (including my rather awkward attempts at gardening), some landscapes around my village and the surrounding regions, and take you on some of our family outings. Like many Germans, we really like the outdoors!
As this blog grows, I hope it to become more and more like one of those delightful coffeetable books that you browse through to enjoy the pictures and anecdotes, and to pick up here and there a piece of useful information.
Please feel invited to share your own experiences, knowledge and cultural views by commenting on the posts. Let’s together form an inspiring and encouraging community!
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