Happy Easter, Frohe Ostern, Joyeuses Paques

The well in the town of Schuttern, a small town just north-west of Lahr, decorated for Easter.

 

Easter usually signals spring in all its glory here in Germany.  This year is the exception:  daffodils, crocus and hyacinchs are in bloom and our tulips are above ground as are the iris, but no leaves are yet on the trees.  It will likely have been the coldest March in history here in Deutschland, along with this past winter having the least amount of sunshine since official recording began.  Fortunately, though, we did not have the many storms or freezing conditions that northern and eastern Germany and much of Europe had.

 

Now we and the farmers are awaiting Spargel.  Last year it was early and on the market by mid April.  If it doesn't warm up soon, the season will likely be short with less asparagus available this spring.  We shall have to wait and see what that outcome will be.

 

Below, our Easter Morning breakfast table.  The basket of Brötchen are missing from the picture, but after buttering one, we cracked a hardboiled egg, removed the shell, sliced it and placed the slices on half a roll.  With a little salt and pepper, it was delicious. These coloured eggs are available everywhere and during the pre-Easter season you will find them in many Gasthäuser on the bar or Stammtisch.  As you just go up and help yourself, you do have to remember to tell the waitress, as any you have go on your bill. 

 

Many Germans decorate trees with Easter eggs and we have done that as well in the past.  This year we hung them from the chandelier instead.  Below shows a small tree beside a house near the church in our village.

 

 

Easter Saturday was a beautiful day, one of our first in a while.  We went for a drive through some of the villages and enroute stopped to take a couple of pictures.  In the past ten years or so traffic circles have been built everywhere, each town seemingly competing in design with the next one.  The town of Münchweier decorates theirs each year, both at Easter and Christmas, as do many other towns in the area. 

 

The picture at right and below are of that traffic circle decorated for Easter.

 

 

We drove northwards towards Lahr via country roads, bypassing the city and eventually driving through Schuttern.  Here is another picture of their well, this one showing the Rathaus or Town Hall in the background.

 

 

Easter Sunday began with fog and clouds but by noon hour it had cleared and the rest of the day was pleasant, although still too cool.  That evening we sat down to dinner at home, not the traditional Easter fare common in North America, such as ham or lamb (both of which I like very much and have cooked in the past), but a special steak dinner as Hans does not eat lamb now for ethical reasons.  Below, the table just before serving dinner.

 

Hans did all the cooking, although I gathered everything up, set the table and cleaned up afterwards.  By that point, I was thinking I should have cooked instead!  Our meal was superb and worth all the effort however.  We had entrecote, which is a special cut taken from the ribs (of beef).  With it, Hans had made a truffle sauce with some Cognac and Madeira added to it.  The vegetable dishes included potatoes cooked in broth, green beans wrapped in bacon and mushrooms sauteed in butter and chopped parsley.  We also had red cabbage.  The latter normally we would not have had with steak, but as we had some freshly made, we served that as well and it was excellent with it. 

 

Here I am and ready to enjoy our Easter dinner.

 

  

 

 

As always, we had a special wine, one which Hans decanted about an hour before dinner:  a 1996 Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse--one of our favourites--from the area of Pauillac, Bordeaux.  We had bought it in 1999 and it had been in the cellar since then.  It was still perfect and was excellent with dinner.









Today, Easter Monday, the sun is shining.  It is a holiday in Germany so many people will be out in the country today or walking through the small towns, including up our hill and past our house.  Many towns, including Kippenheim and Wittenweier, have planted daffodils along the road leading into and out of town.  Following are a few pictures from the town of Wittenweier, renowned for its Easter decorations.  They do this annually, but these pictures were taken last year,

 







 

 

 

 

We hope you all will have enjoyed a lovely Easter.