fall in germany

Fall has arrived in Germany! Time to break out the scarves, boots, sweaters, teapots and scone recipes that you've been storing for the colder months! This fall I'm extra excited because the season turned out to be a bit of a bummer last year. Instead of the crisp mornings and transitioning leaves we instead had a long, hot and muggy summer (well into the end of September) that turned into two months of solid rain. After mid-November the German winter took over and it was downhill from there. Interestingly, the spring was also very disappointing. According to my husband normal springtime is very warm and mild with lots of sun and flowers. Compared to springtime back in Washington State (rain) I had been looking forward to it, but instead I apparently brought the Washington weather with me and there was no sun to be had.

Anyway, it looks like this year might turn out better! We've had a few weeks of cooler days, but still with nice sunshine. The leaves are turning beautiful colors and you can smell autumn when you go outside. And of course, as this blog is about Germany, what comes around in September? Oktoberfest! This festival has become so popular that in every major city it's necessary to make a reservation months in advance. We didn't get around to it this year, but Daniel and I will probably celebrate in some way shape or form! However, there are other festivals before Oktoberfest that can be equally fun. One example is the Wurstfest in Bad Dürkheim, where we went last weekend with several friends of ours. Besides the normal festival installments, which include carnival rides, food stands and souvenir shops, there are around 25 tents set up in rows. Each tent belongs to a different winery, and a group of "official judges" (old guys who have the privilege of getting schnockered for free) go to each tent to test the wine quality. We picked one tent at random, grabbed a bench and ordered our wine: A glass that holds 2/3 of a bottle and costs around 5 Euro. I'll tell you, the local wine in Germany is AMAZING! I picked a Gewürztraminer and it was delicious!

Let's hope that fall continues to be as glorious as the last few weeks!

Scarves and Pinterest crafts! Happy fall!

What a deal, eh?

These guys weren't the judges, but they sure were enjoying the wine! The drum set even had cup holders!

Wine buddies!

All you need is love... and wine fests!