Photos of the PPP weekend in Wesel, Germany

This weekend was a busy and a fun weekend for me and my friends. There was a PPP Festival in Wesel, a small city in North Rhine Westphalia. It was from Friday to Sunday on the first weekend of the month August. I have already written a lot about this city that those of you who have not read my articles, here´s the Hubpages link.

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/PPP-Townfest-In-Wesel-Germany

The Rhine river view from the overpass. The keys were locked in that iron fence by lovers who promised themselves to love each other forever.

I took a lot of photos at the Rhine as well as videos. Sad to say I could not post some of them to my channel at you tube because of the background music. I don´t like to be in trouble with the copyrights of those music. My channel is new and so I don´t have any idea yet what to do. I will only publish what is mine. That means no background music at all until I know further what to do. Anyway, here are some photos and a video for you to enjoy. 

A boat cruise waiting for the PPP fireworks to start last Saturday.

Boats were waiting for the fireworks to start. It started at 10 pm.

An awesome view from where we sat at the bank of the Rhine river.

Merry Go Round at the Rhine PPP

View of the Kirmes at the Rhine from the overpass where I stood.

 Here´s the video taken by me before the PPP Fireworks started.

BTW, do you know that the founder of New Amsterdam (New York) came from Wesel? You can read my article from the link above. Thanks for your visit and please feel free to like, comment or share this blog. Have a lovely new week!

Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

Photographs of Places To See In Wesel, Part 1

Wesel has its yearly PPP city festival next month which starts this coming Friday, the 31 of July until this Sunday August 2  that I thought I would write some places where tourists could visit. Wesel is located in North Rhine Westphalia.


1. Willibrordi Dom, the Protestant Church



Willibrordi Dom at the Market Square

2. Christi Himmelfahrt, the Roman Catholic Church



Christi Himmelfahrt Church near the Market Square.

3. Berliner Tor, Berliner Gate near the Post Office

Berliner Tor, the entrance to Wesel City.

4. Langer Heinrich, the Satelite and Funk Tower

Langer Heinrich view taken at the back side of the train station.

5. Wesel City Promenade

The Shopping Promenade

6. The Popular Weseler Esel (Donkey)

The Weseler Esel at the Berliner Tor.

Those are only some of the beautiful places to see in Wesel which I share with you today. I still have a lot more to share and I hope you will still come and visit this site. Thanks for being here and have a wonderful week ahead.

This is a link to my article about Wesel.

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/PPP-Townfest-In-Wesel-Germany

 Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

To Use or Not to Use Umbrella in Summer

Happy New Week World! How´s your weather there in your neck of the world? Have you celebrated the 4th of July? Germany don´t celebrate that day. We celebrate every 3rd of October, our Reunifacation Day and that is the celebration of the reunion of the east and west  of Germany.

Going back to the weather. We have a very hot summer and it has just started a week ago. Last Saturday, the 4th of July, our weather was 40°C. I think we have a heat wave here. It was so hot to go outside but I had to go out as I needed something for my cake decoration. I did not bake a cake, I just made a no bake iced cake. When I went out, I thought I could have brought an umbrella with me to keep me from the hurtful sun but I did not do it.

You know why? I did not like to be popular after that. I did not want to catch the eyes of the people who might be staring at me like an alien and might be taking a photo of me with their smartphones. I did not want to be in the front page of the newspapers or might landed in you tube channel and be viral in twitter or so. Oh my! when I think about it...why not! LOL!




Cologne at the Rhine River, Germany

I know, you think I should. Right?!! Asian women are carrying umbrellas in their hands when going out under the heat of the sun. They use umbrellas so they will not get brown. But Asians are very different than Europeans or Americans. They use whitening soaps, lotions, etc... for their skin to become white. So it´s understandable that using umbrella is a normal thing to do in Asian countries. Don´t get me wrong. I love my brown skin. I don´t like to get white as I am always appreciated in having a brown complexion. I just don´t like to have a severe headache or a migraine.

So what now!? To use or not to use umbrella in Germany! I have not seen a single person using umbrella in summer unless it´s raining. I might become a sensation, a celebrity if I do that. Well, I will never know unless I´ll do that. Well then, let´s have an experiment.I´ll do that only if it´s almost 40°C again.

Cologne at the Rhine River, Germany

Thanks for reading my blablabla again but you have learn something from my post. Enjoy your week. God bless!

Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

5 German Favorite Snacks On The Go

Germany has plenty of immigrants who mostly came from other European countries like Turkey, Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Netherlands. Well, some Asian are here too like me. Every immigrants brought their own tradition and culture and of course their food culture. We have abundant restaurants from different nationalities but Germans are still fond of eating their favorite snacks.

Here are some of the Germans favorite snacks.

1. Brötchen mit Aufschnitt 

Brötchen with Aufschnitt means a bread roll with cold cut or smoked meat like ham, salami, Schwarzwälderschinken (Black Forest ham), roast beef or pork. It could be with cheese too like Gouda, Brie or cheese spread. There are lots of Brötchen variations. You only have to tell to the vendor what kind of fillings you want to have. Mostly, it is just a simple Käsebrötchen or Schinkenbrötchen (cheese or ham bread roll).

Rye Bread Roll Sandwich w/ Gouda & Schwarzwälderschinken

2. Currywurst

Currywurst is a hot sliced pork sausage covered with curry catsup or tomato paste made into sauce and eaten with bread rolls or French fries. Currywurst is one of the most eaten snacks in Germany.

Currywurst with bread roll

3. Croissant Sandwiches

Croissant Sandwiches are made of croissants (of course) spread with butter, margarine or cheese spread and filled with anything you like but mostly with cheese, ham or any cold meat cuttings like salami and added with some egg, tomato and cucumber slices.

Croissant Sandwich

4. Matjes Brötchen

Matjes is a preserved brined fish, Herring. It is not only eaten in Germany but also in The Netherlands and some parts of Europe. This Matjes is mostly put inside the bread roll or baguette and serve with slices of onions.

Matjes Brötchen with onions

5. Bratwurst 

Bratwurst is a fried or grilled pork sausage and it is mostly eaten with bread rolls with mustard or curry catsup.

Fried Bratwurst

I could have added Döner here in the list but this food is not German. It is a Turkish popular snack which is getting popular in this country. 

BTW, have you eaten some of the snacks I have mentioned above? Would you love to try just in case you will be visiting Germany? Thanks for reading this blog and please don´t hesitate to comment, like or share. Have a nice day to all. Take care;-)

Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

Many Ways To Indulge Your Strawberry Fruits This Summer

Is it a season of strawberries in your country? Do you love strawberries? It is strawberry season in Germany. Germany has some strawberry field owners who let the public harvest their strawberries for payment. You harvest their strawberries for how many kilos you want and you will pay for the fruits you have harvested for a lesser price than in the supermarket.

Harvesting strawberries for my own consumption is fun. I was harvesting strawberries yesterday with my relatives and it was great. I had harvested 2 kilos and a half. Some were eaten for dessert, some were put in my strawberry lemon drink and some are now frozen for later use.

Fresh harvested strawberries with sugar and whipped cream ready to be eaten.

Here are some ways to indulge your strawberries:

• For making strawberry dessert with yoghurt, ice cream or as fruit salad with other delicious fruits like mangoes or papayas.
• For making strawberry lemon drinks especially for hot summer season. Just put 10 washed strawberries in a 1 liter jar of tap or drinking water, add a spritz or 2 of lime or lemon juice and let it stay for a few hours in the fridge for drinking later. 
• For making strawberry tartlets or cakes.
• For making strawberry jam or marmalades.
• For making strawberry ice cream or added these fruits to a natural joghurt or a Greek yoghurt.
• For making a delicious and healthy smoothie. 
• For making milk shakes with other fruits.
• For using the strawberries as  facial scrub. Just cut the strawberries in halves and toss them with brown sugar and scrub them to your face and wash your face after 10 minutes with clear water. Then pat dry and cream with your facial cream.
• For making a facial mask, just mash 2-3 washed strawberries and apply them to the washed face. Let the mask stay for 10 minutes while laying down and then rinse the mask off. Then apply facial cream after patting your face dry.

Strawberries with sugar, ready to be frozen for later use in a cake, smoothies, milk shakes or in a dessert with yoghurt.

Strawberry Tartlets made by yours truly.

Here are the links on how to store strawberries and to make a yummy and healthy strawberry smoothie.

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Store-Strawberries-in-the-Freezer

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Make-Banana-Strawberry-Yogurt-Smoothie

Thanks for reading. I hope you will enjoy harvesting strawberries just like I did. The links above are my articles in Hubpages about strawberries. Enjoy your days wherever you are. Ciao!

Copyright 2015 ©Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

Things To See In The PPP Townfest in Wesel

PPP townfest is a yearly event in Wesel, Germany. It is celebrated every first weekend of August. PPP stands for Pauken, Plunder and Promenade. It is an amazing event which is already known not only in the neighbouring towns and cities but also in some of the neighbouring countries like The Netherlands. 

Here are the things you can do and see in Wesel.

Watching the Saturday Fireworks at the Rhine River in Wesel.

Strolling at the Rhine River, Wesel

Flea market at the Rhine River on Sunday, the last day of the PPP.

Carousel and other things where you can ride and enjoy.

For more information about the PPP, here´s a link to my article at Hubpages. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your Sunday!

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/PPP-Townfest-In-Wesel-Germany

Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

3 Fascinating Churches in Munich, Germany

As a catholic, I love visiting churches in every country I visited. When I was in Munich visiting my friends a few years ago, I did not miss taking a look of the most fascinating churches I have seen in Germany. Well, there are many historical and beautiful churches and cathedrals in Germany like the Kölnerdom (Cologne Cathedral) in Cologne Northrhine Westphalia but I would love to start with those which are far from where I live.

3 Fascinating Churches in Munich:

1. Frauenkirche is a gothic style church which is called the "Cathedral of our Dear Lady". It has two towers which contain 10 bells of different sizes  and which give each a very unique sound.                           

A cenotaph of Emperor Louis lV, the Holy Roman Emperor inside the Frauenkirche. I took this photo a few years ago.

. 

Asamkirche (Asam church) inside with frescos in the ceiling. Amazing!

2. Asamkirche is a church built by the Asam brothers as their private church but was later used for the public. A beautiful church almost as beautiful as the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

3. Theatinerkirche or Theatine Church is an Italian baroque style of architecture design. The golden yellow color of the facade is of mediterranean flair.


Thanks for reading. I will be writing more of the churches in Germany soon. Just keep in touch. Have a wonderful day to you all.

Here are some links of my travel to Munich, Germany. 

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/Munich-The-Fascinating-City-In-Bavaria-Germany

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/Munich-The-Fascinating-City-In-Bavaria-Germany-Part-2

http://thelmaalberts.hubpages.com/hub/Munich-The-Fascinating-City-In-Bavaria-Munich-Part-3

Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

How To Make Asparagus Wrapped In Schwarzwälder Ham or Bacon

Asparagus or Spargel, as we call it in Germany, is in season. A time to eat fresh, healthy and delicious asparagus. Although it is not cheap, one has to enjoy the taste of this Spring perennial plant of the lily family. 500 gram of asparagus costs at least 3 Euro in the supermarket. This is then good for 2 persons.

I know that not all people love the taste of asparagus as I did not like eating this vegetable before. The first time I have eaten this food was with peeled boiled potatoes and a white cream sauce. It did not taste well for me maybe because I still had the Filipino taste at that time. Then it came to my mind how I could make the asparagus delicious for my taste and voila, I have found the way. With the use of bacon and sometimes with Schwarzwälderschinken (Black Forest ham).

Fried asparagus wrapped with bacon and Schwarwälder ham

Ingredients: 2 persons

• 500 gram asparagus, green or white (6-8 pieces)
• 4 slices of bacon
• 4 slices of Schwarzwälder ham (smoked ham from Schwarzwald, Germany)
• 1 pack of Hollandaise sauce with lemon

Tip: You can use all 8 bacon or 8 Schwarzwälder ham pieces if you like the asparagus in one taste.

How To:

1. Peel the skin of the asparagus while cooking a pot of water.
2. Wash the asparagus and blanch them in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Get the asparagus from the boiling water.
3. Wrap every 2 asparagus with 2 pieces of bacon or with Schwarzwälder ham while heating the frying pan with olive oil.
4. Fry the wrapped asparagus in both sides until brown.
5. Heat the Hollandaise sauce with lemon in a small sauce pan.
6. Serve the wrapped asparagus with boiled or mashed potatoes with Hollandaise sauce.
7. Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal!

Preparation and cooking time: ca. 30 minutes

                                     

                                      Asparagus with skin

                                     Blancing asparagus

                                      Frying asparagus

Wrapped asparagus with bacon and Schwarzwälder ham, boiled potatoes and Hollandaise 

sauce.

Maybe, you will like eating asparagus now like I do. Thanks for reading. If you enjoy this recipe, maybe you would like to visit my recipes in my other writing site Hubpages. Just click on this red link. Enjoy your day!

Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

5 German Delicious Cakes For A Coffee or Tea Break

Germany is a country with not only different kinds of bread but also delicious and scrumptious cakes. You should not forget  to try eating the cakes in a cafeteria when you are travelling in Germany. 

Traditionally, the Germans have their breakfast at 6-7 am, lunch at around 1 pm, coffee breaks at 3 in the afternoon and supper is between 6 to 7 in the evening. The lunch time is the heavy meal of the day while the evening meal is just bread, butter and some ham or cheese or maybe salad. It´s a bit like the traditional breakfast.

Well, most Germans especially those who are working, have their own eating time schedules. The retired people have their own meal time as well as they don´t have to wake up early anymore.

Talking about coffee break, these cakes in the photos are some of the cakes you should not miss to try. Enjoy! 

1. Fruit Cake---I made this one when I was in my home country Philippines for our            Christmas celebration a few years ago.

 
2. Chocolate Cake---a ready made one I bought in the shop when I had no time to bake.

3. Cheese Cake (this one with cherries) ---when I was in the city and had a coffee break in a cafeteria.

4. Apfelstrudel / Apple Strudel with vanilla custard---when I was with my friend in a Bavarian      Altes Hackerhaus restaurant in Munich. My yummy dessert.

5. Schwarzwäldertorte / Black Forest Cake---I baked this cake last month as a birthday gift to a friend. The link is a recipe on how to bake this cake.

I know your mouth is watering now while seeing these yummy photos of mine. I can understand as I am getting hungry writing this article, too. I hope you have enjoyed reading and that you will comment or even read some of my recipes or more in my Hubpages writing site. Here is my HP link.

Thank you very much!!!

Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved

3 Beautiful Places To Visit In Bavaria, Germany

There are more than 3 beautiful places to visit in the south of Germany. I only have to mention 3 of all the places I have visited there. Of course I will write some more but I have to do it in different posts as it would be too long. Okay! Here they are.

1. Herrenchiemsee Palace, the Royal Palace of King Ludwig ll, the so called "Mad King"  who was found dead in the lake. 

The view from the Herrenchiemsee Palace. The garden viewing the fountain  directly showing Chiemsee. 

2. The small village of Toerwang in Samerberg. From the height of Toerwang, the beauty of Chiemsee can be seen. Awesome! 

3. Fraueninsel or Frauenchiemsee which means Island for the Women.


For more information, just click on the blue printed links which lead you to my Hubpages articles. They are all about my travel in those places. Thanks for reading.


Copyright 2015 © Thelma Alberts, All Rights Reserved