La Cubanita Stand-Stall–Chili con Carne in a bread bowl yummy
Glüwhein–the best winter drink in the world (in my opinion)
My favorite vendor–the Ettli Glüwhein stand
A large bag of chestnuts to roast–amazing.
A large, encased nativity scene
Prepping the chicken and yams
Vegetable platter with hummus dip for appetizer
Making the stuffing
Stuffing the chicken
Chicken, stuffing and baked sweet potatoe
Reggie, our kitty, even got his own treat.
I admit it, i am guilty of coffee adventures and food sampling and i can not help myself!! While all the photography is mine, none of the wonderful food or concotions contained in this post 
are of my creation. But, wow, are they delicous!! Sampled from all over the region, coffee and snack adventures are delightful!!!
Reggie is a fuzzy furry welcome—a neighbors Mommy kitty bore a cute litter and once weaned, needed new homes and thus, Reggie came into our lives.
Reggie arrived about a month ago and what a joy!!! Reggie brings much love and excitement, entertainment and laughter to our house with his antics, playful behaviors, and has even started ‘talking’, which cracks me up.
Reggie is kind of small but growing well–he even likes to share his meals with us by eating scrambled eggs and sweet potoatoes in addtion to his normal kitty kibble, being the gluten he is–when he is not perching here or there or bounching all over the house.
Reggie loves Thomas Best.
Reggie likes to perch near the heater
Comfy time
Reggie loves to snuggle
Woohoo!! My Grandfather came to visit me….and I marked off another item on my dream-list. I gave a family member a tour!!! Yes, it is true and I found it fun and exciting.
My Grandfather visited from Sunday through Tuesday evening here in Southwest Germany and willingly adventured with me around the area. We had so much fun!! I enjoyed being a tour guide more than I had anticipated. Grandfather was a great companion and we had so much fun together–I found it super nice and enjoyable to experience new coffee places as well with him–while going to some of my favorite places.
We went to the Monastary Ruins in Bad Herrenalb, the Kloster ruins in Frauenalb, the Schloss in Karlruhe and Ratstatt, and enjoyed the lovel art and architecture in St. Alexanders on Marktplatz in Ratstatt. A lovely fountain, bridge, and river tour in Ettlingen also had taken place, with coffee and lunches intermixed in our ventures–we used the tram and sometimes the car, making transportation very versatitle and easy.
All the places we went to gave us the beautiful sites and scenes of the Black Forrest, also being able to see the changing of the leaves this autumn–all in all, quite an event.
Want to check out some of the hot places we dined and enjoyed coffee?? The links and references are below.
Golden Mann Cafe Am Schloss Ratstatt
Schwarzwald Stub (Restaurant) Bad Herrenalb, Germany (no website) Kurpromenade 5, 76332 Bad Herrenalb, Germany
DLounge (Coffee shop), Karlsruhe, Germany
Täglich (Restaurant), Ettlingen, Germany
Drinking from a fountain, Karlsruhes Downtown
The River Alb, Running through downtown Ettlingen
Schloss Karlsruhe Statue Tours
The River Alb, Frauenalb Germany
We stopped at a local Bakery for snacks and coffee, a German classic
Taking a break from touring the Black Forrest at the DLounge, Kronenplatz, Karlsruhe, Germany
1000 year old ruins at Frrauenalb, Germany, in the heart of the Black Forrest
My grandfather in Frauenalb, standing next to a very old, established trees by the ruins.
Grandfather and I riding the trams to adventure together
The Verranda on Schloss Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe,
The Crest of the Markgraf Wilhelm von Baden Baden, primary resident of the Schloss Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Baden Wurtemburg Germany
Exquisite Cappucinos at the Cafe Am Schloss, Ratstatt, Germany http://www.goldener-mann-rastatt.de/kontakt/
the Tour guide (me) outside of St. Martins Church, Ettlingen, Germany
Grandfather crossings the Lockets of Love Bridge, Ettlingen, Germany
The flood water marker on St. Alexanders Cathedral, Marktplatz, Ratstatt, Germany
Wooden Pews and grandfather, St. Martins Church, Kirch platz, Ettlingen, Germany
Roman Ruins, Bad Herrenalb, Germany
Grandfather and I, Kloster Ruins, Bad Herrenalb, Germany
Dropping postcards in the post for loved ones back in the States
Roman Ruins near the Protestant Church (1650) Bad Herrenalb, Germany
A tradtional German lunch at Schwarzwald Stub, Bad Herrenalb, Germany
Thomas and I on our date night
Thomas
Date nights are always fun!!
Thomas and I ventured to downtown Ettlingen to the Irish Pub on the Alb River!!!
The barkeep speaks very good English, which is always a big perk for me.
The good news?? We had a lovely date night but i also found a place that serves a pretty good Grog, which is always welcome when the weather starts to get cold and chilly.
I found Grog!!!
Grog is awesome!!!
An Eggy Brunch
Ingredients
6 eggs
1 Bell Pepper (your choice of color), chopped
1/2 small onion (purple or yellow), chopped
2 medium tomatoes, slices in half moons
4 tablespoons salsa
2 bananas
4 pieces of sliced bread (white, wheat, rye, sourdough, your choice)
honey
Salt and Pepper
2 large sliced of real, natural cheese (cheddar, Tillister, gouda, your choice)
Method:
Omelette: Lighlty saute the bell pepper, onions, salt and pepper with Sunflower oil (or your favorite oil) in a medium sized skillet, remove half and set aside.
Crack three eggs into to skillet (with half the vegetable mix), stir to mix everything-breaking the yolks on medium/ medium low heat.
Once the eggs start firming up on the bottom, flip entire egg-veggie mixture over (like a flap jack), place half a slice of cheese on the cooked side of the egg mixture.
Once the second side has fully cooked (the eggs are not runny nor crispy-burned) fold the omelette in half over the slice of cheese and remove from the pan (cut this in half to create 2 omelettes)
Repeat these steps with the last 3 eggs and remaining half of bell pepper-onion mix (for 2 more omelletes.)
On eachof four plates: Half of each omellette (topped with salsa), half a banana, half a sliced tomatoe, and a piece of toast (with honey drizzeled on top and cut in half)
The view of my tram
The ‘stop the tram’ button
Adventuring is so much fun, easy, and convenient while using the tram.
I rode the rails today to view the country side during this love autumn season and the changing of the leaves in the Black Forrest.
I stopped off in Bad Herrenalb and enjoyed a lovely breakfast at a Backerei–and warmed my hands with cup of coffee—
I hopped back on the tram and headed towards the Karlsruhe Hauptbanhof, where I could get other trams to other areas, while I waited for another tram, I enjoyed yet another coffee (Coffee Crema) at Dlounge on Kronenplatz–an easy walk to the tram platform where the s41 tram would arrive and transport me through wonderous landscapes.
I learned something new today–while the concept of ‘regions’ within the tram network system is not an unfamiliar concept, I discovered that the tram stops in smaller towns and villages have yellow signal boxes, often seen on posts in the cities to allow pedestrians to cross the street (pushing a button ‘alerts’ the system that people want to cross.)
Well, this same style yellow box, with a button, is required to get the tram to stop on such said platforms, an error that I made as I watched the tram blow right past me. So, my ignorance cost me a 35 minute wait—but I did get to see the sunset in the heart of the Black Forrest in Autumn—with my river below me and the sunset on the horizon…breathtaking.
My River, Near Kirschbaumwasen, Germany
Breakfast in Bad Herrenalb
Cafe Crema
Eddie Cantor
Corn Harvest
Eiscafe Paradiso Lichtenau
Eiscafe Paradiso Lichtenau
Thomas and I being silly and cracking jokes on our way home.
Eiscafe Paradiso Lichtenau
Eiscafe Paradiso Lichtenau
Coffee and Postcards in Freiburg
Farm Machinary on the way to the field
Eiscafe Paradiso Lichtenau
The practicing of cooking is underway as part of my New Year’s resolution and daydreaming projects. Beginning since I have arrived in Germany, now that I have more than just myself to feed, creativity in the kitchen is fastly becoming the norm, which I absolutely love.
The soup contains:
Chicken Broth (stock)
1 whole choppped onion
1/2 Cup white rice
1 can of baby carrots
1/4 cup of chopped zuchinni
1 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp course ground salt
Chicken meat pulled from baked chicken
My Travels 