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!!!
Baking is vastly becoming one of my favorite methods of cooking–it does not require constant attention, stirring, and often, it does not even require multiple pots, pans, bakeware–which is super nice and easy peasy when it comes to cleaning up. Who really wants to spend extra time doing prep, maintence cooking and clean–up when there are adventures to be had and life to be lived!!!
Super Easy, one dish meal
Baked Chicken Meal:
Small-Medium Chicken (rinsed)
1 Large Sweet Potatoe (use fork to prick holes in the skin)
1 medium Zuchinni (halved or quartered to fit in the dish)
1 Medium White or Purple Onion, Halved
Directions:
Put all the items into a baking dish or roasting pan, sprinkle salt and pepper (or your favorite seasoning mix) on top, cover with aluminium foil (or lid if using a roasting pan)
Put entire baking dish (roasting pan) into the oven at 325 degrees Farenheit, bake for 90 minutes (or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked thru to the bone) and Serve.
I used what produce is in season at the moment, making the meal super inexpensive. Also, by purchasing the whole chicken on sale, the meal came out very cheap.
This recipe can be easily altered for a larger group, simple double, triple or adjust to your group size and needs—
Dining and Adventures together!! A splendid nook not known to many but well worth visiting–the views and ruins are amazing (and no, I did not go inside and break any rules–it is allowed!!)
The German word ‘Schloss’ has many meanings in English, it can mean ‘castle’ ‘Manor’ ‘Estate’ and so many more things!!! This particular ‘Schloss’ was residence of some nobility and a politcal statement of the noblemans success. The upper floor also hosts an amazing array of musical playing devices from the late 19th century and early 20th century. Well worth a visit and the self guided tour (audio head set is an option) is well worth it.
Thomas and I so enjoyed our day. Our schloss card is really paying off–what a way to adventure on a dime–mutiple venues for one flat price
Treasure hunting is so much fun–and it is helping to create great and awesome products on my eBay.
St. George, a top a fountain, slaying the dragon. Ettlingen, Germany
St. George, doing his slaying, Karlsruhe, Germany
According to the Golden Legend, the narrative episode of Saint George and the Dragon took place somewhere he called “Silene”, in Libya; the Golden Legend is the first to place this story in Libya as a sufficiently exotic locale, where a dragon might be found. In the tenth-century Georgian narrative, the place is the fictional city of Lasia, and the idolatrous emperor who rules the city is called Selinus.[7]
The town had a small lake with a plague-bearing dragon living in it and poisoning the countryside. To appease the dragon, the people of Silene fed it two sheep every day. When they ran out of sheep they started feeding it their children, chosen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the king’s daughter.[8] The king, in his grief, told the people they could have all his gold and silver and half of his kingdom if his daughter were spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon.[7]
Saint George by chance rode past the lake. The princess tried to send him away, but he vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from the lake while they were conversing. Saint George made the Sign of the Cross and charged it on horseback, seriously wounding it with his lance. He then called to the princess to throw him her girdle, and he put it around the dragon’s neck. When she did so, the dragon followed the girl like a meek beast on a leash. The princess and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the populace. Saint George offered to kill the dragon if they consented to become Christians and be baptised. Fifteen thousand men including the king of Silene converted to Christianity. George then killed the dragon, and the body was carted out of the city on four ox-carts. The king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George on the site where the dragon died and a spring flowed from its altar with water that cured all disease
(text is from Wikipedia)
Marktplatz, the town center square where a lot of hubbub occurs, a great place to drink coffee and people watch
The country road view of Waldkirch, a quaint small town
A lovely church with lyrical bells chiming
Fortress Ruins on the hillside above Waldkirch. Closed today but still beautiful. Just everyday life in Germany.
A day ‘ruined’ when taking an alternate route back to my abode. Absolutely Stunning!!! I never found this place on a map for tourists or anything but with some digging, some history was learned and stumbling upon some ruins is a treasure—life off the beaten path sure has some old perks.
The people in this small town are also very friendly, it seems the further away from big cities, the better the atmosphere.
Treasure hunting is so much fun–and it is helping to create great and awesome products on my eBay.
Anna Potthoff —trying Turkish Coffee for the first time, Strasbourg, France
I admit it, I am a coffee and postcard addict. I crave to sample and savor beans and caffeine wherever my feet go, taking a moment to send a postcard to a friend or family member.
I also collect ‘smashed’ pennies, kind where you insert a coin and a payment, turn the crank, and out comes a small souvenir. They provide great souvenirs and I hope to collect enough to create a charm bracelet-
I am, in short, an adventurer with with a yearning to expereince all. Alas, adventures are not free, so I am getting creative.
I go to local Flea Markets–held rather frequently and find goodies–putting them on eBay to fund my adventures. A portion of every sale also benefits a charity–the treasures are forever changing, so please, check back frequently.
Happy shopping!!
Writing a postcard and realizing I am out of coffee
Penny Souvenir Crank, Strasbourg, France
Postcards Addict
My Travels 