Friday, December 31, 2010

Frohes Neues Jahr!!

A Gänsemarkt New Years Eve is underway!  Dinner at Rene’s at Seven, then Silwester at Giovanni’s….

Frohes Neues Jahr und ein Guten Rutsch to all of you!

The Mad Monk of Steinstrasse

Friday, December 24, 2010

Na szczęście, na zdrowie, na tę świętą Wigilię!

A traditional Polish greeting for a traditional German Christmas Eve.  Here it’s called ‘Heilige Abend’ or ‘Holy Evening’ in Poland, it’s ‘Wigilia’.  But the same feelings are inherent in all of the languages;

Na szczęście, na zdrowie, na tę świętą Wigilię!

To happiness (luck, good fortune), health, and a holy Christmas Eve!

Here on Stone Street, we’ll be meeting at Giovanni’s Mona Lisa after the individual families have had their meals and ‘Bescherung’ or the opening of the gifts. We may even sing ‘O Tannenbaum’

Christmas Day, or Ersten Feiertag (first Christmas celebration, the second being the 26th, Boxing Day, or as Wencelslaus would say, the Feast of St. Stephen) I’ll be visiting the Schalt family in Eickum to eat waffles.  Sabine and I worked together at Wedeco and she is now dedicated to the joys of raising three children.  Her husband shares the same name as my grandson-Gideon!  All and all, a Frohes Fest!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Künstlertreff: Christmas Edition

LiveArt was held in the restaurant Nil last night and it was one great session!! Pan Flute, operetta, a belter, smooth guitar, a voice that alternated between Armstrong and Mathis, and a very funny stand-up comic, along with ambience, great people and a friend I haven’t seen in awhile all came together.  Thanks and congratulations to Juergen and company for putting together a great show!

Any of you friends and family interested in showcasing your talents, come across the pond, you’ll be in great company…

Monday, December 13, 2010

LiveArt and Künstlertreff

Tomorrow night’s a promise of fun and interesting conversation.  Künstlertreff will be in the Restaurant Nil, a much larger venue than the Café Schiller for a special Christmas presentation.  Many of the Stone Street denizens will be in attendance.  You can get an idea of the way things work from THIS LINK.

Local talent is good.  Very good, in fact, and the audience is lively.  I’ll get back to you later in the week with my thoughts.  In the mean time, I’m filling my head with string theory, alternate universes, dimensions, and cookies.  The cookies help me think.  The rest of it makes me think that it all breaks down to daydreams and the time and place we think we think them in…..

LiveArt and Künstlertreff

Tomorrow night’s a promise of fun and interesting conversation.  Künstlertreff will be in the Restaurant Nil, a much larger venue than the Café Schiller for a special Christmas presentation.  Many of the Stone Street denizens will be in attendance.  You can get an idea of the way things work from THIS LINK.

Local talent is good.  Very good, in fact, and the audience is lively.  I’ll get back to you later in the week with my thoughts.  In the mean time, I’m filling my head with string theory, alternate universes, dimensions, and cookies.  The cookies help me think.  The rest of it makes me think that it all breaks down to daydreams and the time and place we think we think them in…..

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Advent is in full swing...

I posted some pictures of the Herforder Weihnachts markt at Facebook.

Mostly for my grandson Gideon, they show the spirit of the season even on a grey day!!  I'll be doing a few other cities in the near future, to give you an idea of the diversity of goods and the great spirit of the Advent Season in Germany.