Identity Theft, Pizza, Burger, Spain

There is definitely something wrong! I know it! Lately, things are going quite differently around here. Just today, we did our spring cleaning, while winter just started a few days ago. My mind is off the track. Yes, you know, but this time it's even worse. I think I lost my identity. Someone robbed it. While I was thinking about writing something for the blog after such a long time and for not having just two entries for the whole year, the thoughts didn't come up in German, no, not even in English, but it was Spanish. I guess Rodrigo or Rodriguez is taking over again ...

A Day out, Flowers, Caribbean and Dominican Tortilla

Finally we got the sunny weather. If you combine this with a day off and time to spare this makes for a good opportunity to have a day out. Accordingly we decided to take the train to Hannover, Germany, and look around of what is to see, buy some special food items and eat something special.

Arriving at the train station gives you the chance to have a snack right away, so we are having roasted pork in a bun. There is a place as well, that sells roasted pork in a bun nearby where we live, but that isn't half as good as the one at the train station of Hannover with soft onions on top of the meat. You could easily fill up on that, but ... I think it's better to leave some space for more.
For me, visiting Hannover means to go and see the Herrenhäuser Gärten. The gardens are really beautiful and you can enjoy them a lot. On this day it was quite quiet, if you don't count the workers. There are some days they have special events there and you can see a lot more. For the time being we enjoyed this quiet time, although it was that quiet, that they even turned off the water. If you want to see the grand fountain of water, which can shoot up the water even over 60 metres you have to be there before high noon or after 3 p.m.

Originally we only wanted to see the great garden, but the ticket came as a package with the mountain garden and the greenhouses as well. It's worth a visit as well. I would really enjoy to have some of those plants at home, too, but ...

Good there wasn't even a tiny cloud in the sky that day. So we could enjoy the gardens to the full ... with some bottles full of water.

So far regarding the cultural part. Of course you could do a lot more, but if you are walking around all the time and want to do a wee bit of shopping as well, the options are limited.
After walking around all day and buying a lot of chillies, platanos (plantains) and guandules (pigeon peas), it was time for more than a snack ... We set out for a place called Boca Chica. It's named after a place in the Dominican Republic. As we don't have the chance to fly every year to the Caribbean, this was the best we could do for now. The weather was right and they had a nice terrace where to enjoy the meal outside. We started with a mixed plate of starters ...

There was a lot going on on the plate: tostones (fried plantain), boquerones, aubergine salsa, plantain salad, yucca salad, mango, chicken, calamari and Dominican tortilla.
The Dominican tortilla is a bit like the Spanish tortilla, but instead of potatoes you use rice. This is a very good opportunity to use up leftover rice. Simple mix it with some eggs and if you like to get a bit more taste out of it add shopped up coriander or peppers. Then just fry it as small cakes. 
Next up the main dish with some fish ...

I decided to go for parrot fish as I never had it before. Seems quite healthy to me, but I still have to work a bit on my tastebuds regarding seafood. Well, that's not so easy around here as we don't have the chance to have it too often as no sea is nearby.
The rice had some guandules (pigeon peas) and that was something I had for the first time as well.
Something I didn't have for the first time was postre (dessert) ...

I have to try this one as home myself, if we ever get hands on ripe plantains around here. Well, it's not too fancy, but it makes for a solid dessert.
Anyway, it was a luvly day out we enjoyed very much. I hope I get my hands on some good and delicious cooking again soon.

As time goes ... so it goes

There went yet another one ... time passes by so quickly. If you think too much about it, that could start you off worrying ... that is if you are not already worried by something else, for there could surely be enough things to worry about. 

As I have too many interests, it becomes more and more evident, that there will never be enough time for it all, or will there?

My studies of physics are only going forward very slowly. On the other side there is my Spanish. I'm not doing so much about it, but just am using it everyday. Then there are my studies of the French language, which as well seems to be going very slowly. So far it was only a tiny bit useful.

At least we enjoyed some eclairs in Luxemburg ...

That was just one our way back home from the south of Germany. Maybe some other day I will find some time to tell you about it. So far I can tell you, we had a medium sized beer in the Hofbräuhaus in Munich and a tiny bit to eat ...

Yes, indeed, those are only half-sized beers, it's not a Maß!

Well, where were we. Time! I had to interrupted my studies of French for another trip to the Netherlands and for that of course I had to do a little review of my Dutch, but ... I wish I could do more there. For the time being, I have to concentrate a bit more on the French. Maybe I get the chance to try a few recipes from my French cookbook in French. Could help, couldn't it?

Besides that, and speaking still about slowly ... there is the matter of me writing a book in German. I started it many many many many years ago and just now I have started to put things in digital form.

Here an excerpt, if you care. If not, just scroll ahead:

“Aber warum der Spiegel?” platzte Finnward schließlich heraus.

Talaru und Palau erwarteten sie bereits draußen vor den Höhlen. Talau hatte zwar nicht beabsichtigt Finnwards Frage zu beantworten, jedoch geschah dies durch seine Worte.

“Ihr habt es geschafft”, lobte er die beiden, “ihr habt den Spiegel. In den Höhlen habt ihr zu euch selbst gefunden. Der größte Schatz, den ihr haben könnt, seid ihr selber, euer Leben.”

Ein paar Säcke Gold wäre aber auch nicht schlecht, dachte Finnward und wollte eine blöde Bemerkung machen.

Doch Silk schien das irgendwie zu bemerken und stoppte ihn, indem er seine Hand weisend und fest auf seine Schulter legte.

Nach diesem Empfang kehrten sie sofort wieder ins Dorf zurück, wo sie der Häuptling schon aufgeregt erwartete.

Anschließend wurde ein Fest zu Silks und Finnwards Ehren abgehalten. Dabei verkündete der Häuptling, dass die beiden in den Stamm aufgenommen worden sind.

Man hatte sogar eine neue Hütte für Silk vorbereitet, denn jedes vollwertige Stammesmitglied hatte Anrecht auf eine Hütte. Außerdem hatte ein Stammesmitglied noch weitere Vorrechte. Man konnte sich zum Beispiel eine Frau nehmen und eine Familie gründen.

Die Auswahl war gegeben und es zeigten sich auch sofort einige junge Frauen interessiert. Der Häuptling pries schon bald etwas weniger diskret seine Tochter an und wies des öfteren darauf hin, dass sie noch zu haben sei.

Silk hätte sich zwar mit dem Gedanken anfreunden können, aber er wollte sich da lieber erst mal zurückhalten. Finnward folgte zumnächst einmal Silks Beispiel, wobei er es nicht versäumte, in Gedanken schon mal eine Auswahl zu treffen, für den Notfall. Wenn es denn so weit kommen sollte, wollte er vorbereitet sein.

Nach den Festlichkeiten, als die Sonne bereits untergegangen war, begaben sich alle in ihre Hütten und machten sich für die Nacht bereit.

Well, that wasn't too hard, was it? Anyway, if you have read this excerpt, you get the point of what is really important: That you are alive! For that it's important to concentrate and enjoy all the little things on your journey and not just wait for big things to happen. Whatever, there are many things to do and to enjoy and, if that includes writing something for my blog ... here we go.

Indeed, I have be kind of cooking as well at home, I think ...

Why not enjoy a fully loaded salad as a meal. This one did its job well.

With so many things in my head ... mathematics, physics, programming, English, French, Spanish, Dutch, writing, cooking, work and all, I better be careful, that nothing bad happens ...

Ouch ...