August 21, 2017
German Music, Learn German
If you like being on the cutting edge and knowing all the latest bands, then Ansa Sauermann is someone who will interest you. The Dresden-based singer-songwriter has a brand new album. Weisse Liebe hit store shelves (or whatever the digital equivalent is) on Friday, August 18th. Let’s get to know this up-and-coming musician and practice your German language skills!
Perhaps the most prominent chef of Japanese cuisine in America, Iron Chef Morimoto is challenging himself in a new way. He has an impressive list of fine dining restaurants around the world. You can taste his Japanese fusion food in Philadelphia (where he opened his first restaurant in 2001) to Las Vegas. And while ramen, a Japanese staple, has been on his menus since the beginning, it’s never been the focus, that is, until now.
Last year, in Midtown Manhattan, Morimoto opened Momosan Ramen & Sake, his first restaurant dedicated to ramen. But at Momosan, Iron Chef Morimoto elevates ramen to a whole new level.
August 14, 2017
German Films, Learn German
Last year’s dramatic comedy Toni Erdmann was a big hit and not just in Germany. The film was nominated for a slew of awards. The film received an Academy Award nomination and won an Independent Spirit Award. Not too shabby! This is in addition to all the German and European film awards it racked up during award season. And you know it did well because there’s talk of an unnecessary Hollywood remake in English. Rumor is the remake is starring Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wiig.
But it was Austrian actor Peter Simonischek who brought the title character to life. But Simonischek has starred in countless other films, too! Here are this month’s film recommendations for practicing your German language skills featuring actor Peter Simonischek!
A day of culture. Art and afternoon tea. It’s difficult for me to think of a better way to spend a day. And Wilmington, Delaware, has just the answer. After my recent trip to the Brandywine River Museum of Art, I headed down to downtown Wilmington. Only a short drive away from the museum is the historic HOTEL DU PONT. The luxurious hotel serves up afternoon tea that will spoil and delight. It’s a day to savor and enjoy.
It doesn’t take long to become impressed by the HOTEL DU PONT. Even those unfamiliar with its legendary reputation for luxury will soon get the picture once they step inside the lobby.
August 7, 2017
Travel
Just a stone’s throw from a battlefield from the Revolutionary War is a grist mill from 1864 beside the river. The renovated mill is home to the Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Inside this unassuming mill are treasures of American art. The museum serves as a perfect way to kick off a day in the Wilmington area before visiting the historic and luxurious HOTEL DU PONT for afternoon tea.
Currently, the museum is showing off an impressive retrospective on locally based and world renowned artist Andrew Wyeth. And that’s in addition to the Brandywine River Museum of Art’s remarkable collection.
For many, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, brings to mind farms on a gently rolling landscape, Amish driving along in horse and buggies, and small villages with entertaining names like Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse. Think Harrison Ford in Witness. The Amish communities have made Pennsylvania Dutch Country and Lancaster County nearly synonymous.
But in the heart of the county is Lancaster City, a young, hip urban center that has experienced a rebirth and gentrification in recent years. Today, Lancaster City is offering a thoroughly modern lifestyle with a melding of sites of historical importance with trendy restaurants and shops. I recently made a visit to Lancaster to get to know this up and coming city a little better.
July 31, 2017
Travel
Some of Munich‘s most impressive charms can be enjoyed free of charge. Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt, Englischer Garten, Karlsplatz, Odeonsplatz — some of the most pleasant and notable spots in the city are available for everyone to enjoy. Mere blocks from that downtown area sit two impressive structures overlooking the Isar River: the Friedensengel (Angel of Peace) and the Maximilianeum.
July 26, 2017
Travel
In a big, busy city sometimes you can be lucky if you can hear your own thoughts. For travelers, it’s a fine line. You want to be in a convenient location, maybe experience some city life but still be able to relax, unwind. The Barceló Hotel in Hamburg proves that you can be centrally located and still get away from the hustle and bustle — even if just for a moment.
July 24, 2017
Travel
King Ludwig II left quite the legacy. Only 40 years old when he died, he has earned nicknames like the Fairy King and Mad King Ludwig. He was known for being eccentric. He constructed massive palaces in Germany like Neuschwanstein, a beautiful but somewhat strange castle given its opera-themed concept. King Ludwig II also commissioned Herrenchiemsee, a new palace on an island in the Chiemsee, a lake known fondly as the “Bavarian Sea.”
I recently visited the Herrenchiemsee as well as the neighboring island, the Fraueninsel. The islands are almost thought of as a single entity but are staggeringly different. The Fraueninsel is a sleepy, small Bavarian town while the Herrenchiemsee is the site of royal opulence.
July 19, 2017
Travel
In so many ways Nuremberg’s Germanisches Nationalmuseum, or German National Museum, is reflective of modern Germany. It’s a blending of the old and the new. The antique and the modern. And they are blended in a way that the past is never forgotten. The present is always moving on. Moving forward.
It’s a feeling that hits you from your first moments inside the museum and you see a work of art titled “Hauptstadt.” Created in 1993-1994 by Raffael Rheinsberg, the work is a collection of street signs from the German Democratic Republic. Rheinsberg collected the signs after the fall of the wall before they disappeared. Some are in good condition, others show signs of wear or graffiti. But all are a reflection of where they were from: East Germany.
Located just along the edge of Nuremberg’s historic city center, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum houses the largest collection of “cultural history” in the German-speaking world.