May 2013
9 posts
2 tags
Fusion Cooking: Haggis Pizza
23 May 2013
Yesterday, the husband requested haggis pizza for dinner, a recipe that has quickly become a favourite in our household. Background to this is that we tend to bulk buy tins of haggis when we’re in Scotland, which then languish away in our larder, and while the Grant’s stuff isn’t too bad, it’s no where near as nice as, say, a fresh Macsween’s - but it...
2 tags
Karneval der Kulturen
21 May 2012
This past weekend was the ‘Karneval der Kulturen’ (Engl: Carneval of Cultures) here in Berlin. It ran from Friday until Monday, which was a public holiday. It’s basically a massive street festival right here on our doorstep in Kreuzberg, about half way between our house and the boy’s nursery, so it would have been a missed opportunity not to go.
...
6 tags
Snapshots
18 May 2013
The last couple of weeks in snapshots according to my iPhone:
Visiting the Hemp Museum in Berlin.
Graffiti at Berlin’s Hackescher Markt
Liquorice stall at the Hackescher Markt weekend market
Street art on Berlin’s August Straße
Random fisherman on the canal in Berlin
Visiting the Bautzen Mustard Museum in Saxony
Sunny weekend in the country
Wild...
1 tag
Discovering Berlin: Domäne Dahlem
16 May 2012
Two weeks ago we took a day trip out to Domäne Dahlem, an estate and museum site in one of Berlin’s outer districts. Together, the estate’s working farm and the museum demonstrate the food chain from production and processing through to marketing and consumption. On this occasion they were holding an historical fun fair, one of several fairs that happen throughout the...
2 tags
Make Your Own Dandelion Sirup
14 May 2013
As I mentioned in my previous post, we went on a train trip last week. The boy and I were off to visit my sister in rural Saxony for the long holiday weekend. The first day was a washout, just pouring with rain from morning till night, but the rest of the time was mostly golden sunshine and we really lived up the life in the country - fresh laid eggs for breakfast, rabbits to play...
2 tags
Mother's & Father's Day - an Expat Perspective
12 May 2013
Happy Mother’s Day to all mums our there, especially my own of course!
Mother’s Day is another one of those celebrations that’s a bit confusing when you’re an expat family, as it’s celebrated at different times in different countries. We decided we’d celebrate on the day of whichever country we’re in. In the UK, Mothering Sunday (as...
2 tags
Expat Cravings: Baked Beans
7 May 2013
Never mind the endless varieties of cheese and cold meats you can get here in Germany for your sandwiches, sometimes only good old beans on toast will do. Unfortunately, they’re not easy to come by unless you want to pay out a fortune in the foreign food section at the department store down town.
Thank goodness for our local discounter supermarket and it’s themed...
2 tags
Snapshots
4 May 2013
The last couple of weeks in snapshots, according to my iPhone:
Trip to the ice-cream parlour.
Sunday morning at the Berlinische Galerie.
Discovering the joy of board games.
Spring blossoms.
A favourite book right now.
Springtime sunshine.
Bug watching.
In the flight exhibit at the Deutsches Technikmuseum.
Weekend lunch treat.
Graffiti in Kreuzberg.
1 tag
May Day Picnic
2 May 2013
So, yesterday turned out to be quite a nice day after all. We decided we were being overly paranoid (see Tuesday’s post) and since the demonstration route was confirmed not to go past our house we set out to Victoria Park which is about half an hours walk away, for a picnic and a romp around the play park. Indeed, the papers confirmed today that it was apparently the most...
April 2013
9 posts
1 tag
Mayday, May Day
30 April 2013
It’s been a bit busy around here, which you may have gathered from the lack of posts in the past week. I’m speaking at The Hive European Blog Conference next month about being a ‘Museum Blogger’, so I’ve been spending a lot more time on my ‘Museum Diary’ blog, as well as preparing the presentation itself.
Tomorrow is a public holiday in...
2 tags
Discovering Berlin: Cafe Kreuzzwerg
23 April 2013
One of our best discoveries yet in Berlin, is the concept of ‘Kindercafés’. Basically, they are cafés aimed at young families, where parents don’t need to feel self conscious about their offspring disturbing other café patrons, and the kids have plenty of opportunities to make little friends. While each café differs in its own way, what they all have in common is...
2 tags
Snapshots
20 April 2013
The past week in snapshots, according to my iPhone: graffiti in Kreuzberg, first frappuccinos of the year, horned owl, birthday party drink, graffiti at Bundesplatz, breakfast, walk to work, frozen yoghurt, lonesome Christmas trees, Berlin hustles harder?, sushi night with a friend, Swedish meatballs at Ikea.
3 tags
Spargel Saison has started
18 April 2013
One of my favourite things about living in Germany, is the Spargel Saison every Spring, where the whole country goes mad about white asparagus (I wrote about it in more length last year).
So I was really happy to see this advertisement on the way to work the other day:
You can find some tips on how to cook the perfect Spargel in my previous post. Yum yum.
Spring is (finally) here!
16 April 2013
After a false start to Spring back in March, it looks like it’s here to stay this time, so we threw ourselves straight into some Spring-like activities at the weekend. Whilst the husband was washing windows and polishing furniture, I set out to plant some seeds for this year’s Project Balcony.
Nice Spring weather also called for some cake, and I ended up making...
2 tags
Snapshots
13 April 2013
The past week in snapshots, according to my iPhone. Haven’t been as busy with the camera this week, still processing the 500 photos from our holiday!
Back in Berlin after 2 wonderful weeks in Washington, D.C.
Colourful salads for dinner, a habit we picked up from my friend in DC.
It’s Bärlauch (wild garlic) season in Germany. Time for some yummy home made...
1 tag
My name is Jenni, please use it!
11 April 2013
Shakespeare may have said “a rose by any other name is still as sweet”, but sometimes it doesn’t feel as sweet. As you may know, I married a couple of years ago. What you may not know, since I still write, blog, tweet and pin under my maiden name, is that I changed my surname after our wedding and took on the husband’s name. The reason I still use my old name...
1 tag
Discovering Berlin: Turkish Market
9 April 2013
We’ve been living in Berlin for 18 months now, but it’s only recently that I discovered the amazing weekly market in Kreuzberg known as the ‘Turkish Market’. Stretching along the Canal at ‘Maybachufer’, it offers a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and other foods, Turkish specialities - best Turkish Delight I’ve ever eaten! - and many stalls...
2 tags
Snapshots
7 April 2013
The past week according to my iPhone. We had such a wonderful time in Washington, D.C.
Easter Egg Hunt
Historic amusement park at Glen Echo, Maryland
Meeting the Easter Panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo
Gluten free cupcakes!! (the ones with the orange flowers)
Deja vu at the Newseum
Finding Scotland at the Navy Memorial
National Portrait Gallery & American Art...
March 2013
15 posts
2 tags
Snapshots
30 March 2013
The past week in snapshots according to my iPhone. It’s a bit heavy on museums ;-)
Off on our big trip to Washington, D.C. for the Easter holidays.
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden
National Museum of Natural History
National Air and Space Museum
Library of Congress
National Postal Museum
National Museum of the American Indian
National Building Museum
...
1 tag
The Big Showdown: Chocolate Eggs versus Rabbits
30 March 2013
Only one more sleep until Easter, and an inevitable overdose on chocolate. But whereas as Christmas we faced the conundrum “Santa Clause or Christkind?” (Christkind being the bringer of presents in Germany), at Easter the big question is “chocolate eggs or chocolate rabbits?” Both in Germany and the UK you get all kinds of little chocolate eggs, from plain to...
2 tags
Expat Cravings: Hot Cross Buns
28 March 2013
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! One a penny two a penny, hot cross buns. If you have no daughters, give them to your sons. One a penny two a penny, hot cross buns.
One of the things I miss about the UK at Easter time is eating hot cross buns. There are two major obstacles - firstly, they are not sold in Germany. Secondly, even if we were in the UK, I don’t know if...
1 tag
Easter Egg Christmas Tree
27 March 2013
Speaking of decorating Easter eggs (see yesterday’s post), another German custom that you don’t really find in Scotland is decorating blown out eggs an hanging them on branches in a vase. I posted a tutorial last year on how to make your own.
But not only do people hang eggs in vases in their kitchens or living rooms, you can also find Easter eggs hanging on trees and...
1 tag
A National Obsession: Decorating Eggs
26 March 2013
Since we’re now in to the Easter week, I thought I’d dedicate a few posts to Easter customs. When I was visiting Edinburgh in February, the shops were already full of Easter goodies. It’s no different here in Berlin, but one thing you won’t find in Edinburgh are the endless varieties of Easter egg dyes, paints, pens, stickers…you name it, they have it....
2 tags
Snapshots
The week in snapshots according to my iPhone:
Open-air exhibition “Diversity Destroyed” at Berlin Lustgarten
Yummy Japanese dinner at Smart Deli in Berlin Mitte
Cocktails with the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum
Awesome scientific beetle collection at the Natural History Museum
Celebrity polar bear Knut at the Natural History Museum
Free Currywurst during the Long...
2 tags
Discovering Berlin: Natural History Museum Beetle...
21 March 2012
I’ve mentioned before that the first museum we ever visited in Berlin was the Natural History Museum. In fact, I think it’s also my favourite (pssst, don’t tell the other museums), partly because I like natural history museums in general, partly because they have some really awesome stuff. Like their scientific beetle collection, which I discovered at the Long...
2 tags
"Zerstörte Vielfalt - Diversity Destroyed"
19 March 2013
In Berlin, 2013 is running under the theme “Zerstörte Vielfalt” (Engl: Diversity Destroyed), due to the 80th anniversary of the Nazis gaining power in 1933, and 75th anniversary of the November Pogrom in 1938 (also known as the Crystal Night or Night of Broken Glass). Several exhibitions and events are taking place around Berlin throughout the year, to commemorate the diversity of...
2 tags
Snapshots
16 March 2013
The past week in snapshots according to my iPhone:
Exhibition at the Deutsches Historisches Museum.
Winter is back!
Home baked gluten free bagels.
What’s better than one chocolate brownie cheesecake? Two!
Walk in the snow.
Urban wildlife.
Having fun with Lego.
Pretending that Spring is here already.
More snow.
At least someone is enjoy it!
Graffiti...
1 tag
Culture Clash: Keeping your kids at heel?
14 March 2013
Since moving to Berlin, we’ve noticed that there are quite a few points where German and British views on child rearing differ. One point of contention, seems to be the use of walking harnesses and reins. As a friend of ours said in jest, in Britain we let our dogs run free but keep our children on a leash. But to Germans it’s no laughing matter.
We’ve used a...
Porridge Toppings Bar
12 March 2013
After experimenting with different flavours of porridge toppings the other week, I found that the main thing stopping me from being more creative with my breakfast was having to root around in the pantry first and unwrap and prepare lots of things. So I decided to make myself a ‘porridge toppings bar’ after discovering some cute half sized flip-top storage jars at a local discount...
2 tags
Snapshots
9 March 2013
The past week in snapshots according to my iPhone:
So THIS is what happens when I’m having a lie in :D
Freshly baked courgette and feta bread.
Remains of the Berlin Wall.
Outside the Lego Discovery Centre.
Inside the Sony Center.
40 Years of Sesame Street (Germany) at the Film Museum.
First ice-cream of the year.
Museum für Kommunikation.
Visiting the...
3 tags
Expat Cravings: Porridge 4 Ways
7 March 2013
You can take the girl out of Scotland, but you can’t take Scotland out of the girl. I admit to liking a bit of continental breakfast now and then, be it a bowl of muesli or an open cheese sandwich, but I couldn’t live without my beloved porridge. You can’t get porridge oats here in Berlin, so I mix regular oats with oatmeal to get a more creamy consistency (I use 2 tablespoons oats...
1 tag
Nordic Crime & my German Reading Habits
5 March 2013
When you are an expat, a question you always get asked is what is your first language? Or what language do you speak at home? Well, since I first became an expat when I was 4 years old, I was brought up bilingually and speak both languages fluently and accent free. But technically German is my first language - for speaking, that is. For reading and writing, English is my first...
4 tags
Snapshots
2 March 2013
The past week in snapshots according to my iPhone:
Beautiful sunset on the flight back from Edinburgh.
Had to take the boy to work with me one day - thank goodness for the digital babysitter!
Trying out some new recipes from all the UK magazines I bought on my Edinburgh trip.
Graffiti love message in Berlin Kreuzberg.
Learning how to make a Viking beard.
First...
February 2013
13 posts
Win a DIY Zoetrope Craft Kit
28 February 2013
I’m having a giveaway on my Museum Diary blog this week, for the chance to win a DIY Zoetrope Craft Kit I brought back from the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt. I thought I’d give it a shout out here too. If you like doing arts and crafts or have kids who like doing arts and crafts, why not enter. Open until tomorrow (Fri 1 March) 8pm UK time.
Night of the Vikings! →
26 February 2013
For some more photos from last week’s Night of the Vikings at the National Museum of Scotland - including yours truly sporting a very handsome ginger Viking beard - head over to Museum Diary!
1 tag
Snapshots
23 February 2013
The past week in snapshots according to my iPhone. Mostly spent in Edinburgh, having a little time to myself. I guess I could have also called this post ‘museum, museum, museum’ :-)
The streets of Berlin are paved with stars.
Freak hailstorm.
At the airport.
“This is home”
Total time spent here: 17 hours!
National Museum - Grand Gallery
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Before & After: Spice Cupboard
21 February 2013
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that one of the things we’ve been working at is to make our new expat house (well, apartment) feel more like a home, and 18 months down the line we’re still not quite finished with everything. One things I’ve totally been procrastinating about is getting our spice cupboard organised....
1 tag
Something's Gotta Give
18 February 2013
Regular readers of The Ex Expat may have noticed, that things have gotten a bit quieter around here, and I just wanted to let my loyal readers know why.
I started this blog when we had just moved to Berlin. In the early days, posting was still sporadic as we waited for our new flat and internet connection, but once we were settled it grew to a steady pace where I ended up...
1 tag
Snapshots
The past week in snapshots according to my iPhone - it seems to have been a very culinary week: Grocery shopping. Winter walk. Cake baking. Pizza baking. Pancake Day. Fruit salad (made by the boy!). Happy hot chocolate at Starbucks. Fish pie. Bloody Marys. More cake baking. Fresh fruit at the Turkish Market. Sweetie shopping & a Valentines prize (I won the bag of pink sweeties^^).
...
Happy Valentines Day
14 February 2013
So, today’s the day we celebrate all things love. It’s something I think we should do every day, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to make a little extra fuss about it every now and then. However, the husband and I decided pretty early on that we weren’t going to go give each other any big gifts, but just exchange little gestures like a hand made card, a special...
1 tag
Fun with Lego
13 February 2013
To boy is signed off sick this week with bronchitis, so we’ve been trying to find ways to keep occupied indoors. He still lacks the concentration for arts and crafts and board games, and I didn’t want us to spend the whole week on the sofa watching movies (so far Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda, Curious George & The Lion King), so today we had a big playtime in his nursery...
Happy Pancake Day!
12 February 2013
It’s Shrove Tuesday today, aka Pancake Day in the UK. The last day before Lent, where it is an absolute imperative to have pancakes for dinner. Although no one here in Germany has ever heard about them, we’ll be celebrating expat style and having this yummy gluten free buttermilk pancakes for our dinner tonight:
Ingredients (makes about 8 in a small pan)
4 eggs
...
1 tag
Eat Cake for Breakfast on Valentine's Day
11 February 2013
It’s Valentines Day in a couple of days. Whether you’re still looking for a personal gift for your sweetheart, or a special way to serve breakfast, I wanted to share an idea with you that I actually made for my sister for Christmas, but that would work equally well for Valentines.
All you need, is a plain porcelain plate (I used a white one from Ikea) and some...
Snapshots
8 February
The past week in snapshots according to my iPhone: Rain. Umbrellas. More umbrellas. Sunshine? Cake! Urban knitting. More rain. Cute dog. Sunset. Sunshine! Rice pudding. Snow?? Museum!
"Meet a Museum Blogger" →
5 February 2013
I may have mentioned my obsession with museums once or twice (no, really^^), and this week I’m featured in the series “Meet a Museum Blogger” on the blog Museum Minute. If you’ve ever wondered what it is about me and museums, head on over and check out the interview ;-)
4 tags
Capital Graffiti
4 February 2013
Last year, I mentioned that I like to collect, i.e. photograph, graffiti and street art, and gave you a wee sample of some of the graffiti in our neighbourhood here in Berlin. Well, I was recently asked to contribute a guest post for the blog StreetArtMag, all about Berlin’s graffiti, which went live last night.
The article is in German, but you could always send it...
January 2013
10 posts
3 tags
Discovering Berlin: The Currywurst Museum
29 January 2013
I think I have touched on Germany’s obsession with Currywurst before. It’s more than just a favourite fast food here, it’s an institution, lauded in music, film and literature. And it even has it’s own museum, right here in Berlin. I’ve mentioned it in passing before, but never done a proper review of it - until now! With one of our best friends from...
What's In Your Bag?
28 February 2013
A couple of years ago, I co-ordinated an online project at National Museums Scotland called “What’s In Your Bag?”. To coincide with a new exhibition about commercial passenger travel, we asked people to share what they carried in their bags. Then today, on one of my favourite blogs I read at the moment, Okka from Slomo was sharing what was in her bag and asking...
5 tags
Happy Burns Night!
25 January 2013
Today is Robert Burns Day, also known as Burns Night, the day when the life and works of Scotland’s national bard get celebrated. Of course, we’ll be celebrating tonight too. Sadly, it’s the second year running that we’ve been unable to convince any of our German friends to join us for a haggis supper - and this in a nation obsessed with sausages, which...
"Und wie machst Du das, Jenni?" →
24 January 2013
Earlier this week I was featured on Okka’s lovely blog ‘Slomo’, in her series on mothers and motherhood. I’ve mentioned it before, and this time I got to answer her questions. It’s in German but if you’re interested just follow the link and take a look :-)
