All Things German In California
HANGING IN THE SWING OF THINGS – THE SECRET SWING
My dear readers, please excuse my absence from this platform! You could quite say I took some sort of a hiatus the past two months. I know I brought up this excuse before that life happens – but boy, did my life happen. But I’ll come back to that in a future post. For now, I am going to let you in on a secret gem I recently discovered in the Los Angeles area.
[Read more…] about Hanging in the Swing of Things – The Secret Swing
Have you started Christmas shopping yet? 5 Ideas are on its way.
The next five Wednesdays leading up to Christmas we’ll support your Christmas shopping with some unique book ideas that make for a special gift.
We are going to introduce some German or German-related books that are refreshingly uncommon and off the beaten path. Let’s say not all are mainstream literature just yet, but so worth discovering.
Among the 5 books we’ll present, you will find one that’s perfect for children. Two of them make the perfect gift for all the history buffs among you as they deal with German history in quite different ways: One is a memoir of a German expat while the other is a historical fiction novel, packed with the suspense of diplomatic and political drama.
Lastly, we have one book in our gift repertoire for just pure enjoyment and entertainment and another, that lets you dive into the depth of famed German literature.
Curious yet? Stay tuned and check in with us this and every Wednesday until Xmas, and find out what we have in store for you.
You might just find the perfect gift for someone special!
Image: Pixabay.com
It’s hard to believe but we are slowly approaching the end of the year!
First, however, we have all our wonderful traditional German and, of course, American festivities coming up next.
While Christmas season for sure starts with Thanksgiving for the Americans, for us Germans Saint Martin’s Day (Sankt Martinstag) with its festive lantern parades on November 11 rings in the holiday season.
At least that’s how I remember it… Often times the first snowfall covered the city streets in Munich already I recall, when I was walking with my friends in the crunchy snow, our self-made lantern in hands, excitedly singing traditional lantern songs. The air would materialize in front of our mouths so cold it was already, but we knew that a nice hot chocolate would await us at the end of the parade, often together with some delicious cookies and a yummy ‘Weckmann’ as well. Mmmmhhh!
The following Saint Martin’s Lantern Parades are all happening in Northern California this weekend on Saturday, November 10th . Let us know if you hear of any other ones and we can keep adding them to the list.
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Saturday, November 10th:
Bay Area’s Kinderstube has its annual Laternenfest
WHEN: Saturday, November 10 from 4pm-7pm
WHERE: 842 Key Route Boulevard in Albany
Bring your own lantern or buy one. Get your ticket to enjoy German fare from Glühwein, Weckmänner, Pretzels, Spätzle, Bratwurst and more.
Get your TICKETS here
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Saturday, November 10th:
German School in Novato
WHEN: Saturday, November 10th at 5:30 pm
WHERE: Pioneer Park in Novato
German School in Santa Rosa
WHEN: Saturday, November 10th at 5:30 pm
WHERE: School Campus in Santa Rosa
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Saturday, November 10th:
GISSV San Francisco – Lantern Parade & Festival
WHEN: Saturday, November 10th from 2pm-6pm
WHERE: 4 Funston Ave in the Presidio
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Christkindlmarket – Annual Christmas Market At The Phoenix Club in Anaheim
November 25th, 11 am-4pm in the Pavillion
Free Admission & Open to the Public
Enjoy German fare in a Christmas atmosphere setting with music, art & crafts and Christmas gift market featuring jewelry, European gifts and much more
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WEIHNACHTSGOTTESDIENST – Christmas Service
St.Luke’s Lutheran Church in La Mesa
Weihnachtsgottesdienst – German Christmas Carol Service
WHEN: Sunday, December 16th at 3pm , Sonntag, 16. Dezember 2018, 15:00 Uhr
WHERE: St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 5150 Wilson Street, La Mesa
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Image: Pixabay.com
Tomorrow, November 6th is the General Election? Are you going to vote?
If you are an expat, who enjoys dual citizenship, it is your privilege, but also your duty to go out and vote tomorrow! After all, you chose to be a citizen of the United States, as well as your home country, and part of being a good citizen is going to vote in elections.
“But, it’s not the election for the president…!?”, you might say. Yes, that’s true, but the midterms are just as important an election and your vote counts!
In fact, this year’s midterm elections see the largest number of Californians (19 million!) registered to vote in California’s history, according to ABC7news. Especially this year, California’s voice is important.
So, what’s at stake? The control of the Congress and statehouses across the country. And, 36 states will hold elections for governor as well – including California!
On top of voting for our new governor in these midterms, we Californians will have a deciding voice in regards to 7 (!) congressional seats that are up for election. [Read more…] about Go Vote! – The Midterms. A Big Deal for California.
It’s officially on! The Oktoberfest has started in Munich this past weekend.
Have you watched or perhaps even been part of the traditional opening ceremony? It’s always a fun event, starting with the Grand Entry Parade with the Oktoberfest landlords and their festive horse carriages loaded with beer barrels to the entertaining procession of the various costume groups, historic riflemen, flag throwers and many other performers … all on their way to the famous Oktoberfest grounds at the Theresienwiese.
Oktoberfest has come a long way since the day when Bavaria celebrated the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig in October of 1810. Today, you can consider it almost a worldwide event in the sense that you can find and celebrate at some Oktoberfest near you almost anywhere you are on the globe. In the U.S. alone, there are plenty of them you can attend with the largest one in Cincinnati according to Wikipedia. The list is explosively expanding every year.
Many of the ‘Oktoberfests‘ in California listed in our last year’s post are still happening this year with many new ones popping out all over. In fact, the media is full of suggestions of where to go (Bay Area Events & SoCal Events ), so we didn’t dedicate a separate post to all the listings this year.
However, we’d like to highlight very traditional ones, which have been known to be in California for a long time.
One of them is the Oktoberfest at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, which has put on an Oktoberfest for more than 55 years! This year they started out their festivities right at the same time as the original Oktoberfest in Munich, on September 21st.
You can celebrate Oktoberfest at the Phoenix Club every weekend until October 28th, and starting on October 7th – you can enjoy a delicious German Sunday brunch just before you dive into the rest of the fun. End your Oktoberfest outing with a hearty meal and a large ‘Mass’ at their beer garden. Check out their website for more information.
Oans, zwoa, g’suffa! Prost!
Images: Pixabay.com
We are starting the second week in September, and the truth is… Summer is over now! Even if it’s not the official end of this favorite season, it sure feels like it.
Once all kids are back in school again and you don’t hear the laughter of children playing in the streets all day, the beaches are deserted, and the freeways are crowded again, I know,… the serious side of life is back.
All children in California are back in school as of last week. Some were lucky enough to enjoy their summer vacation until right after Labor Day, others had to go back to school already in the middle of August.
German language schools in California are back in session as well. If you are interested in enrolling yourself or your children, go check all of them out on our website. No matter where you are, Northern California or Southern California, we have many of them listed here.
[Read more…] about School is back in session! Viel Glück im neuen Schuljahr.
HOW TO STAY FIT ON A BUDGET IN CALIFRONIA
I think we can all agree that California is home to some of the fittest people on earth. Especially during summer time I am constantly reminded of how great in shape many Southern California residents are. Strutting their stuff on beach boardwalks all around the regions constantly inspires and motivates me to live healthier in regards to my nutrition and fitness.
By no means am I intending to become the female version of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger during his Mr. Universe days, but I am striving to become leaner and healthier all around. While there is definitely no shortage of exercise possibilities thanks to hundreds and hundreds of gyms, Yoga Studios, Cycle Bars etc., it can get costly as some memberships have high fees. [Read more…] about How to Stay Fit On a Budget in California
WHAT I LEARNED FROM LIVING SEVEN YEARS IN CALIFORNIA
Last month, I celebrated my seven year anniversary of living in Huntington Beach. It has been quite a journey composed of a lot of learning and self development. Today, I am a much happier and self-accepting person than I was when I arrived in Southern California.
I believe that life is a continuous ‘work in progress’ with never ending life lessons that challenge us. In the end, it all depends on what we make out of and take away from them. I had a really hard time in the beginning when I moved out here, not really knowing anyone and trying to adapt to a new culture. [Read more…] about What I Learned From Living Seven Years in California
TRYING OUT GOAT YOGA IN LOS ANGELES
Living in Orange County and being so close to LA, I have heard of and seen many unusual things. I mean, let’s be honest, Los Angeles is basically the hometown of the craziest new “trends.” But when one of my girlfriends reached out and asked if I was interested in trying out Goat Yoga, it was clear to me that I was nowhere near to the point where I have seen it all.
Rainbow Garden Preschool in Los Angles celebrated its 10th Anniversary this past weekend. We interviewed Ilka Sternberger on the occasion of this event.
June 2, 2018 marked a special day for Ilka Sternberger. Her preschool Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool in L.A. celebrated its 10th anniversary and Ilka herself was honored by her school community. A school community that has become family over the years and has turned parents into friends.
Ilka, a gifted educator, who immigrated to the United States from Wiesbaden 29 years ago, has become indispensable for families of the German community in and around Los Angeles. Parents love her for creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for their children while being immersed in the German language and learning all about German traditions as well.
That’s why parents wanted to make sure to let her know just how grateful they are for her creating such a wonderful and peaceful learning environment that sparks the imagination of their children every single school day. The 10-year anniversary party this past Saturday was full of surprises. From special speeches to a video full of memorable moments and special dedications.
In our interview, Ilka Sternberger shares with us how she started Rainbow Garden preschool 10 years ago, and what an impact this had not only on her life but on so many others as well. [Read more…] about Ilka Sternberger and Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool celebrate 10th Anniversary – (Interview)