Reflections on 2019 and the Last Decade

In the last days of 2019 I have been reflecting on the year and subsequently, this past decade before we ring in 2020 (which sounds so futuristic!). 2019 was a significant year for me because it was the first time that I have experienced an extreme growth. I could tell I’ve been going through a great shift in my life goals, outlook, what I believe is important. At times it’s been quite uncomfortable, but I think all change is that way. Before I explain what I mean, I wanted to quickly look back on the decade. It has been quite […]

Stuttgart Karlshoehe Fall Foliage

Stuttgart’s prettiest season is upon us!  Fall foliage is here, and you don’t want to miss it!  It will get even more colorful over the next few weeks, but I wanted to snap some pictures this weekend while we had the chance.  These are from the Karlshöhe! If you aren’t familiar with the Karlshöhe, it is a large hill in Stuttgart Süd that holds a bunch of playgrounds, sand volleyball courts, Stuttgart’s prettiest biergarten and gorgeous walking paths.  The paths are beginning to change colors so make sure to check it out asap! Let’s go! Similar beret, my favorite jeans […]

Enchanting Forbidden Fruit

If you didn’t catch word, my favorite (free!) activity these days is wine hiking! Also known as vineyard walks or Weinwanderung in German.  Untertürkheim is our starting base and only a 10 minute S-bahn ride away from downtown Stuttgart.  You basically walk up the big vineyard hill behind the town and from there, go exploring!  The routes are endless.  By the end of our hike I’ve already plotted another route to take next time. 🙂 So this weekend we were walking through the vineyards, you know, as we normally do and we then stumbled upon a little apple tree grove […]

Autumn Wine Wandering and Besen Stops

Autumn is my absolute favorite season, and Stuttgart is stunning in the fall.  The air turns crisp in the morning and evenings, we get spectacular sunrise and sunsets, I light candles every night for dinner, and am most inspired in the kitchen whipping up cosy meals of butternut squash, sage, sweet potatoes, and all of the savory goodness!  My favorite fall weekend activity is walking through the vineyards around harvest time and we did just that this weekend in the town’s surrounding Stuttgart, with some Besen stops mixed in for extra fun! We are so lucky to live in and […]

Stuttgart Musings – Late Summer

Ciao ciao friends!!!  Since the epic Sardinia vacay, we celebrated David’s birthday in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro with friends, took a week back in the States for my brothers wedding (!!), and have been hanging around Stuttgart.  I started thinking that I rarely post about my daily life in Stuttgart, and need to change that asap.  Here’s a look into my daily musings around our city! Walking through my neighborhood, I tried to capture some of my favorite buildings.  The south side of Stuttgart has more historical buildings, while the north towards the Hauptbahnhof has much more modern […]

Expat Life: the Haircut

If you’ve ever lived in a foreign country, you quickly realize that simple things, such as picking up a few items at the grocery store or getting a dress taken in, are not so simple in a foreign language.  Grocery shopping when I first moved to Germany always included my Google translate app in my hand, and trips to the seamstress or tailor included practicing uncommon technical seamstress phrases at home beforehand. It’s not by coincidence that I’ve let my hair grow much longer in Germany than I would have ever let it in the states – it’s not that […]

Scenes from the Stuttgart Christmas Market

The Christmas markets have been in full swing here in Germany, and I wanted to capture and share the happiness the markets create.  Twinkling lights, cold nights, warm glühwein, friends old and new catching up, laughter, and cheer.  This is what I think of when I think of the Weihnachtsmarkt. The Stuttgart Marktplatz, Schillerplatz, Schlossplatz and more are lined with wooden huts topped with evergreen branches and twinkling lights.  Each hut sells something unique, from hats and warm socks, to wooden nutcrackers, Christmas ornaments, candles, or even kitchenware. It’s fun to browse the stands, shopping for your loved ones Next […]

Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest

This post is quite late (hello Summer!!) but I wanted to tell you about the Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest since we had the BEST time with so many best friends visiting! The Frühlingsfest, or Spring Festival in English, runs for 3 straight weeks, mid April to mid May every year and it’s the sister event to the Volksfest in the fall.  We were so lucky to have a ton of friends visit us from the states this year, all during the fest season so we spent many weekends soaking up the German festival and sharing it with them! If you haven’t been […]