Have you notice that it’s almost half of November? October spells went quickly…

Time really flies. Forty days more to go and its Christmas, and  47 days more and the year ends. November days crawls like a sluggard, like the leaves enduring the harsh winds and struggling to cling on the branches. The trees soon will be bald, since leaves continuously falling to the ground. Times like these allows me to treasure the short days  of Autumn knowing that winter soon will knock on our doorsteps. But..at the corner of my heart, I have this feeling that November days are so lazy, its like I’m always trying to pull the days soon,getting over with the upcoming festivities and start the new year, clean & fresh.

Meanwhile,I wondered how the moon looked tonight since it’s the time of Perigee Moon, they say its the Supermoon, its gonna be on its brightest and biggest. I have high hopes since the sky is not clear over here. 

Since I live in Germany, and this is an Expat blog, around this time of the year, do you have any idea  what Germans or Bavarians do on  lazy  fall Sunday mornings?

 I have observe quietly how Germans roll the sweet November days. They are out cycling as usual, with half of their face wrapped  with thick scarves.They run,brisk walk, while listening music from their phones. They walk their dogs or run with them. Their dogs are dressed up in its winter outfit. The cute little coat that they wear. Cozy and snug as a bug they trot into the woods. I love how German mothers dressed up their babies in a snug baby sack and merino wool and let them nap in their buggies. They open their windows while the heating is on, and yes, they clean their garden yards from the fallen leaves.

You see, my neighborhood is a picture of a decent, quiet, sometimes boring, and typical Bavarian village where people don’t say Hi but only mumbled lazily , Grüß gott!

Aside from drinking Hot chocolate milk with marshmallows, and doing some serious Fall baking, I’d like to spend my Sunday ( Ruhetag) mornings by taking nostalgic walks in the woods or if it’s not raining, cycling in the dike and enjoying the landscape.This has  become my new Sunday routine.My wandertag!With all the shops being closed on Sundays, a trip to nature is the best way to relax. Enjoying the leaves has become my serious favorite.

From last week, its been grey skies, gloomy and raining here. But today, finally we have a bit of sun so we head into the woods right after breakfast.From walking through the crisp dried leaves,admiring the Autumn colors along the banks of the river, and on the look out for mushrooms in the wild woods,my heart is glad. Although spring flowers are a wonderful sight against the bright sunny weather, autumn flowers which are drenched in dew are also enchanting to see.Times like this in Germany is nothing special, but for me, its different.

I spotted these dainty bunch of white fluffy moth- like flowers growing like a vine around the fence. It reminded me of cotton balls. So fragile, and soft. I don’t know its name but I don’t mind, they are just beautiful to see.

I didn’t know that moving to Germany would introduce me to another sweet culture called ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’. It’s basically coffee and cake time. It’s a Gezelligheid enjoyed between family members, friends, and loved-ones. Normally on lazy Sunday afternoon but I noticed that Germans tends to have this any time of the day, mostly before their evening meal. I see them enjoying a warm cup of coffee with a slice of cake, looking so cozy. Bakeries here always have some selection of day cakes, sliced in decent portions, the most common is their Black forest cake, custard and with fresh fruits on top.I don’t feel guilty about indulging into some sweets since I am a confessed chocoholic as well.  The difference from Kuwait is that there are lots of Burger restaurants & fast food there that it seems quite impossible to avoid the unhealthy side of comfort foods especially if you walk into Avenues where there are unlimited choices. Aside from sweet pastries and heavy cakes, Kuwaitis favored a different version of indulgence.

Here in Bavaria, a simple coffee/tea and cake is enough pampering your sweet tooth!

I managed to make my very first traditional Dutch Apple pie from scratch. My husband devoured it like a glutton and I am happy that despite having a hard time getting the ingredients from the local shelves of supermarkets here, I managed to bake a decent pie. One note, there’s no self-raising flour or a good vanilla essence here. All is see is the Vanillin sucker or the aroma that doesn’t really “do”as the real vanilla.

For the last 2 weeks of November, there are still few highlights to look forward. I’m excited for my daughter to have her first taste of St.Nicholas Day on the 5th of December, visit the local Christmas Market which wil start next week and start making cards for Christmas. Germans already started to hoard Adventkalendars,almost all shops have their own selection on this. I would be glad to squeeze some time for this as well as making DIY wreaths. After all, it will be our first Christmas here in Germany so I’m looking into new things.

How are you getting by through this sweet November?