Mondscheintarif

Mondscheintarif ("Moonlight Tariff") by Ildikó von Kürthy was extremely amusing, even as a book. It is a Bridget Jones-like tale of Cora Hübsch, aged 33 3/4 and her waiting for the phone to ring... In the theatre of Lüneburg, Britta Focht created a great one-person show from the bestselling novel, her performance captures brilliantly the appeal and humor of the original story. It is an ultimate feel-good show that helps a great deal understand those sneaky female dating tricks. As for following the storyline in German, well, let me just say that it was of great help that I had read the book before.

Flea Market Finds

I love flea markets, never left any with my hand empty. This time, I found a lovely ceramic jam jar with a matching oil dispenser and an oil and vinegar cruet set decorated with bright ethnic patterns (made by Villeroy & Boch). My absolute favorite though is the vintage metal enamel lunch box that can hold only a tiny portion of soup or main dish.

Frequent Visitor

This is Tante; at least that's how I call her, because her real name is not known. She is a huge Maine Coon living in the same apartment block as us and paying a visit to our flat almost each day. She is absolutely not a lap cat, but likes being close by, lying alongside me, on the couch. Tante is a little clown and very similar in behavior to Simon's cat.

Keukenhof, the Garden of Europe

The Keukenhof flower garden near Amsterdam is the world's largest bulb garden with seven million bulbs (e.g. tulips, narcissi, hyacinths, daffodils etc.) planted each year. The park was established in 1949 by the mayor of Lisse so that Dutch bulb growers could show off their latest hybrids. The theme of 2010 is ‘From Russia with love’ that can be seen in the flower mosaic of St. Basil's Cathedral as well as in many Russian inspired floral arrangements with matryoshka dolls. The park is only open for two months in spring, from the end of March to mid-May. It is a truly spectacular experience, maybe the Carlsbad Flower Fields I visited a couple of years ago is the only one that could be matched to this magic.

Hanami in Germany

Hanami means "flower viewing", however "flower" almost always refers to cherry blossoms (or in other words "sakura"). The practice of hanami is a centuries-old Japanese custom and although it has lost some of its spiritual significance during the years, the weeks between late April and early May are still a great time to enjoy the beauty of spring.

The extract of cherry blossoms known for their nourishing properties is used in many skin care products. Here are the best ones:

Bath & Body Works Moisturizing Shampoo
Organix Conditioner
The Body Shop Body Butter
L'Occitane Lip Gloss
Neobio Moisturizer
San Francisco Soap Company Soap Bar
Demeter Cologne Spray
Bison Lip Cream